Willow show announcement

Place + Context June 4 - July 31
Artists' Reception + Art Talks Friday, June 4 5 to 8 p.m. Art Talks by Ursula Curran and Anne Hysell begin at approx. 6 p.m. exhibiting artists... Ursula Curran, Walla Walla, WA Abe Geasland, New Orleans, LA Andrew Geasland Walla Walla, WA Anne Hysell, Walla Walla, WA Katherine Treffinger, Cove, OR "Canyon de Chelly, Arizona" by Ursula Curran (carbon print) "Superceded Optimal Scenario" by Andrew and Abe Geasland (reclaimed metal) "Nature's Gold" by Anne Hysell (oil) "Sonata" by Katherine Treffinger (oil) ArtWALK Friday, July 2 Willow open from 5 to 8 p.m. willow 2 E Rose ST Walla Walla WA 99362 willow-wallawalla.com 509 876 2247 info@willow-wallawalla.com proprietor || Kary Beckner curator + preparator || Colleen Sargen

Rocks at Sea Ranch- Rachel Schlueter

"Rocks at Sea Ranch", Oil on panel, 10"x12"
By Rachel Schlueter

My friend Rachel is posting my coyote and a statement from
me about my relationship to Humboldt County on a group
daily blog from Humboldt County in Northern California.
It is one of the most gorgeous areas on the west coast.
The Blog address is http://lostcoastdailypainters.blogspot.com/.

I decided to post a painting of hers again as a trade of sorts.
I couldn't get a price from her but I believe it is for sale.
I swear, artists! (Just teasing you Rachel) Also, I think this
is an awesome painting. I own one of Rachel's seascapes and
it is a prized possession. It is very different from this, not any
where as expressive. Rachel just came back from a trip to
Mendocino another gorgeous area in Northern California,
where she stayed with a group of artist friends at Sea Ranch.
This painting came out of this time.
Rachel's blog is:http://rkschlueterdailypainter.blogspot.com/

Julia Kay's Portrait Party

"Flyn Ryon" oil on canvas 6"x6" by Rachel Schlueter

A wonderful occurrence is happening on Flickr.
Artist Julia Kay has started a portrait party and artists
that are members of the party are painting each other.
No self portraits are allowed. People are posting photos
of themselves and artists are drawing, painting and
whatever other ways of expressing their take of the
photos. Most of these artists have not even met each
other. Go check it out: Portrait Party If you want to
see the photo the portrait is based on there is often
a link under the portrait,

I chose to post Rachel's wonderful new painting because
I love it and because we are good friends and I could call
her up and ask for permission to post.
Go check out Rachel's blog and her Flickr.
And the photo this was based on:

Bill Gingles- Art and Meaning

"Red and Gray", Acrylic on canvas, 16"x12"

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

If I'm doing art it means I'm alive! I say that because
I really don't know what it feels like to be anything
other than an artist. Painting for me is not something
I do in the way, say, a hobbyist collects stamps. A
hobbyist can stop or change hobbies. That option is not
there for me: I have no choice but to make art. It's
what I am and what I do comes from that, sometimes
easily and sometimes not! I have to make images and
painting is the medium in which I choose to make them.

Bill's website is: http://www.billgingles.net
His email is: billgingles@gmail.com

Drawing (after Jerry Orbana)

"Drawing (after Jerry Orbana), Charcoal on paper, SOLD

I was going to post the card for my show today
but alas the scanner is not working. Therefore you
are getting one of my drawings. I worked off a
wonderful photo.

I, of course, am considering some slight tweeking
of yesterday's painting. Is anybody surprised?
Any suggestions?

Vision Quest

"Vision Quest", (painted over)

After a great pouring rain last night it is sunny today.
I love Spring! Ahchooooo! No really I do! Ahchoo!
The allergies are big here this year as we had an
unseasonably warm couple of days and the trees ran
to catch up pouring pollen into the air. My friends cat
came home thickly coated in yellow.

So anyhow, sniffle and paint, sniffle and blog, I do have
a new painting for you. A new nursery rhyme? What do
you think? "Vision Quest" was, in its last incarnation
"Hanuman". I had a great time reworking it, I actually
felt like an artist again.

Sue Hodnett- Art and Meaning

"The mineshaft in the garden", St Ives, Cornwall. April 2010.
Watercolour pen and ink on watercolour paper
22"X30" (SOLD)

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

For me, art is more a way of seeing than doing. It is a daily
attitude rather than a final solution, so I'm looking at and
working out a journey with colours, shapes, smells, lines,
tones, forms and feelings and how they relate and work
together all the time.

I'm not a gregarious or expressive person so painting is my
outlet and I'm often surprised at the colourful outcome and
other people's kind responses to it. I paint because I want to
and I enjoy the process and freedom of it. I'm not a tortured
artist - I live and work in beautiful and historical surroundings
which I hope comes through in my work. I get a huge thrill to
see the final piece, as I never know what the end result will be.
Of course not all results are good, but I revel in the challenge
to improve, and aspire to become a better artist.

Sue Hodnett
www.suehodnett.co.uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43843677@N06/

Sutter's Mill

"Sutter's Mill", Oil on Canvas, 40x30,
Collection of Prem and Binnie Arcot

I am still working on my brochure. Jeez what a task!
As a result I have not been in the studio. Everyday
I tell myself I am going to go in and work, but I either
have something happens, like allergies, or I have an
inspiration with the writing. What I am trying to say here
is I still have nothing new to post so you are getting an
older piece that I am fond of. Something about the green.

It's a beautiful day here, I hope it is wherever you are.

Ruth Armitage- Art and Meaning

"Wetland" Watercolor on Yupo, 28"x40"

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

For me, making art is a way to communicate. It is better
than using words because for me the images carry deeper,
more personal meaning than words can convey. Colors and
shapes and marks all combine, like poetry or music to make
something that has both  meaning and beauty for me. When
a client responds to my art and makes a purchase, I know
I have reached a place inside them, that they can truly hear
my voice, not just my words. Making my art is a way of
putting a little bit of me into the world.

Ruth's website is: www.rutharmitage.com
Her blog is: http://artistruth.rutharmitage.com

The Grotto

" The Grotto" Oil on canvas, 24x18, $540
If you are interested in purchasing this painting please
email me at katherine@katherinetreffinger.com

I have been writing a brochure so I have not been
painting. I do think I am finished with "The Grotto"
so here it is. For some reason this piece has been
difficult getting the values right. It has been looking
good in photos but in person it has been too dark.

Pow Wow

Yesterday I went to a Pow Wow here in La Grande,
Oregon. As an artist I am a great believer in going
out to places where I feel my image bank in my
being will get restocked. I was not disappointed at
this event for it was not only a visual feast, the
drumming and chanting fed my soul on a very primal
level. I wish I was a better photographer, but here
is a taste of what I saw. Click on the pictures for
larger image, the people and their outfits were quite
beautiful.

Akira

"Akira", Oil on Canvas, 40x30, SOLD

It seems I am still getting ready for the show. It is
amazing how much it takes to get ready for even
the smallest of exhibits. Yesterday I cleaned up my
resume and reworked my artists statement and sent
them with my bio off to the gallery. Today I sign paintings.
In other words I have not been painting.

Todays post is a painting I did several years ago. I was
very pleased with how it turned out and knew it was sold
when I finished it. I took it to the gallery and in no time it
sold. Now what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Did the
painting sell because I knew it would? Or did I know it
would because I was well sort of psychic? Or maybe there
is an energy to the painting. :^} Actually this has happened
several times where I have finished a painting and known
this and it rapidly sold. The first time it happened I was able
to trade 2 paintings I felt this way about for the electrical in
my studio that I was building at the time. It included the
heater, industrial fan, and all the lights and bulbs. What a
coup!

Have a day filled with whimsy.

What the Heck?

I go out for a short walk this morning to take some
pictures and I see this beautiful tree....typical Spring sight.
Then I turn around and ...what the heck?

Cinco de Mayo (yesterday) and it snowed like Winter all day.
One of the things they say about the weather here is 'If you
don't like the weather wait 10 minutes'...TOO TRUE!

Wasn't it nice having an Art and Meaning post yesterday?

Momo Luna/Monica Croese- Art and Meaning

"Taste of Life", Acrylic on canvas, 40cmx40cm (15.7"x15.7")

"A Girl So Old in Her Shoes" Pencil and Ink on paper, 15cmx10cm (6"x4")

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

As long as I can remember I have drawn or painted.
I need  to express myself. All of my deepest emotions,
even the dark ones, find a place on my canvases and
paper. I am the happiest when drawing and painting,
as I create magical places where my personality can be
totally true, without any restraint. I can rearrange pain
and sorrow into beauty. Sometimes a harsh beauty
perhaps, but there's always hope in my work. I can totally
loose myself while painting. Two friends of mine (who
shared an atelier with me) made fun of me, because,
being absorbed in my own world, I don't see or hear a
thing, and am not aware of what's going on around me.
In my art, I express my emotions, but there are also other
deeper layers. I often use symbolic meanings and archetypes,
connections with nature, old forgotten god(ess)s, and
mythology. I like the idea of intermingling old icons with
the icons of today. I don't think this over for a long time,
it simply appears while creating.

The happiness while creating also contains struggles and
frustration. I struggle mostly while painting. It seems that
drawing feels more natural for me. I begin a drawing and go
with the flow, my thoughts leading my hand and slowly there
appears an image. I never feel insecure about a drawing but
I'm always questioning myself while painting. I have to learn
to let go more. To paint is to struggle, but at the end it is always
satisfying and freeing. Even if the result isn't what I expected.
When my kids were little I didn't have the time, space and
patience for painting. That's why I started to draw little drawings.
I'm doing this still today. There's always time and space for a
drawing.  But after some years I began to feel very restless and
had to paint. As I now have the time I have started painting
again (slowly).

I transform my personal emotions into more universal images,
hoping people will recognize what I want to say and find
(some) comfort in it. As I wrote in the beginning; I simply
need to draw and paint, it's like breathing for me.

/I feel like a lost soul  ~  i go to sleep and dream again  ~
Silent echoes, strange shapes  ~ i have my own world....... /

Monica's links are:
www.momolunasignals.com
www.momolunasignals.blogspot.com
Monica's facebook
Her email is: momolunasignals@live.nl

Brazil Installation

I would be remiss if I did not post this on my blog.
I found this on Flickr and keep going back like a
dry sponge trying to fill with moisture. I know next
to nothing about this. A group of artists in Brazil
did this painting installation, painting the floors and
walls of this exhibition space. Then there was an
exhibition of it. There are tons of pictures.
Here and here And if you go looking you will find
many more.

I hope you enjoy. In February of 2009 I started
this blog wondering if I would get one person to
read it. I felt a little doubtful. So I went and checked
my stats today for whole time it has been up. Thus
far I have had 11,245 visits from 5,223 visitors.
The average amount of time they have spent reading
has been 2:21. They visit from 87 different countries.
So the next time you consider putting your self out in
the world via blog I would encourage it. :^}

Walkin' Bear

"Walkin' Bear", Oil on canvas, 24x18,
Collection of Artist.

I have been working outside today and my ankle
wants a rest so I thought I would sit down and do
tomorrow's post today. Saturday I went to the
studio and finished reworking The Grotto, I think.
Never know with me. Then I picked up a painting
that was no where near being a painting and started
putting tinted whites on it, not really thinking about
what I was doing. I just kept at it. By the time I was
done I had easily created a piece that I was excited
about, an abstract/figurative piece. The angel was
definitely with me. I have worked for as long as I
have been an artist to create this kind of piece and
it just flowed out of me. Dare I think it could happen
again?

If any of you are interested about the metaphysical
work I dowith people you could visit Teri Mahl's
Working The Earth and see what she has to say
about her session with me. While you are there you
might want to peruse her wonderful blog.