Art Events in Pomona

Thank you to all of you for your kind birthday wishes.

Last night, a group of artists I know from the weekly figure drawing session all drove to Pomona for an opening of a friend of mine, Esther Shaw. The opening was at a place called SCA Project. You can check out the website here. It was such a beautiful show! It seems like there was a good turnout. Pomona has a "Second Saturday Art Walk", so we spent some time looking at some of the other galleries in the area, too. It is always exciting to look at the creative things other artists are doing. Here is a photo of Esther, her husband Mike, and their granddaughter, standing in front of one of Esther's paintings.

I am planning another day in the studio today. I had a fairly good day painting on Friday, so I hope to repeat that! It can be so disheartening to spend a long day in the studio and come out feeling as though it was a waste. That does happen sometimes. This isn't a very good photograph, but here is one of the paintings I worked on. I think it is finished, but I will let it sit for a couple of days, just to be sure.

Birthdays

I meant to write this post yesterday, but I was having trouble logging onto the internet, and lost my patience. So I am a day late.

I celebrated birthday number 39 yesterday! Birthdays are interesting as a person gets older. I know a lot of people worry about getting older, or have resentment about it. I don't feel that way. I am not in the least bit concerned about being 39, or even about turning forty next year. Maybe I will feel differently next year, but for now I am enjoying what age brings: the new confidence, the wisdom gained from life experience, and the memories of times past. It is good.

The day before I was born, my mom was up on a huge ladder, painting the exterior of the second story house they lived in. I like to think that's why I am a painter, because I got started when I was still in the womb! It was a hot July day when I came into this world. I had a heat rash all over my body until the end of the summer, and I cried a lot. The heat made me miserable! Isn't it amazing that now I don't mind the heat, and I am living in the desert? Crazy.

In other desert news, the cat's claw blooms are fading, and green seed pods have emerged. I took a couple of photos on the walk yesterday, so I could share them with you. I hope you all have a lovely summer day today.

Introducing the new and improved website

I am happy to announce that I am "done" (for now) with the overhaul of my website!!! It is not going to be redirected to karineswenson.com until probably next week, due to some technical issues. However, you can still see it by clicking here. I chose the second header, since that one was voted most popular by all of you, my beloved blog readers. I did get a little help from a good friend on the font. You will be able to see it in action! This will be so nice, because I can update the website myself. My husband used to all of my web work, and he did a great job, but it was time for me to take it over.

I celebrated by buying some of this incredibly decadent ice cream Starbucks makes called Java chip. This stuff is dangerous, but amazingly good. It probably has absolutely no nutritional value, but I will say it is good for the soul. And it will cool a person off on a hot day. We have plenty of those here in Joshua Tree. (For example, it is currently 6 pm and 99 degrees F outside.)

Pono the dog and I came across a jojoba bush (photo at the top) this morning on our daily run/walk. For those of you who aren't familiar with Simmondsia chinensis, this bush is most famous for the oil found in the jojoba nut. It is often used in fragrances, lotions or other cosmetics. Coincidentally, I just bought some body butter today that has jojoba oil in it! It is also being researched for use as a biofuel. How benign it looked, just sitting there in the sandy ol' desert. For more reading about the jojoba, click here. Here is a close up shot of the jojoba nut, which is still green. Eventually, it will turn a dark brown color.

Header Headache and carpal tunnel

Way too much time has been spent on the computer lately. Who knew I would obsess over a header for my website? Especially considering that I don't even have a header on this blog!!! Sheesh. I have been making myself crazy, trying to design a header I like. I have so far designed about 5 of them.

I guess I need some input. I will post a couple of my favorites here, and maybe you all could vote for one you like the best? Maybe that would help me. Even if you don't like any of the ones I have designed, maybe you can tell me what I could do to improve on an idea I have. I would really appreciate some help, because I am at the point where I have been looking at it too long now.

The website itself is also taking forever. I know I can always update and add more things, but somehow I want it to be perfect right to start! I should know better, having been an artist for so long. Aren't I funny? Well, I hope to get it live soon. Just a few more tweaks. I need to stop obsessing and get on with it, already.

Here are a few of the headers I've come up with (please keep in mind that I am NOT a graphic designer!):

I think the paintbrush is "cute", but maybe it isn't professional looking enough? I created it in Photoshop, so I suppose I am a little too attached to it now.

Updating the website

I am slowly settling in to the desert once more. I am still a bit tired from the trip to Colorado. Or could it be that I am tired from working on my website? I suppose it could be a combination of both. I am not much of a computer person, despite this blog. I have teamed up with a company called gigshowcase.com to help me with the website. It is reasonably priced, and I can create a website without learning html or javascript. If any of you are looking for a way to have a website that doesn't cost thousands of dollars, I recommend it. (Mention that I sent you!)

Even though I don't have to learn code, there is still a bit of a learning curve, plus I have a lot of art to put on the site. So it is taking much longer than I had anticipated. Isn't it always like that? I am hoping to have the site up and running in a week's time. I will be sure to let you know when that happens.

Mr. Pono the dog and I have been taking our walks early in the morning, before it gets too hot. I have never been much of a morning person, but it is beautiful at that time of day. Most of the flowers have dried up, but the cat's claw is blooming. These bushes have thorns that look like a cat's claw, and I have discovered if one isn't careful, they will draw blood! Ouch. It seems like everything in the desert has a spine or thorn of some kind. Yet, you can see they are not without beauty. The bees are enjoying them, too, because when I walk past the bushes, they hum!

I will leave you with a watercolor I did before I left for Colorado. This is a postcard sized painting, measuring 6 x 4 inches. The Ladybeetle.

Return home

I have finally come home from Colorado. I am exhausted from the travelling, but as always, there is nothing like my own bed. I can't believe I have neglected my blog for so long! Overall, it was a good trip. My mom is out of the hospital and home. Colorado in the summer is such a magical thing. I did meet a wonderful person at a gallery/ frame shop in Denver who has agreed to sell some of my unframed monotypes. If anyone is interested in checking it out, it is called The Framed Image. It is located just west of I-25 on Hampden, in a shopping center called Happy Canyon. I am excited about this new connection!

I was fortunate enough to spend several days - nearly a week, actually - in Salida. My friend Sally Mather and her husband Greg Mihalik were kind enough to take us in for the duration of our visit. Matthias was with me for two days, but he had to return early for work. That was hard, since I was hoping on having his help for the drive home. The day after he left, poor Gordita, the VW van, began having some trouble. So I ended up taking her in to the auto doctor. Fortunately, he was able to get her running for not too much money. It did keep me in Salida a bit longer than I had planned, but I won't complain about that. I got to enjoy some beautiful hikes with Sally and Mr. Pono. I also reconnected with a few friends. I have so many dear friends in Salida. I was not able to see everyone, mainly due to lack of time, but also due to fatigue from Denver. So if you are reading this, and you are one of the Salida friends I did NOT see, please don't be upset. I love you too, and I wish I could have had another week of reconnecting with you all.

I left a new painting in Salida, at cultureclash. It is hanging up on the wall, and will be there for Artwalk. For those of you who don't know, next weekend in Salida is the biggest art weekend in Salida. Called Artwalk, there will be art everywhere, and the regular galleries have extended hours and usually food and music. There is a cool fundraiser with miniature art for sale. If you want some fun with art, I highly recommend Salida next weekend! For more information, click here.

I realized that I feel the most at home in the mountains of Colorado. Matthias agrees that it is a favorite place. Maybe we will be able to move back in a couple of years. For now, I remain a desert dweller.

Sally pointed out some beautiful wildflowers on our hikes. One of them is this divine Calypso orchid. It is not a large flower, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty. It was named for the character in The Odyssey, Calypso, who was also beautiful and lived on a remote island.

The drive home was long and hot. I had forgotten what it is like to drive a vehicle with no air, no cruise control, and not a lot of power. As much as I love that Gordita, I certainly missed my other car, which is much newer, and has all of those niceties.

I hope to be in the studio this week, so new art will be coming soon. I missed you, blog readers!

Upcoming Road Trip

Tomorrow I am headed out for Colorado once again. This time, I have decided to drive, so that I can take Mr. Pono with me. So I have spent the day loading up the VW Van, packing clothes, food, sleeping bags, etc. I also cleaned up the house a bit. I hate to come home to a mess. I will be visiting my Mom and Dad. Mom is in the hospital again. I am her main advocate in the hospital, so I better get going.

I leave you with another watercolor painting. This one is older, from 2006. I just discovered it in a drawer, and I really like it. It measures ALMOST 8 x 8 inches (more like 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches, really.) I am still pondering the title, but it might end up being called "Close Up".

I also want to take a moment and thank all of you for your input on my artist's statement! It really helped to have feedback. I am in the process of polishing it now, and I am keeping all of your suggestions in mind. Thanks!

Oh! I almost forgot. Two of my cactus outside are about to bloom, and one of them looks like a rabbit or some kind of critter. Here's a photo. I had a discussion with this cactus, during which I told it to bloom tomorrow so that I could see it before I leave for Colorado. It promised to try really hard.