Snow in the Forecast

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New York Snow- watercolor 22x30. $1,675.00

Pacific Rim Gallery 160 E. Broadway, Eugene, Oregon

   As soon as the weather starts to turn, I go on snow watch.  When I was a child, I loved the snow days.  My father would come to school and check us out early with some lame excuse and we would go sledding.  One of the benefits of living on a hill is that I don't drive in it.  That means that even a skiff of snow creates a full on snow day at my house- complete with snow men in the yard and movies on tv.  

  My fascination with urban subject matter is a great chance to make it snow.  This painting was created from images from another season and I adapted it to reflect my snowy fantasy.  If you look closely you will even find Christmas trees and holiday lights, which were not in the reference photos.  The glow of the headlights on the wet street was created by allowing yellow and orange pigment to run down through the dark ultra marine blue/ perylene maroon mixture that is the pavement.  Melting snow is piled in the gutters as the next flurries start to fly.  All the architure and perspective is the same and provides a real challenge for any artist to create that feeling of walking down this street surrounded by these beautiful old high rise buildings.  An art assignment worthy of any season.

   If you live in Eugene, you can see this painting- currently on display at Pacific Rim Gallery, 160 E. Broadway.  Open Fridays and Saturdays, 12-5. 

Paintings on my mind

Dragon Dance 15x22 watercolor on Arches paper $875.00

  

What do you think about in that moment before you pass from the waking world into sleep?  If you,re like me, you have a painting in your mind.  I see the photo in my imagination.  I'm working out composition, palette, what to leave out of the photo as I drift off to sleep.  For years I have carried this image in my phone of this girl in a parade in Oahu.  I snapped it because I was intrigued with the dragons head.  It is a beautiful piece of art in its own right.  After taking the picture I saw the image of the girl holding it up.

  I made many changes to the photo, leaving out a lot of colors and shapes behind her torso.  I also removed two other people standing near her.  I also extended the ribbons so they would drift across her body.  Last, I pumped up that powerful red color.

   Why did I wait years to paint this?  I had lots of themed shows I was composing and I knew I wanted to wait till I could work only on this painting.  Dreaming about it for so long allowed me to be very sure about the approach I took.  Taking extra time to plan also gives your skills time to develop.  Some images you desperately want to paint feel just technically out of your grasp.  Waiting lets you grow into the painting you have been dreaming of.  A little paper, a little colored water... The stuff dreams are made of.

First Friday Vistra Show

Joneile and the current reigning "Slug Queen" during First Friday Artwalk, Oct. 2, 2015

   Many thanks to my friends at Vistra Frame Gallery.  They hosted my current show called "Eugene in Color".  The show grew out of a desire to embrace the unique flavor that is downtown Eugene.  Diane and Pat took such  good care of me, bringing food and water to me as I painted an image of the iconic Fish Fountain in the park.  I met so many great people in the course  of the evening too.  Being the last stop on the tour was a fun way to end the night.  Our master of ceremonies was none other than the Slug queen.  If you are in the Eugene area, come see all the images in the show.

   

Taken for a Ride 15x22 Arches paper $750.00

Kesey Square (still in progress here but finished and hanging in Vistra Gallery).  22x30 Watercolor, $1650.00

   To purchase these works or see more, go to Vistra Frame and Art Gallery, 160 E. Broadway Eugene, Oregon.  Open 10:30-5:30 weekdays. 541-343-2353

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Taken for a Ride,  watercolor on Arches paper,  $ 750.00

They say you can never forget how to ride a bicycle.  If you haven't been riding for a while, you can just get back on and you won't miss a beat.  I'm hoping that also applies to blogging.  Maybe you have noticed that I haven't posted a new blog for almost a year.  I don't know why I quit writing about my art process- I just quit taking the time to put into words the inner struggle that produces my watercolors.

I've missed this, though and as I'm writing this I realize that including other people in this creative endeavor is important.  We all want people observing our lives so we can share experiences and compare notes!

There have been at least two major events this year that have impacted my art.  

I moved my studio to another room in my house.  That sounds so simple but it was an incredible journey.  For the month that I was actively moving, I could be seen at odd hours of the day or night, with a glazed look in my eyes, wandering the halls with random piles of art materials in my hands.  Muttering unintelligibly to myself, looking for storage!!!  My new studio is smaller but much better organized.  

The other big event was an opportunity to be involved in restoring 100 year old stencilling and murals out of state.  I lived at the job site for 5 weeks and I felt so honored to be able to help preserve such a beautiful piece of history.  Because the client requires tight security, I could not post pictures of the work I did or take any photos of the inside of the building.  I hope to do more work like this in the future.

I think there is a connection between riding a bike and blogging- I'm so happy to be blogging again and I feel an uncontrollable urge to put on a helmet.  What does that mean?

See this painting and more in the series, Eugene in Color, at Vistra Framing Gallery at 160 E. Broadway, Eugene, Oregon.  First Friday Artwalk,  October 2,  5:30-8:30