Two Shows Opening This Week!

Opening today, September 27th: My graphite and mixed media work, The Vernal Arrival of the Green Darner, makes it's debut in the color-themed, juried art exhibit, "It’s Not Easy Being Green". The exhibit is sponsored by the Lynnwood Arts Commission and takes place at the Lynnwood Library Gallery. Only thirty eight artists were chosen to have their work in this exhibit. Two of my artist friends, Janie Olsen and Susan Jones also have work in this exibit! The show runs from September 27th thru November 18th at the Lynnwood Library Gallery, 19200 44th Ave W, Lynnwood. The Artists' Reception is on Saturday, October 2nd from 11am - 12pm. Three works will be chosen for awards by the juror. It is sure to be an interesting group of work, with many different interpretations on the theme of being green. The reception is lots of fun, so do come if you can!

Another show happening this weekend is the 32nd Annual Juried Arts Show at 2010 Arts of the Terrace, in Mountlake Terrace. I have four miniatures and my larger metalpoint drawing juried in this exhibit. The work can be seen in this blog post. The exhibit takes place at the Mountlake Terrace Library Complex, 23300 58th Avenue W., Mountlake Terrace. The Awards Reception for Sponsors, Artists and Guests, is this Friday evening, October 1st, from 6:30 to 9 pm. There will be entertainment by Edmonds Woodway High School Chamber Group. The exhibit will continue throughout the weekend with Artist Demos and Workshops all Free! Saturday, October 2nd, from 11am to 9 pm and Sunday, October 3rd, from 11am to 5 pm. Come enjoy paintings, prints, calligraphy, drawings, miniatures, photography and 3-dimensional work. Both shows are free and open to the public. Artwork work is for sale in both shows. Support your local artist!!

Married 70 YEARS!!

Mary Louise and Herbert E. Freeman Celebrate 70 Years of Love!
September 13th, 1940 - September 13th, 2010

Last week my husband and I made a visit to see his folks in northern Indiana and to help them celebrate their 70th Wedding Anniversary! We, along with Wayne's three cousins and their partners, (from Montana, Michigan and Indiana) threw an open house at a local restaurant (closed for regular business on Sunday). His Mom and Dad have lived in and near this small town, almost all their lives. Needless to say, a lot of people know them. Wayne put an announcement in the local paper and worked with the restaurant via phone and emails to set things up. The folks at the restaurant did a fantastic job of taking care of everything.

Because it was an open house, it was difficult getting a count of everyone who came. We did have a guest book, but not everyone signed it. Some folks stayed awhile, some stopped in just to say hello, some came with their whole family. There were a couple of old friends who came from as far as Ft. Wayne, IN. All in all, it was thought around 80 to 100 may have attended.

The Freeman family.
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The four of us.

Whether from a great distance or from right across the street, it was wonderful meeting all these friends, former business associates and customers, neighbors and family all together celebrating the love of my mother and father in-law. It was great spending time together. Their love and commitment to each other is beautiful.

I don't usually post personal things on my blog, but I wanted to share this. I think anyone who is able to not only stay together for 70 years but actually still enjoy one another's company and still express their love, that needs to be shared!

Gold and Glory, New Acrylic Painting in Miniature

This work is another recent miniature I've done in acrylic. It's a painting that I'll submit to one of the upcoming miniature art society shows*. It was inspired by the small country church, The Little White Church on the Hill.

I saw a peek of this church as we were driving by and had to stop to photograph it. I love our drives in the country, this one was on the Pioneer Hwy, close to the town of Silvana, WA. It's near the bridge overlooking the scenic Stillaguamish River Valley. The Little White Church on the Hill is an historic site completed in 1898 and is listed on the Washington State Register of Historic Places.

Gold and Glory ©Barbara A. Freeman

Acrylic on Art Board 2" x 2"

It was in late autumn and the trees had already lost most of their color. I didn't have as much information in the photograph to work with as I would have liked. I decided to give the tree colors a touch of autumn gold. It worked well with the whites, bathing them in a golden glow. I tried two different frame styles on it and I think the one above is the best choice, more delicate. It works well with the theme of Gold and Glory.


In the above photo you can see where I started the painting by covering the entire surface with a blue wash to tint the illustration board. Then I built up the layers with thin applications of color. On the upper right side next to the first tree you can see the color of the first blue layer. This helped me to lay in the whites of the church and the blue was a great contrast to the orange. I painted the roof and shadows with tints of blues and lavender. Actually, this piece is filled with complementary colors. I also used a bit of metallic gold paint on some of the trees. The bell in the tower was a real challenge, it was so tiny! I decided to mat it in a smaller format to create a more pleasing composition.

I selected this frame and the first one above as possibilities for the finished piece. I think the first one is the better choice, more delicate and the yellow gold is a better match. Sorry, as you can see the first gold framed work is not very straight. I'll post a better photo of the final matted and framed work at a later date. As always, thank you for taking the time to read about my work. Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

*I am in the process of putting the final touches on my work and will be shipping them out soon to the two Miniature Art Society Exhibits coming up, the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington DC, (MPSGS) and the Miniature Art Society of Florida, (MASF).

Work Accepted in Festival of the Arts at Mountlake Terrace

I've received notice that four of my miniatures and my larger submission in metalpoint was accepted in this year's 32nd Annual Juried Arts Show at Arts of the Terrace, Mountlake Terrace, Wa.

Sculpted by Time ©Barbara A. Freeman

Metalpoint on Prepared Paper, 8 1/2 " x 8 "

My miniature works that were juried in this show are, In Fair Condition, "Rhodie"With Bee, Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed, and Always Illuminated. My larger work in this exhibit is, Sculpted by Time. This exhibit takes place at the Mountlake Terrace Library Complex, 23300 58th Avenue W., Mountlake Terrace, WA. There will be an Awards Reception for Sponsors, Artists and Guests, on Friday October 1, from 7 to 9 pm. The exhibit continues through Saturday, October 2nd, from 11am to 9 pm and Sunday, October 3rd, from 11am to 5 pm. Come enjoy painting, prints, calligraphy, drawings, miniatures, photography and 3-dimensional works by top local and regional artists. I look forward to another exciting venue to exhibit my work. I have several aritist friends in this show, so it's going to be a fun time with great art viewing. All work is for sale, so come on out and support your local artist!!

Miniatures

Penny is shown for scale only and does not appear in the work.

In Fair Condition © Barbara A. Freeman

Colored Pencil on Acid-free Film, 2 3/4" x 3 3/4"

Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed © Barbara A. Freeman

Silverpoint on Prepared Art Board, 2 7/8" x3 7/8"

"Rhodie With Bee" © Barbara A. Freeman

Colored Pencil and Iridescent Acrylics on Acid-free Film,

2 3/4" x 3 3/4"

Always Illuminated ©Barbara A. Freeman

Acrylic on Art Board, 4" x 5"