When an Artist goes to the Stock Show

Its Stock Show time in Colorado!! This is usually a time when we have the coldest weather of the year. This year the cold weather preceded the Stock Show. What has remained the same is the Stock Show parade which begins this commingling of city folk and country folk as they ooh and aah over all the livestock which enters Denver.

Rhythm and Pattern

Among all the jubilation for the old and the new West you get to see, parades, rodeos which include a Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza, a chute-out Bull riding event, dressage events, Draft horse and mule events as well as the creme de la creme the elite jumping horse event. Now that just takes care of the horses (but not really because I didn't name about 50 other equine related events) this show is definitely about the beef as well as the pork, lamb, goats and chickens.

Tone and Volume

Shape

Texture and repeated pattern

Edges

Movement

Line

Grace

Walking and Loving Nature, part 2

" Always continue walking a lot and loving nature,

for that's the real way to learn to understand

better and better."

Vincent Van Gogh

Thinking about Van Gogh's words and bowled over by the 60 degree surprise of a day my dog and I went for a walk.

Colorado winter colors tend to be the color of my dog, Aspen.

Snow is still melting so the blonde, yellow is punctuated by white. I keep slowly surveying the path as we walk near a creek. I have sighted wild critters out here,prairie dogs, geese and-

Looking

Admiring

Observing Nature

Two coyotes amble across the creek turning their heads to watch us as we watch them in their

Blonde Beauty.

The coyote photos are stock photos.

Someday I hope to catch the coyotes

on my camera.

Walking and loving Nature,part 1

I've been reading a lot of blogs, as maybe you have, recently. I have marveled  at the various ways people tackle planning ahead and thinking of what has been the best of the past. I especially enjoyed looking at all of the blogs the artist, Casey Klahn  designated as the "top ten art Blog Posts", you can read about this at http://www.thecolorist.blogspot.com. Through him I was made aware of the awesomely organized Katherine Tyrell and her Making a  Mark  awards at http://www.makingamark.blogspot.com. Then up popped, a message from the past, Vincent Van Gogh's blog. Vincent listed all the artists' who at that time he admired. What I loved was seeing the names of not only the well known to us in our time, such as Corot, Bodmer, Tissot and Millais but the many names of artists new to me. It makes me want to see the art they made.
 So I thought to pay homage to the artists whose work I love to look at and admire. Wayne Thiebaud for his beautiful composition and color also Richard Diebenkorn fits in  that category for me. Pierre Bonnard is the ultimate colorist, I love the way he makes one think of moments in time. Finally David Hockney a wonderful draftsman, composer and inventor. He just continues to invent and invent, to explore new technology and to ask questions. My New Years resolution would be to continue to develop the curiosity and vibrance each of the above artists display in their work and work ethic.

Beginning again

The Christma tree comes down tomorrow and the last guest has flown home. Now it is time to begin again. I had a great time ending the year and anticipating the Holidays with my family.  I also was able to have a few of my family friends help me share my first opening in a gallery for this new decade. A friend of mine belongs to a cooperative gallery, EDGE Gallery, which has the tradition of asking each member to ask a fellow artist to exhibit a work of art with them and to share a common theme. The exhibits name is" Pairings" and (Dania, who was kind enough to invite me to exhibit with her),  and I decided to use the shape of cups  in our indivdual work.

It was a great way to begin the year as the opening was Friday, January 1, 2010. Even though it was a cold night we had a large turn out.Dania's piece continues her exploration of drawing media. It is a graphite bas relief. I used pastel.You can find the work of Dania Pettus and other Edge Gallery members and the works of thier invited guests on exhibit  through January 25th. It is a fine way to start the year.

Wreathes

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration

is being Wreathed

in SMILES

Author unknown

Traditonal Lines

I've been thinking a lot about how we love to bring into our home this time of year something young and green, something growing. I put wreaths inside and outside my home and I make swags for garden gates. I especially love growing Paper White Narcissus and red or white Amarylis. Except this year my Amarylis are being shy and holding back. Oh well that means the New Year will get its flower. One of my favorite scents of Christmas is the pungent smell of Paper White Narcissus. I usually start them sometime before Thanksgiving or the week following. I have a little bulb nesting area at a south facing window. When the stems sprout I remove them from the nest and place them around the house. All is magic until I awake one morning to this sight.

My solutions vary. Sometimes I prop them up or lean them on nearby furniture. I have read and tried a variety of methods to solve this problem. I have thought of them as Dynamic Diagonal Lines and tried just to accept them. This year I decided to make bouquets of them and move my new crop of Paperwhites into spaces recently vacated.

"The observation of nature is part of an artist's life. It enlarges his form knowledge, keeps him fresh, and feeds inspiration" Henry Moore

.

Traditions

I am grateful to friends who remember to get reservations at The Brown Palace so that I can continue to celebrate this season in a time honored fashion. It is best to get them (the reservations) the January before the Holiday season as the tea times become quickly filled. I have lovely memories of times when I did remember to get reservations and hosted my Mother, my Belle Mere and my two daughters when they were much younger. I also have celebrated important birthdays with friends under this stained glass, listening to harp music being performed live. No piped in sounds here.

The Brown Palace opened in 1892 it was built by Henry Cordes Brown who felt Denver needed a grand hotel. This hotel was considered the second most fire proof building in the USA. Where is the first? I don't know. I do know The Brown is built of Colorado red granite and Arizona red sandstone, there are no wood floors and no wooden beams. It is an elegant Italian Renaissance style building and looks especially grand in its Holiday sparkle and glitz. It is a tradition which is worth planning and sharing.