Studio News, Latest Works & Musings On A Coastal Life

I received such a positive response to my mixed media paintings at a recent show, that I was encouraged to expand on the idea.  "Amethyst Shores" is very textural, which is part of what attracted so many comments.  It was inspired by the rocky coastline of the Monterey Peninsular, where I lived for a few years. 

The painting includes several textured mediums, as well as sand and pieces of seashells from the Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove.  I originally wanted to include semi-precious gemstones, in this case amethyst - but was not confident about the type of glue to use so that the stones would hold fast to the canvas, and not be drowned by the glue.

I was glad to be able to spend most of last week experimenting in my studio, after several weeks spent ploughing through a daunting “To Do” list of show preparations and other business/marketing tasks.  I realized how important it is for me to have a balanced mix of left brain business and right brain creative activities scheduled into my calendar.  Too much of either throws me off.

After my experimentations, I am now satisfied with the glue issue in using semi-precious stones in future mixed media paintings.  I also played with iridescent and metallic paints, and purchased more semi-precious stones for my tool box.  It is wonderful what beautiful things nature creates for our enjoyment!

The overall result is that I am now in the process of producing a group of paintings with the intention of creating "jewelry for the walls", which I find quite exciting!

These cute little fish are painted on small deep edge canvases.  They are 4" x 5" x 1-1/2", and can stand upright on a shelf or table.  They make a nice accessory, or can be hung on the wall in a grouping.  No frame required!

I've always been fascinated by the amazing colors and patterns of tropical fish, but confess that I don't know very much about them.  So I had to do some research to find out what I was painting, so that I could name them correctly.  I was surprised to learn that there are several different kinds of each species.

                                              "Tang Fish"  4x5"  Acrylic on canvas                                               

"Butterfly Fish"  4x5"  Acrylic on canvas

The tang fish that I've painted is called a Powder Blue Tang, and he has several cousins with different colorations.  I love his bright yellow fin contrasting with the blue, and the wide white stripe behind his almost black head.

While I was painting the butterfly fish, I thought he was an angel fish because of his bold stripes, until I went on a search for identifying photos.  Surprise!  He also has many butterfly cousins of varying colors, and not all with stripes.

I hope all the tropical fish collectors and aquarium aficianados will forgive me for my ignorance.  Being an artist and driven to paint the beauty of nature is a learning process in more ways than one!

Click here for more information and pricing. 

To stay current with my latest work and art activities, become a member of my email newsletter.  I send it out approximately once a month or less, and will never share your information with anyone.

I spent Mothers Day weekend showing my art at the San Dieguito Art Guild's annual Art & Garden Tour which involved eight homes.  I was located in the garden of a home in Solana Beach on a lovely deck next to beautiful koi ponds.  It was very tranquil, with soothing sounds of water and fish swimming in slow motion.  I thought it was very much in keeping with my artwork, as my desire is to create images that help to reduce stress and promote peace of mind.

This was my first show, and my new grid panels worked out well even though, unfortunately, they are surprisingly heavy to transport and set up.  My next goal for participating in art shows is to get a tent which will provide a lot more display space, as well as protection from the sun.  The grids work well for smaller shows where tents won't work due to location and space limitations. 

I met a lot of wonderful people at the show, many of whom wanted to be put on my mailing list to receive updates about my art activities.  I also received many encouraging comments about my work, especially the mixed media pieces which are very textural and different from the norm.  They were the most popular.