Friday Finds: Good news/bad news

The good news: You can find great buys right now at the Preston Arts Center at 315 Pearl St. in New Albany. The sale started yesterday and everything I bought was marked down 25 to 30 percent. 

The bad news:  The store is closing forever. Although that means deeper discounts will follow, the 200 or so customers gathered outside the doors yesterday morning expressed sadness about the loss. The Louisville store on Bardstown Road will remain open, but the family intends to liquidate all merchandise and fixtures in the New Albany location.

The closing sale will be announced publicly Aug. 10, so get there before then for the best selection.

Pointless?
Do you have a brush that has lost its point? Here's a tip found in the most recent Daniel Smith catalog: Mix up a solution of 50% gum arabic and 50% water. Dip the brush into it and reshape the hairs into a point. Let it dry before using. I add that it's a good idea to hang it up point down for the drying part.

Friday Find: 3 days late or 4 days early...

 ...Depends on how you look at it!

In any case, here's an event I just learned about that many of you will find interesting.

Karol Stewart will demonstrate how artists and collectors can get the greatest value and return from their framing dollar Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at The Venue in Bloomington. Stewart is the owner of ReFrame Eco-Friendly Picture Framing & Fine Art Services of Bloomington. At the presentation she will advise how to distinguish and appreciate quality framing, which enhances the effectiveness and value of one's artwork. The Venue is at 114 S. Grant St.

That gut feeling...

Bryce Canyon Arch
16-3/4" X 11"

That gut feeling: Is it confirmation of a right decision? Or is it a precursor to an unsettling, unpleasant and absolutely unattractive episode?

Having just returned from the Post Office where I sent off my entry for the 2011 Watercolor Society of Indiana Juried Exhibit, I am hoping for the former.

I had a hard time deciding which painting to enter in this year's WSI juried show: Should I stick with one of my florals since I had success with that subject matter last year? Or should I go with a painting I love but is not traditional or like anything else I have ever shown publicly?

In the end I went with "Bryce Canyon Arch." It's more abstract than previous work so I am not sure how the juror (and others) will receive it. However, the painting accurately represents my 2011 artistic journey. Since January I have been delving into less realistic images, first experimenting with optical mixing of colors in a portrait of my daughter. 

My next step away from realism was following a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago's John Marin exhibit in April. I had long admired his brushwork, but the exhibition of his work demonstrated his exploration of the balance of realism and abstraction. That balance is what I'm looking for, I realized. I want just enough realism that people can relate to the image; I want the rest to be my stamp on it.

Then I started reading about other 20th century abstract artists and became fascinated with Paul Klee. His reduction of an image to blocks of color is the technique that inspired my approach to "Bryce Canyon Arch."

So that is what led me to go with my gut feeling to enter "Bryce Canyon Arch" into this year's WSI Juried Exhibit.

When I returned from the Post Office, I turned to this month's O Magazine, which features instincts and intuition as its theme. In her column, Oprah writes, "I'm a big believer in the wisdom of gut feelings -- those moments when you just know something to be true, even if you don't know how you know."

O, let it be a sign!

Friday Finds: ATC Swap and Happy Birthday

Quick! Swap those bloomin' ATCs
You can still get in on this month's ATC Swap at Nashville's Wishful Thinking shop if you get over there today with six ATCs designed around the theme of "Flower Power." Organizers have asked artists to incorporate the word "bloom" into the cards.

The deal is you drop off six by the 15th of the month and you get five in return. If you deliver the ATCs in person, you get to select the five cards from other artists plus you get a free gift.

The store is at Old School Way and Main in Nashville.

If the drive over to Nashville isn't in your cards for today, think about attending a free class on making ATCs July 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Although the class is free, store owners ask you call 812-988-7009 to let them know you plan to attend. You can trade the cards you make that day with fellow classmates or work on cards for future swaps. The theme for the August swap is "Look What the Cat Dragged In," featuring anything to do with cats -- both domestic and wild.

Happy birthday, Gabe
Stop in The Venue tonight at 6 p.m. and wish Gabe Coleman happy 30th birthday. He'll be celebrating at the Friday night reception honoring Amy Kaye Taylor, a landscape artist from Ohio.

Friday Finds: Great place to paint

When I first visited Sycamore Springs about five years ago, I knew I wanted to paint there.

When my mother took up watercolors last fall, I dreamed of painting with her and my daughter.

Yesterday, I got it all: I painted with Mom and Meredith at Sycamore Springs.

It's a beautiful, peaceful place not too far away, and on a weekday you may have it almost to yourself. We showed up around 9:30 a.m. and painted till 2:30 p.m. The only other person around was a grounds crew staff member who volunteered to move our picnic table into the shade. If you're new to plein air painting and worried about being watched, this is a good place to get your brushes wet.

The natural beauty can be stunning: Little Blue River meanders through the park, morning sun illuminates limestone cliffs, sycamores tower overhead and lush pine forests muffle the wind and scent the air.

From Bloomington, it's about a 75-minute drive down S.R. 37 South. The park is two miles southwest of English. Take the first right after the railroad (Church Street),  and you'll see signs to the park after you cross a low water bridge. If you have a GPS, use the 717 W. Tunnel Hill Road address. And if you want to know more about the park before you go, check it out at http://www.sycamorespringspark.com/. There is no admission fee.

Friday Finds: Good read and great community event

Here's a magazine you won't find on the newsstand
If you like the how-to articles in the watercolor magazines, you will LOVE Palette magazine. The entire magazine is chock-full of advice, tips, exercises and demonstrations.

I picked up a free copy at the Watercolor Society of Indiana's June meeting, and immediately pored through the 32-page issue. In the last two weeks I've gone back to the issue multiple times. To subscribe to the quarterly magazine, edited by Christopher Schink and William Lawrence, call 800-227-2788 or visit the Web site at http://www.thepalettemagazine.com. The magazine subscription is $22.95, but the Web site also offers a free e-mail newsletter.

Arts Fair on the Square
Tomorrow's a big day in downtown Bloomington. You can start with the Farmers' Market, move on to the Arts Fair on the Square and finish the day at A Taste of Bloomington. The Arts Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and features work from nearly 70 artists and craftspeople. Local performing arts groups will provide entertainment throughout the day.

Friday Finds: Hurt books and a hometown finale



Final curtain for Lotus Dickey Hometown Reunion
This weekend's Lotus Dickey music and arts festival on the Orleans Square has been billed as the last. That's sad, but it also makes it even more special than usual. The free event starts tonight at 6 p.m. and runs till 10 p.m., and then it resumes tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. and provides 12 nonstop hours of music. In addition to the stage entertainment, check out the jammers' area, the Saturday morning Farmers' Market and regional artisans and crafters.

Buy a hurt book

Interweave is selling damaged/bruised books at half price. Go to http://www.interweavestore.com/Hurt-Books-and-Overstock-Sale.html to check out the offerings. Click on either the Art or Mixed Media tab to limit the listings; otherwise, you will have to plow through lots of back magazine issues. Under the Art tab, look at 600 Watercolor Mixes: Washes, Color Recipes and Techniques and Botanical Sketchbook. Under the Mixed Media tab, my pick is Art at the Speed of Life, which promises to help you create art on a daily basis.