Ballard & Call Fine Art Gallery | features Marilyn Farrell Webberley

Gallery owners held private reception in my honor the evening before the exhibition opened. They invited people I grew up with, some I hadn't seen in many years. It was a wonderful evening! The flowers were sent by a friend who was unable to attend.

Donna Roberge Nozel, Clark County Arts Commissioner

with a card showing images of my work in the US Embassy residence in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the US Department of State AIE program.

Sharon Ballard and Maquita Call | gallery owners

. . . and a great group of friends!

Friends

9 x 12 | oil on panel

Both are good company and very fun to paint. The painting captures the feeling I wanted. As I was going thru my image files yesterday, I came across another painting from years ago. Thought it would be fun to post here, since it is the same person. 

12 x 9 | oil on panel

Sketching with Friends again . . .

The artists on this day are Ambika, Indira, who also work up close at times, and Kara.

A late lunch followed sketching. Then a walk along the Sammamish River Trail, onto the North Creek Trail to the University of Washington Bothell campus, past the sports fields and on up the hill into town and back to the car.
Next came dinner and a Jane Austen movie in the living room. Another great day!

Yesterday's Sketchers

Giuliana, Gala, Sophia and "Charlie,"a friend visiting from Germany. They all arrived with their sketchbooks. We sat around the kitchen table for several hours, then had a late lunch. A wonderful day!

Coffee Shop sketching again . . .

Another walk ended our walk at our favorite coffee shop (January 28 posting). This was last Friday, February 8, 2013. Two people were just leaving two of the prize comfy chairs by the fire when we arrived. We quickly added our coats, then went to the counter to place our usual order at the end of a crisp-afternoon walk—a tall decaf mocha and a tall chai latte/no water.

The first sketch is the view across the room. The second is along the front windows. I loved the way the person in the rose sweater sat. She was reading something and every time she moved, her body formed fun patterns to sketch. The next figures on this page have been at this shop almost every afternoon I have stopped by. They always sit by the windows, always visit quietly and are always busy with hand work . . . making things. They are also fun to sketch.

Across the room again. The floor was just mopped and people are busy with their laptops and books. This place has become quite popular with students from two universities and a community collage near by.

more Coffee Shop sketches . . .

Monday afternoon I arrived in town too early for a meeting, so went in to the corner coffee shop for a while. Almost every customer was totally focused on a laptop or cell phone. Five Apple laptops were behind me and one Dell and one no-idea were at tables on the far side of the room. The comfy chairs across from me were occupied by the cell phone and chatty folks.

I think this man went to sleep over his Samsung. 

The two ladies were still talking when I left — 

and everyone was far too busy to notice me. The best way to sketch!

Coffee Shop Sketching . . .

 Our favorite walk these days is along the Sammamish River trail in Bothell. Yesterday afternoon we walked between showers. The sky was bright white and mist filled the air.

We walked along the river, then took the North Creek Trail and continued onto the wet lands. The trees along the creek looked like they were made of gold. Soon the wood will turn a soft rose just before the leaves arrive.

We finished our loop walk going thru the UW Bothell campus, into town and back over the river to our car.

On the way home we stopped at a favorite coffee shop and took the empty couch in the front corner. From there I could see many people busy with books and laptops. A great place to sketch!

After a while the people sitting in the large chairs in front of the fire, left. We took their place and I had a group of "new models" to add to my book. I have posted a few of them.

Celebration! A Traveling Exhibition moves to Seattle . . .

Women Painters of Washington's Traveling Exhibition has moved to its second venue, the Women Painters of Washington Gallery in Seattle, where it will remain on view through February 22, 2013. 

Women Painters of Washington Gallery

Columbia Center  |  701 Fifth Avenue  |  3rd Floor Atrium

Seattle WA 98104  

206 624-0543

Photos are from the opening reception earlier this month.

Full Focus | Celebration! The Women Painters of Washington

KBTC Public Television's Emmy Award winning documentary series Full Focus takes a thoughtful and in depth look at the arts, history, people, places and events that make Western Washington such a special place to call home. This week's feature — Tom Layson's Celebration! The Women Painters of Washington.

Images from KPTC Television's video:

Celebration! The Women Painters of Washington

The program showcases WPW's Celebration! A Traveling Exhibition in it's first venue, The Schack Art Center in Everette, WA. Included are interviews with some of the artists, closeup views of many paintings,  a visit to the next venue, the Women Painters of Washington Gallery in downtown Seattle, and interviews with several artists in their studios.  Click here to see video.

The exhibition's opening reception in it's second venue is this Thursday. Please stop by if you are in the area.

Women Painters of Washington Gallery

Columbia Center Building

701 5th Avenue, Suite 310
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 10th, 11-2pm

Blessings and joy!

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Wishing you blessings and joy this Sacred Season.

May the New Year bring delight, abundance and contentment to you and yours.

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Celebration! A Traveling Exhibition

       Opens at the Schack Art Center                              2921 Hoyt Avenue, Everett, Washington

Sue Rose and Helen Drummond, just before the doors opened. 

The Schack Art Center provided a wonderful kick-off reception for this traveling

 exhibition. The paintings will remain at this venue through December 27, 2012. 

I am standing by a painting from my Fashion Series, the top painting on the right. Inside Out is the left panel in a triptych based on window shopping boutiques on Newbury Street in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.  

In 2013 the exhibition travels to four more Washington cities 

before closing in Ellensburg on July 27, 2013.

Celebration! A Traveling Exhibition

The layout, design and preparing this catalog for the printer, has taken most of my time in recent weeks. Women Painters of Washington is a professional artists origination with juried membership. Founded in 1930 by six artists, more than 1,000 women have been members of WPW. Many members have had a significant impact on contemporary art in the USA and abroad.

The exhibition opens at the Schack Art Center in Everett this weekend. In 2013 the exhibition will travel to four more locations in Washington. Click here to view the exhibition. The page may be slow to open. Once there, you will be able to view all locations and dates as well as all paintings in the exhibition and most of the rest of the catalog.

The Celebration! gala kick-off is this Saturday, November 17th, at the Schack Art Center. If you are in the area, please join us!

Schack Art Center

2921 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA

November 17 – December 27, 2012

Reception November 17, 5 – 8pm 

Soccer Game Spectator

9 x 6   oil on panel

The most unusual thing about this painting is the mid October sun in the Pacific Northwest, a day warm enough to be dressed like this.

Teanaway Gold

7 7/8  x 7 7/8  

 Black & white oil oil on panel — value study for the larger painting below.

 12  x 11 7/8

Under painting — blocking in large color shapes. 

The finished painting with more detail and more subtle colors.

The Teanaway Vallley is just over the Cascade Mountains from my home. It has been a favorite  location ever since my first extended visit, a workshop with Bill (Wm F. Reese) on his farm in 1985. I haven't been there often in recent years, but always love the journey and visits to my favorite places there.

. . . from thumbnail sketches . . .

Rock Pile - 8 x 10 - black & white oil on panel

I just spent five weeks returning to basics. Working with landscape composition and value in a series of  pencil thumbnail studies, I chose one composition from each set of thumbnail images to create a larger black and white value study in oil. These were then used as reference material for an oil painting in full color.

In the beginning this seemed like a tedious way to work. I rather quickly discovered the value of the practice and kept going. Now I can say the process has become great fun. I highly recommend it!