Reflections of an Artist

Day Tripping

Trail to Echo Mountain, 12x12 (showing at Seven Degrees in Laguna)

Tomorrow I am taking the day to have some fun. I have a painting in the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association show, "Best of Plein Air" and I decided to combine the reception (June 7, 6PM to 9PM) with a painting excursion. Laguna Beach has been good to me in the past by providing inspiration for several of my larger works and the little plein air paintings I have done there are some of my favorites.  The view from Heisler Park is great in every direction and deciding what to paint is the biggest problem.

View From Donkey Hill, 12x12 (Painted at 2011 Los Gatos Plein Air)

Next week I am off to the 2012 Los Gatos Plein Air to paint all the local color. Victorian mansions, lakes, wineries and the ocean are only some of the many attractions the artists will be interpreting. The locals turn out in a big way to support this charity sponsored by the Rotary Club. While I am gone I hope you enjoy your summer and I will be posting again on a regular schedule after my return.

New Gallery

Arboretum Reflections . 11x14 . Oil

I am very happy to announce that I will be showing my work at Art and Antiques On Lake at 60 N. Lake Avenue in Pasadena. Ron Vander Molen, the owner, is a dedicated art dealer with a keen eye for quality. He represents local artists as well as selling vintage fine art. The store is a wonderful collection of ever-changing treasures. Ron believes that anyone should be able to develop an art collection of quality and beauty. After discussing his business, I am looking forward to showing at the store and learning from his experience. I hope you will take a look the next time you are in Pasadena.

Emotion Sells

Strawberry Fields

      Why does a painting sell? What element distinguishes an image from others and connects with a client? Is it color, subject, or that intangible emotion you feel when viewing a work of art? Last night I sold two paintings at the California Art Club "Iconic California" reception and I started to think about why those two paintings sold and what was my vision as I painted these two paintings.

      "Strawberry Fields" was painted from a photo I took in Carmel at the 2011 Carmel Art Festival. Searching for subjects to paint the next day for the plein air event, I drove by workers in this field. I stopped to take a photo but several people rushed over telling me I couldn't take pictures. I told them I was just an artist not someone who could get them in trouble but they where adamant that I could not stay there. Needless to say, I found other scenes to paint for the plein air event but I didn't forget about the workers I had seen in the strawberry field. In the short time that I saw them, they had made an emotional connection with me, so when I returned home I decided to do a painting from the one photo I had taken before being run off.

      I loved how the painting evolved but not everyone felt the same way about it as I did. My husband told me he liked it but admitted he didn't think it would sell. I disagreed. I saw not just workers in a field but I could sence the farmers love for the land, the solitude of the workers and the eternal struggle of survival. This little painting had captured the feel of the place and I was thrilled that someone had been moved by my painting too. Sharing a fundamental emotion with the buyer through my work is the ultimate achievement. 

      It is the artists job to see the extraordinary in the everyday, to see the beauty in the common place. The solitary farm workers among the regimented rows of strawberries evoked a strong emotional connection with me. That emotional link lingered long afterward and I called upon that connection when I painted.  The scene was both beautiful and simple, the design distinctive and familiar but, I am convinced, it was the emotion I transferred to the canvas that sold the painting.

      High Sierra Snow, Along the Kern River, and Orange Grove in the Late Afternoon are still available at the California Art Club "Iconic California" Exhibition at the Altadena Town & Country Club. The show remains open through May 15 and paintings can be purchased through the California Art Club.

Altadena Town & Country Club

2290 Country Club Drive

Altadena, Ca 91001

Art in Ventura

Among the Rows

Among the Rows 11x14



      Camarillo is a farm community not far from Los Angeles. There are rows of fruit trees and vegetables planted just off the freeway. It is part of a coastal valley ending at the sea with Ventura. Some of the fertile farms are backed into the mountains forming a magnificent frame. At harvest time, the migrant workers are a familiar sight working the fields.

      I was pleasantly surprised to be juried into the 25th Annual Open Competition in Venture. My research showed that much of the work shown is abstract, it isn't one of my usual galleries and I wasn't familiar with the judge but I took a chance and got in. Although a local show, the competition was fierce with 400 paintings entered and only 80 juried into the show. I hope to see you at the reception tonight.

25th Annual Open Competition
Buenaventura Gallery

700 E. Santa Clara, Ventura, CA 93001 • 805.648.1235

January 10 - 28, 2012

Reception & Awards:
Saturday, January 14
4 - 7 pm

Sailboat at the End of the Dock

Iconic California

High Sierra Snow

        Starting the new year off with a bang, I will have five paintings at the upcoming California Art Club exhibition called "Iconic California." I can't think of a better way to inaugurate the new year than with a celebration of our wonderful state, California. Yosemite, the Kern River, and the Eastern Sierras are only a few of the places that will be represented in the show. Come to the Altadena Town & Country Club at 2290 Country Club Drive in Pasadena. The reception is on Sunday, January 29 from 4-6 PM. Seeing all the varied and creative interpretations by all the talented artists of the CAC will be a treat you won't want to miss.

I am tackling several new marketing ideas which I have read about from other artists. First on my list is having more paintings in more venues. Starting off the year with this show puts me ahead of last year and I am looking forward to many other events. I will do my best to inspire and touch your imagination. I hope you have a successful, exciting and interesting year.

Artist Reception at Segil Gallery

Dana Point Harbor Boats

Sharon Weaver at Segil Gallery Reception

      Last night was the reception at Segil Gallery for my show with Lynne Fearman called "The Color of Light." Many of my favorite paintings were included in this show and I had an entire wall dedicated to paintings with the ocean. Despite it being Labor Day Weekend we had a large crowd in attendance and red dots appeared on both Lynne and my paintings.

   "Morning Hits the Rocks" was among the paintings which sold to a collector in Texas.

I am grateful for the opportunity to show at this lovely gallery in Old Town Monrovia and to have so many friends that stopped by making it a special night. Thank you to Laura Segil and Lynne Fearman.

The show continues through October 1 so please stop by at 110 W. Lime Avenue in Monrovia or contact Laura Segil at 626-358-5563.