Shari Beaubien

Adieu

This is one of those weeks where time just seems to be slipping right through my fingers. ..

I've been busy getting ready for Art and Soul, but it's been largely organizational and packing issues that are consuming my days.  And then there's the heaping pile of laundry and last-minute errands.  Alas, not much art is getting done.  But that's all part of the journey, for which I am supremely grateful.

Wish me luck and I'll talk to you when I return!

Funky New Art Journal

Here's a new art journal I made and fell in love with.  So, I decided to keep it.  I created the cover art on watercolor paper and then mounted that to the book board using tacky glue.  (I believe you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.)

I'm really enjoying the long, thin size of the pages and hope to be able to find more time to work in it soon.  That may just be wishful thinking on my part at the present moment, though...

Most of my time these days has been spent organizing, running errands and packing for Art and Soul.  This will be my first time vending there and I couldn't be more excited!  I hope to see at least a few of you there...  Please do introduce yourselves if you've been reading my blog and we've never met before.  It will be such a treat for me to put a face with a name.

That's it for me right now.  Hope you're well.  Blogland seems a little quiet to me these days.

Do You Paint Every Day?

Here's what's been on my art table lately... a new 30" x 40" canvas.  I do have an easel that will accommodate this size nicely but when working wet, things have to be done horizontally.

Here are some other canvases awaiting me to swoop in and do something fabulous.  (Ahhh, the pressure!)  The backgrounds are started on a few, as you can see.  The white ones are gessoed, as you might not be able to see...

Someone wrote to ask me recently whether I paint every day.  Another artist friend and I found ourselves discussing this very topic just the other day as well.  The question is a good one, I think, and it gave me pause.

It seems to me that the "Painting-a-Day" movement gave many of us the false impression that we should be painting something every day.  Don't get me wrong... Painting or working in your chosen medium each and every single day is a lofty goal and one I aspire to.  If it works for you, great!  But down here in the real world, it doesn't really happen that way for me.

It took me a while to accept this fact, but I have finally come to terms with it.  I am NOT a McDonald's artist.  I can't just stop at the drive-through, order a painting and pull forward to pick it up.  I don't work that way.  My creativity doesn't work that way.  And that's okay.

We all need to find our artistic voice in our own way and in our own time.  We need to recognize the rhythms of not only our bodies, but our spirits as well.  And once we have discovered how to listen to those rhythms,  we have to celebrate them...  honor them... cherish them... and not let anyone or anything get in their way.  At the end of the day, I believe this whole journey is about nothing more than acceptance.  We don't need to be anything other than who we are.  Right now.  At this very moment.  And if that means it takes me three months to finish a piece of art, then so be it.

Camarillo Art & Jazz Festival

This weekend was the Camarillo Art & Jazz Festival and it was wonderful!  The people were so warm and friendly and the whole event had such a terrific small-town feel to it.  (In LA, this is most difficult to accomplish!)  I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out to support us.

Steve and I started a tradition earlier this year of naming a "Question of the Show" for each art fair we do.  I love this game because we get some doozies, but it's all in the spirit of goodwill and fun.  I can't NOT share Camarillo's "Question of the Show"...

A little girl and her mother approached my table and began to pour over my artwork.  Suddenly, the little girl screamed in excitement when she saw this piece pictured here.  "Look, Mommy!" she exclaimed, "A Sticker!"  Oh, how that made me laugh!  So priceless!  Perhaps I need to work on integrating my focal image into the background a bit more... 

Incidentally, this artwork is still for sale in my Etsy shop here.  

And I'm still smiling.

New Artworks

Here are two more pieces for Art & Soul's vendor night...

"The Old Familiar World"

"The Dream"

I purchased this vintage binder a while back.  It's hard to describe because I've never seen anything like it.  The covers are made of some sort of pressed particle board.  They show wonderful signs of wear - nicks, stray marks, and the most beautiful rich brown color.  The covers were held together with a sturdy metal hinge, which had also developed a marvelous greenish patina of its own.  I had Steve detach the two pieces for me and my artwork is now mounted on either half.  Voila!  It was a fun challenge to come up with a palette that I thought would complement the patina.  Hope you like them...

Golden's Open Acrylics

Have you heard of Golden's newest product called Open Acrylics?  My goodness, I was THRILLED and overcome with anticipation when I first became aware of them!!

As many of you know, Golden paints and mediums make up a large percentage of the usual suspects on my art table.  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with both their heavy body and fluid acrylics for the course of my artistic career.  But these new Open Acrylics are different.  They promise a longer working time, thereby allowing the artist to blend and shade more easily.  Heaven!

I got my hands on just a few colors and decided to experiment with them over the weekend.  Here are the results...

Now keep in mind, these are by no means  intended to be finished artworks.  However, I think you can see the ease with which the colors blend together on the paper.  I really enjoyed my brief experience working with them.  I'll have to investigate further as to how the Open Acrylics compare with Golden's Open Acrylic Glazing Liquid, which I typically use to extend the drying time of my paints.  I did read that the new Open Acrylics require 30 days to cure before varnishing, too, so that is something to think about and plan for.

Incidentally, I left a particularly fat blob of paint on my palette and just now walked over to feel it.  It's still a bit tacky - not the usual plastic feel of normal acrylic when dry.  I put some water on my finger and rubbed it over the old paint and guess what?  Reactivation.  New smooth white paint on my finger.  Pretty cool.

If you're interested in learning more, click here.  I'd love to hear what your experiences are if you try these paints!

And the Winners Are...

First, my sincerest gratitude to everyone who participated in my little give-away!  The comments you left warmed my heart and made this such a pleasure.  Thank you for that.  I can't believe how many names I had in my bowl...  I even had to upgrade to the BIG contest bowl, which I've never done before!  Because there was so much enthusiasm, I decided to draw two extra names and give away two extra prizes.  So, without further adieu, here are the lucky winners...

 The collection of 97 ATC's

Marilyn Sandau!

(marimuseinpt)
.

.

.

 My original painting
entitled "Horizon at Dusk"

Kathy!

(artchic1211)

.

.

Congratulations, ladies!
And now here are the two prizes I added...

A hand-painted, quilted folder (by moi) with a small fine art print of my painting entitled "A Place Called Home" tucked inside

Seth!

(shap97)              

And last but not least...

A tiny shell charm featuring
an original collage
(again by moi) on the interior

Quincy Richardson!

(drgnbaby)

.

Once again, congratulations and my thanks to everyone who took the time to visit me and participate.  We WILL be doing this again...

More Paintings and More about the Frida Kahlo Exhibit

I also finished these two pieces before my SF trip...

Moonlight Vigil
9" x 12"

Harvey
10" x 10"

I feel like I'm in such a weird place right now.  Our trip to SF meant that I didn't do much art-wise that week.  Then immediately getting sick upon our return home side-lined me for another week.  This week, the third week, I'm getting better but I'm still not back to my 100 percent self.  I haven't felt like doing any art, much less anything else.  I'm frustrated and irritable.  Sometimes I wish we could all just live in our own happy little bubbles, without any interference from that thing they call L-I-F-E.  Alas, it is not to be.  So... one day at a time.  That's all I can do.  And remind myself that it's going to be okay.

A few of you were interested in hearing about which paintings were included in the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SFMOMA.  I'm happy to share what I can remember.  Be warned though, this list is ONLY from my memory of standing in those rooms, so it may not be perfectly accurate.  But here's what I can recall:

Room #1:

1.  Portrait of Luther Burbank / 1931
2.  Portrait of Mrs. Jean Wright / 1931
3.  Portrait of Dr. Leo Eloesser / 1931
4.  Henry Ford Hospital / 1932
5.  Self-Portrait with Necklace / 1933
6.  My Dress Hangs There / 1933
7.  Self-Portrait on the Border Line
      between Mexico and the United States / 1932
8.  Frieda and Diego Rivera / 1931 (wedding portrait)
9.  My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree) / 1936
10.  The Deceased Dimas Rosas (at Three Years of Age) / 1937
11.  Portrait of Diego Rivera / 1937
12.  A Few Small Nips / 1935
13.  Self-Portrait: "very ugly" / 1933
14.  My Nurse and I / 1937
15.  Self-Portrait with Bed (Me and My Doll) / 1937
16.  Self-Portrait / 1930

Room #2:

1.  Two Nudes in a Forest / 1939
2.  The Suicide of Dorothy Hale / 1939
3.  Girl with Death Mask / 1938
4.  Itzcuintli Dog with Me / 1938
5.  The Two Fridas / 1939
6.  Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird / 1940
7.  Still Life: Pitahayas / 1938
8.  The Frame / 1937-1938

Room #3:

1.  Self-Portrait with Monkeys / 1943
2.  Diego and Frida 1929-1944 / 1944
3.  The Broken Column / 1944
4.  Flower of Life / 1944
5.  Portrait of Lucha Maria, Girl from Techuacan
      (or Sun and Moon) / 1942
6.  Portrait of Dona Rosita Morillo / 1944
7.  Without Hope / 1945
8.  Me and My Parrots / 1941

Room #4:

1.  Magnolias / 1945
2.  Sun and Life / 1947
3.  Miniature Self-Portrait / 1946
4.  The Circle / n.d.
5.  Self-Portrait with Small Monkey / 1945
6.  Moses / 1945
7.  Still Life with Parrot and Flag / 1951
8.  Still LIfe / 1951
9.  Still Life with Parrot and Fruit / 1951
10.  The Love Embrace of the Universe, The Earth (Mexico),
         Diego, Me and Senor Xolotl / 1949

I know I'm forgetting a couple, but even with the possible omissions on my part, it's a pretty impressive list, wouldn't you agree?  There were also three or four other rooms with photographs and other items.  I just learned that many of those photographs have never been exhibited publicly.  As I said before, I feel blessed to have been able to see this exhibit in my lifetime.

Last but not least, don't forget about my give-away!  The directions and info. are here and you have until Thursday at midnight to enter!  Good luck...