"Self-Reliance"







Left side

Right side





(click images to enlarge)

Self-Reliance
12" x 24" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
Available for purchase directly through the artist (contact Kristin)

I was inspired by Colorado artist Kate Dardine's recent quest to revive half-finished, forgotten paintings that have been sitting around the studio.  This buffalo painting was, for the most part, finished - but I wasn't happy with the final result, and it has since been collecting dust.  I decided to use some leftover paint from recent pieces and try to work as loosely as possible (I save all of my extra mixed paint in tupperware containers...once I spray them with some water and close the lid, they can last for weeks).

I've also been reading an anthology of literature by the American Transcendentalists.  It has a lot of classic pieces that I could re-read time and time again, as well as some really fascinating journal entries, etc. that I've never read before.  The Transcendentalists' writings have been a foundation in my life since I first delved into them...Ralph Waldo Emerson, in particular, really speaks to my soul. 

I decided to choose a quote by Emerson (his work is in the public domain) to write on the sides of the canvas...the image of the lone bison really seemed to call out for something from "Self-Reliance".  The left side of the canvas features the following text, handwritten in a Sharpie pen (which was surprisingly difficult):

"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world." 

RALPH WALDO EMERSON: Self-Reliance

...and the right side features this text:



"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." - Self-Reliance

RALPH WALDO EMERSON


 When I feel like I need to loosen up between other paintings, I might continue this trend and try my hand at creating some similar Transcendentalist-themed paintings.

A Moment's Rest

A Moment's Rest
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36" x 1.5"
Available for purchase at Revolution Gallery, Issaquah, WA


I've been using a different method lately when I paint.  To build up the impasto layers, I would normally mix pigments into an acrylic matte gel.  I would then apply that wonderfully frosting-like paint to the canvas with palette knives, and, after letting the impasto layer of paint dry, I would add a bit of brushwork with thin glazes.  I've been using more and more brushwork on top of the impasto layers over the past several months, so I've been accordingly changing the process a bit.


For this painting, and for most of my other recent work, I've been starting off each piece by applying a thin layer of pigment to the canvas with a brush.  I then apply acrylic matte gel only (no pigment added); I move it around on the canvas with palette knives, and my intent in doing so has been to create more motion in the image.  Once the thick gel layer has dried, I apply thin washes of pigment.  These washes interact with the original background color, which has been softened and muted by the semi-transparent matte gel.  I don't go through pigment nearly as quickly as I used to, and playing with the matte gel in its non-colored state allows for a lot of creativity.


Joni Mitchell's "Night Ride Home" album has been my painting music of choice, lately.  I've been listening to it nonstop.


Nature, I would be thy child,
Sit and worship at thy feet;
Read the truth upon thy face,
Wait upon thine accent sweet:
I would put my hand in thine,
Bow my head upon thy knee,
Live upon thy love alone,
Fearless, trusting all to thee.
-Mary Morgan, "To Nature"

Seattle show

I'm excited to be starting my month-long show at the Burk Gallery in Seattle, WA.  We helped to hang the paintings last night, and the arrangement looks great.  It's a mix of older and newer work, and the pieces flow really well together. 

The official opening reception is on Thursday, November 11, and there will be an additional closing reception on Saturday, December 4.  If you're in the area, I hope you can stop in & say hello and enjoy some art and refreshments! 

Burk Gallery
340 15th Avenue East, Suite #350
Seattle, WA 98112
206.708.5880
[www]

Opening Reception:
Thursday, November 11, 5 - 8 PM
(part of Capitol Hill's Second Thursday Blitz Art Walk)

Closing Reception:
Saturday, December 4, noon - 6 PM
(Holiday Show)

_________________________________

In other news, I will hopefully be posting a photo later today of a new painting, so stay tuned.

My portfolio encountered an unfortunate loss recently: Crossing the Yellowstone is no more.  It was damaged by the shipping company while it was en route to Freshwater Studio & Gallery.  Apparently, the poor painting was impaled by something while in transit. :(



Rest In Peace, my dear buffalo!



Falling Snow

Falling Snow

acrylic on canvas

24" x 24" x 1.5"

Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT

I've been in a wintry mood lately - that is to say, I've been aching for peaceful, snowy days that make the world a lot quieter and hot chocolate all the more delicious.

Since it's mostly just a rainy mess out here, I found a lot of my atmospheric inspiration from reading a poem by Joanna Klink called "Porch In Snow." It helped to put me in the right mindset for this painting. Originally featured in Klink's amazing book of poetry called Circadian, I first came upon "Porch In Snow" in an absolutely outstanding anthology called Montana Women Writers: A Geography of the Heart (seriously...this is an amazing book. I highly recommend it). Klink is a professor of graduate creative writing at the University of Montana-Missoula.

I just want to share a few lines here to give you an idea of how lovely it is...but you should read the full version via Google Books' preview of Montana Women Writers here. I hate to excerpt from poetry, since the poetry gets so mangled as a result...it's especially hard to share a brief excerpt of Klink's poetry, since every line is so darn good.

"There you are, snow filling the air,

in the midst of silence [...]

Winter, there is no prayer but this,

to hold fast in the time of few choices.

An animal moves through the backyards, its eyes

precise and lit, the premise of everything I believe"

-Joanna Klink, excerpted from "Porch In Snow", from Circadian (Penguin: 2007)

Isn't that just stunning? I hope you'll check out Klink's work and find as much inspiration in her poetry as I have.

Crossing the Yellowstone - RIP

Click to view larger image

Crossing the Yellowstone
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36" x 1.5"
RIP - This painting was destroyed by its shipping carrier, UPS, en route to a gallery.


I tried loosening up a bit more for this painting...I wanted to focus on the colors and give a more surreal impression to the landscape.

FYI, Proctor Art Gallery (Tacoma, WA) will be having a lot of events throughout the month of October...it's "Arts Crush" month in Tacoma.


Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty—the unhidden heart—
The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter
-Edgar Allen Poe, from "To the River"

Morning Stroll - SOLD

Morning Stroll
acrylic on canvas
12" x 12" x 1.5"
sold

In preparation for an upcoming show at Jubilee Biodynamic Farm in Carnation, WA, I've been trying my hand at painting farm animals. I thought I'd start with this little family of chickens.

I have a soft spot in my heart for chickens. We keep 4 hens in our backyard, and besides the delicious fresh eggs they provide, they also make surprisingly great pets. We've handled them since they were chicks, so they're incredibly tame and like to follow us around the yard when we let them out of their enclosure. David & I have even recently started a blog about our chickens, since we've been getting a surprising number of emails with questions about raising an urban flock.

Anyway, more farm animals - as well as a lot of new bison paintings - will be up shortly.

Yellow-Headed Blackbird - SOLD

Yellow-Headed Blackbird
acrylic on canvas
12" x 6" x 1.5"
sold

I decided to try something different and paint a small bird rather than the usual four-legged creatures that I focus on.

The beautiful yellow-headed blackbird makes a surprisingly piercing squawk.