Barrio in the gallery

Tapping nails into the walls, stepping back to look and sipping coffee, making slight adjustments in arranging pieces, five artists quietly worked side by side yesterday morning to install artworks for the show "Pure Vida: Impressions of Costa Rica" in the Nicholas Street Gallery at Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas Street in Omaha. Traveling with Linda Hatfield, Judith Anthony Johnston, Katrina Methot-Swanson, Cheri Ginsburg and Elisa Morera was great fun. Showing artwork with them has been great fun, too. 

Linda Hatfield hangs her pieces between Katrina's and mine. 

Now we're looking forward to sharing the vibrant colors and interesting back stories with visitors. Please join us for the opening reception 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 9. We'll also conduct demonstrations from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on two Sundays: Sept. 11 and 18. We've got a map of Costa Rica hanging at the gallery entrance and will be delighted to tell you about all the places we experienced. 

And I'll be working in my studio upstairs most weekdays, so please pop in! 

Reduction

Most people imagine adding layers of color when you tell them you paint. My work on this piece recently was all about scraping and scratching into the surface to reveal colors underneath. The idea of reduction -- taking away -- is one I learned in printmaking. In that medium, one approach is to carve away sections of block after each color layer until the last lines are darkest outlines or shadow.

In current paintings where I use wax mixed with oil colors, I can build up layers, scrape down and build up again until I'm satisfied with the results. I've been working on this 20x20" panel as a way to avoid attention to pieces destined for the CostaRica-themed show I'm doing in September. At the same time, working on this piece allows me to experiment with colors, shapes and techniques that will likely appear in those paintings, too. 

Work in progress, oil and cold wax on 20x20" panel  

Small paintings and bits of progress

Getting into the studio has been a challenge with our summer commitments, but I was able to spend a few hours today working on paintings intended for a show in September. I'm still unsure how they'll all develop, but here's one of the 8x8" panels I'm working on today. It may change a lot before it gets to the gallery. 

Painting in progress; 8x8" panel

Barrio

Working on a series of paintings based on my winter trip to Costa Rica, I'm enjoying layering the vibrant colors. My intention is to make pieces that are loose and lively with a bit of whimsy. 

Based on hillside neighborhoods in San Jose, Costa Rica, this is a section of a painting in progress.  

Vivid

Because one of the most powerful elements of Costa Rica is color, I want  my paintings to pulse with vibrant hues as a way to share some of that country's essence. Thirty panels have a first layer of cadmium red.   

First layer of color on 30 panels for an upcoming show.