The Art Blog

Crafting Your Artist Statement Tips for writing the perfect artist statement so that your statement is as compelling as your artwork! This is a recap of pointers shared on Live @ Five , catch me live on Instagram every Friday at 5pm PST.   Think of your artist statement as an introduction to you as an artist and your current body of work. Don’t tell people what to think, share what the work means to you, not what you want it to mean to somebody else Introduction vs instruction   Write to someone who doesn’t know you or your work Keep it simple and use accessible language that is not too technical and will not exclude anyone regardless of their exposure to the arts  With your artist statement you are adding another layer to your art, so tell the story behind your work  It is an opportunity to explain things which aren’t evident through just seeing, such as your process, materials, inspirations, etc.  Explain your visual language through w...

As we all gear up for the upcoming Open Studios event here at INSCAPE I thought I would take time out to introduce you to some of the other artists that occupy the spaces here. The image above was created by encaustic painter, Patti Bowman , who will have her door open on the 4th floor.   Patti Bowman in her Inscape studio With a style that I would call “earthy urbanism”, Bowman demonstrates an amazing level of control over the typically unruly medium of encaustic.  Her paintings were recently on display at the Tashiro Kaplan building in Seattle.     Patti Bowman - Studio work Patti Bowman - an array of small works in progress.  Check out her website for more images and information: psbowman.com and come see her lovely works in person on Sat Nov. 12th. Building open from 11am to 7pm. Stay tuned for some additional highlights featuring the work of other INSCAPE artists. I nscape Arts 815 Seattle Boulevard Seattle, WA 98134

Emerald explorations are emerging... as a juicy pallet of greens (with infusions of blue and amber ) keeps flowing on my worktable this week. Here are a few detail images of what’s taking shape in the studio...     detail...working with a few new techniques for this effect In this photo you can get a sense for the visual flow that's happening. Had to show you the close-up details on this one because the size, about  24" x 80 ", makes it a challenge to capture the richness of the surface.  Another little wax paper experiment...back lit with day light.  Several more works-in-progress are heating up now and this larger emerald piece should be done soon. I will share more images when these are ready.

Black Coral - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Today’s gem series painting is titled Black Coral. Only nine days and nine gems until the show opens next week. Tomorrow’s gem: Sapphire

Altered Slumber - encaustic w/mixed media 2008 I have been wrapping up a lot of loose ends in the studio this week. I just finished this pod-like cocoon for a show and wanted to share it. I am going to the opening of my friend Marita Dingus tomorrow at Francine Seders Gallery . I'll try to snap some images to share in my next post. Her work is always interesting and very unique.

We all need a little push now and then so I put together this list of tips that have helped me stay motivated and perhaps they can help someone else too... 1. Show Up : This is the single most effective thing you can do to improve your productivity in the studio. Get in there. Even if you are just making phone calls, sorting out your brushes or organizing your supplies. Simply spending time in your studio will get you into the habit of creating. Daily time spent in your studio will improve your productivity. 2. Set Goals : Set goals for yourself and break them down into smaller categories: Long Range, Short Term and Immediate. Example: I am going to paint 5 pieces this month, 2 paintings this week and prep 1 panel this afternoon. 3. Dress the Part : Put on your favorite work clothes for motivation. I have a great pair of funky old shoes (see photo) a beautiful scarf and a paint-encrusted smock that make me feel super creative the moment I slip them on. Discover your power...

The Baron Masquerades - encaustic, oil on wood Detail of the Baron This shows the funky shape of the panel This is my submission for IF: Pretend. The painting is called The Baron Masquerades but you could also say the Baron is pretending . My thanks to those who browsed by last week and commented on my first IF submission. Your comments are so appreciated. This week I experienced first hand the power IF has to motivate and inspire. Especially for the self employed artist type like me. So…I want say "Thank You" to Penelope Dullaghan , the founder of Illustration Friday , for creating such a great online resource and community for us creative folk.

It has been raining steadily all day today so I have been keeping myself busy in the studio. I am posting a few more images of recent work and pieces that I am working on today. Not sure where I am going with some of these paintings but that’s half the fun. I will post images of the finished work if I am happy with the results.

Now with the elections over we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief and get down to the business of creating real change. I am back in the studio working on some new horizons of my own. At left is one of the paintings that resulted from my high contrast experiments that I mentioned last month. I was initially working with black and white and the piece evolved into this watery cascade of wax with some subtle blues and greens. Contrast is still at play here but not how I thought it would be when I began this piece.The painting is 48” x 12” so it is really tall and narrow which lends to the cascade effect. It will be on display this month at the Pacini Lubel gallery along with several other new paintings. I will post more images of new work soon.