Time Flies

I have no real excuse - it only takes a few minutes to jot off something in a blog but I just noticed that I haven't written in mine for more than three months.

What have I been up to since May 14? - well it takes a lot of time to keep Art On Broadway up and running. Coming up with ideas is my specialty - I can dream up events and activities at the drop of a hat, but implementing them is another thing. Sometimes it's hard to balance the time management part of operating a gallery with creative time spent painting or drawing. To see what's happening at AOB, visit our website and blog at http://www.artonbroadway.net/. I love everything I get to do these days.

Some artsy things I've done recently:

Took my sister on a road trip to the coast while she visited in June. Visited galleries in Cannon Beach; did a little sketching and took photos in Astoria for future paintings. I love Astoria and the variety of subject matter that it presents - industrial, architectural, landscape, seascape, bridges and boats - something to please everyone.
Visited Oregon Gardens outside of Silverton and toured the Gordon House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Great design never goes out of style and FLW knew great design. The house was built in Wilsonville for the Gordons, a farming couple who insisted on Wright as the architect. Simplicity and function abound inside and out. The house was scheduled for demolition after the property was sold to new owners, but history buffs rescued it and moved it piece by piece to its current location at Oregon Gardens. I loved this experience and will cherish it along with my visit to Wright's Fallingwater masterpiece in southwest Pennsylvania.
The same day, we hiked through the trails at Silver Falls and I did some quick sketching while I waited for my comrades. I remember to take my sketchbook with me more often these days.
Spent a week at Erik Sandgren's July paintout at the coast. Wonderful experience with no internet or phone and only prestine vistas to inspire. I painted in acrylic and watercolor and completed nine paintings - six of which I was happy with. Took my sketchbook to lunch and sometimes dinner and drew while I waited for my food to arrive.
Completed moving my Aunt Ruth from her old rundown apartment to a new clean, cozy, and safe residence. She said she can't stop pinching herself. I wrote about getting this process started back in April and am so happy to have the move completed. In the process of organizing her "stuff," my brother sold a dozen of her paintings to various friends of his. Aunt Ruth still paints almost every day and has images from her travels all over the world. She is 86 and an inspiration to me.
Following is a sample of imagery from my summary of the past three or four months. Thought I would catch up with one long blog and lots of little images. Hope to be more disciplined in the months ahead.

Sketches from Cannon Beach and Astoria -