Dennis Galloway is a world renowned photographer who happened to visit the art exhibit, Ricochet, that Cynthia and I had up during January and February, in downtown Salem. Dennis liked our art and sent both of us an e-mail asking if we would be interested in having him create a panoramic studio shot of our studies. He sent some photos of a series of studios and artists he photographed in Eugene, Oregon, for an exhibit, and his work was stunning. Both of us said yes.
Cynthia chose to use her “outdoor” studio for her shoot.
For my shoot, Dennis wanted to take the necessary series of photographs at dusk so the light through the big windows in my studio would read as a dark blue. He came three times to get just the right light.
And then he got it and stitched together this awesome photo of my studio!
And here is a link to a You Tube interview with Dennis.
The opening reception for Ricochet: A Year of Collaborative Painting was held yesterday in the afternoon at Roy John Designer Goldsmith. We had a steady stream of friends and art lovers stop by. We sold several copies of our book, chatted about our paintings, shared about our year long process. It was a great celebration of our friendship and art.
Lucy and Jay relax before the reception beginsNancy Eng with CynthiaMe with Mary and Debbie, who made the trip from PortlandGuests enjoyed looking at our art journalsBonnie and Roger HullSusan and my niece, KristinMy mom and sister, DeniseDelores and Rollie look at our book about the showHoward was our wine server for the afternoonFriends Tory and JillRollie and Delores WisbrockCynthia shares about our processMe with my supportive husband, Howard
The show will be up until February 28, so if you are in downtown Salem, please stop by.
Today we hung our show, Ricochet: A Year of Collaborative Painting, at Roy John Designer Goldsmith, where our show will hang until February 28th. I wrote all about the show itself last week, so today I’m sharing about the hanging of the show.
We both arrived at 10:30, our arms full.
We each chose a wall and lined our paintings up to figure out spacing and layout.
And then we hung.
And adjusted lights.
And added labels.
Added art to the window.
Then admired our work.
Views.
We celebrated our accomplishment over a nice lunch at Amadeus, just around the corner from Roy John’s in downtown Salem. We talked about our year of painting, and how much we would miss our time together. Each month when we got together, we started by sharing a latte and visiting for about an hour about what we had been working on, how our art was progressing, what we had coming up. We chatted about our current theme and chose our theme for the following month.
So we decided we wanted to do it again, but not until summer or fall of this year. I have a big show coming up at Guardino Gallery, so that is where all of my attention will be focused for the next several months . . . . but we do already have a theme.
For the past year and a half, Cynthia and I have been painting together. It emerged out of casual painting dates in the summer of 2013 and in the fall of 2013, it morphed into the idea to have a show.
We met monthly to paint. We usually started around 10:00 am with a latte and a visit, going over what we had been up to, how our painting had been going, and what was going on in our art life. We often scribbled in our journals, and always determined what our theme or topic would be for the next month of painting, so we had time for ideas to formulate and percolate.
We would paint for a couple of hours, then break for lunch – a recharge for us and a time for our oil and cold wax to set up.
After lunch, we would head back upstairs to my painting studio and paint for a few more hours.
About midway through the afternoon, we would eat a gluten-free treat that Cynthia provided from a local bakery.
Our show, which opens with a reception on Saturday, January 10, 2015, reflects 12 months of painting together and covers 12 topics/themes.
#1 October 2013: The way I wish I could paint
“It Was a Relief to Disappear” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#2 December 2013: A poem
“Remembered Always” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#3 January 2014: Something borrowed
“Full of Expectation” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#4 February 2014: Words
“Practicing Vocabulary Words” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#5 March 2014: Spring
“Along a Curious Path” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#6 April 2014: Precious
“Insatiably Curious” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#7 June 2014: Astoria
“Protected by Silence” 24×24, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#8 July 2014: Summer
“Lingering Shadows” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#9 August 2014: Window
“An Invisible Thread” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#10 September 2014: Water
“Anchored in Memory” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#11 October 2014: Fall
“The Shadow of Chance” 16×16, plaster, oil, and cold wax
#12 November 2014: Music
In addition to our two-month show, Cynthia and I have created a book, which includes photos of all 24 pieces of art created by the two of us, a narrative of how our show came about, 24 action or process photos, and a brief narrative from each of us for all 12 months. Here is a link for ordering a copy through Blurb.
I was invited to join two other artist friends, Deanna White and Cynthia Herron, to teach a children’s art class at the Salem Art Association. The class was the brainchild of Deanna, who writes:
Both my children still have fond memories of the many art classes they attended at the Bush Barn Annex so many years ago. I have been a Gallery Guide for 13 years and have seen the Gallery Guides support many art educational opportunities and so would like to revisit this tradition again.
Deanna put together a proposal, invited Cynthia and I to participate, and presented it to the Bush Barn Gallery Guides, who approved the proposal and funded the class. The class was limited to 15 students, grades 3-5, and it cost each student only $10 for an afternoon of art.
Dayna, Deanna, and Cynthia
The day was divided into three segments:
Station 1: Book of Your Own with Deanna White
Station 2: Coloring Outside the Lines with Cynthia Herron
Station 3: Fantastical Creatures with Dayna Collins
For my station, we played with bendable muslin dolls and I set up a big table with fibers, jewels, feathers, boas, leather strips, buttons, ribbons, googly eyes, and lots of paint. Here’s my doll collection, which I brought for inspiration:
Some of the activity at my table during the three rotations (from clean and tidy to wildly and deliciously messy:
The kids had one hour at each station before rotating to the next table. Here’s the first group I had with their fabulous fantastical creations.
Overheard at my table during the afternoon:
I never knew it was going to be this fun.
I’m nuts for art.
I never get to paint!
It’s like we are scientists making our own creation.
No mom’s are here – we can paint all we want.
It was a great day for the kids and teachers (and for the several Gallery Guides who helped throughout the afternoon).
Of course, I couldn’t help myself. I made a doll to add to my collection. No name, but she’s sort of a warped demented ballerina.
Dennis Galloway is a world renowned photographer who happened to visit the art exhibit, Ricochet, that Cynthia and I had up during January and February, in downtown Salem. Dennis liked our art and sent both of us an e-mail asking if we would be interested in having him create a panoramic studio shot of our studies. He sent some photos of a series of studios and artists he photographed in Eugene, Oregon, for an exhibit, and his work was stunning. Both of us said yes.
