I love a good deadline.

The pandemic really threw my creativity for a loop. Production of art fell off, and this spring I realized I needed a deadline to get my groove back. Given the gap in producing paintings, I needed a new body of work, about 20-30 new pieces. Signed up for the Verge Center for Art’s Open Studios for that purpose. Given the gap in producing paintings, I needed a new body of work, which I figured was 20-30 new pieces. That was May, and I’ve been making art ever since.

Before the pandemic, I worked primarily in watercolor for the previous decade. During the break, I branched out with oil paints, stamp-carving and collage. Attended some amazing online workshop conventions, too, including Watercolor Live, Realism Live and Plein Air Live (all recommended!) Also made over a dozen art tutorial videos for the Rancho Cordova Arts channel of YouTube.

So I’ve been making art day and night this summer, and it feels great to do it. It also feels great to have met my deadline! Hope you can stop by Open Studios if you’re in town!

The last couple of months have been packed with making art and helping kids in our community make art. In April, Rancho Cordova Arts gave about 350 kids a chance to paint murals at the ‘Fiesta’ themed Kids Day in the Park. We had great weather and it was really fun. About two hours into the event, the three murals looked pretty good - you could see how the kids had filled in and around the outlines, so they looked like the cactus, big sunflowers, and burro pinatas they were intended to be.

Then about two hours later, they looked like a big, happy mess! The kids didn’t care - they were still having a ball, improvising over the layers and layers of acrylic paint.

Then in May, we took a plein air painting experience to iFest (International Festival, where we had about 160 kids and parents painting watercolors on illustration board “en plein air” (outside) at tables set up with easels. The cool part was we had ‘mixing sets’ of pan watercolors, so could teach the kids how to mix paints to get the colors they wanted. Brown seemed to be a popular color, with purple a close second.

And I’ve been painting for our Micro-Masterpieces! These are 6” X '6” original artworks that we donate for our only fundraiser, coming up the first week of June 2022. Proceeds go toward new art supplies to school teachers in Rancho Cordova. Last year we were able to give them over $4,000 in supplies. Check it out at www.32Auctions.com/mmrca22. You only need a user name and password to bid!

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