Art Adventure: Art Gone Wild at Zoo Atlanta

On June 2nd I participated in Art Gone Wild at Zoo Atlanta, a plein air event where artists are invited to paint around the zoo while guests mingle about. I knew right away that I wanted to be stationed in front of the otters so I drove to Atlanta as soon as I could, set up all my supplies, and proclaimed this little corner MINE. 

The otters were awake and OH MY GOODNESS so cute. They would run from one side of their habitat, jump into their personal pond, sqeak squeak squeak with delight, then hop out and run to the other side to repeat. By the time the zoo opened they were ready for their first nap of the day. Kids would press their faces on the glass only to discover the otters sleeping. 

Still, very very cute while sleeping. 

My set up for the day. After awhile I just painted with the canvas in my lap. 

Progress. 

Lesson of the day: if you ever want to feel really good about yourself as an artist, show your work to a bunch of elementary kids. They'll think you're amazing and won't hesitate to tell you. 

And more progress. By this time of the day I had to move since my shade disappeared in the high noon sun. 

And the final product. I nearly completed the painting while at the Zoo but brought it home for teeny fix-ups and sealing.

Here I am with one of my most favorite artist friends, Peter Loose. He is amazing and so productive. A huge, huge influence on my work, no doubt. 

And I knocked out a quick painting later that week based on sketches I made earlier at the zoo. I knew I wanted to paint a golden pheasant once I saw how amazingly colorful it is. 

These paintings, along with all the other artists' work, were part of an auction to raise funds for the zoo and the artists. How awesome it that? I was unable to attend the auction but I was told that BOTH of my pieces sold. Yay! 

I can't wait to do this again next year. I'll make sure to take off whatever work/projects I have going on so I can paint more than just one day. 

Celestial Folk Art Series - Cetus & Lepus

A few weeks before setting my art up at Bare Bulb Coffee, I worked myself into a tizzy trying to create enough work to fill the walls. Since I was so focused, I forgot to take a lot of progress photos. 

This is probably one of my most favorite paintings. Even in the progress photo, he looks so cute and happy. The canvas is a great size. This one might be pretty hard to let go of when the time comes. 

"Cetus" 12" x 36", Acrylic on Canvas

From Wikipedia: Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.

And then here's Lepus, the hare. 

Smaller canvases meant I finished paintings faster. Love!

As you can see on the table, I do use a bit of house paint on my canvases. They're always great for solid, opaque colors. 

"Lepus", 18" x 24", Acrylic on canvas

From Wikipedia: Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator, immediately south of Orion. Its name is Latin for hare. Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located below the constellation Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or, alternatively, by Orion's hunting dogs.

I haven't been able to spot these constellations in my front-yard sky yet, but I'm sure that'll change soon. And I'm in the beginnings of a summer slump, so perhaps I'll get caught up on blog posts. I've been a painting machine lately! Follow me on Instagram for all the behind the scenes action. 

On Display: Fountain City Coffee, Columbus

My self-dubbed "Coffeehouse Tour" continues! Now my work is hanging at Fountain City Coffee in Columbus, Georgia. Since they have newly remodeled walls, I opted to only show my largest pieces which could be hung on their hanging system. No need in putting dozens of little holes for the rest of the 50 Sun/Moon Project.

About Fountain City Coffee: Since the year two thousand and three, Fountain City Coffee has continued to roast the “Freshest Cup of Coffee in the Cosmos”. A cultural vessel on Broadway & 10th in downtown Columbus, Georgia, each cup of coffee begins as the freshest bag of beans imported from across this gyrating sphere we call Dear Mother Earth.

And of course, I only took this one photo with my iPhone. You can see "Pisces", "Cetus", and "Lepus".

A few days later the owner send me these photos. There's "Cetus", "Lepus", "Pisces", "Capricornus", "El Sol", and "La Luna". All paintings are for sale.

If you're in the area, please stop by for coffee and art! And let me know you stopped by!