Portrait Project

Self Portrait
Oil on Canvas
14" x 11"

This is my first attempt at a self portrait. I am doing it in conjunction with a project with the Portland Plein Air & Studio Painters. About 20 of us have paired up. Each person is to do a self portrait and a portrait of their painting partner. I have done portraits of people before but have always shied away from doing one of myself. Now I wish I had done it when I was younger and less "character lines". It is really difficult to be objective. I'm open for constructive critiques.

Honorable Mention

NEWS FROM ...

Kingstad Gallery

Portland Plein Air & Studio Painters’ Annual Exhibit 2008
Expressions Of Nature Expressions of Self
through 12/06/08

Award Recipients ...
Juried by George Broderick, Eric Kingstad & Lora R Fisher

Celeste Bergin Thoughts Of Malcolm, 30 x 40, oil,

Best of Show

Kitty Wallis Hot Tub II, 24 x 36, pastel First Place
Michael Orwick Sunset At Vista House, 20 x 18, oil Second Place
Amanda Houston May Clover, 20 x 20, pastel Third Place

Honorable Mention,
Brenda Boylan View From Center, 8 x 13, pastel
Maeona Urban End Of The Tile Factory, 11 x 14, oil
Barbara Szkutznik Passage, 31 x 36, pastel

Exhibiting with internationally recognized guest artists:
Mitch Baird, Eric Bowman, George Broderick, Scott Gellatly, Eric Jacobsen, and Cathleen Rehfeld

Portland Plein Air & Studio Painters:
Vicki Zimmerman, Jack VanNess, Katherine vanSchoonhoven, Quin Sweetman, Carolyn Rondthaler, Cris Merrill,
Mary Luzinski, Bev Drew Kindley, Kimberly Kent, Carrie Holst, Kathy Fisher, Jonathan Farley, and Kathy Delumpa Allegri

stone sculptor Joni Mitchell and metalsmith Bill Dawson

Information:
Lora R Fisher
Director, The Kingstad Gallery
Lora@Kingstad.com
Lora@LRF-FineArts.com
503.626.6338 • 971.344.5848

Presenting original works of art by regional and national artists from all visual disciplines,
in the largest privately-owned exhibition space in the Portland Metro region.

15450 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, Oregon 97006 • 503.626.6338

Gallery hours:
Monday – Thursday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday, 9:00 am – midnight
Saturday, 5:30 – midnight
Sunday, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
or by appointment: 503.626.6338

To view other works in the show click the link in the upper right.

Two New NW Coast Native American Designs

"Salmon"
9" x 12"
Acrylic on Canvas
&
"Beaver"
8" x 24"
Acrylic on Canvas


These are two more of my trompe loeil paintings done in the NW Coast Native American style. I just completed them and sent them on their way to American Trails, Inc. in Ashland, Oregon where the display and sell them for me.

Portland Plein Air Painters Annual Show

Kingstad Gallery show now up and ready. I have added a link here.

"Portland Plein Air & Studio Painters Expressions of Nature/Expressions of Self"

Catered receptions the last Tuesdays in September, October, and November will be from 6-9 pm.

Gallery Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday, 9:00 am - midnight
Saturday, 5:30 pm - midnight
Sunday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
or by appointment

Cafe in progress

Cafe painting in progress

Cafe in the Heat of the Day

Cafe in the Heat of the Day
16" x 20"
Oil on Canvas
Sold






Expressionist Plein Air project assignment number three. Do studio expressionist piece from sketch, plein air, photo or imagination/memory.

My previous entry shows a study I did of a VanGogh cafe. This is our local cafe only instead of night mine is in the afternoon. I wasn't able to get the texture I wanted when I did the Van Gogh study so I used a palette knife to do most of this one. I'm trying to learn something new after painting in a closet for so many years. This has been a fun assignment.

Maeona Van Gogh

Maeona Van Gogh
A Study of
A Sidewalk Cafe at Night
by Vincent Van Gogh
18" x 14"
Oil on Canvas Board





Expressionist Plein Air Project

Assignment two was to do a painting from any painter who you feel has achieved expressionist landscape painting. So here is my feeble effort.

Seated Plein Air Painter

Seated Plein Air Painter
Oil on Canvas Board
14" x 18"






As a member of the Portland Plein Air Painters I have been working on a project called "Expressionist Plein Air". Since I have been trapped in studio painting for years this is a challenge for me. The first assignment was to do minimalist paintings in Plein Air. I first had to study some minimalist artwork to even get some idea. Well here is my effort. My friend Nancy and I went out painting on Sand Island, St. Helens Oregon. The green is the receding tree line heading down the beach. The tan is the beach. The blue sky. The red is her blouse. She was wearing white shorts and leaning toward her painting surface, which was pastel paper. The black under her is the shadow area cast by how she was seated.

Schriener's Iris Garden

Schriener's Iris Garden

16" x 12"
Oil on Hardboard

I painted this one lovely day in Salem, Oregon, while on a paint out with the Portland Plein Air Painters. Seems to be a favorite with several of my friends. I hope to be showing it this September 10th through December 5th with the PPAP group in our annual show. This year the location of the show will be the Kingstad Gallery in Beaverton. "Expressions of Nature/Expressions of Self" 15450 SW Millikan Way. We each get to submit 10 of our paintings. I'll have more information soon.

I'm in Alyson B. Stanfield's Artbiz blog

Copyright © 2008 Alyson B. Stanfield. All rights reserved

Cleaning out the studio

Maeona Urban shares this:

It has been an unusually long wet cold winter here in Oregon and I had no need to run my fan or air conditioner in the studio so when I started up the fan I suddenly had dust bunnies adhering to my wet oil painting. I rapidly switched it off and looked around me. I decided no painting today until I get this place cleaned out. I didn't intend to do such a thorough job but one thing led to another and I soon found myself putting it all out into the yard as if I were moving. It was great! Not only did I get my studio all clean, I found there were many "useful props" that I had never used, magazines I intended to try things from and hadn't, paintings I had intended to "fix" but couldn't face, etc. I got rid of everything that wasn't current I returned things to places where I was programmed to having my tools and rearranged some of the furnishings for a fresh view of my space. The entire experience was very cleansing and inspiring. I recommend it for everyone. Instead of the old projects lingering over me I can now start new ones without the guilty conscience of not doing what was incomplete in the past.

Thank you for all your help. I just thought this might be a good idea for other artist trapped in the past.

Great suggestion, Maeona! And for those who need extra support, the Get Organized online class begins Wednesday. Join us and get organized in 30 days.

Image (c) Maeona Urban, A Little Light on History

Monday, 07 July 2008 in Art Business Practices, Workshops and Classes | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: artist studios, getting organized, Maeona Urban

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

coppyright 2008 Alyson B. Stanfield. All rights reserved

Sold a Second One

Well the Scholls Show ends this weekend and I sold two from it. The second one that sold is the view inside the tile factory where the sun is shining through a hole in the roof on to the brick chimney. I have it posted a few entries back.

Outing at Sauvie Island, Oregon

This was the beginning of the day.







This is stage two.

This is stage three.


I would call it the finished painting but I'm finding it rather bland.
My husband says it's peaceful. It was a cold, wet, windy day and about six or eight artists were huddled in a wildlife viewing shelter. At one point in the day about 40 high schoolers unloaded from a bus to identify birds so we shared the shelter with them for about 15-20- minutes. When it was time for us to quit for the day the sun came out.



I'm looking for comments on this one. Should I put a flock of ducks, a log in the foreground, leave it alone, or paint over it?

One Painting Sold & a Million Left to go

I sold my "McKay Creek Wetland" painting at the South Store Cafe art show that I am participating in with the Pacific Plein Air Painters. I have three more still there and I take one to replace that one this Friday. It always feels so good to think someone else likes my work.

http://urban-plein-air.wetpaint.com/

Well almost always anyway. I recently found two of my Northwest Coast Native American designs that I carved in wood were sold at an auction in Portland last year. I found them by googling my name and looking at all the sights. Well it turns out they were auctioned because the government seized all of some "crooks" assets. So we never know where our work ends up I guess.

Hope I don't get famous for those two.

Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible

Genesis
Colored Pencil on Paper
24" x 18"
2007








I have started my very own colored pencil Folk Art Bible. Each book of the Bible is represented by one picture. As I read I make notes on the visual ideas I get. In this particular picture of course you see Adam and Eve, the "fig" leaf covering, the Serpent, the stormy sky colors represent creation, The chasm stands for the fall, the ocean has a tiny arc for the flood. The tower of Babel actually has tiny stick figure people around it. Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph are represented by the ram offering, the porridge, the hunting equipment, and the coat of many colors. I use the stormy sky in several of the next pictures when reference is made back to creation. If you would like to see more, I am up to the book of Psalms now. They can be viewed at :

http://urban-plein-air.wetpaint.com/

Inside the Scholls Tile Factory

"A Little Light on History"
Oil on Gesso Board
14" x 11"
2008









This will be one of my paintings in the show I mentioned earlier at the South Store Cafe from May 6 through June 29th. Just Google South Store Cafe if you want to find out more about them. (Directions, menu, hours, etc.) Also there is a great place directly across the street called Smith Berry Barn and Garden Market that looks like an adventure all by itself. (Smith Berry Barn can be Googled too.)

Latest NW Coast Native American Design

Shasta Bear
Acrylic on Canvas
14" x 14"
2008

Shasta Bear
Sky Spirit came to earth and formed Mount Shasta.
He brought his family to this new home.
He made Grizzly and placed him at the base.
When Sky Spirit's daughter became lost,
Grizzly found her and shared his home.
There she grew, wed, and gave birth to a new creation.
These were the ancestors of the tribes.

Today the bear on my door post guards me.
I must guard the Grizzly.

Each of my Northwest Coast Native American designs is accompanied by a legend. I read these legends in longer form, condense them to poetic style and draw the designs using traditional elements. If you would like to see more of my designs I have them in my wetpaint website.

http://urban-plein-air.wetpaint.com/

Latest work

Historic Scholls Tile Factory
Oil on Gesso Board
11" x 14"


McCay Creek Wetland
Oil on Canvas
12" x 6"






Autumn in Scholls Stable Yard
Oil on Canvas
12" x 12"






These are the latest works I have done when out with the Pacific Plein Air Painters. For certain I am entering the Tile Factory one in a the upcoming show at the South Store Cafe near that sight. I'm still working on another view from inside the tile factory but not sure if it will be dry in time to hang.

Show dates:
May 6 to June 29, 2008
South Store Cafe
24485 SW Scholls Ferry Rd
Hillsboro, OR 97123

Reception Saturday May 10, 6:30-9:00 pm

Just Park Any Where

Just Park Any where
Oil on Canvas
14" x 18"
2007





Donated to the Touch the Heart of a Child 2008 Auction
Theme: "Everything Old is New Again"


Write A review
Rate the work ( five stars are great)
Spread the word
Give my blogspot to your friends
Are you an artist too?
E-mail me: urbanart@centurytel.net

Artists: Alyson B. Stanfield says:
Resolve to try a new color
Resolve to experiment
Resolve to expand
Resolve to network with others
Resolve to take risks

http://www.ArtBizCoach.com

I say: Resolve to paint, draw, sculpt, welt, create

In 2006 I participated in a plein air painting class on Sand Island as part of the Arts & Eats Festival. After the class my husband and I returned to view the art vendors booths and the steamboat regatta. We enjoyed it and I decided that I would try to participate in the 2007 event.

I found that circumstances didn’t allow me to participate as a vendor or volunteer, but I was able to take my paints and find a location to work. I had originally planned to try to get a view of the artist's booths but because they had changed the layout it was much to crowded for that. In 2006 they had used both sides of the courtyard for vendors and in 2007 they had grouped them all on one side. It was just too crowded to locate a good scene. So I went around to the amphitheatre side and found the view you see in this painting. I thought perhaps other “Old cars made new again” might appear but they didn’t. I couldn’t help naming it “Just Park Anywhere” because that’s just what they did.

P.S. Finishing touches added March 2008.

Third Street Studio

Maeona L. Urban, Artist

52749 NE 3rd Street

Scappoose, OR 97056

503-543-7482
urbanart@centurytel.net I try to check my e-mail daily

http://urban-plein-air.wetpaint.com/ Where you will find most of my work)

http://maeona-maeonasart.blogspot.com/ (Where I share my thoughts as an artist)

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Maeona%20L.+Urban/34330.html

(Gallery, competitions, chat, artist opportunities, etc.)

http://mondriana.livejournal.com/ (Where I share everyday thoughts)

Caboose Explosions Dahlia

Caboose Explosion Dahlia
Oil on Canvas
18" x 24"
2000



This was one of my husband's favorite Dahlias. We grew it for a couple of years but it just wasn't hardy enough to withstand my gardening technique, the soggy Northwest weather, and the cold, even digging it up each winter and transplanting it in the spring. The petals felt like velvet and the center felt like wax.

I've kept it hanging in my studio off and on over the years for when I needed a shot of color in my life.

Yellow New Zealand Poppie

New Zealand Poppie
Oil on Canvas
11" X 14"
2006





I purchased this plant at a local store here in Scappoose, Oregon, not New Zealand. I couldn't resist the way the light and shadows played on the petals. The bee was also intrigued by it I guess. He got in to several of the photos I took that day. I planted it in my flowerbed and it had many blooms through out the summer but alas it did not come back the next year.

The Begining of the New Studio

My new Studio

2005





When the boys were young I painted in a 7' x 9' front porch. After they left home I painted in their 9' x 10' bedroom. In that room I also had all my computer equipment, a guest bed, and whatever else needed storing. Summer of 2005 we took down our son's playhouse/fort and an attached storage shed from the back of the garage and I built my new studio. It is only 12' x 12' which may seem small to some of you but it only has my art things in it. It's actually a Tuff Shed Exterior but wait until you see the finished work we did inside.

This is my husband holding the wall and helping. :-)


These are the first paintings I hung and I still needed to adjust my gallery wall spotlights.

I have three skylights, one south facing and two north. I have heat and I have air conditioning. I have two windows, one facing west and one facing north. I have a four foot wide door facing North that opens into my flower filled back yard where we place a yard swing under a pink dogwood tree in the summer. The walls are ten feet high plus the open beam ceiling space. My husband has done all the trim in oak around the windows and the baseboard etc. He also made a wonderful work table with a formica top that sits on file cabinets with wheels so I can easily move the table. He made a beautiful tool box for me out of exotic woods. I will have to take a photo of it and put that in here too. I use Arakowa hanging system from the molding rails just like in large galleries. I have room for storage, for wet paintings, for supplies, and everything I need. It's my little piece of heaven.

Chloe

Chloe
Oil on Canvas
10" x 10"
2006

Sold









This painting was a commission. Chloe was rescued from the streets of Chicago, found with a wire around her neck that was making a sore. After many years of being a great companion she became ill and passed away. This painting was done in her memory. Yes she does have one brown eye and one blue eye.

Pink Tulips

Pink Tulips
Oil on canvas
4" x 18"
2002




I painted these pink tulips from a trip my husband and I took to The Buchart Garden's in British Columbia.

Side Yard Swing

Side Yard Swing
Oil on Canvas
20" x 16"

Gifted to my son







You've seen the front porch, now this is the side yard where our sons played on the swing, hung from the rings, and from a bar that is just outside the painting to the right. As you may have noticed in the previous painting our yard is bird friendly. Our youngest son has this at his apartment. They also at one time took a bed mattress outside and placed it strategically so they could swing real high and make a flying leap out of it and hopefully land on the mattress. Boys!

Front Porch

Front Porch
Oil on Canvas
20" x 16"

Gifted to my son






This is my front porch, bird bath, and yard art perch. My eldest son has this hanging on a wall at his home. I often use it on my business card. I figure why not have a picture of where I am on the card.

Northwest Coast Raven Design

Raven
Acrylic on Canvas
6" x 12"
2006

Several years ago I used to do these carvings in wood by using a computer driven router for cutting. I studied the legend, drew the design, scanned it into a computer that digitized my lines, and transfered the information to a machine that did the carving. I no longer have access to that equipment and it took me 4-5 years to realize I could just paint them "trompe loeil", or as if they were carved but actually painted.

This is Raven. Ravens grow up to marry Eagles. Raven's never marry Raven's or Eagles, Eagles. This is forbidden. In this Raven design I have used the ovoid shape around the eye, in the eye, and as the nostril. The red shapes in the bill and head are called Split U's. They are purely decorations to the main design. The black form line is continuous forming the outline of the bird. Both the black and the red are on the same plain or surface. It's a challenge to paint the lines and shadows so that appear to be carved wood.

Voting Day at Saatchi Gallery

Salmon at the Dam
Acrylic on canvas
12" x 12"
2006








I have entered this painting in the Saatchi Gallery Showdown. voting starts February 11th and runs through February 18th. It's rather fun to see how many people actually view and vote for a work of art you have done.

There are four people on the dam. One is a woman and distinguished from the men by a lower lip ring. The Salmon has two eggs still inside it's stomach area and three already spawned, located in the center. I used an ovoid shape for them because ovoids represent multifaceted or jointed areas. These areas are around the eyes, the tail and fin joints as well in this design. At the bottom are three little fish designs representing the results of the struggle to get past the dam. Included in the Salmon body I have incorporated a Raven. If the design is tipped on to it's side, placing the people on the dam at the bottom, you will see the Raven's head, eye, nostril, beak, and tongue. The ovoid of the Salmon's tail is also part of the Raven's feathers. The reason I did this is because Raven guide the Salmon on their journey back and forth to and from the sea.
If you could place your finger on the black "form Line" of the Salmon's body you would be able to trace all the way around the major outline of the fish and it's major body design. It is one unbroken line. The red areas are secondary to the design and always placed on the same upper plain as the black. The blue is purely decorative. In some designs a creamy color is used too.

My Internet Websites

My internet presence includes these other sites:

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Maeona%20L.+Urban/34330.html

http://urban-plein-air.wetpaint.com/

The Saatchi-Gallery site is where I have posted mainly studio artwork. I live-chat with other artist there, enter their artwork showdowns, and have work in their online commission free sales gallery. It's all free. If you go there don't just look at my work, there is lots to do there.

The Plein-air.wetpaint site has several pages of artwork: First of all a page of my 2007 plein air work, a page of floral work, a page of Northwest Coast Native American work, and a long boring biography and artist statement.

Day One as a Blogger

Well here I come world. It is official. I am a blogger.

I am the one wearing the pearls.
The other is my hubby.