The Best Robe ~ Acrylic Figure ~ The Prodigal Son ~ PCPC Arts Festival

"The Best Robe"
16"x 20" Acrylic with collage on gallery wrapped Canvas

My second entry in the Park Cities Presbyterian Art Festival is based on the prodigal son theme, Luke 15:11-32.
A hungry and penniless young man longs to return to his father. The compassionate father has been waiting for his return and welcomes him back home. The son asks and receives forgiveness for wasting all his money. The father was so happy his beloved son has returned home he asks his servants to bring "The Best Robe" for him, a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet in preparation for a great feast. Great rejoicing occurs when lost children of God return to Him, our Father, and ask forgiveness. My previous post showed the first entry, The Birds of the Air.
The festival will be April 25-May 3 at 4101 Oak Lawn Avenue, across the street from the church. The top works in each category will be honored with a ribbon. The "Best of Theme" and "Viewers' Choice" winners will each receive a cash award of $1,000. Some of the artists in the metroplex area might consider the show for next year as it is a well run, professional show presenting Biblical themes.

The Birds of the Air ~ Acrylic Figure ~ PCPC Art Festival

"The Birds of the Air"
30" x 40" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

This is the largest I've ever worked and I realize if I do this again, it would help if I had a large stand up easel. I enjoyed working this large and will try this size again.
This is my entry for the Park Cities Presbyterian Church Art Festival. I chose The Sower of Seeds theme from Luke 8:1-15. "The Birds of the Air" are watching a farmer as he goes out to plant his crop on a sunny spring day. Some of the seeds fall on a well traveled path and are trodden down and the waiting birds eat the seed before the seed produces a crop. The seeds are the Word of God that's heard by men but the devil takes the Word from their hearts before they can believe and be saved. The birds in the painting are more generic but are patterned after the raven. The raven is the first bird named in Genesis 8:7 and was considered unclean. I will post my second, and much smaller, entry later in the week.

Mel Stabin Watercolor Workshop ~ Dallas ~ Art Journal Pages

Watercolor 15"x22" Sold
The client had a photo taken on a Cabo beach and asked for a painting. It was fun to paint but I had to ask for help several times. Mel is very helpful and I appreciate his calling out the colors used when he begins a demo.
I painted this in the Mel Stabin workshop during the first week of February at Artist's Showplace. This was painted on Thursday when Mel said it was "our choice" day. On Monday was landscape, Tuesday - landscape with figure, Wednesday - Something ordinary and sketched with a brush, Friday - the figure. This was my 3rd workshop with Mel and his workshops are filled with energy, his poems and quotes plus his fabulous watercolors to encourage us to a new level.
The morning was devoted to a Mel demo on a half sheet of Arches of our day's objective and then around lunch it was time for each of the 25 in the class to get down to business while Mel visited around the room. Most days ended with a great critique for each work.
We could paint from our own references or he provided some great photographs that he'd blown up to a 11x15 size. I remember at the Nicholas Simmons workshop he questioned working from 4 x 6 photos and how I could see the detail and now I understand what he meant. I'm getting some larger photos.
Cheap Joe's has a supply list for Mel if you'd like to see what colors and brushes we used, click HERE. There are no gimmicks, mask or salt for Mel. He says "I trust the brush. It can do amazing things."
In the slide show below I have shown some of his paintings and I will show more of the student work in another post.

Art Journal Page 66

Some art supplies needed for babysitting my grandchildren, some of my back fence fell over, then it's pack and pack for Mel, Dana Gioia kicks off the PCPC 3rd art festival,
and no I did not watch the Super Bowl - still trying to get every thing loaded for the workshop. Dana was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts under President Bush since Jan 29, 2004.

Art Journal Page 67


Some sketches about the workshop, the value study where Mel corrected my car to make it larger, the bottom two sketches are my paintings.

A slide show feast of some of Mel's paintings from the Mel Stabin Workshop. Mouse over for captions.

Boot Square ~ Friends ~ Journal Pages

10" Square for a Boot Painting for Canvas by Canvas. I used a photograph of a pair of my red boots. I have designed this project and keep checking the CBC web site for a sneak peek. There are 4 squares finished as of Monday. Six of us painted at the gallery and later headed to Dallas for food and a kickoff meeting for the 3rd Park Cities Presbyterian Art Festival. All the details will be on their web site in about 2 weeks and it is a well attended and organized art festival and sale. This year the theme will be Parables: Surprised by Truth. This will be the third year to enter and the first year we won first place with our theme and the second year our painting, Core of Sin, sold before the show officially opened.
Just more boring closet clean out and finding too many pairs of ill fitting jeans, saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with girlfriends, started to read Charles Reid's new book, Watercolor Solutions. More of that on another blog post.

Friends:
So many precious details of our children's lives are lost forever in our ill equipped memory banks but one clear incident remains. I learned about true friends from my daughter and her friend, Kelly, when they were in elementary school. I watched and listened after their return home from school one day and they were headed across the street to Kelly's when I overheard one of them say, "I'll carry your books and you can carry mine." What a friend. How heart wrenching to watch them on our last Sunday in Virginia saying their goodbyes. That morning they were baptized together and later as Delphia and I were drying off and dressing two wet little girls in the restroom they realized the finality of the event and they held each other and sobbed and cried and so did we.
You are very luckly and fortunate to ever had even one very good friend. I lost my shopping, going to the movie and walking friend several years ago and never thought I'd find another. Now I paint with 8 others in a group called Canvas by Canvas and we're more than business partners - we're truly good friends. It always amuses us when a man that we don't know very well is prone to ask "Bet you get in a lot of cat fights?" At times we let their imaginations soar but usually we say "No, this group of 9 women try to be a loving and thoughtful group of friends. We realize our good fortune. We are all independent and a little strong willed but that's a good point." No schisms and screams for this bunch. Other groups of women friends can understand this.
The following journal pages have made me consider friends again when we all received an email with the subject line "I have bad news" from one of our members about a health condition. How do you journal and then have some privacy. I've opted to print off that original email and then cut and paste in my journal each of the CBC member's response and covered the messages with a piece of white net with gold sparkles to mark that time. (Earlier that day I've purchased a bottle of new perfume and added the scent sample and such a nice fragrance now in my journal and purchased a rolling cart for watercolor paints).
I've been dealing with the situation with journaling and we had a special called meeting to be together, hang out and paint on Sunday. Check out our "expensive" Sam Moon necklace of a crown made from Sam Moon earrings and each one of us are wearing one. CC made us all a "thinking about" bracelet and my Mudd backpack and I just sent my first text message. I could have made 9 telephone calls in the time it took me to hit those keys trying to get to the letter I needed, sent it to my kids as they were the ones requesting I get this feature. I don't think they want to hear from me so much as being able to send messages to me.

I'm reading in my new Reid book (I have others) and love how he contour draws and I'd like to have the time to do all of the drawing exercises in all his books, the doctor visit and I used the word remember and I recalled a piece of jewelry my grandmother Johnson wore and she had very little jewelry but this one was special and had a fake pearl where the word pearl should have been, "I Remember Pearl Harbor". Memories are who we are...
cleaning off more bookcase shelves, not finishing any jobs just starting new projects, computer searches, wanting to give more study to the Shirley Trevena books.
Our friend, one of the youngest members, says "I hope I don't get kicked out of CBC because I can't be a "lifter" for awhile (an inside joke about who lifts and loads our heavy 33" x 33" paintings). I answered "We may have to take a vote because now it will take 2 of the older members who used to be "watchers and holders" and "one on each enders" to take your place."
Or maybe for awhile, dear child, we'll carry your books and you can carry ours.

"The Fifth Day" ~ PCPC Show ~ Gables Villa Rosa

"The Fifth Day" Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas,
Theme 1 $650.00
30" x 24"

"Shop Talking" Original, Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
2nd in the "Talking" series 20" x 20"

Canvas by Canvas members, Cindy Campbell, Maryann Stephens, Cindy Yandell, Betty Taylor, Barbara Hackney, and Nancy Standlee, worked 2-5 at the PCPC show on Saturday at the Gables Villa Rosa. See my post on Saturday.
Below is a few more slides of photos taken during the public opening.
Texas Monthly has a very good article on the event HERE. And Bob Snider from Arkansas has an upcoming call for artists to enter the Prodigal show.

I recommend all artists and patrons subscribe to the DFW Arts Newsletter
and here is their statement:
ArtNewsDFW, the ArtGroupsDFW Newsletter, is devoted to news of art events hosted by 60+ nonprofit visual art groups in the North Texas area. Find out about exhibits, meetings, art instruction, and opportunities for artists, etc. For the schedule of art events, check the monthly and seasonal calendars. News of member artists is featured as well as art events of interest to local artists. Contact the Moderator to submit your news for posting.

They have published a post about the CBC win at the PCPC show. Read it HERE.
I was interested in reading the ArtNewsDFW article on giclees as I am getting a giclee made this week of the above painting "Shop Talking". It is the second in a series of paintings about "Talking", something our Canvas by Canvas does a lot.

A few more photos from the PCPC show. Mouse over for captions.

The Fifth Day ~ PCPC Entry

"The Fifth Day"
30" x 24" x 1 3/4"deep Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
I have just successfully submitted my entry for the PCPC art show, deadline is noon February 14. The entries were based on Genesis and divided into 4 themes. I chose Theme One, Beginnings of Creation and specifically Genesis 1:20-22. This is the write up that I submitted:
"God spoke into being the creatures who inhabit the waters and birds to fill the expanse of the heavens. He was pleased with His 5th day of work of creating living creatures and He blessed the great and various species of fish of the deep and winged birds of the sky and fowl and commanded them to multiply. His blessing can be seen in the multiplying of the fish and fowl from year to year."
This was my big painting project at CBC's Lake House Retreat this past weekend and below this post you can see a slide show of some of the paintings that were completed. All of my friends were placing small paintings on the mantel and I continued working on "The Fifth Day" but I also completed the second in a series of "Talking" and posted yesterday, "Shop Talking". Today I entered it into the Creative Catalyst "Treasures" winter art show. Any artist can enter until the end of the month and the company has wonderful dvd art instruction titles.
I am packing for two upcoming workshops: Robert Burridge at Dena's and Mel Stabin in San Miguel with Flying Colors. I will post work and notes about them when I return. Stay warm. Weather in the metroplex will be rainy and cold this weekend.

New Beginnings ~ Genesis

"Apple"
10" square for a Canvas by Canvas painting (lower right)
CBC, some of our collaborative group of Texas painters, painted Monday at TUG and began a new year. new beginnings and appropriately our Genesis entry. We were very fortunate in the PCPC show last year with our entry and won first place in one of the themes from the 23rd Psalm with "A Table Before Me". This year the theme is based on Genesis, the beginning. I will post more about our entry when the painting is finished and registered.
Another event that we are participating in is for the Arlington Museum of Art Auction and Gala, 2008: Shine: Black and White.
CBC donated a giclee, "Circle of Friends, and other CBC members donated individual pieces that can be viewed here.
Look for CBC artists:
Barbara Hackney Hill Country Cactus and Jack and Jennie
Maryann Stephens Carnival
Karen Foster Say it With Roses
Cindy Yandell Polka Dot Girl
Elizabeth M. Taylor Done for the Day SOLD
Connie Michael Red Pears
Nancy Standlee Calypso Market

I have a book recommendation: I've started a new book, Natalie Goldberg's "Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World" and she exposes her writer/painter supremely original heart and it is indeed a colorful one and full of imagination. I have her "Writing Down the Bones" and I was so excited when I discovered that book. Savory bites of joy to see her paint ordinary and turn into fun, amazing images - wish I had the courage to drive around one of her cars. A great read to jump start your beginnings in creative expression for 2008 and I'm only on page 30. Some of her paintings can be found on ArtNet and Ernesto Mayans Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe.
I hope your 2008 January has been filled with dreams of a genesis, a birth, an alpha, an emergence from the past.

Still Waters ~ Acrylic Landscape ~ Artist Magazine ~ Chroma ~ Psalm 23 ~ Art Blog

$100 unframed
11" x 14" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
Still Waters was one of my entries accepted in the Park Cities Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas, juried art exhibition held in May, 2007. The entries were all based on the 23rd Psalm and explored the visual and spiritual richness of this ancient text. The collaborative painting group I belong to, Canvas by Canvas, won one of the 4 best in theme $1000 awards for A Table Before Me.
This morning's email brought a message from The Artist's Magazine.
and inviting me to view a video from some old friends at Chromaonline.com, Jennifer VonStein and Debra McDonald. If you'd like to see Jennifer demonstrate painting techniques with their Atelier paints click HERE .
The Artist's Magazine's statement if you'd like to receive updates about their e-newsletter:

As part of The Artist's Magazine's commitment to bring our e-newsletter subscribers useful information on new products, techniques, and educational programs, we're delighted to share the following message from one of our marketing partners with you.

Two of our paintings, Queensland Gold and Put Another Nickel In, are on Chromaonline.com.
Here is a good discussion about acrylic paints and techniques from the company owner.

Paint Talk

Paint Talk is an attempt to allow a lively and informative discussion on paint. This is especially necessary when new paints and techniques are being explored.

In what follows therefore, I am not seeking to ‘blog you into submission’, but rather to set out some personal views, discoveries and reactions from selected artists and myself, and seek your opinion and feedback. No one person can explore all the possibilities a new paint presents.

Jim Cobb, Owner and Paint maker, Chroma.

Jennifer has an On the Road report where I have posted comments.

If you are interested in acrylic paint technique, check out some of these links and if you're an artist, PCPC is planning another juried show in 2008 based on Genesis.

Other blogs where I post:

http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com

http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com

http://myspace.com/nancystandlee

TO VIEW MORE PAINTINGS OR PURCHASE: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com

Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often