A Nice reminder of 'Summertime' from FB" 10 '15

FaceBook just reminded me that I had posted this photo  two years ago today.  

These oil paintings were what remained from my featured artist exhibit, titled 'Summertime' which held at Charleston Artist Guild in 2013. Many of the paintings from that series sold at that exhibit. After the Charleston exhibit closed, I moved the remaining paintings to the Applewood Gallery.   This  was a pleasant reminder of how the series captured the sense of summertime playfulness of summer in the low country.

SAG Fall Show Reception 10 '15

The torrential rainfall South Carolina had at the beginning of October forced the Seacoast Artists Guild to reschedule their opening reception for their fall art show. We went to the reception this evening.

Our President, Woody Bowers announcing the Fine Art Craft Awards

Of course the highlight of the evening was the eagerly awaited announcements of awards for the categories of : 2 dimensional, 3 dimensional, fiber art, and photography. There was also an award given for the Best in Show. 

Waiting for the awards to be announced.

I didn't have anything in the show, but I must say it was really nice to get out just to socialize after being housebound for so long. 

We really enjoyed talking with the collectors, as well as the artists and their models.

Artist Rachael Jones  and the model for her award winning painting 'Unfinished Man'( seen to his right)

Then there was the art itself. Like my husband said, "It just keeps getting better and better in this gallery."

Spring Open House at SAG: 5 '15

It was standing room only at the Seacoast Artists Gallery's Spring Open House 

The community showed up in droves to support the event

In return the exhibiting artists brought out their finest, abstract or representational paintings, and photograghs.

Artwork by Sharon Sorrell

SAG Meeting 1' 15

Steven Bleicher Lecturing

The Seacoast Artists Guild Started of the new year with a lecture by well known color theorist, Steven Bleicher.  Mr. Bleicher gave an  fascinating talk on Color Psychology that kept his audience both engaged and entertained. Perhaps the most interesting thing I learned is how serious businesses and governments are about applying the knowledge of Color Psychology. For some insight into how deeply one can get involved in this topic check out Mr. Bleicher's resume at:

 http://www.coastal.edu/marketing/expertise/expert.html?id=49

Paintings to be critiqued.. mine is the abstract on the far left.

As a Senior Professor of Visual Arts at our local Coastal Carolina University, and a national and internationally known artist in his own right,we were thrilled when Professor Bleicher offered to critique some of our paintings at the end of the meeting.  There's nothing more valuable than having someone with Steve's level of expertise give you a different perspective on your work. 

  

Attalaya Festival 9_14

Sunday saw Bruce and I visiting Huntington Beach State Park's Atalaya Festival. It is my favorite Fine Art Craft show in the area, and we always look forward to going to see it. Actually, this was our third attempt to see this year's festival. The minute we arrived on both Saturday and Sunday it had started raining. The festivals exhibitors are set up in the out of door courtyards, and inside the castles' tiny rooms. As soon as it started raining everyone rushes indoors, making it nearly impossible to really see the artwork.

One of the more interesting aspects of this Festival is that it is held entirely within the walls of Atalaya, a Moorish-style “castle” built in the Great Depression as a winter home and sculpture studio by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, the New York philanthropists who also created Brookgreen Gardens across U.S. 17 from the oceanfront park.It is one of the most unusual buildings in South Carolina with its lush palm–lined courtyard, wrought iron window grills, and Moorish architecture presided over by a watchtower, Atalaya is a designated National Historic Landmark. Normally,the grounds are closed to the public except by guided tour, so being able to wander about at will inside the compound is a treat in itself. Sunday's weather was far less threatening and we actually had enough space to explore the historic building and to enjoy the fine art and craft on display..

It was indeed a fine collection of art. Over 100 artisans participated in the three day event. The Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is renowned throughout the Southeast as one of the best art events of its kind. A wide variety of artists from across the country eagerly enter the rigid jurying process each year, which ensures that the quality is always very high and diversity is broad.

Here's Bruce looking at the artwork of my favorite Pastel artist, Greg Barnes.

The Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is renowned throughout the Southeast as one of the best art events of its kind. A wide variety of artists from across the country eagerly enter the rigid jurying process each year, which ensures that the quality is always very high and the media is broad. Painters, potters, sculptures and fiber artists from all over the Southeastern states were on display.

In addition to the fine visual art on display, the event will also had a variety of musical entertainment, demonstrations by exhibitors, and an opportunity to sample some of the seafood delicacies for which the low country is known.

For more information on this event see:

http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/huntingtonbeach-a-fest.aspx

SAG host the MB Chamber of Commerce 6 14

On Thursday, the Seacoast Artists Guild hosted  a reception for the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. Nearly 150 people came to the reception  which was held  in our gallery at The Market Common.

Bruce and I had a great time,  There was lots of good music   food ,and friends

and ,of  course,  lots of good artwork.

My wall  displayed some of t my "Buy local " series

Opening Day at Spoletto 5 "14

With a shower of confetti and church bells all over the city ringing, the Spoleto USA festival was officially opened today in front of the historic US Customs House in  Charleston

The Spoleto festival is an almost three week event offering a dynamic and eclectic mix of "all things art". or 17 days and nights each spring, Spoleto Festival USA fills Charleston, South Carolina’s historic theaters,

 churches 

and outdoor spaces 

with performances by renowned artists as well as emerging performers in opera, theater, dance,

 and chamber, symphonic, choral and jazz music. 

Now approaching its 36th season, Spoleto Festival USA is internationally recognized as America’s premier performing arts festival. and definitely a reason for visiting to Charleston.

Preparing the ' Buy Local' Series for Display 5 "14

Test layout using tiles to measure

My new 'Buy Local Series' paintings are signed, sealed, and ready to deliver to the Charleston Artists Gallery on Saturday.  Now I need to find the best  way to arrange them together before they get hung on the gallery walls..  The best way, I have found,  to do that is to measure off  areas. on my floor  that are the same dimensions as my wall-space(s).  (If you are unfamiliar with where you are going to be hanging, it is a good idea to visit or at least call the gallery ahead to verify the dimensions of where you will be and ask about any potential obstacles within that space  e.g. I once found myself working  around some light switches) Sometimes I use  blue painters tape, and sometimes I use the tiles themselves to mark the edges).  I  then start arranging the paintings  within that space until I come up with a pleasing combination.  Once I am satisfied with the layout, I take a quick reference photo, and mark down on a piece of paper the number of inches between each painting, and the number of inches the top and bottom paintings are  from the ceiling and floor.  Together the photo and layout measurements give me a quick way to start hanging once I arrive at the gallery.  If I have multiple columns of paintings I start hanging from the lower right and work up.  If I am only hanging a single column, I work from the top down. 

It may seem like a lot of extra work, but taking the time to do this one extra step is worth it. It's amazing how much smoother the art goes up with a little advance planning.

CAG sells another of my paintings 4 '14

Great White Hunter 8" x  12" Oil

Thank you ,  Charleston Artists Guild  Gallery for finding a good home for my painting of the

 "Great White Hunter"

CAG First Friday Artwalk 3 '14

The Charleston Artist Guild Gallery is all decked out with new artwork. If you haven't made it down there yet, don't forget,  today is Charleston's  Friday is the Art Walk from 5-8pm, so make the CAG Gallery your first stop.  I will be there to greet you..

Boats on Display at SAG Gallery 3 ' 14

 Like everyone else I know, I am tired of winter.  When I was offered some prime window space at the SAG gallery,  I decided to display some paintings of boats this month.  Hopefully  everyone who sees them will be reminded that warmer weather will soon be  here.

Oconee State Park just Sold 2 '14

Thank you Seacoast Artists Guild for selling my painting "Oconee State Park" to a good home. It was one of my favorites.

PAP-SE Wet Paint Show Opening 11"13

And the PAP-SE paints Charleston Marathon continues:

All week long we've been watching the nationally, and internationally known artist members of PAP-SE painting in on the streets  and surrounding marshes of  Charleston.

 

   This evening we got to see three  of the paintings produced by each of the artists at  the

Wet Paint Show Opening - Nov. 8 

While I had enjoyed watching the  artist's work in progress,  it was even better to get to talk with them without fear of interrupting their  concentration,

 and to see their beautiful artwork finished and framed.

 Their work will continue to be on display  until Nov 16th 

  at three adjacent  Charleston galleries:

Coco Vivo - 25 Broad Street,

 Galerie on Broad - 29 Broad Street

and Edward Dare - 31 Broad Street

New art at Seacoast Artists Gallery 11'1

3032 Nevers Street, Myrtle Beach, SC

New month, all new art. Drop by the Seacoast Artists Gallery in the Market Common  between 11 am and 7 pm today to be amongst the first to see all the new art that went on exhibit today.  Artist June Groft will be happy to answer any of your questions

American Impressionist Society (AIS) 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition 10"13

Bruce and I  went to see the American Impressionist Society (AIS) 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition in Charleston.  Outstanding artwork.  All the big guns were there.  So nice to see their artwork in person.   ( And more than a little humbling as well.)   This crew really are Masters at what they do.  This is definitely a "must see" exhibition if you are anywhere in the area. 

The exhibition is scheduled to run through October 30

 For more information please contact M Gallery of Fine Art at 843.727.4500, m@mgalleryoffineart.com, www.mgalleryoffineart.com, or stop in 125 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401.

New Artwork in Charleston today 9'13

Twin Falls

Two new paintings are going on exhibit in the Charleston  today

You can see them at:

The Charleston Artists Gallery

160 East Bay St

Charleston, CA

Twin Falls

I will also be at the  Charleston Artists Gallery from 11 am to 6pm today,   greeting visitors and answering  questions about all of my own and others new artwork.

Art in the Common Festival 9 '13

The first ever  Seacoast Artist Guild Art in Common Festival was a huge success today. 

A large group of Seacoast Artist Guild  set up their exhibit tents just before noon in the grassy area of Valor Park  across from the Guilds Gallery on Never's Street.

.

 It didn't take long for the public to find us.  By 12:30 pm the festival was hopping with people looking for one-of-a-kind-arts and crafts.  They were not disappointed; 

Woody Bower

Photography,

Wilma and Bill Hosford

Sandi Blood

 Pottery, Jewelry, Painted works of Art, Woodcarving, Fused Glass, and a variety of miscellaneous arts & crafts were all available.

 Bill Maurer

Pottery, Jewelry, Painted works of Art, Woodcarving, Fused Glass, and a variety of miscellaneous arts & crafts were all available. Congratulations to all the Seacoast Artists Guild Exhibitors on a job well done.

Food for the soul 9 '13

I spent the morning filling out the registration forms  for art shows, and taking photos of the paintings I plan on exhibiting this fall ... you know -- doing  all that important but tedious stuff that is the business side of art.  Just when I felt my soul about to implode from boredom, my hubby arrived home with some photos he'd taken of  a spoonbill feeding in the Litchfield marsh. A quick painting one of them put the blues behind me.

WIP Day 5: Ricefields on the Ashley 7"13

You are now looking at a photo of the finished painting: "Rice Fields on the Ashely".

"My Grocking" is done! This morning. I differentiated the bushy  foliage on the lower right of the foreground so that the willow is distinguishable form the tree behind it.  I also,  adjusted the saturation of the yellows in the middle ground (rice  fields grasses have more cad-yellows than before), and added a touch of blue to the sky just above the tree line on the horizon.  I even signed it (after I took the photo). At this point I consider the painting process complete.

The next step is to  wait until it is dry enough to have a professional photo taken of it*, then varnish and frame it,

* Note All of the photos for these mini lesson  posts were taken with a hand-held camera, under my studios ceiling lights, while the canvas was still wet..  The professional photos will  use a spots to give an even lighting over the entire painting, and a polarizing filter to ensure there is no reflective glare from those lights

See all four earlier posts of this process beginning with the post on July 16th

WIP Day 4 Foreground of Rice- fields on the Ashley 7'13

Today I finished the grasses and water in the foreground and foreground tree, widened the waterways in the middle-ground of the Rice fields so that they function more as  lines of direction in the painting.  At this point  all of the colors and values are as I want them.  You can clearly see the contribution of the red underground in the sky and the marsh.  It is what makes the sky appear purplish in the upper left corner,and the underside of the cumulus-nimbus clouds  warm ; it is also what adds the warm glow under the distant grasses in the middle ground of the rice-field. the clouds  All of this was achieved  by applying a thin glaze of color over the red ground rather than a thick layer which would cover it.

 I am still deciding whether I want to pull out the small  tree in the right lower corner more or leave it less defined.  .  That is where staring at it while it is sitting on the easel  in my living room comes in.  My husband calls this process "grocking". (Apparently that is a term used in some sci-fi book for which means "to deeply study an object  so as to fully know its nature")..  Sounds like a pretty  good description of what I will do next to me.

See all three earlier posts  in in this process beginning with the first on July 16th