Get outside

This beautiful weather makes me want to spend more time outdoors. With this in mind, I ponder creating spaces for sculpture outside in our personal environments. Now is the time of year to install sculpture in our gardens, in our woods or on our decks. The ability to interact with artworks outdoors is not a new concept.

In centuries past, we were shown gardens filled with sculpture in the somewhat formal landscapes of the English, Italians or French. Themes for sculptures might range from human or animal form, humorous, abstract to utilitarian. Sculpture creates scale in our landscape. Depending on placement, create a unexpected surprise in a landscaped vista.

Today, we enjoy sculpture in a natural and or created environment, perhaps a less formal style than previous designed gardens. Our gardens like our walls of our homes are a personal expression. Indoors and out, living with the beauty of art, is a constant theme.

This past week, I helped with 2 sculpture installations. One for a client and one in my own yard. It's all about incorporating sculpture into your environment. The places where art and nature intersect. It is the texture, the ability to touch and how bronze or stone feels to your touch. The light bouncing off the surface. These special places allow us to reflect and to meditate.

Take a look out side. Find a spot for art in your yard. This is a good thing.

Sculpture news:

Walking past the gallery, Winter Mandala, by David Eisenhour is on view. This bronze was recently written up in Sculpture Magazine, June 2009...."loosely referenced Buddhist spirituality, it also suggested the balance between man and the natural world. David taking inspiration from a sand dollar that served as a personal meditative aid, David's larger than life bronze form displays the marine animals' five fold radial symmetry, together with the pores that draw water into internal vascular system and allow it to move, thereby underscoring an important interdependence between the environment and those that live in it "....


Tom Small will install a new steel and stone sculpture in front of the gallery sometime next week. Pretty exciting to have another beautiful piece of sculpture outside. The gallery has been showing Tom's work for 23 years. Inside the gallery, are a few stone basin sculpture that would be a beautiful addition to any garden.

If you have peeked in the gallery's rear windows, one cannot help but smile at
Barbara Duzan's latest paper mache image sculpture, "I am a star". A black and white dog sits with foot resting on a hand beaded starred ball. The look in this dogs eyes is hard to resist.

[No this one is for indoor only]. And then there were bronze puppies, Yes that 's true. There's one begging for attention, another rolling over, one playing with a butterfly and one just looking at you. They do beg for adoption.

In any weather, we can experience of art in an outdoor environment. get outside and visit a sculpture park, ie Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park, the local Wescott Bay Sculpture Park or one of my favorites, Storm King Art Center Sculpture.

A visit to the garden

Ralph welcomes Georgia & Gail

Every year in Spring, I feel so privileged to visit a few gardens
on Whidbey Island.These visits started many years ago. The annual garden party created a way to share interests among myself, my staff and a few artists.
While enjoying lunch together,
we talk about art, gardens and plants.

Tree Peony

Driving south to the bottom of Whidbey Island, I stop by Gail Gwinn's place in Coupeville for a studio visit. Her husband Joe Patrick, undertook a huge gardening project last year. This year he is doing the house remodel thing, so not much time left for gardening. This past winter, Joe was able to renovate Gail's studio. It is a beautiful place for Gail to create intaglios or paint in.
Everything had a place and it seemed just right. No garden party here.

Continuing driving south, I stop at Anne Belov's home. Anne built her home at the edge of the woods. It has taken a few years for her gardens to fill in. Her gardens are a beautiful mix of plants, some given from friends and some bought. These plants take turns flowering thru out the year. Always looking beautiful. No garden party here.

Anne & Gail in the garden

The location of this years party was at Anne's good friend,
Ralph Hastings home. His fabulous home and gardens are called Froggwell located in Langley. This garden was planted approximately 25 years ago. Lots of design and intent are evident by each of the garden areas. The artistic views down the garden. The egrets nest high in the trees. A place for all types of peonies. A boxwood hedge. A bronze Scottie dog named Kelz. An unkempt section with Columbine and the biggest Trilliums I have ever seen. Lots of Rhododendrons. Maples and many plants whose names I cannot remember, some very unusual. Over the years as plants live and occasionally perish, this garden has evolved. Truly magnificent and stately in an unpretentious manner. This is the place to be the first weekend in August for an art exhibition.

Personally, this garden visit represents the arrival [finally] of SPRING.
Some years not much in bloom, this year the garden is spectacular.

After the garden walking tour led by Ralph, we adjourn to the table.
The delight of sitting in this magnificent garden setting, eating fabulous food,
drinking the occasional glass of Proseco and sharing all sorts of stories.
This is very special to me. This year was cold and a bit wet.
An experience I treasure, a story still unfolding.

The cast of the garden party group
is of Anne Belov, Gail Gwinn, and
new to the group, Georgia Gerber.

Pictured from left, Gail Gwinn, standing, me ,Georgia Gerber, Anne Belov and Ralph Hastings

Unfortunately, my fabulous shop girls, Carla Wright and Julie Anderson were unable to join me. Little do they know if this weather holds on, we have agreed to do this garden party again.

Summer hats will be mandatory not rain hats.

Ahhh here's to spring and the beauty of gardens.
Cheers

Love Always, Live

Somehow this past weekend, I ended up at 2 different theatrical events.
The first one is the San Juan Community Theater's presentation of the Patsy Kline story entitled, Always, Patsy Kline with 2 amazing and talented woman, Kate Schuman as Patsy Kline and Julie Greene as her friend, Louise. The play about the short life of this country singing artist, Patsy Kline was well done. Having a live band of local musicians on stage was fabulous. I did not know that she died as young as she did. What I loved was how the songs touched my heart. The songs were sung with gusto and grace. I gained a greater understanding of this singer's short life as the show was based on the correspondence of these 2 woman over a 2 year period .

This play is up for the next week at the San Juan Community Theater, if in Friday Harbor, go and see it. You can sing , dance and yes even a bit of a cry!

The next day I had the pleasure of getting on the 8 Am boat to the mainland. My idea of fun for Mother's Day was to have an experience to share with my 21 year old son. My choice, the Seattle Opera's presentation of the Marriage of Figaro. I had taken my son to another opera,The Skagit Opera's LaTraviata at McIntyre Hall in Mt Vernon. I wanted to share my enthusiasm of how wonderful the Seattle Opera is at McCaw Hall.
Turns out, I was not alone in my idea of how to spend Mother's Day! [Another story]

The singing was wonderful, the sets were very minimal, and the sounds produces by a live full orchestra are music for my soul! For an opera, it was very funny and contemporary in issues. Love as a theme. Love as an object lesson and love lost and regained. [Hmm no war in this one] I loved it, even though that song [think cartoon] that you think of in Figaro, is really not in the opera the Marriage of Figaro. My son, sat through the opera, though he did admit to dozing off. I asked him what he thought. He stated, Mom, I loved the music, but it took so long to get through it! Hmm to me this was enjoyment. I will find a new artful experience for us to share on Mother's Day next year.

Unleashed - Catherine Eaton Skinner

Warm and sunny. Gorgeous day in the neighborhood !

I have spent the day,hanging,talking,typing and cleaning up here at the gallery. The vacuuming is yet to be done! Catherine dropped off the books for the show. The gallery looks great !

A bit of background on this show I am opening on Saturday. In fall of 2006, this exhibition of mixed media encaustic paintings Unleashed was premiered. There were approximately 30 paintings in this show. It was a wonderful exhibition of paintings of the animals that dwell in the wilderness of the landscape. The range of animals ran from a Yak to Lizards, Zebra to Monkeys, Antelope to Polar Bear. The show was a compilation of images. Some animals where seen in total, others an element, specifically an eye.

Saturday's show celebrates the book Unleashed, published in conjunction with the University of Washington Press and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. All paintings from the original exhibition are featured in the book. The book retails for $ 50. Catherine will sign and dedicate your copy.

Selected mixed media encaustic paintings on view at the gallery and
posted on the gallery's web site

Selected animals from the book, have been reproduced in an edition of 9 prints.These images are pigment ink prints pulled on rag paper that measures 36 x 24. A few are hanging at the gallery. Stop by and see the show

Concepia, The NEW gallery in Town

Last weekend, I went to the first in a series of photographers talks at John Sinclair's gallery called Concepia (concepia.com).

It is located above the ferry lot in that (not quite new building and across the street from the Market Chef). A small brightly lit, very inviting
space that was hosting it's opening show with works by Randy Laybourne, a young photographer. This is his first gallery show. The
theme of the show was his travels from Southern California to Vancouver, BC.

The featured photographs are all about the roads less traveled featuring the odd, and the unusual. Reminds me of many road trips I have taken. Randy is a good conversationalist. We chatted travels, and cameras. I learned from Randy about a technique of shooting traditional slide film and cross processing; i.e. the slide film is developed as photo/neg film. It leads to uncanny color results, sometimes the color is pushed but magic occurs !

As an artist/photographer Randy's favorite cameras are old SLR Nikon's especially the FE. He is not much of a digital fan. If he needs a digital camera, he borrows his dads' big Nikon. As a young
photographer his attitude to new experiences are open. He is not entrenched in technique. His works are reminiscent of past travel documentaries, yet Randy ad's his own unique perspective on the subject matter.

Definitely a show worth catching in Friday Harbor . This show is up until May 29th.
Gallery hours are Tuesday ~ Saturday 10 to 5, other times by appointment.
Concepia's address is 232 "A" St. #7, Friday Harbor, 360.378.3686. www.concepia.com.

Kudos's to John for opening up a new art space in these interesting times.

Georgia Gerber - Rabbits, seals & more

Earlier this week in cold and rainy weather, I welcomed a new artist to the gallery. Georgia Gerber, an artist whose works brings a smile to your face. She has the ability to capture animals at ease with a grace and a beautiful clean line quality.

Georgia's husband Randy is in charge of all installations, [How lucky can you get !].
SO this past week, Randy and his able helper, Kelly loaded the bunnies and a few other bronze sculptures into his truck with lots of tools to insure the ease of installation. They were hopping the weather would cooperate, as luck would have it , only a few sprinkles of rain as they were finishing up. I photographed the process and will share a few images.

When you walk past the gallery you will now break into a smile when welcomed to with these sweet bunnies! Other works by Georgia are on display at the gallery and will be posted to my website shortly.

What's new

What a funny morning, It is April fool's and the weather concurs. It snowed this morning. Nothing stuck in my neighborhood.

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 2, the gallery is reopening. I am some new info to share on artists

represented by the gallery.

Got to visit the studio of Anne Belov, and returned to the gallery with a few amazing paintings. She makes the chaos of a kitchen almost look holy! With her homage to Vermeer, her color
palette is amazing.


On a side note, in these interesting times, Anne has started to write a blog on cartooning.
She populates her blog with a quirky collection of Pandas [there's a reason. read her blog] and cats. The blog is being dictated to her by her cat!
Cheers.

Here is the blog. http://yourbrainonpandas.blogspot.com