Exhibition of Abstract Painting inspired by nature

I am exhibiting my new abstract paintings this month at Franklin Crossing in Bend. Judy Hoiness and I are showing together. Judy and I have known each other for about 13 years. Both of us are former Art Educators. Our work has evolved over the years and moved in a more abstract direction.

Abstract Painting in Acrylic- 'Water Dancing'

Water Dancing is a new painting I completed recently on paper. Thalo blue, quin magenta, sienna combo. I love the loose feeling of this painting and the freedom of my brush strokes. I am working on stopping sooner than later. I have destroyed many a painting by overworking it.

Natural Abstraction Painting of the creek near my home

Three new paintings created recently on paper depicting the moving water of the creek and the surrounding foliage near my home. I enjoy painting in this free gestural and intuitional style. The painting takes me where it wants to go. I never preplan these spontaneous expressions.

New Abstract Painting called Message in a Bottle

This abstract painting is 4 x 4 feet and I have hung it at NorthSole, a local shoe store in Bend, Oregon in a beautiful contemporary space. It looks fantastic, if I say so myself. I have six other paintings there but this one stands out and is what you notice first. The shoes they sell are very high quality and contemporary in style. I feel like my show is a good fit. I love working in this gestural style with many layers. I paint very fast laying down marks and strokes, then I begin layering over with more glazes.  I let lower layers peek through giving a sense of depth.

A Grouping of my Abstract Paintings

I am President this year of my artists' association, the High Desert Art League. You can check out our group at our web site www.highdesertartleague.com
I highly recommend being in an artists group; the comaraderie and support you receive is invaluable.

Collagraphs

I created some collagraphs at Atelier 6000, our wonderful printmaking center in Bend, OR. The top one was done with carbarundum and the other with gel medium. A cardboard plate or matrix is prepared with the textures and then I printed with soy ink on Rives BFK.

Pam Jersey Bird paints "Water and Tangles"

There is a lot happening in my studio

It is cold outside and there is snow on the ground. I am very busy in my studio this January. I have several exhibits coming up in the Spring that I am paintings for.

Newest Paintings

I am sending off Creekside Winter to a show at Franklin Crossing in Bend with a winter theme and Flux and Silent Listening are showing at Alleda through February. Both paintings are acrylic 48 x 36".

Check out the exhibition site for Art of Another Kind: International Abstraction & the @Guggenheim

Check out the exhibition site for Art of Another Kind: International Abstraction & the @Guggenheim

Dreaming On

Sometimes, when I first go in to my studio  I will tape a paper to the wall and just paint whatever comes to mind.  It is a great warm up and I love doing it. This painting, Dream On was the result one day. Today I am exploring black and white. I'll post the results later.

My Birthday Week

My birthday is Saturday.  They roll around so fast.  I'm looking forward to spending the day with my husband and checking out 10 Below at the Oxford Hotel. Have been painting some small abstract landscapes. I love doing these from memory of our vacation this summer to Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

I'm Back to Painting and Posting

River Running  48 x 36 " acrylic on canvas

Well, my last post was entire year ago. The annual steamroller event is next weekend at Atelier 6000 in Bend, Oregon and my last post was a video from last year. I've lost a lot of time this year to family events.  We have a new granddaughter in the family and we have already been to Wyoming three times since she was born to see her and her Mom and Dad. She is a delight and I've gone the way of the crazy grandma, making faces and funny noises to her on Skype and wanting to buy every cute baby dress or stuffed animal. On a less positive note, my 92 year old Mom was hospitalized and had to be moved to an assisted living facility from her home because she could no longer live alone. I've spent months unloading her house; moving things to my home; hosting garage sales; and taking car loads to the Goodwill or the dump. As a result my artistic life has suffered. Recently I have been painting again on a more daily basis and I have three shows this month, one in October and another in November.

Through May 7th the ALT Art Group will be showing work at the Rotunda Gallery at COCC, Bend, OR. I have four paintings in the show along with six other artists. It is a great show and a nice venue. I am working now on paintings for another show at Black Butte Ranch in their new gallery space for their grand reopening. I also just completed a teaching residency, the reason for no posts since Feb. I didn't realize I hadn't posted in that long.

ALT Exhibit "BENEATH THE SURFACE"

Jubelale Art Show

Jubelale Art Show at Tumalo

I am featured with three other artists in the February Exhibit at Tumalo Art Co. Gallery. All four of us have been " Jubelale Artists" over the years. The Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR chooses an artist each year to create artwork for their winter holiday beer called Jubelale. They use the art for the label and all the packaging and then hang the work in their corporate offices. They graciously loaned the work to Tumalo Gallery for the show. The photos below are of the opening. The work on the walls behind the Jubelale art which is on the easels is representative of each artist style. It was a great evening and of course we drank Jubelale to celebrate.

Evolution of a Painting

I painted this painting and another for friends ( a couple) as a gift for helping us paint our house. I'll decide which to give them after both are complete. I love the idea of trading for services or goods. It often helps both parties to get what they need or want. While I painted I took photos at various intervals to document my progress. Since I paint in many layers the painting goes through stages, evolving if you will, into its final form. It's definitely about the process for me. I paint for the love of painting. I like moving the paint around with a brush, sponge, rag, or scraper; and I relish finding "happy accidents". Making marks and letting the paint drip to form linear patterns is characteristic of my work also. Although I may spend a week on one painting I want the final result to have a spontaneous quality. I start with a wide brush 3 or 4" and create a large calligraphic form, my marks often appear like Japanese or Chinese characters. Then I glaze color over in large sections before narrowing down areas and adding shapes symbols.

Experiments with Encaustic

Last year I took a workshop with Elise Wagner at A6 in Bend, Oregon. Previously I had taken a workshop from Shawna Moore. Both artists are very proficient with their medium but have different approaches. I learned a very textural technique from Elise that I wanted to try out in my home studio. Here are the finished results. They were fun to create and I like the look of encaustics very much but I couldn't wait to get back to my acrylics. I don't have the room in my studio or the proper ventilation to continue with encaustic painting. I will just have to enjoy the encaustic creations of other artists. Three artists who do wonderful things with encaustic are in my artists group. Take a look at their work at htt://www.altgroupart.com and see my acrylic paintings while you are at it.