SUSAN'S . . . PLAYING AGAIN!

CATALINA 10" x 14" pastel 16" x 20" gold frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR With the hustle-bustle of life, time slips away so quickly.  The last few years with a hectic schedule of creating art and making a living, that time has evaporated in a puff! Where did it go? After vacationing a couple of times at the island, I had created "Catalina" when time was more abundant. Still one of my favorite landscapes! So relaxing and enjoyable . . .   I really need to stop for a minute here.

BOBBING IN THE BAY 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel * * 8" square archival white mat - no glass nor frame $95 + $5 insured shipping - tax inclusive Traveled afar to an island of beauty . . . where the fish swam freely in the depths of the waters. While reminiscing of days gone by . . . when the sun barely broke through the darken sky.  Upon departure the rays shone as a wave good-by.

CATALINA'S AVALON * 6" x 6" pastel 10" square archival white matt *no glass nor frame $225 + $10 insured priority shipping While walking I reminiscent of yesteryear as the raindrops drizzled. Another day, another time . . . Nary was a soul out.  Solitude. The air was fresh, the winds rolled, and the wet drops caressed my cheeks. Alive.

TOWN OF AVALON 2 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" square archival white matt, glass + gold frame $150 - tax + shipping inclusive Feeling a bit under the weather, so decided to paint something  sunny and cheery. So lets travel back to Catalina Island. I spent a few days there April 2010 to work on art for  a  show through Tirage , with a portion of sales   benefiting Catalina Island Conservancy. You can  view one of my posts with another scene of  Avalon Town here . Catalina Island is 22 miles off the Coast of Southern California,  so boats  are the mode of transportation to get there. All dock at Avalon, which the  Town of Avalon 2 depicts, where little houses  and cottages are nestled at the base of mountains. And so much  to  do  with  kayaking, hiking, fishing, beaches topped with  shopping and eating! Just discovered that it's the 30th birthday of  Catalina Express , one of the boats that trav...

Above are three of several paintings of mine that  Tirage   (http://www.tirageart.com/) has recently sold.   I am blessed for their representation, belief in my talent,  as well as perseverance; especially when numerous galleries  are folding from the impact of today's economy.  Many Artists are shucking aside the  brick and mortar   as they tackle their own marketing and sales.  Yet there is just so much time in the day and so many paintings to paint.    I am ever so humble and so very thankful! 

YELLOW PATH ALONG MIDDLE RANCH COLORS OF CATALINA   TIRAGE FINE ART GALLERY OCTOBER 9 - NOVEMBER 6 http://www.tirageart.com/ ONE WEST CALIFORNIA BLVD, PASADENA, CA 91105 626-405-1020  Saturday, the 6th, is the last day to view artworks of Catalina Island  by 50 renowned artists from four Pasadena Art Association galleries. A 10% donation of sales benefits the Catalina Island Conservancy  towards their conservation, education and recreation programs.    

WRIGLEY'S CHIMES TOWER 14"h x 11"w pastel SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR A bell that chimes every hour on the hour for over 80 years.  That is the Chimes Tower and more can be read about it on my  blog posting For Whom the Bell Tolls on April 27th. The above painting is included in the Colors of Catalina   exhibit at Tirage Gallery.  The reception will be Saturday, October 9th from noon to 5pm  and the show runs from October 9 - November 6. 

WILD FLOWERS AT EAGLE NEST Tirage Gallery 10" x 8" pastel $495 This grove of wild flowers is where I was traipsing  around for hours, before I discovered I was stranded. Lovely.... I was smack dab in the center of Catalina Island for hours,  mesmerized with the sights and colors.  There I go... with my head in the clouds and ducking the rain drops!  Fortunately I finally spotted and flagged down a  Catalina Conservancy Employee tooling down the road,  who radioed a ride for my return to Avalon.  (no, it wasn't a garbage truck as Tirage claimed) This is one of my paintings included within the Colors of Catalina   show, comprised of four participating galleries of the Pasadena Art  Association. Works may be viewed now at the galleries, with mutual  open house receptions on Saturday, October 9th, from noon to  5:00 p.m. Myself and many of the exhibiting Artists will  be in ...

EXPANSIVE SKY 4"h x 6"w pastel $195 + $15 insured priority shipping The rain fell intermittently throughout the day. At one small point of time, the sun peeked out while a huge, brilliant cloud flew across the sky. And the sky blazed with colors.

2 BARNS 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" white archival matte, glass + gold leaf $150 + $15 insured priority shipping Our little trip today is back to Catalina Island. I was originally on a search for those pesky wildflowers. During my hike - and dragging all of my art equipment - I spotted some horse barns. Several were nestled in a field surrounded by shrubs and trees. The storm had just passed and the sky was almost void of color, while the air was crisp. But where are the horses?

PRICKLY HILLSIDE 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel 8" archival white matte, glass + petite gold leaf frame $150 + $15 insured, priority shipping I'm still rambling around in my mind at Catalina. Maybe because San Diego has had several overcast days, which is so similar to the Island's drizzly atmosphere? Nevertheless the one day I was trudging and dragging all my art equipment along, I spied a wild growth of prickly pears while searching for those pesky patches of wildflowers. A thing of beauty on a small hillside and backdropped by colorful clouds. And as so many things in life, if one gets too close to a thing of beauty you could be pricked by tiny thorns. Hey, this could be a good metaphor relating to life! Beware...

TOWN OF AVALON 4 1/2"x 4 1/2" pastel 8" white archival matte, glass + petite gold leaf frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR I decided to stay a bit longer in Catalina, especially since the day was so overcast here. No rain, but sure felt like it. Santa Catalina Island is one of the four Southern Channel Islands and approximately 22 miles Southwest of Los Angeles. The Island is 22 miles in length (coincidence in the numbers, huh?) and encompasses nearly 75 square miles. The Town of Avalon measures one square mile, so all is in walking distance. The houses are nestled around the harbor and follow upward along the mountainside. Since the town is petite, space is limited and the homes are very close together. Nestled Homes is a scene in the late afternoon just after a misty, rainy day. The sun broke through and shone at a few spots where the rest was overcast. There were about two hours remaining before sunset, so time was limited to enjoy the rays. Just a quick sunny thril...

1, 2, 3 .... DINGHY 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel white archival matte, glass + 8" petite gold leaf frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR Since I am on the topic of the Ocean, decided to create this petite pastel. The scene I captured is from my recent trip to the Town of Avalon at Catalina Island in search of wildflowers. The tiny beach has a few docks with dinghies tightly roped and crammed together. If you remember - and do hope someone is out there is reading this, with many thanks - it rained nearly the whole time I was there. There were such wonderful clouds between the rain drops, yet overcast the majority of the time. And it was very overcast at this point, so I attempted to brighten the painting with splashes of bold color. One good thing about a dinghy - there's no need to dog paddle!

TOUCH OF RED 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel, glass, archival white matte & 8" square gold leaf frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR I think I'll still hang around awhile in Catalina since it was so fun to get away and had caught myself daydreaming of my trip the last few days. Notice the sunny sky and white clouds? Perfect weather to be traipsing around the countryside. Of course I wasn't exactly skipping while I was lugging all my gear. Who would think pastels are so heavy to carry? And can't forget the paper towels! A whole roll none the less, even though my face and hands were smudged for most of the day. Some day I'll learn to be a lady, but till then.... I did spy prickly pear and a wonderful tiny patch of red flowers nestled underneath a tree - such a grand splash of red!

PEEK OF THE OCEAN 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"- pastel, white archival matte + 8" square, gold leaf scrolled frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR While staying at Catalina, I spent the entire second day hiking, painting and a whole lot of photoshooting because of the rain. And the view was mesmerizing! The Conservancy's nursery technicians gave me a ride to Middle Ranch Road, centrally located within the Island. Senior technician, Peter Dixon suggested a route to follow to view the wild flowers. He also commented by following Eagle Nest Road to the peak, I could view the Ocean. It was really amusing, for several hours passed while I dragged my equipment, stopped to paint or shoot before I arrived to this location and by then had forgotten I was on an Island! As I was searching for wildflower patches, I turned and stopped in my tracks. What a sight! And this is the petite pastel that I created of the scene.

GREEN PLEASURE PIER 6"h x 8"w, pastel After returning to the everyday, hectic pace of life, I'm really missing my small jaunt to Catalina Island - even with all the rain I encountered. So I decided to paint a small reminder of what it looked like between the drops. Jutting out at Avalon's tiny beach is the Green Pleasure Pier . Here one can sign up and catch the scenic tours, grab food, sip a beer and watch fishermen weigh their catch. Off in the distance one can glimpse the anchored Cruise ships along the horizon. The pier is always busy and a great place to people watch during the day. This scene captures the end of the pier after a small rainstorm and just before sunset. The pastel is executed on La Carte Pastel base and larger than my petite skies. Do hope you enjoy!

After waking up to another rainy day in San Diego, I decided to post something a bit brighter. Last week amidst the rain drops while at Catalina Island, a small rainbow popped out in the afternoon. Such a wonderful splash of colors! And how amazing that the arc is perfectly aimed for the flag. Nature is such a thing of beauty.

I'm still traveling in my head to Catalina. Of course it has helped tremendously that the weather has been rainy and damp. (Hey, are we still in San Diego?) As I stated in an earlier post, the Zane Grey Hotel is located at one of the highest spots of the Town of Avalon. It's closest neighbor is the Chimes Tower, which I've included a picture for your pleasure. As you can see it was getting ready to rain once again, so the colors of the tiles are very subdued. Nevertheless, the tower is a wondrous sight. In 1925 the Chimes Tower was presented to the Town of Avalon by Ada Wrigley. Since then the tower rings every quarter hour from 8am to 8pm.

For the first time, I stayed at the Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel - http://www.zanegreypueblohotel.com/ - when I traveled last week to Catalina Island. Zane Grey was an American novelist known for his westerns and this was his home on the Island. The Hopi Indian-style Pueblo is located on this picture at the highest point of Avalon. It was quite a daily hike, plus there were an additional 28 steps to climb from the road to the doorstep! I initially planned on painting through the evening, yet instantly fell asleep from all the hiking! Truly a peaceful place to stay without any phones nor televisions. If a guest could not handle the withdrawal, there is a small tv in the central, common living room.

BURST OF RAIN 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" pastel with archival white matt, glass and gold scrolled petite frame SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR Wouldn't you know as soon as I was dropped off to paint on Middle Ranch Road in Catalina Island, it rains! Luck of the Irish, huh? But I'm only part Irish, so the rain eventually stopped and the sun peaked through.