art in unexpected places

Art just happens - sometimes unexpected and so I have to capture it when I see it. Remember when it wasn't so easy to take a photo and it cost a lot because you had to pay for developing? I would never take the shots I do if not for my camera phone and because I do I am learning a lot about lousy shots and good shots and what makes one photo better over another and when composition works and when you should just delete. 
Anyway - I wouldn't have used real film on these but when I saw these dried out paint palettes I thought it seemed worth taking a photo and then making it even better with some digital manipulation. 

So here are two I took today - in my garage as I worked on a 60 painting commission which - actually  - is going really well. 

Hope your weekend has been awesome. 

**Oh - the bottom one was not taken in the 1940's...it was taken this week from the shores of Tahoe City. 

oh yes...more palm trees

Anyone who knows me well knows how I feel about palm trees. They are a constant reminder about all that is good such as sand, beaches, sun, beach towels, sunscreen, cold drinks, social time and the salty fabulous smell of the ocean.
Sometimes I just need to paint a palm tree and when that needs arises I meet the challenge. Here are two new palms that appear as silhouettes against a  bright sky. Each is acrylic on 8x10 panel with many layers that have been painted over...sanded, painted over and sanded to bring out texture and depth. I will be posting them as fine art prints very soon so watch this space. Prints will be available in sizes up to 24x30.
Thanks as always for stopping by.

tenth & howard

Took a walk at lunch...brought the iPhone of course because you never know when that moment will come up - that perfect image or event that you just have to catch. The there are the ordinary shots that can be really interesting too. Tenth and Market is a truly an ordinary corner. It's a working class neighborhood with car repair, storage units,  a coffee shop here and there...so here are a few photos...made a little better with Camera+ and Instagram.

bikes and more

I'm so excited about Bike share coming to San Francisco so this morning when I saw the actual bike stands and the beautiful aqua blue bikes lined up I just had to do a little Instagramming. (is that a word?). Bike Share works great in Paris and NYC - even Dublin Ireland so want not hilly and oh so lovely San Francisco?

so here's today's photo.

and then...what do you get when really watered down paint dries on a plastic lid? You get this.

black and white

I've always been a huge fan of black and white art. I devote entire pinboards on Pinterest to this them and I make b/w art. There is something so calming about creating art that is completely absent of color yet is just as artful in composition and style.
Here are two pieces that will be ready shortly as fine art giclees. I could have waited till they were actually available but - I couldn't wait.

Floating leaves

That's not the title of these two images - I can't think of anything that really fits. So for now...floating leaves. Acrylic on wood panel. 8x10 & 8x8. This is one of the images that the negative space defines the subject. I painted the watery blue background first then painted the background on top of the foreground. Weird sequence but it works. 

I will be uploading these shortly as fine art giclees when I get my new retail site working - should be very soon! Watch this space. 

from neolithic to modern

I submitted a piece to a juried show. This is a first for me - an application...an application fee (bummer)...photos...artists statement. Seriously-this is the real thing!

The event is the Kala Art Institute in Berkeley - where all things art just happen. The name of the show is: The Making is a Remaking. What are Worlds made of?

"Not from nothing… Worldmaking starts from worlds already on hand: the making is a remaking."
Nelson Goodman (Ways of Worldmaking, 1978)

And here is what I submitted: Waiting for Solstice.

and my artists statement here that describes this piece.

When I was a little girl I often imagined that I lived in a small world in a contained space

and I was part of a bigger world and was being observed by this bigger alternate

universe. I took this fascination in later years to assembling miniature worlds and

creating works of art that were always smaller than everyone else's. In college while my

classmates worked on large canvases I drew in spaces of about 6x6 inches. For this

project I used my love of miniature worlds and assembled my version of a neolithic rock

formation. Having recently traveled to Ireland I saw many of these and loved and learned

from each one. In 2000 I traveled to the Surrey Plain in England and walked around

Stonehenge - fascinated by the precarious balance of the beautiful blue stones. While I

did not have access to stone-age rocks I did have a pile of beautiful driftwood I recently

purchased. These small pieces of wood...softened by the forces of nature were a perfect

replacement and so I assembled my own miniature neolithic world. The very small rusted

metal part I picked up on the side of a road is reminiscent of the Heel Stone - where the

midsummer sun rises when viewed from the center of Stonehenge. Painted stripes add

color and interest and bring the piece into the modern world and the riverbed reminds

the viewer that the driftwood once floated in water.