SUSAN'S . . . PLAYING AGAIN!

BECCA pastels on Stonehenge paper I know . . .  it's been so very quiet in my corner.  All for a good reason. I've been preparing for a pastel portrait workshop, to be held at the San Diego Museum of Fine Art on Saturday, January 12th.  It's part of the Museum's Second Saturday Workshop  Series, which features adults, one-day art workshops  partnered with an exhibit. In my case, the exhibit is America Behold!, and the participants gets a  docent-led tour before taking the workshop.  Exciting, isn't it?   Click here to sign up and additional information of the program.

GOLDEN RAYS 6" x 6" pastel Museum glass + gold frame SOLD / Private Collector Quickly descending the sun fell . . .  with hot, golden rays burst through the dark clouds. Even the night quickly approached . . .  the spirits soared from the sight. Majestic!

SLIVER * 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" square archival white mat *no glass nor frame $85 - tax and shipping inclusive Bold and dark the palms stood . . .  while the pastel sky layered behind. A sliver of the bright sun . . .  cut through the night. Hiding behind . . . 

EVENING BLAZE 6" square pastel + 12" square gold leaf frame Sold - Private Collector Like little ducklings, off they go. . . .  Will miss you,  but so fortunate to spread my art. Thank you Patrons!

PEPPERMINT 'TINI * 14"h x 11"w pastel glass + gold frame *Courtesy of Tirage Art Gallery Now the holidays are upon us and time to celebrate! Opening reception of The Holiday Salon  at Tirage Gallery in Pasadena is this Saturday, December 1 from 2 noon to 5 pm.  Additional information can be viewed here .

PINK POSEYS * 10"h x 7"w pastel white mat, museum glass + gold frame * Courtesy of Tirage Art Gallery A swirl of turquoise,. . .  dash of pink, . .  and a splash of orange . . . and backlit with bright light. Such a simple little setting!

RED LOOK-OUT 6" x 6" pastel 12" gold leaf frame $265 - tax and shipping inclusive The end of the year is in sight. Peek . . .  peer . . . and one can just snatch a glimpse of the future.   Anxiously anticipating!   

SCRUBS 6" x 6" pastel Uncontrollable . . .  scattered . . .  beauty in the chaotic brush.

SOUTHWEST GLIMPSE 6" x 6" pastel It was high noon . . . as the sun's rays slashed through the sky. Blinding was the view . . . yet the red rock glimmered.  And the heat pacified my soul.

DOTS 7"h x 9"w pastel SOLD! And you thought halloween was past us - wrong!  There is still candy hanging around. Temptress!

LIZARD-SHEEP assemblage sold Baa! And how would you like to snuggle up  with this sweet little lamb . . .  er,  lizard?  Only have till tomorrow to see the show.

GOOD HAIR DAY bisque doll, plastic, hair + paint SOLD This is the last week to view A Tiny Toyland . What fun we have had and now many  of the little critters are off to new homes. So if you live in San Diego and wish a final peek, please visit The Next Door Gallery   at 2963 Beech St.  More info at: www.studiomaureen.com 

A TOUCH OF FALL * 6" x 6" pastel *unframed and shipped in plastic sleeve tax + shipping inclusive $225 A skip to my step and face upturned . . .  I soak in the autumn rays.  The slight chill in the air . . .  livens my senses. And a majestic view of the tumbling  rich colors that mesmerizes. Fall is here!

YORK 7"h x 9"w pastel May your bag be full . . .  and watch out for the black cats! Trick or treat!

HEAVY CLOUDS (detail) 6 1/2"h x 4 1/2"w graphite + acrylic Cloaked and heavy . . .  the dark clouds shrouded the sky. While a dreaded anticipation . . .  hung in the air.  Waiting . . .

WHEELING 24"h x 18"w pastel + gold leaf And this is the second painting that is in Albuquuerque for  the Pastel Society of New Mexico's 21st Annual Juried  National Pastel Painting Exhibition.  Honor, honor, honor!

FLYING HIGH 24"h x 18"w pastel + gold leaf Flying High just arrived in Albuquerque and anxiously  waiting to be delivered to Pastel Society of New Mexico's  21st Annual National Pastel Painting Exhibition. Honored  for this pastel as well as Wheeling to be juried into the show.  Now if I only I could be there too . . . 

SKY OF SPLENDOR 2 6" x 6" pastel It was just yesterday . . . that we were all so young.  With no thoughts or regard to tomorrow. . .  just smiles and laughter.  And today you are gone . . . and will be greatly missed. 

SIZZLE . . . SUMMER sold Thank you Patrician Design  in Albuquerque for the  recent sale of this pastel! Rumor is that it's traveling to NY.

SQUIGGLE TREES 12"h x 24"w pastel on artist canvas  Created by: Olcay Boz,  Penny Clews +  Janetmarie Colby    Here are 2 of the pastels created in the summer class I taught this summer at UCSD Extension.  Above, the artists Olcay Boz, Penny Clews and Janetmarie Colby worked jointly on this piece for 2 hours. And below, the artists were Amy Briere, Amber Francis and VC Groves.  They are on exhibit at Ray Street Custom Framing + Gallery of North Park, with the first of two public receptions this Saturday from 6 to 9 pm.  100% of proceeds will benefit The Monarch School in San Diego, for children impacted by homelessness.  RED + GREEN LANDSCAPE 12"h x 24"w pastel on artist canvas  Created by: Amy Briere, Amber Francis + VC Groves

PIGS FLY - SHEEP / LIZARD -  JOY, JOY! mixed media + found object sculptures sold Pictured are just three of the many sold little toys and prints  from my exhibit A Tiny Toyland .   A reminder the show will remain up till November 10th and a big thanks to all who purchased as well as attended the reception!  

BABY BLUE wood, paint, fabric, metal + baby doll parts sold Tonight is the night! The little toys are having their party. If in San Diego, join them in the South Park's walk-about,  in conjunction with A Tiny Toyland's reception. For more information, please click here .

TREE TOPS 6" x 6" pastel Bright blue day . . . with a blanket of white . . .  hugging the tips of the trees. Exhilarating!

FREE SPIRIT The summer pastel class I taught at UCSD Extension was  amazing! Everyone worked so very hard and created  exceptional art. Above, Free Spirit , was one of the communal  pieees. We played musical art to give all experience  working on a variety of substrates. After a set time,  the board was passed to the next person to continue.  And now most of the communal pieces will be  framed and sold for a fundraiser to benefit  San Diego's  Monarch School for homeless kids.  The event will be held and on exhibit at Ray Street Custom Framing & Gallery in North Park.  I'll be posting several of the pieces of the art,  as well as additional information of the event in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

MOTHER NATURE * 26"h x 21"w x 20"d Bisque, wood, paint, plastic + fabric * Courtesy of The Next Door Gallery Love my little lady . . .  and the grand dame is so regal.  With closer scrutiny one can see that Mother Nature  embraces all that is living.  A Tiny Toyland will be marching over to  The Next Door Gallery tomorrow. For now, I'm wrapping up minor details while boxing  the little critters for the trip.  But they keep jumping out! 

POCKETS OF SILVER LINING 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" square archival white mat, glass + black frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR Encountering twists and turns . . . as I wander and roam. And as the sun filters through the dark clouds . . .  know that I am so very lucky and protected. May your pockets be full!

ONE BLACK BIRDIE 10" x 10" mosaic on the wall . . .  who's the fairest of them all? Why bugs of course! Aren't little critters fun?

JOY, JOY! 11" sculpture mixed media Go ahead . . .  smile . . .  chuckle . . .  giggle . . . and laugh ! Enjoy your day.

JOY! 10" sculpture mixed media Down in the dumps . . .  Nasty politics . . . Sensory overload?  Then it's time to play with toys.

PINK + CHOCOLATE * 6"h x 4"w pastel Sold Long gone . . .  and stuffing chocolate into my mouth . . .  YUM!

SHADOWS + TREES 8"h x 6" w pastel on cradled wooden panel glass + black frame $275 - shipping inclusive Walking the path while deep in thought . . .  beauty unobserved . . .  a loss.

KIT-KAT WITH STRIPES 9" x 12" pastel sketch I've been playing around with sketches to introduce  new techniques and substrates to my current class.  The kit-kat is on a textural handmade paper - which I  have never  used previously and unsure if I would use  again  with  pastels. It just does not hold up to extensive  layering,  unlike the sanded base I typically use.  Or perhaps  I should change my method of execution?  All in all, it's fun to try new things. 

A BITE 14"h x 18"w pastel framed 18"h x 22"w See . . .  it pays to eat!  Just received notification that this painting was  accepted into Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club's 116th annual juried exhibition. The show runs from October 2nd to the 26th at the National Arts Club of New York City.  Such a huge honor! 

PINK FIELDS 10"h x 8"w pastel on canvas panel z - i - n - g! experiment . . .  new paths . . . enjoy class!

Abstract Sketch 4 1/2"h x 3 1/2" w pastel Tomorrow evening begins the series of summer classes at UCSD Extension that I will be teaching. Will be covering a huge range of topics and genres, so definitely will be fun as well as challenging for me. The series starts with creating abstracts while learning to handle the stick of pastel. Opposite is a quick small-scale sketch for my introduction. We'll even have a class of stylized landscapes on communal canvases. Now that's going to be fun!

PEEK-A-BOO RED * 10"h x 8"w pastel  16"h x 14"w glass + gold frame * courtesy of Tirage Gallery Tirage Galler y of Pasadena  -which I'm so proud of their representation! -  just revamped their website and it rocks.   So clean, easy to navigate and a wealth of imagery from national artists.  Check out their new site here . And see what they say about me (oh . . .  I'm blushing!) here . 

ALL MY HEART IN GOLD (detail) 6"h x 4"w  hand print, pencil + gold leaf Subtle with a tiny bit of class . . .  who would believe? Playing with hand printing my little dizzy dolls.  Below are 2 renditions of my Ram / Pig as  Circles + Squares.  SQUARES  4"h x 6"w hand print, pencil + gold leaf CIRCLES 4"h x 6"w hand print, pencil + gold leaf