Etzy

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

From the Central Coast to the Snow Country






Getting back to Monterey was hectic, so many friends to catch up with (what a luxury problem to have!!) It was great to have a nice haven at my girlfriend AnnBritt's in Carmel at the end of the day. 
During the day I was busy moving paintings around, getting ready for the new shows at both Gallery at 417 and Le Beau Soleil, and I had to bring a painting up to Santa Cruz for the annual members' show, and I now have some of my paintings on display at AnnBritt's Europa Design Furniture store!  It took several trips out to my storage space in Carmel Valley to exchange paintings and to make sure I remembered everything I need in Truckee and "on the trail" for the next few months.
Friday we had the reception at Gallery at 417 for our new show "Painting From The Heart". It was so nice to see everyone, even though it was raining lots of friends showed up, and it was a great evening, even though it turned out to be a bit nostalgic as it seems we are loosing the lease for the space.
I left the Monterey Peninsula early Saturday morning to get to Truckee before dark - I am always leery of crossing the Donner Pass at night in the wintertime with slippery roads.
I stopped a couple of places in the Central Valley to see the Sandhill Cranes - it is such an amazing sight, and I love the sounds they make - you can always hear them way before you spot them!
The bird life in the Central Valley is just amazing - flocks of thousands of starlings and blackbirds moved through the dry cornstalks on the fields like dark clouds, and cranes, geese and ducks flew in formations across the skies.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Mendocino In the Rear View Mirror






They say all good things must come to an end – and so did my residency at Mendocino Art Center! It was a wonderful experience and I celebrated with a "See You Later" reception Friday night. It was a fun evening, and I will miss all the good friends I made! However, I am already planning on applying again for residency next year, so that made the departure easier! I will try to make it up for the art reception on the 14th of this month, and I will be back to retrieve my paintings on the 2nd of March for sure. My sister will come with me, she has never visited Mendocino, so I look forward to showing her around.
Now I am down in Carmel for the week, and it has been quite hectic trying to get re-organized, framing new paintings and distributing them among the galleries trying to keep track of everything. I am looking forward to the reception at Gallery at 417 tonight, as it will give me a chance to reconnect with all my friends there. I have stayed with my good friend AnnBritt in Carmel for the week, so it has been great catching up with her – and now I have some of my paintings displayed in her beautiful furniture store "Europa Design".
This week I also got started on all the vaccinations needed to safely travel in SE Asia, and I am working on getting the trip organized and coordinate with everyone I hope to visit there. It looks like I will be starting out in Bali, and then Malaysia and Borneo, and hopefully the budget will allow Darwin and Ayers Rock, Australia. However, the first adventure is fast approaching and I am beginning to get excited about the kayak trip to Baja in a couple of weeks with my sister and friend Jan.