Good News!

It has been a great week for good news!  Lion Dance has been accepted into the Southern Watercolor Society's Annual Exhibition which will be at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, TN. May 8-July 5. Thank you to juror Kathleen Conover for adding this piece to the show!

Mayan Gate

$1,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

14.5” x 21.5,” (37 cm x 54.5 cm)

Framed Size 21.5" x 28.5," price includes frame

Selected for the Louisiana Watercolor Society 44th International Juried Exhibition 2014

Selected for theFlorida Watercolor Society's On Line Exhibition, 2014

Selected for Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 34th Annual Juried International Competition, 2013

Selected for the Annual Central Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition 2013 at the Terrace Gallery, City Hall, Orlando Florida

This painting was inspired by the wonderful Mayan Revival Architecture at the Maitland Art Center, Maitland Florida, designed by J. Andre Smith. 

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Also got word this week that Mayan Gate was accepted by juror Iain Stewart, for the 2015 Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition. This will be my third year (in a row) in a GWS National Exhibition, which means I will be a Signature Member. Woo Hoo! Show will be at the Ogelthorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, March 14-April 26. I'm very honored to be in the show, and to be a Signature Member with GWS!

On an artists note, I just wanted to mention once again, if you enter competitions or have an interest to, keep trying!  Lion Dance was passed over a few times, to finally land a spot in a show.  It's never a good idea to try to second guess the taste or preference of the judge because you just never know.  It is a good idea to submit the best work that you have in your inventory at the time.  Make sure you read the prospectus carefully for size restrictions, and other criteria for EACH show.  They vary from show to show.  Keep those brushes wet and good luck!

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Day 4 of the Facebook Three Paintings in Five Days Challenge

DAY 4 of the Three Paintings in Five Days Facebook Challenge…More Asian inspired works from my time traveling there. “Odd Man Out.” was recently judged by an artist I greatly admire, Thomas Schaller, for the Kansas Watercolor Society Exhibition. Thank you Thomas! It evolved from a plein air sketch I did on Peel Street in Hong Kong. I love this painting because it takes me right back to the memory of doing the sketch.  I did a blog post about it here.

Lotus Nocturne

$175.00

Price Includes Shipping

Limited Edition Archival Giclée Print Signed and Numbered, Edition of 300

Original painting is SOLD.

Image Size:  Half size from original, 19.5" x 9.25," (23.5 cm x 49.5 cm)

Shipped flat with backing board.

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I adore the Lotus plant which I saw all over Thailand, Japan, and China. “Lotus Nocturne” is a self-reflective painting for me. From a previous post here, you can read about the symbology of this beautiful plant.

I had to paint the “Kyoto Tanuki" seen all over Japan because he is so darn cute and mischievous. You can read about the symbology of the Tanuki on from a previous post here.

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Day 3 of the Three Paintings in Five Days Facebook Challenge

Pak Tai Guardian

$3,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

30” x 22.,5” (76 cm x 57 cm)

Framed Size 42.5" x 35," price includes frame

Selected for the 41st Annual Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition 2012 at the Mennello Museum of American Art .

Selected for the 2nd Annual Women Painters of the Southeast Exhibition, 2013, at the Imagine Gallery of Fine Art, Franklin Tennessee.

This painting was inspired by an intriguing statue I saw on my many visits to the Pak Tai Temple in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

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Pak Tai Guardian Lion

$3,500.00

Watercolor, Framed

30” x 22.5,” (76 cm x 57 cm)

Framed Size 42.75" x 34.75"

This is the second painting in a series of temple pieces inspired by a Chinese Lion statue I saw on my many visits to the Pak Tai Temple in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

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DAY 3 of three paintings in five days Facebook challenge... When I lived in Hong Kong one of my favorite things to do was visit and sketch at the myriad of temples. The two dragon paintings evolved from sketches I did at the Pak Tai Temple in the Wan Chai district. One was my first try, and acceptance into a major exhibition, The Florida Watercolor Society. Thanks to juror,  Nicholas Simmons for choosing it!

Since we moved to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year, I wanted to commemorate that time with "Lion Dance". It’s my largest painting 36” sq. and I wanted to capture the excitement of the acrobatic dance with a colorful, “in your face,” statement!

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Odd Man Out Accepted to The Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition

My painting Odd Man Out has been selected for the 2014 Kansas Watercolor Society's National Exhibition at The Wichita Center For The Arts.  I'm so honored to be in this show. Thank you to juror Thomas Schaller, whose work I greatly admire, for choosing this piece.

I have such a connection to this painting inspired by a plein air sketch I did on Peel Street in Hong Kong.  Some of my happiest moments were sketching, painting and exploring that city and for me it's even more poignant that this piece was chosen for this show with all the political unrest that's happening in Hong Kong right now.

For all my artists friends out there who enter competitive shows, DON'T GIVE UP! The selection process for any show can be very selective and can be greatly influenced by the taste of the judge.  This painting has been rejected from two regional shows, only to be accepted into this national show!  A painting isn't bad, or you are not a terrible artist because a work is declined for a show.  I look at it as a golden opportunity for it to be available somewhere else.  If this painting had been juried into a current regional show, I would not have been able to enter it for the Kansas show!

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Featured Artist at the 127 SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden Florida

I have shared everywhere else, Facebook, Newsletter, etc. that I am going to be the featured artist this month at the 127 SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden, Florida, but haven't shared on my blog!!  I helped hang the show yesterday at the gallery with some wonderful fellow volunteers at the Winter Garden Art Association.  The  theme for this months show is "Pick Your Passion" and is only open for members to exhibit.   The collection of work I've put together for the show represents two of my passions, painting and travel.

Although it has been a few years since I've lived there, I am greatly influenced by my time living in Hong Kong and France and traveling throughout Asia and Europe for many years. I have thousands of reference photos that are a never-ending source for inspiration!  I just wish I could paint faster!

If you are in the area, the opening reception is Thursday night, August 7 from 5:30 to 8:00. The address of the gallery is 127 South Boyd Street, in Winter Garden Florida.   The show will be up the month of August, if you can't make the reception and would like to see it.  The gallery hours are Wed. through Sat. 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

I was getting my work framed which is such a nice feeling, not only to see it all framed which feels like the icing on the cake but to protect it as well.  I posted this photo on Facebook of Odd Man Out with yours truly standing next to it to give an idea of scale.  Many friends have commented since seeing it they had no idea it was that big!  It's really difficult when we see work on websites or in Facebook without a human standing next to it, to judge the scale of one's work.  Many of my paintings are quite large.

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Accepted into the 35th National Georgia Watercolor Society Exhibition

I’m thrilled, my painting Waiting in the Wings was chosen for the 35th National Georgia Watercolor Society’s Exhibition!  This is my second year in the show.  Last year my painting Hong Kong Happy Hour was chosen.  It’s always a great honor for me to be juried into shows, and to have my work included with some of the most talented watercolorists in the nation for national shows and from all over the world for international shows.

If you enter a few shows a year whichI do, the logistics of keeping track of it all can be tricky!  Some show dates conflict with each other.   Therefore a careful review of your inventory is necessary to decide which paintings will be submitted where.  Some will accept three paintings for the judge to see, some accept two, and some only accept one.  But usually only one paintingis juried into the show.  Many shows are going on at the same time, therefore if you submit three paintings for one judge to review for a particular show, those can not be submitted for other shows because any one of the three could be chosen and you don’t know which one it will be!

You always want to submit your best work, but usually out of the two or three you submit, you have a personal favorite that you feel is the strongest.  But, your favorite may not be the favorite of the judge, and he or she will choose their preference!  Judges are different from show to show.  Therefore, if a piece is rejected one year, from one organization, doesn’t mean it will be another time from a different judge!

If you are interested in submitting work to juried shows, keep your brushes moving so that you have a good inventory to choose from.  Only submit you strongest work that you are most proud of.  Keep careful records so that you don’t submit the same painting that may be tied up in another show, sold, or not be shipped back to you in time for the other deadline.  Most of all don’t give up!!! Rejection is all part of the process which doesn’t mean you are a bad painter or your work is bad either.  The way I look at rejection from shows is, the judge’s taste just didn’t lean toward my work, and now I have a painting that is available as consideration for another show, where the judge’s taste might lean in my direction!

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Happy Chinese New Year... Year of the Horse

After living in Hong Kong, I’m always aware of the Chinese New Year!  So, Happy New Year... Year of the Horse!  I lived there during two Chinese New Years and they were my favorite holidays observed there.  Based on the lunar calendar, the fifteen day celebration started yesterday and ushers out the year of the water snake and in the year of the wooden horse.  Feng shui masters say the year of the horse may be tough for any negotiating because people stand firm in their beliefs and convictions. If this is true, I guess Congress won’t be getting much work done this year either!

Reward, Watercolor on Archival Paper, 6" x 6"

The decorations are spectacular,  we always had the most beautiful pink flowering plum trees in the lobby of our apartment building. Flowers are an important part of the New Year Celebration.  Plum blossoms symbolize courage and hope, narcissus, good luck and fortune, and tangerines and oranges are displayed as a sign of wealth and luck.  Flowering plum and mandarin trees adorn many homes, businesses and temples throughout Hong Kong.

Everyone is the the holiday spirit similar to the Christmas spirit here.  The celebration lasts for many days and has different phases, where different customs are observed.   One is the ever popular Lie See envelopes.  These small red envelopes you tuck money inside are adorned with symbols for good fortune and luck, and sometimes have cartoon characters because it is a tradition to give them to children.   Work colleagues or people in business relationships give them to each other too.  As is the custom, to not forget all the service people that help you throughout the year.

The parades, Lion Dance and acrobatic performances and fireworks are spectacular, and are not to be missed!  All around a beautiful, festive, fun time of year.

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Peel Street Guardian

On the South end of Peel Street, in Hong Kong,  is a tiny temple I would pass by on my way to Central when I walked from our apartment in the mid levels.  This little guardian lion was always covered in ashes from the joss sticks lit for offerings and prayers.   Since I passed by often I wanted to create a painting that would remind me, and be a momento of my daily life there.  To add interest I used Chinese worshipping papers in the upper left corner.

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Work in Progress of Odd Man Out

Today I thought I would share some work in progress photos of my painting Odd Man Out.  I developed this large painting from a watercolor sketch I did plein air on Peel Street in Hong Kong, and photos that I took the day I did the sketch.  I took the photo after I did the watercolor sketch and the lighting had changed dramatically. Thehotnoon-day sun was shining through the lanterns onto the sign for the shop, popping the color and making the lanterns glow, as well as creating some interesting lighting on the sign.

In the larger painting, 40” x 20.5,”  I wanted to capture the light hitting the lanterns making them glow.  I wanted to represent the washed out feeling of the sign behind, with the bright sunlight shining on it, which made the lanterns stand out more.   All of this was juxtaposed against the cool gray concrete textural facade of the actual building, creating a play of warm against cool.  Most all facades in the market streets of Hong Kong have the ubiquitous wires, tarps, pipes, grunge, and a variety of elements kluged together, for displays,  to hold up awnings and signs, etc.  I wanted to include some of those elements in the painting as well.

The sketch shows two lanterns with faces. But, I had the idea for the title of the painting, Odd Man Out,  which made sense to use only one “face lantern.”  Then after painting the Chinese Goddess figure, in the lowest purple lantern in the composition, I thought it would be fun to have the lantern with the face gazing down at her.  Also, putting it where it had been in the sketch would have been too much contrast, and would have called too much attention to the very bottom of the painting.  I  also took some liberties with the placement and colors of the lanterns to make the composition more interesting.  I don't work directly from the photograph but use it as a guide.  Photos don't always present us with the best design for a painting.  Plus, a major enjoyment for me while I paint is to recall the place and the memories of being there.  If I'm so focused on a photograph, I tend to miss that opportunity.

The completed painting on the easel gives you an idea of the scale.  I really enjoy working larger in watercolor!

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20% of all sales this month go toward the relief effort for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Peel Street Lanterns, Hong Kong or Odd Man Out

I have finished this new large painting, 20.5” x 40”,  I have been working oninspired by thelanterns outside a funerary shop on Peel Street in Hong Kong.  I posted a few months ago the sketch that I did, plein air, sitting in the alley across from the shop. I have always wanted to do the lanterns in a large painting.  I really enjoyed working on this. It brought back so manymemories of the day I satin the alley doing the sketch listening to the Chinese opera music coming from the shop I was  in front of, and smelling all the exotic smells from the food being prepared in the neighboring dai pai dongs and the incense from the shops.

I wanted to convey in the larger paintingthe delicate,  colorful, light struck lanterns floating in the gentle breeze juxtaposed against the cool, textural concrete building, they were hanging in front of.  I used some textural techniques in watercolor to imply the rough, dingy facade of the Hong Kong architecture. The bright yellow sign is typical for many shops in Hong Kong and I love how the shape and value of it, being washed out by the bright sunlight, adds another level of interest to the painting.  Do you like how the Odd Man Out,  has eyes on the Chinese goddess on the lantern below him?  :-)

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