Roadrunner, snakes and art - a desert mix

Ahhhh...fall. This is a wonderful time of year to be in the desert. It's really a wonderful time of year to be just about anywhere, really, but since I am in the desert, I am saying "the desert." Cool nights, warm, sunny days. Can't beat it!!!

I have some exciting news!!! I just found out yesterday that one of my paintings was accepted into the Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition!!! The opening reception is December 5th at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. The show runs until December 28th. I am joined by 53 other talented artists. You can read more about the show here: jtnparts.org. Below is the painting that was chosen:

"Predator." Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches

I am also part of a group show at the 29 Palms Gallery that opens this Sunday from noon to 3. The show was curated by Rhonda Coleman. This show will stay up during the Hwy. 62 Art Tours, if you can't make the opening this Sunday. Here is the poster for the show:

I have been seeing more snakes and evidence of snakes since the rainstorm. Yesterday, I saw a small snake, possibly a rosy boa, that had just caught a lizard. It was underneath a shrub, so I was unable to get a good photo. The lizard was still thrashing around in the snake's mouth! I wish I could have captured that moment, but I really didn't have a clear shot. (plus, there was a lot of quick movement by both snake and prey.) I do have these photos to share with you:

King Snake - maybe if I were a parselmouth, I could have convinced it to come out of the hole.

We spent the rest of the hike thinking "somewhere nearby is a very shiny snake!"

The Hwy. 62 Art Tours catalogs are back from the printers and many have been delivered to information centers in the high desert. You can also see the online version or order one online from the website. http://www.hwy62arttours.org/hwy62arttours.html

How is your fall season so far? Leave me a comment - I'd love to hear from you!

When it rains, it POURS

Every once and a while, nature reminds us to be humble. After months of little or no rain, a thunderstorm hit Joshua Tree upside the head. Last Tuesday, at around 3 pm or so, rain began to fall in our neighborhood. I was so excited, I ran outside and ran around the house several times, just to feel the drops hit my skin. I couldn't contain my excitement. The rain began to come down harder. Thunder and lightening. Terrified dog. Hail. Louder thunder and lightening. More rain. Hail. The backyard begins to look like a small creek. Then a river. Wind picks up. Now, my elation is turning into something else. The road in front of the house also looks like a river. More rain. Thunder is now loud enough that I jump each time. A loud >CRACK< and a bright, white light. (We think this may have been lightening hitting the house.) More rain. More hail.

Finally, after about an hour, the rain did stop. We were lucky. No water or mud came into our house or garage. No one was hurt. We ended up without internet for a few days, but for the most part, we were unscathed. Others were not so lucky. One man was killed after his car became stuck in the mud and a wall of water came down and rolled his car over several times. Many of our neighbors have mud in their garages and one house had a car buried in mud up past the hubcaps. Our road is washed out in several places. I have never seen anything like it. Ever.

I am a little tired of shoveling dirt and mud. We had to repair part of our driveway and remove mud from the sidewalk around our house. I am also trying to locate a sprinkler head that was beneath one of our trees. I still haven't found it. Trails that were once familiar paths where we walk Pono are now remodeled by the water and nearly unrecognizable. A reminder of the power of water.

Work in the studio has been interrupted somewhat by the storm frenzy and by husband coming home after being away. Nevertheless, I am gearing up for the Hwy 62 Art Tours October 25th & 26th and November 1st and 2nd. I have framed half a dozen small jackrabbit drawings and I am getting things wired for hanging, photographed and hung on the wall!!! Very exciting! If you haven't been to the desert for the Art Tours yet, I highly recommend it. You have a chance to see the studios of many area artists during the best time of the year (weather- wise). I will try to put in a word with the BIG GUY for no big thunderstorms during this event. ;) For more information about the Art Tours, click here.

I'm going to try to have some of these drawings available for sale online soon. I'll keep you updated!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!!

Tortoise walk

The desert got some much needed rain last week. Well, not everyone got the rain, but near our house, we got two good, wet storms. Little green things are pushing up out of the soil and the rabbits finally have something to eat that I didn't plant. What a great relief!

On the walk this morning with Mr. Pono the fuzzy dog, we had a tortoise encounter!!! I am sure the tortoise came out to munch on some of those little green things. This tortoise had places to go, plants to eat.

I suppose if there were a desert creature I could most identify with, it would be the tortoise. When frightened or threatened, we retreat into our shells. Our insides are soft. We love to eat flowers and green things. We may be slow, but once we get going, yes, we do move. You don't see us out in the open too often, since we spend most of our lives hibernating....and we look prehistoric. ;) I'm not sure I could go a whole year without water, though, like the tortoise can. Such an impressive critter.

In other news, I am gearing up for the Hwy. 62 Art Tours, which is an open studio event for me. The last two weekends of October, you will be able to come and see all the new work that I have created this year. Or at least, all the new work that I haven't sold yet. I am happy to tell you that I am experiencing pretty consistent sales this year, and I am grateful for it. If any of you buyers are reading this, THANK YOU!!!!

If you want to see a short (3 minute) video of me talking about my work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxP8yhZGnP0

As ever, thank you for reading my blog!

The Art Tours begin

"Dragonfly." Oil and graphite on canvas, 14 x 11 inches. ©Karine Swenson2012

This is it! The weekend that begins the Hwy 62 Art Tours. This event encompasses over 100 artists and is our biggest annual art event. I am not showing my work until next weekend, so I am looking forward to going out and seeing what the other artists of the desert are working on. How exciting! I still have some work to do before I am fully prepped for next weekend, but I feel much more ahead of the game than I usually do at this time. It helps to plan ahead, doesn't it?

I finally sat down at the computer yesterday and updated my website. I should have done it last week, but I chose to paint instead. Really, there is no question of what will win out when choosing between sitting at the computer all day and painting. Painting won. Yet, I understand that the art I create must also been seen and then must venture out, bravely into the world. Therefore, the website gets tackled. If you are interested and have a moment, I would love for you to click on this link and tell me what you think: www.karineswenson.com. I would greatly appreciate any comments.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I am grateful for your comments, emails and visits. Thanks for reading, and thanks for interacting!

Hwy. 62 Art Tours

The desert begins to feel more and more like fall every day. Cooler nights, cooler, shorter days. It seems to take FOREVER for the sun to come up in the morning. Somehow, the extra darkness seems to demand more caffeine. I guess I am just a sunshine addict.

The artists of the Morongo Basin all join me in a frenzy of excited preparation for the Hwy. 62 Art Tours. This is our biggest art event of the year, featuring over 100 artists and venues. It takes place the last two weekends of October every year. This is the eleventh year for this event. If you want to find out more about it, visit the website here. I will be having my open studio on the second weekend only, October 27th and 28th from 9 to 5 pm. I love this event, because I get to meet so many wonderful people, and share with them my art. It is so much fun. The art and artists can be enjoyed during the day, and then at night there are other events. If you are thinking of coming out to the desert to visit, there is no better time to come! The weather is usually at its finest in October. (Although I make no promises here. Weather is unpredictable, as we all know.)

Here is just one of my new paintings, especially painted for the Art Tours:

"Bunny Love." Collage, acrylic and oil on board. 10 x 8 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

Cottontail painting

The house and studio are coming together for this weekend's Hwy 62 Art Tours.  I have been working hard, and I hope everyone enjoys all the new paintings on the walls.  The screaming gold frame crises has been solved with some black paint, rubbed onto the surface of the frames.  They are drying in the studio.  They may or may not be dry in time, but I have decided it isn't that important.  I do appreciate all of your helpful suggestions!

Feeling groggy after a restless night - there is just so much to do.  I will make this brief.  I apologize to my fellow bloggers.  I haven't been able to take the time to catch up with you.  I will stop and visit next week, when the big event is over. 

"Reclining."  Oil on board, 9 x 12 inches.  ©2011 Karine Swenson

I know many of you live far away, but for those who are nearby, I hope you will come and visit me this weekend.  9 to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Dreams

If you spend the night dreaming about being awake all night, is it the same as actually being awake all night?  Because it sure feels like I didn't sleep much.  Aside from the busy dreams, the coyotes were singing at around 2:30 am, which causes a chain reaction.  Pono, who wanted to sing with them, ran from window to window, desperate to join in.  Only problem with that is Pono doesn't know how to sing, so he growled and barked instead.  He did finally remember he had a dog door.  That way, he could go outside and wake up the neighbors, too.  I am certain that the neighbors are glad we have a dog door. 

Please come and play with me.

Last week brought some storms and fun skies to the desert.  I was running around with my new camera, trying to break it in.  Pono was in the bathroom, hiding from the big, bad thunder.   

In the studio news, I have been busy at work on the most recent series of abstractions.  So far, I have about ten of these new paintings.  These paintings, along with my most recent paintings of the desert, will be on display for the Hwy. 62 Art Tours this October.  I will be opening my studio doors only on the second weekend of the tours, October 29th and 30th from 9 to 5 pm.  For those of you who live far away, I will try my best to have the new work up on my website in time for the Art Tours.  There is also going to be a sneak preview of my studio on Friday, the 28th from noon to 5 pm.  I hope you can make it!

"Closeness."  Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches.  ©Karine Swenson 2011

Studio Tours

I know you are all probably dying to know about last weekend and the Open Studio.  I am sorry to make you wait so long.  It was SUCH a busy, wonderful weekend!  I am ashamed to tell you that I was so mentally overwhelmed that I didn't manage to take ONE SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH!!!  Oh no!!!  Then, it was over.  The other artists took their art home with them and I suddenly found myself remembering that I had forgotten to take photos.  Can you believe it??  Sorry!!!  I am a sorry excuse for a blogger, that's for sure.  I did take some "after the fact" photos yesterday of my art, once I was beginning to think clearly, but I know it isn't the same.

I will admit that I am still exhausted.  I am feeling better every day, but I am amazed at how much the preparation and the event itself took out of me.  I think what happens is that I got so used to operating at 100 miles per hour, and then I had a whole bunch of people visit me and talk to me all day for two days.  The next day, when it was all over, I found that I was incredibly tired, but there was still this little part of me that was trying to stay busy, since I had gotten so used to being busy but tired.  It took that first day to stop feeling busy, and then yesterday I finally was able to sit down and rest a little.  I have gotten work done today, but I plan on a short day and then more rest.  Perhaps by tomorrow, I will be regular Karine once more.  Let's hope so.

 As you can see, I packed every inch of wall space with a piece of art!

All and all, it was such a fantastic weekend!  All of you who came - THANK YOU!!!  What a wonderful crowd we had!  I got so much great feedback on my art, that I am itching to get back in the studio and paint again very soon!   I am happy that four of us decided to show together, because having the other artists there made the whole weekend so much more fun, and easier, too.  Thank you, to Nora Lousignont, Esther Shaw, and Marjorie Franklin for agreeing to show your work here at my house.  You are all talented artists and amazing friends. 

I will be announcing the winner of my most recent giveaway in the next post, so if you haven't entered yet, do it now!