And then there were twelve....

My new 8"x8" paintings on display at Wood Icing Studio Gallery

I have been wanting to do this since we opened the gallery and I simply haven't had enough 8" x 8" paintings to do it. Ten of these little lovelies found homes in Chicago and here are the one's that are left. It is very exciting to me to be able to display them in my gallery for a little while before I take them to Memphis in a month.

Next on my list is to work on editing the photos so i can put them on my web site and on Etsy shop. So much to do, so little time....

Inspiration Springs Up at Wood Icing Studio/Gallery

We are all itching for spring and we decided what better way to spur it along, than to have an art exhibit! You can come meet the artists on Saturday, April 9th from 6-9pm at the Wood Icing Studio and Gallery on the upper level next to Sears and Houlihan's of the Chesterfield Mall in Chesterfield, MO. As always, we will have our favorite Schlafly beer, wine, water and light appetizers. I am expecially excited to get to show off some of my new work!

We are proud to announce that Nettie White of Nettie White Interiors will be transforming our special exhibition space into a feast for the eyes. She is turning an old entertainment center into a luxurious centerpiece for the dining room. This kitchen themed vignette will be accented wth original art by Wood Icing Artists; Greg Barth, Margaret von Kaenel, and Susie Tenzer. We dare... you to leave uninspired!


As a special thank you to our attendees, select artists would like to give you 10%, 20%, or 30% off of your purchase for the night of our reception only. Simply sign our mailing list and draw out your lucky discount!

As if that isn't enough, Rose will be creating a new document box for the night of the reception and will be giving it away to one lucky winner. Good Luck!

Wood Icing Artists Include:
Rose Wilde
Heather Haymart
Susie Tenzer
Jennifer Hart
Victor Ziller
Greg Kluempers
Mary Beth Shaw*
Sharon Spillar
Greg Barth
Greg Matchick
Mary C. Nasser
Riley Williams
Dawson Morgan*
Mark Koritz*
Margaret von Kaenel

In addition to meeting Nettie and our wonderful artists, light beverages and appetizers will be provided.

*Denotes artists that will not be in attendance during this reception, but don't worry, their beautiful art will be!

This is the BEFORE, what do you think the AFTER will look like
after Nettie has gotten a hold of it with some Wood Icing?

Bubbling Up

This painting has been a long time coming. It has been on my easel for at least eight months but I can't really remember. Starting it was easy, but finishing it was another story all together. This is a terrible photograph of it, but I decided not to let that keep me from sharing it. I will get better photos soon, but you can see it in person at the Wood Icing Studio and Gallery.

Bubbling Up 32"x24" Vertical

It was not a painting with bubbles when I started it. I was thinking about creating alternative transitions from one section of my painting to another. If you know my work, you know that I often divide the space in my paintings with ledges of texture (Wood Icing). This time I decided to use imprinted circles instead of  my signature ledge. There is no real deep meaning behind this painting. It is titled Bubbling Up because I think that is what these circles ended up doing. They bubbled up to the surface of my painting! This painting is wired to hang both horizontally and vertically because it was impossible for me to decide which way I liked it better. 

Which way do you prefer?



Bubbling Up 24"x32" Horizontal



From Me to We

This blog post has no art in it. I am sad about not painting lately, but I am happy with my current situation that has been taking my time away from painting. Right now I have at least five paintings in progress on my easel waiting impatiently for some much needed attention. For now though, they will remain neglected. I am not happy about this but I am not mad about it either.

What have I been doing? Well I have been working hard to be a good partner to my mom at our Wood Icing Studio and Gallery. We have re-arranged how things work at the gallery and it has increased my workload threefold, but I really love it. I have learned something about myself that I never knew. It is so much easier to promote other artists besides myself. In fact, it is fun. I always felt so self centered before and I probably still am. Aren't most artists anyway? The point is that I really enjoy promoting my artist friends that we invited to be a part of our gallery. It is very eye opening to take a moment and really focus on someone else's art for a change.

This Saturday, December 4th from 5-8pm we are hosting a reception for Liz Franklin an interior designer. I had this idea of how cool it would be to team up an interior designer, a decorative finisher and fine artists to create an amazing space in our special exhibit space in our gallery. When I brought this idea to my mom, we were off and running. We called Liz Franklin (whom we met in our gallery), Gail Strebel (a friend of my mom's), and then let Liz choose work from our gallery to use in her space. My mom and Gail went crazy with this beautiful finish and my dad was kind enough to install the walls. Liz got Dolnick's Furniture to donate furniture for the display and our artists got to be in the running for this amazing display. She chose Sharon Spillar's, Dawson Morgan's  and my art for the vignette. She might even be purchasing one of Mary Beth Shaw's paintings for a client! So my grand scheme is working! We are bringing together three creative business at our gallery which will hopefully result in more art in people's homes!

Taking Root

Taking Root
24"x48"
SOLD!

I blogged about this painting in August when I started it. The colors and general design were inspired by an artist trading card I made. I finished this painting just in time to take it to Chicago. Since I have been home, I have been so busy, I haven't had time to write about it and then last night my mom called me from Wood Icing saying she had a couple interested in it and needed to know the price. She called me back 10 minutes later to make my day and tell me they bought it! They said they were just popping in to kill time before catching a movie and fell in love with it. Lucky for me! My biggest concern was that I thought I hadn't taken a good picture of it, but I apparently did the morning before we left for Chicago and I had completely forgotten.

Taking Root is a painting that was mostly about color and I knew I wanted to include my cool little tree in it when I started it . As I worked through it, I realized that I was painting about my decision to take root at Wood Icing. After a year of fun, stress, and hard work I realized I wanted more. I have decided to take root at Wood Icing in every way. I am partnered with my mom, teaching, and creating in that space. It is a great place to be a part of and I am so optimistic about the future.

So thank you anonymous couple from the mall! You made my day and gave me the sign I needed to feel confident in my decision to "take root".