I'm back from Oregon

What a delightful trip!

I now have gallery representation in Portland. If you're ever in NW Portland, do stop by Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery. She has a magnificent assortment of Native American and Western art, jewelry, textiles, and paintings. When you enter, you are immediately surrounded with the scent of sage and sweetgrass - the gallery is a wonderful experience!

The Good Earth Home Show was even bigger than last year. They had over 250 vendors and 40 seminars. Any visitor would be hard-pressed to see and do it all. I met so many wonderful people, and many whom I met last year. It was great seeing and talking with you! I do hope to do this show again next year, it was fantastic.

Now I must prep for the Art & Wine-tasting event in Downtown Tacoma. This is a one-day event from 5pm to 9pm on February 15th, and will be quite a new experience for me. I'm looking forward to it! I shall provide more details and specific location soon.

Off to Eugene

The Good Earth Home Show

I'm driving down there today, and will hopefully be there in time to set up. Along the way, I have an early-afternoon interview at a gallery in Portland, so between that and traffic my itinerary is a little grey.

I did this show last year and was overwhelmed with the enormity of it. Patrons were shoulder-to-shoulder in the isles, and every parking space was filled. It was my first year that year, so I was very pleased to squeak into the black when all was said and done. there were quite a few events going on, even the Cascade Raptor Center put on demos with their birds. This year promises to be even bigger. Setup for vendors takes place tonight and tomorrow morning.

While doing a show far from home, have you looked for creative ways to spend as little as possible? I tend to be very frugal, and I'm always looking for ways to save a little more. The motel room I'm renting has a fridge and microwave, which only cost a couple more dollars per night. I figure I'll do the breakfast-cereal/tv dinner thing to save on expenses. I'm packing sandwich materials too, so that will also help considerably. Last year I had a lot of cereal bars in my pack to get me through the day, but that got very old in a hurry!

I'll have 23 framed feathers on display. I've packed in accordance to what's been selling lately. Wolves have not been moving at all over the last year, so I have no wolves. Eagles always move, so I do have an eagle. Bears have increased in popularity, and that has been true for two years now. I'll have two bears. No marine life, sad to say... "Free Spirits" has developed another purpose. Karen of Lucas Arts is taking that one to Westport for me. Hopefully that event went well for her!

Wish me luck, this will be an exciting trip!

"Rude Awakening"

I had to do -just one- humorous piece for the upcoming show. What a way to wake up!

Sparrow Hawk

a.k.a. American Kestrel

As a kid I remember often seeing these tiny hunters perched along the fenceline, waiting for some unsuspecting field mouse. I never realized just how tiny they truly are until I saw one up close at the raptor center in Eugene last year. truly a beautiful and intelligent bird.

Dining in the Green Room...

Washington State is blessed with lush, deep, dark rainforests out on the Olympic Penninsula. I tried, but I simply cannot capture in paint the overwhelming emerald green that completely envelopes you when you venture into the Hoh rainforest. This image just is not green enough!

This little black bear seems to be eyeing the stagnant pond for anything that might make a good snack.

From the Rainforest...

Orchid and Frog

I love the jewel-like brilliance of many of the Rainforest's amphibian residents. I sought to intensify that perception with strong lighting and a deep mysterious background for this little treefrog on an orchid.

This too shall be on display at the Good Earth Home Show in Eugene.

Pheasant Cockerel

It can be quite a challenge coming up with an image that will even be visable on one of these flaboyantly striped feathers. Ringneck pheasants always seem to be a popular adornment, though. Many first-reactions are "Oh, you painted a pheasant on a pheasant feather!" I grin and reply that they're not far off. Pheasants and peacocks are related, after all.

Free Spirits

This scanned a little dark, and that Photoshop color I chose to represent matting isn't really helping. I spent more time than usual on this one, trying to get the sunset just so, trying to make the Puget Sound waters believable. I'll have to take a photo of it once it's framed, as this scan is not a good representation.

Those are the pros and cons of working small on a dimensional object such as this. It's small enough to fit on a scanner bed, and the scanner will show all the details up close and personal. My scanner does not match color perfectly. I also get a fisheye effect from it because of the dimensionality of the piece. It was not meant to mash flat. A feather has a distinct and graceful curve to it, and I utilize that in the painting. I create the painting by cradling the feather in the palm of one hand while applying the acrylic with the other. The result is a three-dimensional effect which is only enhanced by float-mounting in a shadowbox frame. People often say the paintings look much better in person than they do online. I believe this is why that is so.

PNW play

PNW Elk

He's got a few issues I'd like to change, though nothing enormous. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. This is for Wapiti, my OA Chapter. Our Lodge is Nisqually, the Raven. You can see Raven in his eye. I went with a Northern style, sort of a Tlingit-Tsimshian. I'll eventually paint him on a drum.

Eventually I will design a full-body elk suitable for sewing on a button blanket. The image I have in my head is in profile, leaping. I remember seeing an ancient tattoo that was on the corpse of a woman of high rank. She was discovered in a tomb in the Russian Steppes; her story was published in the October 1994 issue of National Geographic. I've always been quite taken with that tattoo design. The pose is so striking, so free, full of joy and powerful - it has stayed with me. Yes, I think that design with a Northwestern Coastal approach would be quite appealing on a blanket. Maybe I'll tackle that one by Spring.

Smaller feathers for Eugene

In trying to create a variety in size and price for the Eugene show yet still sell originals, I went with some smaller wingfeathers as my canvas. They average about 3 inches shorter than my usual and are certainly narrower, which presents more of a challenge in coming up with an appealing design. Below are Mimbres-style Native Deer, a Grey Squirrel, and Allen's Hummingbird. I may be doing some more touch-up to the hummer, but I am trying to keep these as a smaller time-investment and justify a smaller price. Click the thumbnail for the full jpeg.