Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Care and Feeding of a Blog, Part 3

August, 2012 - It's a joy to be invited to participate in the  wonderful event close to home, the 2012 Pacific Northwest Plein Air Competition and Exhibition at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, Oregon. Below are just a few of the pastel paintings I created en plein air during the event. Hmm, looks like I had fixated on painting gardens and flowers.

"Camille's Garden" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 6"x6" - SOLD

"Glorious Summer" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 12"x18"

"Marie Louise's Garden" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 6"x9"

"Color ways" by Gretha Lindwood. pastel, 9"x12" - SOLD

September, 2012 - A trip to Pennsylvania and West Virginia to visit the in-laws included sightseeing, a canoe paddle down the very rocky Susquehanna River, a meet-up with Kate Sturman who is a former resident at ARNA in Sweden, and a birthday party. A fun time!

Here I am looking a bit grim with a view of Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant behind me.

Susquehanna River...wide but shallow with a great many rocks to negotiate

Susquehanna River...keeping a weather eye open for rocks

Susquehanna River...has its own Lady Liberty statue 

More updates to come...

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Care and Feeding of a Blog, Part 2

After 2012 Telluride Plein Air came the 2012 Oregon Lavender Festival...I was tired after spending so much time on the road and only did a couple of lavender paintings
Lavender Perspective" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 6"x6"

"Color Slice" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel 12"x6" - SOLD

Next came the Portland Art Museum Plein Air Paint Out in the downtown Park Blocks.  That was a hot time in August on the city on the paint out and sale days! We were all melting 'cuz it was about 100°F on those days. And people LOVED seeing the Portland Art Museum do a plein air event and exhibit with living artists! They really did. We heard so many positive comments. Got my fingers crossed for a repeat someday soon.
"Garden in the Park" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 6"x6" - SOLD

"Rough Rider" by Gretha Lindwood, pastel, 12"x9"


Just for fun: This is such a Portland-thing...one can find toy horses tethered to an old horse ring on the curb of some of the older neigh(!)borhoods.

And then a wonderful but all too quick visit by textile artist Kerstin Jacobsson from Sweden. She's the director of ARNA artist residencies. Here we are greeting her at PDX International at nearly midnight, which is why we all look a little tired. Deb Bouchette was my fellow ARNA resident and roommate.
Kerstin and me, Gretha

Deb, Kerstin, and me

More updates to come...

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Care and Feeding of a Blog

Wow - have I fallen down on the job?! It's been about a year since I last posted. And a lot has happened since then. I'll do some quick recaps.

May, 2012 - I was invited to participate in the 19th Annual Carmel Art Festival. 60 invited artists have two days to complete a minimum of two plein air paintings each. The paintings are hung on Friday evening. Judging takes place from 8am-10am Saturday and the work continues to hang until at 5pm The work is available for purchase via Silent Auction. Any painting that receives 10 bids is put into the Live Auction following the Awards Ceremony. I was thrilled that my pastel painting "Carmel River Estuary" won both Best Pastel and People's Choice Awards! People's Choice painting goes on the poster and all promotional materials for the following year's Festival. Plus, both of my paintings went to the Live Auction and were the subjects of a bidding war! So exciting! The following morning, award winning artists were expected to participate in the Quick Draw...we had two hours to complete a painting, frame it and bring it back to Devendorf Park for judging and a very quick Silent Auction. That piece also found a nice buyer from out of the country. We could replace any sold paintings for Sunday and another of my pastels found a new home. I think I love Carmel!!



Poster of 20th Annual Carmel Art Festival featuring my pastel painting "Carmel River Estuary" - posters are available through the Carmel Art Festival website. Original painting - SOLD.


"Carmel Valley Grove" by Gretha Lindwood, 12"x12" pastel - SOLD


"All Dressed Up, Nowhere to Go" by Gretha Lindwood, 12"x9" pastel Quick Draw painting - SOLD


"Carmel Wayside, Overcast" by Gretha Lindwood, 9"x6" pastel - SOLD

June, 2012 - A month later I headed off to California again as I was invited to participate in Los Gatos Plein Air 2012 where about 40 artists had four days to paint their hearts out. I spent most of my time painting at Vasona Park, a beautiful park in the center of the town. The Los Gatos Morning Rotary does a fabulous job of putting together a great event, with everything from hosted housing for the artists, an artist luncheon at a private home, a wonderful patron party giving collectors the first look at some of the artwork, to the exhibit and Silent Auction at Los Gatos Town Plaza. Temperatures of up to 105°F on exhibit day was brutal but that was Mother Nature's doing. Here are a few of my pastel paintings from that event.



"Thinking of Vasona", by Gretha Lindwood, 9"x18" pastel - SOLD


"Queen for a Day" (left) by Gretha Lindwood  9"x6" pastel, and  "After Hours" (right) by Gretha Lindwood, 9"x6" pastel  - both SOLD


"Afternoon at Vasona Park", by Gretha Lindwood, 16"x12" pastel

June, 2013 - Only a few days at home to regroup then hubby and I drove off to Telluride, CO where I had been invited to participate in the 2012 Telluride Plein Air Exhibition and Sale. Another well run organization with hosted housing, a couple of artist meetings with food, and  a patrons' party, and don't forget the gorgeous scenery! Here are a few of my pastels from the event. Unfortunately I didn't get good photos of all the ones that sold.

"Stay!" by Gretha Lindwood, 6"x6", pastel - SOLD

"Bear Creek Falls" by Gretha Lindwood, 12"x9", pastel

"Pond Sentinels" by Gretha Lindwood, 12"x9", pastel

"Thunder Over Wasatch" by Gretha Lindwood, 9"x6", pastel

"Afternoon at SMAK Bar" by Gretha Lindwood, 9"x12", pastel, Quick Draw painting gifted to my host


We did a little touring on the way home at some of the fabulous National Parks...we won't even talk about when our van's water pump went out and it had to be towed 148 miles to the nearest repair shop. No, I won't say anything more about that!

To be continued...