Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2009

Dressed for the Season

The Christmas Dress 2009 It’s a tradition in our home to celebrate the season in an unconventional way. This year instead of a tree we setup a Christmas Dress. It’s an old mannequin that I transformed into a holiday gown with evergreens, ornaments and feathers. Another tradition in our neighborhood is the parade of Christmas boats – I love seeing the lights reflected on the water and they play holiday music that echoes out over the Puget Sound. It really put me in the spirit. I'll be spending my holidays painting in the studio so I will post some images of new work soon. Until then I am wishing you all Happy Holidays and a joyful New Year.

Northwest Art

Margie Livingston, Folded Painting Small 2009 - Greg Kucera Gallery Last week I trekked out to soak up some area art shows and here are a few highlights. Starting with one of the bright spots from the 1st Thursday gallery walk : Margie Livingston at the Greg Kucera Gallery . The exhibit is titled Riff – New Paintings , and features a mix of 2d and 3d works. In some of her pieces Livingston removes the sub-straight entirely: no canvas, no paper and no wood to support her paintings – just pure paint as in this piece above titled Folded Painting . Not to take away from her works on canvas that are very captivating and when seen with her “paint sculptures” they take on a new depth. She started creating 3d objects to inform her paintings and now has come full circle with the paintings becoming three dimensional objects. The show runs until December 24th. Margie Livingston, Folded Painting Big 2009 - Greg Kucera Gallery Margie Livingston, Paint Line 2009 - Greg Kucera Gallery

Giving Thanks

Robert E. Marx. The Red Bishop, 2009. Oil on linen. 20 x 16 inches. O n display now at the Davidson Gallery As the month comes to a close it means a new rotation of gallery artists will open for the First Thursday Art Walk next week. Before it comes down I highly recommend the November show at the Davidson Gallery featuring the work of Robert Marx . His work is fantastic and has a compelling naive quality to it. My Second Nature show also closes this Saturday so if you planned on seeing the exhibition you only have a few days remaining to see the entire show. Some of my favorite pieces sold so when the show comes down the paintings will be gone to their new homes. For updates on the gallery check out the new Pacini Lubel Gallery Blog. Robert E. Marx. Shaman, 1986. Oil on linen. 34 x 26 inches. Living in a state of gratitude is not always easy but this time of year when we are reminded to give thanks I am counting my blessings. These are some of the things that I am celebr

Lost Gems

Jadite - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 I was looking through my photos of the gems and discovered a few that I had not yet posted. The image above is one of the lost gems titled Jadeite. What I like is how quiet this painting is but when you examine it closely it has very complex layers. Some areas even appear to be floating and resemble fused glass. Below are a few more gallery images of the gems in groupings. It's been a great week in the studio and several more paintings from the show have sold. This means I'll have new work to share soon. Gem Grid I - Gallery Installation Gem Grid II - Gallery Installation

Pay It Forward

" She " - Felted wool sculpture by Robin E. Whiteman. This year I have had the good fortune of steady art sales so I have decided to spread the “art love” if you will. I am calling it my Pay It Forward Program and every time I sell one of my own paintings I put a portion of my proceeds towards the purchase of another artist’s work. It’s one of those rare but wonderful Win/Win situations. I get to acquire a beautiful new piece of art and support the work of another artist too. The piece I am featuring today is this amazing felted form titled, She, by New York artist, Robin E. Whiteman . Everyone who comes into my home comments on this piece and seeing her just reminds me that we are all connected in some small way. Click here to visit her Etsy shop. More images of She by Robin Whiteman

Grateful, Content & Inspired

Show title wall featuring Soloist Pacini Lubel Gallery street view Me posing with Sapphire Cove Today I am feeling richly rewarded after several months of hard work. The opening of Second Nature was lovely and I want to say "T hank you!" to all the dear friends who came out on Thursday night to support me. I also want to extend a special thanks to those who traveled long distances to see the show and to those of you who have left me such kind comments here on my blog. Gallery southeast view Me posing with the gems. Many of the little gems have already sold and there is a possible commission in the works. The Seattle Times also ran a blurb about the exhibition and featured an image of my work in the Arts section of the paper. So here I am feeling grateful, content and inspired. The studio beckons and I need to start preparing for my 2010 exhibitions. I will be participating in several group shows starting next spring and I have a solo show slated for J

Art Opening Tonight!

River Trio- encaustic w/mixed media 2009 - 36" x 36" Tourmaline- encaustic w/mixed media 2009 - 24" x 72" Well… it's finally here – Opening Night! Please join me at the Pacini Lubel Gallery for the opening of Second Nature. Tonight, Thursday, November 5th from 6 to 8 as part of the Seattle 1st Thursday gallery walk . This solo show features my most recent encaustic work. I have not seen the final installation so I will be experiencing the show for the first time tonight. Here’s what friend and fellow artist, Barbara Dunshee , posted to her blog about my work: “I've recently been reintroduced to Alicia Tormey's work. I loved it before and her recent evolution is very exciting. Her new show, opening at Pacini Lubel Gallery November 5th, is called "Second Nature". A great title as her encaustics on wood are nature enhanced to a higher power. Her abstractions are landscape reminiscent but on varying planes of existence, simultaneously ma

Opal, Malachite & Water's Edge

Opal - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Malachite Field -  20" x 30" encaustic w/mixed media 2009 I have enjoyed posting a daily gem these last few weeks leading up to the opening of my show. Thank you for following and to those who have left such generous and encouraging comments. For today’s post I am also including a few more of the larger works. There are several of these large paintings that will be featured in the Second Nature show but so much is lost when reducing them down to a post-it size preview. I am including some detail images so you can get a better feel for the work. The show opens tomorrow and runs until November 28th at the Pacini Lubel Gallery in Seattle. Please come by and introduce yourself if you are in the area. I will post more work from the show tomorrow Water's Edge - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 36" x 48" Water's Edge Detail 1 Water's Edge Detail 2

Corundum & Labradorite

Labradorite - encaustic w/mixed media 2009   Corundum - encaustic/w mixed media 2009 I am featuring two gems today: Corundum & Labradorite. Both stones reflect multiple colors. I think these two are good companion pieces as well. I am feeling the desire to paint today but it's not likely going to happen. I have too much going on with the opening on Thursday and guests arriving from out of town. I really feel it when I am away from the studio. Time spent creating helps keep me centered and I look forward to firing things up again after this crazy busy week. Tomorrow’s gem: Opal

Andalusite

Andalusite - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 This gem series piece is titled Andalusite, after the mineral known for its variations of green. I wanted to create a sense of intimacy in this by framing the view with delicate wisps of grass that I scratched into the surface. There are only a few days remaining now until the show opens this Thursday. It will be the first time all the work is displayed together instead of piled around my studio in various stages of completion. I will post two more gems tomorrow: Corundum and Labradorite

Serpentine

Serpentine - encausticx w/ mixed media 2009 This gem is titled Serpentine. The colors in this piece are reminiscent of the stone but I thought the plant form also suited this title. Yesterday I delivered the rest of the artwork to the gallery and the show will be installed on Tuesday. I am eager to see how it will all come together in the space. I will post lots of photos of the final installation in the coming weeks. Tomorrows gem: Andalusite

Botanica I

Botanica I - encaustic w / mixed media  2009 This is one of seven botanical works that will be featured in the Second Nature show along with the gems and landscapes. Below you can see how the paintings play off of each other. I imagine these as if you were to enter one of my larger landscapes and return with clippings and specimens for further study. Hard to believe the show opens in just 5 more days. I am looking forward to seeing dear friends and meeting new ones. Tomorrow I will post another gem: Serpentine Botanical Specimens I, II & III as a grouping Click on the art to view full images.

Amber

Amber - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 I chose to feature Amber as today’s gem. Below is a detail so you can see the under currents of this painting. There are many subtle layers to this piece that are not coming through in the photo. This painting easily jumps back and forth between the abstract and representational imagery. I will post new work from the botanical series tomorrow. Detail from Amber

Jasper

Jasper - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Today’s gem piece is titled Jasper and in doing my gem research I learned that jasper and agate are the same stone. This has the tones and translucency of an agate and someone told me they see a figure skating or running in it. I was hoping for an abstracted tree form and I love the playfulness of this piece. I’ll keep tomorrow’s posting a surprise – not sure if it will be a gem or a botanical or perhaps both.

Sapphire

Sapphire - encaustic w/ mixed media 2009 Today’s gem is Sapphire and the colors in this piece are very intense. The blue veining that runs through it has the appearance of colored glass. I find the vibrancy of this color pallet very energizing. Tomorrow’s gem: Jasper

Black Coral

Black Coral - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Today’s gem series painting is titled Black Coral. Only nine days and nine gems until the show opens next week. Tomorrow’s gem: Sapphire

Fire Opal

Fire Opal – encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Fire opal is the featured painting today and the warm colors are speaking to me on this blustery Monday. This piece has a simple composition and much less going on in it than most of the other gems in the series. The simplicity creates a nice visual balance when paired with the other paintings. This week I deliver the remaining works to the gallery and the show will be hung early next week. Tomorrow’s gem: Black Coral

Emerald Pond

Emerald Pond – right panel detail from triptych - 24 x 72 - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 This is a detail from Emerald Pond, one of the four large triptychs that I created for my Second Nature show. See the full image below . Creating this piece was a unique challenge for me as I struggled to find the border between abstract and representational imagery. The chaos of it all is what brings this painting closer to nature rather than the subject matter. Looking at the painting as a thumbnail it seems quite literal but as you move in you can see the flow of the materials, the lines scratched in wax and the wild paint splatters. This is one of those paintings that inspire me to drop everything and walk into the scene. I am looking forward to experimenting with more work like this in the coming months. Tomorrows gem: Fire Opal. Emerald Pond – triptych - 24" x 72" - encaustic w/mixed media 2009

Diopside

Diopside - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 The gem stone diopside is known for its bottle green color. The organic forms on the left of this painting look like green glass so diopside seemed like the perfect title for this piece. The show images are now posted to the Pacini Lubel Gallery website so you can view the entire show online. I am thrilled to report that several pieces have already sold. Tomorrow I will post some images from one of the larger works in the show.

Turquoise

Turquoise - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 The gem for today is Turquoise and it has the look of a real stone. The marbling and veining are exaggerated and combined with the depth and translucency of the wax, this piece really mimics the properties of natural minerals. I delivered some of the show paintings to the gallery today and I can’t believe the opening is less than two weeks away. Another gem tomorrow…