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.

Drawing Classes at Amato's Gallery

Monday evenings, July 5, 12, 19, and 26, from 6 to 8 p.m., I'll be teaching Drawing classes at Amato's Gallery, 12320 1St Street, Beaverton 97005. Fee for the 4 classes is $90 and includes materials. Registration is limited to eight students.

It should be really fun to teach in the atmosphere of a fine art gallery - lots of imagery and inspiration on the walls and pedestals to peak your imagination. I'll use both real life set-ups and photographs as references.

If you, or someone you know, has an interest in taking a drawing class, please contact me to reserve a space. I taught drawing and watercolor for years out of my studio in California and for the Fremont Adult School in Fremont, Ca. My main goal as an instructor is to teach students to really see what they're looking at, by studying shape, value and relationships. Email or call me: donnasansonartworks@comcast.net or 503.477.0489.

Multnomah Village Painting Accepted into Show

My painting of the Multnomah Village overpass was accepted into "Art in the Heart of Multnomah Village," an exhibition at the town's art center from August 6 through September 1.

David Hooten at Pixel Point Artistry just completed imaging the painting and printing some greeting cards for me, and I'll be off to the framer's tomorrow to complete the product. The center will host an opening reception on Friday, August 6, from 7-9 p.m. I plan to attend and hopefully will see some familiar faces there.

Alaska and More

My husband Tom and our good friends, Doug and Julie Ward, just returned from a wonderful Holland America cruise to Alaska via the inside passage. It was a wonderful trip out of Seattle with stops in Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan, and British Columbia, before returning to Seattle. We took Amtrack out of Portland and boarded the Rotterdam not far from the Space Needle. I did some sketching on board the ship - there were lots of beautiful pieces of sculpture and floral arrangements, and I also did a couple very quick paintings from our veranda, which looked pretty much like very quick paintings. I used my camera to capture some of the beauty of the ship, the scenery, the food, the adventures, and the Butchart Gardens, and wish to share a selection of those photos with you. There is no way to really convey the freshness of the air, the clearness of the water, the crackling sounds and thunder of the Hubbard Glacier calving, the aromas of the dining room, the musicality of The Neptune Trio each night in The Ocean Bar, the invigoration of our windy walks on Decks 3 and 9 each day, the trickiness of manuevering the ship when the seas became more turbulent - but perhaps these photos will give you some sense of why it was such a memorable trip. Hope to get a few good paintings from this batch.

I had a good day today - hope you did too. Donna

Well, I had high hopes to share a slide show of about 35 images, but the slideshow didn't transfer so you'll have to be content with just a hint of what we experienced. Sorry.