We've been busy putting a big window and a double glass door in the front studio wall. It will be great to have more light for the winter.  We're almost there - the doors are under that glob of tarp in front.  A little ceiling insulation, and it will be  cozy for the winter - with a new view!

I have pieces in a few holiday exhibitions but I've been a little slow getting to studio work this fall. I'm looking forward to sliding into high gear for winter.

One of my new collectors suggested I try vineyards or lavender fields, so I ventured forth.  Here are some images I took during the process. Rows are challenging when you're working in layers. I think I'll try a few more, just to get the hang of it.

The studio tour was so much fun. I was not expecting a huge turnout, but there was a steady stream of art lovers through the weekend. If you made it over to the island you probably saw this piece in process on the light table. It's all done, named "View from the Forest Floor".

This morning I took a few photos of it, then delivered it to the Rob Schouten Gallery. During the month of September I'll have pieces in their Feature Glass Exhibition; Rob Adamson, Katrina Hude and I will be showing our work. The gallery looks amazing!

There are quite a few photos of the show here. Take a peek, and try to make it over for the opening - Friday, September 2, 5-7PM.  We'd love to see you there!

Steph

Here comes the countdown to my open studio weekend - 10 days to go.

I know we are all busy. I'm sure many of you have more complicated lives than me, the lazy island diva. 

But, yikes.

I'm in the midst of making a few landscapes for the upcoming September show at the Rob Shouten Gallery and finishing up a couple commissions. Oh - and getting ready to host a big multi-person birthday party for my lovely August-September relatives.

I thought you might need a good laugh, so I am posting some images of what my studio looks like this afternoon.  Maybe later I'll post "after" photos and we can play "spot the difference".  Maybe we'll only have to spot 10 differences... depends on how well I apply myself.

Whining aside, I am really looking forward to the open studio. It's nice to get a chance to talk to everybody in a more relaxed atmosphere and it will be fun to show visitors how the work is made. I promise it won't be as scary as sausage.

Please come visit! My studio on Whidbey Island will be open August 27 & 28, 10AM-5PM each day.

Here's a link to my page in the studio tour brochure. And here's a link to the Whidbey Working Artists site. If you click on "catalogue" you can download a brochure showing all the participating studios. I'll also have brochures available at my studio. Plan to stay a while, take a little refreshment in the shade and talk art!

See you there-
Steph

Well, believe it or not, I'm done. I hardly know what to do with myself, I've been immersed in this project for so long.

The exhibition, "Art-A-Day", will run May 4-29, 2016. Opening night is Friday, May 6th, 6-8 pm at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, Oregon.

All three groups, ten of each, have been built, coated with color, slumped and attached to wall hangers. Next I'll photograph each group to use as a rough guide for the gallery folks to use to hang the show.

In retrospect, it was wonderful to be able to dive into a new way of working and draw the experiments out over such a long period of time. What a luxury. I think it was a good idea to build three groups, each group having a similar shape and color palette to help it hang together. That gave me a chance to really think about the inspiration for each group and explore a more abstract color application than I've done in the past. I feel like I can stand on this experience as I push into making bigger, more sculptural work.

It's a little unnerving to think about showing work that's so completely new for me. But how many chances do you get to be brave and stick your neck out like this? It's probably good for my character (which can always use some improvement).

I am finished; I did my best. I will imagine them hanging on a nice, white wall, and sleep the sleep of the just.

Steph



p.s.
I set up my art festival booth in the driveway on a dim day in February (the best I could in the middle of winter - photo above) and grabbed a shot to be used for applying to shows. At that point some of the pieces had not even been slumped yet but I tossed in what I had, to give jury members an idea of the type and scale of the new work. The Art-A-Day project pieces are the rounds and ovals on the back wall and the sail shapes on the right.