Lunaria Gallery in Silverton is celebrating their 20 year anniversary and as part of their celebration they are inviting former gallery members to participate in themed shows. I, along with Tory Brokenshire and Frank Lord, were invited to participate in their August show, Out of the Box and Over the Top. I wonder why they invited us to participate in this particular show (ha!).
The show is beautifully curated and is worth the trip to Silverton, but hurry, the show comes down on Monday, August 31st.
Tory and I were unable to attend the opening reception, but we made the short trip to Silverton last week to see the show for ourselves. We had both sold work, so there were a few holes, but it is always exciting to see red dots (or blank walls!). These are the two that have sold:
I’m just home from teaching a three-day workshop in Portland at Stacey Mattraw’s imaginative, magical studio, Arcangelo Productions, in North Portland.
Our three-day workshop actually started on Thursday evening when Stacey hosted a get together so everyone could meet and get their painting supplies set up.
Friday morning, we began our three-day marathon. We spent most of Friday preparing our boards, adding paint, plaster, and more paint, so that when we started to layer oil and cold wax, we would already have a nice layer of texture to respond to.
By the end of the first day we were already applying layers of oil and cold wax.
On Day Two it was oil and cold wax ALL DAY LONG.
Of course, breaks were taken.
On Day Three we gave each other feedback on some of the art in progress, painted, then ended the day with a walkabout.
And then we collapsed!
It was a great group of artists, so full of enthusiasm, energy, and talent — and they all worked so hard. Most of the ladies had traveled quite a distance to attend: Bellingham, the San Juan Islands, Alaska, California, as well as Portland and Silverton.
Serena Barton has a new book out, Wabi-Sabi Painting With Cold Wax, and not only is it a fantastic and beautiful book, but I’m happy to share that I am one of 12 guest artists.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’re interested in learning more about oil and cold wax, or if you want to get started in this medium, Serena’s book offers lots of techniques, detailed instructions, and beautiful color photographs.
The art I chose to be included in the book is Seeking Refuge, a piece I created for my 2013 Beneath the Surface show at Guardino Gallery. The piece sold during the show, but it remains one of my favorites.
My show opened Thursday night at Guardino Gallery in NE Portland. It was a hot night, but that didn’t keep people away. There was a steady stream of friends and art lovers. No need for words, I’ll just share a series of photos from the evening.
As many of you know, I’ve been working on pieces of art for my upcoming show at Guardino Gallery on NE Alberta in Portland. I started work last October and finished the final piece last Monday. Wednesday was hanging day. My good friend Tory Brokenshire drove her van and helped with the hanging.
We arrived at 11:00 am and unloaded 31 pieces of art into the empty, white-walled Main Gallery. Donna is a master curator and directed us to take pieces here and there, auditioning the possibilities.
And then it was time to hang. Tory and Meg took over.
For the most part, they did an excellent job.
I acted as their assistant, handing them drills, tape measures, and screws, occasionally offering suggestions.
The 3-D artist, who is also in the Main Gallery with me, Tamae Frame, was able to place her beautiful sculptures once my paintings were hung. What a beautiful pairing.
I’m so grateful to Donna for the opportunity to have the show and to Tory for helping to get it hung.
I was invited by photographer Joel Zak, to be interviewed on his Talking About Art show on radio station KMUZ. It happened today. I was a bit nervous, but not too much. I arrived at the studio right on time, but managed to go to the wrong door.
Joel set me straight.
I got settled into the sound booth. Is it called that?
And monkeyed around with the headphones.
Until they were just so (and my hair wasn’t too messed up!).
Phil was the sound engineer (I really don’t know the appropriate lingo for any of this), but he was more like the Wizard behind the curtain, only he was sitting right there in the room with us.
At 9:00 am, the iconic sign went on.
Joel made some art announcements for about five minutes.
Once you listen to the interview, you might be curious about the two pieces of art I mentioned. So I’ll go ahead and share them with you and do a little promotion for my upcoming show at Guardino Gallery in June. Here is the large 36×48 inch piece that represents transformation. The title is Singed By Fire and Light.
This next one I mention as being one of my favorites. It is 10×10 inches and is titled The Glow of Expectation.
Joel does his show, Talking About Art, the second and fourth Fridays of every month; his commentary and interviews are a great addition to the Salem art scene.
New show by Molly Reeves was happening in the Compass GalleryMission Mill’s newest gallery: The Willamette Trading Company
Max Marbles did a book-binding demo.
And I did a demo on using oil and cold wax. Not only did I demo how to use the mediums, I provided little canvases and 300 lb. watercolor paper for anyone who wanted to give it a try. I had lots of takers.
Molly Reeves, who was having a reception for her work in Compass Gallery downstairs, popped upstairs to see what I was doing.Delores Wisbrock showed no fear and created a beautiful little abstract. Watch out Rollie!
Delores and Tanna choosing paint colors.
At the end of the evening, I snapped this photo of the view from my studio.
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching my Plaster, Oil, and Cold Wax: Abstracted Play class in August. It will be held at the wonderful studio of Stacey Mattraw, Arcangelo Productions, located in a hip, diverse, funky area of North Portland.
The class will be held Friday-Sunday, August 14-16, 10 am-5 pm every day.
The first day we’ll be painting our boards and applying plaster and by Friday afternoon we’ll be learning oil and cold wax techniques (I provide you with a pre plastered board so we don’t waste a minute of our precious time.)
On Saturday morning, we’ll sand our plastered boards.
And quickly seal them with acrylic paint.
By Saturday afternoon, we’ll be applying layers and layers of luminous, buttery, oil and cold wax.
I’ll be sharing lots of techniques throughout the weekend on how to add interesting texture, add text, scrape back, and so much more.
As an added special bonus, on Thursday evening, 5-6:30 pm, we’ll meet at Arcangelo Productions for a pre-workshop gathering hosted by Stacey. We’ll have snacks and drinks and get to know each other in advance of the class beginning on Friday morning. We have also scheduled a field trip to Collage, a delightful, and full-to-the-brim art supply store on NE Alberta, where Maria is offering a 10% discount on all purchases.
The cost of the three-day class (with some supplies included) is $375. A $100 deposit holds your space, with the balance due on July 14, 2015. If you are interested, please contact me: dayna@alleyartstudio.com and I’ll e-mail detailed information about what supplies are included, what you need to bring, and my refund policy. Also, if you’re coming from out of town, I can send you information on places to stay in the surrounding area.
The maximum number of students will be 12 and five spaces are available as of this posting.
Me teaching the Abstracted Play class in Gig Harbor, WA
If you’d like to see photos from previous classes, here are two links. Number one and number two.
And I’ll leave you with a few more samples of my plaster, oil, and cold wax pieces.
“The Journey Home: The Ease of Slumber” Venetian plaster, oil, cold wax“Insatiably Curious” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold waxVisual Language
A new show opens on Thursday, March 12, 2015 at Compass Gallery, located at the Willamette Heritage Center. The show, Eco Icon: Art About Environmentalism, opens with a reception on Thursday, 5-7 pm. From 5:30-6:15 pm there will be a panel discussion, Environmentalism Then & Now.
I was invited to submit a painting to this juried group show and I chose Aldo Leopold as my Eco Icon.
All entries had to be 10×10 inches, so I chose a board that I had already applied plaster and some initial layers of oil and cold wax. I did some research on Aldo Leopold and pulled out his book, A Sand County Almanac.
Here is what I wrote to accompany my submission:
Aldo Leopold is known as a fierce environmentalist and one of the foremost conservationists of our century, with a deep love and respect for the land. I have created an abstraction representing the restoration of natural habitats and man’s relationship to the land.
“Some Other Explanation” 10×10 inches, plaster, oil, and cold wax
The show is hanging and it is beautiful.
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.
