LIfe's a Beach

I spent the day driving from Santa Clara up Hwy 1

to San Francisco. I drove through Half Moon Bay,

and up the coast. This beach was north of there.

I pulled over and walked down the cliff to the ocean.

It was deserted...and cold! I drove on into the city,

and took some pics of the Golden Gate bridge and

Fisherman's Wharf. will post those tomorrow

after I get home.

Went to the opening reception tonight. It is in the

Los Gatos Art Museum. It was well attended. The

show should be on the website: www.cpsa.org

Check it out.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Awards Banquet

I attended the Award's Banquet tonight and I
received the Five Year Merit Award. There were
ten of us altogether. This is the 20th anniversary
of the Colored Pencil Society. The founder, Vera
Curnow, gave us a history of the organization from
the beginnings till now, and it was quite informative.
The society has grown, and with it the reputation of
colored pencil as a fine art medium.

It will be interesting to see the exhibit tomorrow and
view the award winners in person.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Miracles at Monterey

I can still be amazed by God's unlimited imagination!

I spent the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I

took these photos (along with many more!) The jellyfish

were eerily beautiful. The seahorses are really neat. The

green one is called a "dragon of the sea", and mimics the

underwater plants so well, that you could not see them

unless they moved. The penguins were comical, as were

the otters. And I felt like I was underwater in the kelp forest.

All in all, a great day.

I am off to the awards banquet...should be really nice.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

I am in California (after a few delays), but all is

well. I couldn't resist the highway sign, and I have

been singing the song ever since (some of you young

people will have no idea). And the fog rolling in is

such a strange site to me. We have fog in Louisiana,

but it usually is in the early morning, and mostly

along the rivers and swamps. I took these as I was

driving in my rental car..so they are not exactly

great artistic photos! And if driving on a California

freeway was on my bucket list, I could get to mark

it off. I have always heard of the "101 South" and

today I got to do it. It was easy to find the hotel,

and I am all tucked in for the night.

The rhino is the whole reason I am here. That is

the piece that is in the CPSA Juried Show to be

held in Los Gatos. The address is 4 Tait Ave, and the

time for the opening reception is Saturday from

6-8pm. I believe the show will be up for a couple

of weeks. Check the website: www.cpsa.org

Welcome to any of you I met on the plane today:

old friends and new ones! You can sign up to be a

follower: I give away something each month to one

of my followers. All aboard!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

On the Road again...

I leave in the morning for San Francisco. These

are the maps I ran off to take with me. I plan to

stay in San Francisco for awhile and take some

photos of the bridge and Fisherman's Wharf, etc.

I am staying in Los Gatos for the convention.

I am free during most of the day, so I am planning

to go down to Carmel by the Sea and visit some

of the galleries, etc. I hope to get some nice

ocean/surf photographs.

The awards

banquet is Friday nite, and I am receiving a 5

year merit award. (that means I have gotten

into the show 5 times within 10 years). It is

a real honor and I am looking forward to it.

Then, the opening reception for the art show is

Saturday nite, and the public will attend that event.

It is always great to see everybody's work, especially

in person. I have seen it before in the program that is

mailed out later, but it makes a real difference to see

the work in person. And it is fun to hear what people

say about your work...you can stand nearby, and

eavesdrop.

It should be a good trip. I will try to post while there.

Now, for some sleep.....I will count some sheep (!)

sheltongail@hotmail.com

On the Line

I am busy washing and packing for my trip to

California for the CPSA convention. I thought it

would be appropriate to post these laundry

pics! The top two are from Corfu, Greece...one

of the favorite stops on my recent trip. And

the bottom photo was taken by my daughter

during her trip to Fiji last fall.

I was just talking to someone this week about

the role of a woman artist. I have always been

slightly envious of the men artists who rise in

the morning, and go to their studio, and paint

for 8 hours. They are able to do this because

there is usually a wife at home taking care of all

the life stuff that needs doing. Whereas, the

woman artist has to find a way to do all the life

stuff, and then paint or create too. Maybe this

is just sour grapes...we all make choices every day

about how we spend our time. But today, I haven't

done any art, because I am doing the laundry!!

For comments on this sexist post!!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Two That Got Away

I am still planning to attend the CPSA annual

convention this weekend in Los Gatos, CA.

Part of that convention involves a slide show

of all the entries that didn't make the cut. This

is a very competitive show, and they only select

one piece per artist. You can enter two, and if you

are lucky, one will get in. This is the first time I

have been in in several years.

Anyway, these are two of the pieces that did not

make the show. The popcorn, "Pop Art" was

entered this year along with the rhino, and the

rhino made the cut. Last year, the jazz man was

entered, and did not make it. You never know

what the juror is going to like. You would hope that

really quality work would always trump weaker

work, but I have seen firsthand that that is not

always the case. I don't believe the subject matter

is always the determining factor, but craftsmanship

should always be. I have noticed that a lot of the

jurors want some kind of "expression" or "message"

in the work. I am not really big on that...I just draw

stuff that I like; I am not as deep as some would

like to make me. (That always cracks me up...when

I overhear someone in the gallery telling someone

else what my inspiration was, etc....hilarious).

The convention should be enjoyable. I am looking

forward to taking some pics around the area. Will

try to post the trip. stay tuned....

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Athens 4x4

I have a whole series of these famous city

images (Venice, Paris, London). And now I

have Athens! It is fun to go through my photos

and try and decide what the iconic images are

from a certain place. It has to "speak" to the

viewer; they have to know instantly what city

they are looking at. I had a few others in

consideration here: an olive tree, the Porch of

the Maidens, some moussaka! Anyway, I

finally chose these because they make a strong

composition, and they also communicate.

This is a series that I plan to submit to some

licensing companies for use as coasters, trays,

framed prints, etc. Since I am going to San Francisco

this coming weekend, I will probably add it to the

mix before I send them off.

I just watched a PBS program on the Monterrey

Aquarium, and it was fabulous. I think it is near

where I will be....will have to check it out, too.

(If anyone knows, please let me know asap!)

sheltongail@hotmail.com

"Destination" designs Available as 12 x 12 Prints $40

NoteCards set of 4 designs/ 8 cards + envelopes $15.00

Greece Sketchbook Finalized!

I did finish the Greece sketchbook today...whew.
If I wasn't such a perfectionist, it might have been
done sooner!~ I did do some extensive proof-reading
today, and did find several mistakes. I would have
been really embarrassed to have a misspelled word in
there...I am such a snob about that. Anyway, I still
just ordered one copy, and will have to check it all out
before I place the large order. I learned that with my
last one: when I got them all in, one of the pages was
out of focus, and I had to fix them all...nightmare.
Anyway, they say experience is the best teacher, and
indeed it is!

If you are interested in ordering one of the books,
please let me know in the next couple of days. They are
running a special on free shipping! and it would be
great to get that on the whole order. Just email me
or call the gallery if you would like one. Mine should
be in soon, and you can look at it first if you like. It will
have the leather cover, all of my watercolors from the
trip, and some of my photography. They are $100.00
each.

sheltongail@hotmail.com
Greece Sketchbook $100

"Drawn to Water"

Here's a couple of pics from the "Drawn to Water"

show hanging in the gallery now. The top piece is

"Savannah Swim", and it is going to the Natchitoches

Art Guild annual show next week. It is colored

pencil with some acrylic paint highlights on the water.

The other pieces are : "Girl's Day Out" "Dolphin Swim"

and "Swan Lake" There are several other pieces in

the show as well. It will hang until I have all the

Greece artwork ready to hang. sometime this fall.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Art Camp

Here are the Art Camp photos as promised.

They all did a really good job, and had a great

time. They finished up today with an art show

up in the gallery attended by their parents

and friends. Here they are with their fine

work. Good job kids!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

One Page, Two Page, ...

Two more sketchbook pages today...getting

closer. I should be able to finish tomorrow.

I will order one, and get it in, and make sure

it all looks ok before I order several. Right

now it is going to be about 30 pages. I am still

tweaking a few things.

Greece Sketchbook Paintings and Photography

$100 Please email or call to order

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Pea Patch Gallery 318-628-3560

Painting Progress

Making a little progress on this painting.
I am just about ready to cover all of this
first stage with masking fluid, that seals
off this part, and keeps water from touching
it. Then I will wet the whole painting, and
add the softer, more blurry background.
Then, I will remove the mask, and finish up
with some details.

Art Camp:
Daniel, (the current Art teacher at the
Middle School, and a former student),
is teaching an art camp at the
gallery this week. They have been really
good. He is doing pencil drawing, watercolor
painting, and origami, as well as a little Art
History thrown in. They will finish up tomorrow,
and I will try to get some pictures of them
and their artwork.

"Drawn to Water"
I am still hanging part of the new collection
in the gallery. It is shaping up, and I have most
of the main pieces in place. Will try to post
pics of that too.

Private Lessons:
I am currently doing some private lessons for
children or adults, age 10 and up. If you are
interested, just call or email me. We can set
up something for the fall.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

A Little Glazing

I have been making a little progress on this

painting. Just adding a few layers and darker

values.

We are in the process of rearranging the gallery.

I am condensing the Paris show into the back

half, and adding some pieces to the front. They

all have water in common, and I am calling it:

"Drawn to Water". I have some old and new

things...I have lots of art that includes some

kind of water. We still have the real fountain

in the gallery, and all the pieces are grouped

around it. I thought it would be refreshing to

feature some nice cool pieces on these hot

summer days.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

The Buzz on the "Blossom"

I started this watercolor tonight of

the bee on the crabapple tree. That is

my small set of watercolors that I usually

travel with (it just went to Greece!) But

it takes up less room on my desk, so I like

to use it. These are the initial washes, the

lightest parts of the painting. Watercolor looks

best built up in transparent layers. They call it "glazing".

I will work on these flowers in the foreground

until they are finished. Then I will mask them

out with masking fluid, and paint the background

looser and wetter. You can do it either way.

But since my masking fluid is all dried up! I

will have to do it this way. This painting (if

successful) may end up in the Blossom Art

Competition. will see...

sheltongail@hotmail.com

An "Apple" Today

I am still choosing some subjects for the upcoming

"Blossom" competition. This is a crab apple tree that

is in our little town on an old boulevard downtown.

I like the bee..it gives it a focal point. The warm pinks

are a nice contrast against the cool blue of the sky.

I like the vertical format and the linear elements

added by the branches. There, that was an artist's

evaluation of a potential subject... a little deeper

than, "I like it!!"

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Gregory Peck

I love to watch old movies. Right now I am

watching "To Kill a Mockingbird" with Gregory

Peck. It is the 50th anniversary of the novel,

and I thought it would be fun to watch the movie.

I also thought it would be fun to work with

this rooster painting. thus the title...cock a doodle doo!

For info on Art for Licensing:

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sunflower Blue

I have had this watercolor for a long time,

and I put together some stipe designs to pair

with it. It would make a neat flag design, or

paper plate and napkin, or greeting card.

I will add it to the others I have been working on.

I heard from another artist, Vickie, and she

is pursuing licensing as well. I believe she

is a little farther along than I am, and she may

be able to give me some good advice. You can

see her work: www.vickieleastudios.com

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sketching onward...

Worked on these sketchbook pages up

here at the Pea Patch all day...I had

two customers all day! It's hard to

sell anything to invisible people! oh

well, I got some of this done, the day

is not lost. I have at least reached the

island pages...the end is not far now.

Greece Sketchbook $100 each

coming soon

sheltongail@hotmail.com

By the way, any of you that do

Facebook...I did not put those

high school pics of me on there!~!

We have a reunion coming up, and

somebody thought it would be

funny...ha ha

A License to Paint

I have several projects going on right now,

and that is unusual for me. I am a very

sequential person; I usually start and complete

a project before I move to the next one. But

the things I am working on now are long-term

things that I can't quite finish in one sitting.

So I try to make a little progress each day

on something...and skip around to suit my

mood. (ooh, that sounds so much like an artist...)

Anyway, here are two art licensing pages for

the portfolio I am sending off to some licensing

companies soon. This is one of the many things

I am juggling around. The others are:

1. Greece sketchbook (coming along)

2. Licensing Portfolio

3. Entry for Blossom Art Show

4. Layout Design for cafe menu

5. Greece art for Fall Show

Just a reminder about the watercolor give-away.

I am up to 37 followers! and one lucky one will

get the painting at the end of the month. (it is

at the top of the post )

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Blossom II Art of Flowers

There is a very prestigious art show held in

Houston called "Blossom". It is an international

competition with great prize money. It is sponsored

by the Susan K Black Foundation, and this is the

second year for the show. The deadline is September

30th.

I am deciding which flower photograph I would like

to paint or draw and enter. This photo is in the

running. This is a plumeria tree bloom. I bought

this tree in the airport in Hawaii five years ago! and

have managed to keep it alive. It finally bloomed

this year, and this is it. I think it is beautiful; it almost

looks like the yellow is airbrushed on. Anyway, I

will probably draw or paint this this summer and

see how it turns out.

If you are interested in the competition, you can

visit their website. www.blossomartcompetition.com

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Dog Gone

I finished up this dog portrait late last night,
and the client saw it today, and loved it. It
always feels good when the pet owner is
satisfied with the art work. I thought it
turned out well, and it will be really nice
matted and framed.

If you are interested in a pet portrait, just
let me know. I am very affordable, and I work
from your photograph. They make a great gift
for the person who has everything! It is a
great time right now to order something for
this Christmas. You can email me with any questions.
Thanks!

sheltongail@hotmail.com