Art in a Pickle Barn

Getting ready for this show: 

Art in a Pickle Barn

Hosted by the Skagit Art Association at 

Azusa Farm and Gardens

14904 State Route 20

Mount Vernon, WA

Opening night is Friday, March 31st 6 - 8 PM

Also open April 1 - 30th, 10 AM - 5 PM

Stop by if you can;
it is so close to the tulip festival
if you are going out that way.

Should be fun!

New Studio and Opening Night Show at Gallery Pegasus

Had a great time at the opening of Gallery Pegasus during March's First Friday Art Walk in Bellingham, WA. Having had this great, new studio upstairs of the gallery for only a couple of weeks before the opening, I was delighted to welcome art viewers to see my work. Many pieces were still in progress, but talking to others about raw unfinished work brings inspiration to many of my pieces.

Beautiful artwork from artists downstairs in the main gallery brought such a eloquent view from my upstairs perch.

Sense-i-bil-Lily

This multi-media lily captures the five senses.

Sight-
The look of a lovely flower.

Touch:
You can touch it! The encaustic textures make it a delight to feel.

Smell:
To smell an Easter lily is so fresh and amazing! Can you smell the encaustic?

Taste:
The berries are good enough to eat.

Sound:
Music notes to the victory march of Peter and the Wolf grace the piece. 

Hair Art Salon Show

Had a great time at the Hair Art Salon show during the First Friday Artwalk. It was so fun to hang some paintings up and listen to live music and help the art salon welcome their fourth year in business. Loved the creative work of all the artists of the Whatcom Artists Guild. The beautiful photograph it the middle of sunset and tree was done by another artist. My 8" x 8" and 10" x 10" square pieces framed it directly over the cashier desk entryway. Loving the Bellingham community.

Affirmation: Creative Reality

This illustration is created with Dr. Ph. Martin's Water Colors and some beautiful shiny watercolors. A client gifted me with the project of creating daily affirmations for the participants of a woman's retreat. I created the affirmations for the lovely ladies and this one for myself. 

Affirmation: Love, Happiness, Peace and Freedom

Part of a daily affirmation series for a participant of a woman's retreat. The woman this was for is a night owl, like myself, so I wanted the aspect of night to really show up in this piece. It brought me joy to highlight out the stars and the moon and of course an owl.

Affirmation: The Universe Will Provide

Part of the affirmation series. A sloth was requested for this one. I was delighted to discover what interesting and complex creatures sloths are. Painted this in the sun and enjoyed dabbing blue watercolor over the purple border and thinking about the wind running through the setting in this painting. 

Affirmation: Lotus Power!

Affirmation showcasing peaceful and powerful lotus flowers. The blue acts as the pond and background in this painting. 

Affirmation: Celebrate the Good

This affirmation painting was set to hold a bit of an Asian flare with the presents of bamboo, flowers and a bird. Red and gold highlight the valuable message.

Beckett Name Sign

Illustration for a child's room. An owl, some fish, mountaintops, bussing bees and a moose too. These are the things little boys like to explore.

PRESS RELEASE:  Show at Honey Salon in Bellingham, WA

Works by Rachel Potter, show opening tomorrow!
Rachel Potter is inspired by children; the way they think, dream and create art. This is reflected in her "Dreamscapes" series of paintings where she turns objects, animals, birds, sea creatures and plants into an imaginary world of fanciful colors and unusual shapes and perspectives. Rachel’s paintings in a mixture of mediums: acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, and collage will be shown at the Honey Salon from October 5th to November 1st. Please join the artist for her opening reception at Honey Salon on October 5^th from 6-9PM.  Honey Salon is located at 310 W. Holly next to Rocket Donuts.

 

 

Sand-dollar Bouquet

Since the last post regarding Sand-dollar Bouquet, I have matted the piece in a special way and framed it. It was on display at the KAST and was my first painting to sell that weekend. It was a surprise for someone special so I wont tell who the secret buyer was.

Sunflower Song

This little sunflower can sing!

KAST: a sunny sunshine sunflower kind of day . . .

I had a wonderful time painting beautiful flowers at the KAST (Kirkland Artist Studio Tour). Thank you to Juliana Marquis for opening up her studio to myself and my work. Juliana makes the most unique and beautiful jewelery and was the most wonderful hostess. It was such a fun and creative location to have my work. Thank you to everyone who was able to stop by. Thank goodness for the lovely weather as well. :)

KAST: Kirkland Artist Studio Tour

 

I am excited to be getting ready for the KAST: Kirkland Artist Studio Tour taking place this weekend. Here is a link to my artist page for the site.

In addition, below is my artist biography for the show:

Rachel Potter is inspired by children - the way they think, dream and create art. This is reflected in her "Dreamscapes" series of paintings where she turns objects, animals, birds, sea creatures and plants into an imaginary world of fanciful colors and unusual shapes and perspectives. She enjoys teaching art and has taught art classes to children in Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. As the owner of a children's clothing company called Baby Birds Designs, Rachel uses her graphic design and textile art background to create whimsical, wearable art for children. Rachel's art has been on display at numerous galleries, exhibitions and shows throughout Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and Canada, including the Blackfish and Broderick galleries both in Portland, Oregon. Rachel created a child's raincoat out of plastic "trash" for her two-year-old son to walk the runway at Seattle's RE Store Trash Fashion Show in April of 2011. Paintings from Rachel's "Dreamscapes" series were on display in a two-person juried exhibition at the Allied Arts Gallery of Whatcom County in November of 2011. Rachel is looking forward to two solo shows which will be taking place in August, 2012 in Redmond and October, 2012 in Bellingham. Rachel's educational background includes a BA in Fine Art and Creative Writing at Linfield College, an AA in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Portland, and a Post-Baccalaureate in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Rachel's Dreamscapes paintings shown here can be placed into two categories: ink paintings and cut-paper collage.

Dreamscapes Video

Please enjoy this video I put together yesterday showcasing my Dreamscapes paintings and writings found on this site. Special thanks to Mark Kuo of Kids Animation Studio in Bellingham for his help in the production. Also thank you to Soul Food Books and Coffee for the use of their space and the lovely environment while working on this project.

I also wanted to take this time to announce that I have an upcoming show at Soul Food Books in Redmond, WA this August 2012. More details to follow.

I am also excited to be included in the Kirkland Artist Studio Tour through the Kirkland Arts Center this upcoming Mother's Day weekend (May 12-13). I will be on site showcasing my artistic process. Looking forward to all these endeavors.

New Paintings Arriving at Allied Arts Tomorrow!

Six new paintings to arrive at Allied Arts Gallery tomorrow -- November 19th. I have been creating paintings with the idea that they would be nice in a baby or child's bedroom. The above shows these seahorse paintings in such a setting. They are also framed and presented on top of a textured paper.

Daisy Push-ups

6" x 6'
One - two - three . . . touch the sky. One - two - three back down again. Okay everybody is looking good. That is besides the little yellow bud who has collapsed with exhaustion. Given a recent kick back to the gym, I feel for that little one.

Sunshine Flowers

6" x 6"
Like Summer in the House this type of sunshine (the bright colored flower-type) is what everyone wants on a rainy fall day in the Northwest. I love the excuse to bring flowers in my house -- I need something to paint after all. Happy sunny fall time everyone! I love to play off of the duality of the colors of autumn leaves found in little sunny beams of daisies and such.

Lion-Flower and Friends

6" x 6"
The most gentle of lions is this Lion-Flower. This painting is about texture -- can you feel it?

Owl in Maple Leaf Tree

6" x 6"
This little owlet found a home in a giant maple leaf. The leaf is transforming into a forest of trees up by the head of the owl. This piece started as a regular autumn leaf and the rest of the elements grew into it. First parts of the leaf were cut out and filled in with blue sky. The rest unfolded part by part.

Dragon Seahorse

6" x 6"
The head of a dragon, the tail of a kitty cat and the nose of a kissing fish.

These two seahorses seem to fit right together (see the seaweed connecting all by chance).

This pair (each beautifully framed) will be brought to the Allied Arts Gallery on November 19th to replace the two seahorses that sold.

Backwards Seahorse

6" x 6"
This little guy looks as if he is swimming backwards. A small current has come by (in orange) and is ever so slightly pushing him back. As a seahorse he just floats and goes along for the ride. What a life!

A seahorse with scaly scales yet the mane of a lion in mo-hawk form. Is he soft or is he not?

This ocean-flower will drift to the Allied Arts Gallery on November 19th.

Flowers and Leaves

6" x 6"
Are these flowers or leaves or maybe some of each? Either way they look tropical and maybe magical.

On the Inside -- Gallery Show

I had the most wonderful time at the show opening Friday night. It was so delightful to be given a highlighting spot in the show. Kelly and Katy of Allied Arts did such a wonderful job hanging the show. I know it is not easy to hang a bunch of small pieces so I appreciate their efforts on my behalf.

The element that made the show so welcoming and warming to me as an artist was the people involved -- including art seekers, fellow artists and gallery directors. I was very excited to sell five paintings during opening night. Even more noteworthy was that the buyers truly appreciated the works and each brought interesting stories to add to my creative rapport. I knew Patchwork Kitty found a good home when the the new owner gave me a hug of appreciation. Thank you to everybody who came to the show and helped encourage me towards this moment.

I am happy to announce that I have a solo show booked for October 2012 at Honey Salon.

On the Inside -- Upcoming Gallery Show

I have been working on framing and getting my work ready for an upcoming show at the Allied Arts Gallery.  The show, called On the Inside, is opening this Friday night, November 4th and running through November 26th. 

From the press release: "Both of the artists in this exhibit create works that are inspired by how they are feeling, dreams they have had, or their interpretation of the environment around them.

Tim Alexander forms his abstract paintings on canvas using various size putty knives and the canvas placed on the floor rather then an easel. His finished pieces usually take on many forms before getting to the point of satisfaction. The pictures that emerge are a reaction to what is going on inside him at those moments.

Rachel Potter creates small scale acrylic and pen and ink drawings. Rachel’s goal with her work, which she calls “dreamscapes,” is to create common items, animals and landscapes, as they would be in a dream with fancy colors and a wild imagination.

In conjunction with this show, Allied Arts’ Inside the Box Series will feature work from Nanz Aalund.  Nanz has been designing jewelry since high school and has made it a life long career. Her fanciful and unique designs are both beautiful and functional for everyday wear." 

I'm looking forward to the show and to sharing the space with Tim and Nanz. Thank you the Allied Arts for all their efforts in putting this show together.Thank you especially to Katy and Kelly.

Barnyard Cat

The long-awaited Barnyard Cat is finally here. This cat is intended to go with her friends: Barnyard Rooster, Barnyard Dog and Barnyard Donkey. Together they make up the composition for the Bremen Town Musicians.  I have created several kitties, however none of them seemed to fit the mold. Until I made this one based on my own little (actually very big) black and white fluffy cat. Below all the friends meet at last:

Scallop Boutique

6" x 6"
A boutique of scallops. My son has this book called, Whale by David Lucas. (Thanks to Alina, Gabe and Lucian for the book -- it's a favorite over here.) It is about a beached whale who needs help. He gets help from the townspeople who ask for rain, but then they live in a city of water. To repay them he drinks up all the water and summons the critters of the ocean to decorate. Little crabs and such bring scallop shells like these and line them back to back along the beach and on all the buildings and houses. I love the illustrations in that book -- they are so detailed. While painting these shells I imaged they could find a place in that town.