Docent at the Presidio

I had a great time today, working at the SF Presidio as a docent. It is fun because people are really into the art enough to want to find out about the different paints: acrylic, casein, watercolor, etc. and the different papers, such as Yupo, canvas, panel, 300 lb. paper, etc. The California Watercolor Association 40th National Juried Show ends on May 24, 2009. At least 190 people visit each day. www.californiawatercolor.org

This painting, The Dance of the Delphiniums, is just one of the paintings I did for a solo show in S.F. It is watercolor and acrylic on 300 lb. watercolor paper.

I hope some of you can see my work in person at one of the shows. Soon there is a show at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. The artist reception is May 30 from 5-7 pm at the museum, 500 Palm Drive, Novato. This is a national juried show with the theme of "Alchemy", found materials used to make the art. The show runs through July 5, 2009

I needed to reload my images for the correct resolution.
The painting on this blog is of Kanas Lake. We visited the northern-most part of China in
August and had a chance to see the remote national park with Kanas Lake. I used crayon-like materials to paint the watercolor. The sticks as they are called, are really pure watercolors but act more like crayons. As you can see the intensity of the color really stands out with these.

If you know someone interested in watercolors, tell them about the watercolor sticks that can be purchased online from Daniel Smith: http://www.danielsmith.com

Also my website is: http://www.mesart.com/ashleyarts

I am a little late on writing my blog but all the better to tell good news. Yesterday, I opened the website for the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and found that my name was listed as one of the 55 artists accepted into the show, "Alchemy." This show will feature work done with found materials, reclaimed items and recycled into art. My painting, "Ghery's Walt Disney Concert Hall," is of the L.A. music iconic hall by architect Frank Ghery. I love painting cities and famous buildings, bridges, or special haunts that keep us fascinated. After all, 50% of the world now live in urban areas. We live here in the Bay Area, specifically for me in San Jose, the 10th largest city in the United States. So it seems appropriate that we identify readily with city structures.

The Marin Mueum of Contemproary Art "Alchemy," A National Juried Exhibition, will begin on May 30-July 5, 2009. A public reception with artists will be May 30, 5-7 pm.
500 Palm Drive
Novato, California 94949

Museum Hours:
Tuesday through Sunday
11am to 4pm
Closed Sunday

Outdoor Art

I have a painting done in acrylic on clayboard, and I wonder if it would be weather-resistant. I figure it is worth doing to see the effect. I have wanted to paint outdoor art when some artist friends and I were hosting an outdoor art event. A woman came specifically to see if anything we painted could be placed in a garden setting or around a pool.

Of course, there are mural painters all over the world. I am looking for something portable and easy to transfer to a different place.

The weather for the next few days will vary from rainy to sunny so that would be a good test.

I also used a gel medium on the clayboard to give texture and a gritty, sandy beach look.

Remember the California Watercolor Association 40th National Exhibition is ongoing through May 24, 2009 Check out the CWA website for pictures of the winners and details about the show. www.californiawatercolor.org

This past Sunday we went to the Presidio in San Francisco to see the California Watercolor Association National Exhibition with friends. It is fun to see what varied work and techniques exist within watercolors.


The painting on the right is "Don't Splash Me!" which I won an award in last year's CWA show.

If you go, pick up a catalog for $13 which will also show the prices of the paintings.



www.californiawatercolor.org

The excitement for me is that this is my third acceptance and it means I have achieved Signature Membership in the CWA organization. That means I can use the CWA initials after my name.....alphabet soup, so to speak.

I have been trying to be inspired about painting San Diego. I love to paint cities, but I haven't come up with the right format...yupo paper, or canvas, or clayboard. Clayboard interests me, and I'm going to do a test to see if something painted in acrylic could be okay for outside. I really want to paint on materials that could go outside. By this time next week I hope to have at least 2 paintings done of San
Diego.

We now have the beginning of a painting. This is watercolor on polypropylene and it is perfect for this as we will achieve a lot of texture with this "yupo" paper.

First we have the beginning drops of paint, which sit on the surface as yupo does not absorb paint.





In the second step I use a foam roller, which is a general purpose paint tool for painting a room. I smooth out the background for contrast with the textures of the arrangement.

Next we add the touches of color which are the tulips, freesias and ornamental cabbages.

The final picture shows the finished painting with all the color and texture
because we used the perfect smooth surface to paint on called "yupo."


www.mesart.com/ashleyarts
12w X 14h "Ikebana with Tulips" by Susan Ashley

Photographs of the Flower Show Evolving into Paintings

This past weekend we had a well received Ikebana International Flower Show in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Many people wanted to be in the park after so many days of rain. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny Saturday and Sunday event.
Here is the first basic step in starting the arrangement. My husband stabilized the birch branch with a wood base,
which was the anchor for the arrangement.
.








Next is the final arrangement with the Chiko School elements of natural materials without fancy vases. There are often artifacts such as small figures, but with the birch branches, I didn't feel that was necessary.

The next step is to paint the textures and colors, possibly using a polypropelyne material called "yupo" paper. It enables the paint to lay on top of the material and gives a strong, color impact. The next blog will feature the progress of painting this arrangement.

There are photographs of the many arrangements soon to be posted on www.ikebana.org/

Find some of my earlier paintings of flowers and ikebana on www.mesart.com/ashleyarts