This piece was a collaborative effort between myself and another local artist, Linda Sandow. There is an art show coming up at our local art center for February called “Duets” and the idea is for artists to work together on a single piece. 

On the Saturday after Christmas, Linda brought a 12×24″ canvas over to my studio downtown (still there for a few weeks, yet) and, listening to instrumental music and chatting (with masks on), we went to work with acrylic paint, brushes and a palette knife.

It took about two hours from start to finish. Here’s the photo reference we used:

Here’s the photo reference we used:

We chose this photo because Linda wanted to do some moodier versions of downtown and liked the idea of using pictures of alleys and backs of buildings–places that are off the beaten path. 

For the painting we used mirror images of the same photo, one on each side of the canvas. Linda had a palette knife and I dug out a couple of brushes and after dividing the canvas right down the middle, we jumped in.

Here’s the time-lapse:

When I saw the time-lapse, I was struck by how differently we approached the work. I painted from the outside in and Linda painted from the inside out. I loved watching her lay on color like icing on a cake, working from light to dark. Such a great contrast to how I worked, sketching in all the shapes first and then going from darkest dark to lightest light, matching values and hues. 

She started giggling toward the end and I asked her what was so funny and she said, “I’m done!” What a great way to signal the end of a painting!

I’m so grateful that Linda agreed to work with me on this. I admire her fearlessness and playfulness and her exuberance! Painting with her was just the pick me up I needed after this year. 

Even though the subject is an alley at night, a typically dreary location, in this piece it is lit up like a Christmas tree and beauty is reflected on every surface. I love how it came together and I really enjoyed sharing this with Linda. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

It’s made me feel more inspired to paint subjects that are hidden and overlooked in the new year and see how I might transform them into something beautiful. And then to see how they transform me.

Thanks to my lovely husband, Steve, my she-shed/studio/woman-cave is all wired up and we are now in the process of insulating the walls and ceiling. Woohoo! We’ve come a long way already!

Next we will be putting up the walls and then a floor and I can start moving my stuff! I’m thinking about a gas wall furnace, too, so it’ll be toasty in the wintertime, but until that happens a couple of space heaters will work just fine.

The walls are gonna be slat boards. I found a ton of them on Craigslist, used, but in great shape. Slat walls are really cool because you can literally cover them with hooks and then you can hang everything everywhere. Hurray! No more clothespins!

And Steve came up with a brilliant plan for the ceiling which involves thin sheets of metal that we can get for practically nothing from the local newspaper office.

As usual, I’m of two minds about the new space. For one thing, it feels like I’ve been waiting all my life for this. Growing up in a large family meant that space was tight for everyone and resources were limited. Since I was little I’ve always dreamed about a big castle where I could do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Steve and I used to daydream about the perfect home/studio combination. “We’ll have a house with a turret on each end,” we’d say, because we each wanted our own private place to make stuff.

But life intervened, as it does. We had kids and a mortgage and all the turret building time got used for other things. No regrets! It’s been a grand adventure so far with more to come.

I’ve been making do with the spaces available to me since we moved back to Michigan in 2016. There was the Makers Market space on the main drag first, which was pretty awesome, not least because I was working adjacent to a lot of creative and crafty people every day. And I’ve enjoyed my various spaces at 307 S. James Street since I’ve been there. Combining creative space with retail has been a learning experience, for sure. I just never knew who was going to walk through the door there. Sometimes it was someone friendly and sometimes it was someone who’d clearly made a mistake. I never did open up my flat black gallery after all that work we did on it, but it’s okay. Everyone’s had to make sacrifices in 2020. Mine haven’t been more than I can handle, certainly, and I feel lucky to have gotten off so lightly compared to so many others.

In a few more weeks I’m going to start a new chapter in my arty art life and I’m feeling by turns gleeful and a little bit freaked by the whole thing. Like I said, two minds. That’s my m.o.

My annual X-mas sale Friday, November 27 through Thursday, December 3, 2020 is officially over.

It’s the end of the line(s)

Please note: I will no longer offer cards and prints handmade in my studio. Cards and prints along with masks and canvas wraps and home decor and t-shirts and all that other swag will still be available, just not made by me personally. Instead, you can find everything in my Fine Art America shop (in the menu on the right).

Basically, I want more time to create original artwork. Making and packaging cards and prints takes time and energy, not to mention space. And, if you didn’t already know, I’m going to be moving soon and there just isn’t room for a big printer, plus all the paper and inks, envelopes, plastic sleeves, mats, foam core, etc., etc. in my new studio. But more about that later. Stay tuned!

Oh, all right, here’s a sneak preview of my soon-to-be-new digs being delivered by the great folks at Wanna Buy Sheds…

Once I get it wired up and put some heat in there, it’ll be sweet! Promise I’ll post pictures as I go.