Art Parties

Once a month or so my friends and I meet up in my studio for art parties. Most of us are writers and when we do art, it opens up our writing. "Opens" means we are able to move into our writing in a new creative way. So we had a lovely evening recently, eating first: chili and corn bread, a nice red wine and apple crisp for dessert. We then started in on masks that we made with bark and wood from the beach, feathers, paint, shells, moss, seaweed, etc. It was a fun project and once done, we decided to hang as a traveling show, rotating the masks between our different offices. Right now they are hanging in my studio at 1000 Harris, Fairhaven, WA.

Art parties can be made to fit your need. We can celebrate a birthday or a wedding. We can make collages for a milestone, such as a graduation or a new job. We can have food or not. We can drink a celebratory toast to your accomplishment once the project is finished. It's great fun and it's also anchoring for the participants passage into a new phase of life.

If you'd like to invent a passage art project, just let me know in the comment box and I'll connect with you to organize it. Together we will plan your party, food, project, etc. Generally parties cost around 30/person. My space will hold about 6 to 8 people.

Enjoy the masks and contact me for your special event. I'll look forward to meeting and working with you.

Studio #21: North Wall

The Morgan Block Building in Historic Fairhaven and is owned by the People's Land Trust.  We, the selected artist's run the building, have monthly meetings were we make decisions about repairs, work hours, mutual art openings, etc.  And we spend many hours working on our given artistic expression.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we'll have an open studio complete with hot cider and cookies.  You can see my studio then and enjoy the art of my fellow painters, jewelers and potters.

This is the north wall of my studio.  As you can see I have a couple of windows that open into a window well that used to be open to the roof, so lots of air circulation.  We had leaking problems into Artwood below, so we had a skylight installed over the top.  We still have some cross ventilation if the other studios also have their windows open, but very little otherwise.  Still, it adds extra light and beauty.

I love this old building, lots of wonderful woodwork, wainscoting, pressed brass hinges and ornate knobs.  Come see me at 1000 Harris, #21 on Dec. 3rd. 10-3:30

Peace,
Nancy 

Studio #21: South & West Walls

I feel most myself in my studio.  When I walk up two flights of stairs to the third floor, unlock my door and step inside, I let down.  I live across the street in a small condo, and while at home, which is also a place where I live with my art, I feel this ongoing pressure to clean up, or cook, or do wash, check emails, watch TV, etc..  In the studio, I sweep once in awhile, I take out the trash, or I go through my paints and discard the tubes that have dried up--but mostly, I create.

The pictures are of the South and West Wall of my studio. Yes, light comes in from the south.  South light for a painter is difficult, as it changes quickly, moving around the room and the spot of light you see, could fall on my canvas, which doesn't work.

North light is the ideal.   Plus, with bright light the eye, which is like a camera light meter, closes its aperture.  Then the lights and darks of the painting get skewed--because I can't see the values as well.  There are corrections that I can make in lighting.  One is, hang rice-paper shades on the windows.  I'll be hunting some down soon--I heard they have them a Home Depot.

The painting on the easel, Reflection at Padden Creek,  is from a new series: Reflections through the Seasons.  The one on the shelf, Skunk Cabbage, is also in the series. I've taken a number of photos on my Mt. Baker hikes to use as research for this series.  I'm excited and challenged by the task of capturing light on the surface of water, what is beneath the surface, and the object being reflected.  Very much fun and just like life, don't you think?