Art Interiors 'Inside the Artist's Studio'

There was much excitement around here last week as I had a special visitor on Friday morning. Patricia from Art Interiors came for a studio visit. Over green tea, we chatted about life, the art world, cats, and downtown living. 

I've been represented by Art Interiors for quite a few years now and so I'm honored to be featured on the gallery blog this week.  Inside the Artist's Studio. 

You can see all the photos and read the post here.

Living With Art.

Are you familiar with the Altered Page?  The Altered Page is all about mixed media. Seth Apter, the genius behind this blog, is a mixed media artist, author and designer based in NYC. I had the pleasure of collaborating on a mixed media altered book collaboration with Seth (and four other very talented mixed media artists) a few years ago.

'Living With Art' begins this Thursday on the Altered Page. Seth is showcasing how people live with art and display art in real life settings. I sent my photo to Seth a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd elaborate a little more here.

As a professional working artist that lives and works in the same space, living with art is the norm. I have my paintings hanging on every wall and switch them up often. I finish the paintings, they go up on the wall, they go out to a gallery, the new ones take their spot and the cycle begins again.

It's important to me that the arrangements are pleasing so I try to hang them in a curated manner. I like to hang them in groupings of odd numbers, and I will often perch the smallest ones on a bookshelf. 

Studio Cats.

Working as an artist can be a very solitary profession. I spend many hours a day alone painting in my studio. As much as they frustrate me at times I don't know what I'd do without my studio cats to keep me company. 

They're older now and spend much of the day napping, but you can be sure to find them at the window on a sunny day when the birds are chirping. Or when I put down a drop cloth, or decide to work on the floor, they are right there on top of it all, toes in paint. Let me introduce you to my studio cats.

As wee kittens

 IGGY

her full name is Ignatowski Popoloni

I'll guard your canvas

NAMI

Nami was named after our favorite sushi restaurant

waterpark

I am Batman!

 too much catnip

sorry this sink is taken

I can help you with that

nom nom nom

drippies

sisters

Art Inspiration and a Road Trip Part Two.

Here we are again at Roy's Gas, Motel and Cafe. If you're interested in reading up on it's long history, this is a good link.

This site has been used in many movies and music videos.

The famous Roy's sign was erected in 1959

What struck me most was the eerie feeling I got as I walked around exploring the area. 

The motel lobby, with items left strewn about, seemed as if it had been abandoned very quickly.

The cabins evoked that same eerie feeling in me. 

Some were empty and others contained very unique art installations.

Like many of the old establishments along Route 66 this place is frozen in time

According to this site Roy's is selling gas again, but not when we were stopped there. A young couple had pulled in ahead of us and were out of gas. The person there at the time was trying to pump gas into their car but there was no gas coming out. They were stranded and calling friends to come and pick them up. Strange right?? Cue eerie music.....

My Year Ahead.

I'm back in the studio after two meetings this morning and am super motivated. I've been meeting weekly with another artist/friend since last November. These meetings are all about goals, both career and personal, and keeping each other accountable and on track. Of course there is some small talk and plenty of coffee involved.

The Cityline crew taping in my home/studio.

Much was accomplished last year and probably the highlight was my art/design segment that I worked on with Sharon Grech for Cityline. That dream/goal was a year in the making and well worth the effort. The summer months brought some excitement when I noticed that a couple of my published posters were bestsellers online. Travel is oh soooooo inspiring and there were three trips to Vegas (I know!!) and one to NYC. There were also plenty of field trips to the AGO and local galleries, and I said good-bye to an artist friend that left the country to follow her heart (brave soul)

This coming year is being planned and mapped out. I didn't always do this in fact for so much of my life I just 'let it happen' but now I know that once written down, that dream becomes a goal and attainable.

What I know for sure.

Exercise and eating right are key for me to stay motivated, inspired and happy. Not so much the eating right, that I'm quite good with, but when I get really really busy, the exercise is the first to go. I won't do that this year. The workouts are scheduled in and will happen regularly!!

I need to get out!! Long days painting in the studio can be isolating. I need to get out every day for a twenty minute break, grab a coffee or just a walk around the block. 

A few goals from the past couple of years that were put on hold for one reason or other will be on my calendar this year. The timing is right.

I am going to ask for what I want. Step out of my comfort zone more often, and dream big. I'm not going to let my 'inner critic' screw with me as much. Look out 2015, I've got this!!!!!!

Art Inspiration and a Road Trip Part One.

You may remember from this and previous posts that I have a serious passion for neon, and if it's retro neon, wow!! I've researched them, painted them, recieved them as gifts, traveled to see them and photograph them in person. They are a big inspiration for me and my art. Luckily, my husband shares that same interest, so when I approached him with this page from Art Collector Magazine and asked if it was do able, the answer was yes. Yay!!

This article about Francis De Fronzo's upcoming show at Evoke Contemporary immediately caught my eye. I went straight to his and the gallery's website to learn more. De Fronzo's paintngs are very large and very realistic. They are of trains, old signs, and big skies and fields. They evoke in me a feeling of solitude and peace. 

Then I went on to Google to find this sign and learn of it's rich history. We had already planned a long weekend in Las Vegas (this past December) and it was only a couple of hours away.

After a great early breakfast at 'Eat' in downtown Las Vegas, we started our road trip. It was an overcast and at points a cloudy day.

I was hoping for bright sun and some desert heat, but it was December and they were experiencing cooler than normal temps for the area.

We saw lots of interesting 'deserty' things along the way. A couple of long trains that we had to wait for and let pass.

Plenty of abandoned buildings and structures.

and even a few tumbleweeds blowing in the wind.

A mountain that resembled a pyramid.

Don't let this somewhat freshly painted spot on the road fool you. Route 66 is full of history and in some areas in disrepair. Pot holes galore.

And then we saw it in the distance. We had arrived to our destination in Amboy Ca. There, in the Mohave desert,  the sign we came to see. I'll stop my story here because Roy's Motel Cafe deserves it's own post. Stay tuned for part two.