Fall art shows

Me Time 24x18 oil, copyright 2011

While my first attempt at a plein air painting didn't work out, the entry for Sacred Spaces did.  Having focused on small paintings and pastels lately, it's been awhile since I've painted anything this large.  I think the practice has paid off and I feel a lot more confident about setting up the compositions for my paintings.  A cup of tea and a good book, by the way, is one of my favorite ways to escape the craziness of life - it becomes my personal sacred space.  This show runs from September 6-30 at the Preble Fine Arts Center, with the reception on September 24.

In other news, I've entered three pieces in the Greenville Art Guild's annual show.  Two pastels, Meadow at Crown Point and Waiting for the Sun and one of my 6x6 oils, White Zinnia will be included.  The awards will be given on September 23 and the show runs from September 24 to October 1 at the Shawnee Prairie Preserve just outside of Greenville.

Sacred Spaces

Sacred Spaces is this year's theme show at the Preble Fine Arts Center, and I am struggling to come up with something to fit this theme.  I don't want to paint anything obvious, like a church.  There will plenty of those - that was actually a concern for the Board when the idea was proposed, that it will be nothing but churches.  We are talking about rural Ohio after all.  But the theme is open to interpretation.  Now I just have to interpret it for myself.

I had a few people tell me they were thinking of landscapes, which is probably what I will fall back on since I have plenty of those ready to go.  But I'd like to come up something a little more personal.  So then the question becomes, what is sacred to me?  It can a tough one to answer.  Time spent with family and friends comes first.  But there is also my studio, that's my sacred place in the house.  And the "beach" at our creek.  My flower garden.  Greece.  Sitting in the front yard, watching the clouds.  Getting lost in a good book.

All of these things are important to me, but are all of them sacred? And if they are, how do I translate them onto paper and canvas?