New Fun Project

I have not been as attentive to my blog as I had planned to be. My new fun project has been painting barns on frying pans. The project is almost finished. I am waiting for client approval. On the other hand the project consuming most of my time in June and July has been preparing the Crystal Lake Road McHenry house for market. Not art, but lots of painting, fixing, and loads of hard work. Now that it is listed I can get back to things like the frying pan project. I have more reference photos of clouds and sunflowers to work with. I also had a trip to Chicago Botanical Gardens and have loads of flower and Bonsai trees for reference. So lots of new work is planned.

Just Another Sun

I try to make cards for each of my three sons summer birthdays . Since I had gotten into stamping, each year the card has been using a sun stamp. A sun for my sons!

This year I decided to make a small lino-cut and use that for my image. We had a lino-cut workshop led by Erin Nolan at a KVAL (Kishwaukee Valley Art League) workshop June 10th. I was able to pull an artist proof to use for the first of the three summer birthdays. For Bob’s June 15th birthday card I used the first artist proof done using Stamping Up eggplant colored ink.

July 16th and August 18th are the next two son’s birthdays. I will probably edition this fine art print by then or make mono-prints and probably do each one a little differently. Doing this little 3” X 5” print reminds me how much I love printing. I have another block ready to be cut. Watch for the next one. More sunflowers are waiting to emerge on my canvas too. Doing art on a regular basis is reaching a goal.

New Wing AIC

Went to see the new wing on the Art Institute of Chicago June 22 and took a few outdoor pictures. I liked the entrance from Monroe Street which give an opportunity to go to the new wing to the left, straight ahead to American Art with the hall to the old building off to the right. That houses the Asian collection rather the the armor. A big highlight to my experience is the gallery spaces by the print and drawing archive library. On display are drawings from those artists who are on display in the contemporary wing. The new wing has opened up space for more of the collection to be available. I liked seeing more of Georgia O"Keefe's work.

Two at Exhibit

"Sunflower From Sue" and " Two Sunflowers From Sue's" were shown at The Next Picture Show Gallery in Dixon, Illinois during the month of April. This week the two pictures have moved to a display with Kishwaukee Valley Art League at Boarders Book Store in DeKalb, Illinois. There will be an opening reception May 9th from 5 pm to store closing.

Note the look for each one is slightly different. "Two Sunflowers..." was
done with a traditional umber under painting, while "Sunflower from Sue" was done using a warm toned red and yellow under painting. Similar, but different.

Now there are Two

Sunflowers have finally gotten into my artwork. The picture posted is the beginning stage of another sunflower composition. I love my digital camera for documenting the process or stages that the work goes through. It gives me ideas for other paintings to come. Actually, sunflowers have been in my mind for over 10 years. There is no accounting for when an idea with take form. This one is called “Two Sunflower’s from Sue's” The painting is 10” X 16”, but love to get it into a larger size. Time will tell.

Hidden in the Center

A new series is “Sunflower” I will explore the comment from one of my friends about,…”being hidden in the center.” I will mull over that thought. I often find hidden images in my work.

Sometimes the images lurk just out of focus and sometimes they are less overt. They almost always appear on their own. To emphasize them is now always a temptation. The image that pops is sometimes for me, sometimes from the past, or origin unknown. They come from the universe out there or maybe from the subconscious. The images may speak to me or there may be no message at all, just a reference to or from something else. (All images on site are copyright protected.)

Since my work is more a reflection of reality, well reality as Sherry sees it, I used to try to eradicate them. Now I am sure they bring another dimension to my work. As an artist. I no longer feel it to be unusual for these ghost images or shapes appear in my compositions. I have learned to live with it.

A New Beginning

I am finally getting started with my blog. There will be more to come in the days or months ahead. I plan to use this for exposure for some of my PROJECTS. Current painting series will be featured to start. All work is copyright protected.

This is from the Orchid Lady Series. A study for a larger work to come. The idea came from a visualization exercise. The idea was to see a future of peace and tranquility for myself. The lady is an ideal not reality. A person content in her work and herself.. An affirmation of a self that had been nearly destroyed.