Blog

I’m hanging in there. Literally and figuratively. I will be hanging figurative paintings in a gallery exhibit April 2-28. After seeing a February article in ArtNews, I am especially encouraged. The headline is Christie’s Mounts Figuration-Focused Exhibition In Move to Expand Private Sales. The article continues…”the curated selection is focused on the market-favored mode of figuration.” 

You may have seen a few of my recent figurative paintings on social media. The expanded body of work continues to express my desire to return to normalcy in the foreseeable future. Dare I cross the line between hope and optimism? Like you, I have recalled our previous life as I envision a future when we can again meet, gather, and congregate.  I referred to my own photos from the past, painted during the pandemic, and transformed the images into paintings of joy. The one exception is a piece that I painted before the pandemic. It is a celebration of my friends eating and drinking at our house. I think that is what I most look forward to.

For now, I look forward to showing my work at All Out. I will frequent the gallery with the hope that, even with six feet of separation, we can be together. Contact me and I’ll be there. 

Studio C

260 W. Bonita

Claremont CA 91711

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm

Studio C is a local art gallery and working studio located in beautiful Claremont, California. Our main focus is to provide local artists, specifically artists from Claremont and adjacent areas in South California, a gallery to feature their art.  

Stuff. After many years, we have finally emptied our storage unit…my deceased parents’ remaining things and some of my artwork. After removing furniture and sifting through papers, I confronted my old artwork. 

I found a few pieces that I painted while in high school…a drawing of Kennedy, a painting done at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, and a plein aire painting from a rustic park in Pasadena.  Vague memories. I also found the paintings that I wrote about on December 17, 2013: “When I was in high school I painted a still life with a bowl of apples and candlesticks on a table draped with a cloth. My parents presumably liked the painting since it was framed and hung in the house. Years later, when I was a young adult, my father commented that the candlesticks did not quite sit on the table but, rather, were just slightly floating. I offered to do another painting. In the corrected painting, I unabashedly launched a "Chagall" candelabra into space.” Not a serious painting. 

It took me more than forty years to paint seriously. So, the remainder of the paintings that were in storage were relatively recent…since 2007. There are  experiments, failures, and many paintings that still speak to me. You can view the more successful paintings on my website…or by appointment.

I did dig up one artifact from The Hiatus Period. That was the time when I did a lot life drawing. This is a framed drawing, which was made in 2003. I like this one. So…I am sharing...wrinkles and all. 

Free time. Since the lockdown, we have all had to reorganize our lives. Parenting, working, learning, running a business, and staying safe have impacted the lives of many. There is little free time for those who have had to juggle their responsibilities. However, the idle rich, retired, unemployed, homeless, underemployed; have had to consider how to fill unclaimed hours. Yes, that’s many of you…and me.

My husband once said that women like projects. Although I wasn’t about to argue the veracity of this generalization, I had to admit that it is true of me. During these past ten months, it has been truer than ever. My projects start with a thought or an object…a book to be read, an idea to follow up, a blank canvas to paint, a recipe to prepare, a puzzle to solve, a deadline to meet. A project is a noun. When I paint, I don’t approach my easel because I feel like painting. I begin my painting because I have a subject, a canvas, and supplies. This project, like my other projects, has a tangible result. A noun. And, when completed I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Yet some folks thrive on activities, rather than projects. They feel like doing something. They have the urge to move, to learn, or to engage. They want to walk and talk, bike and hike. They’re verb people. I believe that activities bring them a sense of well being. Having said this, I think that the activity approach applies to more evolved people than me. 

If you have the urge to comment, you’re an activity person. If you see commenting as an opportunity or obligation, you’re a project person. Either way…weigh in! It’s free and you have time.