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"

Work Juried in Green - themed Exhibit Lynnwood Library Gallery

The Vernal Arrival of the Green Darner © Barbara A. Freeman
Mixed Media on Film 7" x 7"

I received good news that my graphite and mixed media work, The Vernal Arrival of the Green Darner, has been accepted for the themed, juried art exhibit, It’s Not Easy Being Green, sponsored by the Lynnwood Arts Commission at the Lynnwood Library Gallery. Thirty eight artists were chosen to have their work on exhibit and mine was one of them! The show runs from September 27 – November 18 at the Lynnwood Library Gallery, 19200 44th Ave W Lynnwood WA 98036. There will be an Artists' Reception on Saturday, October 2 at 11am - 12pm. I'll post this again when the show gets closer. I did this show two years ago when the color theme was Mellow Yellow. That was the first one I entered. Last year, however, was different with a theme of Celebration/50 as it was their anniversary. This year it was back to the color theme with green in it's many different interpretations. I'm sure it will be a very interesting group of work and I am looking forward to seeing all the different viewpoints of being green.

Traveling the Slow Road - New Miniature Art Work

Traveling the Slow Road © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Illustration Board, 2 7/8" x 3 3/4"

My latest work is another in my Italian Landscape Series of Miniature Art. This drive was not far from our apartment in the countryside of Montepulciano. We would often choose to travel this route, the slow road, to connect to the larger roads. There are many cypress lined roads in Tuscany, the most well known near La Foce. As you can see from the photo below, my painting is NOT that one. However, even though I took some liberties and changed a few things with my version, I'm sure it will be familiar to those of you who have traveled in this area. As usual, the time of the season is autumn, one of my favorite times of the year, when the fields are in transition, recently plowed or sprouting the green winter grasses, the hay stacked in storage. We always traveled in the autumn, less tourists, fresh olive oil and la raccolta delle uve da vino, the grape harvest for wine making. Seems everytime I do one of these works, my mind takes a bit of a vacation, memories come flooding back. Oh, to return someday!

View Near La Foce © Barbara A. Freeman

Traveling the Slow Road © Barbara A. Freeman

Acrylic on Illustration Board, 3 3/4" x 2 3/4" Framed

EAFA Exhibit at Columbia Winery

I went to the EAFA Member Exhibit last evening at the Columbia Crest Winery. My friend Janie Olsen , above, is standing in front of her two paintings, Too Beautiful For Her Mask and Crow to Crow. Cecelia Venolia, another artist friend also had two of her works in this exhibit, sorry I didn't get photos of Cecelia and her work. It was a very nice show and reception in such a lovely place. Eden Hopkins was at the reception, but like myself, not in the show. We both agreed that we needed to become members so we could participate in their member juried shows! I think Eden has already joined, so hopefully, we will all be in the next one together!


The other reason I have a photo of Janie is because she brought along with her the work that she commissioned from mosaic artist, Gina Ballew, (my daughter) to show me. Janie has a friend who is a retired teacher and every year she gives him a gift with an apple theme. She saw some of Gina's work and asked if she would do a mosaic for her for this years' gift. The work, Jazz Apple is the small 6" x 6" she is holding. Gina said that Jazz is the variety of apple that she used for the model. I think it's a perfect title for a perfect apple!

As to my new work, I am waiting to get some photo software on my computer so I can post my new miniature. Hopefully it will be soon. Thank you for taking the time to read about my work and hear about what I've been up to.

Late Bloomer - Miniature Acrylic Painting

Late Bloomer © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Illustration Board 2 5/8" x 3 5/8"

Wow, time sure flies! I really didn't fall off the edge, I've just been painting away trying to get my miniatures finished in time for the fast approaching deadlines. Then there were computer issues and life things getting in the way. So far I have two miniatures finished, and am working on my third. This first one is varnished and ready for matting and framing. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I really had a time doing the strands of straw though! Also, orange was a challenging color to mix at first, finding the right combo of red and yellow that didn't look neon. I chose to stay with my favorite earth colors of transparent red iron oxide and yellow oxide. I started the piece by covering the surface of the illustration board with a layer of blue. I like it better than starting out with an all white surface. I'm still thinking about the title.

I'll try not to be so long before I post the next miniature painting, an Italian landscape. Thanks for taking the time to read about my work.

Group Show at Meyers Cafe at the Marina

A Meditation on the Pacific Northwest, © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Gessobord, 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

I will be participating in a group show curated by Everett artist Shannon Leah Danks at Meyers Cafe, 1700 West Marine View Drive, at the Marina in Everett, WA, (425) 259-3875‎. It will be an eclectic mix of works from many local artists. The work I contributed is my Buddha painting, A Meditation on the Pacific Northwest. I'm not sure who all the other artists are that will be in this exhibit, but I do know that Janie Olsen and Eden Hopkins have both contributed work. When I asked Shannon what she needed, she said,

"the group show is very eclectic...whatever you want to display is what i want."

I thank Shannon for putting this together! All work is for sale so go have lunch or brunch at the beautiful marina and support your local artist! Oh, and if you go on Sunday, you can enjoy fresh veggies, flowers and more from the Farmers' Market, all taking place at the Marina!

As to other things... I know I've been absent for too long here. I have been busy trying to get new work done for the deadlines for the miniature shows I do every year, MPSGS in Washington, DC, MASF in Florida and a local invitational Holiday Show at Kaewyn Gallery. There will be other small shows and festivals that I will be submitting work to that are coming up as well. I will be posting all the shows that I will be in as they come up. I will be gone for a bit more than a week in September to make a much needed trip to visit family in IN. Then hopefully sometime in the beginning of the new year my husband and I, along with our daughter Gina, will be visiting family in FL. Both our parents have been dealing with illness so we want to make the trips to spend some time together. Also it will be great to see Gina again! We are in touch everyday via IM and Facebook, but it sure doesn't make up for real hugs! Until next time, thanks for taking the time to read about my work and sometimes other things.

Update - Finished - Forest with Dragonfly, Graphite on Dura-lar Matte WIP

I thought I had finished this work of the forest with dragonfly, (still untitled), but had mixed feelings about it after I photographed it and saw it on the monitor. The area that radiates from the dragonfly was to be of a greenish glow. Instead it was a bit too much on the yellow side, (see above).

The Vernal Arrival of the Green Darner © Barbara A. Freeman

Mixed Media on Film 7" x 7"

I decided to go back into it and lift some of that color off and add more green. It still doesn't look as green here, above, as it does in person. However, I am much happier with it now that I've changed it. A work always looks better after I get away from it and then look again with new eyes. It will be cropped a tiny bit after I mat the work which I think will make the composition stronger.

Close-up of dragonfly detail.

This work was done with graphite on Dura-lar Matte film. I used colored pencil on the back of the finished graphite work. The dragonfly's tiny wings were glazed with Golden interference oxide green (yellow shade). When I have it titled and framed, I'll post it again in it's completed form. Thank you for taking the time to read about my work in progress.

"$2.00/bunch" Art of the Garden Exhibit - Arts Council of Snohomish County

$2.00/bunch © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Gessobord, 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

My latest acrylic work, $2.00/bunch will be in the Arts Council of Snohomish County's Exhibit, Art of the Garden. There will be works of over fifty artists in this exhibit showing quite a mix of work from paintings, to glass, cement castings, sculpture, and so much more. I'm excited to be a part of this! My two friends, Janie Olsen and Eden Hopkins will also have some of their fine work in this exhibit. The show opens on Thursday, July 8, with a “Meet the Artists” reception from 5-8pm. This event is free and open to the public. The evening will be perfect for viewing local art, for and of the garden, inside and out. Hope to see you there! The gallery is located at 1507 Wall Street in downtown Everett. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10-5pm and on Saturday from 11-4pm. The show runs through August 19.

As to my work in progress of the forest and dragonfly, I haven't been able to post due to some life issues getting in the way. Because of dealing with these things, I missed some studio time and then when I came back to it, I ran in to some problems with the dragonfly. I decided something just didn't look the way I wanted it. My in house second opinion person, (Wayne), helped point out what he saw as a potential problem. I'm happy to say I think I've solved that problem. I'll be posting images soon. If you have been following this work in progress, thank you for your patience. As always, thanks for taking the time to read about my work.