"A Day at the Sea"

4" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

My VERY favorite vacation spot in the world is the Red Sea- specifically, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  Every time I'm there, my time is split between enjoying the gorgeous water, and clicking away on my camera.
This is a view of the beach we would spend hours and hours at.

For Christmas, the group of artists that I paint with- the Foothill Artists League, and I get together for a holiday lunch.  We always have a  gift exchange, and this year we decided to exchange mini paintings.  I had so much fun painting on this tiny 4x6 canvas board.  I think I'm going to do a series of minis.

On another note, a very lovely and fab 'friend' of mine told me I needed to work on the look of my blog. I made some changes- Hopefully it looks a little hipper :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"Autumn at the Blue Mosque"

"Autumn at the Blue Mosque"

14"x11"

$195- Framed

I love painting mosques.  I've said before, Islam is such a misunderstood religion.  There are so many 'Muslims' out there, committing such heinous and violent crimes in the name of Islam, it really saddens me.  When I paint a mosque, I feel I'm doing the little bit I can to show the beauty of Islam as opposed to the violence seen in the media.

The Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey is one of my very favorite subjects.  The architecture, the colors, and the landscaping around it just make the perfect paintings.  The vacations I had in Istanbul were some of my favorites.  It is an amazingly beautiful city- hills, the Bosphorus Strait, bridges and mosques.  The people are fun and lively, the culture is awesome.  

"Drinks at Joselitos"

"Drinks at Joselitos"- Montrose, CA

So, after all the excitement, energy and passion I had for painting- I, unfortunately, have not had much time to do it.  I went back to working for the family business- home textiles, importing and selling, and that consumes any of the time I had before for painting.

I still paint on Tuesdays with the Foothill Artists League- my favorite time of the week.  Our leader, Margot Lennartz, encouraged us to participate in the La Crescenta Paint Out, which is this weekend.  We had to paint a scene from the city- and I couldn't resist Montrose.  There is so much charm in that area.  I am a sucker for street scenes, I guess because I love to frequent them.  Painting them becomes a get away.

I have had so little time at home to paint- between helping the boys with homework, cooking, and just needing some down time.   I actually brought my paints to the office with me today and snuck in the back for a bit and finished my painting there.  It's funny, if it is important enough, you can find the time to paint- and I will have to keep reminding myself of that.

Art Show Last Sunday

I want to thank all my friends who came out to support me at the Lanterman House on Sunday for my art show.  It was great seeing so many art lovers- the turn out was fantastic.  I loved that so many people who came weren't there to shop, but just to enjoy art... and I think that is fantastic.  Of course, I loved the shoppers being there, too :)

It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect.  The live music was festive, and the mood was happy.  AND, I sold 3 paintings and 4 prints.
So now its time to get back to that easel, think about the paintings that sold, and get producing.

The Foothill Artists League

I know... you really want to hear about day 3 and 4 of the art workshop, but I thought  I should write about the Foothill Artists League.

The Foothill Artists League are a group of painters that meet weekly and paint together, critique each other's work, and support each other, both artisitcally and personally.  Our group is lead by my ultimate mentor, Margot Lennartz.  Margot challenges us to paint subjects out of our usual comfort zone, use limited palettes, and different techniques.  I am usually drawn to paint flowers and architectural subjects, but with Margot I found myself painting mountains.  I feel so blessed to paint with this group of amazing women.

We will be hosting our annual art show and sale on Sunday, Oct 3 from 1-5 at the Lanterman House in La Canada.  If you are in the LA area, I would love it if you could swing by and say 'Hi'.

The above painting is of the Pacific NW, painted with oils on 11x14 canvas board.

Day 2- I can't believe how fun blogging is

I know you've been waiting on pins and needles to hear about Day 2 of my art workshop, well your wait is finally over...
Day 2 of the workshop I attended with artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry was incredible.  When we walked into the 'studio' we found photos of boats taped to our easels.  The idea of painting all that detail was intimidating, actually scary.  Leslie took us through the steps with a demo- she has an amazing use of color, and then sent us to our easels to paint.  We learned so much, and came out with INCREDIBLE pieces- see my painting above.
I was not able to attend the 'gourmet dinner' Leslie prepared on Thursday, but new I had to go on Friday.  I had some guilt, my husband was sick and in charge of the kids, and I basically just said "hope you feel better', changed my clothes, and left for dinner.
The dinner was beyond words.  Leslie is an amazing hostess.  The setting was beautiful, the company of the other artists inspiring, the food mouthwatering delicious- the BEST seared Ahi I have ever had.  I felt so blessed to be there.
Stay tuned for Day 3...
PS- I also wanted to thank my friends and new friends for posting comments on my blog- this is fun!!!

First Day of Blogging

I just completed an amazing painting workshop led by 2 absolutely incredible artists, Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry.  It was 3 full days of painting, and today was the marketing class on how to market your artwork.  I committed to myself, and the group, that I would begin this blog, not worry about making mistakes, but take that leap to start blogging.  I will count on at least my husband, mother, sisters and kids to at least read it, and maybe post some comments.  

The first day of our workshop was led by Dreama, a woman I just met and now absolutely love.  I feel so blessed to have met her and to learn from her.  The daisy painting above was a paint-along we did with her.  She taught us about using transparent colors, building a painting, and using ‘juicy colors’ (my favorite part).  

Stay Tuned for Day 2- palette knife painting...