ArtWalk San Diego 2016

My ArtWalk San Diego 2016 space from this past weekend. 

MADE IT RAIN IN SAN DIEGO AGAIN

So, as most of you know it simply DOES NOT rain in San Diego. That is, unless I sign up for ArtWalk (or fully decorate an indoor tree out in my courtyard at Christmas). It rained the night before and the next morning as we drove to setup in a downpour. But fortunately it was only wet and misty in Little Italy for setup and dry all day until we had to pack everything back up and move it out at 6 PM. 

It's in my DNA to make a space (albeit this was a tent in a sea of tents) feel welcoming so I brought a chest of drawers and rug to zhush up the tent. The rug was black and white and while that seems a crazy choice for an outdoor street fair it was perfect for tying my artwork together and pulling people in. I debated on the rug due to the dampness but at the last minute decided to throw all caution to the wind (literally). As we were rolling it out a little bulldog walked up to the edge and winkled on it! A Christening of sorts. Let the show begin! 

BACK WALL OF 10x10 TENT

My Mini MacGyver made these hanging walls out of 4 x 8 sheets of pegboard covered in drapery blackout fabric, which, if you know what I'm referring to is like a fabric vinyl. They were suspended from the tent poles with long zip ties. Wind was an issue so we will also secure the bottom of the boards to the poles next time. Several artists announced they were going to copy us. Sigh. 

Here's a view of the left side wall. The animals were the perfect greeters as there were almost as many 4 legged creatures as two legged humans walking the show. The pig, titled "Whatcha Doin?" was adopted by such a lovely gal, I was tempted to email her and ask how the first night went. Guess I get a little too attached. This photo was taken Saturday when it was a bit gloomier out but the next day was perfectly sunny. People commented repeatedly using the word happy to describe my art or how it made them feel. One lady said, "You must be such a positive person" to which I replied, "Um, not really". I still chuckle inside thinking of the look on her face. 

Oh, and a note to myself; tags don't need to stick out like a sore thumb.

Lots of straightening on a windy day.

"Deep Thoughts" went home to live with a new family but not before he photo bombed me. Always the prankster. 

My dear friend Suzanne Brendis stopped in and took some wonderful photos. 

I consider my first show of this kind to be a learning experience and a stepping stone. Very different than those huge permanent showrooms and temporary booth set-ups in New York and Atlanta that I did for years…and the Quilt Shows around the country. Kinda the same and totally different. I'm still processing how I even feel about selling my art in this venue, but as of now I think I'll give it another go. Meeting people that give me such positive feedback (whether I overhear comments or get to chat one on one) is an experience I truly value. The opportunity to collaborate on commission work from the show is quite invigorating and we'll just have to see where life takes me in a year from now. 

ART WALK SAN DIEGO

Being accepted into ArtWalk is one thing. Feeling like I'm "ready" is another story. It's a guessing game which involves lots of paint. I did stop long enough to design some business cards. I LOVE how they turned out,what do you think?

They are like handing out snippets of my paintings..but without painting each one by hand! Which by the way, is what I actually did once! For a Decorator Show House I had this insane idea to hand color each business card. I thought it might draw some extra attention. Not only did the area I designed win a couple awards and a write-up in the newspaper (remember those?) (go read and see before and after images here) I ran out of cards and would have to deliver new hand-painted batches twice a day! I went through almost 4000 cards in three of the longest painting marathons ever. It paid off though, as people held on to those cards because they were so unique and got some great design jobs from it. I'm older and hopefully wiser, so going with this idea for ArtWalk instead. 

ALTIPIANO WINERY

ALTIPIANO WINERY

Last month we visited a (very) nearby winery with some friends to enjoy the sunset and a glass of local wine together. I took this photo with my iPhone and even though it wasn't the clearest phot, I still had the image in my head. So, I decided to try my hand at painting it. Cut a canvas board down to the size I desired for a frame I wanted to use.

UNDERPAINTING 

ALTIPIANO WINERY 5 x 10 acrylic on board

So, don't hate me, but this is what winter looks like here. Suffering through.

MISTY MORNING

MISTY MORNING by Paula Prass 6x6 acrylic on canvas

I have oh so many pics of this view on my cell phone taken on various times of the day, different times of the year. So far Torrey Pines beach has been our go to beach mostly because it's 20 minutes away, we can get in a five mile walk without even thinking about it and we love collecting the stones and beach glass. This time of year it's so quiet and serene and the chill helps for a brisk walk. 

Then we come back and add the stones to our courtyard garden. it's about the only thing I haven't killed (yet). I am eventually learning that succulents are about all the green this draught can handle. Well, cactus, but I tend to back up into those. It only takes one time, ya know.

LIVE COLOR FULLY

I LOVE this fragrance from Kate Spade. Okay, I admit there's hardly anything I Don't like from KS, but this is a triple winner. People frequently ask what fragrance I'm wearing, this bottle is gorgeous and the name is my daily mantra. LIVE COLOR FULLY. Yes I Will. I painted my daughter a watercolor for her aqua and pink studio office, but not before I turned it into a print for my Etsy Shop. Available in two sizes.

And speaking of living color fully, we were just in Indianapolis for 5 days. BTW; we saw more rain in that time than we have experienced in the 3 years here in San Diego. Seriously. Oh, and the lightning dancing sideways across the sky and claps of thunder that made you flinch. We soaked it all in. Got to use an umbrella and run for shelter like in the olden days. I digress. We met our dear friends, the Telfords for dinner at Rick's Boatyard, our old stomping ground. I took about 2 dozen photos of the amazing sunset as it changed colors numerous times as it went down.  We sailed here so many times over the years and Jennifer's rehearsal dinner was atop Rick's with an equally beautiful sunset that night several years ago. Here is just one snapshot. Thank you God for this rich display that I'd like to think was meant just for me. 

And finally, we got to hug, kiss on and celebrate our grandson turning 12. I have no idea how this is possible. What an absolutely loveable nut!

SHOP OPENING

Well, last time we spoke I was working on building a new website.  But just to be an overachiever I was also building a shop on Etsy to offer art prints and my out of print stash of fabrics.  The plan was to finish the website first, but while my MacGyver husband was helping me with a problem he hit the OPEN SHOP button.  I thought no one would notice I was there yet and quietly kept plugging away.  Wrong.  A gal from Australia found me and Facebooked her Aussie friends.  BAM!  Love those Aussies.  So I just officially added my Etsy shop in the sidebar to the right and invite you come on over.  I'm still listing items, so if you have a particular art print or fabric you don't see, please ask.

In other breaking news, Tim and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary; it rained once here in San Diego and we ran around trying to save the rain water in buckets and trash cans; AND I broke my own record of 6 hours straight in the dentist chair!  

Oh, and I finally broke away for lunch at Cafe Merlot with an awesome friend and it was so much fun to play hookie from the routine.  Sure beats pita chips, garlic hummus and talking to myself in front of the computer.  Must try this again sometime.

DATING YOUNG

Well, the grandkids are gone.  Just like that!  For two weeks we took turns wearing each other out and packing in the memories.  We did planned things and things that didn't turn out as planned.  

ONE NOT PLANNED MEMORY OR YOU'LL LAUGH ABOUT THIS ONE DAY

Tim rented a sailboat.  Kids were not impressed.  They wanted a speed boat.  Papa doesn't do speed boats.  Not a windy day.  We slowly meandered around Mission Bay.  After awhile we noticed we weren't moving and it took Captain Papa some time before he admitted we were stuck in muck.  A coastguard boat came kinda near and asked if we were okay.  Captain Tim says yup, we're okay.  What!!!???  Is that the same as we're not lost in the middle of nowhere?  They left and we sat and sat.  Tim has this idea that we should all lean way over one side of the boat.  No one else liked that idea At All.  And it didn't work.  Thank God for cell phones, right?  Unless the rental people take their phone off the hook!   So the highlight (for me) was watching Papa strip down to his skivvies, jump in and basically dig and pull us out.  In his defense, Tim had no idea things were so shallow and there were no warning signs.  When we returned to the dock the guy said he was told by the coastguards we were stuck but was too busy rescuing others.  He says, "Oh people get stuck in that area a lot" and showed us a map hanging on their door.  So, being the caring person that I am, I made a few helpful suggestions.  Stuff like if you're going to have the phone off the hook maybe show people this handy dandy map as you are taking their deposit and you might have less rescues...just a thought.  We had a few laughs with the guy and all is well.  Not sure the grandkids are any fonder of sailing though.

Wyatt and Tim spent much time off doing guy things while Amelia and I hung together.  On one of the last nights together we switched things up and did something we did with our own kids when they were growing up. DATE NIGHT.  We love the opportunity to show them what might soon be a lost art.  Amelia was all in; picked out the perfect outfit and felt like a pampered princess.  Wyatt quickly stepped up and remembered that Papa always holds the car door for me (even if I'm the chauffeur).  He tried to imulate everything he remembered Papa doing at a restaurant and handled himself like a real gentleman and engaging date.  It gave Wyatt and I  time to talk uninterrupted: really Talk and Listen about hopes and dreams; past and future; whats funny-or not.  I will cherish this time as much as I did with Jonathan.  Priceless.  

SILL TO CANVAS

I have been busy bee since I last posted.  So much so that I'm a year older now.  Those birthdays sneak up on me when I'm not paying attention.  We have also been working on getting the courtyard and back patio in better shape.  One of our purchases was a white rose topiary that thanks us daily with new blooms.  I decided to paint this little bottle of roses sitting on my sill.  I popped the wet canvas in this frame to take a picture.  It helps me to see it as you would, and now I see what I need to change.  The flowers I painted had tiny stems, barely visible.  But now they will have proper stems.  Do wish I had noticed that before now.  Live and learn.  You seem to always see my "not quite" finished pieces.

A couple weekends ago we drove to Santa Ysabel to attend an art gallery reception.  It was such a beautiful drive that we took some photos with our phones.  I think it's amazing how a tiny camera in a phone can capture some pretty decent images.  You be the judge:

SUNSET IN PROGRESS

Have you ever had the incredible experience of catching the sun setting?  I say catching because it happens almost instantaneously.  I have been known to jump out of a moving vehicle just to snatch a quick photo of the brilliant sky works as the sun hits that horizon.  I was given an amazing opportunity to experience this phenomenon when I joined Tim on a work project in Hawaii.  Tim would make it home just in time to change clothes and I would have our glasses of wine waiting on the edge of the counter as we headed out the door for our short walk to Kai-Lani beach.  Many people converged and within minutes the sun did it's daily magic of switching out colors like a turning kaleidoscope as it fell below the horizon.  We all bid farewell and headed back to our homes, promising we would spend the next eve together, even if it was only for another 20 minutes max.  Can you imagine capturing this in a plein air painting?  I would still be setting up as it all disappeared into darkness before my eyes.

So this is a recent study I worked on in the Alla Prima class (meaning wet on wet, done in one sitting).   Each student worked from the same photograph (below) of the Santa Ysabel Valley and it was incredible how each of our paintings turned out so very different.  i can see some things I would have done differently, but working faster and looser is the goal.  

SANTA YSABEL VALLEY 

On a slightly different note, if you follow my blog you should be familiar with my friend Barbi of 40+ years.  Well, she came for a visit in January.  We galavanted all over San Diego; the beaches, Balboa Park and Coronado Island, soaking up all the golden glow with the purple highlights that is something I hope never to get used to.

BEACH BUDDIES

Here's just another path; one of many we've gone down together.

SPANISH VILLAGE

 So many fun photos from that visit, but I will refrain.  I did receive this awesome book from Barbi afterwards.  It is a precious source of inspiration from a precious friend and I will treasure this book...like forever.

BEACH BUDDIES

Remember this?

Well I finished it.  

Actually finished it awhile back, but just remembered to show you.   The grandkids and Papa hanging at the beach now hangs above my sofa.  I love painting water reflections.  This one is acrylics on watercolor paper.  Wouldn't it look especially nice with a painting of the umbrella from the last post, yes?

Oh, I can now respond to comments on my blog, but not sure if you will know I responded.  Anyone have the answer?  Anyone?  Let's try it.

JESUS SPOTTED ON THE BEACH

Walking along the beach in Del Mar, I spotted this wonderful orange striped umbrella.  I approached the lady sitting under the umbrella to ask her permission to take a photo on my iPhone.  I got closer, then closer, then was standing right beside her and she still didn't notice me, and NO, she wasn't sleeping.  So I politely said, "Excuse me".  I apparently startled her because she slapped her hand on her chest and blurted out "JESUS"!  I responded, "Oh no, it's just me, Paula".  Wide-eyed she says, "Jesus" again, still holding her chest and looking at me like she really was having a spiritual encounter.  Not knowing what to do I said, "I know him, but really, it's just me, Paula".  Then she relaxed and started laughing, we chatted and hence I have this photo instead of a black eye.  It was worth the risk, don't you think?

Disclaimer:  I am watching the morning national weather reports of snow or storms throughout the US today (FEB 25) as I am writing this, so I sincerely apologize for any preconceived taunting.  We have earthquakes and fires if that helps lessen the blow.

Being an artist is by nature a sedentary lifestyle.  I stepped on the scale last week.  I suspected it was broken last time I stepped on it, but now I'm sure of it.  I will walk more, get back into exercise and watch my calories.  I tried a spin class.  I walked into the dark room and was instantly intimidated.  Everyone looked all buff and in charge so I finally approached a group to ask who the instructor was.  The one sitting on the floor looks up and without speaking does this body language thing to non-verbally say "Dah".  I asked her to show me how to use the bike or any needed advise.  She instructed me how to adjust the seat and insert my feet in the basket thingies, then said, "If you feel like you're going to pass out, well...just suck it up".  I ended up in between two maniac women half my age who actually sped up during the short breaks.  I wasn't told what to do when the instructor yelled "Left".  "Left again".  I finally figured it out by watching the speed racers on either side of me.  I survived but cursed under my breath as I held on to the handrail with both hands going down because my rubber legs quit working. 

Started back into BodyPump on Saturday.  Couldn't walk or raise my arms yesterday so I decided to count my calories instead of working out.  That was just as painful and a real eye opener.  I eat all the right foods, oat bran, plain greek yogurt, salmon, veggies.  However, after lunch I had already consumed 935 calories.  What???  I never payed attention to how even the calories in healthy foods add up.  More exercise and water; less w(h)ine.  Boo hoo.  

LOVE BOATS

In January, I was able to join Tim on a business trip to Santa Barbara.  It was last minute so I threw some clothes in a suitcase, grabbed my camera and we caught a train.  It was definitely the way to go!  What I didn't anticipate is that we had record breaking low temps so anytime I went out I ended up wearing everything in my suitcase....all at the same time.  As cold and windy as it was I walked and and walked and managed to get some great photos.

This last Thursday I had my oil painting class in La Jolla and chose one of my harbor photos to paint.  I mentioned to the gal next to me that I was determined to finish my painting that day and give it to my husband for Valentine's Day (that day).  She promptly named my painting "LOVE BOATS".  

I got this much done during class and surprised Tim right before he surprised me with a trip to Coronado Island to The Boathouse for a lovely dinner.  Today I placed it in a frame to see how it looks.  My instructor says every painting looks better in a frame, don't you agree?  I still need to finish some details, sign it and then step back. 

This was the view as we drove across the Coronado Bridge as the sun was going down.  Here's an image of the Boathouse which dates back to 1887.  It was dark by the time we got there, but still a perfect pairing with the LOVE BOATS.  

  

COTTON CANDY CLOUDS

I admit that I sat dumbfounded in front of the TV watching the horrible results of Hurricane Sandy's devastation on the other side of the country.  What a contrast, as we have not seen rain since March.  Every day it is the same clear blue skies.  Not complaining, but after over 7 months of clear blue for us transplants, it starts feeling like Groundhog Day.  Subconsciously in October I started painting big puffy clouds.  The very day I was painting the clouds (above) at the Anthenaeum in La Jolla these appeared over our art studio.  Someone called me to go look outside.  I grabbed my iPhone and captured these lit clouds and beams.  

What a glorious ride home as the sky was filled with cotton clouds in the rear view mirror and low, dark ones in front.  As it started to rain rainbows appeared on the interstate floor.  It was something I never experienced before and wanted to take pics as proof, but didn't dare take my hands off the wheel, as I don't trust anyone around me that rarely drives in rain.  When Tim got home he showed me a pic he took on the interstate of TWO rainbows in the sky side-by-side!  It was an amazing day and anyone you spoke with mentioned the clouds and rain.  Please, it was only 1/4" at best, but glorious all the same.

REFLECTING

San Dieguito Park

This was my first assignment from my first oil painting class.  Other firsts: painting trees without compulsively painting each and every leaf and first try at water reflections.  I added my signature hoping that would be a definite  finishing point, then proceeded to tweek something else.  I need instruction on how to sign a painting with a paintbrush.  Whew.  Oh, and I clearly wasn't thinking when I chose a 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas.  I am more familiar with acrylic paints which dry so quickly.  I kept forgetting the four sides and had to go back to fill in which stayed wet for days.  Every time I moved, set down or touched the artwork it caused issues.  Let's just say, there is evidence around the house.  Oh well, it's been a huge learning curve, but a huge accomplishment, as well.   

PLAYDATE WITH PATTY

You know how people say things like, "We should get together sometime"?  I don't like saying that or hearing it because it's a dangling carrot that eventually rots on the string.  Ewww.  But when Patty and I talked about having a playdate it was as much about getting the kids together and we would tag along.  Had a huge feeling that Amelia and Sydney would hit it off.  And did they EVER!  They pretty held hands the entire day.  So stinkin cute.  Wyatt and Sophia were cute, too, but no holding hands there.  Patty and Jon took most of the photos.  Here are a few.

Amelia and Sydney when they first met

Inseparable

While there was quite a bit to do at the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the Barbi exhibit was actually very enjoyable, even for the guys.  For me, it brought back a flood of memories.  I had handmade clothes for my Barbi.  Sure wish I still had them.  Tim's mom knitted Barbi outfits for Jennifer which now belong to Amelia.  This spring I bought a Barbi doll at a yard sale because, even though it was a reproduction, she was the Barbi I had as a child.  The blonde bouffant.  I have an attraction to the 60's fashion so the girl in me snatched her up for $5. 

My Barbi on her way out for a fun weekend. You have a fun weekend, too, and do something childlike.