Portland Art Open and Milepost 5

The Portland Art Open was great. I got to see a couple of artists that I know from the internet in person. They were both in the Art Open, at the Milepost 5 complex.
Jud Turner, and Linda Hoard. Both very talented artists and both positive people. It was a real treat to meet them face to face, and to see the work I've seen on a monitor in person. The monitor just doesn't do justice to either one of them!
The artists were in empty units in the Milepost 5, which is a new live/work condo unit for artists. I really liked the units that I saw, and there were artists on three floors. The third floor didn't have any artists, so I can't give a review on that floor, but the fourth floor was fabulous! I could definitely see myself and my work living there.

Busy Day at the Zoo

I missed this yesterday, cause we went to the zoo. I went with my daughter-in-law and my two little grandsons. We went to go see the new baby elephant, Samudra.
I think I'll be going back soon by myself with my sketch book.
We had a great time, seeing things through the child's eyes is a much needed breeze stirring the creative juices!
They'll be going home this evening. I'll miss them, but I'll be happy to be able to finish that painting on my easel! :)

Long day!

It's nearly midnight, and has it been a long day!
My son and his family are here, I have new respect for my son and my daughter-in-law. They have two kids, both boys, one is 2 and the other is almost 4 months.
They keep their parents hopping!
With the family here, I'm not working on art, and the painting on my easel is calling me...
It wants to be finished, and I want to finish it!
This pic is of it; remember, it's not yet done.
I've got to add some more of the hot light from the sun to a few spots. The end result will be on my website. This is work in progress. :)
The medium is oil, with a cold wax medium; that's how I got the heavy texture in the sun.
The title of this is tentatively "The Triumph of Reason".

The Big Score!

I love Craig's List! I do, I do, I do!!
I was perusing the Free section, an addiction of mine, and what should I see? But a record store closing up shop, and welcoming folks to come and help themselves to display racks, lights, cases, and even electronics!
I got a new set of grid walls, for FREE, as well as a really cool cart that I can use to haul prints. I'm pretty excited about it. We got a closet organizer thing, all shiny chrome. Way cool!
Any opportunity to recycle and keep something that's perfectly good out of the landfill is all right with me.
Mi familia is due here anytime, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. :)

Work in Progress

I've been working on a series, "Aging in America" and this is part of that series.
This is an encaustic, the theme is about Alzheimer's and dementia.
The metal is from the floorboards of a late 1950's Cadillac Fleetwood hearse.
I was totally thrilled with the source, considering what the piece is about, it seemed to just fit.
I got the metal from another artist, a metal artist. Great stuff!!
This is the first layer of wax. I've got company coming, no art for the next couple of days...sigh...
But I'll be very happy to see my son and his family!! That makes everything alright. :)

Rainy Afternoon

It's rainy, and summer feels long gone, even though it was only yesterday.
At least the return of Fall brings us things like leaves and pumpkins, trick or treat, and turkey.
It also brings us to a winter season that I'm looking forward to this year. This will be my first settled year in Portland, and I'm looking forward to gallery openings. I don't usually get to many of these in the summer months, I'm usually too busy showing my work to get a chance to see what others out there are doing.
We have an active art scene, here in Portland, with lots of talent.
The Portland Art Open is next week, I know artists that are exhibiting there, and I'm really looking forward to meeting them in person. We all know each other from an internet forum.
I guess that's my theme for tonight.
The ways that we connect as human beings and as artists.
The internet has brought me connections that I otherwise would not have, I've met some really great people, and some real asses.
I've gotten shows that I otherwise would not have even known about because of the internet. I feel that it's expanded my horizons, and I don't miss life without it.
And that segues us into the darker side. Life, like art, has an unwritten rule. For every light, there is a dark.
The dark side of the internet, is the freedom that some feel to be vicious. To try to harm as many as possible, enabled by the anonymity of the internet. The many hours that could have gone to art, but went instead into hours of discontent and mountains of bullshit.
My fix? Art.
Plain, pure and simple. Art. I connect with the people I care about, I don't feed the trolls, and when it all gets just too dramatic for words, I shut this thing off.
:)