Lovely Trip!

Amazing! My first trip to the Getty Museum -

 simply beautiful grounds and buildings.

We spend the afternoon and barely touched the 

surface of what's on offer.

I'm already looking forward to going back sometime 

and perusing the illuminated manuscript section.

Burial at Sea

But this time was for J M W Turner and
what marvelous works they were.

  I had seen one or two of his pieces at various museums, 

but to see so much of it, covering all periods of his life's work

was truly a delight.

 Long Ship's Lighthouse, Land's End

These were two of my favourites, the way he captured

 water and wind, smoke - such ephemeral moments

 caught forever by his brushwork.

And we started the day with a lovely

 visit with artist Marylinn Kelly.

When Margot, Marylinn and I get together,

 the chat never stops - 

art, mysteries, wearable art, 

the glory days of newspaper reporting,

 what we're currently working on, 

and the exact location

 of Phillip Marlowe's office.  

A truly magical day filled with joy and wonder!

5x5 Exhibit Opens

Art Heals Years of Pain 5x5" Erin Perry

The 5x5 exhibit opened last Friday in Putnam, Connecticut and is also open now on Seth Apter's blog at this link.  The link shows all the artwork, which was created by artists that contributed to Seth's first book The Pulse of Mixed Media.  So the pieces will be available not only at the gallery, but through the on-line link as well.  Take a look, some amazing and wonderful art in a small format.

five by five

When Seth Apter's first book came out, he invited all the contributors to make a 5x5" piece of artwork based on one of the questions we had answered in the interview section of the book. I made mine and sent it in.  Now many of those pieces will be in an exhibition at The Empty Spaces Project in Putnam Connecticut during the month of December. So I'll be in my first show on the east coast!

Art Show @ The Cambria Library

Now that I'm retired the Cambria Library has asked me to have an art show during the month of June. They feature a local artist every month and 20% of the proceeds from sales go to the Friends of the Cambria Library.

My daughter Jenny (who took all the pictures)
 and BFF Destiny helped me set-up

 and both had marvelous ideas for showcasing the art.

There are assemblages, 

collage pieces,

small painted panels, tags,

journals of all sizes,

and red rosin collage paintings.

Library hours are Tues-Fri 10-5 and Sat 11-4.

 Cambria Library 1043 Main St.

 If you're in the area, drop by and check it out!

London 1896

 London 1896  15.5x20"

Here's the finished piece I was working on last weekend.

 As you can see I made a few changes, did some adding and subtracting.

 I'll be submitting it tomorrow for a juried show 

at the Allied Arts Gallery in Cambria.

Now this may be a bold move,
as most of their entries will be fairly traditional -

 seascapes, landscapes and still lives.

Are they likely to pick a mixed media steampunk piece?

I'll keep you posted!

Baker's in Beacon

The Baker's Daughter - 24x36"

 For the third year in a row I've been accepted by the jurors of the Beacon Art Show.  This month long exhibition is sponsored by the United Methodist Church of San Luis Obispo and features work by artists in the county.

 My piece is The Baker's Daughter, a mixed media collage 

done on red rosin paper and mounted on canvas.

The exhibit opens on Friday March 1 6:00-9:00 pm as part of Arts Obispo's Art After Dark and runs through the end of the month Thursdays -Sunday 11:00-4:00.

Cambria's Art & Wine Festival

This past weekend was the annual Art & Wine Festival - a three day extravaganza that involves merchants, wineries, artists and most of the town.

Wing  12x12"

One always popular  feature is a silent art auction. 

I had two pieces entered this year.

Egg  8x10"

 Since the event draws from all over the state and beyond,

 it's a great chance to have a new audience see one's art.

Beacon Art Show 5

Age Old Music 24x36

For the second year in a row I've been accepted into the juried Beacon Art Show, sponsored by the Methodist Church in San Luis Obispo. I was quite pleased to have sold my piece last year and hoping for another sale this year as well.



This piece done on red rosin paper and then mounted on canvas features different sized xeroxed copies of Caravaggio's The Lute Player. I used water soluble oil pastels on the faces in several colour combinations and both vertically and horizontally. The blue, white and red palette is one I use often, but the addition of yellow was something different and really "pops".

The show runs through the first week in April
and is being held in the church hall.

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men 18x36"

Spent the weekend putting the finishing touches on 12 Angry Men which will be entered in a juried show sponsored by Cambria's Allied Arts.



I had one of those "Ah-ha!" moments when I started thinking about what to do for this show. My mind went from 'juried" to "courtroom" to "12 Angry Men" to Da Vinci - well, you get the idea. And so did I!


I gessoed the canvas and added texture with cheesecloth and garnet gel. I chose a palette of titanium buff, red iron oxide and a mix of black and phthalocyanine blue. The acrylics were painted, splashed and spattered on. Xerox copies of Da Vinci's "Screaming Man" in different sizes were coloured in with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels and adhered with matte medium.




The large central face was backed with fun foam to give dimension. Sequin scrim was used as stencils for cream dots in two sizes. A vintage legal document was xeroxed, torn in strips and also adhered with the matte medium.

What could be more perfect for a juried show
than 12 Angry Men?

Basin Street Blues

Basin Street Blues 20x25"

Cambria's Allied Arts first exhibition for the new year is titled January Blues. My entry is Basin Street Blues. I started with an old desk drawer that I picked up off the roadside in Pescadero several years ago. Like so much of our stash - just waiting for the right time.



I covered it in gesso, tinted with Naples Yellow. I found vintage images of New Orleans jazz bands and sheet music online, gave them a digital blue wash and printed out on parchment paper. I collaged these and bits of vintage sheet music to the inside of the drawer then sealed with gel medium. I then used Claudine Hellmuth's peeling paint technique - spreading Vaseline here and there, then over painting with blue and rubbing off the Vaseline to show the light paint and collage underneath.



The final step, drilling holes and wiring on an old trumpet (with a Staz-On blue mouthpiece) and pieces of clarinet. Both of these were found at the local swap meet - and were quite cheap as they were beat up and non-playable (but perfect for art!) The exhibit opens tomorrow night and runs through January.

It's Time for Mahjong!

Mahjong Time 8x8"

A holiday show is coming up at Cambria Allied Arts in December. They've asked us to do 8x8" pieces, so they can load up the gallery walls. The one above features vintage Baklite tiles, various sized Asian coins and vintage ivory Mahjong counters. These are wired on and/or adhered with heavy gel medium. The surface of the canvas is covered with fabric that was run through the printer and sports a collage of Mahjong cards.

Mahjong Melange 8x8"

The other two are 6x6" pieces that I have converted to 8x8". Concerto now rests on an 8x8" canvas that has been collaged with sheet music, and Mahjong Melange sits atop printed fabric that shows Mahjong tiles.

Concerto for Viola & Bassoon 8x8"

I used tacks, screw fasteners, and heavy gel medium to attach the smaller canvases to the new 8x8" surfaces. These will all be available at Cambria Center for the Arts Gallery starting Dec. 1.

46 Curzon St.

46 Curzon St. 6x6"

This diminutive treasure, a melange of Victoriana, steampunk and a hint of shabby chic, began with an engraving of a Victorian house and lamp post, xeroxed on parchment paper and adhered to the 6x6" canvas with matte medium. The sides of the canvas were coated in dark brown acrylic which was also used to stencil over the picture, using a wonderful Mary Beth Shaw stencil.




Various embellishments, including old watch parts, Tim Holtz gears and number plaque, an oval miniature - distressed with Staz-On ink, brass leaves, and earring parts were attached using wire, tacks, nails and heavy gel medium. A strip of distressed copper and a piece of woven trim anchor the right hand side.



This is my entry for Arts Obispo's 6x6 show to kick off Open Studios 2011. The show will open later this month and have a grand reception on the first Friday of October.

Book and Author Fest Exhibit

It's almost time for the annual Book and Author Fest here in San Luis Obispo County. During the month of August several of the local libraries will be exhibiting altered books and original book illustrations.

The Pity of War

All this leading up to the weekend of the festival on Sept. 16-17, when all the work will be displayed at the San Luis Obispo Art Center and available for purchase.

Facebook 1837

I was lucky enough last year to sell one of my pieces at the festival and am hoping for another sale this time as well.

In Vogue

I will have three books entered -
The Pity of War, In Vogue and Facebook 1837.