Readin' and Tweetin'...

Alyson Stanfield has made the call for an art reading group on twitter (details here --> http://www.artbizblog.com/2009/05/read-de-kooning-with-us-this-summer.html).

I've never been a fan of de Kooning's work, however I was very interested in the discussions that can spawn from a bunch of artists and art lovers micro-blogging on twitter about a Pulitzer Prize winning book. I picked up the last used copy at Powell's Books and just started perusing the introduction.... well, I can't put it down, and I may have the entire thing read by the time the group kicks off on June 8th.

If you love art and or reading please check out this group and join us on Twitter with #dekooning

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A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen,
is that you can take it to bed with you.
~ Daniel J. Boorstin

Looking past next week....

June 5th is the opening for "The Cats Who Keep Us", my first show, as you who have been following me know already and for those who haven't, please feel free to drop by. Details are listed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/sets/72157616827506311/ If you know people in Portland who might be interested in First Friday and the show, please feel free to forward this link/invitation to them as well.

Once the dust settles after the weekend, then I will finish up Buster, the gorgeous Standard Poodles', portrait and move on to June Bug, the Chinese Chin. I'm really looking forward to the contrast in stature and structure. I did a portrait of June Bug's sibling, Pablo, last year. So this will be a fun reprise sort of.

I am astounded that both of this magical creatures share a common wolfish ancestor.

What are your next projects and what is it about their individual challenges that you are looking forward to most?

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“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

Odd Nerdrum...

IMHO this is the world's greatest living painter at this time. His name is Odd Nerdrum and here is his main website http://www.nerdrum.com/ you can google him and learn much more of course.

I have always believed that the best art teachers are those who do what we strive to do. To emulate them and look at their work and then try to take it even further. (If you've followed my work thus far, I am thousands of miles short of his work, however I keep striving and growing).

Who is the giant who's shoulders you wish to stand on?

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The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather

Brochures (check), Baked Brie (check)...

Winding down to the show, and every time I get 1 thing checked off my list 4 things pop onto it. I said this in a prior post, but I will repeat it a zillion times. Start preparing 2x's sooner than you think you should and budget 2x's what you think you will need.

My greatest supporter donated wine and advice and I found this AMAZINGLY tasty and even more simple recipe to serve at the Opening... and I thought I would share it with all you foodies out there.

So, please do come and enjoy some great appetizers, some pretty good wine, and some really great art and also help support animals in need.

(preview of the show, directions, date and time and access to my flickr gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/)

Raspberry Walnut Baked Brie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 (8 ounce) round Brie cheese
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. Lay the puff pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Center the Brie wheel onto the pastry. Spread the jam evenly over the top of the Brie. Sprinkle the walnuts atop the jam. Fold the puff pastry over the top of the Brie, sealing all openings.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Serves 10 (so I assume that I need to 2x's the recipe based on all my other supply and time calculations thus far)!

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The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. ~G.K. Chesterton

You're Invited. . .

Being an artist truly is actually being a business person. More and more of my time is spent on mailing lists, marketing plans, reading books on art law and studying advice from various sources who have gone to the places I have on my goals list.

I'm filling out and mailing the invitations to my opening, "The Cats Who Keep Us, today (approximately 200).

So, food for thought for you, as these things are on my mind of late...

What do you need to do to reach your definition of "success"?
What are your goals and are you taking small steps to get to them,
What is your marketing plan and are you working on marketing every week?
Are you following artists that are at a level professionally where you'd like to be?

(next on my marketing plan, after the show, is a dedicated web page... what's your next goal... I'd love to hear)

If you are in the Metro Portland area, please come enjoy First Friday all the details are here on my flickr sets page, and you can see a digital image for those of you who can't make it to the show http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/sets/72157616827506311/

And please let all the collectors and animal lovers know that 25% all sales (including booked commissions) from this show goes to help animals in need.

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I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.-Unknown

Moving on up to the East Side...

Soap box of the day: Keep your goals in sight, and keep making baby steps towards them. Surround yourself as much as possible with what you aspire to. And if you are forced by circumstance into a situation that isn't to your liking, turn it to an advantage.

I have been moving the last week, and thank you to my guy for hiring two eager and younger moving guys to schlep my stuff from the second story of the house, and then up 3 flights of stairs into the new digs.

The upside to the move is that I'm now living in an art community. Each year I set my goals and being a professional artist is at the top 0f the list consistently, thus this is another step in that direction.

This is a community that was built specifically to house and support serious artists, and the talent in the building is phenomenal and world class.

The down side is that I miss my other 3 cats (they stayed with my guy in the house) and I miss seeing the big guy day and night and those cheesy butterflies each night on the way home knowing I'm going to see him.

Now, to find all my art supplies in the boxes, my easel and get back to eet.

(to see the gallery of my work on flickr go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/ and thanks for stopping by)


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“Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”

Denis Waitley

"And...?"

Here is "And...?" in progress. The day of hanging my show arrived, and while I thought I had allowed adequate time for everything, I was off by a factor of about 4 when the day ended and what I had completed was hung.

Here are some lessons I took away from my first gallery hanging experience:

~Start planning for your show months ahead of time not weeks
~Set the "drop dead" date for the body of work to be complete at least one week ahead of the hanging date.
~remember to bring a ladder, and all the other tools you would need to hang your work, including invisible hanging wire (doh!)
~Send a thank you to your gallery host (thanks Alyson Stanfield for this reminder)
~Have your next projects after the show lined up
~Don't stop your NEW marketing efforts just because you have a show (this will help the post show blues)

I'm moving this week, and intend to rap this work up and also finish the Buck (black standard Poodle) portrait commission. By the end of the month.

I will leave you with this question... What color is a shadow?


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To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.~Anatole France

Moo, and I'm not talkin' cows!

Any of my creative friends or anyone who wants to look great or make cool printed stuff to share... Moo.com is the BEST printer for small batches of cool stuff around. They have amazingly easy site driven software to use, and they do small affordable print runs... and get ready for it, the BEST part is that you can do multiple images in one print run.

They make this really cool product, called a Minicard, that is about have the size of business card if you cut it the long way and made it skinny. I got 100 of them for 19.99 (not including shipping) and you can have up to 100 different images in the run.

Their card stock is extra thick, and they are eco friendly-er than most printers.

I am actively working to make the next level in my art career, and Moo definately makes me look far more professional than my last printer, for roughly the same costs.

Their website has lots of great ideas for other applications of their products and really cute ideas for personal uses for family, craft, and hobby uses too.

Go be inventive... and look great while you're doing it.

(my show is hung at The Cat Hospital of Portland Gallery, and you can see the show online at my flickr set here.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/sets/72157616827506311/


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“Separation penetrates the disappearing person like a pigment and steeps him in gentle radiance.” Boy George