Dolls in the City -- Art Exhibit with a message

This is what I put together with some of my most awesome artist friends...Yes, I have one painting in it, too, my "Children of the Night," but it's about the sum total:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_lLuICVDQ

Debbie Smith -- Doll Maker Extraordinaire, Amandine Drouet --  Sculptress and Photographer, and Maggie Vicki Bethel, Photographer and Mistress of Collage. At the opening, I asked Maggie to lead a group collage project -- and lots of people stopped and participated. It was wonderful to give guests a chance to make art, too.

Material Witness

"I Swear by the Stars Above" -- 30"x22"

"The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth," 30"x22"

Prodded by a juried art exhibit sponsored by Women's Caucus of Art of Georgia, I pulled out a couple of sheets of precious, hand crafted paper I found at Binder's a while ago. With watercolors and India ink , I found myself getting into the blood and guts of crime scenes, thinking of shadowy figures and witnesses who see things they will never forget. Testifying and saying things in a way that will convince a judge and a jury is not always easy, but pictures don't lie.

My very own weird, weird Valentine to loved ones

This is something of a self portrait, but not really. A dog ear on the left side of my head, my kids and folks embedded in my heart. I just wailed on the watercolors and then attacked it with pen and India ink. Fun!

There is no place like Hawaii

I was lucky enough to be in the Islands over the Thanksgiving holiday. There is so much beauty it startles the senses and warms the heart. I woke up mornings and had to make a painting. I brought some watercolors with me and when I wasn't painting I was looking through my lens and taking photographs. Knowing I had to leave, I wanted badly to take some of it home with me.

Change of seasons -- A Halloween Spirit

This morning I finished a painting I've been working on for a couple of nights now. It's got a two-sided feeling to it -- excitement and shadows. I like it. I like it a lot. Would love to hear other opinions besides my own. The dogs really didn't show much interest. FB friends commented, but there is something about that -- here today and gone tomorrow. Who said what?

Hey, I'm famous -- in Roswell and Alpharetta -- maybe

A couple of weeks ago, I walked into the Appen newspaper office on North Main Street and asked the receptionist if they might be interested in a story about my exhibit in the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Lo and behold, an arts-savvy young reporter, Jonathan Copsey, appeared. We sat down, he interviewed me and the rest is history. He wrote an article my mother will love:

http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-COMMUNITY-NEWS-c-2012-09-12-195008.114126-sub-Roswell-Cultural-Arts-Center-features-local-artist.html

"In the Pink" and "Natural Wonders"

Bigger is interesting. After I stretched these canvases and balanced them on two easels to keep them steady, I was dealing with space, lots of wonderful, open space. Faced with a perfect canvas, the urge to make wide, sweeping gestures is irresistible. It's physical and challenges those of us who are not among the big and tall. I can't say why, but I've always liked to work on a large scale. The impact is so much greater. And there is a joy in being able to make something that keeps your attention. The little item on the table is not going to distract from the painting that is five feet by five feet -- which is what these two paintings are -- as is "Seriously" (give or take an inch or two).  A confession -- yes, I am jealous of the artists who are currently painting murals on the sides of buildings. The ultimate result is WOW! You can't miss their message.