Blowing Sands Gallery Show Extended Another Month

I got an e-mail from the curator of this show saying that it's getting such a great response they want to extend it another month!  How great!  Check it out if you're in the Ballard area.  Directions can be found at this link:http://www.blowingsands.com/

Big Night Gallery Opening

The gallery opening in Ballard (Seattle) at Blowing Sands went well on Saturday night, Valentine's Day and also the curator,Rebecca Devere's birthday.  I got a great rundown from Reb and her husband Dennis of what sounds like a smashing success and a lot of fun.  I am attaching the link to pictures (the first shot shows my entry in the show "A Compendium of Heroines" on the right hand side, nine 10x10 panels) so you can see for yourself.  There was a string quartet, yummy food, a birthday cake for Reb, and the house was packed.  I think the show will be up for a month if you're in the area and want to take a look.  There might be an artworld connection made for me here in Spokane as a result of the show, I will keep you posted, my wish is to get gallery shows in this area (i'm hoping for Tinman) and there is a gallery in Coeur d-alene that I am interested in.  It's a new world.

I'm currently finishing up a collection of paintings of cupcakes and chocolates for a bakery that opened in Kirkland in the last few months; the owner said she would like to sell them on consignment which normally I don't feel too hip to selling out of a cafe, but it's a favor for a friend of a friend.  I will mount pictures of them as soon as they're dry enough to scan, they've been really fun to paint, I am particularly inspired by this subject matter :)

And I got my first request on etsy for custom work...something to adorn the walls of a cafe here in Spokane...isn't that funny?  In all the big wide etsy world it's the second person I've connected with in my own back yard (shout out to brenda, mother, artist and runs three blogs).

Here's the link to the opening, wish i could have been there:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019057&id=1157229748

Rocky Mountain Wildlife Silhouette Paintings

Whew.  I'm dutifully slurping down my  green drink that eric leaves on the counter for me every morning, and waiting for my coffee to kick in so i can get on the treadmill.  I have to admit I can't handle the green drink every day...let's just say sometimes the dogs are getting more veggies than usual :)  I do it a lot though because it is a great breakfast; it's such an energizer, and it's a detoxifier to boot.  Also if i don't manage to eat living green cells later in the day i know i've managed a few servings with just the drink.  It took me a very long time to come around to the idea that eating isn't all fun and games, that sometimes it's a duty and it doesn't matter if you "like" something.  When I was a sugar junkie pre-teen i had fantasies that when i finally lived on my own i would have a pantry stockpiled with doughnuts and cakes at all times.  sigh.  maybe this is all on my mind because i spent the evening painting cupcakes.  more about that artwork later.

I'm excited i finally finished my silhouette paintings of rocky mountain wildlife.  Except for the buffalo, these are all animals we lived with in montana, some on a daily basis, like the deer, and one winter, the elk.  The moose would come about twice a year and it felt like we were being blessed by a great ghost spirit, they are just unimaginable in shape and size, like a prehistoric relative of the deer, you can really feel a greater history in their presence...animals of that size have their own rather heart stopping vibration; they always fill me with awe.  Then the awe gets brushed aside as the hootenanny ensues, for moose make most horses go completely bonkers.  

I do not miss living with mountain lions (cougars) or bear.  Although they are near enough where we now live, it is a rare occurrence to have one of them wander this far out into farm land.  The mountains where they live make a gorgeous sunset silhouette for us, it's the icing on the cake for our natural life, but far enough away that i don't have to worry about bears getting into my garbage or cougars attacking my horses.  There  are a lot of acres of pasture and fenceline between us and them now, which is fine with me.  I am grateful for their presence on the earth and I wish them well...from a safe distance.  For those of you who have never lived in a wildlife interface area, moose are considered to be extremely dangerous and we always kept our distance and had our moments of awe from safe positions on our property: the deck, the livingroom or the treehouse...but moose don't have a habit of attacking animals.  i was more worried about my babies than myself ("babies" meaning our horses and dogs)...cougars attack horses, dogs and people.  bears get dangerous when they become accustomed to living off of garbage and too familiar with humans and human environments.  i was never too worried for my personal safety but i have gorgeous, goofy, curious, too-brave-for-their-own-good hounds.  our last summer in montana one of the neighbors had taken to leaving their garbage outside - big no-no in wilderness country.  you have to let your garbage accumulate inside the house and take it out the DAY garbage gets picked up.  in the blink of an eye the bear population moved in, and our ravine was a fabulous place for them to live between neighborhood raids.  they get bolder and bolder, going on people's decks, pulling down bird feeders, tipping over barbecues.  when cornered or feeling threatened, any animal can be dangerous.  it was a rule that you would never sleep in the summer with your french doors open as you'd invariably end up with a bear in your kitchen.  they're just hungry all the time.  anyway i was overnight at a friend's and my husband told me a chilling story of a giant black bear on his way from the neighbor's unwitting feeding ground to her new home in our ravine, and she passed right by our house.  he was on the computer with a heap of dogs at his feet and the doors open onto the deck.  our old kate, ferociously protective despite being fairly crippled and having four kinds of cancer, went baying, snarling and snapping after this giant bear.  eric bellowed but once a hound gives chase, it's hard to get their attention again.  he said he finally yelled so loud and with such intention that kate actually stopped and turned and looked at him.  but so did the bear.  then the bear noticed kate, right behind her.   he said for one second everyone was frozen in place and he thought kate was a goner.  he said he quietly informed her she better get her dilapidated fanny back on the deck without hesitation or she might become lunch, or at the least, incur a swat she had no hope of surviving at her age.  kate, unbelievably, cooperated.  eric said the bear stood there regarding everyone and it was kind of a tense moment.  then it turned and headed for the ravine.  we lucked out many times when it came to wildlife.  

Now I'm really into nuthatches and chickadees and quail and crows.  But I wanted to commemorate the majestic creatures we shared habitat with in our amazing montana home.  I also wanted to do my version of western interior art and cabin decor.  There is no dearth of moose imagery sponge painted onto table settings.  I wanted to work with the silhouette because it's so iconic, even if you haven't had the pleasure of living with montana wildlife i think these shapes trigger some ancestral memory.  That's why street crossing signs are so effective...in the quickest possible way they convey a message to your brain that circumvents the tediousness of language, or the potential misunderstandings inherent in interpreting language.  But I also wanted to juxtapose these icons with languages real and invented (shorthand), and use vintage text for the histories they invoke.  Coating them in beeswax and resin enhances the visceral experience that their history and our memory of them is important. The beeswax gives a whole other connection to nature and it really sucks the viewer in with its organic, living quality.  These are irresistible and they soon are completely dulled and smudged with fingerprints.  I actually love waiting for this because it's so fun to take a soft cloth and buff them out.  I have been experimenting with polar fleece, sheepskin, microfiber, cloth diapers...they all work well and bring up this amazing luster that almost looks like enamel but for the soft lumps and swells of the wax.  It reminds me of putting parade wax on my dressage boots...you can never buff them enough and each round brings up new discoveries and further progress.  sigh.  okay, i'm a weirdo.  i just told you i love polishing my riding boots.  yes, i did.

enjoy this series and if you know of any interior designers or catalogues that you think need to carry them, please let me know or feel free to forward my blog and info.  i thought i would shop them around a little and get feedback.  i thought they'd also make a great housewarming gift for anyone buying a new mountain abode or decorating a cabin; i think they're flexible enough they could work with a range of design sensibilities, from modern to more traditional and rustic.

have a marvelous day and thank you for being here. 

Etsy Honors

I am honored and thrilled to be included in yet another Etsy Treasury.  Treasuries are like little gallery shows curated by fellow Etsians, usually work assembled around a theme.  I've been really lucky and blessed to have been featured in five treasuries since i began with etsy, which is just a few months ago.

This time the theme is Painterly Painter Paintings, something I find especially complimentary, since a more painterly approach is kind of bucking the tide these days in terms of commercial work.  And it's just wonderful to be acknowledged and know that someone is enjoying and noticing you.  Thanks, Etsy!  here's the link, check it out, there are some really impressive talents in this gallery:http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=42148

Why Harpies? and Last 3 Paintings for Gallery Show

Punxsutawney Phil has spoken and the word is six more weeks of winter.  I have plenty to do indoors anyway, so this internment is for the greater good of my household and bank account - taxes, for one thing...eeeek!  typical right brain weirdo i completely freak about numbers and also need a sympathetic tax preparer in the spokane area...anyone out there care to toss me a name?  On the flagging morale of "six more weeks of winter" that some of you might feel, i've been looking at it this way:  my nieces are kick ass skiers and they have that much more time to perfect their technique (so instead of thinking how crappy six more weeks of winter is for those of us whose sport is, oh, RIDING HORSES, let's think about how this weather is GREAT for someone else!  yay!)...also, a simple re-frame of the "six weeks" idea; instead of listening to Punxsutawney Phil, listen to Bourne Lane Fred:  Summer's Comin'! Okay, I talk about the weather a lot.  I live in the country.  Now, Why Harpies.  I give a pretty good 2 second version of the Oresteia, which should explain why all women should proudly and prominently display harpy images wherever and whenever possible.  Click here to read it.  This artwork is also in my cafepress site so you can get it on t-shirts, tiles, aprons, and BABY CLOTHES...for the infant feminist in your life!  (i didn't say infantile.)  If someone orders the onesie with a harpy on it could you please send me a picture of the baby wearing it?  I'd be so proud to put her on my blog. And finally, I finished the last three paintings for the gallery show in Ballard which opens on Valentine's Day!   They need to dry for a few days before I can coat them with beeswax and resin and make them look really scrumptious, then some final touches and ship them off for the curator, Rebecca DeVere, to hang.  I'm sad I can't go to the opening, I'm excited to be a part of this show...maybe anyone in Seattle would like to stop in?

Valentine's Art Now On Etsy and Cafepress

These four new Valentine's images are now available at my Cafepress site (click on the link to the left) on t-shirts, baby clothes (i especially think the fish/heart/skull image is really cute on the onesie), mousepads, tiles, clocks, aprons, pillows, etc.  The original paintings are now for sale on my etsy store (click on the second link down on the left), and I will be offering prints there for anyone who is interested.  Whew.  It's hard being organized, i'm exhausted.  I think it must be wine time :)

More New Paintings!

I painted my head off yesterday. These will be on my etsy site as soon as they're dry enough to scan.  

Valentine's Paintings

I'm having a blast making bunches of little love themed paintings.  No classic romantic love imagery, but love through a different lense (okay, when it comes to dogs and cats and ponies i am probably more schmaltzy than most greeting cards out there; unabashedly smitten with the creatures).  I'm especially enjoying the "Harpy Love" series.  I think women should embrace their inner harpy and anyone lucky enough to be partnered with a harpy should just submit.  These paintings have me penciling out some designs for a series of greeting cards featuring harpy love.  Does anyone out there know of a greeting card company that would be interested in printing these?  I am pondering whether i should even consider submitting them to the usual suspects:  "Harpy Birthday"  "Embrace your Inner Harpy".  More about harpies tomorrow and my association with a fabulous new feminist blog that features my work on their banner, with a credit and link to my website and etsy shop!  yay!  

Christmas Cards by Ursula Dodge

BRRRR!!!!  it is currently negative six degrees here.  yes.  right now.  i'm typing this wearing my flannel jammies, down booties, a girlie pink thermal shirt, polar fleece jacket and polar fleece hat.  This back room we cavalierly call the "office" is not in the warm part of the house, so I shan't linger.  I shall spend the day sitting in the room with the pellet stove where the dogs and their stacks of beds are currently decamped, and I will get a lot of painting done today {after a stint on the treadmill, of course}.  I feed my horses four times a day and I will kiss them quickly and make sure their blankets are properly adjusted, but we won't be getting very much face time in this weather.  Prospero is very understanding as he has grown into a fine gentleman and he does not blame me for the weather.  My little redhead, Portia, is less so.  Down time makes her Furioso!  She bucks and shakes her fist at the gods and tosses her head and looks like a crazed little Pict with her dreadlocked mane and her impossibly thick tail and her furry feet.  With all this spare time on her hands she has been busying herself disassembling my barn.  I roll my eyes every time I go out there and discover what fresh mischief she has devised.  None of it is dangerous, just unsightly, and my "to do" list to finish the barn when the weather is decent again, just keeps getting longer, thanks to my darling girl.

I designed a line of Christmas cards for Masterpiece Studios when we first moved here last year and I have had many people contact me about where to purchase them.  In the not-too-distant future we are going to be selling the products I design for other companies from our own website, for now you can google my name or you can go to Masterpiece's website and click on "Where to Buy" at the top of their home page and a list of stores will come up.  If you type my name in as the keyword on their search you will get a page that shows all the designs of mine that they carry.  Good luck, and let me know if you need any assistance finding something, or wait for me to get further down that path and I'll be selling them myself!  Stay warm, and as our friend Fred says:  "Summer's comin'!"

Three More For Friends & Family Show

Had a really successful day painting yesterday, and now I'm totally spent.  Slept completely and heavily through the night and was so surprised when the alarm went off at 5am...it felt as if i'd just blinked my eyes. Kate usually gets me up at 3 to go potty (that is one of my old weimaraners, if you follow this blog you will certainly see paintings of her), i wonder if she tried but i was so dead to the world she gave up.  that would be a first.   I'm working on a series of nine paintings entitled "A Compendium of Heroines"...each painting looks like a page torn from a children's book, a very old-fashioned children's book, more like a fairy tale with mystery and darkness and things that need to be solved and possible dangers on the hero's journey, except all the heroes are girls.  A world populated with talking animals and nature figure heavily, just like in my world :) Last night i finished the second set of three and i just had my groove on.  I stopped once briefly to eat some oatmeal (right now it has to be steel cut oats with walnuts and dried cranberries and maple syrup), and then i stopped for a while to eat dinner with my husband.  he watched movies while i kept painting and listening to the movies and frequently asking him to narrate, which could be completely annoying under certain circumstances, but my husband is very patient.  It was a thriller so there wasn't a lot of dialogue and the music would change and mostly i could follow based on that...maybe you're not surprised to hear that the final third of a thriller involves lots of high drama soundtrack and the actors grunting a lot.  So i would say "What just happened?" and eric would say "Someone just walked behind the car and she didn't see them...it's foggy."  Now that i think of it, the movie was probably much more interesting broken down and digested by my husband and relayed to me, like watching a movie through morse code.