Joy

It is time to try finding Joy in the smallest of things:

Here are a few for this morning:

Reading a few uplifting quotes from friends on the Facebook.

Remembering to play around a little with COLOR!

And FONTS!!

These really are not SMALL things when one tries tracing back the many small "miracles" it takes to type and send a dumb little post. So many humans had to create so many things in order for us to take technology and almost instant connection to humans around the globe!!!

Thank you,Various Humans!!!

On to the normal things that will fill up this day.
I will be Thinking of SPRING!! while shoveling White Stuff...

May you find a way to find Small Joys throughout the Day!

O.K., Serious Boots, where are you???

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Dancing In Edges

Listening to National League Hockey play-offs and matting and framing pastels. Have I ever mentions how much I do not enjoy framing? Not that it matters. An artist's gotta do what an artist's gotta do.

Anyway, the latest piece to be captured behind glass is a work I titled "Dancing In Edges." Here it is is progress:

I was playing with color and trying to use up little chunks of pastel (an on-going process). After lightly drawing a basic bear I mostly just grabbed colors I felt worked well together and made shapes. Large, small, irregular. It didn't really matter. I did want an un-balanced balance, but didn't think HARD about where the colors and shapes ended up. Whole bunches of sort of "happy accidents."

The darkest areas at bottom probably started off black, but later I covered these spots with very dark blue. I use black when I fell like using it, but this time.... I changed my mind. It's O.K. to change your mind. It CAN be for the better. I did try to not layer colors - hoping their gem-like glows would shimmer against each-other. 

 I really liked the color of the dark-grey paper showing through areas not covered by pastel. This became the most serious issue when trying to finish the painting. I asked friends. i asked family members. I even took this piece to a meeting of the lake Country pastel Society. Opinions were mixed: Keep the grey areas. Work in more colors. 

Going with the "add a bit more color" folks, I had to decide which colors and where to put them. I did enjoy blending some edges while keeping some edges clean. I didn't worry too much about color theory - only whether the result of color against color was pleasing to my eye.

After a few more sessions of pressing bits of pastels into the paper I decided to quit and feel the painting was finished. There are still a few areas free of pastel - yay! And the colors glow - yay! And the piece is matted and framed - so I guess it IS finished - YAY!!

No, you cannot tell that any pastels are missing from the supplies. But I think the paper was well-used, and I hope that this colorful painting catches the eye of a potential customer at an art fair this coming Sunday!

Now it's time to feel sad for the serious Chicago Blackhawks hockey fans. Yup, their team led for a few seconds, but lost in the end.

Between basketball, hockey, tennis, and horse-racing this weekend I am almost sports out. Almost....

Bears, and hockey, and blogging, oh my!

Time for a tea break. It's been a long afternoon and evening of matting and framing art-work. 

But a good spending of time. Two new pieces ready for this Sunday's Art Fair in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It will be our first time exhibiting at this show, so am happy to increase the bruins' range.

Time to quit dancing. Time for a nap!

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

www.suerowe.com

Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

Grey Day - Summer Color

Some days we just need that tiny bit of Hope....

Here are a few images from 2014's Greener Times here in Stillwater. They won't melt the Cold Big White that is right outside of our doors, but the  might help warm the heart. 

Earlier in the Summer - my very favorites...

I often use a black piece of mat board in order to focus on details.

I am not a fan of most floral images that seem more Specimen shots than work that is more Art. Giant color fields of cropland is an exception. Bring on those fields!

And one final boom of COLOR:

YAY for Big Pink on a Grey/White Day!!!

*************************

Now back  to prepping for the remaining art fairs in metro area and Wisconsin, and making art for Art Show here in Stillwater that hangs on Wednesday. No pressure!

Next art fair will be Saturday, Nov., 22, at Edina, MN's, Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Rd. Edina. 9 - 4. For more information: CPCONLINE.ORG/HOLIDAYBOUTIQUE, or call 952-920.8585. Lots of wonderful artists/craftsfolk. Good food. (I'm not looking up potential weather forecast yet.)

Then we will be attending Dec. 6th craft festival at Color Crossing in Roberts, WI, and the next weekend we will be bopping down to The Very Merry at Baraboo, WI. (Dec. 13-14.) Our goodies are also available year-round at a number of galleries and shops, from Art Dock in Duluth, to No Rules in Spring Green, WI. Check web-site for more info.

Now it's time to bundle up in this lovely nine degree weather and work a shift at American Gothic Antiques in downtown Stillwater. not dealing with awful travel conditions. Thoughts are with you doing the white-knuckled trek.

Forward and onward - 

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

 FB Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

www.suerowe.com

www.artfairartists.com

Playing With Color

Sometimes, lots of times, it's time to start over.

There are lots of bears in the house - finished, almost finished, never to be finished. It's a mission this year to move a number of these bruins in different directions - including the fire pit in the corner of the garden - if that be the fate of some bruins.

I've not been one that's comfortable painting on stretched canvas. (And you call yourself an Artist?) A year or two ago, on a plain 18 " x 24" canvas, I had a go at a Mom and Cub. Regular bears. Normal sky. That sort of thing. They got this far and there they stayed:

Not awful. Not great. A tiny bit of potential, but boring and O.K. with using up space in the studio.

Til this week. Time for a change. Out came the acrylic paints and a little bit of bravery (or foolishness). Nothing to lose. I budgeted about an hour of goofing off. This is the result so far:

Yet, a definite work in progress - but at least they are becoming a tad more interesting. I'd hoped to have the pair finished for the July 13 -14 Art Festival in Grand Marais, MN, but now am aiming for The Blueberry Festival in Ely, MN, at the end of the month.

Progress has at least gotten me to want to play with them more. That's progress. And perhaps in a month or two they will be taking up space in another family's home.

Color me Hopeful.

If you're visiting Minnesota's Northland check out our furry ones at:

Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery -  outside of Lutsen, MN
The Pie Place - Grand Marais, MN
Blue Lake Gallery - Duluth, MN

Summer is zipping by. Try to play outside a little bit each day!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue