Women's History Month

For 12 years, I painted nothing but jazz musicians. As I traveled with my late husband, Kai Winding, htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUj2fKFX7A,  I always had a sketch book in hand and rapidly drew ink sketches of the performers. Even a few years after Kai's death, I continued to focus on the mostly male jazz musicians. One day I realized that that subject was not part of my life anymore. I am not a musician, I am a painter. Females were the biggest part of my life. I have 3 daughters, my partner in the gallery we co-owed in Scottsdale AZ, was a woman; most artists are women...

Then I started my women focused work. It is interesting that I was asked, "What's the matter?
Don't you like men?" All those years that I was drawing and painting men, no one asked if I didn't like women.

The Jazz Festival in Holland

Stan Getz in Nice, France

"I Open My Hand And Let Go from the series, "Her Journey"

"The Maiden and The Crone" from the series, "Every Woman is a Goddess"

Last year, I completed a series of women artists.

Here is one of them:

As I write this, I realize how many series have been focused on women.  I DO LIKE MEN.

Here is a series that I made 2 years ago; "Women Who Changed the World" I removed Suu Kyi, destroyed the painting, after she changed and ceased to be a hero. Here is the short video of that series.
https://vimeo.com/146562085

Is She Finished? Rosa Parks

I worked another day on this painting and I am feeling burned out. That is a sure sign to stop. I will check out Rosa Parks this morning and see if I am satisfied, if so, I am thinking that she will be the end of this series. I could go on for months painting women who changed the world, but it has to end sometime.  A benefit of doing series like these is that I learn so much from the investigation.

I have made many faces in 2015 and only a cuple of abstract paintings, and I am getting a pull to work more abstractly. I have some ideas where to go next - back to encaustic. I have to get the studio set up with encaustic for students next week, so that seems like a logical time.

Eleanor Roosevelt, A WomanWho Changed the World

I am happy with what is happening in the studio with this new series. This painting of Eleanor Roosevelt is finally working the way I want it to. These portraits are painted over abstract encaustic paintings that don't please me anymore. I have to fuse at least the first layer of oil into the encasutic to assume a permanent bond. I do wear a heavy mask while fusing, since the fumes can be toxic. I then can scrape though the oil to the encasutic base.
Here is the process:

Finished painting

Artists Helping Artists

San Miguel de Allende is a special place for artists, and independent women. We support and help each other whenever possible.

I had the pleasure of helping a long time friend, Agnes Olive, with her studio sale. The rent had been doubled and she felt it was time to clear the space and see what the future will hold.

Of course the studio was packed with art and craft supplies that had been accumulated over many years and it took several days just to get everything out and placed on tables and prices. We had some laughs since our art is very different, She is a assemblage artist and I am a painter, and I questioned what some of her stuff was.

She also brought in many of her works having decided to offer an art sale as well as selling the supplies.

Six of her friends helped with the sale for 2 days. And I got first choice on one of her pieces ( because I was there before the doors opened.) Crowds came and many were fortunate enough to buy her original works at a once in a life time price.

Bathrooms need art also.

I am thrilled to have it home and hung it in the guest bathroom where it joins other art.

"The Nat Spirit of Myanmar," Agnes Olive. www.agnesolive.com

Waiting for the wax

I have workshops planned and I am out of wax. The wax I used to get in Mexico City is available only in the dark amber and that I don't want. The white wax at the local art store is around $20 a pound, so I ordered wax from the States - that order was December 28. I hope it has arrived in Mexico by now. My charmed life in San Miguel de Allende can be a test of patience.

After the holidays and our show in the gallery, I had to catch up on all the things that are necessary in life; like renewing my hospitalization insurance (free) and getting a new drivers' license; that turned out to be a 3 day project. I will spare you the details.

I am getting inspired to get working in the studio, but in the meantime, I am working on art marketing for my online galleries and more.

Every morning, I go to our upstairs 360 degree room to practice yoga, Qi Gong and meditate. Yesterday was a chilly and cloudy morning and then the sun burst through the dense clouds for a few minutes and I stopped my yoga and grabbed my iPad to capture these photos.

I feel so blessed.

The Party is Over

We had help from 3 friends yesterday to clear out the gallery, move all the paintings and encaustic equiptment out of the gallery, patch the nail holes and paint.

Although I think I am getting too old to be working this much everyday, it certainly was a good experience; being back in the gallery business. I owned 2 galleries in the States, Cynthia has been an art dealer for 18 years and we worked well together. Many people dicovered the encaustic process, learned the history of encasutic, got to touch the glass-like surfaces of Cynthia's paintings, sign up for workshops, and buy paintings.

I don't have photos of Cynthia's sold paintings, but here are some of my sold ones.

The Opening Reception was packed

Here are some shots from opening night. There were lots of people, champagne, popcorn and Cynthia had sales. We will have the show up until January 16th.

Cynthia's room

Show opens tomorrow

I have spent the last couple of days hanging my paintings in the gallery for this show. It is a mother and daughter exhibit.  It feels good. I co-owned 2 art galleries in the States and was a professional art installer - it just seemed natural and spontaneous. We'll go back to the gallery today to finish up and get ready for tomorrow's reception. San Miguel de Allende is filled with people and the tourist season officially has started, so I hope the next 2 wees will bring us a lot of people to view and buy

 I am showing my Into the Silence series. Although it is not the newest series, it has not been shown publicly, except for the Internet sales.

Receiving, oil and encasutic

This painting is intended to be the focus of the first room in the gallery, since it already has won an award on a online competition; but, while trying to move the light on it, it fell; so that will have to be fixed today - by someone much taller than I.
The building that houses the gallery is 400 years old and the ceiling is very high. I will take pictures of the installation when completed and lit properly.