Heatwave

Song - Too Darn Hot by Ella Fitzgerald

Welcome to Summer!

Our  BASA group (Bay Area Studio Artists) participated in the Artist Market in Lafayette over the weekend. It was a scorcher to say the least!  Someone said it was breaking records in the area. Even though a few brave artists weathered out the heat, we had very few customers.

It was the kind of day that could of melted Joanne Taeuffer's yummy Banana Split!

Usually I paint during such events but it was too hot to get my supplies out.  So we visited with each other, wilting in our chairs. Luckily we had the shade of a big Oak tree but the heat from the pavement added to our discomfort. One woman across the way was trying to sell crocheted shawls!!! Good luck there! 

Marcy Wheeler's "Big Granny" in the background & Patricia Dallacroce's cityscape in the foreground

Even my chickens where looking for shade!

No sales for our little group except one!

I purchased a painting from Patricia Dallacroce and I just love it and so does Mr. B!  It hasn't been hung yet as I keep walking around the house trying to find the exact place for it to be at home! I am so excited.

Pat is a relatively new painter but she has an amazing eye and plenty of talent. Lately she has been painting San Francisco city scene's.  The color on this painting is so much better in real life than this photo shows.

Please check out her website here - http://www.dallacroce.com/

Catch her fresh work before her prices skyrocket - I mean....really!

Doesn't that car look real?

Just AMAZING!

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  - Marcel Proust

In case you missed my Summer Solstice recipe this spring, here it is again!  Just in time for the longest day of the year!

SUMMER SOLSTICE MARTINI - Inspired by AZ88 

• 2 1/2 ounces raspberry vodka
• 1 ounce Cointreau
• 1 ounce Rose's lime juice
• 1/2 ounce cranberry juice
• 2 ounces orange juice 
• Place in an ice filled martini shaker and give it a good shake.  Pour into martini glass and add a slice of orange.  Enjoy! 

Drawing on a Monday

This weekend I showed my paintings at an Artist Market in front of the Lafayette Gallery.  It was very quiet.  I think people are on vacation in mid-July?  I was able to work on several paintings for upcoming shows and I was also able to spend time with people.  I enjoyed talking to other artists who were showing on Saturday and people just wandering through the show and who expressed an interest in my art.  It is always nice to have someone acknowledge your artwork, ask for a quote or your business card and express interest in where, what, why, how something was painted.  I tend to be a rather low pressure "salesperson" but I do love to talk with people about their interests - where they have lived, what they do, where they have traveled, etc.  Next time you are at an art show, please say "hello" to the artists!

As for my fellow artists, we had an interesting discussion at the end of the day about pricing artwork during this recession.  Some have dropped prices and have a "discount" bin.  Others have raised their prices and insist that art should always be considered an investment as it just isn't fair to other patrons who have purchased your artwork in the past to see it drop in value.  Personally I have kept my pricing fairly consistent but I am painting smaller pieces.  It was a great discussion with a lot to think about! 

"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college- that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?"  
~ Howard Ikemoto