Fade to White Opossum
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Tag Archives: Fundraiser
Fade to White Fern
Fade to White Brown Bat
Fade to White Black Bear
Fade to White Rabbit
Fade to White Scrub Jay
Fade to White – 50 in 50 days!
I am delighted to share that I have completed my 50 paintings in 50 days for the Sanchez Art Center’s 50 : 50 Show, September 1 – October 1 in Pacifica, California! I was juried into this show of 60 Bay Area artists by San Francisco gallerist Jack Fischer, with the idea of to exploring albinism and leucism in our native flora ad fauna.
This show is a fundraiser for the center and I am offering my 6″ x 6″ oil and encaustic paintings for $150 (unframed), with a 10% discount for two. I will be uploading these images to my website portfolio (under Flora and Fauna) in the next few days, so if there is something you like, you are welcome to contact me for pre-sales. Advance tickets are recommended for the Preview Fundraiser (September 1 6-8 pm) as it often sold out and will be the only time to see the bodies of work in their entirety, at the public Open Reception which follows (8-9:30 pm) works will start coming off the walls and going home with new owners. Tickets can be ordered online through Eventbrite for $25 or at the door for $30.
This one, Anna’s Hummingbird II will be featured in a black floater frame at $175.
Here’s my Fade to White Artist Statement:
It’s so magical to see a ghostly white apparition in the forrest! I was overwhelmed the first time I saw an albino deer years ago at Pine Mountain Lake in Groveland and thrilled to witness a leucistic hummingbird at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum a year ago! I am intrigued by the increasingly frequent reports of albinism and leucism in our native flora and fauna. Very rare in the wild, these white creatures stand out from their surroundings making it hard for them to be a predator and harder still to be prey. These genetic conditions carry other risks as well, including sensitivity to sunlight with a higher risk of skin cancer and weakened feathers in birds. Finding mates can also be more challenging. Plants without the chlorophyl fail to thrive and need to be associated with a green parent plant to grow. Interestingly, the case of albino redwoods, there is evidence that the albino shoots are actually processing toxins in the soil. With the expansion of human development, real wild spaces are shrinking and becoming disconnected, creating isolated gene pools which heighten the opportunities for recessive albinism and leucism to express where it might not in a more diverse gene pool. Animals like deer, squirrels and raccoons that can live close to humans benefit from increased predator protection and entire communities of leucistic and albino populations are popping up. Of course there are more people and cameras on the look out for these unique and beautiful creatures. In this series I have laid an encaustic veil over the oil painting of flora and fauna, at times inscribing lines of pigment, colors which has been lost. I see this veil as one that we are unintentionally drawing over our wildlife.
womanKIND Reception Tonight!
The womanKIND reception is tonight from 6-9 pm at the Citadel Gallery, 199 Martha Street in San Jose in support of the YWCA Silicon Valley – eliminating racism, empowering women!
There will be an address by Tanis Crosby, CEO of the YWCA Silicon Valley and spoken word poetry at 8 pm! This is a free, fundraising event and a chance to see lots of great painting, photography, sculpture, glass, jewelry (and cards). There will be a raffle of works donated by organizers, Sara Cole and Susan Drews Watkins and maybe you’ll end up falling in love and taking and something special home with you!
Here is a sneak peek from last night, photos compliments of Sara Cole:
For more on the artists exhibiting tonight: please check out this link: http://www.saravcoleart.com/cdwprojects
womanKIND
I’m so honored to be taking part in womanKIND, an upcoming exhibition uniting women, creativity and community by Cole / Drews Watkins Projects, in support of the YWCA Silicon Valley – eliminating racism, empowering women!
womanKIND will be held at the Citadel Gallery & Studios, 199 Martha Street, San Jose, California and will be open to the public December 16-19. Tanis Crosby, CEO of YWCA Silicon Valley, will open the reception to be (December 17, 6-9 pm) and there will be a spoken word performance at 8 pm!
Friday December 16th 4pm to 8pm
Saturday December 17th 11 to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm (reception)
Sunday December 18th 12pm to 8pm
Monday December 19th 12pm to 6pm
For more information about the womanKIND exhibition and all the great artists involved, please check out the following link: www.saravcoleart.com/cdwproject I’ll be showing a number of my Birds and Teacups paintings (and selling cards as well).
By the way, I’m seriously in love with that dog by Jhina Alvarado!
Painted Chair Project
Started work on my 1930’s folding chair today!
Picking up my chair at the Woman’s Club of Palo Alto last November. Photo compliments of Fleur Sopidor who was picking up one too.
I’m painting this chair as part of a joint fundraiser for the Pacific Art League and the Woman’s Club of Palo Alto. There will be a gala fundraiser in March where some 100 chairs all painted by different artists will be auctioned off.
Thorny Rose Branches added to the legs and stretchers.
So far my favorite part was adding real rose branches to the legs and stretchers of the chair. I love how it looks like they’re growing out of the wood, and even with the thorns they seem to soften the geometric look of the chair.
Thorny detail.
A chair is a great vehicle for the human form as it’s an easily anthropomorphized object. I decided to do a vanitas – you know, life and death, two sides of the same coin.
Painting life in full bloom.
The front side will be about life in full bloom the reverse will depict the passing of that life. Still loads to do but I think I’m off to a good start. Stay tuned for the back- expect something dark!
Day 2
Trying to figure out how to handle the sides.
The side should be a transition form the from the back, maybe some rebirth and decay?
The skeleton on the backside.
The skeleton on the back corresponds with the torso on the front. I’m adding moths, with low light photography they look like vertebrae to me. They are thought to symbolize death. I’ve painted in a few thorny branches on the edges and will work some into the central panel. I’m trying out a metal rose on one of the holes from a brace I removed.
Chain?
Roses?
Nest among the thorns?
With assemblage you can try out different options before you commit to any one thing. The problem is I kinda like them all, including the restraint of paring things back a bit. The chair already has a lot going on and I don’t want my added elements to compete too much with those lovely thorns. The great thing is that I will file away the ideas I don’t use for a another time where they may just perfect.
Here’s the front of the finished Rose Vanitas chair.
The little butterfly I’ve added to the front symbolizes the soul and to have one land on you is considered to be good luck.
Back of chair all but done.
As you can see the chair is pretty dry, all but the rose hips on the side. I can now go ahead and drill into the sacrum for the final placement of my metal rose and leaves.
Done!
This was such a fun project, one that clearly relates to my work but is also a playful step into something new! Can’t wait to see all the chairs at the preview, Friday March 28 at the Woman’s Club. It’s a free public event with all the artists in attendance. The Silent Auction will follow on Saturday March 29 at the gala fundraiser which is $35 a ticket and can be ordered though this link: http://womansclubofpaloalto.org/painted/ where you can take a sneak peek at what the other artists have been up to.
