Ebay Auction 5 Paintings!

'Puerto de Colores', Oil on Canvas, 9"x6",SOLD

'Cindy's Confetti', Oil on Canvas, 9"x6", SOLD

'Catalina Tile', Oil on canvas, 9"x6" SOLD

'Saxon', Oil on Canvas, 9"x6", SOLD

'Train Passes Hot Lake', Oil on Canvas, 9"x6", SOLD


One thing about being global is you can't assume
everyone that is reading your blog celebrates the
same holidays or even solstices as you do. For those
of you that have been celebrating I hope it has been
good. I celebrated both the Winter Solstice and
Christmas, which to me in some ways are about the
same thing, the birth of light. I had a good time. This
year, more than any other time in my life, the
celebration has been about giving the gift of love.
These past 4 months have been profound for me,
as I heal from surgery on my ankle. I have so much
appreciation for those who have helped me through it.

I still have not re-entered the studio, as I am still very
tenuous with my ankle. Needless to say, this whole event
has been a challenge to my pocket book (did I really say
pocket book?) so I have decided to do an end of the year
auction of 5 of my small paintings.

I wish a very happy 2010 to all of you. The start of a new
decade, wow! May it be new! If you haven't seen the movie
Avatar I highly recommend it.

Satellite Gallery Show

Front window-Crescent Moon Bear
collaboration with Cindy Bilotti
Front room of gallery.
Front room/hallway

Small room.

It feels good to sit in front of the computer again with
the intention of going back to work on the blog. I have
missed all of you. I am going to try to get into the studio
this week and do something as I am getting unbearably
grouchy. Then I will have something to post.

I had my show opening Thursday at Satellite Gallery
with Frank Janzen, master printmaker at Crow's Shadow'.
It was a treat spending time with him and his wife Marie.
The show is a beauty, if I dare say so myself. Our work
complemented each others very well. His art in the show
was lovely colorful fused glass sculptures. The turn
out was fair. For those of you who do not live in the area
I share these pictures so you too can attend the show.
There are more pictures on my flickr page.

My thanks to Don Gray for orchestrating the placement
of my paintings. Thank you also to Don, Melissa Over,
and Stephanie Messersmith for hanging my part of the show.
Thank you Chris Jennings at the gallery, there would be no
show if not for him.

Opening of Show

This Thursday at 6 is the opening of my show with
Frank Janzen at the Satellite Gallery in La Grande
116 Depot St. www.satellitegallery.com.
I hope to see you locals there!

I am having a terrible time getting my blog to post. It is Mercury retrograde after all!

After Auerbach

Charcoal on paper, 30"x22,
price on request (it's in the other room
and it is a large task to get to it. :^} )
If you are interested in purchasing this drawing please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

This weekend is open studios in the Grande Ronde.
Artists studios open all over the valley for people meet the
artists, view and maybe even purchase some art. We
artists always hope so. In my neck of the woods Tom
Diamond will be doing glass blowing demonstrations,
Don Gray will be available to chat with in his magnificent
studio, and I will be at my studio with my foot up, a
completely captive audience. So if you live locally
please come by. 10-5 on Saturday and 1-5 on on Sunday.
604 Main St., Cove next to the library. If you want the
brochure for the event please email me and I will forward it.

Crescent Moon Bear

Collaboration with Cindy Bilotti
Oil on Canvas, 40"x90" triptych, $2600 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Now...where was I? No, really, I am already tired of
this story. So briefly the rescue team showed up, pumped
me full of pain meds, put me on the back of a ATV flatbed
and away we went, getting stuck on only one berm. I
was put in the ambulance and we bumped our way down
the wash boarded dirt road. Do not think for one moment
that the pain was stopped by the meds. I was a screamer
but not a whiner that day.

The situation did not rapidly change at the hospital. There
was the wait and then the process of figuring out how to
deal with a badly fractured and dislocated ankle with no
specialist on board. After seeing the xrays Kirby came in
and said "Honey, your skateboard is really busted!" About
2 hours into it I was put under and the ankle was put back
in place.

At this point I went home. Tuesday I saw the specialist and
Wednesday I had surgery. All this time I was on drugs and
my sleeping reality was becoming just as real as my waking.
The reality was vivid and yummy, a combination of Peter
Max, Salvador Dali, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I am off the drugs and on the mend and extremely grateful
for Kirby, my community and the excellent medical attention
I received out here in remote Eastern OR.

Red Shoes

Collaborative piece with Cindy Bilotti
Oil on Canvas, 40"x60" diptych $1600 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Okay,......so a week ago last Sunday I suggested to
my partner that he and I go for a walk....an innocent
enough desire. So we loaded the dogs into the car and
headed up toward the entrance to the wilderness area
outside of our town. We had gone about 3 or 4 miles
up a dirt road when we saw an old forestry road that is
now blocked by dirt berms. We decided to try that road,
as we never had, instead of continuing up to our original
destination.

It was a lovely road, as far as the views, with expansive
vistas of the valley and the craggy side of the top of the
mountain. The road itself was a drag because we had to
walk over many berms of loose dirt. They really wanted
to keep out any kind of motor vehicles. Kirby kept walking
ahead of me, the dogs with him and I found myself irritated.
What if a cougar appeared (there are many) or I fell? And
talk about instant manifestation....kaboom I fell coming down
the steep side of a berm. Aren't I powerful? I caught the side
of my foot and slipped sideways, dislocating my ankle. That
much I knew immediately as I lay screaming on the ground
I looked down and saw that my foot was not on the ankle
and both were headed in separate directions. If I had not
already been screaming with pain I would have started then.
Kirby was not very far ahead so he was with me immediately
saw my ankle and called on the cell 911,Thank you God we
were in easy cell phone range!

As I lay in a bed of rock I had two thoughts. It was going to
take some time for the rescue people to get here, and, that if
I spent all that time focused on the pain I was going to be very
miserable. I then said God this would be a REALLY good time
for miracle. That being said I started to pay attention to my
breath as opposed to the pain and was actually somewhat
peaceful for the approximate 40 minutes it took for the team
to get there. I did think how the heck are they going to get me
back with all those berms?

To be continued........

Zao's Garden

Oil on canvas 48"x36" $2200 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherintreffinger.com

Well I am almost back among the living. I am too
tired after 2 nights of little sleep to tell the story of
what happened but I will. It makes good story telling.

Anyhow I thought I'd stick my toe back in the blog
water with a painting I did about 5 years ago and has
been a part of my personal collection. I decided to put
it back on the market.

Have a great day my friends. With everything I have been
through this week I am extremely grateful for all levels of
friendship.

Stopped in my tracks

Hi everyone. I injured my right ankle on a beautiful hike and had surgery 2 days ago. It will be a bit before I am back up and running here in the blog world. Send your healing energy my way. CREATE, CREATE, CREATE!

Puerto de Colores- New eBay

Oil on Canvas, 9"x 6", Starting bid $47.50 Bid Here.

I better stop doing these eBays pretty soon or I won't
have any small paintings left for my show in October!
Speaking of which I went and firmed up the plans for
the show with the gallery owner yesterday. Really fun!
The show opens at the Satellite Gallery on October 15th
in La Grande Oregon. Chris Jennings runs the gallery
and is a pleasure to work with. With all he has on his
plate he asks the artists to curate their own shows.
The Monday before the opening I will be at the gallery
hanging the work with Chris. Did I already tell you
that Frank Janzen, master printer of Crow's Shadow
will be showing his sculptures with me? I am looking
forward to this!

Karen Betty Tobias- Art and Meaning

'Organ' Wool felt and fibers 2009

"What is the meaning of doing art for you?"

Art means expressing myself. It is an ongoing process
of learning and getting to know me better. It tells me
about myself in relation to all the other people and
beings on Mother Earth and even what goes beyond.
Art means bonding to Mother Earth and opening the
view to all the wonderful beings and creatures we
have the pleasure to share this space with. It is my
way of expressing my respect.

I have been traveling around the World a lot with
my art and this year it brought me to South-Korea,
the Dominican Republic and Italy for exhibitions and
teaching. I had the gift of getting to know such
wonderful people. I especially want to mention my
friend Peter Benzing over there in the U.S. It is an
ongoing story about learning about people, culture,
nature and how everything goes together.

Sometimes I finish a work, stand back and have a
look at it, wondering "Was this really me who did this?
How did I do this?" I am very happy as long as it just
happens again and again and I am blessed by the joy
that I have about the things that come out of the total
ME. And for course its great to share this with others,
like Katherine and YOU!
'Convergence' Drawing on paper, 20 cm x20 cm (approximately 8"x8") 2009
Karen Betty Tobias
Germany

Karen's links:
www.karen-betty-tobias.de
www.wunderwesen.de
Her email: info@wunderwesen.de

Deep Sea Diving

Oil on canvas, 36" x 48" $2200 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

As I promised last week I am posting my latest
painting. While working on this piece I was reminded
of a book I read many years ago by Reshad Field Last
Barrier a story of a Westerner who travels to Turkey to
study under Sufi Mystiques. I believe it was semi
autobiographical. At one point he goes to a retreat and
sees a woman with a tangled skein of yarn. Her whole
day is spent untangling the skein and retangling it to
start again. She was in the process of untangling her
psyche and her way of thinking. She was not just doing
it for herself, she was untangling the greater psyche also.

There were moments in painting this where I felt it
would never work and that I was not sure I even liked
to paint. I remembered this woman and felt in my way
this was my skein of yarn. My process of working is to
create chaos and bring it to a peaceful place and lose it
again into chaos until it becomes an interesting and
finished piece. During this process I feel I am working
myself to a healthier level of sanity. It is often a walk
through the fire, as I let myself go through my fears,
doubts, and anxieties. I wish I could say what many
of the artists I have featured say that they are their
happiest and most peaceful when they are creating. I
mentioned this to my friend Don and he said he has a
friend who says he paints when the pain of not painting
becomes greater than the pain of painting. I laughed,
but there was a a part of me that agreed. There is always
joy when the piece is finished and I love what I did. This
was one of those times.

Olivier Gilet- Art and Meaning

'Healing Song' Archival Ink Jet Print on Canvas, acylic, etc.
2 meters x 3 meters (approximately 6'7"x 9'11")
This image will be featured in an important exhibit
'MacParis' in Paris, France.
(http://www.mac2000-art.com/macparis/?lang=en)
(Mac is Manifestation d'art Contemporain/
Contemporary Art Event)

'What is the meaning of doing art for you?'

SOME VERY CANDID OPINIONS  ON THE MEANING
OF DOING  ART

1) Doing art is like cleaning. Before cleaning I am
looking carefully, as some dust should be permitted
to stay.

2) Looking (perceiving) is very important. Usually
I am using my eyes, sometimes through a lens. It
creates some distance, and thus some space.

3) Doing art is creating space. Dogs are creating
space and frontiers by urinating, birds are singing,
artists are spreading some art forms in a dangerous
world.

4) I am hungry of beauty, but still cannot define it
fully. That's why I am looking further.

5) While doing art, I am communicating with other
cultures & other times. I am a kind of gardener, &
there are a lot of different plants & flowers.

6) While creating art, I try not to fly away, I try
to be there.

7) Being there.

8) I have some cameras, a computer & a printer & several
big Chinese brushes. Those are my friends & my toys in
this game.

9) I am obsessed by the strange relationships between
the beings & their bodies. So I am using bodies in my
pictures. Spiritual beings are not easy to paint or
photography.

10) Being there and elsewhere.

11) My best moments in the studio: like a child in nature.
Eating light & colors.

12) What's the most dangerous: to be naked in the studio,
or outside?

13) The studio I am dreaming of: Horseshoe Canyon in
Arizona.

14) There is some ecstatic feeling connected with creation.
But doing art is also a job. The archetypal job.

15) Doing art, yes, is a cleaning job. I love the idea of
cleaning the world with forms & colors...& my brushes are
not big enough...

16) I cannot work in the studio without thinking to all
the other beings being there somewhere & creating &
communicating & trying all together to clean the
world...while letting some dust on the shelves, too...

17) Doing art on a continuous basis is like continuously
coming back to a lost paradise, a native universe.

18) That's it, it's how I feel, in a naked world, without
mask.
Olivier Gilet, Brussels Belgium

Olivier's links:
http://www.flicker.com/photos/ogilet/
http://users.skynet.be/o.gilet/tableaux 

Art

Elbow Room- New eBay

Oil on Canvas, 9"x6" SOLD

Yesterday was a weird day. I didn't feel that great but I
managed to pull myself into the studio and finish, with
ease I might add, 2 paintings. One of them is large and
I had been struggling with it until yesterday when I went
in and did a few things to it and called it done and named it.
I'll post it next week. I also repainted what used to be
'Traffic Jam' and renamed it 'Elbow Room". I have been
thinking that a lot lately about where I live, that there is
elbow room.

Brian Forrest- Art and Meaning

'Horn' Oil on canvas 28"x22"

"What is the meaning of doing art for you?"

Doing art is a cross between a crap shoot, finding
your way out of the woods, and performing a magic
act. Each time I begin to paint I feel like I am walking
a tightrope—sometimes scary, sometimes exciting,
sometimes very quiet, and always, always surprising;
leading me where I never expected to go. Doing art
makes me lose all sense of time and place and go
inside one long moment of creating.

Whenever I feel a painting in my gut, I know this is
why I paint. Its colors are the message. I feel them
before my mind has a chance to get involved. Color
is the most agile and dynamic medium to create joy.
And if you can find joy in your art, then you’ve found
something worth holding on to.

Brian's Links:
Slideshow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35433428@N08/show/
Blog: http://brianforrest-art.blogspot.com/
Brian's contact info:
425.688.7855
bforrestnet@yahoo.com

Caroline Douglas- Art and Meaning

'Hobby Llama' Salt Fired Stoneware at cone 10 14"x9"x7"

"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

Art has been a part of my life since as early as I can
remember. The process of making art is a time of joy
and delight, and has often been very healing for me.
After a severe head injury, I created collages and small
pieces to help in my recovery. I would make a bust and
think it was done. The next day I could see that the
eyes or shoulders were not straight, and I would work on
correcting that. That process helped my brain to heal.
One year during this time, I created a 365-day journal in
clay. Each day I gave myself permission to make anything,
whatever I felt like making, with the only stipulation
being that I spend only 20 minutes. Some days I just
poked holes in clay as a way of soothing my nervous
system. I displayed the whole year in calendar form at
the library. It was very empowering.

Art is my way of connecting with myself and my world,
and expressing the joy and wonder of life.

Caroline's links:
www.carolinedouglas.net
www.carolinedouglas.blogspot.com
Her email is: caroline_douglas@comcast.net
Her phone is: 303.746.2530

Seismic

Seismic Oil on Canvas 14"x11" $275

I wanted you to see the lovely painting my friend
Rachel sent me for my birthday. It is 6"x6" and now hanging
in my kitchen, the Rachel Gallery. She did a whole series of
Pigeons from her trip to San Francisco. I have coveted them
and now I own one!!!
http://rachelschlueterdailypaintings.blogspot.com/
Check out her blog she is doing some very cool film
noire paintings as of late. Thank you Rachel for this
little beauty!

Mariah O'Neill

'The Visit' watercolor and gouache, 9 1/8 in by 8 5/8 in.

"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

Painting has evolved for me, so there are many answers
to this question. It is a nonverbal thing - about feelings
and processes more than meanings...about being present
and connecting. In 2002 I began drawing, just animals ,
because I felt connected to them. This was after a long
chronic illness, which persists, in order to salvage something
from the wreckage. For many years it was forced , I drew
and painted very rarely, because of a really brutal inner
critic. Finally,about two years ago,the critic got the boot.

I' d say that painting began as a way to defy death, which
was in fact on my shoulder. For me art defines a moment,
it is a meditation on the present moment.... it is a celebration
of life in the face of loss, as well as daily insults. As in Galway
Kinnell's poem , The Flower of Five Blossoms, it matters
that we go on singing. I agree with Billy Elliot, in the movie,
when he said of dancing that it helps him to disappear...
what a relief.

I do a lot of self portraits, for lack of any other models...
they have become a sort of inquiry into my various selves,
masks...asking "who am I?" It may seem narcissistic, but,
far from it for at fifty seven , it's really no picnic looking into
the mirror.....Each portrait is a process asking that question,
and bringing forth one of the many selves.. hopefully so
others can see parts of themselves also. I enter into it not
knowing what will happen, each time new, open, often scared,
I paint to find out what gives and am often surprised .

I love paint and color... I am curious and love to find out
what if I put this mark here, this color /shape there. In the
moment of painting, it simply makes me feel better, even
physically.

I love beauty, and I wanted to leave behind something
beautiful.

Visit more of Mariah's work at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariahoneill/

Angel giclee- New eBay

Archival ink on Hahnemulle Paper. Bid here

I am thinking I might discontinue printing my
Angel Giclee in order to allow those who own
it to have a piece of art that is a limited edition.
It is the first of my drawings I printed. I have
one more in my possession and one at Pendleton
Arts. I have decided to put the one I have on eBay.
I have started the auction at 1/2 the original price.
It is the 24"x18" size and has been started at $75.
If you know anyone who might be interested please
pass this along. It is printed with archival ink on
Hahnemulle paper and is a very nice quality.

Have a great weekend.

Oswego- eBay

Oil on canvas, 9"x6" eBay bid here
(starts at 1/2 price $47.50)

Thank you to all of your Birthday wishes. It
was beautiful in Joseph. We also went to
Wallowa Lake and found the road to the houses
on the other side of the lake from where all the
visitors go. We went for a short walk there
and saw at eye level an Osprey in her nest.
Phenomenal! Kirby and I have this game we play
where we count the number of birds of prey
we see on a road trip. Yesterday it was 13
hawks, 3 Osprey and 2 Falcons. So wonderful
living in big sky country!

I found out why I was stung on the same finger.
When a wasp stings it secretes a Pheromone.
That attracts other wasps. Simple. And I thought
it was me!

Cameoutaflower

Oil on canvas, 30"x40" SOLD

It's my birthday and I am flying out the door.
We're headed to Joseph, one of my favorite
visuals in Eastern Oregon. Check it out:
http://www.josephoregon.com/

Meanwhile I am posting an earlier piece of
mine that was quite spontaneous.

Coyote

Click on image to enlarge. Giclee print available.

Archival Ink on Hahnemulle paper
If you are interested in purchasing a print please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

Randy Wallace
"I like him up close and personal... the picture on the
web site does not do him justice...I have seen them in
the wild...they are amazing animals."

Dr. Ruth Davenport
"I am fortunate to have in my life Katherine's "Coyote"
Giclee print. I have it in my office where I spend most
of my time, so I get to greet her every day when I enter.
I love the neutral tones, rusts, and blues, but even more,
I am in awe of how Katherine captured the cunning and
whimsy we know to be Coyote's spirit. She has caught
her mid-stride, and conveyed motion and and intention
both in the eyes and feet. She is poised for action, we
get a sense of the movement and focus characteristics
of this trickster. Kin to my totem Wolf, Coyote brings
to each day a feeling of guidance, protection, and a
reminder to not take the burdens of the day too seriously!
Thanks Katherine for this remarkable gift!"

Diane Kramer
"I purchased a print of "Coyote" from Katherine Treffinger
and I was very impressed with the fine appearance. The
colors are rich and dynamic and in no way does it look like
a print of low quality. Most people, including myself, think
it is a painting and not a print. I am very happy and pleased
with the print and am glad I was able to purchase it."

Kerry Loewen
"I love your print! I'm hanging it in my new office."

Dianna Wooley
"Although Mr. Coyote does not hang on my studio
walls, I fell in love with him when he was on sale
in the Carnegie Art Center in Walla Walla. A terrific
looking piece!"

So there you have it. Know any one that would like to have
a Coyote hangin' around? 22"x30" $250 and 18"x24" $150.
Big is beautiful!

Faiza Khan- Art and Meaning

'Hope at the End of the Rainbow' Oil on canvas, 3'x3.5'

"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

Art for me is a source of strength, something that cleanses
my soul and uplifts my spirit. Art has been my survival
factor, giving meaning to life and letting me express myself.
It is something necessary in the surroundings I live in. It's
rather a weapon that I use against increasing extremism in
attitudes of some people in our community. Art is love and
is for love. It is for conveying the message of love and making
people closer, therefore, I believe it is the most important
tool to bring about peace in our daily lives and in the whole
world. I am incomplete without art and I am stronger and
expressive with art. It is a language that I know the best. I
connect to other people and myself through art, making it an
essential part of my life.

Faiza's links:
www.flickr.com/photos/faizaayub

www.paintingsbyfaiza.weebly.com

Mrs. Mulwray

Charcoal on paper, collection of Kirby Ferris

I am having a weird morning. The day before yesterday
I lifted something up outside and unknown to me there
was a hornets nest and I was stung about 7 or 8 times
on my finger. By last night I had a difficult time sleeping
because my finger and hand are so swollen that I don't
think it could swell anymore. So I go to something I had
volunteered for this A.M. and what happens? Another wasp
stings me on the same finger. Does this qualify for weird?
Kirby asked me 'if this is a random Universe what is the
chance of this happening?' Since neither of us think it is
random more theories appeared. Kirby thought maybe it
was a harmonious event, the Universes' 'hornet homeopathics'
treatment.????? Maybe...... I actually had the same thought.
That's how weird we are.

Have a better day than I'm having.

Alicia Tormey- Art and Meaning

Evolution, 2008, Encaustic w/mixed media, 72” x 72”

"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

When I began thinking about art and meaning it occurred
to me that being an artist is more than a profession or
trade… it is a way of life. I look at my studio practice as
I imagine an athlete approaches their daily training rituals
each day we are striving to improve over the last. As
humans we are all naturally creative so the act of making
art feels like the most authentic action for me. I recently

read this quote that I feel sums it up: “Everybody is an artist.
Everyone is god. It’s just that they are inhibited” – Yoko Ono

Alicia's links are:

www.aliciatormey.blogspot.com
www.aliciatormey.com

Caravan

Oil on canvas, 14"x11" SOLD
Don has offered for me to come back with another
large canvas so I am earmarking this for a roll of canvas
if it sells. I was looking at canvas yesterday on line when
my 7 year old friend Damien came to visit. He asked if I
was going to get the kind of canvas I was looking at and
I said I didn't have the money right now. His response was
"Well then you should sell lemonade!".

So today I am going to remember if life hands you a bowl
of lemons make lemonade...... and sell it. On that note,
have a great day and if you see a kid selling lemonade buy
some for me.

Bridgette Guerzon Mills- Art and Meaning

'Lesson Plans', Encaustic, 8"x16"

"What meaning does doing art have for you?"

Every time I come to my easel or table to work, I am
so grateful to have this channel of expression and the
dedicated time and space to do so. I see my paintings
as personal narratives. I draw upon my daily
experiences, observations, and personal history. And
through the act of creating, I attempt to make sense
of it all! In that sense doing art is like an inner dialogue
with myself. This dialogue is an essential one, without
which life would be a little less intriguing.

As a mother of a two year old, balancing time and
finding the energy is a constant issue. But at the same
time, there is no question about it. Doing art is as part
of me as saying that I am right handed. Being a
mother enriches my art and my art, I believe, enriches
my mothering. I feel fortunate that my art allows me
my "sacred time"- a time where the outer world quiets
down so that I can tune into myself. Doing art allows
me to find that core of me and let it come out onto
canvas through form and color.

Bridgette's links are:
web site: www.guerzonmills.com
blog: www.bgmartjournal.blogspot.com
handmade journals: www.amanobooks.com

Virgin of Guadelupe

Oil on canvas 67"x31"

Yes, I am a member of Facebook. There are several
questionnaires moving around Facebook right now
that are both annoying and fun. They are time
consuming if you choose to do them but fun to come
up with the answers. The best though is to read the
answers of your friends, especially my high school
friends who I had lost contact with and now am in
daily contact with. One such question is a list of your
firsts. In honor of this questionnaire which is sitting
waiting for my answer I am posting my first painting.
I had been working with oil pastels before this and the
work was very primitive. A friend was giving away a
bunch of canvases and I took them. One of them was
perfect for a painting I had wanting to do. It was way
over my head (not the canvas the subject) but I proceeded.
Luckily a friend invited me to come paint in her studio in
S.F. for it was a large painting. The painting took me almost
a year to complete. Now it is in my private collection. It
is inspired by my many wonderful trips to Mexico and
Guatemala in the 70's and to all those bus drivers that
passed vehicles on blind corners crossing them selves with
a statue of this lovely lady glued to their dash board.

The next question is the first 50 bands I went to see. That
kept me awake last night because it was so fun to think about.
I AM a child of the 60's from the S.F Bay Area!

Embarcadero- New eBay

Oil on canvas, 9"x6", SOLD

Sorry I am so late today. I ran off this morning to help
Don take his mural off the wall and wrap it for transport.
So finally here I am getting to my blog.

Last night was so fantastic here in Cove. It has been so hot
for so long but last night I sat on the front porch and watched
the rain and lightening in 70 degree weather. What a joy that
was! It is the small things folks.

Thank you to those of you that bid on the last eBay auction.
What a good feeling to actually have an auction take place.
This is the first time it wasn't just one person bidding!

The Monk

Charcoal and gesso on paper 30x22 Sold

When visiting yesterday with Cindy we talked about
our days at The Drawing Studio where we met. This
is a storefront drawing school on Division in Portland
owned by Phil Sylvester. I went there for a couple of
years, once a week. He really teaches creativity much
more than drawing and he hugely influenced all of my
work. Cindy and I talked about how we still hear him
teaching when we work. I learned next to nothing about
rendering from him but rather how to see and how to
be creative with what I see. Thank you Phil.

Today's posting is a drawing I did at the Drawing Studio.

Saxon

Oil on canvas, 9"x6", $95 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I am going to be brief because today my friend Cindy
Bilotti and her family are visiting and I have much to
do before the heat sets in. Good luck! So here is a
painting I repainted this weekend.

Have a great day and stay cool, unless you are down
under and then you'd want to stay warm.

Cirque- new eBay

Oil on canvas, 9"x6" SOLD
Yesterday I took a friend to see my new painting and it
was a rich experience for me. I realized after all the talk
and struggle to go toward meaningful figurative work I
had hit something with this painting. Looking at it with
a new witness I saw that it carried the kind of power
and meaning I have wanted to express. In it's largeness
and boldness it tells a story of the light and the dark, the
known and the mystery, of earth and space. I feel a lot
changed for me in doing this painting and look forward
to doing a new large piece.

Thank you so much to Don Gray for allowing me to use
his lovely studio space, for all his feedback, knowledge and
humor.

Kelly Snelling- Art and Meaning

"In the Belly of the Bird" acrylic on wood, 7" x 5.5"

"What meaning does doing art have for you?

I have always made things in one way or another
be it photographs which I printed myself, or collage,
or painting, or when in nature, shapes with sticks/
flowers/rocks/earth. Making things is as right as the
rain falling for me. It is who I am as much as how
I walk or the way I twirl my hair. I've never wondered
why I do these things. It is good to wonder.

Making things, painting, gives me balance. It opens up
that door into the world where time stands still. Once
through that door the problems of my life all fall away.
It is bliss. Even when a piece is a struggle or I am
questioning the outcome instead of focusing on the
process, it is always about trusting myself enough to
accept everything just as it is. It is me giving myself
permission to get out of my own way and Play (with
a capital P). It is how I work out my dreams, my
frustrations, my fears. It means I don't need therapy.
It means I can find and I honor myself, which is also
a gift back to my family because I'm not a mean
woman who has had no time to paint.

There was a time when I questioned what I was doing
all this for. I felt selfish for spending the time away from
my children or for spending the money on the supplies
only to give the pieces away or pile them up in my studio.
But when I am not painting or making things I feel
hollow. I feel less than myself. I can still find joy in my
life, in the clouds, in the flowers, in my family, in
dancing but it isn't as shiny a joy as what I feel as when
I am pouring some payne's gray or scumbling yellow
ochre or dabbing some crimson. Now that is some good
joy.

Kelly's work can be viewed and purchased at:
http://www.soulhumming.typepad.com
http://www.kellysnelling.etsy.com
http://www.acharmingexchange.com

Chasing Stars

I think I am almost finished with my large painting.
It is funny for most of the process the left hand side
has remained the strongest. I have been working
to bring the rest of the painting to the point where it is
as strong and brings your eye all the way across. 10 feet
has been a long way to bring attention. Now the left is the
part I am questioning. I do feel it is close and that the whole
painting is what gets your attention.

I reposted the image and it is finished now.

Tahiti

Charcoal and ink on collage SOLD

I didn't go to the studio yesterday. The day before when I
came home the house smelled like dog and the apricots
were going bad from the heat. Time to pay attention to the
home front. Don finished the mural and has it posted on his
blog www.dailyartwest.com. Now he has to move it and
install it.

'Tahiti' is another collage drawing I did around the time
of 'Long Tall Sue'.

W.I.P. Session 6

Well here I am back with more on my large painting's progress. Yesterday was a big step. Realizing being stuck on the wall was holding me up I took it off the wall and hung it upside down and did some work that way. Then I took it off the wall and put it on a tarp on the floor and mixed paint and poured it on the canvas. Some how my brain still does understand the scope of this painting as I had a difficult time making enough paint to pour. Then, much to my excitement I put it on a wall where I am not fighting the glare. The painting is now in an awkward stage but an exciting place because I am back at having something to respond to. The painting was getting to a place I was liking too much too early. I was treating it as something precious and was immobilized.

W.I.P. #4

W.I.P 10'x4'7"

I am slugging along with this painting in the heat.
I spend an awful lot of time sitting on a chair in
Don's studio. Don mentioned that with all the energy
in my paintings it surprised him what a contemplative
process it is for me. It is true. I get clear on one thing
to try, and then I do it until I am no longer knowing
what to do then I go back and sit in the chair and
stare until the next step comes to me. The big trick
is to get up and paint when an idea comes to me and
not want the next 3 or 4 ideas to come. It does not
work that way for me. Right now I am working with
getting the eye to carry all the way through from left to
right and not be 2 paintings. I have never worked with
this long of a canvas and it is a challenge to pull the eye
all the way across.

I am thinking about using grommets instead of stretching it.
Anybody know about this? Do they need reinforcing?
Would it hang straight?

Angel Giclee- New eBay

24"x18" Giclee Print EBAY SOLD (other prints available)

Is it as hot where you are as it has been here? We gave a
forecast of temperatures in the 90s for the next ten days.
I do not like hot. Let me tell you it gets warm up in Don's
studio! I decided not to bore you with the latest update
on the painting. Instead I decided to put one of my Giclees
up on eBay at 1/2 off. I will not be doing this too often
but I need art supplies. So if you have interest in this print
this would be the time.

W.I.P. #2

Oil on canvas 10'x4'7"

Here is my progress on the painting. Also a photo of Don
at work. Gives you an idea of how different the work is
that is going on in this studio, how big Don's studio is and
how mega talented Don is! (The sky is not turquoise, the
photo is off). Check out the double decker Taboret...Don's
invention. This is only a little over half of the mural.
Check out www.dailyartwest.com to see the whole picture.

Work In Progress

Photo: Don Gray

The first step for me with painting is simply to get the
canvas covered with paint so I have something to respond
to. Before that, though, I decided to do some graffiti on
the canvas in ink, hoping the ink would come through.
Here I am designing a rocket ship (just kiddin'). Covering
the canvas used a large amount of paint and all my medium
......1 1/2 tubes of galkyd gel. YIKES! However I must say I
am loving working on such a large canvas. It is so powerful!
I am excited about getting back there today and working
with the painting. I measured it yesterday and it is 10 ft. by
4 1/2 ft.

Solstice

Oil on canvas, 20"x16", $325 plus shipping
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

OMG it was hot in the studio yesterday. I almost
melted! It certainly has been fun though working with
this large canvas. Just as much fun is watching Don at
work on his mural. He had to be really hot though working
on scaffolding! I don't know if I am going to make it over
there today, but it is amazing the pull of that canvas!