PUTZING AROUND

It's been one of those days of doing a little of this and that--I fixed my director's chair which I use at shows--the footrest broke last weekend while I was at the Oakland Farmer's market. I had to go to the bank & redeposit a check that didn't clear. And I went and voted--not much action at the polls. I cleaned up the studio a little---I just bought and put together a new bookcase, so I could clear out some more boxes and try to get organized here! So I got rid of the packing stuff. I worked on 2 paintings and I worked in my "garden" (pictured above) which is actually a porch overlooking the gas pumps of the gas station where my studio is located. So I have things in pots and some plants in hanging pots & amazingly enough, they are all really doing well. (Guess they like the gas fumes!) I had bought a couple of new plants, so I put those in the larger pots, and did some trimming and watering & a little reorganizing out there as well. I have a hose hanger I want to put up--decided where it is to go (but didn't get that part done). All in all, a fairly satisfying day as far as accomplishments go.

Weather today in Point Reyes: Socked in drippy fog this morning, but not too cold. The sun came out about 11 AM and it was quite nice until the wind came up. Now(5:30 PM) it is very windy, there is still a bit of sun, but the fog is looming on the horizon.

Images: Top--Looking down the porch "garden"-my front door is on the left.

Middle-Bench with variegated geraniums & primroses

Bottom-Pot with Arctic Summer plant (I love that name!) surrounded by Petunias

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND OPEN STUDIOS

Our PROS group pulled off another of our semi annual events. Again, it seemed to be mostly a successful venture for those involved. I had a steady stream of visitors all weekend, but not quite the crowds we get for the Thanksgiving event. And I think if I had done a mailout instead of just an email invite, I may have gotten more attendance. (Always something new to learn!) My sales were not great the first two days, but sales on Monday made up for it. I had a wonderful response to my work, and again, many comments on the extremely high quality of work in our group. It was really good to clean up the studio & see all the work up on the walls, since it's usually wrapped, stacked & ready to go to a show. So now I am trying to put the studio back into "work mode" & get back to the business of painting.

Today I did a teleseminar with Alyson Stanfield about how to make and sell e-books. It was very informative & part of the information will be provided to us in an e-book. I had never thought about doing something like that before, but in her class description, she said that we all have knowledge that we could share with others (and maybe get paid for) by creating e-books. So I was intrigued. I can't wait to actually get the e-book & see how it all works. Alyson has also recently come out with a book called "I'd Rather Be In The Studio" that is a must-have for all artists working at selling and promoting their work. I interviewed her on this blog as part of her blog tour earlier this year. (Posted on April 3) Check it out.

Image: "Buddha and Monkey" acrylic on canvas 12" x 12" $295.

OPEN STUDIO PREVIEW

This weekend is our Springtime edition of Point Reyes Open Studios. It will be Sat Sun & Mon from 11 to 5. As usual, we have a great lineup of artists. There are 22 artists participating this time, in all kinds of mediums--and the quality of the work is exceptional. This is a really fun event to attend because the artists' work is so good and our community is so beautiful and inviting. The entire group is spread in such a small area that it makes it easy to get around to everyone's studio. We also have a great website where you can download and print out a map, and also see examples of artists' work. Go to http://pointreyesart.com/

As usual, I am way behind in my preparations, so I need to get busy. I am posting a couple of new paintings as a little preview. Enjoy!

Images:

Top "Pileated" Acrylic on canvas 12" x 9"

Bottom "Woodpecker Wannabe" 10" x 10"