Shari Beaubien

The Learning & Product Expo

Starting today, I'm lucky enough to be facing four glorious days of classes at The Learning & Product Expo in Pasadena.  I'm so looking forward to this time away from my studio - both mentally and physically.  Hopefully this will be just the thing I need to shake the blahs.

I'm taking:

12-Step Program for Artists: The Art of Doing Business (lecture)
Play, Explore, Paint and Create: How to Paint an Original (workshop)
Acrylics Like Oil (workshop which focuses on Golden's new Open Acrylics)
Making a Living in a Tough Economy (lecture)
Getting Collectors without Getting a Gallery (lecture)

See you next week, all!

The Colors of Feeling

You might remember this 30" x 40" canvas from an earlier post.  It seems it's taken me a bit of time to get back into the flow of working on it.

I'm not sure why, but a dark cloud of malaise seems to be hanging over my head these past few weeks.  Actually, the cloud isn't always there.  The weather pattern is much more irregular.  One minute I'm supremely happy and the next I'm ready to collapse into a puddle of tears.

I have a strong suspicion that this cycling moodiness has been impeding my desire to paint.  Perhaps that's why I've accomplished so much on the computer (such as entirely restocking my Etsy shop) these past few days?  The computer is safe and reliable and unfeeling.  Painting?...  Not so much.  No matter what the subject matter, painting requires risk.  It demands that I feel whatever it is I'm feeling and allow it to flow onto the canvas.  It's raw.  It's holding my soul up to my eyes and forcing me to really LOOK.  I suppose painting doesn't need to be like that for everyone, but I honestly don't know how to do it any other way.  And when all is said and done, I don't think I would change it if I could.

More than anything else, I guess I've been feeling extra-protective of myself lately.  Like I just want to close my door to the world and spend my days nurturing myself.  I'm becoming more and more aware of the fact that we have to be our own best friends.  No one else on this planet will take care of you as tenderly or as expertly as you.

So here is what I have managed to paint...

If you've been following my recent work, I'm sure that this subject matter is none too surprising.  So what's up with all the elephants then?  Well, I paint elephants because for me they are big and strong... dependable... gentle... steadfast... and even compassionate.  But more than anything, I'm drawn to them because it seems to me that you can count on them.  I like that.  I feel like I need that.

Maybe... just maybe... the elephant represents a part of myself.  He is that part of me that I need to be able to count on when everything else in my world is crashing down around me.  He represents, in a way, my own best friend.

How's that for a post with my heart laid bare? 

Be gentle, friends... be gentle.

Etsy Update

Well... painting has been on the back burner this past week, but I've had good reason!

In my effort to gear up for the holidays, I just finished a MONDO (is that a real word?) update to my Etsy Shop.

There are plenty of prints, greeting cards, journals, and OODLES of new original artwork to be had.  In the coming weeks, I plan to promote my Etsy Shop via my newsletter, website, and a few other strategies, but I thought you - my loyal blog readers - deserved first notice.

Among the items for sale are my Inner Sanctum art pieces.
Here's a preview...

 

And because I know many of you who read this blog are artists yourselves, you might be interested in the corrugated cardboard I have for sale...

Stop by here or click on the Etsy link in my right sidebar to see the rest!

One of the things I'm really committed to this holiday season is to purchase only handmade gifts.  In this tough economy, I think it's increasingly important to support the little guy.  Whether you buy from me or someone else, I do hope you'll give this notion some consideration.  Thanks!

Happy Anniversary

Nine years ago today we stood on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean...
The sun sank slowly into the horizon and we joined our lives together.

Every single day since then has been a gift I cherish.

I love you with all of my heart, honey.
Today and always...

Happy Anniversary.

Art & Soul (part two)

Here are some more finds from Art & Soul...

This little guy comes from artist Sue Hadden.

His backside is just as cute as his front.
I think he wants to join the other birds outside though...

Me and the illustrious Katie Kendrick, exhausted after vendor night.

Both the print and the giant "S" are from Katie.

I've waited a long time to own a piece of  Nina Bagley's work
and this time it was meant to be.
Perhaps I was waiting until I could finally, fully embrace the title "artist"?

And here is my wonderful friend Marilyn Werst. 
I just adore this picture.

Of course, I wish I had taken photos of so many others...  Alas, I was busy living life and I guess I can't beat myself up about that.  The memories are locked in my heart and you'll just have to trust me when I tell you it was, indeed, magical.

Art & Soul (part one)

Phew!  It's been a tough couple of days!  I've been working like mad to finish a couple of proposals and haven't been able to come up for air.  They are happily completed now though and safely on their way to the powers that be.  So, let us return to our regularly scheduled programming...

Here's a shot of me on vendor night at Art & Soul.

And these are a few more glimpses of my display...

I did SO well and feel so blessed to have been there.  It was a terrific opportunity and my DEEPEST gratitude goes out to Glenny, Vonnie and the rest of their team.

I also want to offer up a GIANT thank you to everyone who came and supported both myself and the other vendors.  I realize that the current state of the economy is putting a strain on a lot of families.  And art, certainly, is a luxury.  Even if you didn't buy anything, just having you stop by the table was a gift.

Here's a shot of a necklace I purchased from my friend Lisa Call...

Isn't it GORGEOUS!?!?  I immediately connected with the colors and with a name like "Beaubien"... well, you can imagine I'd feel attached to the french part.  The little piece at the end is a tiny vintage souvenir book that actually opens up to reveal teeny black & white pictures of Paris.  The pages are hinged and turn just like a real book.  It's priceless. 

This adorable guy I named Ernest.  If you've been following my work lately, you won't be surprised that I was drawn to him.  Ernest comes from the lovely Carla Sonheim.

This little doll part came from the talented Judy Wilkenfeld.  She was next to me at the show while Michael deMeng was directly behind me.  It was a grand experience and we laughed nearly all night long.

More on Art and Soul to come...

The Return

Hey, Gang... I'm back!!

I present you with this uber-cute picture of Bentley
because I don't have anything else at the moment.

Steve and I returned home last night and managed to plop ourselves in front of the TV with pizza for a few hours before tumbling into bed.  This morning I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with the usual "Where do I begin?" anxiety.  But all I can do is the best that I can.  I know that.

Art and Soul was FABULOUS and I'll post a more cohesive recap when I get organized.

Adieu

This is one of those weeks where time just seems to be slipping right through my fingers. ..

I've been busy getting ready for Art and Soul, but it's been largely organizational and packing issues that are consuming my days.  And then there's the heaping pile of laundry and last-minute errands.  Alas, not much art is getting done.  But that's all part of the journey, for which I am supremely grateful.

Wish me luck and I'll talk to you when I return!

Funky New Art Journal

Here's a new art journal I made and fell in love with.  So, I decided to keep it.  I created the cover art on watercolor paper and then mounted that to the book board using tacky glue.  (I believe you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.)

I'm really enjoying the long, thin size of the pages and hope to be able to find more time to work in it soon.  That may just be wishful thinking on my part at the present moment, though...

Most of my time these days has been spent organizing, running errands and packing for Art and Soul.  This will be my first time vending there and I couldn't be more excited!  I hope to see at least a few of you there...  Please do introduce yourselves if you've been reading my blog and we've never met before.  It will be such a treat for me to put a face with a name.

That's it for me right now.  Hope you're well.  Blogland seems a little quiet to me these days.

Do You Paint Every Day?

Here's what's been on my art table lately... a new 30" x 40" canvas.  I do have an easel that will accommodate this size nicely but when working wet, things have to be done horizontally.

Here are some other canvases awaiting me to swoop in and do something fabulous.  (Ahhh, the pressure!)  The backgrounds are started on a few, as you can see.  The white ones are gessoed, as you might not be able to see...

Someone wrote to ask me recently whether I paint every day.  Another artist friend and I found ourselves discussing this very topic just the other day as well.  The question is a good one, I think, and it gave me pause.

It seems to me that the "Painting-a-Day" movement gave many of us the false impression that we should be painting something every day.  Don't get me wrong... Painting or working in your chosen medium each and every single day is a lofty goal and one I aspire to.  If it works for you, great!  But down here in the real world, it doesn't really happen that way for me.

It took me a while to accept this fact, but I have finally come to terms with it.  I am NOT a McDonald's artist.  I can't just stop at the drive-through, order a painting and pull forward to pick it up.  I don't work that way.  My creativity doesn't work that way.  And that's okay.

We all need to find our artistic voice in our own way and in our own time.  We need to recognize the rhythms of not only our bodies, but our spirits as well.  And once we have discovered how to listen to those rhythms,  we have to celebrate them...  honor them... cherish them... and not let anyone or anything get in their way.  At the end of the day, I believe this whole journey is about nothing more than acceptance.  We don't need to be anything other than who we are.  Right now.  At this very moment.  And if that means it takes me three months to finish a piece of art, then so be it.

Camarillo Art & Jazz Festival

This weekend was the Camarillo Art & Jazz Festival and it was wonderful!  The people were so warm and friendly and the whole event had such a terrific small-town feel to it.  (In LA, this is most difficult to accomplish!)  I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out to support us.

Steve and I started a tradition earlier this year of naming a "Question of the Show" for each art fair we do.  I love this game because we get some doozies, but it's all in the spirit of goodwill and fun.  I can't NOT share Camarillo's "Question of the Show"...

A little girl and her mother approached my table and began to pour over my artwork.  Suddenly, the little girl screamed in excitement when she saw this piece pictured here.  "Look, Mommy!" she exclaimed, "A Sticker!"  Oh, how that made me laugh!  So priceless!  Perhaps I need to work on integrating my focal image into the background a bit more... 

Incidentally, this artwork is still for sale in my Etsy shop here.  

And I'm still smiling.

New Artworks

Here are two more pieces for Art & Soul's vendor night...

"The Old Familiar World"

"The Dream"

I purchased this vintage binder a while back.  It's hard to describe because I've never seen anything like it.  The covers are made of some sort of pressed particle board.  They show wonderful signs of wear - nicks, stray marks, and the most beautiful rich brown color.  The covers were held together with a sturdy metal hinge, which had also developed a marvelous greenish patina of its own.  I had Steve detach the two pieces for me and my artwork is now mounted on either half.  Voila!  It was a fun challenge to come up with a palette that I thought would complement the patina.  Hope you like them...

Golden's Open Acrylics

Have you heard of Golden's newest product called Open Acrylics?  My goodness, I was THRILLED and overcome with anticipation when I first became aware of them!!

As many of you know, Golden paints and mediums make up a large percentage of the usual suspects on my art table.  I have thoroughly enjoyed working with both their heavy body and fluid acrylics for the course of my artistic career.  But these new Open Acrylics are different.  They promise a longer working time, thereby allowing the artist to blend and shade more easily.  Heaven!

I got my hands on just a few colors and decided to experiment with them over the weekend.  Here are the results...

Now keep in mind, these are by no means  intended to be finished artworks.  However, I think you can see the ease with which the colors blend together on the paper.  I really enjoyed my brief experience working with them.  I'll have to investigate further as to how the Open Acrylics compare with Golden's Open Acrylic Glazing Liquid, which I typically use to extend the drying time of my paints.  I did read that the new Open Acrylics require 30 days to cure before varnishing, too, so that is something to think about and plan for.

Incidentally, I left a particularly fat blob of paint on my palette and just now walked over to feel it.  It's still a bit tacky - not the usual plastic feel of normal acrylic when dry.  I put some water on my finger and rubbed it over the old paint and guess what?  Reactivation.  New smooth white paint on my finger.  Pretty cool.

If you're interested in learning more, click here.  I'd love to hear what your experiences are if you try these paints!

And the Winners Are...

First, my sincerest gratitude to everyone who participated in my little give-away!  The comments you left warmed my heart and made this such a pleasure.  Thank you for that.  I can't believe how many names I had in my bowl...  I even had to upgrade to the BIG contest bowl, which I've never done before!  Because there was so much enthusiasm, I decided to draw two extra names and give away two extra prizes.  So, without further adieu, here are the lucky winners...

 The collection of 97 ATC's

Marilyn Sandau!

(marimuseinpt)
.

.

.

 My original painting
entitled "Horizon at Dusk"

Kathy!

(artchic1211)

.

.

Congratulations, ladies!
And now here are the two prizes I added...

A hand-painted, quilted folder (by moi) with a small fine art print of my painting entitled "A Place Called Home" tucked inside

Seth!

(shap97)              

And last but not least...

A tiny shell charm featuring
an original collage
(again by moi) on the interior

Quincy Richardson!

(drgnbaby)

.

Once again, congratulations and my thanks to everyone who took the time to visit me and participate.  We WILL be doing this again...

More Paintings and More about the Frida Kahlo Exhibit

I also finished these two pieces before my SF trip...

Moonlight Vigil
9" x 12"

Harvey
10" x 10"

I feel like I'm in such a weird place right now.  Our trip to SF meant that I didn't do much art-wise that week.  Then immediately getting sick upon our return home side-lined me for another week.  This week, the third week, I'm getting better but I'm still not back to my 100 percent self.  I haven't felt like doing any art, much less anything else.  I'm frustrated and irritable.  Sometimes I wish we could all just live in our own happy little bubbles, without any interference from that thing they call L-I-F-E.  Alas, it is not to be.  So... one day at a time.  That's all I can do.  And remind myself that it's going to be okay.

A few of you were interested in hearing about which paintings were included in the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SFMOMA.  I'm happy to share what I can remember.  Be warned though, this list is ONLY from my memory of standing in those rooms, so it may not be perfectly accurate.  But here's what I can recall:

Room #1:

1.  Portrait of Luther Burbank / 1931
2.  Portrait of Mrs. Jean Wright / 1931
3.  Portrait of Dr. Leo Eloesser / 1931
4.  Henry Ford Hospital / 1932
5.  Self-Portrait with Necklace / 1933
6.  My Dress Hangs There / 1933
7.  Self-Portrait on the Border Line
      between Mexico and the United States / 1932
8.  Frieda and Diego Rivera / 1931 (wedding portrait)
9.  My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree) / 1936
10.  The Deceased Dimas Rosas (at Three Years of Age) / 1937
11.  Portrait of Diego Rivera / 1937
12.  A Few Small Nips / 1935
13.  Self-Portrait: "very ugly" / 1933
14.  My Nurse and I / 1937
15.  Self-Portrait with Bed (Me and My Doll) / 1937
16.  Self-Portrait / 1930

Room #2:

1.  Two Nudes in a Forest / 1939
2.  The Suicide of Dorothy Hale / 1939
3.  Girl with Death Mask / 1938
4.  Itzcuintli Dog with Me / 1938
5.  The Two Fridas / 1939
6.  Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird / 1940
7.  Still Life: Pitahayas / 1938
8.  The Frame / 1937-1938

Room #3:

1.  Self-Portrait with Monkeys / 1943
2.  Diego and Frida 1929-1944 / 1944
3.  The Broken Column / 1944
4.  Flower of Life / 1944
5.  Portrait of Lucha Maria, Girl from Techuacan
      (or Sun and Moon) / 1942
6.  Portrait of Dona Rosita Morillo / 1944
7.  Without Hope / 1945
8.  Me and My Parrots / 1941

Room #4:

1.  Magnolias / 1945
2.  Sun and Life / 1947
3.  Miniature Self-Portrait / 1946
4.  The Circle / n.d.
5.  Self-Portrait with Small Monkey / 1945
6.  Moses / 1945
7.  Still Life with Parrot and Flag / 1951
8.  Still LIfe / 1951
9.  Still Life with Parrot and Fruit / 1951
10.  The Love Embrace of the Universe, The Earth (Mexico),
         Diego, Me and Senor Xolotl / 1949

I know I'm forgetting a couple, but even with the possible omissions on my part, it's a pretty impressive list, wouldn't you agree?  There were also three or four other rooms with photographs and other items.  I just learned that many of those photographs have never been exhibited publicly.  As I said before, I feel blessed to have been able to see this exhibit in my lifetime.

Last but not least, don't forget about my give-away!  The directions and info. are here and you have until Thursday at midnight to enter!  Good luck...