Wednesday, March 4, 2009

"Lava"

Connie Kleinjans contemporary artSOLD 20 x 24 x 0.75" acrylic and mixed media on stretched canvas

This one became lava pretty much by itself. I was looking at the work of Brian Rutenberg, who does wonderful glowing paintings, and decided to try the technique on warm colors. Yeah, lava is pretty warm. I'm thinking of doing another piece sort of like it, but in cool colors to see what they say.

Well, I've spent a bunch of recent days battling simultaneously with two paintings that were fighters (as I call them). I brought one to a reasonable conclusion and will post it in the next few days. The other is on my wall, girding its loins for another battle. Then, of course, I did something that painted itself. More later.

In other news, I'm considering approaching one or two coop galleries around here (Silicon Valley). Does anyone have any experience with those? They sound wonderfully participatory, once you're in (it's a jury process). They ask you to pay monthly dues, staff the gallery one day a month, and occasionally do other tasks such as hanging shows or whatever you're good at. In return, at least one of your pieces is on display at all times, and they do promotions and shows. If they sell something, they take 30% rather than 50%. It sounds like a good way to learn about galleries, and I also figure it would be good to meet other artists, since I keep whining about how solitary it is high up on my mountain. So, any input is welcome.

4 comments:

  1. Ooooo, this is stunning! It really glows on my monitor so I bet it just shines in person. To me, this has a spiritual quality to it. Beautiful!

    I wish I could offer you some info. on coop galleries. But, I don't have any experience with them. When I clicked on the comments area of your blog I was hoping someone else had written about one so that I could learn a bit too.

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  2. I belong to a coop gallery in Virginia, and I've been a member for about a year and a half. I feel very positive about belonging, because for a small monthly fee, I can use my three foot wide and eight feet up, so twenty four square feet, to display my work and I can change it anytime I want. Because we are juried in, the quality of work in the gallery is very high. I consider my one day a month of work to be the biggest advantage, because I get to meet so many other artists who are in and out. I think you would really like it.
    And, I just have to tell you, your work is really, really beautiful.

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  3. Ok, I have to respond to you again, because I just scrolled down, read about your week with Bob Burridge ( I tried to get in his class, but I'm sixth on the waiting list) and I saw the dramatic change in your painting style! This is what is happening to me, but I've just read his stuff and haven't had the opportunity to get it in person. Wow, you are lucky!

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  4. Hi Deborah. Thanks for the input on the coop. Interesting about the 3x8' concept. And I like the idea of meeting artists, too. Thanks for your comment about my work! My my. And, yes, the Burridge workshop helped me break loose, but, boy, I was ready to burst. I love his emphasis on fun, so do take a workshop if you can. Cheers!

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