Soft & Hard

Both 30x30"

Hard to photo these two, but if you click to enlarge you can see a bit better. People seem to like to touch my paintings. The first one in particular is very soft and hard at the same time. Like a smooth stone maybe. The second one is not quite finished. Both paintings make me feel like I am diving underwater for larimar. Larimar is a crystal gem found mostly in the ocean near the Dominican Republic. It is sometimes called the dolphin stone or the Atlantis stone. It is a symbol for new beginnings. Harry gave me a larimar pendant two winters ago. I think it worked. We took a watery dive and discovered a solid jewel of a new beginning.

Valentine From Mama

WIP.
For now I call it
"Sanded Wall".
40x40"

This painting has been thru so much. [reminds me of me.] First it was a flower painting, then a dark tar non-objective, then all the colors all over the place, now sanded and the various layers show thru.

The pink one is finished. I know because it told me some things. When a painting can talk and tell you things you didn't know before, it is done.

Rose Mama
24x24"

My mother loved Valentines Day. It always creeped me out every year she would send me a valentine saying "Be Mine" or something ikky. Now that she is gone I miss getting the ikky pink hearts, so I guess I made one for myself. It is hard for me to look at it for long. I feel like I am seeing into something I shouldn't be seeing. It is so my mother. But shhh don't tell anyone, I think it is so me, too.

If you are brave, click to enlarge.

Ultramarine Sapphires

I think this one may be finished. Notice I say "may". I am learning about how to decide when a work is finished. Or rather how NOT to decide. The way to do it is to rarely declare a work finished. It will declare itself. No really it will. I think. Maybe.

Sapphire Square
30x30"

And here is an interesting shape in progress.
Ultramarine blue.
24x8"

Cobalt Ink & Tar 30x30"

Some WIPS:
First one here has been through many stages already and I think many to go.

& a detail shot of my favorite corner.

Colors Snow Me

I always wanted to live where it snowed a lot and boy howdy, now I have my wish. I actually enjoy shoveling snow tho I have to do small areas at a time or my back gives out. This last snow was so bad I had to literally dig my car out to go to the store today.

If you live in snow, you know the problem that snow plows cause. When the city plows do your street they make it harder to get your car out. There has to be a solution for this. Any ideas?

Harry says he hates shoveling snow - it makes it seem like SURVIVAL. I love that. Makes me feel alive. I have to get out there and sweat under my woolies plowing snow so I can get to the store before I starve! Arrrrrr!

Hare wanted me to show some photos of the house in snow so he could see what a good time he is missing. He is in south Georgia where just standing still makes you sweat. And then there are the roaches... don't get me started.

Anyway, it was sunny today - aren't the colors amazing? The last photo is looking down the little snow path to the studio. Sometimes I get intim- idated walking that path. The colors are so gorgeous - why should I waste my time picking up a paint brush? God always outdoes me! HAha! OK so I just won't compete, how's that?

snow sleet and snowmen

More on the Snowman contest.
Send digital snapshot of your Snowman Contest Entry to:
snowmancontest@suzanneally.com
If you win, you will be notified by email and your teeniney wee prize will be snail-mailed to you.
Advance Note: the snowman contest will be judged by Lilybell and Streudel, the totally biased and opinionated old elf sisters.

In the meantime have any snow quotes to share? My favorite snow quote is Diane saying to Woody Allen, "Here, Boris, have a bowl of sleet for dinner." You had to be there.

I'm coloring & I can't stop!!!

As you can tell from my Tweets it snowed here quite a bit more than usual. If I hadn't shoveled my porch before I went to bed at 2am, I would not have been able to open my door when I awoke [at 10].

I love the snow because of the way it reflects light and plays with colors. I have been especially absorbed with painting the past week or so and come upon some realizations that have simplified and freed up my paintings. I just love to color. Haha! See? Simple as snow!

Here are some photos I took real quick with my cell phone last night before I dragged myself to bed. In the 2nd one you can see how I have begun placing canvases on the floor at the foot of my work tables. As I work on a painting on the table top, paint inadvertently drips or splatters onto the canvas on the floor. I am trying this because... well you should see my floor; it is more gorgeous than any of my paintings. Come visit! OH, wait till I plow the path to the studio again!

Hey if anyone makes any snowmen, please send me photos. Maybe I will have a contest. Yeah that's a great idea. Email me your snowman photos and I will award a wee prize to my fav snowman!
WooHoo!
snowmancontest@suzanneally.com

Serious Art Selling & Exhibiting

Just came across this site which at first appears to be just for goldsmiths, however it has a goldmine of helpful downloadable docs that I highly recommend for any artist who seriously wishes to exhibit and/or sell.
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/Publications/Professional_Guidelines/
Study well, my artist friends!
xo
suzy

Harry Paintings

This just in from Harry's Georgia Studio.
The Painting wall Jan 2009...





and a small drawing:

Two more WIPS...

A very nice zone...
just painting my heart out...
more WIPs...
click to enlarge...

WIPs

Been very busy in studio. Building up many many layers before declaring a painting done. A few WIPs for you ....

What's up with Magazine Street???

A satin bridal gown travels better than me, nevertheless I continue to find myself continuously traveling or just returned from traveling and recuperating. After the New Orleans trip I felt like fried cat po... oh nevermind... I had to rest up big time. Today I began sorting thru paperwork and stuff and yippee here are a couple of snaps from New Orleans...

Here is Hare at his new gallery the Soren Christensen @ 400 Julia Street in the Art Warehouse section.

And here is Hare on Magazine Street.

We are not sure the meaning of this but somehow it seems to be ominous in a positive way.

Before Harry came to OH for xmas he kept telling me about this intriguing movie called "Love Song for Bobby Long" with Scarlett Johansson & John Travolta. He also was reading the book from which the movie was made which had "Magazine Street" in the title. Something about the story had grabbed his fascination and wouldn't let go. So the mystery of Magazine Street, New Orleans, and Bobby Long was a frequent topic for our month of December together.

Then suddenly the last week of Dec we got the call & POOF we found ourselves driving a cargo van load of paintings to New Orleans! After we unloaded the van we took a wee walk to try to revive ourselves from the driving fog, walked a couple blocks, looked up and saw we were crossing Magazine Street.

We are not sure what this means but together with the little NPR story [I shared in previous blog post] we feel sparked. Of course none of this may mean anything but I will share one last thing.

Here is a photo of John Travolta in the movie [he is the gray headed guy in the red bathrobe]. Am I imagining it or does Hare look a tad like him? Haha. Oh well at least life is fun, eh?

Oh another thing... right after we returned Hare got an email from a dear old student Maria who was so bummed she missed seeing us in N. Orleans... She lives on Magazine Street!

That's it for now... need another nap!
xo

New Orleans ART is ROX!

Just returned from a last minute trek to New Orleans to deliver paintings for Harry's exhibition with his newly contracted gallery, the Soren Christensen. Arrived home, flipped on NPR, collapsed roadworn exhausted on couch doubting our sanity at driving a cargo van of paintings 2 days over and 2 days back to New Orleans, only to hear an hr-long interview with Dan Cameron telling about the success of Prospect .1 New Orleans Biennial and all the successful support for not only New Orleans, but the artists & galleries exhibiting there; if you are an artist or an art collector you want to be in New Orleans right now! Somebody up there in the airwaves knew we needed to hear that!
If anyone knows how to find that broadcast please help me out; all I could locate was a 4 min broadcast from Oct 2008, link below.

More info later, but for now check out:

http://www.harryally.com
http://prospectneworleans.org
http://sorengallery.com
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96344510