Merry Christmas!

It is Christmastime and we stop to reflect and celebrate. Friends coming for dinner tonight, then we'll attend candlelight church services. Planning a quiet day tomorrow. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas with all the blessings that only this most magical of seasons brings. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our troops serving around the world. Thank you!

Holiday Time!

It's holiday time and soon we'll be into a new year. I will be leaving the Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim at the end of this month and planning to start an EBay store. There is also a website that I will be joining as soon as I provide my information to the webmaster. It has been a busy several weeks with the chorus singing at many places, we've enjoyed some company over Thanksgiving and I have a commission from a magazine for four paintings which I'll start soon.I'll try to get postings more frequently. Meantime, check out a couple of new paintings on the Beyond Skywriting page. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and all the best in 2010.

Some new paintings...

Check out the Beyond Skywriting page for a couple of new paintings!

Time flies!

Looked at my blog yesterday and saw that it has been several weeks since I did any updating. Have been doing more on Facebook and realize that I need to share things here as well. Our chorus had our annual show in October and since then I've been jammin' to finish up a couple of pieces for the Coast Guard Art Program, due in about six weeks. Seems like a long time, but things keep happening, like the Sequim Arts Show, fulfilling my duties at the Blue Whole Gallery and music practice for the upcoming Christmas singing events. I know, I know. Priorities! Meantime, here is a new painting of the Seattle skyline at night that appears in the Sequim Arts show today through Sunday.

So much going on. Working on two pieces for the Coast Guard and getting ready for our chorus show. We added a room onto the house for a studio and am finally getting down to painting most every day. More pictures to post soon- I hope!

Works in Progress!

Two new pencil sketches in progress. The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah is restoring a B17. Those of us who attended the Forum in June will be adding to their documentation with artwork. The cow and Jn4 is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Hope to have it in painting form this fall.

So much happening!

The American Society of Aviation Artists Forum in Savannah was awesome! We had a figure drawing class with Gil Cohen, a painting session with Charles Thompson and several of us held a youth drawing class for about 20 aspiring artists between the ages of 8 and 14. Keith Ferris led a class on planning out lettering and numbering on aircraft so that it looks correct. One of my fabric pieces entitled "Quilted Shadows" was accepted into the juried show which will be on display at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum gallery through the end of the year. My hand bound book of Milestones of Women in Aviation was awarded a silver Founder's Award in the unjuried show. The opportunity to get together and share inspiration is beyond words. The second weekend in July I attended a silver point workshop at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. Examples of the work there will be posted on Beyond Skywriting soon.

July 4th!

Today is the Fourth of July! Returned last Sunday from the ASAA Forum in Savannah. It was an awesome experience seeing old friends, meeting new people and enjoying again our freedoms that we have in this country. The classes were awesome, and more will come as I complete my re entry process. There are still more "thank yous" to write, particularly for the Youth Drawing Class that I helped lead. Also, I won a silver Founder's award in the unjuried show for a hand bound book featuring milestones of women's achievements in aviation. Celebrate America!

Off on an adventure!

Headed to Seattle today so that I can catch an early morning flight tomorrow for Savannah. It's HOT there! It's time for the American Society of Aviation Artists annual Forum. This year we have a great list of activities including painting with Charles Thompson, figure drawing with Gil Cohen and airplane lettering with Keith Ferris. We will also have some speakers and do some sightseeing. On June 27 I will be joining with a couple of other artists leading a drawing class for middle schoolers at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. It's great to meet up with aviation art friends and get inspired to paint. When I come home from these things my head is always swimming with ideas and I'm motivated to learn and paint more.

Demo!

Check out my Beyond Skywriting site! Did a demo at the Museum and Arts Center in Sequim this morning and posted some progression photos. They have a cool show of area barn paintings that runs through the end of June.

News and Stuff

Trying not to get behind with all that is happening. Getting ready to head for Savannah for the American Society of Aviation Artists Forum. I'm excited about the workshops and presentations, and I'll be teaching a drawing class with some fellow aviation artists to a group of middle schoolers at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. But first, on Saturday, I'm doing an oil painting demo at the Sequim Museum on Cedar St. They have a great show of Sequim barns on display. So I'll be painting- guess what- a barn! My show at the Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim runs until the end of the month.

Show at the Blue Whole Gallery!

Getting some work ready for a June show at the gallery in Sequim. The aviation images are here, and some of the other pieces appear on the Beyond Skywriting blog. A quote by Amelia Earhart is my first foray into calligraphy. The Night Witch with northern lights in the background illuminates the women of the Soviet Air Force in WWII. A Swallow weaves around snow squalls to deliver the mail and two H60 helicopters wait out a snow storm in Dutch Harbor. Amelia's quote is: "Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things; knows not the livid loneliness of fear." I might save that one for the county fair. Hmmmm.

It's been a crazy month! Our chorus competed the first weekend in April. Then last week I went to Ketchikan to gather reference material for a Coast Guard project. They are asking for two paintings from the event that was held in Ketchikan. Getting ready for a show at the Blue Whole Gallery in June. Will be posting some new work soon!

What a weekend!

This painting is headed off to the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola. It is the view from the cockpit of an A4-C being refueled by another A4-C. It will be on display there for one year. Pretty cool!

New adventures! International exhibits!

One of my new paintings, "Skiing the Clouds," has been accepted into Canada's "Artflight: Miles, Milestones, Moments" exhibit which will open May 14, 2009 and run for about a year. Eileen Vollick was Canada's first women licensed pilot, and in the painting she is flying a JN4 (Jenny) on skis. While the museum does not actively participate in sales, they will notify me if there is an interested party. The painting would have to stay in the museum for the length of the exhibit.

In another international exhibit is work from the US Coast Guard Art program on display in The Netherlands. This is an opportunity to educate people worldwide on the missions of our Coast Guard. My painting entitled "Operation White Christmas," shows two helicopters and two cutters escorting a tanker out of Prince William Sound. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with maintaining the safety of the tankers as they enter and leave the harbor. This painting is part of the Coast Guard's permanent collection and is not for sale.

Here is the link to Marcia Taylor's site. Beautiful work! http://animoto.com/play/JVqQC91tPgSm3pDbaz40Zg

Yikes. I'm behind in posting. But I have a bunch of new images that will be showing up here in the next few days- as soon as I can get them photographed. Also, my sister who creates ball joint dolls, has a new site, so I will be linking her site to this one. Meantime, finishing up one last piece and out comes the camera!

Charlie Power!

This painting has recently been accepted into the Coast Guard Art Program. The rescue was performed in the Pacific Northwest by a crew from the Coast Guard Air Station from Port Angeles, Washington in 2007 and was the highest altitude recorded rescue to date by the HH65 helicopter. "Charlie" refers to the C model helicopter. The painting is not for sale but will be part of the Coast Guard's permanent art collection. This is a great program designed to educate the public and tell the mission of the Coast Guard through art. I'm pretty excited about it- it's my 14th painting in the program- and it also spotlights the hard work and dedication by our Coast Guard crews in Port Angeles. The pilot is also a friend of ours!

On Site Painting II

Here is another painting where the aircraft was done on site at the Seattle Museum of Flight. My goal was to do a painting at the museum and put it into a natural setting. I wanted to show the mail plane flying in a stormy sky over farmland. The background is made up. Another painting is in the works based on this one and will be for sale once it is finished.

On Site Painting

This painting was done on site at the Seattle Museum of Flight this past summer. Three of us sat and painted this airplane just to see how different they could be. It was really a fun exercise, and now my task is to "tighten up" the image for accuracy. It will appear for sale once it is finished.

H65 for PA

Here is another view of the H65 helicopter as it approaches the Port Angeles (Washington) Coast Guard Base. This is an oil painting, image size 10x30. It is framed and the price is $450 + s/h.

H65 Helicopter Oil Painting, Port Angeles WA

"H65 Over Port Angeles Harbor"

An H65 helicopter circles over Port Angeles, Washington harbor. This is an oil painting and the image size is 10x20. It is unframed. Price is $225 + s/h.

Cessna 185 on Wheel Skis Watercolor Painting, 9" x 12"

"Free Spirit"




A black lab enjoys a romp in the snow at frozen Lake Hood in Anchorage. This painting is a watercolor and is matted and framed- overall size is about 15x18. Image size is 9x12 and itt sells for $175.