Thirty-one! show - tomorrow

OH gosh, there's so much to do and only ONE of me. Everyone I know is feeling that way lately. Well, if you live in Portland and aren't already overbooked for Friday (tomorrow) night, there's a great benefit show that might be perfect for you.

the show: Thirty-one artists have taken on the challenge to paint thirty-one paintings in thirty-one days. The resulting 961 new paintings will be unveiled at the opening extravaganza on Aug. 1st, 2008. Nine hundred and thirty small paintings (7" x 7") will be for sale for thirty-one dollars each. Thirty-one larger paintings (20" x 20") will be silently auctioned at the opening (opening bid...thirty-one dollars).

the greater good: A portion of the proceeds from "Thirty-one!" will be donated to Artists for the Arts whose mission is to ensure that the arts remain an integral part of education for children in Portland Metro-area schools. AFTA raises funding and awareness through the collaborative efforts of artists, businesses, educators, organizations and the community.

curator and organizer: Flora S. Bowley is a painter and arts organizer living in Portland, OR.

Again, that's tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 1st, 2008, at OM Tradition Arts. 14 NE 10th Ave. @ E. Burnside, Portland, OR. Here's their website. See you there!

a bright cheery show : Amy Ruppel

It's been very gray in Portland, Oregon for weeks and so Amy Ruppel's show at Grassy Knoll Gallery felt like a burst of much needed summer color. Her Migratory Patterns show included hand block printed fabric curtains, whimsical houses and of course, birds. This girl doesn't slow down either. After a day off she was back in her studio painting, painting for her online sale today! And if you haven't met Amy in person, let me tell you, she is as sweet as they come! Also I saw the lovely Susan of Sulu Designs and Tsilli of newKetubah. Tsilli also makes gorgeous art with thread and paper. Take a look here. Happy Monday everyone!

PiP Gallery Show

24 artist, 24 hour show at PiP Gallery was so much fun! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy and if you love one of the pieces, let me know, it might still be available! Did I also mention, the pieces were only $24 for the night?! They might be a little more expensive now. Ryan Dobrowski, artist and PiP gallery owner, gets to say how much they are now ;)

Ryan painting the windows to promote the show.

After meeting at the 11am start time, everyone got to work. I decided that I would create pieces from materials I found at Scrap that day. It's always a joy going to Scrap. The non-profit is a fantastic place in my neighborhood that promotes community creative reuse of materials that are normally thrown away. Not only are the materials super cheap, there are always gems like dental x-rays to be found there. I also picked up The New York Times and The Washington Post for articles to inspire my work. I wanted to really push the 24 hour theme into everything… the materials and the concepts and inspiration… all found and created in 24 hours.

I shared my floor space with wonderfully talented Sarah Landwehr (her etsy site). She created beautiful stick puppets. Oh how I wish I had a picture of them! sorry.

Jackie Avery was also part of our second floor crew. You can see her amazing work here. I'm lame and don't have any pictures of her work either, doh! If I find someone who captured a few shots, I'll be sure to post them.
First floor crew busy workin' hard.

one of my first paintings that night. my favorite little country house scene. this piece didn't end up making it into the final show. i changed her a bit and it's now for sale on my etsy site.

collaborative wall mural

drum roll please… after 24 hours (without sleep) and lot of work and play…here are my final 16 pieces! The first 12 were part of in the news series and the last 4 were titled modern flora. The materials used were file folders, the kind with the metal tabs and letters, wax, pigment, thread, sparkly gold vinyl and a few other elements.

Here's how the sparkly yellow vinyl glows with the flash on.

The news articles for these (above) included (from left to right): Lawmakers Fault FDA on Heparin, Cost and Shortages Threaten Farmers' Crucial Tool: Fertilizer, Soaring Food Prices Imperil Meals for Poor in Cambodia, With Books as a Catalyst, Minneapolis Neighborhood Revives, Shrinking Dollar Meets Its Match In Dolphin Teeth, Who Needs Cachet If You Have New York (about the Tribeca Film Festival)
The news articles for these (above) included (from left to right): Security Council Voices Reluctance to Act on Zimbabwe, Northwest Air CEO Could Get Big Payday, Record Profits Reported for BP and Shell, the last 3 are titled modern flora

24 artists, 24 hour show

I will be up for 24 hours starting tomorrow at 11am to 11am Thursday making art with 24 other artists! I'm looking forward to seeing what we all create and how we might collaborate. Here's the blog link to check out updates throughout the 24 hours.

IDOM show

The show opening was lots and lots of fun. Modi's so wonderfully inviting and her shop is so cozy and beautiful, I loved seeing my work next to her lovely clothing and accessories. My friends were so sweet to come out on a busy Thursday night and fight for parking to see the show. They surprised me by almost buying out the entire show that night!
My friends rock. Thank you!

I've included a few pictures for you to enjoy. Next week, I will have these paintings as well as a few new ones available for sale on a website. I hope that helps those of you outside of Portland enjoy them and maybe pick up a few of your own! happy sunny weekend to you all.

my sweet friend Andrea and me in my new (thanks to Modi!) Aoyama Itchome flower tunic.

Constellations show : this Thursday

A few more pictures before my show on Thursday at Idom…

Aquarius, 12" x 12", $95 sold

Orion, 12" x 12", $95

Phoenix, 4" x 4", $35

So far my friends like these and I sold 4 over the weekend on my etsy site. I have to admit it's really nice when people like my work. I do it because I love it and it has meaning for me but it's truly wonderful to share it with people… like you! Thanks a lot!

Constellations show : next Thursday

Show Poster.
I thought it was funny to have my foot in the background… it's a little like stepping on the universe (the work is based on constellations)!

April Show: Constellations

It's official! I will be showing my new series of encaustic and thread paintings titled Constellations at Idom on the last Thursday of April (the 24th). If you can't wait to get your hands on one, you can go to my etsy site to purchase a small size version for $30. If you live in Portland and would like an invite to the show, please send me a note with your email and Modi at Idom will send one to you! Looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting some new people too!