Contemplation, Miniature Paintings and Art Show

I am painting and painting and contemplating...

"Contemplation #1 and #2 Diptyph 5"x7" Acrylic
Copyright Delorse Lovelady 2012

Contemplation
Two paintings that go together (or not), using my favorite undulating shapes and a sun. I was thinking about the desert scenes I had viewed in Death Valley last year. I loved the shapes, the soft colors, the faraway look, a place of silence to contemplate and be quiet. This could just as easily be a scene of a faraway sea in the distance, I like that it could be interpreted another way. These 2 will be in the show coming up...

Art Show
I'm happy to present 6 new paintings in this show. There are over 350 paintings by local artists painting in a variety of media and styles in this popular show. Please stop in and take a look, and enjoy the artsy little downtown of Edmonds!

Gallery North

Annual Juried Miniature and Small Paintings Art Show

March 1 - 30, 2012

March 4th Sunday, 1-4pm Artist's Reception, open to public
March 15th Thursday, 5-8pm, Edmonds Art Walk

Trees
Two more paintings in the show, lots of texture in these as I used molding paste, very fun to work with.

"Talking Trees #2" and "Starting the Conversation #2" Acrylic 5"x7"
Copyright Delorse Lovelady 2012

Winter Solstice, Grays, and Retreat

The lengthening of the days begin today and I join the journey towards more light and the renewal of Spring...
Winter Solstice
I have been enjoying the grays, the short days, the few frosty frozen mornings. Above I found a whimsical sun enshrined in a sidewalk, as if to remind me, yes, there really is a sun up there hovering above the ever present gray cloud cover here in the Northwest. A reminder, perhaps, to savor this different time of year, the season of resting underground, inside... full of the promise of the new cycles and color to come. Being a painter who uses lots of color, I wonder at the beauty of simple images with that contrast and light. Almost like the difference between seeing an old black and white film versus a color one. Perhaps color can be a distraction from the subject.
Hoar Frost
We've only had a few frosty mornings, but one day I chanced to actually find hoar frost, which I read comes after especially clear cold nights. The frost was fascinating little stems shooting up everywhere on our deck railing. I remember seeing hoar frost a couple of times before. The most memorable time was at the top of Haleakala volcano very very early in the morning as we wanted to be able to greet the dawn and see the sun rise in that gorgeous place.

Retreat
More exquisite grays and blues, lots of contrast is reflected in the photo below. It is from our recent short winter retreat near a favorite Canadian lake nestled between mountains with sprinklings of snow.

Art Show, Monoprints, and Trees

I listened and I heard the trees speaking of stories long ago...

Copyright 2011 Delorse Lovelady

Art Show
Many local talented artists will be represented at this show. My latest paintings above and below will be included. All paintings in this show are small or miniatures making them ideal for gift giving this time of year.

December 3, 2011 - January 25, 2012

"Miniature Masterpieces and More"

Kaewyn Gallery, Bothell, WA

Monoprints

These latest paintings are a result of experimenting with monoprinting after a recent class with talented artist Lisa Snow Lady. I may post my class paintings later. Monoprinting is an interesting technique and for me will take a bit more practice. It involves transferring and drawing an image onto a painted background. It's challenging trying to determine whether the paint is the right level of wetness to transfer but not totally blacken your surface. It's a surprise to see what you get as a result and moving towards more abstractness.

Copyright 2011 Delorse Lovelady

Trees
Trees are a recurring theme in my paintings. I love their shapes, the colors at different times of the year. I imagine they have been listening to all our stories, holding them, and are repositories like ancestors. They shimmer in the sun with diamond dewdrops, standing elegantly in their roots while reaching to heaven, and whisper to us with the wind.

Ten Woman Show and Crow Painting

Fall has flown, winter is soon upon us so we reach for all the brilliance we can...Art Show in Edmonds
I'm so thrilled to be in this show with my painting critique group! We have been encouraging each other monthly for a couple of years now, and this is our first show together. Do stop in and take a look. You can make an afternoon of enjoying art and the wonderful ambiance of Edmonds, as most of the downtown merchants sponsor artists and display their works of art in their shops. In addition, the Edmonds Historical Museum is just a block away with the PNNAG Needlearts Guild Fiber Show. And if you need a bite to eat, a delicious restaurant is Chanterelle's right on Main Street. If you know how to get to the Edmond's ferry, you can find this area, as it is only a couple of blocks up from there.

"10 Ladies Painting Present: Paint the Town Red!"

December 2 - December 31, 2011

Showing at:
Coldwell Banker Cain
108 5th Ave S
Edmonds, WA

And included in Community Event:
Edmonds Art Walk December 15, 2011 5-8p.m.

Crow Painting
I had a lot of fun experimenting with this piece, it is heavily collaged. It is one of the pieces I will have in the show.

"Crow Dances for the Planet " 12"x12" mixed media acrylic

copyright 2011 Delorse Lovelady

Museum Fiber Show, Mixed Media, and Sunday Meditation

Experimenting, playing with fiber, paper, beads, who knows what I'll create on any given day...

"Heron Whispers to the Moon" Mixed Media 8.25"x10.5"

Museum Fiber Show
This piece will be included in the upcoming show below. Be sure to add it to your calendar as it promises to be full of fibery goodness and wonderful creations from our guild members.

2011 Pacific Northwest Needlearts Guild Show
October 12 - December 31

Edmonds Historical Museum
118 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, WA

(425) 774-0900

Hours
Wed - Fri: 1 - 4 p.m.
Sat: 10 am - 2 pm
Sun: 1 - 4 pm

Sunday Meditation
It is a quiet day as I tend to tasks needing to be done, the cat is napping, my spouse is away for the day. The wind has been rushing and howling all day despite a partly sunny, partly cloudy threatening storm kind of day. Fall is definitely here, the leaves are beginning to turn and dance in the wind doing a ballet in the air. Nature makes my heart sing on a day like today...

"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."

Shapes, Crows and Bird Books

Focusing on shapes and silhouettes and birds...

Crow Series
This group of paintings was started in February. It began with the small painting at the top right. It actually was a crane and I disliked it a lot, proportions were off, colors were too much, it was sitting on my table in the studio, waiting. So, one day, I picked it up and started carving out a new shape with gesso and so on. I really liked the results, so I painted two more small similar paintings. Then came the bottom two which are about 12x12. I have since painted several more crows (inbetween doing some abstracts/collage), so I am continuing on in this series, exploring different ways to depict my subjects. I'm finding working on a series helps me really know the subject better.

This whole direction is probably a result of participating in my women's painting critique group monthly. One of my friends there always focuses on shapes in her wonderful oil paintings, and I guess the idea of focusing on the shapes themselves appealed, and made me look at subjects differently. Belonging to a small friendly and supportive group of fellow artists is something I highly recommend. The diversity of outlooks and styles (loose or realistic), and even media, as among us, we work in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastels, collage and 3d paintings, is truly inspiring. I'm always looking forward to see what we will each bring to the next meeting - it keeps me painting.

Bird Books
To complement my continuing bird interest, I'm in the midst of reading "Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, a local Seattle author. This is a wonderful read about our urban crow friends with some lovely woodcut illustrations by the author.

And I've added to my Audubon identifying book on birds with two more great selections listed below. They are great inspiration for a fiber book on Texas birds that I am finally completing. It was a project started last year in April when I visited family there.

The National Wildlife Federation "Field Guide to Birds of North America" by Edward S. Brinkley - a terrific guide with lots of stunning photographs to help identify birds in our country.

"BIRDS of the Puget Sound Region" by Bob Morse, Tom Aversa, and Hal Opperman - I like this one as it's specific to my area. I've already used it to determine we've got "spotted towhees" hanging around our yard - gorgeous 8" birds with a dark black hood and tail, sprinkled with white spots on the black wing, and robin red sides and a white belly, red eyes.

Photoshop Art, Flight Museum and Collage

Sifting through photo's, mixing colors, shapes... mixing it up...
PhotoShop Art
Above is a Photoshop composite of 3 photo's taken at a recent visit to the Seattle Flight Museum. I used layers, inversion, several other adjustments and filters to combine the 3 photo's: looking into a jet engine, the bottom of a hot air balloon, and butterflies.

The Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight is a fascinating place. I'm not so much into technology and machines, however, the concept of flight, the history, the airiness of the high glass ceiling lead me into the land of imagination. A fun afternoon spent with visiting family, including the open eyes of a six year old, cannot fail to inspire. I especially liked the room devoted to lunar exploration and pictures of nebula's. Isn't this spiral shape stunning?
More Photoshop Art
Another altered photo follows, I used inversion and color adjustments. It is a rhododendrun blossom at Snowqualmie Falls. I'm drawn to the shocking green. It's fun to color outside the norm, play with my choices...
Collage
A friend and I had a great afternoon about a month ago making 5x7 "soul collage" cards. I've made many collages, however this is my first soul collage card. There is a book prescribing the techniques in using them for those who want to follow a system. I believe any art we make is a picture of who we are at the time, an expression of inner goings-on that we may or may not be aware of. It's good to pay attention to what shows up in our artwork, to ask ourselves about it, to notice and listen, this is what I learned when I trained to become an expressive art therapist a few years back. Noticing, listening lead us up the path of self-awareness.

Museum Day, More Plein Air and Watercolors

Taking a break, playing with color and pen...
SAM and BAM
That's Seattle Art Museum and Bellevue Art Museum, for non-locals reading this... my spouse and I have a museum date once a month. Last month it was SAM where we viewed the Nick Cave, "Meet Me at the Center of Earth" exhibit of "soundsuits". There were rooms full of stunning life-size manikins artfully and completely covered with a colorful array of everything that could be found in a thrift store. Some of them could and have been actually worn and that is the sketch above.

The BAM has an exhibit of ceramic sculptures by Wanxin Zhang which we saw this week. This is a fabulous exhibit of larger than life size figures inspired by the tradition of the buried terracotta warriors that were uncovered in China. However, they are somewhat modernized, mysterious and seem so lifelike. So if you want a treat, do go see this exhibit. BAM also has two other interesting exhibits showing which are worth a visit: unique South American jewelry which weaves in some cultural stories, and an exhibit on "Softness" featuring various fiber and stitching pieces.
Plein Air
I plan to get outdoors more often this summer as nature is so inspiring. Above is a quick sketch from our deck. Below is another watercolor painting from the recent day over by Lake Washington on a plein air date. Both were gorgeous sunny days and it felt good seeing the sun again after it's absence so many months here in our rainy cloud covered heaven.
Note to myself: Definitely get outdoors more often this summer, alone or with art buddies! Feel the sun, the cool breezes, smell the flowers, soak in the colors and the music of this season of the year.

Painting Preview, Art Show and Plein Air Painting

Still painting those undulating shapes...

"The Sun Held Court Over the Whispering Seas" 16x20 mixed media
Copyright 2011 by Delorse Lovelady

Seattle CoArts Art Show
The above picture is a small peek at one of my two paintings that were juried into the Seattle CoArts Show "The Joy of Art!". This is one small portion of a larger abstracted seascape painting.

"The Joy of Art!" is a beautiful show with a variety of artists and styles. The show runs from May 16 - Jun 24 at the Mercer View Gallery, next to the Luther Burbank park. The Gallery is in the Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 SE 24th St, Mercer Island, WA (206-275-7609). Gallery hours are Mon-Fri from 6:30am-9:00pm; Sat from 8am-10pm; and Sun 11am-6pm. Here are more examples of what can be seen there:
Plein Air Painting
We've had some glorious weather here lately in the Northwest, partly sunny, partly cloudy, cool - my favorite. I heard a couple of days ago, that so far this year, Seattle has only gotten about 6 days of 60 degree weather. We are having a remarkably cool rainy year so far (wish I could send some to my Texas relatives who are in severe drought). Anyway, on a particularly sunny day, my friend Beth & I settled in a secret spot by Lake Washington and spent the day painting and sketching, such fun... Here's one of my pieces.

Death Valley Desert, Wildfires & Gratitude, Sunday Meditation

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans”.... John Lennon
Time has moved by at warp speed and I'm realizing I haven't posted for over six weeks. So I suppose I've been taking a breath, or two, away from the little screen that captures my words and images and sends them to who knows where or to whom....

The Desert, Death Valley
I finally got my taste of "Southwest" kind of terrain. We set off on a two and a half week road trip (love them) which included the desert. Death Valley, always wanted to go, finally made it. And added this to my list of National Parks visited, I want to experience them all. How to describe something so vast and so diverse... let me see, did you know Death Valley has very high undulating sand dunes? And a 150 mile long valley floor, called Badwater Basin that has white salt flats on it? Yellow canyons colored like mustard. A canyon named "Artist's Palette" because of the colors - red, ochre, sienna, brown, black, turquoise, all mixed up, just like a palette against the cliffs. Volcanic craters. Mountains, with very high points to look down at the valley on several sides. Flowers. Lots of raucous ravens. An actual Spanish castle in the cliffs of a canyon. Slickrock, narrow canyon passages. And more.
It was very warm (for me) in March, mid-80's, I wouldn't dare wait any later to go. I have to say it was stunningly beautiful in it's starkness and harsh terrain. I love the wide open space, seeing forever, big skies, and all the other cliche sayings about that kind of landscape...... nature undressed, getting down to the bare bones of what's essential, and letting my artist's eye relish the colors, shapes, lines and dancing mirages..... I had fun with my sketchbook and paints. And I left reluctantly, but filled with inspiration.

Sunday Meditations - Wildfires and Gratitude
One day you are peacefully going about your life immersed into your world, your routines. And the next, nature throws some sparks your way, maybe sets a blaze into your world. And it wakes you up (again) to the enormity of our universe, of what a small piece of it you are, of the greater forces always present.

This past week nature stirred some massive storms in the Texas panhandle. Hot dry dusty wind, severe drought conditions with no rain in months, so conditions were ripe for the huge fires that raged across the plains, pushed by 60 mile an hour winds, no mountains or anything to stop them from advancing. There were many homes burned down and lives turned upside down.
Among the lucky, were my two brothers. They both live in the rural areas surrounded by pastureland and both had huge walls of fire raging nearby - one up to the back of the house (see photo's, courtesy of Jonathan Clubb) after it had eaten nearby houses, and the other, across the road from his house. Evacuations, road blocks. Lots of firemen. Very scary.
Foremost, I am so thankful none of my family was hurt. Or suffered the loss of their houses. It's a bit calmer today, but it will be a long hot nervous summer, if the drought doesn't get relieved. I imagine sending them some of our Seattle rain to ease the pain. Water is such a life giving fluid. So today, Sunday, it's a good day to be grateful for family, for rain and water, and the abundance of life and home sweet home.
Namaste