Survived the Pandemic!

It has been quite a while since I wrote to you all! OMG Studios will be six years old in October and we are still chugging along despite closing our doors for a while. We plan to bring back our Art Uncorked classes again this Fall. The Cantina and Handsome Cab hosted us for glass painting classes which were a great success. Our big sale during York Arts Week was also a hit.

My art world has been filled with commissions for the past few years. You can view them in the commissioned art section of my website. First was a large painting of a nature preserve in Ecuador which was presented as a gift just as the pandemic started. Sadly there was no unveiling party as the clients wished. The next big painting was a depiction of the Native Americans who lived on the hill above the Susquehanna in what is now Long Level. Native Lands hangs in the Zimmerman Center which is a National Parks Visitor Center. Who wouldn’t want to have a painting hang there!!

My next year was taken up with depicting a farm from four vantage points in four seasons. Each painting depicted aspects of the farm that are special to the family. Each child was born in a different season and when they go off to live lives off the farm they will take their painting with them. In the meanwhile they hang together in the great room for all to enjoy. It was a joy to be included at the unveiling dinner for this very special undertaking. I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t speak through the tears.

After years of renovation the Yorktown Hotel will be opening this Fall!! I cannot wait to take and post pictures from the installation of my art glass pieces in the lobby!! It was a huge learning curve for me to do something I really had no idea how to go about. You will just have to wait to see. I promise… coming soon!

OMG It's been a year!

October First Friday marks a year since we opened OMG Studios on King St. in York and I am happy to say it is an adventure we love! Not only is it a great space in which to create , it keeps us in touch with our town. We love being able to take advantage of the many new restaurants that have opened in downtown and making a quick run to another shop for buying or camaraderie. 

Artistically I am being led in new directions with incorporating abstract elements into my landscapes and the newer urban landscapes. My love of drawing still has me working on silverpoint fine-tuning another one of the Moon series drawings. 

Collage Downtown at Small Star Art House on West Market Street is carrying both Kara and my paintings for sale. Stop in for a movie and for unique gifts as well. 

I just had word that my painting, A Day to Remember, that was purchased by the State Museum in Harrisburg will be included in an exhibit opening on October 20th of ALL the purchase award winners from the Art in the State Juried Show in celebration of the 50th anniversary. Looking forward to the opening reception and seeing all the winners!

Yikes, It's SPRING!

Hard to believe it has been so long since I wrote any news. That is what comes of having a studio outside the home. Most days are spent at OMG painting which is a real pleasure. The light is lovely and the location in the city superb. Both budget and waistline are suffering from too many good restaurants nearby. 

So all this painting is leading up to a show opening on May 11th. Six large scale oils have been in the works. I am so excited to present them! This series was started quite a few years ago with a set of pastel cloudscapes. It took a while to be able to translate the softness of pastel into oils. It is really a lovely and colorful body of work.  In addition there will be a series of smaller oil abstracts. After working on the five large abstracts on view at The Handsome Cab wine bar with 5 other artists, I discovered the language of what works for abstraction is the same as figurative or landscape painting. There is always balance and harmony in a piece. 

After the show is in place I install a sidewalk mural near the United Way building on King Street. A competition to design "playful sidewalks" was thrown out to the artists in the area and mine was chosen. I will post a picture when it is finished in the next week. 

Right after that Kara and I get onto fabricating an installation for the Parliament's Spring Forward event at the Bond on June 3rd. Our sponsor is Stambaugh Ness Accounting Firm. We are excited to make a dynamic and thought provoking installation for this supper fun event! 

I hope to see you at my solo show, Atmospheric Direction, and Spring Forward as well!

NOVEMBER FIRST FRIDAY

Angels have descended upon my studio for this First Friday. Over the past few years I have done large black and white paintings of angels. They are on paper and combine paint with charcoal. One of the dangers of eating while drawing is sometimes taking a big chomp of the charcoal instead of the pretzel. Ptuey! Come in for a visit and maybe add some charcoal to a new drawing. Everyone has creativity inside waiting  to be unleashed!

The plein air exhibit in conjunction with the York Water Company anniversary was a hit. We had a hot but productive day of painting at Lake Williams and a lovely reception at the Water Company building. The CEO, Jeff Hines, took us all for a tour of the beautiful building. It is hard to believe they covered the fantastic painted and gilded ceiling in the 70's with a drop ceiling. The whole place is a work of art!  I am very happy to say that my painting was awarded Best of Show and Kara's painting sold to a secret buyer. 

After a lovely trip to Michigan for a week of Fall colors, I returned to York and work on the Lafayette Club murals. Damage from water and wild patrons left quite a few places where the paint had been chipped away. My job was to match colors and patch up the damage. Success was mine right down to the sunbathing maiden on a rock with her graffiti martini glass. Now back to studio painting and commissions before the holidays.

Gearing up for OMG Studios

OMG STUDIOS is opening October 7th! My room is almost ready to move in and get back to creating. I LOVE the space and location. ( 57 E. King St, York) It is filled with light and has high ceilings that just beg me to do large canvases. So many possibilities! We will be open on First Fridays and by appointment or chance. I do plan to paint in the space so there is a good possibility that you will find me should you happen by. 

 My work will be in a few exhibits this October. The first is an invitational group show honoring the wonderful Louis Appell. The city of York mourns his passing but is ever grateful for his love and generosity in so many areas. I will have 5 pieces painted en plein aire at Melbourne, Louis beloved home and gardens. My good fortune was to work for the Appells on many projects over the past 25 years. The first painting I did for him was a portrait of their scruffy  little dog, Tigger, as a Christmas gift for Jody. Over the years I have been challenged by Louis and Jody in many art projects on the estate. Among them are a Winnie the Pooh mural in a spring house and a shell grotto that is a backdrop for a Rudy sculpture. 

York Water Company is also having an exhibit of plein are pieces created at Lake Williams. Quite a few artists turned out for a picnic and day of painting. It should be a diverse show. Reception is September 22nd. 

Thats enough for now. Time to chase the new kitten. :)

Summer Flies By!

I must admit I have been really bad about updating my new website. Fear of the learning curve that looms before me is my only excuse! So I am doing the easiest part which is the blog. I vow to get to images before months end. 

The Art of the State PA show is a beautiful showcase of the talented artists across Pennsylvania. My silverpoint drawing, Harvest Moon,  was awarded the William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing. " A little gem" was the juror's remark. Thank You!!

The BIGGEST NEWS is that I will be getting a studio downtown on King Street in the Royal Square area. It is three rooms and I will be sharing the space with my fellow artists, Kara Oldenburg-Gonzales and Cheryl Migliarini. We are all super excited to get in there and make it our own! An October First Friday is our goal for opening although we will be in before then to paint and set up shop. O.M.G. STUDIOS coming soon!!

A Rainy Spring Day

For the past two months I have been working on three commissioned oil portraits for the Glatfelter Insurance Group. It was quite an undertaking in a short amount of time. Long rainy days and good books on cd kept me working diligently to complete the pieces which I will post as soon as the third one is finished. (And I figure out how to navigate this new website!)

In the midst of all that painting I was very happy to learn that a small silverpoint drawing has been accepted in the Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2016 exhibit. 1800 entries were pared down to 124 pieces and 118 artists in the show which opens on June 26th. This show is always beautifully presented and hung in the State Museum of Pennsylvania. The curators work not only to display each piece to its best advantage but also to move your eye through the exhibit as a whole utilizing the individual pieces in concert with each other. It is an honor to be accepted.

My daughter Kara has concluded her studies at York College of Pennsylvania in fine arts and has been accepted in the summer program at Mt. Gretna School of Art. This intensive six week program in painting is a wonderful  step on the road to being a full time artist. So proud of her!!

The new website... stay tuned for changes. I will be adding a years worth of new work and do much better at updating. Promise!!

Time flies!!

I had a successful show at the OffCenter Grill at the Yorktowne Hotel. Rick Cunningham and the staff were lovely to work with. Our Happy Hour/ Artist demoswere lively and paintings were sold. We were also treated to a delicious dinner that included super yummy desserts. Thank You!

I made a short trek to Hilton Head to relax and spend time with my parents before coming back to a solid few months of portrait commissions. Check my instagram Luv2drw for my beach photos.

After a few years off, submissions were sent to the Art of the State competition. This is the first time I did three different categories, drawing, painting and craft with a silver piece. Fingers crossed!

A Whirlwind of Happenings

Makers Dozen went well for most of the artists. Thanksgiving was a blast of food and fun, quickly followed by a week of installing Christmas decorations at different houses and at The White Rose Bar and Grill with Mike Sell. What a creative team we are! Stop in for a delicious drink in the festive surroundings.

Today I installed paintings for a two month featured artist exhibit at the historic Yorktowne Hotel in downtown York. It looks great! I never knew my paintings would look so good on lime green walls. Perhaps a dinner guest will decide to give the gift of art and make me very happy.

That makes four locations this month with my art up for sale: Small Works at PA Arts Experience Gallery; Small Works at Garth Gallery in Columbia, PA;  Featured artist at the Offcenter Grille at the Yorktowne; and Siempre Preciosa mi Kara at the Governor’s Mansion PAE exhibit. The mansion has been decorated for Christmas adding to the already beautiful display of artwork. Can’t wait to see it!

Lots going on this month!

Siempre Preciosa mi Kara . oil on birch . 56 x 20

Painting in a frenzy for a show in October. Luckily I am caught up in the "Outlander" books on CD which keep me engrossed while painting. Two of my favorite things at once.

Yorkfest yielded a high quality show with many superb artists chosen. I was honored to receive one of the juror’s awards and then went to a tasty dinner with my family at the Yorktowne.

September 13th is gallery walk in Harrisburg from 11-6pm. I will have the painting Siempre Preciosa mi Kara on exhibit at the Governor’s Residence along with 60 other member artists of the Pennsylvania Arts Experience. Additionally, I will be painting on the grounds of the residence that day. Should be great fun.

September 26th from 1-3 is a launch party for YRK’s 3rd birthday and Magazine launch party. I am featured on the PAE page along with our first lady, Frances Donnelly Wolf.

Spring is in the air...

Silver with rainbow topaz . 1″ x 3″ brooch

... although today we are having a taste of Winter all over again. It made for a great day to clean up the studio after moving everything from the Marketview Arts studio to the home studio. Re-arranging and organizing was very necessary! It sure seems like I was busy but not much to show for it. HELP!!

In the recent months I took a Silver class with Bill Thompson of T3 Designs at the Craftsman’s Guild. It was fantastic. He has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to students. I started with designs and a flat piece of silver and went from there. I learned the basics of cutting, refining, soldering, finishing and so much more. I highly recommend his class and may take it again.

The month of March I spent as much time as I could volunteering at FOE, an installation by Wayne White, at the Marketview Arts building. York College brought him in to lead and army of volunteers for 5 weeks of intense cardboarding. His cubist fun vision of Jubel Early’s Civil War takeover of York is well worth seeing. The whole 3rd floor of Marketview has been turned into a giant sculpture/painting playroom into whichyou can immerse yourself. Some characters are 18″ high. It is incredible and was so much fun to work on. People came from all over to help cut, glue and paint. General White was ever the gentleman in dealing with his troops! COME SEE !!

As I said, I moved out of the Marketview Studio. I am looking for more of a street presence and to share a space. I liked being there but longed to be out and about on First Fridays. So much art is happening in York! It is exciting! In May I am part of a group show at The Parliament. Five established artists are being shown with five emerging artists. I have about 10 days to get a few more paintings done. I love pressure. Even if they are not done for May I will need them in June for the Haverstick show in Carlisle.

Spring Spring Spring….I am so happy to paint outdoors again with the beautiful flowers popping up and before the heat of summer sends me back indoors. See you soon.

A new year begins with a bang

The painting “Last Light Pequea” has been chosen to be part of Governor elect Tom Wolf’s Inauguration Exhibition at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Museums and Art Institutions in Pennsylvania were asked to submit work by 4 artists for consideration for this exhibit. YorkArts nominated me along with Stephen March, Polly Stetler and Ophelia Chambliss as artists of note in this region. All of us were accepted!! Considering we were up against some pretty heavy hitters, it is a real honor to be in this show. Can’t wait to see what other artists are included. Could be Koons, Warhol, or Wyeth…

I better get back to painting!

A Day of Remembrance

Day of Remembrance, September 11, 2011. Art of the State 2012 - Purchase Award Winner

Day of Remembrance, September 11, 2011. Art of the State 2012 - Purchase Award Winner

What an honor and what a fabulous show open until September 10th at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. I was notified of the award, which means the painting will become part of the permanent collection in the museum, a few weeks ago and had to keep it a secret from everyone. Oh, that was tough especially with my parents but I looked forward to the surprise at the awards ceremony. There are 129 works of art by 117 artists from all across Pennsylvania. Information can be found at www.statemuseumofpa.org