November Event at Amato's

As you can see, our next artist to be featured at Amato's Gallery is an abstract painter who obviously loves color. Bruce Ulrich will share a series of his latest paintings and collages in a show entitled, Exploration in Abstraction.

The show will run from November 6 through November 30, with an evening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 6.

I hope you'll join us at Amato's for the reception and visit with Bruce and the other ten Amato artists. Mark your calendars!

Today at Amato's

I spent this afternoon staffing Amato's Art Gallery; during the quiet time I began work on a special project for the month of December.

All of Amato's artists will create a sculpture reflecting their design style and primary medium, and the results will be featured at our Artists Reception on December 4.

I began with old paintings that were started on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper and just never quite made the grade. The old pieces provided the weight and durability I was looking for, not to mention a use for paintings I will never finish.

I applied wet washes of w/c paint to the backs of the old work so the images can be viewed from both sides and then cut everything into strips of various widths and lengths. When all the strips were dry, I wove them together and varied the edges.

The image above is not finished but you can get the idea of what the final assemblage will look like. It still needs to be embellished and secured. Not sure at this point how many of these I'll need for my finished sculpture but the project has begun and the problem solving is underway.

It was fun to do something creative today. Hope your day included some time for creativity.

Amato's Reinvents Itself

It's been an exciting time for me since I last posted something on this blog. Amato's Gallery in Beaverton has undergone a major restructuring and I've been right in the middle of everything.

First of all, the gallery moved to the Historic District of town and we now have a Broadway address, 12570 SW Broadway Street. Never thought I'd be on Broadway, but anything can happen if you believe.

The dynamics of the business structure changed as well, and I am now one of four "partners," who took the big step and put our names on the lease. Joni Mitchell, Bert Cohen, and I have joined ranks with floral designer, Karen Amato, to run the collaborative business, Amato's Floral and Fine Art

Gallery. Eight other creative souls followed us from the previous location to keep our family of artists complete.

The lease was signed on August 23 and the transformation began immediately. The previous tenant must have raided Ikea's storage supply and confiscated gallons of their signature blue and yellow paint. It was everywhere - inside, outside, you name it. Check out our blog to see photos of the hired hands (better known as family members) at work.

The signage went up today and we stood across the street to see how it looked from a distance. I have to say it was a proud moment to realize what had been accomplished in just six weeks. We will celebrate this Saturday evening with a re-opening celebration. The work is done and it's time to party!

If you read this in time, call some friends or family members and make arrangements to join our gala....to check out the art and lights on Broadway! Reception hours are 6 to 9 p.m.

Despite some moments today when I felt like pulling out my hair - and I just had it highlighted in the morning - it was a good day; maybe even a great day. Hope you can say the same!

Outdoor Shows

It's been a very long time since I did an outdoor show, but the price was right for the one last Saturday to celebrate the opening of the new Beaverton History Museum on Broadway, and also for a second event which takes place this Thursday evening, August 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Murrayhill Market Place (near Sandoval's Restaurant, Segal's Children's Store, and Malone's Grill). Neither the Museum nor the Sexton Mountain Neighborhood Associations charged for booth rentals. Both groups wanted to promote community awareness and showcase small businesses.

I quickly remembered why I haven't done one of these recently. The preparation - the gathering of the set-up equipment, the loading of the car, the unloading of the car, the chilly mornings and hot afternoons, the wind, the $20 bills for a $3-4 item, the second loading and unloading of the car. It's a lot of work. But people are so nice and their interest in my artwork is sincere.

I borrowed a pop-up tent from a neighbor and covered folding tables with colorful cloths that drape down over the sides and hide all the storage boxes and packaging materials. I picked up my print rack and prints from Amato's Gallery, set up my metal grids to display my paintings, placed baskets of printed and handmade cards on the table, and put out my inventory of one-of-a-kind artsy bookmarks - a little something for everyone's pocketbook!

Saturday, my big sale was a matted original watercolor of a rose. I had done the painting as a demonstration during one of my classes and the woman who purchased it was quite pleased. It seems her adorable two-year old daughter is named Rose, and the painting will eventually go into Rose's bedroom as part of a upcoming remodel. I forgot all about the set up and the take down, and felt a sense of happiness that my painting would play a small role in the life of one child - one little Rose.

I still haven't unpacked many of the items I displayed Saturday, so preparation for Thursday's show will be easier. I have a painting of a hollyhock and might include it in my exhibit at Murrayhill. Maybe someone named Holly will stop by my booth and be in the middle of a remodel!

Preview of New Abstracts

Somehow the images meant to go along with this blog got posted separately and I can't figure out how to move them, so please click on the link to the right to view little "peeks" of my latest abstract paintings. To see the entire images, join me at Amato's Gallery, 12320 SW 1st Street, Beaverton, 97005, on July 16, 6-9, for Amato's next artists' reception. My abstracts will be featured along with work by Linda Baker, Brenda Boylan, Chris Helton, and Joni Mitchell. Wine tasting, gourmet chocolate, berries, and fun are always a part of Amato's receptions.

This is the first time abstract paintings have been shown at Amato's. I enjoyed the challenge of creating strong compositions based on good design and interesting color patterns rather than working from photos or reality. I hope you'll join me and the other artists at the reception and share your thoughts about this new direction I seem to be taking.

The show runs through August 9 and the gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 to 5; Saturday 9 to 4.

New Show at Amato's Gallery

Merci, Mont Ste Michele is one of my eight new abstract paintings that will be featured in the upcoming show at Amato's Gallery in Beaverton. It was painted on a full sheet of Arches 300 lb. paper, and I used ink on watercolor to complete the imagery.

My goal for this piece was to follow the three basic elements of good design that John Salminen taught in his 2009 workshop in Cannon Beach - oblique, irregular and unpredictable. Did I succeed? I'm old enough to know that there will be an infinite number of answers to that question.

The show, Out and About, runs from July 16 through August 9, with an Artists' Reception on July 16, 6 to 9 p.m. Other featured artists are Linda Baker, Brenda Boylan, Chris Helton, and Joni Mitchell. Receptions at Amato's are always special - great local artwork along with wine tasting, berries, and mouth-watering chocolates!

Hope to see you there! Donna

Helvetia Lavender Paint Out

Last Tuesday, I followed the loyal band of PPASP artists out to Helvetia Lavender Farm, north of Highway 16. Check out PPASP's Behind the Scenes blog for more information on the day.

I used Kitty Wallis' wonderful sanded pastel paper and pastels made from one of her kits. I did a quick design study on paper and then underpainted the major areas of the design onto the Wallis paper with watered-down acrylics. I used large motions at first to block everything in, medium strokes to build the imagery and ended with tiny mark-making dots.

The lavender is about two weeks behind at this farm, but there was still an abundance of color. I actually chose to focus on the small eucalyptus tree amidst the rows of lavender, and as I almost always do, exaggerate the color I saw. To make the tree more prominent against the greens and violets of the fields, I chose warmer colors for the tree.

It was a wonderful afternoon - after a wonderful breakfast in the morning at O'Connor's - all in all, it made for a great day. Hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did mine.