Week 21 Wonder View Tower

 PAAC planned the best paint-out for today - a tour and painting of Wonder View tower in Genoa, Colorado. Thanks Debby McAllister for arranging and rescheduling this unique opportunity. Here is some interesting info on the tower ...

http://kdvr.com/2016/01/10/making-the-wonder-tower-wonderful-again/

https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/world’s-wonder-view-tower

It's A Wonder

12x18 pastel

PAAC painters - all recognizable by the backs of their heads

"Artists"

we oooh and ahhhh over crumbling paint - because we see the art in it

Treasures all over; even though much of the interior collections have been auctioned off

Why do we love old stuff so much? Just because ...

More treasure that is creepy and funny all at the same time

I'm so glad that there are people trying to save the history of this intriguing place

Room after room made from stone with imbedded geodes and indian art

Thanks Plein Air Artists of Colorado and Colorado Preservation Inc. and especially

the current owners for the fantastic tour and trying to save this bit of history.

Week 20 Christmas in May?

We did have a blizzard about a week ago, it melted fast of course. I'm framing, matting and pricing artwork for the ASLD Summer Art Market in June. I found this painting in a pile - I have lots of piles and it's always fun to rediscover a painting. This was done in the Highlands neighborhood with PAAC last December, about a week before Christmas. It was on Lowell near 31st street.
There is a Christmas wreath on one of the doorways and a cute fluffy black & white dog that was lounging on the front stoop. It was a really pretty day and I wanted to go play with the dog.

So, onto the art fair - it's the only one I'm doing this year; June 10th and June 11th, 10 am to 5 pm (come early; I'll be there by 9 am) and get a head start on parking and shopping. With 265 local artists - it's a fantastic fair to see really great art.

I haven't counted yet but I'm anticipating at least a couple hundred paintings - half of which will become "bin art" meaning it's deeply discounted. Mostly because they are small studies, older works or just because I really don't want this much of my own art hanging out in my house. I'm a prolific painter and this art needs to go live somewhere.
My website is mostly functional (no paypal buttons yet, but soon) and I'm now posting daily on Instagram rather than my blog. Go check out the art there - less wordy.

www.lisahut.com
@lisahutart

Thanks for following and I hope you stop by to say hi at the Summer Art Market!

The Highlands in Winter

8x10 pastel

Lisa Hut

lisahutart@gmail.com

http://www.lisahut.com

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." Rumi

Week 19 Is it Art?

I've had lots of fun conversations with my friends regarding art lately. Illustration vs. fine art or craft vs. art? Even talent vs. training. What makes good art and always ... what sells and why?
Coming from a graphic design career I had no idea that there was a bias towards "illustration" not viewed as fine art, or that there was even a difference. It was all art to me.

The thing is, I've always done all forms of art. Rug hooking, quilting, paper crafts, scrapbooking, (I'm still dying to try stained glass) card making and spent many years with giant rolls of craft paper decorating elementary school doors and hallways for holiday events. It was still art.

Check out this amazing person, Simon Beck here I so very much want to do this.
Or this one that I admire, Liza Lou who beaded a whole kitchen here.
Finally, didn't you just love your Etch a sketch as a kid? I did here.

So I enjoyed spending hours making this beaded palette and yes, it's pretty blingy. Like super, duper blingy. But I like shiny things and hopefully someone else will too. For sale at the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction. See my last post for the numerous links I embedded here.

Peonies I

Beaded artist wooden palette

Here is a diagram of some origami toilet paper designs you can work on at home

... if you feel inspired.

Week 18 Paintings with a Mind of Their Own

This was painted as a donation for the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction on June 10th. It's a great fundraiser with lots of amazing art for sale, you can read about it here. I was inspired by this sweet, bright, bold (and purple, my favorite) abstract painting by a participant in our MIM art classes, which you can read about here. I'll try not to blather on about how amazing this art program is - you've probably already heard it before from me on my website here.

Can you tell I've mastered a new skill ... links?

Anyway, I intended to paint an abstract but something about that painting made me think of my trip to the Matazanas Creek Winery last year. It's in Santa Rosa, CA and they also grow lavender. I spent one wonderful afternoon painting in their field here. So, sometimes a painting leads you in a completely different direction. One of the reasons I love abstracted art is that it can mean so many things to different people. This one grabbed a hold of me and screamed lavender. Not kidding.

By the way, other generous artists donating artwork include Cheryl St. John, Margaretta Caesar, Duke Beardsley, Martin Lambuth, Madeleine O'Connell, Jeanne Echertnach, Cora Wheeler, Jean Shom, Jeanie Gebhart, Deborah McAllister, Karen Spotts, Pat Carney, Eric Matelski, Anita Winter ... the list goes on to include 35+ professional artists along with 100+ paintings from memory impaired individuals. Beautiful stuff.
I'm very grateful that so many other artists see the benefits of keeping art in your life as long as possible.

I See Lavender

Acrylic 24x24

My painting on the left next to the one that inspired me - both for sale together at the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction on June 10, 2017.