River Garden Studio

the road home

Last week when we drove home from the ocean the world had turned yellow.

This yellow light cast a glow over the northwest...

Trees shimmered in canyons along rivers.

We traveled by four rivers on the road home.  The Coquille, the Umpqua, the Rogue and the Klamath.

 

Hydrangias await in this new yellow light...

I painted a new page in my journal.

Trees lit up the meadows and this farmhouse.  We were almost home now...

Trees at home welcome us as we look west to where the rivers meet the ocean across the Cascade mountains.

The bridge over our river welcomed.  The deepest blue ever in the late afternoon.

Now I am home .  I watch the leaves fall from my studio table and the deer eating them from the ground... They seem to love these mountain ash.  We have given up trying to keep them out of our front garden.  Our dog has given up as well.

 

These are projects I am working on, pages of my book exchange with Seth, Evidence of Autumn.  I did four pages this weekend and have loved this creative burst.  We will be posting the final products in the near future...

 

the ocean calls

The ocean called again this weekend.  This time for a family camping trip. I missed my art so much that I took it all with me.  This is my interpretation of Cleopatra,  I used a statue of her that was on the cover of a Natural History magazine for inspiration.  She is finished now...I imagine her gazing across the ocean, ready to fight for her country.  She rests inside my Open Doors journal...

Here are some treasures from the beach, a cold and blusterly day... but so joyous. I grew up in an ocean town, and I miss long winter walks on the beach.

Rocks and pebbles from below our favorite fish market.  This is also where I found the rusty metal to use in paintings.

Christopher...

Some nature groupings.  I love the huge nail... what a great find.

 

 

Chris and Jim, my two guys...

This is another page in my Open Doors journal...

An evening of music.

I drew and painted these coastal leaves on our way home, then I crumpled up the paper and got it wet... I'll use these on a journal page someday...

Another new piece of art that has been transforming for a few weeks now.  Also the same theme as my "of shells and butterfly wings."  I will call this one, "out of the gold dust."  I actually sprinkled sand and metal bits on to this piece.  The feather is a photo of one of my red tail hawk feathers, and the little watercolor is a black-capped chickadee. Real feathers are inlayed into layers of gel medium.

Designs in nature.

Duende: an artist who has flamenco in her soul...

I just got home from a trip to the Oregon Art Educators Fall Conference.  I traveled with three other art teachers from my area, across the mountains and to the sea...

This is a view from our balcony at Driftwood Shores in Florence, Oregon.

Nick Bantock was our keynote speaker.  I do not have words to describe how inspiring he was.  His message was to us all as teachers of art.  To be a full, complete person and a great teacher we need to take time to be creative ourselves... and to share our passion with our students.

He talked of Duende, which to him is something or someone that is even more powerful than a muse. 

That art equals spirituality that equals life.

He believes that you need to balance yourself as a lover, healer, warrior, and trickster.  And that when you are in a problematic situation, step back and let your warrior take charge.

One of my favorite things that he said was this:  "Art is developing a dialogue with the piece that you are working on, an having IT tell you what it needs..."

This is one of his "stamps" from and imaginary country that he created.

I had some incredible workshops.  Above and below are encaustic art pieces by Oregon artist, Andrea Benson. Her art and her story telling were magical.

The next workshop was about collage.  Our instructor, Mark Andres, also an award winning Oregon Artist and teacher of college art, had us try to create the feel of different pieces of art in a collage, using magazine clippings for color.  He had us work upside down. What an experience!   His gentle and passionate teaching was very moving and also an inspiration for me... Here is an example of the end result:

The above piece is by the artist, Kat Cunningham who I really enjoyed meeting from Florence, Oregon...

And it was lovely meeting Abby, an artist from Sisters who did this painting as part of her river series.

And here I am, home again with my cat Gemini, taking a break from my computer...