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.

"A Meditation on the Pacific Northwest", Third Buddha Painting

This small work is the last in my series of Buddha paintings. Because I wanted to make this a meditation work, I used a border to draw the viewer inward to make Buddha the focal point.

Even though I used the same Buddha figure and Pacific Northwest landscape as in the previous Buddha paintings, I could never paint them exactly the same. Nor would I want to!

The knot border is done with gold over a transparent red oxide. I used the crow symbol to break up the border. The crow is outlined in an iridescent violet. The Buddha is once again holding the tulip and apple, symbols of the Pacific Northwest. The tree he is sitting in front of has that beautiful green moss you find covering many of the trees here. What doesn't show in the photo or scan is the luminous quality of this piece.

Gessobord has a slight texture, so when I started to paint the features on the figure, the texture kept getting in the way. To correct that, I painted several layers of gesso on the figure, sanding each time between the dry layers using very fine sandpaper. When the figure was finished, I added the iridescent and metallic gold glazes on Buddha and around his form. When you see this work in person, the figure in certain light looks as though it is floating.

I'm not sure if I will do more Buddha pieces, but I really enjoyed doing these three. I hope you enjoy seeing them and hearing a bit about their background. As always, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at my work. I hope you will come back soon.


This work, A Meditation on the Pacific Northwest is available on my secure website for purchase. Just click on "add to my collection".

I notice that this image is showing up in google images. I do hope that viewers will take note that this is an original painting done by me and is available for purchase on my website at www.bfreestudios.com. I also hope they will respect the copyright of this work. Thank you for looking and please, I'd love to hear from you, leave me a comment.

A Meditation on the Pacific Northwest

Copyright 2009 Barbara A. Freeman

Acrylic on Gessobord, 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

Framed size, 9 1/4" x 9 1/4"

Second in a series, "Buddha in the Pacific Northwest"

I enjoyed creating the Buddha that I did for my daughter, (see the last post, Buddha in Austin, A Personal Altar) so while it was still fresh in my mind, I decided to do another one. The first one, 8"x 6"x 4", I consider a small work. This second work, however, I did as a miniature painting in acrylic on 4"x 4" claybord. I placed him in a Pacific Northwest landscape, adding a crow, (they are plentiful here) on a pathway. As with the first work, this Buddha is a medicine Buddha so I placed a tulip and an apple in his hands, both being symbols of the area for me.* When finished with the figure, I glazed gold paint on the skin and added metallic iridescent paint as a glowing effect around the body. I was happy with the way the dappled sunlight filtered through the trees. The path could be leading you into or away from the area. You interpret.


This miniature is framed in black and gold and is wired for hanging. The frame itself is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". The framed image is 3 5/8"x 3 5/8". It is available on my secure website, Buddha in the Pacific Northwest for purchase. Just click on "add to my collection". This piece would enhance any meditation space, and would work well as a traveling altar. Be sure to follow my blog for updates. I always announce when any work is in a show. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. Your comments are always appreciated.

(Please note, the framed image above is not as clear, nor the colors as brilliant as the actual image due to the shiny varnished finish of the surface and my photo abilities or lack therefo.)

* The first year after we moved here, my husband and I went to the Tulip Festival which is held in the spring in Skagit County, just north of here. Then in the fall we went to the Farm Tour, the same area, where we had a picnic in a beautiful apple orchard. It's such a lovely area to visit.

Buddha in Austin, A Personal Altar

It's almost been a week since my last post and I still don't have images of my new work. Therefore, I thought I'd share three works that I did of Buddha.

The one I'd like to share today is the first one I did as a gift for my daughter. It was done as a personal altar. In it, I have incorporated things that are part of her life and environment. Several years ago, on a visit to Austin she took me to a spot called Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve. Here Hamilton Creek spills out over a limestone cavern where a waterfall creates a beautiful pool at the bottom. Surrounding it was a very rocky trail along the creek where we did a fun hike. It was a beautiful wild spot and a fun day spent together. The trees and creek behind Buddha are from a composite of photos from that area. She also sent me some photos of a tree overhanging some rocks that she thought I'd like. Her little dog Zita was in that photo. I used all these images as inspiration for the background and sides of this work.



It's painted on a 8"x 6" gessobord with 2" sides in acrylic. The top and sides are all a continuation of the same landscape. The little dog is the photo of Zita that I printed out, covered with soft gel medium and then attached with the same medium to the bottom of the work, painting around it to blend it in. The Buddha (from the Medicine Buddha) figure is holding a red jalapeno pepper in one hand and a red tomato in the other. Foods that she uses regularly. Buddha is enclosed in a border to focus the attention for meditation. I did the border using some of the iridescent and gold colors. The black bird is from one of her mosaic works, where she used it as a symbol.

The bottom portion is a 6" x 6" gessobord attached under the 2" bottom, leaving a 4" x 6" base. This I did as a meditation finger labyrinth using tiny painted stones, also attached with gel medium as a glue. I painted the bottom as though it were water extending from the rocks underthe trees into a pond. The stones were were also to represent the mosaic work that she does. I've added a fossil from that area and some roots to bring the piece together.


It's wired to hang or there is also a saw tooth hanger to have it hang flatter. It can also stand on a pedestal as in the photos.














This was a very complex undertaking for me in many ways. I found it very satisfying to do, with thoughts of my daughter floating in and out while working on it. It was very meditative and brought me back to remembering to breathe and let go. I think she was pleased with it. I know it was a big surprise. It was done with love.


Buddha in Austin, A Personal Altar
8" x 6" x 4", Acrylic on Gessobord, (painting continued on deep sides and top), Stones, Fossil and Root Fibers

Please pardon the less than sharp images as I took photos and not scans of the work. This work is copyright of the artist, Barbara A. Freeman, all rights reserved.