56th Annual Edmonds Arts Festival - Work Selected!

I'm very happy to announce that all my submissions have been selected for the 56th Annual Edmonds Arts Festival!  This year my entries have a bird theme.  In the drawing category, my new graphite work, Special Delivery, features a crow as messenger.  My work in the painting category, Snowy Visitor, has a snowy owl regally posing on driftwood.  In the miniature category, my paintings include a pelican, Catchin' Some Rays, a heron, Patience, an eagle, The Hunter, and more crows, this time as a trio in, Negotiation.  I guess you can tell, I love birds!

  Special Delivery  © Barbara A. Freeman

 Graphite and Mixed Media on Film  9 3/4" x 7 5/8"

 

 Snowy Visitor  © Barbara A. Freeman

Acrylic on True Gesso Panel  7 5/8" x 9 5/8"

Fine Art Miniatures

Catchin' Some Rays  © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A.  
Awarded:  Second Place Miniatures

Acrylic on Gessobord  3 5/8" x 3 5/8"

Patience © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A.

Acrylic on Illustration Board 3 1/2" x 2 5/8"

 

The Hunter © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A.

Acrylic on True Gesso Panel  3 5/8" x 3 5/8"

Negotiation  © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A. 
Acrylic on Claybord  3 5/8" x 3 5/8"

The Edmonds Arts Festival is a three day fun filled event that takes place over Fathers' Day Weekend, June 14th -16th, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Frances Anderson Cultural Center, 700 Main Street in beautiful downtown Edmonds, WA. The Edmonds Arts Festival is one of the longest running in the Northwest, attracting artists from across the nation.  There are artists booths outside along with performing arts and children's activities and yummy food.  My work will be in the Juried Gallery Show which is INSIDE the Frances Anderson Center.  There are different rooms exhibiting the juried work, the main gallery where my work is located, you'll find, paintings, drawings and miniature art.  Don't miss the photography and artisan work which is located in rooms a few steps up.  Also, you can find the excellent student art show downstairs. Don't miss out on a fun weekend!  Bring Dad along, too!  All artwork is for sale.  Remember, art makes a fine Fathers' Day Gift!  Happy Fathers' Day to all you Fathers out there!

Snowy Owls and Sandhill Cranes, Oh My!

 Snowy Visitor  © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A.

Acrylic on True Gesso  7 5/8" x 9 5/8"  Small Works Category

 My two new works, both acrylic paintings, were inspired from our trips to view a couple of the bird sightings and migrations this year.  When we first learned about the irruption of the Snowy Owls, Wayne and I made a trip to a couple of local birding spots to have a look.  The snowys were there, but too far away to see well and impossible for us to photograph.  Then we heard that Boundary Bay in Vancouver, BC was THE place to view these beautiful visitors.  It was a wonderful drive up to the border that following weekend and we found the turn-off road to the trail.  It was easy to know we were in the right place as folks were set up with all their photo equipment and other looking devices all along the trail.  It was amazing to see the snowys so close!  We also saw some northern harriers, eagles, lots of herons, and short eared owls.  It was a beautiful day and experience!

A Walk in the Woods   © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A.

Acrylic on Gessobord  3 5/8"  x 3 5/8" Fine Art Miniature

I read that the Sandhill Cranes pass through the Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area in Indiana during their migration in the fall and spring.  Jasper Pulaski is a short drive from my in-laws home in Indiana.  The larger migration happens in the fall, but since we were going to be there in March, we thought it would be a fun thing to checkout.  On the day we went, we headed out early, but thought we were going to be disappointed as there was no one about but a red winged blackbird.  It was cold so we decided to go back to the car and drive around a bit.  After slowly driving down a couple of side roads, we finally spotted a few.  The two that inspired my painting were almost missed, they blended so well with their environment!   Sandhill Cranes are such graceful birds and I was so excited we were able to see the few we did.  We will be traveling back again in the fall.  We ARE planning on adding the short trip to Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area to view the fall migration.  Hopefully we will have more photo opportunities this time.  Regardless, we always have a great time being out together and taking photographs of whatever catches our fancy.  Early February, we also attended the Eagle Festival that is held each year in Arlington.  Great time for birding, it was exciting to see five eagles sitting all in the same tree! Bringing birds into my artwork adds another stretch for me.  I like that!

I am not blogging as often as I did previous years.  I will, however, continue blogging about new work and the shows I'm in as they happen.  To me it is a great way to document my work.  I know time is precious, therefore, thank you for taking your time to read about my work.  July 4th is tomorrow, and our summer here in the Pacific Northwest will begin on the 5th of July!  We are planning our hikes and hopefully a visit from our daughter, Gina!  It's going to be a great summer!  Wishing you a great summer and a Happy 4th!!

Three New Miniature Paintings

As promised, my three latest miniatures, all done in acrylic, each on a different substrate.

From the Highlands  © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Illustration Board  2 1/8" x 2 1/8"

This cow is from a hearty breed of Highlands cattle.  He kindly posed for me while on the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms, which takes place around the end of September, first of October.  The farm tours are self guided, so you can pick and choose which route and farms you want to visit. They are so much fun and a great way to learn about different farm animals, as well as veggies and fruits. One of our favorite stops is the apple orchard. I never knew there were so many varieties of apples!  We do the apple tasting, then purchase the ones we like, along with my favorite pears. They store well and we can enjoy them for weeks to come.  Another one of the many reasons I'm really starting to enjoy living here in the Pacific Northwest!

I Got My Eye on You  © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Illustration Board  2 5/8" x 2 5/8"

These pelicans, however, are not from the Pacific Northwest. This one along with the one below are from our trip to Dunedin, FL in January when I attended the Miniature Art Society of Florida's (MASF) annual miniature art show.  Gina, Wayne and I took a walk along the causeway where folks were fishing.  The pelicans were in various modes of relaxing and watching all of us! 

Catchin' Some Rays © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Gessobord  3 5/8" x 3 5/8"

This pelican was hunched down into his body, looking very relaxed, indeed! He was a bit older I think and trying to have his afternoon nap. We didn't seem to be bothering him at all, but I'm sure he wished we'd go away!  One of these pelican miniatures will probably be heading back to Florida for this year's MASF's show.

I have been busy with many different projects this summer.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep up with blogging as often as I'd like, nor have I been able to visit my blogging friends' sites and leave comments. Facebook has taken away from some of that time. It's really been difficult to stay connected to everyone and all the different events taking place. I'm sure many of you must be experiencing some of the same. Therefore, I thank all of you who do manage to take the time to read about my work and leave a comment. Your support is much appreciated!

*The faint red marks on the images are my watermark and do not appear on the actual work.

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

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.

"$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.

19th International Miniature Art Show, Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC

I am once again participating in Seaside Art Gallery's 19th International Miniature Art Show in Nags Head, North Carolina. It's one of the top three miniature shows in the USA. This nationally acclaimed show usually exhibits around 600 works of art by artists from all over the world. Some of the most renown miniature artists participate each year. All accepted work, including my three pieces, is currently available for pre-show sales on their exhibit website. The show runs from May 1st through June 5th, 2010 at the Seaside Art Gallery, 2716 South Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head NC. There will be an open reception with many participating artists in attendance, on May 29, 2010 from 7PM to 9PM. The Pearl will be catering the event and there will be an awards presentation during the reception. Sure wish I could be there!

If you are visiting the area, add this great Miniature Art Exhibition to your must do list! While you're there, be sure to check out my three miniatures, The Key, "Rhodie" with Bee, and my new acrylic painting, "Peek a Boo" .

I am currently working on a gift for my Mom and Mom-in law for Mothers' Day. I hope they work out, there's not much time! Also, I'll have more to say later on other shows and festivals I'll be participating in this spring. Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope all your days are filled with beauty!