In addition to making art I continuously apply for a variety of art opportunities throughout the year. Some of these include grants and residencies. Well, I am please to announce that I have just been accepted to not just one, but two residencies. The first is to Weir Farm Art Center in Connecticut. I will be spending two weeks there during the beginning of Septembe
r of this year.
The second residency is to Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska. I wasn’t able to accept this residency due to the dates they had to offer me but, am waiting to find out if they will put me on the waiting list for their next session. I am very excited to be recognized by these two great art centers and to be given the opportunity to be part of their residency history.
This month I shared an exhibition with two other new-comers to Beppu Wiarda Gallery (the gallery now representing me). The two other artists are Kathleen Caprario and Susan Harlan - both abstract painters and teachers residing in Portland. We had a great time at the reception. I answered many questions about my new paintings regarding subject matter and materials used. I thought I would give you a little insight into a couple of my newest paintings…
I have been a lover of poetry for many years now. I have begun working on a new series of paintings inspired by poetry which incorporate subtle and minimal figurative images. Two of my newest paintings exhibited were inspired by a form of poetry that I happened to stumble upon called a “lantern poem.” The device for this poem has five lines. The first line is only one syllable, the second is two syllables, the third is three syllables, the fourth is four syllables, then the fifth goes back to only one syllable. Working simultaneously I wrote the poems and created each painting. The titles of the two paintings inspired by this form of poetry are the poems themselves. Below are the poems. You can match them to the paintings shown in the photos from the exhibition.
Bee
Eater
Sits and waits
While sunned clothes flap
Dry
Moth
Is called
To wash in
Lantern light till
Dawn
This exhibition is up through the end of March. I have a solo show scheduled here April of 2009.
My husband, Noah Nakell, and I had our first official opening at Beppu Wiarda Gallery for their December group show titled, “Confluence.” We had a lot of fun chitting and chatting with the several friends and art patrons who attended. We stayed from 6-8pm then rushed over to our other reception at the Portland Art Center for their fundraiser -” PDX Panels.” We were excited to see that both of our panels had sold on the preview day. Other friends of ours who sold their panels were Kelly Neidig, Jennifer Mercede and Dave Benz. Congrats to the Portland Art Center for raising over 40K in the past month. I really hope that they are able to continue their unique arts programming.
Below are photos from the reception at Beppu Wiarda Gallery. 
Noah Nakell talking politics with fellow artist Jonnel Covault and Stan Beppu (gallery co-owner).
Gail Beppu, me and Noah by “the stacks” in the back room.
Sandy, Noah, Dave and Joanne. Noah’s sculpture is mounted on the wall in the background.
Stephanie Wiarda and I in front of my painting, “Merge”. It was accidentally hung sideways but I think it works. Those darn abstracts, what side is up anyway?
Gallery goers getting a peak at my painting “Gaze” among other works in the back room.
Noah with good friends Sienna Skinner, and Dave Benz (another fellow artist).
Happy holidays to everyone and may you ring in the new year with fresh new ideas for creating art and fabulous new art purchases on your walls (or on a pedestal, or in your garden, or on your floor, etc)!