Recycling Bin Artwork is Up!

The next time you're Downtown in Greenville, SC, check out the 8 recycling bins that are wrapped with local artists' artwork!  One of which is on the Riverwalk by Falls Park with two of my paintings Peace Out and The Gathering.  I am so excited to be a part of this outdoor art gallery project! 

Circle Island

I haven't painted much lately.  I feel like I'm going in circles, and I really just want to escape to an island somewhere...to a place where no one knows my name and there are no expectations of me.  Presently, an unrealistic goal, I decided to paint this feeling.  Perhaps one day I'll find my own island of solitude.  But for now, I will appreciate this situation for it's potential healing experience. 

8th Annual TWIST Art Show

I am excited to announce that I will be participating again in the annual AAF Greenville Art Show this year.  Last year was a blast!  I met some talented artists, a few fans, and sold quite a bit of work.  So it was a "no brainer" when I was asked to participate again.  I have several new paintings that will be on display, as well as some you may have already seen.  This is a great opportunity to buy local art, support a great cause, and have fun... all in the same place.  There will be plenty of entertainment, drinks, food, local artists and their works, and a silent auction. 

This year's event will be on Dec. 6th (my birthday, by the way, so now you HAVE to come) at FishEye Studios from 6-9pm.  Hope to see you there! 

Waiting Room

Custom Metal Frames

If you have ever looked for a unique, one-of-a-kind frame to compiment your artwork, then I imagine you had the same frustrations I did.  I wanted something that isn't standard shaped or mass produced.  I couldn't find anything that fit my artwork either.  So I decided to make them myself.  I have worked in the metal industry for over 8 years so you would think it was a "no brainer" to just make them.  Well, I had an idea in mind for each of the pieces below but wasn't sure I could pull it off.  After scrapping several prototypes, I came up with a final product that I am happy with.  

 

For the one above, I wanted to duplicate the piece of paper hanging from the tree in my painting.  I drew the design in AutoCad, had it laser cut, and then curled the bottom.  I wanted the back of the frame to be flat, like the black and white dimension in my paintings, and to "float", rather than wrap the canvas, just as the paper hanging from the tree. 

And for the one below, I just wanted to create something complimentary.  So I chose a simple design inspired by the building in the painting.  My welding skills are lacking, to say the least, so my husband welded the pieces on the back, making a frame that the painting rests in.



Save the Date

I received word that BOTH of my entries were accepted into the 2012 Small Works Show! I am so excited about the opportunity to exhibit.
The exhibition starts October 1, 2012 and ends Oct. 31, 2012.  You can stop by any time during business hours to see my works, as well as 48 other accepted pieces.

The Artists Guild Gallery is located at
200 N Main St. Suite 104
Greenville, SC 29601

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10-6 pm
First Fridays 'til 9 pm
Sunday 1-5 pm

Opening reception and awards ceremony will be held on October 5th, from 6-9. I would be honored to see some familiar faces on opening night!

To The Moon

 

 

 

Resting Place

 

 

Small Works Juried Exhibition by Artist Guild Gallery of Greenville

I am dropping off my submissions for the Small Works Juried Exhibition, presented by Artist Guild Gallery of Greenville today.  These are my two choices.  I am working of custom frames for these as well...stay tuned.  I'm excited about the idea, just don't know how I'm going to pull it off.  Either way, I'm up for the challenge. 

"To the Moon" (left), "Resting Place" (right)

Resting Place

The Guardian

"The Guardian", because she still is...

The Gathering

March 10, 2012 was the first time I realized how lonely I could feel when surrounded in a building full of people who were intently listening to what I had to say.  Love was being poured onto me from a large grieving crowd and I still had never felt so alone in my life.  This painting is inspired by that feeling. 



Peace Out

If anyone will be in Greenville before July 20th, and has a few minutes to spare, please try to check out my latest painting at the MAC Gallery. This is the painting with which I won 4th place in one of Greenville's largest art competitions. Later this year, it will be reproduced onto a large format recycling bin on Main St for a whole year!
I'm so proud of this past year's collection because it is inspired by Mom, and is the only collection from which I have sold more than 5 originals and has gained local recognition.
I don't tell you this to brag, but to explain the significance of how art and emotion can heal. And I don't normally tell anyone about the specific meaning behind my paintings or the story that each one represents. But this particular one is special because of "hope". I struggled between knowing what was going on in reality and what I hoped would be the outcome, during the past year. My bird often represented a sense of hope that ultimately ended with my worst nightmare becoming reality. But throughout it all, I have learned that peace can be a result of what my hope eventually became. And so I am trying to find and experience a peace that seems impossible to obtain. I titled my this painting "Peace Out" because I need a calming peace to be released, developed, and present in my heavy heart.
Thank you everyone, for your loving encouragement throughout this past year. I love you guys so much!

Invite to FOUP Exhibit

On Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23rd, the Metropolitan Arts Council, in collaboration with Vantage Travel and the City of Greenville, hosted Flat Out Under Pressure, the 24 hour art-making event whose winners will have their work reproduced on the outdoor galler of recycling bins in downtown Greenville for a year.

The artists arrived at MAC on Friday morning to have their blank media stamped with a special FOUP stamp and returned Saturday morning with the blank surfaces completed as works of art.  MAC staff and volunteers mounted an exhibit of 53 works of art and a juror, freelance curator Wendy Outland from Asheville, juried the work and selected the 8 artists who will become the 2012-2013 recycling bin artists. 

Below are the artists who participated in the FOUP and whose work is now hanging in the MAC Gallery through July 20, 2012.

Stop by to see the exhibit and marvel at how such amazing works of art could have been made in only 24 hours.  The winning artists are indicated in the list.

Kent Ambler - 5th place              Melissa Anderson

Samantha Bell                                 Eric Benjamin

Joseph Bradley                               Mary Brown

Terry Butler                                    Kyle Buttram

Marquin Campbell                          Katy Cassell - 6th place

Faith Chase                                    Diane Kilgore Condon - 1st place

Bridgett Crocker - 4th place       Carla Dabney

Anna Dean - 3rd place                 Dalia Karina Delanuez

Erika DeRoberts                             Rachel Duncan

Greg Flint - 8th place                   Paul Flint - 7th place

Lynn Greer                                    Georgia Harrison

Kim Hassold                                  Elizabeth Henderson

Melinda Hoffman                           Marlon Hunt

Skip Johnston                                Patricia Kilburg

Kay Larch - 2nd place                Justice Littlejohn

Caroline Lott                                 Garland Mattox

Gretta McCall                               Terri McCord

Susannah Mele                              Tammy Miller

Jo Carol Mitchell-Rogers               Mark Mulfinger

Laura Nance                                 Jacki Newell

Melissa Nichols                             JJ Ohlinger

Adam Schrimmer                          Julie Hughes Shabkie

Susan Sorrell                                 Jacquie St. Denis

Jo Ann Taylor                               Michelle Thomas

Susanne Vernon                            Suzanne Vitti

Katie Walker                                Lu Wixon

Leigh Wood

Flat Out Under Pressure: A 24 Hour Art Making Competition

This painting is entitled "Peace Out". I had only one day to create a painting that could be part of an outdoor gallery in Downtown Greenville.  There are 56 artists competing for the opportunity to have their work displayed throughout the city. Only 8 winners will be selected. Tonight from 7-9, all of the artist's works will be displayed and the winners will be announced at the MAC Gallery downtown. You're all invited to come check it out! Wish me luck...

Gone

...enough said...

Create the Cure Charity Event

I have been honored with an invite to participate in this year's Create the Cure Charity Event.  Although Pancreatic Cancer/Disease has not personally effected my life, cancer has.  Pancreatic cancer (along with colon, liver, kidney and gastrointestinal cancers) are a leading factor in the developement of Peritoneal Cancer, which ultimately took my Mother's life this year. 

I am so excited to support research developement that may one day allow more time with a loved one.  This event will help!  Browse through an atmosphere of art, music, dinner and beautiful gardens while showing your support for a great cause. 

If you need any further information, feel free to contact me or use any of the information provided on the flyer.  I hope to see you there!

Broken

The Enlivenment

To bring a beat to a lifeless love... If only it was this simple. 

The Process

It starts with a little inspiration.  In this case, I painted a holiday themed painting for a friend on a 12 x 12 sized canvas.  During a conversation with her, the word "tile" popped in my head and so the inspiration for a new painting began...

I want to show the different phases my painting go through.  Sometimes I have an idea, and by the time the painting is complete, it is very different from the original plan.  The creative process of artists I admire, has sometimes been more interesting to me than the subject or the artwork itself. 

I don't know where this will end, but let's see what happens...

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4



Phase 5



Phase 6

Phase 7-8

I'm still not sure where I am going

with this painting.  But I have an idea that I might be able to pull off.

Phase 9-10

I use this technique A LOT.  All of my paintings have backgrounds that include some form of this trick.  I use plastic bags, feathers, towels, old t-shirts, and have even used pine cones.  There are so many things around the house that can be used to create a unique texture. 

Phase 11

I wanted to paint a round window with a view of a tree in front of water.  I wanted to make it as simple as possible, abstract, and have the sky reflecting in the water (I will definitely experiment more with this idea in another painting).  I think I achieved my goal?  But sometimes plans change.  I dropped my paint brush at the top of the window.  And as my favorite tree hugging hippy, Bob Ross, used to say, "We don't make mistakes, just happy accidents". 

Phase 12

...So I made a framed painting on the wall.

Phase 13

I added shadows to tie the ceiling and floor to the walls.  I could have gone so many different ways with this painting after that point.  Often that's the problem I run into.  Once I get to a point, I sometimes find it difficult to decide which emotion to release onto the canvas.  I left the painting alone for a while. 

Final Phase

My "little guy" is often led by his birds, which are usually representative of an emotion I felt at a particular time.  When I walked by it a couple of hours later, the thought of "wandering" came to mind.  The room he stumbled upon, gives me the impression of an old house without much left inside.  I like the idea of finding something beautiful and unexpected in an unlikely place.  And so he did... 



"Wanderland"

Hope Carries Heart

...and my hope wrap your days.