Happy Wednesday morning! This week I got a head start on making backing material for the Minis! Additionally, the big piece of Mt. Baker with snow covered trees has gone home. I have mixed feelings about sending her on her way but I'm glad my patron is pleased with the work. :)

The Mt. Baker piece above is 8 feet tall! I can't wait to start my next big one! I'm thinking that it will be Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon. I'll have to hike in and do more studies of it. Below is a watercolor I did last spring of the falls a a peak flow. I'm thinking this one may be only 6 feet tall.

Also, I made some progress with a few more of the Minis. I finished painting them and now all that's left is to seal and varnish them! I'll have those done by the end of the week. Check 'em out! I'll have the finished ones up on my Facebook page as soon as they're done!

 As always, checkout my Facebook page for more regular updates. 

www,facebook.com/NWbySE

www.nwbysefineart.com

For infomation about purchasing works or to inquire about an appointment,

 please contact me at:

nwbysefineart@gmail.com

As always the week went by fast! I made some headway on three more pieces in the Mini series and continued my work on 'Flight II' for display that The Dalles Art Center. 'Flight II' is almost finished and will get delivered tomorrow! Whoot!

Below is a shot of 'Flight II' from Monday.

 The current state of my paint table. Thanks North Shore Cafe for all the coffee and love!

 

 My partner, Dixie-Mae, is clearly not impressed by my work this week. I'll have to see if I can live up to her expectations this coming week!


Thanks for checking in!

For fun from the stuido with me at:

www.facebook.com/NWbySE

www.nwbysefineart.com 

If you are interested in making an appointment or would like to inqure about a comission feel free to email me at:

nwbysefineart@gmail.com

The 'Mini Me' project is coming along quite well! My goal is to have 50 available in time for the Gorge Artist Open Studio Tour this coming April. (http://www.gorgeartists.org/home) I'm well on my way there too! So far I have 19 Minis Finished and ready for sale with 8 others in the works that should be done soon! Check out what I have so far: 

for more 'Mini Me' photos check out the album at www.facebook.com/NWbySE

I've also been working steadily on a piece for the Preview Show for GAOS that will be at The Dalles Art Center for the month of March. Its been a bit slow going for the last week and a half. I pinched my sciatic nerve and couldn't walk for a few days and then just as I was getting better Dixie-Mae got sick! We are both doing better now and back hard at work :) I wasn't planning on sharing photos of 'Flight II' before it goes up at The Dalles Art Center but I just can't help myself! Here's a peek:

 

'Flight II' is an evolved version of a piece I did in 2012 that I really enjoyed making, that also started my use of line and geometric shape with raptors. Since then I've began to use a lot more curvilinear lines in my compositions and I was curious to see these subtle differences side by side in essentially the same composition. It feels really good to go back to my roots

.

   I finished the under painting (shown above) last night and I'm hoping to have all the shapes painting in by the end of the day today. My goal is to have it ready to drop off by Saturday February 22, just a few days from now! Maybe I won't be able to contain the enthusiasm for 'Flight II' and post a preview here... we'll just have to wait and see!

 As always, checkout my Facebook page for more regular updates. 

www.facebook.com/NWbySE

www.nwbysefineart.com

For infomation about purchasing works or to inquire about an appointment,

 please contact me at:

nwbysefineart@gmail.com

Over the past week I've been trying to get my projects in order. For March I'm working on a submission for the Woodburn Art Center themed 'Tulips and other Bulbs' right now I'm still working on sketches for it. Also, my sister is finally having me make some art for her home! Yay! Sketching that one out too. In the meantime I have to keep my hands busy and so I'm making Minis! These are 5x5" pieces on wood that allow me to experiment with background colors and pairing them with a complementary varnish color. To start off I made some Mini Dog Walkers in black and white.

 Above is a shot of my workbench- complete with ear protection and coffee!

To the left are the Mini Dog Walkers before painting and varnishing. I think that I'll do a few of these mini pieces with plain wood grain and colored varnish too, just to change things up a bit. I'm sanding down some Accidental Paintings later today that are also mini sized. Super excited about those since only folks that have been to my studio have seen them thus far! Treats!
Below are the first minis! Hope you enjoy!

 As always, checkout my Facebook page for more regular updates. 

www.facebook.com/NWbySE

www.nwbysefineart.com

For infomation about purchasing works or to inquire about an appointment,

 please contact me at:

nwbysefineart@gmail.com

Things are finally calming down around here! The past three months have been super exciting and full of new (and old) projects! November was excellent! I had work up at North Shore Cafe in White Salmon and had a hugely successful raffle and even a few sales!  Unfortunately, my camera was broken at that time so I was unable to get any pictures. In early December I was fortunate enough to assist in some small ways with the relocation of Solstice Woodfire Pizza. 

Below is the sign for the hostess stand I did for them:

This is a shot of how it looked prior to painting in the black area. This was all done with a router and then painted in! No wood burning involved at all. 

In addition to making the sign for the hostess stand I was also asked to put some work up in Solstice for their first quarter- so my work will be up there through mid-February! I've really enjoyed getting to know the folks that own and work as Solstice. Its been a great experience all around. 

I also finished up a piece I had been working on for some time in order to have it at Solstice too. This is a shot after I finished painting it but before it was varnished. 

 The final piece just sings to my soul. There was nothing else to call it but 'Jubilation' of everything I have done recently I really think that I like this to most. What a great feeling at the end of the day. When I make good work it reminds me of why I make art. Not every piece can bee as deeply satisfying. I am continually thankful for all the support of my friends and family.

Since working with North Shore and Solstice I have finally finished up work on the large commission I began work on this pas August. I'm dedicating my next blog entry to chronicling that piece. So there's more to come!  Check back next week. Cheers!

*For more information about Solstice please visit them at (http://solsticewoodfirecafe.com/ and at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Solstice-Wood-Fire-Cafe-Bar/100597711940?ref=mf).
Also, please support my friends at North Shore Cafe (http://northshorecafe.weebly.com/ and at https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Shore-Cafe/344663625574736)