For the second time in my adult art career, I have been accepted to the California State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition! Not only that…but my painting “Little Boxes” was given an Award of Merit!
Northern California friends, come check it out! The fair is open July 12-28.
“Little Boxes” 48”x24” (2019)
Hi, friends.
It turns out that when you're working full time teaching art, planning a wedding, and trying to finish grad school, you don't have a ton of time to paint and you definitely don't have time to update your website.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Today I uploaded several new pictures of finished pieces and refreshed some things on the site that weren't working very well. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more! Check out my Facebook and Instagram pages for more regularly updated content and works in progress.
See you there!
A website called Figure50 creates an interactive map each year that features one artist per state in America. I thought it was such a cool idea and loved some of the art featured in their 2015 map, so I submitted a few things for the 2016 map. The curators didn't choose me for the map, but they did feature me on their blog! Thanks, Figure50!
Remember how I said I was bad at blogging? Yikes. I can't believe it's been since September since I updated. For those of you who prefer brief, more regular updates, I do post fairly frequently on my Facebook page. For those of you who like my longform posts, read on.
Back in September, I had just started my job as the art teacher at a local K-8 Catholic school. 6 months later, I've taken a program that was formerly comprised mostly of black and white sketching and turned it into a colorful, multi-media art extravaganza. Okay, maybe not an extravaganza. But we have fun. I do, anyway.
When I was done scooping my melted heart off the floor, I was able to snap this cute photo of two kindergarteners exploring the school's annual art fair. Let me tell you, putting up roughly 480 pieces of art is no joke.
Working as a teacher means that I often come home happy and inspired, especially after a great day in the art room. Other days, I come home exhausted, unwilling to stand for even one more minute. And sometimes I get too sick to even go in to work. The latter two are not great for my painting practice. I lost a big chunk of time in the studio recently because I just couldn't get myself to do it. That's the thing about creativity, or at least mine anyway, I can't force it. If I do, my paintings usually end up a mess, and so do I.
But the great thing about working at a school, besides the kids, is that we get breaks. Spring break was great for me in the studio. Not only did I finish a couple of pieces that have been long in the making, but I also found out that I got into the Triton Museum of Art 2D Competition and Exhibition. 1450 pieces were submitted, and they took 120. And I'm one of them! I'm humbled, and beyond ecstatic. If you're in the Santa Clara area between April 22 and May 29, stop by the museum and check out my Fedoras painting. I haven't seen any of the other pieces in the show yet, but I'm sure they're fabulous!
These guys still aren't quite done, but they're getting there!
A commissioned piece of the patron's grandparents' house. Can you spot an early sketch of another one of my pieces in the background?
When I first started painting, I was primarily drawn to working on pieces of dogs and the Virgin Mary. Yes, you read that correctly. It was an odd pairing, and I'm still not quite sure what drew me to those subjects. The best I can guess is that they both allowed me to get at their souls. They made me feel something.
I didn't have much of a direction in terms of subject matter in my paintings until my senior year of college. I always painted whatever moved me, without paying much attention to whether or not everything I painted "went" together. I went by the general non-theme of "I like stuff that's old." Then my professors called me on my crap. They started bugging me about making sure my pieces had a concept, that they weren't just pretty pictures of pretty things. I needed that. I still didn't have much of a unifying theme, but at least I began to think more deeply about what I was doing. My pieces began to have more intent behind them.
Then I took my senior seminar class. It involved us students getting deeper into our art on an intellectual level and learning more about our post-grad options in the art world as well as the business of art. I finally found a unifying theme for my art, and began to think seriously about individual identity and the way people represent themselves to the those around them.
But old habits die hard. I found some old family photos and got very excited about painting them. I completed one large piece of my paternal grandparents and great-grandmother, then started on another piece based on a different photo of my grandfather before my professor gently reminded me of my newfound direction and that the pieces of my relatives didn't exactly "go" with my other work. This would have been of little concern to me, except that I had a senior show to prepare for and wall space to fill. The painting of my grandfather was set aside, and I cranked out a bunch of work. The show went well. Everything went together.
See? Unified. (The piece on the far right is not mine, in case you were wondering.)
Then I graduated from college and adult life hit me hard. I didn't paint much. I carried the half-finished painting of my grandfather to my new apartment, back home to Sacramento, and back again to the Bay Area. It sat taunting me, mostly. I almost never felt inspired to work on it, and when I did I easily got overwhelmed by the fact that I didn't like the way it looked and didn't know how to make that any better. Over two years went by.
Some paintings I end up giving up on. I don't like to do it, but sometimes I know in my heart that it's just not going to work. This was not one of those paintings. Maybe it's because it's an old family photo, maybe it's because I'm sometimes stubborn, or maybe it's just some kind of artist instinct. But I knew that eventually I'd be able to call this one done.
I'm trying to make some more room in my little studio. I have a lot of paintings started, but nowhere close to finished. I put my old painting on the easel and studied the little black and white photo and its scanned counterpart.
The original
This painting was tough for a variety of reasons. First, I hate landscapes. A lot. Grass and background bore me to tears. That's why most of my backgrounds are solid or non-existent. But for this, the background is important. Second, I had a lot of issues with my source image. While the photo itself is great, the original is tiny. We're talking 2"x3". It's difficult enough to capture facial expressions and details when I have an awesome, large, crisp source image. This was not one of those. It's also in black and white. I'm great at picking up colors in my source image...but that's only when there are colors for me to see. The third difficult thing about this piece is that it's of a family member. Not just any family member, but my dad's late father: a man somewhat legendary in our family. So I couldn't fudge anything.
All of this means it was a somewhat emotional process the other night as I pushed through my doubt, my insecurities, my hatred of painting shrubbery, and my raging headache to put the final touches on this piece. I'm proud of it. And after all that hesitation and upon final reflection...I think it does go with my other pieces. I've shifted a bit from the idea of choice and am working more on the idea of identity. In this case, the identity of my grandfather. His name was John Lewis Pelgen; we affectionately call him JLP. He was a doctor, a pilot, a husband, and a father to four kids. He died in a plane crash when my dad was eight. I look at pictures of him and see my dad's smile and hands. I am told I have his eyes. But that's just about all I know. He's largely a mystery to me, just like he is to any viewer of this piece.
JLP and an unidentified pup
Having the day off for Labor Day meant some quality time in the studio. I have a lot of things started, but haven't been able to complete much lately. Too many ideas, not enough time! But I finally got to a good place with this guy. I did a small tomato painting for my boyfriend's family last Christmas, and I wanted to complete a bigger version to add to my showing rotation. The bigger size presented a challenge for me--little details that were easy to add in my 1-foot square panels were much more difficult to depict in such an effortless way on the 2-foot copies. But I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Another "Inside/Out" veggie to add to the gallery!!
Also of note: the 20th Anniversary Art Show for Inside Publications is tonight from 6-9 at 33rd Street Bistro. I'll be there, glass of wine in hand. I'd love to see you, Sacramento friends!
For my non-Sacramento followers, as well as those who would like to view the magazine online, here's a copy of the cover!
Looks pretty good, doesn't it?
August was a great month for finishing commissioned work!
My friend's mother wanted me to paint a new piece for her living room. It's massive; at 54" square it's easily the largest painting I've ever done. In addition to that challenge, it's in a style that's vastly different from my usual work. I'm always up for a challenge! I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. She picked it up yesterday and was thrilled.
It looks better in person, I promise.
I also did a smaller painting for my friend Katie. She needed a birthday gift for her Gilmore Girls-loving friend and I was happy to oblige! It was way too much fun to paint and she, her friend, and I all loved the way it turned out.
once again, not the greatest picture. Photographing work is hard!
The State Fair is awesome for a variety of reasons, but I'm especially grateful for the exposure it gives the artists to people who might not have otherwise seen their work. I was contacted by Inside Publications, which publishes a quartet of community magazines in Sacramento, about putting my piece on the cover of one of their issues. I happily accepted, and this September my Self Portrait will appear on the cover of Inside Arden! Look out for it, Sacramento Friends!
Additionally, my piece will be featured in their 20th Anniversary Art Show at 33rd Street Bistro. The show runs through the months of September and October. The first receptions will be held September 12th and October 10th from 5-8 PM.
Every summer, the California State Fair showcases the best fine art, crafts, agriculture, and food in the state. Before I entered the land of adulthood I participated in the Youth Arts competitions, and was unfailingly ecstatic to find the judges' comments in the mail announcing my inclusion in the exhibit. It was so thrilling to be able to see my art up on the wall next to other talented kids from across the entire state. I'm proud to announce that I will once again get to see my art on the walls in the Cal Expo exhibition buildings. I GOT INTO THE STATE FAIR, Y'ALL! (yes, that is the only appropriate way to announce this)
The fair runs from July 10-26, 2015 at Cal Expo in Sacramento. If the art doesn't draw you, the semi-sketchy rides, adorable animals, and funnel cake should do the trick!
Self Portrait, 2013
I tend to have a lot of fun with underpaintings, which is ironic considering the fact that I didn't do them for a long time after I first started painting.
An underpainting is exactly what it sounds like--a painting underneath a painting. Traditionally it's done in shades of sienna (a lovely reddish brown color) mixed with varying amounts of solvent (ie paint thinner. oil paint can't be mixed with water). The point is to help the artist get the values of a piece down before they start to layer paint on. I like underpainting for the little boost of help, but I also love the subtle things it can do to a finished piece.
I started experimenting with different colored underpaintings at Santa Clara. My apples piece is actually kind of a study in what different colored underpaintings can do to a finished piece. I started each panel off with a different color: (clockwise from top left) blue, yellow, green, and red. I wanted to see what would happen to the finished product and whether it would even be noticeable. It might not be to the average viewer, but I can sure tell which is which still!
the green one in progress
this is how they all started. I was less concerned with the value help and more concerned with how the colors would work together, so I just painted them all one flat color to start
The finished product! Can you tell the starting colors apart?
It was so much harder to get the right contrast down for the red and yellow panels. I realized that when I started with a color too similar to the end product or too bright, it made building up the dark parts harder than usual. The green panel, on the other hand, stayed too dark throughout the entire process. It took a lot of work to make sure it didn't turn out significantly darker than the other panels. The blue panel was a revelation, and remains my favorite. I discovered that starting with a field of blue made building up my contrasts easier, and leaving little bits of blue poking through the red made the whole piece more interesting.
So I ran with the blue thing. Both of the pomegranate paintings I've done started with a blue underpainting. I think it adds just a little extra depth and a unique quality to these pieces. What do you think?
Pomegranates in progress
First piece done. Can you see the blue bits?
Underpainting for Pomegranates II. It's a lot more detailed than the other blue ones I've done.
Pomegranates II all done!
I intend to keep experimenting with different colors to see how they affect my finished pieces, and will of course write up those experiments as I go. Now you know all about underpaitnings! What do you think, are they worthwhile or do they add less to the finished piece than I think they do?
Now that things in my personal life are a little more settled and I can get into a good groove, I'm cranking out pieces at my usual quick pace.
This baby is for Sparrow Gallery's bike-themed May show entitled "Spokes." I didn't have a bike piece when I got the call to participate, but I knew I could whip one up.
I started with two wood panels that I'd picked up at University Art. I didn't know what I was going to use them for when I bought them, but they spoke to me. I knew I'd come up with something eventually. I like the way the wood works with the wood of the dock and gives the whole thing a more natural feel.
The interesting thing about wood panels is that they need a bit more prep than a canvas. Most canvases you buy from the store are pre-gessoed and ready for you to peel the plastic off and go. Wood, however, will soak up oil paint like dirt soaks up water on a hot day. So I had some work to do.
Gesso is similar to white acrylic paint, but in addition to the binder and the white pigment, it's typically made with glue and chalk, allowing it to dry harder than paint. This gives the artist a harder surface on which to work. In this case, gesso also gives me a few layers in between the oil paint and the wood, which slows down or eliminates the wood taking away all my paint's luster.
Layer one of gesso
I applied each layer of gesso in careful strokes, first all in the same direction, then perpendicular to my previous strokes. I sanded in between each layer once it was dry. I read conflicting information about how many layers of gesso to apply before painting: anywhere from 2 to 10. I went with four, because ten seemed excessive and two seemed too few. Luckily, four seemed to do the trick.
The next fun step? Underpainting! I don't always do a an underpainting, but sometimes I like the way it looks when it peeks through my paint, and sometimes I need help getting the values down before I start going for real. This time, it was the latter. I knew that the hands and the bike would be tricky to do, and I wanted as much help as possible. Plus, any practice getting those lines straight was good practice in my book. Despite my best intentions, the underpainting did not look good.
A not-great picture of my not-great underpainting. Whoops.
Next step: paint! This guy didn't require as much of a struggle as the umbrella painting. The straight lines were the worst of it, but I think they turned out pretty well considering I did them all by hand and since they're supposed to look a little rough-hewn due to the nature of the background.
more not-great progress photos...focus on the development!
A few laps though and I was done! Just in time to get it on the wall at Sparrow.
The final step was photographing the panels. This tedious step is always hard for me (excepting the few years in high school when I thought I was a fabulous photographer, I'm the first to admit I'm not great with a camera), but this time was particularly difficult because of the lines and because of the lighting in my studio. When I was at Santa Clara, the art building walls were perfect for photographing work. Then at home, the backyard on an overcast day would do. Now that I've moved and we're transitioning into springtime sun all day every day, lighting a piece for photography is tricky. Combine that with trying my hardest to get these darn things straight and you get a frustrated artist spending the afternoon on her computer.
Before I wrap this longish post up, I want to address the content of this painting. I thought a lot about what I wanted viewers to take away from this piece as I was working on it. It's a bit more narrative than most of my other pieces in that a story can be projected on it if the viewer chooses. My mom saw it and instantly thought it was the same person coming and going from the market. I like that idea. I also thought of it, like I think about most things, in terms of identity. Is this the same person? (It is, because they're both me, but bear with me.). Is this the same day, or do flowers in the basket mean a good day while an empty basket means a bad one? What does the fact that she's riding a bike say about the subject? I like that there are multiple ways to think about this painting and the person in it. I like the optimism in the flowers and the energy of the figure. I like the contrast between skin and flowers and wood. I like that my outlook has shifted lately from "half empty" to "half full."
There's nothing like the moment I can finally step away from a canvas and say, "It's done." Some times are easier than others. My professors at SCU used to have to tell me to put my brush down and leave it alone. With no one here to tell me that, my perfectionism can run rampant. But I'm getting better at knowing when to stop making adjustments and just let a piece be.
Remember the painting I used as my example for how pieces sometimes start out ugly?
Right. That one.
It went through several more stages of gnarly development. More than most of my pieces, I would say. I do a lot of things that have multiple parts, pieces, or layers. But this one was unique in two ways. First, its size. At 4'x3', this is the biggest canvas I've worked on to date, which brings unique challenges to the table. Second, each umbrella is separate unique, and made up of straight lines. I hate straight lines. I am much more comfortable manipulating the curves of apples that nestle up against each other than I am trying to negotiate multiple geometric shapes and their shadows and how they'd all look next to each other.
So this one stayed ugly for awhile.
Until I started breaking it down. Once I decided to take one little section at a time instead of jumping around, things started going much better.
The "ah-hah!" section
But still took quite a long time to get settled
Finally, after months of marching my way across the canvas and tweaking little things, I am declaring this behemoth finished. It's for my mom's dining room. I hope she likes it.
It's done!
The key to understanding an artist often lies in understanding their inspirations. I'd like to start sharing with you some of mine.
It all started with Jan Vermeer. The Girl with the Pearl Earring is one of the first pieces of fine art that made me stop, think, and wonder. Is this cliche? Probably. The painting is world-renown and is probably among the paintings that just about anyone could list if asked to name important art. But there's a reason for that.
I was fortunate enough to get to see this painting in person when it came to the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco a couple of years ago. It was breathtaking. There's the gleaming oil paint with a luminous quality that makes the viewer feel as though this girl was standing right there, which alone is a tremendous accomplishment. But there's also something more: that enchanting quality of light that lets you know that this is something you should stop and pay attention to, even just for a moment.
That's what I seek to do with my art. It's a lofty goal, but what's the point of goals that aren't hard to reach?
Picture from Wikipedia. Look at her go.
So excited to learn that I'l be featured in Healdsburg Center for the Arts' Art of Gastronomy show! The Art of Gastronomy is "a national juried art exhibition that presents the passion of food and drink, the mystique and culture surrounding it, the kitchens and environs where cuisine is prepared, served and consumed, the people involved in its preparation and presentation, and of the food and drink itself as seen through the eyes of artists who taste and appreciate each meal with gusto, and preserve memories of gastronomic adventures and experiences through their art. Art of Gastronomy serves to bring to light, the grueling planning, exacting elements and attention to detail that go into making fine bites and sips memorable."
The center also has several events presented in tandem with the art exhibit, including the opening reception March 21st, The Poetry of Gastronomy on March 28th, and several delectable food-centric events listed in detail on their website (linked above).
I'm thrilled to be part of it!
Below are the images selected for display:
Apples
Taffy
Pomegranates
I started work on a large commission the other day, and it's ugly. Normally, this would be cause for concern, but sometimes things have to start that way.
I learned this lesson when I was an undergrad. I would get so frustrated when things didn't look great the first time around (a character flaw that applies to more than just art) that I would want to hide the painting so no one could see what a terrible job I'd done so far. But large canvases covered in wet paint are hard to hide, and I gradually learned that even the worst-looking starts turned out okay if I stuck with them. I wasn't a failure if I didn't produce a masterpiece on my first lap through. (Though I have also learned that a painting, like an unruly toddler, can sometimes benefit from a good time out).
I have to keep this in mind as I continue on with this commission. It's not an awful start, but I have a long way to go. Stay tuned for my progress!
It's a common problem we socially awkward souls have: what to do with our hands. I spend a lot of time thinking about this (too much, in fact), which has lead me to a possible avenue for conceptual exploration in my paintings.
I got a little burned out after I finished my senior year at Santa Clara. I liked the concept I was exploring before and that I continue to ponder (see my artist's statement), but I wanted something more. I wanted to go broader. How else do people broadcast who they are?
I started to think about my hands, and what they say about me. They're kind of big. They're strong. They're frequently covered in paint. I find myself playing with them when I'm nervous. They look best intertwined with someone else's. They say a lot.
It's not just my blabbermouth hands that give me away; everyone's hands have quite a bit to say. What they're holding, what they're doing, how they look, how old they are, what they do for a living. I'm fascinated. There's no going back.
What I'm wondering now is this: is everyone as interested in hands as I am? Are these paintings visually interesting at all, or do I have some more playing to do in terms of composition and subject matter?
I am terrible at blogging. But I'm going to give this a go. Stay tuned for updates, process pics, and more!
