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

1st Place Miniatures! LiveARTS Bothell!

Over and Beyond © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Claybord, 3 5/8" x 3 5/8"
Fine Art Miniature, from the Italian Landscape Series

Great news for me, I just got a phone call from LiveARTS Bothell and I got First Place in Miniature, for my work, Over and Beyond, the acrylic painting from my miniature Italian Landscape Series. Wow, it sure has been a great week! Tomorrow evening is the Patrons Preview Party and I'll be attending along with my husband Wayne. The festival is at a new venue this year and the the sun will be shining! You can click here, LiveARTS Bothell to see my earlier blog post with links to the location and times and the other works I'll have in the juried art show. Remember, the festival is free and has free parking, with juried art inside the new Mobius Hall Gallery, outdoor artisan booths, music, food and fun activities for the whole family all weekend! I hope to see you there!

Work Juried In - Live ARTS Bothell - June 26th and 27th

The Live ARTS Bothell Juried Art Exhibit is coming up the end of this month and I'm happy to announce that I have four miniatures and two larger works accepted in this show. This year's venue has changed due to renovations being done to Bothell Landing where the show usually takes place. Instead it will be held at the new Mobius Hall Gallery on the campus of Cascadia Community College and U.W. Bothell. This wonderful art fair takes place June 26 and 27th, 10am to 6pm. There will be a Patron Preview Party on Friday June 25th, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. Please call for reservations at 425-488-2787 by June 11th. The college is located one mile east of downtown Bothell (directions and map here). The Live ARTS Bothell Art Fair is always great fun, with musical entertainment, great food and ART! There is free garage parking and the festival event will be in the inner courtyard of the wooded campus overlooking its 58-acre North Creek wetland.

Of my four in the Miniature Art Category, two are new acrylic paintings, Always Illuminated, and from my Italian Landscape Series, Over and Beyond. The other miniatures, The Silent Ones, a silverpoint, and In Fair Condition, colored pencil, are two favorites. My two larger works in the Drawing Category, one in graphite, It's Not All Black and White, and the other a work in metalpoint, Sculpted by Time are also both new works that have not been exhibited before! This is a great community event and always lots of fun. I hope you can make it. Be sure to look for my work in the new Mobius Hall Gallery. The sun is going to shine that weekend!

It's Not All Black and White, ©Barbara A. Freeman
Graphite and Mixed Media on Acid-free Film, 7" x 7"

Sculpted by Time ©Barbara A. Freeman
Metalpoint on Prepared Paper 8 1/2 " x 8 "

New Miniature in the Italian Landscape Series, "Over and Beyond"

My latest miniature painting is another in my Italian Landscape Series. I had started this one a while back, but didn't like the colors in the sky, nor the way the light was hitting the tops of the mountains. I put it away and moved on to another work. I find it's good to do that, when a piece just doesn't grab you but you have put so much work into it. This one had been at that point. Meanwhile, I was thinking about what I wanted to do next, when I saw it sitting there on the miniature easel where I prop them to "age". I picked it up and just started working on it. I think it's good sometimes to put all the photos and references away and let your painter's eye take over. Once I got the sky area worked out, the rest was the fun part of just refining the details. I'm very happy with it now. It still needs the isolation coat and varnish. When that has all been done and a frame chosen, I'll post it again. Thanks for looking and taking the time to read this.

Over and Beyond, © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Claybord, 3 5/8" x 3 5/8"