KVIE Live Art Auction 2012

I really don't know why I am in this 'enter a contest/competition' mode!  I spent the majority of the day yesterday trying - unsuccessfully I might add - to complete my profile on the Placer Arts website.  I needed to complete this in order to be on the Auburn Arts Studio Tour in November.  They found a spot for me in the Arts Building in Auburn.  I will have to go down there today and try to finalize the deal or I won't be able to get in.

Good news!  I received an email yesterday that KVIE extended their Art Auction 2012 for another day and my gelatin silver print of White House, Canyon de Chelly, AZ was accepted for the LIVE AUCTION!  I am so stoked.  The preview gala event is scheduled for September 24th and that should be a great evening too, mixing with the other artists and several I know!  My husband and I are planning to attend.

In between working on the computer I have been putting coats of varnish on the Santorini painting I did, as I plan on entering it in the Large Format show.  Hopefully, it will get juried in as it is not 3' in one direction, but 30".  I'm going to submit it as a group with my 24" gallery wrap of Santorini.  They look great together.  I just have to finish completing my entry sheets and gallery signage today as I want to take them in with me tomorrow when I work the gallery.

Big Canvas Prints

My two gallery wraps arrived yesterday!  The images make you feel as though you are THERE!  I'm pretty happy with them.  One less thing on my list.

This morning I have been putting dates on my calendar for Artstock (September), Auburn Studio Tour (November), my work dates for High Hand, etc., etc.  It's going to be a busy rest of the year - not to mention personal trips planned. ; )  Just when I think I'm going to leave the 'art world', I get rejuvenated.

Here is one of the two images I received yesterday as gallery wraps:

I seem to be having a problem uploading the other gallery wrap image.  No matter what size I put it at, it wants to go horizontal, when it's a vertical image!!  Grrrr.  I didn't have that problem before with my old PC.

I'm kind of caught up right now, with the exception of making labels and inventory lists.  It's still been fairly hot in my studio and I really hate to start up the darkroom which means I have to start up the A/C which jacks up our electric bill.  I did make several cards yesterday to take to High Hand Gallery.  But I am definitely ready for this cooling down that is supposedly coming our way.  I'm ready for winter - not fall - but winter!

Artstock at High Hand Gallery

I have still been working through some of the issues with my new PC set up.  But I won't talk about that.  Yesterday was Artful Sunday at the High Hand Gallery and apparently the heat was still keeping people at home.  Two more weeks for this show and then it all comes down for Artstock, the Large Format Show with Masked Fusion for September and October.  It's going to be hectic for everyone at the gallery as this is a huge undertaking.  Artstock Large Format portion will be out in the fruit sheds at High Hand, the masks will be inside, as well as the new artwork!  That's a lot!

Today my gallery canvas wraps should arrive.  I hope they came out perfect as there is no time for returns and re-dos.  Once they arrive, I'll be able to envision how they look with the painting I did - to see if the painting is actually show worthy!

I was able to finally get my Epson printing working and started printing out card images.  Some of my slots on the rack are empty, so time to replenish.  That's a good thing.  I did purchase a large canvas but haven't even started on it other than putting coats of Gesso on it.  I can't seem to get back in the painting mode.  C'est la vie!

I was online reading Freestyle Photographic Supplies website, looking up papers, specifically at Epson Exhibition Fiber Inkjet Paper that apparently boasts matching silver halide papers.  I've tried the Epson Fine Art Paper which has a great texture to it and I've used it for both black and white and color prints.  Really loved the results.  I think I may have to try this one.  I am heading down to southern California in a few weeks and would love to stop in at their store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood!  That would fun - but it could also be extremely tempting for me to 'buy'!  The one reason I was looking up papers is because I was really looking for the metallic silver paper.  Arista-II RC Photograde Metallic Inkjet Paper 13x19/20 sheets - Metallic Glossy is the size I would purchase - it's $55 a box!

Blue Moon Gallery Show - "Collectively Speaking"

Saturday was the Blue Moon Gallery show, "Collectively Speaking", the group show of all the Blue Moon Artists. Needless to say if you live in the area, it was blazing hot. My car said it was 109 when I arrived! But there was a great turnout despite the heat. I was able to meet some of the artists that I hadn't met yet, as there are several new additions. Two of the three gallery photographers were on the center wall - myself and Jim Klein. It was a good space! I spoke with several people who wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the images. That's always a good sign when they want to talk to you. I got there on time, before there were too many people, as I wanted to get a shot of the display.

This morning I was still trying to get my PC up to par so I could even post on my blog!  I just this minute got it fixed.  Just uploading the photos off my Canon too a couple hours this morning.  This is crazy!  It wears you out mentally, to where I feel I'm brain dead.

I don't know what I'm doing next today...my gallery wraps from Big Canvas Prints should be delivered tomorrow according to their schedule.  I hope those turn out.  

New Computer

Was able to pick up my new computer this morning. It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be as far as getting rolling again. I had a lot of programs to load back up onto the computer. It took me all day. It's 7:35 p.m. and I'm still not quite right with MSN - yet. Then I had to help my husband with his pc and upload some of his photos from his camera to the pc so I could help him with Facebook! I am fried to say the least. All I can say is: computers are like MEN. You can't live without 'em, and, well you know the rest! Ooops, did I say that?? I'm done for today. Manana!

Computer Issues

Well I think my computer bailed on me  I'm writing this post from my husband's pc.  Now I have to call and see if it's salvageable.  Be back later!  Grrrrrr!

Acrylic Painting

It was hot, the Olympics was on, it was hot...and I just couldn't get in the darkroom.  I was feeling a painting coming on - didn't know what.  My husband was working on a photo project of his own in the dining room, so I dragged all my paints out to the kitchen and started setting up.  Printed out some of my Europe images and selected one from Santorini.  Sometimes this happens to me and I just go with the flow.  I started Friday night and finished up yesterday.  I think I'm done with it - who knows.  I'll let it sit awhile and see if anything else jumps out at me that I need to add to or 'fix'.  I already did some perspective modifications as I went along.  It's funny what you don't see initially, and then come across it again and - 'hey, that's not how that goes!'.  I freehand draw.  I've tried using a tracer projector as some artists do, but that just isn't me.   That's more work than it's worth, and I don't really want it to come across as perfect or realism.  Although, that's exactly what I end up with, but it's NOT PERFECT.  And I like it that way.  It looks a little stark in this photo, but there's more subtle dimension in person.  You can't see the detail in the rocks down below at the ocean and there is a sailing vessel to the left of the dome.  The ocean detail is washed out - maybe I should just take another photo!

Tomorrow I drop off my images to the Blue Moon Gallery for the group show "Collectively Speaking".  This Saturday is Second Saturday and the opening.  I did a mailing, but will also send out emails.

Got my act together and ordered the two canvas prints for the September and October Show "Masked Fusion" which is also large format, and of course the masks on display which are for sale made by the High Hand Gallery artists.  Whew!  This is some crazy stuff.  I'd really like to get this painting juried in and hung with my photographic images in the large format show.  I'll think about it.

Blue Moon Gallery Show "Collectively Speaking"

Picked up the cards for the Blue Moon Gallery show scheduled for Second Saturday, August 11th.  I did a mailing of which I haven't done for a while - well, I haven't had a show for a while so there you have it!  Got those in the mail yesterday.

Worked on more images and making a selection of which ones I was going to have enlarged for the canvas gallery wraps!  I ended up going with two more images from Venice.  Two at 36x24 - had to be 3' in one direction.  I'm hoping I can also hang my two smaller ones with these two larger ones for the Artstock Show - Large Format at the High Hand Gallery in September and October.  Now that I have the wraps ordered I can get back in the darkroom.

I also finished the mask for the Artstock show.  This year several artists have given classes for making masks.  Don't know why or how I got finagled into that, but I did.  I made a Samurai mask.  All the masks that the High Hand Gallery artists made will be on sale during Artstock (inside the gallery) and 50% of the proceeds will go to the gallery to help pay for future events.  At first I was just going to submit the mask all by itself, but after seeing some of the other masks made by the other artists, I needed to kick it up a notch! I ended up framing it by mounting it with screws onto the backboard after covering the backboard with handmade paper.  Then looking up the Japanese writing for "Samurai Warrior" and writing that out and adding that as part of the image.  What you can't see is the black frame around it.

Now I'm off to the darkroom to improve some of the previous images I've already printed out.  I think my self-imposed deadline of getting all 11 rolls of film developed 'this summer' was overly rambunctious (for lack of a better word)!  I mean, it takes some well-known photographers a good week just to get one image perfected!!  With that said, I'm going to take my time to perfect my images.