Show Time! Featured Artist Display in Redlands, California

As I type this in Spokane, WA my featured artist display of paintings and photographs is going up at the Redlands Art Association Gallery in Redlands, CA.

I still consider Redlands as "home," even though I moved up to Washington state in 2003. I lived in Birch Bay until 2011, when I moved to Spokane where I've been now for almost three years. Oh my! Has it really been that long, and my sister Mel Slater still puts up with me? Bless her and her roof over our heads!

The Featured Artist Show: I've been a member of the Redlands Art Association for over 30 years, and volunteered while I lived there in a number of capacities such as gallery manager, put together the newsletter, librarian, board of directors, workshop instructor, et cetera. A lot of time and effort was poured into that community art organization, just ask my sons!

With that background, I was tickled pink to be able to provide artwork for this featured artist display back in my hometown. Since I cannot be there, one of my other sisters, Sandy Davies, accepted the responsibility to mount the work for me.

The logistics have been a little different. The cost of shipping framed artwork to another part of the country would have been beyond my fixed income budget. Ever one to adapt, all of my paintings in this show are under 11" x 14" as are also the matted photographs. Nothing is framed. I kept to this size restriction so I could pack EVERYTHING in Medium Flat Rate USPS boxes. I'm told everything arrived in good order and Sandy is now using little metal clips to hang the artwork in a professional, albeit alternative, manner.

I'm thrilled that my friends and acquaintances who are interested can see what work I'm currently creating! I've already sold one of the paintings in the show and am thrilled about it!

I'm uploading photos of the paintings with this blog entry. Hope it all displays well for those of you who are interested and not able to make it to Redlands.

My show runs from April 19th to May 9th at Redlands Art Association Gallery at 215 E. State Street, Redlands CA. Their phone number is (909) 792-8435 where you can call about prices, and you can access their website www.redlandsartassociation.org  for hours and other information about the benefits and services they provide the community of Redlands and environs.

Birch 11 x 14 acrylic

Blossoms 11 x 14 acrylic

Amalie  9 x 12 acrylic

Blush of Morning 11 x 14 acrylic

Eucalyptus 9 x 12 acrylic

Daffodils in Blue 11 x 14 acrylic

Dusk Along Coast 11 x 14 acrylic

Mokume Gane 11 x 14 acrylic

Moonlit Geraniums 8 x 10 Acrylic/Colored Pencil

Night Wind 9 x 12 acrylic

Outside In 11 x 14 acrylic

Silhouette 8 x 10 acrylic/pencil

Stuck With a Way Out 9 x 12 acrylic/graphite
(This painting is already sold)

Instagram Postings ,,, Oh My! Another Obsession! Having Fun!

Well, I may be diving into the Instagram waters a little later than everyone else, but with over 240 of my iPhone photographs posted, I'm learning the currents and getting into the swim of it.

I invite you to follow my progress at http://instagram.com/kweststudio8

Here are a couple of the more recent iPhoneography postings:

Torn Poster on Back of a Van

Black and White of a Discarded Chainlink Fence

Having FUN! Let me know what you think and which are your favorites from my Instagram postings! I'd love to know.

Curtains ...

I was included in another Etsy Treasury. No, that's not quite correct. Linda Hawkins was drawn to one of my photographs. She put together a treasury entirely of curtains. It struck me that me, myself and I wasn't chosen, but Linda's perception of story held forth in my photograph of curtains at an open window.

How many seemingly common things serve delightfully as metaphor? Some are universal and others very, very personal. Imagination is awesome, thank goodness for this!

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTAyNTAwMjB8MjcyMjkzNDI0NA/its-curtains-for-you

It's Curtains For You
Linda Hawkins, Curator
www.dragonswire.etsy.com

Waiting At the Curtain

Linda creates intriguing masks. It makes sense that a maker of masks would have an affinity for  curtains, doesn't it? Talk about metaphor!

what? white, white, white!

A very recent photograph listing has been featured in an Etsy Treasury:

www.etsy.com/treasury/NjcwMzcyNnwyNjYzNzkwOTQ2/white-wash
Curator: Sarah Giannobile
Photo: White on Wood

It continues to amaze me that the all-time most frequently featured photographs of mine happen to be WHITE. The most popular ones are shown here:



White on Wood




White on White




Bouy, Oh Bouy




Arc on White




Don't Rain on My Parade

Okay, so the last one is more colorful, but I have over 100 photographs listed on my Etsy shop, and these shown above are the ones featured over and over again ... and over again, and again.

I might add, none of them have sold. Go figure!

I'll keep trying to figure out the logistics. It's frustrating, BUT, it doesn't diminish my zeal for clicking that shutter!

Moving ... moving ... moving ... oh wait! Here's 60 and 61 ...

It is eerie not having access to Internet either by computer or by phone; how disconnected! Maybe it's a good thing to disconnect from time-to-time. I know I wouldn't willingly do it. So, this recent move of abode is inadvertently resulting in an enforced break, hopefully to refresh, listen to sounds, rest my eyes, focus my thoughts on other matters more directly at hand, literally.

But I'm in a place in this moment that has Internet access, so am uploading Day 60 and Day 61. No. 60 is an unusual cloud formation yesterday at sunset. We normally do not experience such streamlined clouds over Birch Bay. Loved it!

03-31-2011

 A sight we do see a lot of in Birch Bay are of fishing nets and bouys. Loved the simplicity of the patterns. OK ... OK ... I also threw in some azaleas. I don't really care for Rhoddies, but I do like very much their little sister Azalea. Both are starting to bloom now.

04-01-2011

Etsy Treasuries, II

Just checked in to my Etsy shop http://www.kweststudio8.etsy.com/ and found to my delight that TWO of my photographs were included in treasuries today:

Are You REDdy For This?

“Flaming Floral”

www.etsy.com/treasury/4d8383e0f2de6d9195e6f0c5/are-you-reddy-for-this

From the Ruins, the Reconstruction

“Coil of Nails”

www.etsy.com/treasury/4d83bf222f566d919d511b5e/from-the-ruins-the-reconstruction

It's a Process ...

After several hours sitting at my computer this morning editing photographs I took in Fairhaven yesterday—had a delightful breakfast at Skylark with Barb—it struck me how photography has changed. I’ve thought about technological advances before, but it really hit me again this morning.

As a young girl, I remember my Dad behind closed bathroom door, developing negatives and printing his black and white photographs in the glow of the red light. The chemistry, the timer clicking off the minutes, the special paper, the process … it was like magic seeing the image appear from the blank photography paper! Once the light came back on, it was fun seeing all the photographs clipped to a clothesline in the bathroom to dry. Then Dad would run the dry prints through a heated press to straighten them.

It wasn’t until I was an adult and was involved in my own darkroom magic, that I greatly appreciated the skill and expertise required to not ruin negatives or overexpose or underexpose prints, as I have done on many occasions. I have a lot of respect for those who have and still do create their darkroom magic.

How appreciative I am today for digital photography!

I can take and keep or delete as many photographs as I please and know immediately if I have a good shot or need to shoot more while still on location. I can see the image immediately without having a roll of film processed before I can determine whether or not I have anything worth keeping. And, I love being able to process my images on my computer!

Processes continually change.  I enjoyed the darkroom process, but I am having so much fun playing with today's new processes.

All a matter of choice ...

I worked today so there wasn’t any time for photography. I take that back. I had to place new flyers in my listing box and since it was only a few cottages up from Birch Bay State Beach, of course I had to check out what the tide brought in.

The shoreline was littered with ripped up kelp and seaweed. The water out in the Sound must have experienced a whole lot of churning last night because there was all manner of debris and broken shells and rocks piled along the beach.

Other than shells I’ve arranged or sunsets, I don’t often photograph much along the beach; perhaps because beachcombing here is an up close activity. There are treasures to be found, but they are often small and held in the palm of my hand.  This isn’t Hawaii with stretches of gorgeous sandy beaches or swaying palm trees. It’s grittier here in Birch Bay. The larger view is rather muted and muddy.

It’s only when I’m shooting things up close that I find a delight in photographing around the Bay. Maybe it’s just me.

Checked the view count on my Etsy photos and I’m surprised that  “Coil of Nails” is the runaway most viewed, with “Stack of Hats” second most viewed in my shop. I just shake my head in amazement at those two photographs out of all the rest. Nuts!

However, I'm featured in another Treasury, for which I'm happy for the exposure. Vintage Frocks of Fancy has included "White Door" in a second Treasury. You can see it at http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cde2ec639fc8eefa2ebb5d6/childhood-on-through-the-door-to-being-a