C.Proppé Artist's Blog

In the Studio Today... Art on the Farm, Mary Maxim's Bike Painting + Velokos.com

2012-01-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy day. I have been revamping the Art on the Farm site to prepare for 2012 paint-outs on Marin Organic Farms. Our group met with founder, Alan Mart, at my workplace this past week, and had a nice meeting of the art minds. Alan has moved to Colorado, but still has is farm in Bolinas and communicates via email enough to be able to arrange the farm visits. I will assist with the website and providing information for artists. Onward we go...

In painting news, this evening, I stumbled upon this painting by Mary Maxim. It is wonderful; a cyclist with a limited palette. I love her work! Go, Mary! You are inspiring me to try again on my cycling paintings. I have a new idea for an upcoming show, but I want to paint big, so I need to set up my easel and get going. Read the article here that Mary refers to about a 4 color, limited palette. We did this with Parsons School of Design in France when I was in High School, and the gauche paintings that came out of this are some of my favorites. Perhaps Mary can post her work on my friend Tim's blog in Colorado... He is looking for artists with cycling subjects.

Here is Tim Richardson's cycling blog, Velokos.com

He has been asking me for art to add to the site, and I sent him over a painting last week. It is almost the opposite palette of Mary's subdued and limited palette, above. Perhaps it is time for me to try the Zorn palette and get out on the road again...

In the Studio Today... Mini Cow Paintings for the 23rd Annual Bolinas Museum "Mini Show"

2011-11-13T22:44:00.001-08:00

Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, California www.bolinasmuseum.org

Terrific Sunday, 60 degrees in late November, sunny afternoon drive to Bolinas to deliver my first submissions to the Bolinas Museum Mini Show, now in it's 23rd year. This is a fundraiser, with all of the items giving at least 50% back to the Museum/50% to the artist.

Opening Reception:

Saturday • Nov 19 • 3 - 5pm

works of 80 invited artists

all pieces under $400

Colorful crab pots were out on the side of the road, and the low tide offered the kids and dog ample opportunity for running and treasure hunting on the beach. The surfers were plentiful, even at sunset.

Working part-time at Art Works Downtown and still running my kids around to activities after school, I haven't had the time to paint that I did before I was working. This forces me to burn the midnight oil and get paintings done at night.

This year, I chose to paint on 6" x 6" (2 inch deep) gessoboard, that comes with a frame/box already attached and ready for gallery installation. My artist friend, Kate Peper, has been painting watercolors on these for years. I really liked painting on this, and will definitely do more paintings in this fashion.

6" x 6" mini oil paintings on gallery ready gessoboard

My first painting is of a cow grazing above Tomales Bay, off Route #1. This is one of my favorite views of all, and you can park here and walk down until you are pretty close to the cows.

"Tomales Bay Munch" 6" x 6" oil on board 2011

The second mini painting is also from this same location. The lighting in the late afternoon produces "cow shadows" that are just terrific. I loved how the Mom is facing one direction and the kids are facing the opposite direction- all in silhouette with the colorful forground grasses.

"Mother and Twins" 6" x 6" oil on board 2011

Hope to see you at the reception, November 19th!

In the Studio Today... Apple's iWeb & iCloud Changes will Adversely Affect Artists

2011-10-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2011
Apparently, back in June, articles began surfacing about Apple's changes that were coming soon with iCloud and Mobile Me. Being a busy working artist and mom, I pretty much did not notice this news until recently. Fast forward to current, October 2011, and working artists are ugrading to iCloud and buying the new iPhone 4s. We suddenly realize that our easy iWeb package from Apple is now going to be no more; we will be forced to move our websites to another service provider at our own expense, and our Mobile Me galleries will no longer be hosted after June 2012. Are you kidding me? Ouch.

Working in a building with more than forty artists, and having worked with hundreds of more artists in my previous position, I realize how massive this change is going to affect Marin County artists alone (see links to 10 artists sites created in iWeb at the end of this article). Artists invested in iWeb and Mobile Me because it was easy to use. Easy to create a website, and easy to update it when you created new art to share with the world. It catered to people who didn't want to invest their lifetime building a site, or updating it, or finding a place to host it. It was terrific for people that couldn't afford to hire a web designer, and were creative enough to give it a go. It came before blogger and Facebook... It was the very first, graphical user interface that artists loved being in, and working with. I respect this very much, and I honor the iWeb team and Apple for what they did here. In essence, iWeb has been awesome for the working artist in Marin County because it was so easy it gave us time to paint, sculpt, create and do what we want to do, not spend time on our websites.

Now, perhaps Apple never heard this from us. Perhaps Steve Jobs never heard our praise for iWeb, and how much time it has saved all of us artists from having to deal with service providers, and hosting and all the issues of a website that we just don't want to be spending time or extra money dealing with in a small business situation. I wish he had. I wish I knew sooner about these changes, and I wish I was able to congratulate the iWeb team for their work. Perhaps it is not too late? Perhaps there is a way for us to band together and let the iWeb team know that artists love iWeb for it's ease of use, hassle free hosting and all the very essence of design simplicity that Steve Jobs seemed to be all about (If you agree, tell Apple here!) There are not too many templates in iWeb 2.0.4(which I am still using), so sites tend to have similar layout and functionality, but it was always easy enough for people to use, understand, and sites were clean to read. Simplicity in design remained true across the board. Most of these sites still have the Apple design feel in some capacity, which I adore.

Here are a handful of local, artist websites that use iWeb. I want to share with Apple what we loved about iWeb, Mobile Me, and this service, and I respectfully ask that you consider the artists, teachers and others who have used this product, loyally for the past years. Don't end this just because it doesn't make you the most money. Find a way to help artists, teachers and those who really value your product's ease of use; this product gave us the freedom to really go create and be artists. Thank you, iWeb team. Artists who agree, please join me in providing feedback to the iWeb team here.

iWeb 2.0.4:

cproppe.com

www.thelenart.com

stephaniejucker.com

iWeb 3.0.4:
katebarrengos.com

iWeb 3.0.3:

annbrooks.net

davisperkins.com

iWeb 3.0.2:

DeborahDarlingGray.com
barbarapoolefineart.com

web.mac.com:
helensteele.net

In the Studio Today... Graphic Design for AWD

2011-09-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

September 25, 2011

I'm enjoying some little design projects at work that feature Art Works Downtown, 2nd Fridays Art Walk, and the Dead of the Dead Exhibit. Today I have been working on several iterations of the 2nd Fridays Art Walk poster, and an ad for the Pacific Sun. It's challenging to fit everything you want in a 300 x 250 pixel ad, but I think I am happy with the latest drafts. I'm sure it will change as the week goes on.

The last week at work, I did a postcard design for the "Dia de los Muertos" Day of the Dead exhibit that is going into the 1337 Gallery at Art Works Downtown this week. Installation begins tomorrow, Monday, September 26. I love the postcard design, that is based on a Mexican tile that my partner got in Texas in the 1990's. The tile had a skeleton with cowboy boots, drinking tequila and a bottle with limes nearby. I adapted part of the skeleton to be holding a wine glass, for our "wine tasting" Art Walks, and I expanded on the floral design to make a very LARGE flower so that the petals could hold the artist's names inside. I added leaves to hold the names of the curators. My team at work helped me to revise the design to perfection. We really have a great team at Art Works Downtown! Hope you will come to the opening reception, October 14th!

September 11 in History: Just the Good Stuff

2011-09-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

September 10, 2011

Annapolis Building 1772

Today I got to thinking about how frustrated I feel when people keep bringing up "9-11", a tragic event that happened in America ten years ago, that has since become "Patriot's Day" and a day of remembrance for the victims and service men that were killed. Every year, about this time, I keep hearing about the horror of 9-11, they show the images on the news, in the papers, online. It got under my skin to the point that I decided that I just don't want to forever recall this day as a "day of horror" or remembrance of this single event. I wanted to seek out "the good stuff" that has happened on September 11th throughout history, so I might share this with my sons and explain that September 11 is "just a day, like any other ordinary day; it has had good things and bad things happen", but it doesn't have to be remembered as a day of terror and destruction for the rest of my twins lives. In fact, just now, I asked my nine year old if he knows what September 11th, or "9-11" means to him. He said, "I don't know", Mom. Well, in a way, I think this is great. I am glad we have spared him the insane media circus that was put on with this day for the last ten years, and that somehow, continues to end up on the front page of our news every year. How about some of these great things that have happened on September 11 in the past? I'd like to share these with my kids instead, and let them decide what September 11 means to them.

#1: September 11, 1999

Doug's Wedding
Pondering this on Twitter this morning, @DougP1 noted that his wedding occurred on September 11, 12 years ago, and his son thinks of this as a wonderful day. Wish him a Happy Anniversary tomorrow.

#2: September 11, 1998

Opening ceremony for the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Malaysia is the first Asian country to host the games.

#3: September 11, 1997

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor reaches Mars.
Info learned from the nine year mission.

#4: September 11, 1985

Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb's baseball record for most career hits with his 4,192nd hit
View it on YouTube... Tickets were 50 CENTS!

#5: September 11, 1972

Bay Area Rapid Transit, "BART", began operation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, BART connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. Average weekday ridership of is 357,800 passengers making BART the fifth-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the United States.

#6: September 11, 1961

The World Wildlife Fund opened it's first office in Morges, Switzerland. Today, it is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries, supporting countless conservation and environmental projects.

#7: September 11, 1922

The Sun News-Pictorial was established in Australia. "The Sun" had the largest circulation for more than fifty years.

#8: September 11, 1789

Alexander Hamiliton became the first US Secretary of the Treasury
President George Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton as the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

#9: September 11, 1786

The Annapolis Convention

This was the precursor to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, or the "Constitutional Convention", the result of which was the United States Constitution.

#10: September 11, 1609

Henry Hudson discovered the "Hudson River"

And... Some births of note on September 11:

1700 – James Thomson, Scottish poet (d. 1748)
1885 – D. H. Lawrence, English novelist (d. 1930)
1943 – Mickey Hart, American drummer
1957 – Brad Bird, PIXAR!!! American director and animator
1962 – Kristy McNichol, American actress
1965 – Moby, American musician
1967 – Harry Connick, Jr., American singer

My resources for this post remain slim, and I confess to finding this all on Wikipedia... but I wanted to start somewhere. I will see what else I can find on this topic, and add to this post at a later date. Enjoy your September 11 this Sunday, 2011, and I hope you and your family do something memorable, in a good way, because I believe we really need to be accentuating the "good stuff" more often these days.

Sept 11, 2001 update: @DougP1 on Twitter shared another link at HistoryOrb.com with things that have happened on September 11 throughout history. Read the new comments to this post for more on the emotional aspects of being reminded of a tragedy each year.

A Year at Marin Arts 2010-2011

2011-09-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

September 3, 2011

Almost exactly one year ago, on a Thursday in September, I put my work clothes on and went to volunteer for the Marin Arts Council, at their fairly new digs(they'd been there a year) at 906 Fourth Street in Downtown, San Rafael, California. I was put to work immediately as the "gallery sitter", meeting and greeting folks off the street. It was exciting for me, having been a frustrated and over-worked parent volunteer for too many years, I really wanted to get back to a job in the Arts that use my tech skills. The gallery at Marin Arts was a huge space, right next to Crepevine, and it had a city vibe that was new to me after working from my quiet home in the suburbs. I stood at the counter with my new iPad and jotted down all the colorful, busy things that went by on 4th Street one day while I was in the gallery:

YELLOW fire engine • PURPLE GREEN Fed ex truck • baby stroller • Man smoking • "So great to see you!"=two woman meeting for lunch • Baby with bright RED cast on leg • Two motorcycles • Two bikes • Music from cars • Indian Lunch buffet $8.95 • Girl with ice-cream... I was excited by the new input, to say the least.

At this time, the exhibit was art from "Teamworks". Many people came in to see the show, and most of the work sold, as it was a fundraiser and 10 year retrospective of this group. I wrote a blog post on this back in September 2010.

Within a month, I was creating the Marin Arts Council's weekly E-news in Constant Contact. I totally embraced this volunteer job, and really loved filling the weekly news with information about local artists, events, links and graphics. It was fun, and informative, and I could connect with artists and help them in a way similar to the work I'd already been doing for the "Art on the Farm" blog. The hope was that this might eventually lead to a job in the Arts, and maybe even right there, at the Marin Arts Council.

In November, to my surprise, the Executive Director laid off the Director of Exhibits and Events, an amazing woman who had been with Marin Arts for twelve years. It was a sad moment for me, as I'd believed I would get to learn from her and work by her side. However, within a month, I was offered a job as the Director of Membership at Marin Arts. I was thrilled to have the opportunity, but saddened by the loss of someone so respected and loved in the Marin Arts community.

I volunteered four full weeks in December, enjoying the works in the "Small Wonders" Holiday Show, two separate theatrical performance events, and a book talk by artist, Susan Hall. I was finally announced as the Director of Membership in January of 2011.

During my year at Marin Arts, I assisted with graphics and advertising to promote the shows and events at Marin Arts. I suggested and managed the installation of "Art on the Farm"( a group of artists currently managed by Larry Bryson) at the Marin County Civic Center, where a record of eight paintings were sold. I advertised and promoted:

• "Go Figure" through Feb 26

The "Go Figure" show, coinciding with February and Valentine's Day, was a fantastic representation of all forms of figurative art. I enjoyed meeting multi-dimensional artists, such as Arin Wiscomb, and Laura Lengyel. I had the pleasure of time in the gallery with Georgia Anwell and Lisa Robecheck.

• "Nature's Palette" March and April 2011, with a Kid's Art Scavenger Hunt

One of the great highlights of my job was conceptualizing and designing an "Art Scavenger Hunt" for kids to go alongside our "Nature's Palette" show.

The scavenger hunt, with an ice cream "reward" at Double Rainbow, was a huge success, and brought in hundreds of kids and families to the Marin Arts Gallery in the Spring. Read an article written in Larkspur Patch about a day at Marin Arts with the kids, by Marilyn LoRusso.

I enjoyed meeting and working with all the artists in this exhibit that honored nature. There was a book talk by Becky Foust and Lorna Stevens, and Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang spoke about their art and travels in Africa. I assisted Trish Carney, a photographer for National Geographic, who works closely with Wild Care in San Rafael. I enjoyed speaking with her about her work as we installed her photographs during this show.

We also hosted "Poetry Out Loud", for which I designed an event program and assisted with the event.

• "Marin Open Studios Group Show"

• "2011 Annual Member Show" at the Civic Center

I designed and managed:

• Marin Arts Summer Series of Artist Workshops
I contacted all the artists and planned a curriculum for the first series of Summer classes, by artist members. It was a great effort, but in the end, we did not have the funds to advertise and promote this. One of the instructors, Zach Gilmour, a printmaking teacher in Lagunitas, did very well and filled several classes. There was great feedback on his classes from the students.

I taught a very broad and customizable computer class for artists:

"Computer for Artists"

I enjoyed working with a few artists who just needed some tips on working with their art on the computer. It was enjoyable, and I would love to continue teaching this class from Art Works Downtown if we ever get to a point where this is possible.

I brainstormed and planned:

• "Masters and Students Show" at the Civic Center (I grouped together the four teachers who would be featured in this show, and arranged for them to occupy the two galleries at MCC:

Unfortunately, I had to leave Marin Arts before it was finally installed in August 2011. I look forward to getting over to see this show soon, as I have no idea how it turned out! If you've been, let me know. : )

In general, this job was overwhelming due to the short staff and lack of funding. I worked about 40 hours a week and was only paid for 24. I was there late so many nights; my kids would play on the computers in the back, while I would be installing or re-hanging art for an opening. The kids loved it, and got used to meals at Crepevine and video games while Mommy worked. We even used the office to create my son's "Marin Report" on the Marin County Civic Center, one weekend in April. Throughout the job, I responded to Membership calls from my cell phone daily, entered payments into Filemaker Pro and updated the database for shows. I redesigned the Wendy Gruber Grant Application to fit on a double-sided page, a grant which I was awarded in 2007. It felt like I'd come full circle from the time in which I myself had applied for that grant. I printed countless labels, shopped for wire and supplies, schlepped ladders and tools to the Civic Center, moved display pedestals in my car, went to storage facility to get extra pedestals, vacuumed and took out the trash and recycling. Cleaned up after receptions. It was a huge effort, and I loved the work, despite the long hours and low pay.

In June of this year, Marin Arts was faced with a financial situation that forced me to look for a new position. I was fortunate to find work as the Communications Coordinator for another San Rafael Art Center, Art Works Downtown. Learn more about Art Works Downtown and 2nd Fridays Art Walk in my next post!

Important update on Marin Arts:
On October 5, 2011 at 7pm, the Marin Arts Council Members have called a "Special Member Meeting" to which all members of Marin Arts Council are requested to attend. They plan to vote for a new Board of Directors, many of whom are artists themselves, and there will be a fiscal assessment update. I hope this helps Marin Arts become financially viable again. I would love to see some of the former staff reinstated to this organization that has the power to change lives with its assistance to artists. I believe Ellen Campbell was a huge part of what made Marin Arts a success for so many years. There were other greats at Marin Arts, such as Lance Walker, a grant writer, grants adviser and pun writer extraordinaire. There have been many changes, and there will probably be more to come. Best wishes to Marin Arts for the future.

In the Studio Today... Deer Park, Fairfax: Bike in the Tree Shadows

2011-06-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

June 2, 2011

Bike in the Tree Shadows, Deer Park, Fairfax, California 2011 16" x 20"

This is the painting I have been working on for a couple months... Stop and go... busy with work at the Marin Arts Council, completing the "Summer Series of Arts Workshops" programming. It looks good! We hope people will register and support the Arts Council in Marin. "Pop Art" exhibit is going in tomorrow and I look forward to meeting Richard James of The Coastodian, who has created some wonderful sculptures of water bottles in Pt. Reyes National Seashore. My twins are finishing third grade projects, YES Foundation art projects, and more... I haven't been able to ride my bike too much, but this is one of my favorite places, and hope to get out there soon!

In the Studio Today... Marin Open Studios

2011-05-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

May 7 & 8 and... May 14 & 15, 2011

The weather was just perfect for Marin Open Studios this weekend. I participated this year and had my art out in the backyard/driveway and painted on an easel on Mother's Day. It was lovely. I had 20 visitors on Mother's Day, and they were truly a terrific bunch.
For more information on the 285 artist studios that are open this weekend, please visit marinarts.org and download the Tour Guide and Maps. It is open next weekend as well, May 14 & 15. Most of the artists also have a "preview piece" in the Gallery at 906 Fourth Street in Downtown San Rafael, right next to Crepevine. Best way to visit Open Studios is to stop at Marin Arts Gallery, pick up a Tour Guide (or download one online) and then look at one piece by each of the artists, and plan which studios you wish to visit with the Tour Guide in hand.

BJ Snyder purchased the first piece of art this Saturday- "View of White's Hill from Pine Mt."- a plein air piece I created in 2007, just before I received the Wendy Gruber award. This piece has significance to me as well, in that I painted it under the pine trees at the top of Pine Mt. Fire Road, with my border collies, Quest and Mesa. Quest passed away in 2008, and the pine trees were cut down by MMWD in 2010. Two great losses, but a lovely day and painting to commemorate their glory days.

Colleen Proppé working on "Riding through Tree Shadows", Deer Park, Fairfax

I was happy to work on this painting my second day of Open Studios. It's coming along. I love the dappled light from the trees as you exit the fire road from Deer Park hiking/biking trails. This painting seeks to capture that joy.

Lollipops, Tiny Cow Painting and Flowers... Great floral arrangement by Kate Peper, friend and artist. Thank you, Kate!

My family shipped this large painting from Connecticut. I painted it there last summer, and I wanted it present at my Open Studios. I really love this painting. I hope it goes to a good home soon.

In the Studio Today... Environmental Art FUNraiser!

2011-05-09T10:29:00.001-07:00

April 18 - May 5th, 2011 Earth Day Week

Beach Plastic Art: Pelican by 3rd Graders, originally uploaded by cproppe.

April and May are the busiest months ever with both Marin Arts, and my sons' end of year school projects all pending start and completion... This past two weeks, I managed to get over to visit Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang's studio, with the boys and dog in tow.

Aidan, checking out Beach Plastic treasures at Judith and Richard Lang's.

Boys LOVED the Langs old barn studio in West Marin, with the bags of old toothbrushes, bubble blower sticks and a tray of fishing lures collected from Kehoe Beach, Pt. Reyes National Seashore.

Judith and Richard have been collecting Beach Plastic there for 12 years, and have their work in SFMOMA right now. The prints they create from the collected trash inspired us to do this project with the kids for their yearly fundraiser that pays for the Arts in their public school district.

Blake, looking at recently collected, unsorted Beach Plastic.

40 third graders at Wade Thomas School participated in the project. Groups of 4 children picked a sea animal and arranged the plastic in the shape of that creature. The results are whimsical and priceless. Special thanks to Terri Baker, Fairfax Photographer, for her assistance with this project. We have sold over $700. of notecards, all proceeds going to YES Foundation at yestokids.org To view the 9 different sea animals the kids created, click here to visit the set on Flickr.

Art cards, designed by 3rd graders for their fundraiser.

Photographer, Terri Baker, hard at work... or play?

For more information on Beach Plastic, please read my previous post from February on the work of Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang.

In the Studio Today... The Art of Beach Plastic

2011-02-06T22:36:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Feb 6, 2011

Today was a gorgeous, 73 degree day in February in Northern California. My family and I headed out to Kehoe Beach in Pt. Reyes National Seashore to take a nice hike, bring the dog, and enjoy the sand dunes. We had a plan to collect beach plastic, inspired by the work of friends from Woodacre, Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang. This couple is well-known in Marin and the Bay Area for collecting plastic washed up on Kehoe beach for 12 years now, and creating art from their collections. We set out to see what we could find today, and to our surprise... we found a rainbow of plastic in a very small area of the beach. Here are two photographs of what we collected on the beach today....

Notice the American Airlines tag, a blue plastic flower, and some really unique shapes. My sons were really excited to find the green, agricultural bands(lower left) that Judith and Richard talk about in their video, and I was amazed to find a toothbrush and toothpaste cap(upper right).

Here I am amazed at the full spectrum of color that is to be found in just a few hours on the beach: We found 4 disposable lighters, and probably 30 or more bottle caps, a yellow "ant" from the game "Ants in the Pants"(we think) a comb, and a plastic "Army Man". The army man became symbolic of one man's battle against this huge, alarming environmental issue we face, so I made a little poster that you will find below. First, take a look at Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang's video on this art they have been creating from this beach for over a decade.

Judith and Richard have been creating art from their finds, and educating the public with their work for many years. Most recently, they have a display at SFMOMA in San Francisco. This April, they will have work in the Marin Arts Council Gallery show, "Nature's Palette", where we hope to play a video you can watch online now. Please take a moment to watch their "film" on their work and their love story, here:

Each piece of plastic Richard and Judith pick up comes back to their house, where it gets cleaned, categorized and stored before being used for their art. The couple make sculptures, prints, jewelry and installations with the plastic they find washed up, raising a deeper concern with the problem of plastic pollution in our seas. To learn more about their work, visit: beachplastic.com and plasticforever.blogspot.com
and to learn more about the Gyre:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch

The below image is a quick poster design I did, using the plastic "Army Man" we found today, looking as if he is fighting in the sea of plastic. Do you think we can win this war on disposable plastic?

Beachplastic_poster_2011_25, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Blake made a list that he is holding, that itemizes the caps, toys, colors... of each piece collected today.

In the Studio Today... 3 Tiny Cow Paintings; Day 2

2010-11-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

"Solitude", California Cow #4 6"x 6" o/c

Finished 3 more of the "tiny cow painting" that was so loved at the Marin Arts Council, Small Wonders exhibit. Two of these are promised to people.... one will be left over and available. Notice how they are all different, even though I painted them from the same reference. See- no two paintings are ever completely alike!

Tiny Cow Paintings, #4-#2. All 6" x 6", o/c.

"Solitude", California Cow #3 6"x 6" o/c

In the Studio Today... 3 More Tiny Cow Paintings

2010-11-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

November 28, 2010

My tiniest cow painting ever, sold on "Black Friday" at the Marin Arts Gallery, "Small Wonders" show on 4th Street, in downtown San Rafael. This show is ongoing, now through January 8th. Meanwhile, another person had been telling me he was going to buy this painting, and a third person called yesterday, wanting to buy the same painting as well. Now in progress... 3 more paintings, commissioned from the first.

Wow, 3 people wanting the same painting in one week! Is this my lucky break? Well, that's far from the truth. These little paintings were priced to sell, at $125. Hardly a fortune for me, and 30% goes back to the Marin Arts Council. When you add in the cost of framing and materials, well... let's just say I probably come out with about have of the cost in my pocket. It's not going to make you rich folks, but to have that pleasure from all these viewers, coming back to you; this is the real reward.

The call yesterday went something like this, "Hello, my partner and I went through the gallery twice, and decided that your tiny cow painting was our favorite, and we had to have it: It evoked the solitude of West Marin, and we just loved it". Meanwhile, another buyer had expressed that it reminded the of their sister's wedding in Switzerland

A week before this, a woman from San Francisco called who had seen one of my cycling paintings and she instantly knew it had to be a gift for her sister, who loves to ride her bike on Lucas Valley Road. She emailed later, after purchasing to tell me she loved it, and was getting lots of compliments.

You never know how your painting may touch another viewer, but you always hope to hear these comments, as it helps an artist to continue to move forward on new works. Thank you to my supporters out there, who are giving me lots of love this holiday season.

In the Studio Today... Got Persimmons?

2010-11-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Have a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving!

"Persimmons I" o/c, 5" x 5" unframed, 8" x 8" framed w/black and silver, wood frame.

Persimmons found on the ground yesterday, at Robson Harrington Park, San Anselmo.
Click the images to view larger... Please view the comments for some great Persimmon recipes by my friend, Sylvie! Thank you, Sylvie.... Persimmon Cream Cheese Pie, and more!

In the Studio Today...Poster for Holiday Art Walk

2010-11-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I've been working with the San Anselmo Art Commission to plan a Holiday Art Walk for the town. We started planning this in September, as a way to fill in the empty storefronts, and it has evolved into a different kind of event. Since we were unable to secure any empty storefronts at the time, we approached the San Anselmo Merchants to see if they would include a single piece of art in their front window as part of their Holiday displays. It has gone very well. At least 15 businesses will participate this year, and the hope is that we can continue the enthusiasm for next year and grow the event with further planning. I will have one little plein air piece of Mt. Tam at Delectables Home and Garden. I also have 3 tiny pieces in the Marin Arts Council, "Small Wonders" show that is just up in downtown 4th St. Gallery, San Rafael. Happy Holiday Shopping!

In the Studio Today... Draper's Greenhouse, Session 3 & 4

2010-11-14T01:57:00.000-08:00

November 13-14, 2010


Draper's Greenhouse, Draper Family Farms, San Anselmo, CA 2010

I've been super slow at getting back to my unfinished paintings, and even slower at starting new paintings lately. Daylight savings is making me more tired than usual. I forced myself to work on this tonight, and it's coming along.

In the Studio Today...Quick iPad Sketch of Mt. Tam

2010-11-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, Nov 11, 2010

Quick painting on the iPad today...

It's hard to believe that I have been unable to drive for an entire month, since my last post. It has been REALLY hard, and I've had to go through this kind of disability three times now in the last 2 years...(initial injury, ACL surgery, now meniscus surgery) but it never gets easier, really. There is something about not being able to leave your house, go for a hike, see the beauty of Marin that will drive you nuts if you are stuck with out this joy. Today, I managed to steal 20 minutes to drive my dog to Sorich Park. I sat at the picnic table there, after limping to the table from my car, and I couldn't believe how nice it was to see Mt. Tam once again, from a point I was able to get myself to, by myself. Freedom! Pheew... that was hard. Now, learning to bend my knee again, and not look like an idiot; that's step two. Physical therapy starts Friday. Here is the little quick stetch I did today on my iPad, from the table, while my dog looked longingly at me, happy to be out, but wondering, "Why aren't we going on our regular hike, Mom?" Poor dog. She is so loyal. I hope she was just happy to get out with me again.

In the Studio Today... Arts Meetings, Writing & Volunteering

2010-10-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 15, 2010

Wow, what a busy and productive week!

It started with my being picked up in a bright red, Mini-Cooper convertible in balmy summer air... We are having the most beautiful "Indian Summer" weather here in Northern California, and I hope it doesn't end for a few more weeks. The Mini is owned by a neighbor and friend, who drove me with my one crutch and immobilizer knee brace, to the San Anselmo Arts Commission. Riding in the Mini is a highlight of a week when you are in a knee brace, let me tell you. So, we drove off into the summer evening, towards the San Anselmo Town Hall... where I was headed to the Arts Commission's, monthly meeting. I had been given an assignment to interview the Commission for an article in the SanAnselmo/Fairfax Patch news. I really enjoyed meeting the members, and learned so much about my town. Here is the link to the article, where you can learn more about the San Anselmo Arts Commission, and each of the volunteers: click here to read the article.

I also worked for the Marin Arts Council, in San Rafael this week. They are always very busy, especially with a decreased staff due to California budget cuts. They can always use extra help, so if you want to volunteer, give them a call.

I'm working on a couple of other, Arts related article's for Patch, and investigating arts programs and galleries I never knew about. It's amazing that one can live in a town for 15 years and still not know about some of these programs. There really is a lot to offer in Marin County. I am grateful for all my friends, who have been driving me around this week, and driving my sons around! It absolutely takes a village when you have kids... You need to have friends and parents to help you, especially if you don't have grandparents in town. I called several cab companies in Marin, only to find that none of them had time to pick up my kids from school. Finally, I stumbled upon "Kid Courier", a service in Ross, that shuttles kids to and from after school activities. Kim, the owner of Kid Courier, drove out herself. She was wonderful. I think this is a great service, and I was so glad for her help last week. Check her out online here. A shout out to Kim, and all my friends this week who drove Miss Daisy and the Twinadoes. Thank you!!!

In the Studio Today... Draper's Greenhouse Day #1

2010-10-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 10, 2010 "101010"

I had knee surgery on Friday, went to see Pilobolus at Marin Center on Saturday night, watched the SF Giants beat the Braves today with my family, and finally made it to the easel on Sunday afternoon. The need to paint is great right now, as we have an upcoming, "Art on the Farm" annual show, and I need distraction from my healing knee. This is an image I have wanted to tackle for some time- Bo Draper's Greenhouse in San Anselmo, a third generation, Marin Organic, family farm that is run as a co-operative farm. You can pick your own veggies here, once you become a member. They also have bees and honey. Just down the road from Sorich Park, this is a beautiful, hidden piece of Marin that is much loved by the residents of San Anselmo. Elementary students have been taking field trips to Draper's for years.

This painting is just the start- flushing out the bones... the shapes and colors that will add dimension to the final image.

In the Studio Today... Tiny Cow Painting 6" x 6"

2010-09-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

September 26, 2010


"Black and White Cow in the Red, Yellow, Blue Sunset", Pt. Reyes, CA 6" x 6" o/c

This is a small painting I did tonight. I am working on some affordable works for the "Art on the Farm" show at Pt. Reyes Winery, October 24th. I am going to be selling my older works from previous farm paint outs 2008-2009, at very discounted prices for originals. The goal here is to have some of the art purchased with 50% going back to Marin Organic Farmers Loan fund. This little one will be priced around $150., with half going to the cause, half to the artist.

In the Studio Today... Marin Arts Council Gallery: Teamworks Exhibit

2010-09-24T10:08:00.001-07:00

Sept. 24, 2010

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of Gallery Sitting at the new, Marin Arts Council Gallery and business location on 4th Street in Downtown San Rafael. It is right next to Crepevine, and close to so many great local businesses. Due to this move, they now get many more visitors to the gallery space, and the sales of the latest show have been very good.

The Teamworks exhibit is a 10 year retrospective of the work of Katya McCulloch and Patrick Maloney, who have been working with teenagers in the Juvenille Hall and alternate high schools for at risk teens. This year, four artists were involved as teachers. The results are incredible. This is something you have to see, and it is only up for 5 more days, ending on September 28th. If you'd like to make a purchase to help the Teamworks program, all of the money goes back into the program itself. There are still some wonderful pieces available, and some for as little as $10.- They have a collection of "Clothespin People" that would make adorable puppets for kids playing with a puppet theater. I think my sons would love these.

In the Studio Today... San Anselmo "Art on the Farm" Pre-show

2010-09-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

"Preview" show at Marin Coffee Roasters, San Anselmo. Photo: K. Kingson

I helped hang this show in San Anselmo yesterday. Tim Mock, owner of Marin Coffee Roasters, has always been truly supportive of me, and other San Anselmo artists who have wanted to share their art here. When Brian Stubblefield and Ed Walls owned the Coffee Roasters, I began painting bicycles in Marin County, and this very shop hosted my first paintings I created in 2005. The first was a painting of the original Roasters shop with the backyard garden, and later, several paintings of the Serpentine Trail at Camp Tamarancho; a popular single-track trail that is know by most mountain bikers in the Bay Area. The town loved the old shop so much, that when the new shop opened in its current location, across the street, they raised money from town members to purchase my painting for Bryan Stubblefield to share in the new shop. It still hangs in the shop today, along with a plaque we had made for those who helped purchase the painting.

The current owner, Tim, agreed to let our group hang a "mini" preview show of 12 paintings to promote our upcoming Art on the Farm fundraiser show, October 24th, at Pt. Reyes Winery; a benefit for Marin Organic Interest Free Loan Fund to Farmers. San Anselmo show is a very small sampling of the 100 or so, Bay Area artists that participate in "Art on the Farm". This show includes a dozen paintings, flanked by our October show posters. More info here, on the group blog.

"Ride to the Roasters", original oil painting by Colleen Proppé

In the Studio Today...Historic L Ranch Paint-out

2010-09-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 12, 2010

I had the privilege to visit a private beach today on Tomales Bay; a spot that is right across from Marshall, CA. The beach is owed by the Doughty family, who run Pt. Reyes Winery, where we will be having our October 24, group show.

What a lovely spot it was today! Some of their extended family were there, celebrating a Birthday today, just enjoying the warmth of the sun and the beach views. Two of the toddlers came up to me and wanted to paint. I had some small, 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 canvases, so I let them each take one and paint some strokes. It was really great how enthusiastic they were. The little boy even painted on my painting, and it was no problem, as I was just getting started. He really wanted to help me out! I think it is wonderful how children have no fear of painting, and just burst right into it. Had my sons been there, I'm sure they would have wanted to paint too. I overheard the family saying how nice the kids canvases were and how that was such a great Birthday present for their mom. Too cute.

I also was lucky enough to be able to bring my dog today! Mesa loved it. This painting of me with Mesa is by Kathy Kingston, who is doing a great job with PR for our next show. I took a photo of her with her whippet, "Lyric"... below. I will post my painting when I have some more time to work on it, but here are some photos of the beautiful day on Tomales Bay.

In the Studio Today... Plein Air at Tomales Bay

2010-09-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Rocky Shore at Elephant Mt., originally uploaded by cproppe.

I will be painting with "Art on the Farm" today at Historic L Ranch on Tomales Bay. Hope to stop by the last day of the Box Show at Gallery Route One as well. Enjoy the day, folks!

In the Studio Today: Blog Design for WT Lapathon

2010-09-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

September 8-9, 2010

I have been working on a fundraising blog for a local school this week. Click the link, below to view the site. Make a donation, if you'd like!

Wade Thomas Elementary School: Lapathon 2010
" The Wade Thomas Lapathon is the only school fundraiser just for Wade Thomas School. "

In the Studio Today... The Art of Moving On

2010-09-09T01:48:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2010

I was married once, to my college sweetheart. He was charming, adorable, spoke several languages, windsurfed, loved so many things that I loved too. It's been 10 years now, since we parted in a horrible way that I wish on no one. It didn't even make sense. It was wild, crazy and unimaginable for both of us. I think about this person at least once a week, if not more, to this day. No matter how hard I try, he is still with me, as if he was a true family member that I think of from time to time, wondering how he is doing, just as I wonder how my friends and family are each day. Via the bizarre world of social media, I have managed to find out where he lives, who he lives with and that he still windsurfs and eats chocolate. I've even heard some of the music he has listened to. Who knows if he has seen any of my paintings online, or my kids or anything I do now, but obviously if he was interested in knowing, it would be easy enough to find these things online. I don't really seek him out anymore, but now I just wonder if we will ever bump into each other someday, and what in the world would I even say to him now.

Once in a while, I think we just want to share our true feelings about things with the world, whether it's right or not. We want to be heard and acknowledged. I want to let out the pain that I still feel from losing my friend, and just say how much it stinks.... How much I miss this friend. I think of my childhood friend's mother, who lost her only son in an airplane crash. I think of how much she must still hurt every day, and yet she has to go on. She has many grandchildren now, and I know they keep her occupied. I have wonderful children myself that give me so much to do, and love. Yet I still miss my old friend so very much. It is an impossible and frustrating pain to have to deal with. Ten years of my life with someone that I really loved, and then it just went "poof", and he was gone.... never to be seen again, except in a few images online... a few blog posts. A blog by his girlfriend, that I couldn't bear to read.

I have been working on moving on for a long time, and I do my best every day, but I am not immune to the pain of my past. A simple picture or a song or even a word can bring me to tears once every few months. This was the best friend I'd ever had, and I haven't had that closeness in my life since. I haven't been able to let love into my life again yet in that capacity, except for in my painting. When I paint something that I love, I give it my all. I give it my care, and my time, and all my compassion. My heart goes into my work now, and my kids, and my friends. I miss my husband very much, but I am still hoping to grasp the art of moving on, and find the magic I once had with my old friend again, perhaps in a new place, or in a moment when my sons are giggling.... my dog is wagging, or my paintings are selling. It's all good, but it's not the same as what I had, ten years ago.

Missing my old friend, and wishing him all the best.

In the Studio Today...Red Hill Farm Sheep; Day #2

2010-09-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

Red Hill Farm, "Mother & Child", originally uploaded by cproppe.

Updated painting of the Red Hill mommy sheep and her baby. I added details in the sheep's wool and faces.

In the Studio Today... "Art on the Farm" Exhibit; October 24, Pt. Reyes Winery

2010-09-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2010

I am working on some new paintings to show at the October 24th, 2010 annual exhibit of "Art on the Farm". This is a great group of Marin, and mostly Bay Area-Sonoma painters that love Marin Organic farms, and travel to the farms to paint during the year. I was away most of the summer and unable to attend many of the paint outs, so I am now working from photos I have had from previous years that I never got around to working with in the studio. Today's image is from a shot taken at Red Hill Farms.

Colleen with the painting in the background... photo by Aidan Costello, Age 8.

In the Studio Today... New Bike Painting, available

2010-07-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2010

"Bike in the Butterfly Garden" 24" x 36", oil on canvas. Tod's Point, Old Greenwich, Connecticut

My painting of the vintage Columbia bicycle in the Butterfly Garden at Tod's Point (Greenwich Point) in Old Greenwich, Connecticut is now available to purchase and as prints at Fine Art Amercia. To read more about the location of this image, read my previous post, here.

Please click here to contact me to purchase the painting,

or click here to purchase a print at Fine Art America.

In the Studio Today...Bike in the Butterfly Garden, Old Greenwich; Session #3

2010-07-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 16, 2010

"Vintage Bike at the Butterfly Garden", Tod's Point, Old Greenwich, CT

I'm adding color and fleshing out the lighting and details in this painting today. The Butterfly Garden is full of orange, purple and white flowers... they will be added as I complete the details of this painting. See my previous post for more about the location of this painting.

In the Studio Today...Bike in the Butterfly Garden, Old Greenwich; Session #2

2010-07-14T15:38:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

"Bike in the Butterfly Garden, Greenwich Point" 24" x 36" o/c

I've been visiting my home town in Connecticut, where I grew up and lived until 1990. Now, I return here in the summer with my sons to visit the grandparents, and family. It's a great opportunity for me to paint landscapes I don't usually see in California.

This painting is of the Butterfly Garden at Tod's Point, in Old Greenwich, CT. The history of the property here is that all of this area was owned by the Tod family. The town of Greenwich purchased the property in 1945 and created what exists today as a 147-acre multi-use park, locally know as "Tod's", "The Beach", or "Greenwich Point". Greenwich Point offers a variety of both active and passive recreational areas, natural areas, conservation areas, and gardens and groves. The Tod family sprawling home is no longer there, but the stone walls that cascaded down to Long Island Sound still remain. Amongst the steps and walls facing out to the sea, the Old Greenwich Garden Club have planted and maintained a butterfly garden. The bike I am painting is an old Columbia from the 60's. The painting will be for sale in Old Greenwich when it is finished. I plan to leave it here with my family to sell, hoping someone local will purchase it due to the local image depicted.

In the Studio Today... Art on the Farm 2010

2010-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

June 17, 2010

Paintings by Laura Williams

I just updated the Art on the Farm Blog. This is a great group of artist from around Marin County and the Bay Area that visit Marin Organic farms and paint, photograph and exhibit as a group annually. I am posting a few photos from our group show at the Pt. Reyes Vineyard here. Enjoy! For more info, visit the blog I maintain at www.ArtontheFarmBlog.com We have started up the 2010 painting season, and the website has a schedule of farms we are visiting.

Three Cows, by Kanna Aoki

Paintings by Alfredo Tofanelli

Colleen Proppé and Artist/Animator, Christina Richard from BC Canada

Donna Solin and Catherine Moreno, two artists volunteering at the winery show

In the Studio Today... The Art of Spring Rolls

2010-05-17T23:02:00.001-07:00

May 17-May 18th, 2010

More, Minty Fresh Spring Rolls!, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I don't know why, but the day before my 42nd Birthday, I had this intense desire to make my own Vietnamese style spring rolls, with rice paper wraps. I have devoured fresh spring rolls for over a decade in the Bay Area... My first and favorites having been from "Le Soliel" Vietnamese Restaurant on Clement Street near Arguello. I used to go with old friends for dinner, and then walk down to "The Toy Boat" for ice cream dessert. Those were great times, and wonderful memories. Since then, I have had a variety of fresh spring rolls from Thai Restaurants, The Good Earth in Fairfax, and Comforts in San Anselmo. Although good, none of these ever really gave me the original joy and amazing combination of fresh flavors that I first experienced with the Vietnamese rolls from "Le Soliel". There are many different types of Spring Rolls, and wikipedia does a decent job explaining all the different types, from fried to fresh, and with different types of fillings and sauces from different countries.

Perhaps the timely and true reason for my sudden desire to create Vietnamese style Spring Rolls, was the bursting abundance of fresh, healthy mint in our yard after more than our share of rain this Spring. The Vietnamese rolls always had lots of fresh, whole mint leaves, and they served extra, large sprigs of mint alongside almost all the dishes at Le Soliel. My 5th attempt at the rolls this week was the best, because I finally perfected the sauce, and added the rice vermicilli noodles. My ingredients were as follows:

• Spring Roll Skins (made in Viet Nam, sold dry in circular package at Andronico's, San Anselmo)
• Sunflower Sprouts(or other fresh, crunchy sprouts)
• Shredded Carrots (I peeled long strips with a peeler)
• Wildwood Sprouted Tofu (Teriyaki style)
• Maifun Rice Vermicilli Noodles (Dry in package; cook for 2 minutes in boiling water, then run under cold water to cool)
• Green Onions (Scallions, cut in long, thin strips)
• Fresh Mint Leaves
• 1 orange
• "Spicy Vietnamese Sauce"*=combine the following:
• Vietnamese Chili and Garlic Sauce
• Light Sodium Soy Sauce
• Hoisin Sauce
• Fresh Lime Juice
(*Wikipedia states that the traditional, central Vietnamese sauce can be made as follows: Fish sauce, lime, garlic, sugar, small red and green peppers and water. Mince the garlic and peppers. Add the sugar into a bowl of hot water to help dissolve it quickly. Add fish sauce, lime, and the minced garlic and peppers into the sugar water.)

To make the Spring Rolls:

Remove 2 dry skins from the package, and run them each under cool tap water until they are both wet on each side. (I found this much better than soaking them in a bowl of water. They really don't need to soak because they will stay wet on the parchment paper and become more and more pliable the longer they sit on the parchment, as you are putting ingredients on top). Place them each on parchment paper(I use one large piece and fold the edges around a cookie sheet to give me my working surface). Once wet, the skins will stick to almost anything, so parchment paper is your best bet to keep them from sticking like super glue to anything else.

Place sprouts, carrot strips, tofu slices, rice, mint... in the center of one of the skins. Fold bottom up, and wrap the two edges to seal the ingredients inside. Now, here's the trick... Don't worry if the skin breaks here, or if the roll isn't tightly sealed enough. Just close it up the best you can, and then pick this up and plop it down in the center of your 2nd, wet skin that's also on the parchment. Use that second skin to really wrap the roll tighly, and neatly. When you are done, you will not even be able to tell there are 2 skins rolled around it. The skins are so thin and translucent, that the 2nd skin adheres to the first one and like magic, it really tightens up and pulls the whole thing together... Almost like "Spanks"... I guess. : )

My favorite sauces are from "Le Soliel" on Clement in SF, and the spicy sauce that comes with the vegetarian pot stickers at Schechuan Chef aka"Rebecca's" in Fairfax, CA. I think I have managed to create a sauce, above, that is very close to these. Some people like to use a Thai Peanut Sauce on these, but I don't like the combination with the mint. I appreciate the spicy, "kick" the traditional Vietnamese sauces have, with the hot peppers and garlic. This recipe does not use fish sauce, so it is a vegetarian version, for the purists. Oh, and btw, the orange is just to slice and put on the plate for decoration, and I squeeze some into the sauce before I spoon sauce into the rolls. 1-2 rolls and I am super full, and I am pretty sure the calories are user friendly. : )

More, Stunning Spring Rolls, originally uploaded by cproppe.

In the Studio Today..."Land Art" Project; for Ross Valley Schools YES Fundraiser

2010-04-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

April 8, 2010
I am so impressed with the 2nd graders and their amazing job on the "Land Art" project yesterday at their school. 3 classes, of about 20 kids each, created art on the campus surrounding their school. Each class divided into groups of 4-5 students, and had one adult to work with. The parent volunteers and teachers all enjoyed the project almost as much as the kids.

This image(above, entitled "The Window of Color") was created by the group that worked with one of my sons' teachers, Mrs. Olund, who has been teaching for 30 years. What a stunning piece of art! I am so impressed. The groups for the first two classes were given some constraints, such as "Circle", "Square", "Fading Colors", "Heart Shaped", "Insect". The third class to create the work was allowed the freedom to create what they wanted after seeing the 10 other projects that were done in the morning. Their group went more representational, and did things such as "Mother Nature", "Dinosaur", and "Dragon". It was a wonderful Spring day, with 76 degree weather in Marin County. Please click here to view the set of images created by the children (note: There are more images, but I am awaiting the photos from a wonderful parent photographer who assisted me on this project for the first two classes yesterday).

One of the most amazing things to happen yesterday was to witness the children protecting their projects from destruction during recess; One group of kids took turns guarding their "Spring Nest" project. Later, the kids got orange playground cones and marked their art so no one would step on it! The kids loved this project, and some of the older students were very interested in what we were doing as well. "Land Art" was a huge success for the kids, and I want to thank Richard Schilling for his website, "Land Art for Kids", and his book, "The Wheel of Life", which I shared with the children the week prior.

I will be making sets of notecards and envelopes with the kids images on the front, and selling these through the YES Foundation Online Auction to raise funds for the Ross Valley Public Schools Music, Art, PE and Assemblies. Feel free to visit their website in the next week or so and buy some notecards to support our kids!

In the Studio Today... "Land Art"; Ankylosaurus

2010-03-30T22:30:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Ankylosaurus; Dinosaur Land Art, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Made in the backyard this afternoon with my son, who is studying dinosaurs in 2nd grade. This had to be the weirdest weather day ever in Marin; Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, cold, hot, cold, hot... now it's pouring and windy. When I made this, it was sunny but very windy, and I had to shield it with my body every time the wind blew... As soon as I took the photos, it blew away....

Materials:

Mock Orange Tree leaves (dying yellow, and green)
Red and Orange Leaves from trees outside my son's doctor's office today
1 eucalyptus leaf for the tail
1 Sycamore Seed Pod (tail end) and stick to hold it up
Eucalyptus Seed Pods for spine
1/2 Acorn top for eye, and Mock Orange Seed for eyeball
Patience and ability to enjoy simplicity of things, essential

I also spent some time with 40 second graders today, sharing "What is Land Art?" from Richard Shilling's website landartforkids.com, and they looked at Andy Goldsworthy books. I shared some materials I brought from my yard this morning... petals, berries, vines, seed pods... and they immediately wanted to get started, making things. Our project is set for next week, after Easter. I look forward to seeing what the kids come up with.

In the Studio Today... "Land Art" Leaf Flags

2010-03-14T19:30:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Land Art: Leaf Flags I |Marin 365; Day #72, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Camelia petals and yellow leaves from a Mock Orange tree in our backyard... inspired by Richard Shilling's work.

Continuing on my effort to create "Land Art", I tried to make some leaf flags, such as those in Richard Shilling's book, but it was really HARD! As I slit the branches to feed the leaves in, they would loosen and the leaves I'd already feed through would move or fall out. Instead of cutting them square and fitting them through two branches, I decided to just go with what was working, which was simply leaving them in the branch where they would rest. It looked pretty just the way it was, so I went with it. Also, Richard uses thorns to seal the branches together, and keep the leaves from falling out. I was happy not to have to use any thorns for this project. : )

Later this month, I will be working with 60 second graders on "Land Art" as part of their YES Foundation Fundraiser, to raise money for art, music and PE at their public school. I have been practicing projects to see what is doable with the kids. This might work, if we have enough time and good light. Our end result will be turned into notecard sets, with photos of the "Land Art" the kids create on the front of the cards. The sale of the notecards will help pay for the kids' school art, music and PE. If you would like to purchase a set of notecards, please contact me and you can help the kids with their fundraising efforts!

In the Studio Today...Photography Workshop with Aperture Academy; Fort Point-Golden Gate Bridge

2010-02-28T21:51:00.001-08:00

February 28, 2010

Fort Point-Golden Gate Bridge-San Francisco|Marin 365; Day #52, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I enjoyed a full-day photography workshop with Aperture Academy this past Sunday. It was a great learning opportunity for me, as I have always wanted to push myself to better understand my DSLR camera, and all it is capable of doing. We split into two groups of 7 students each, and I worked with instructor, Brian Reub. We spent the entire day shooting in Manual Mode, using tripods, and long exposure shots with a remote control. It was a really rainy and foggy day in San Francisco, so we spent the majority of our time in the covered area of Fort Point, underneath the SF side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Although I had been there before, I had never stepped foot into the Fort itself! I couldn't believe how special it was to tour the old fort, built just before the time of the Civil War. It never saw battle, but it was fully prepared for it. Canons lined the roof top and gun powder and canon balls were stored in the bottom level. You may view my set of photos on Flickr here to see some of the history of Fort Point, and the many colors and textures there. Also, Aperture Academy has a full blog post on our day, with a few photos of me and the other members of our class. It was a really nice group, and I will definitely go back for more.

In the Studio Today... Painting on an iPod; but wishing for an iPad with Touch Sensitive Pen

2010-02-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

February 1, 2010

The announcement of the new iPad coming out by Apple Computer in a couple months has made me very curious about the possibilites of the little app called "Brushes" that currently works on my iPod Touch (or your iPhone). I finally took the time to familiarize myself with it over the weekend, and I just painted this little San Francisco night scene and made a movie of it. Years ago, I used to use "Painter" and "Flash" on my Mac for work, and a Wacom touch sensitive tablet. Those tools were great for painting on a computer, and I loved them. You could also play back your work in those programs... probably still can, but I haven't been keeping up with the software as I'm not at a design studio any more, and I have bigger fish to fry in my own home here with my twins in grade school. As for "Brushes", I think it will be great on the larger iPad, but where is the pressure sensitive aspect of it? It's sooooo frustrating to draw with a tool that can not create a thick-thin line, and drawing with your finger is not so great... It's fun, but I frequently can not get the line to go where I want it to go, and have to "undo" and redraw it. An old friend of mine used to say that "Drawing with a mouse is like trying to draw with your shoe". Drawing with your finger on a screen the size of a business card is kind of similar, I'd say... Silly, almost. It leaves for a sloppy way of doing things. It's a serious challenge. I hope the iPad upgrade and new Brushes software will be much better and really be easier to use. In the meantime, click to watch the video of my first iPod "painting" done in Brushes.

In Nature's Studio Today... Land Art #4; Rich Colors of Winter

2010-01-16T10:18:00.001-08:00

January 15, 2010

Land Art #4; Red Sweetspire, Violets, Holly Berries, Sycamore Seed Pod, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Red sweetspire leaves(I believe), wild purple violets, red holly berries, sycamore seed pod...
My son and I collected the red leaves from the ground at his school today, and the seed pod from the upper playground. The holly berries are from our yard, as well as the wild violets, that just opened this week. It's rain season in Northern California, but there is still color if you look for it. This is our fourth creation in our own "Land Art" series this month. I am hoping to teach a class in the Spring through the Recreation Department. Inspired by the works of Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Shilling. Take a look at Shilling's work, here.

In the Studio Today.... "Land Art" #3; Sun Sculpture: Ode to First Sun in Days

2010-01-14T01:15:00.001-08:00

January 14, 2010

Sun Sculpture; Ode to First Sun in Days. "Land Art" #3, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I took my other son on my C25K jog/walk today. Today was Week 2, Day 2 of my c25k running program. I was so eager to get outside because today was the first sun we've seen in weeks, and apparently we are due for another weekend and week of rain next week. It was glorious to see the sun today, and I feel so lucky to have been able to get out in it.

I am quickly learning that what is fun for me is also fun for my kids. My son loved running when it was time to run, and walking when it was time to walk (via the iPod Touch/iPhone app that was prompting us). Not only did he love this part of the outing, but he loved and protected our little sculpture we made in our "Land Art" practice series.

In my previous two posts, I have talked about designing a class to run through the San Anselmo Recreation Center in the Spring called "Land Art". Based on the concepts of artists such as Andrew Goldsworthy and Richard Shilling(www.landartforkids.com). My son loved this little "sun sculpture" we made so much that he told the other people on the trail not to harm it! Too cute.

In the Studio Today... "Land Art"; Lady Bug on Sailboat

2010-01-12T17:59:00.001-08:00

January 12, 2010

LandArt_Lady Bug on a Sailboat; Day 2, originally uploaded by cproppe.

My son and I made this sailboat today on our rainy walk in the park. We are beginning a series of projects from www.landartforkids.com. It's a kid's version of the kind of art Andrew Goldsworthy creates in the film, "Rivers and Tides". See some clips from "Rivers and Tides" in the video, below...

I hope to teach a class for kids through the San Anselmo Rec. Center in the Spring. There is so much to learn about shape, color, and design from nature, and it's free! For more information on "Land Art for Kids", read my previous post.

In the Studio Today... "Land Art"

2010-01-07T13:42:00.001-08:00

January 7, 2010

4 Colour Sun Wheel, originally uploaded by ...escher....

The creator of "Land Art" books for kids, website, and blog emailed me today on Flickr to ask if they could use one of my images. My son was doing basic "leaf rubbings" in the photo.

I clicked through the Flickr set "Colors" by Richard Shilling, and was astonished to find a remarkable set of colorful items, made only with items from nature. "Land Art" for kids... It is a great series of "to do" projects you can create with kids of all ages.

I LOVE IT! I am hoping to create a series of these projects with kids in the Spring for our YES Classroom Art Projects, that raise money for the YES Foundation. Stay tuned... and in the meantime, check out the website and the Flickr sets!

In the Studio Today... Joy; A Bounce Flash!

2010-01-04T19:47:00.001-08:00

January 4, 2010

Joy; A Bounce Flash! (wide), originally uploaded by cproppe.

In my effort to become a better photographer for my painting reference photos, I am looking into the Strobist Blog, and dug out an old bounce flash(Sunpak 383) I bought at San Francisco's Adolph Gasser on 2nd Street, before 1995, along with my first, large tripod. The friend that took us there is now a partner at Stimulant in San Francisco, and is also an amazing photographer. While I sit here and try to learn the basics, this guy could create you a theater sized touch screen for your next event. Amazing technology. I hope I can learn 1% of what this old friend knows in 2010. Wish me luck! PS... The ornament in my son's hand, a Nutcracker Soldier, was made in 1990 by my college roommate in Maine. Christmas tree ornaments are such great memorabilia.

New Year's Day 2010: Beginning a Project 365 "Photo a Day" Group in Marin

2010-01-01T20:35:00.001-08:00

January 1, 2010

001 New Year's Day Fisherman at Lake Lagunitas, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Today is Day 1 of "Marin 365", a photo group on Flickr that will force me to post a photo a day for the next 365 days. Thanks to my local friend, Michelle Stern, owner of What's Cooking?, we are going to be busy, and learning more about our cameras this year. Thanks, Michelle. If you'd like to teach your kids how to cook, Michelle teaches cooking classes for children in Marin County. Check out her website when you have a minute. The photo here is taken at Lake Lagunitas. It was a very still and peaceful moment, and a great memory of the start of 2010.

In the Studio Today... Interviewed by "MarinMommies.com"!

2009-11-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009

I am delighted to have been interviewed this month by a great, local news source website/blog called, "Marin Mommies"(marinmommies.com). I discovered this site via Twitter, and found that it is a great place to advertise in Marin. Pamela Fox, owner, does a great job, letting parents know about places to go and things to do with your kids in Marin and the SF Bay Area. It's a great wealth of information. Pamela has a series of "Mompreneur" interviews, where she interviews local moms who are working in Marin. To read my "Mompreneur" interview, please click here.

In the Studio Today... Bolinas Gallery Photos

2009-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

November 13, 2009
*Click to view more Photos of my current show at the Bolinas Gallery .
Above: My parents made it out for the opening, all the way from Connecticut... they brought my "twinado" sons along, hence the wild and crazy photo of us trying to hold them in the shot! Me, pictured on the right... Thanks to watercolor artist, Julia Ross, for capturing the insanity of the moment. Please read the post, below for more information on the show, through November 30th, 2009.

In the Studio Today... Bolinas Gallery Show; November 7-30th

2009-11-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Opening this Saturday, November 7th at the Bolinas Gallery, 52 Wharf Road. Please come for our reception, 2-5pm to meet the artists, and view new paintings, prints, cards, photography by 26 artists from our group! This is a show not to be missed! As well as my oil paintings, I will be selling prints of my photos taken on Marin Organic Farms for the first time ever, as well as notecards with photos. These photos are less expensive than paintings, and would make great holiday gifts. My painting(below), of the Bolinas Farmstand at Gospel Flat Farm.

In the Studio Today... Art on the Farm Show

2009-10-23T11:29:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 23, 2009
This weekend, Sunday, October 25th is the Annual Harvest Celebration of Art on the Farm at the Pt. Reyes Vineyards. This is the show were everyone involved, well over 100 artists, show up and share their art. Many of the paintings are hung on hay bales! It is really fun and festive to see. I hope we get a lovely day with warm sun shining on the vineyards. I may even paint on Sunday if the weather permits. Hope you will come! For more information, see the website for Art on the Farm at www.artonthefarm.org

In the Studio Today... Family Portrait Commission

2009-10-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

(18" x 24". Click image, above, to enlarge)

I spent most of the month of September, working on this family portrait commission. It was a combination of 4 photos; all heads composited first in Photoshop, and then a color change to "Cobalt Blue", the recipient's favorite color. This is an 18" x 24" canvas.

I am working on establishing a portion of my website dedicated to family portraits, ballet, and child portraits. I currently do not have much of this on my site, as I have primarily focused on the Marin Landscape, with occassional buildings or cycling figures thrown in. Portraits are very tedious work, and literally back breaking. I was lucky enough to be able to get to a pool to swim today, after a session of 5 hours straight at the canvas to finish the painting.

I hope the family truly enjoys this gift. I am so glad to have reconnected with some of my East Coast friends on Facebook, and how great to be able to do some work for them. I have had two commissions from old High School friends recently, and it is really nice. Friends helping friends. Hope to do more of these paintings in the future. I enjoy getting back to the days when I painted from models for hours. I need to dig out some of my portrait work from College days. That would be fun to share.

In the Studio Today... Fall Art shows, Portrait Painting & More...

2009-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 17, 2009
My show "Cycling through Landscapes" is still up in Mill Valley for the next 2 weeks, so be sure to get by if you visit the Depot Cafe. This is also the weekend of the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, and I hope to get some foot traffic at my own show through this time. I was very fortunate to be chosen for the Mill Valley Arts Commission's poster advertisement for the "First Tuesday Artwalk" in September. They included me on the front of the gallery guide for the month of September as well. This was a great honor for me(see photos, above). The "Art on the Farm" group has several Fall shows coming up, and I will be at the Pt. Reyes Vineyard show in October.

Now is the time to give me a shout if you are interested in a commissioned portrait to be ready for the Holidays! I have limited calendar space for one more family portrait, or a few individual portraits before the end of the year. I am currently working this month on a family portrait commission. The end result is to be a surprise Birthday gift for one of the family members, so I can not post the work in progress here, but it is coming along. I am looking to do more commissioned portraits, pets, and have a couple of ballerina paintings in the cue. These types of works help when the economy is slower and there have been less immediate sales of other my other paintings. This is across the board for artists in my community; there has been a definite slow down in spending on art, which is really tough for artists who rely soley on their art for income. We need more grants and arts funding, and yet there are less of those opportunities at this time too.

In the Studio Today... "Ascent"; Final Painting

2009-08-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 31

"Ascent" on Ridgecrest Blvd., towards Mt. Tam. 16" x 20".

I just finished this painting moments ago, and will hang my show in Mill Valley TODAY! In 3 hours, I will be at the Mill Valley Depot, hanging the cycling paintings... Hooray! This painting is very simple, but I love the feeling of climbing into the clouds, at the top... It's a great metaphor for finishing a set of paintings and hanging one's show. Hope to see everyone at the reception, tomorrow night.

September 2009
The Depot Bookstore & Cafe
Solo Show of Cycling Paintings
87 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley, CA
Opening Reception; September 1, 6pm to 7pm

In the Studio Today... "Ascent"; Session #1

2009-08-30T18:25:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 30, 2009

"Ascent" (cyclist on Ridgecrest Blvd., near Mt. Tam) 16" x 20", o/c.

Day 1 on this canvas... I have wanted to paint this one for some time now, but it's been a busy time, getting the kids back to school and looking for additional work. Tomorrow, I hang this show of cycling paintings at the Mill Valley Depot. This one will be the last in the current set, but more are definitely planned. 10 cycling paintings in all for this show. I considered having a couple of my older paintings printed on canvas and stretched to look like paintings, but instead, I started this one today. It has to be finished tonight, or it won't be dry enough to hang tomorrow. I am using Liquin as my medium today, so this should be fine to hang tomorrow.

I hope you will all come out for the reception, Tuesday night, 6-7pm, at the Mill Valley Depot Cafe and Bookstore. We plan to head for dinner afterwards to celebrate a friend's Birthday, so it will be fun. Please stop by! Wine and cheese provided by the Depot.

Out in Nature... Gathering Imagery

2009-08-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Input before output... I am home this week with my kids. Visits to Grandparents are over, Camps have ended, and all the big trips of summer are behind us... but yesterday, I took the boys on a "Staycation" one night camping trip right in our very own Mt. Tamalpais State Park. One of my favorite places to camp locally is Steep Ravine Environmental Campsites, right on the coast, just down from Stinson Beach. The boys and I did it! We arrived at 3pm, set up a tent by ourselves, hiked all our gear into the campsite, and then went out to the coast to explore for the day. It was wonderful, and as the sun was setting, we watched nearby campers on their bikes, riding down into the campsite. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos for reference for my next paintings. View photos from our trip on Flickr.

Photo: Cyclist Descending Steep Ravine, by "Shark Fin" Rock(that's what we call it)

You have to get out for input... One of my favorite children's stories is "Frederick", by Leo Lionni. My mom used to read this to me as a child. Frederick was a mouse who didn't help the others gather food much for winter. Instead, he sat staring into the sunset, and looking at the leaves and colors of nature. In the winter, after all the food was gone, and the mice were sitting in their home, bored with nothing to do until Spring, Frederick began telling tales of life, the colors of nature... He was a poet, and he made all the others happy by bringing the colors of life into the darkest times. I think of Frederick when I am out gathering my images for painting. I hope that my images bring happiness and joy to those who end up with them.

The Bicycle Works Grand Opening

2009-08-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Bicycle Works Grand Opening, originally uploaded by cproppe.

It was fun to see my paintings in "The Bicycle Works" yesterday, and hear some of the comments by the visitors. This photo shows a few of my paintings up high, with some great black and white paintings by John Hersey. I stopped by at about 5pm and there was a healthy crowd, both indoors and out back, enjoying food donated by Sol Food of San Rafael, and discussing the possibilities of this neighborhood cycling hub. The favorite thought was coffee... all the neighbors want coffee with their bikes. If you'd like to visit the new shop, or see my paintings through August, you can find it here:

The Bicycle Works online

Photos of the Grand Opening on Flickr

In the Studio Today...La Coppa Coffee Bikes & Show on Loan to "The Bicycle Works"

2009-08-07T18:29:00.001-07:00

Friday, August 7th - Saturday, August 8th

"La Coppa Coffee Bikes", Downtown Mill Valley, California. 16" x 20".

• View Session 2
• View the start of this painting, in the workshop, with Christin Coy
This painting is the 9th in a series of paintings, "Cycling Through Landscapes", that will be available for purchase in September, at the Mill Valley Depot Cafe & Bookstore. A percentage of the sales from paintings sold in September will go to The Bicycle Works, a new, co-op style, community bike shop, opening this Sunday, in San Anselmo, California. To read about this new shop, check out today's article in the Marin IJ. Some of the paintings from my new series will be on loan to the shop for the next few weeks.
We hung part of the series up this evening at The Bicycle Works. Click photo to enlarge... Pictured in the photo, above-left, is Spokey Godfrey, Director. Come out tomorrow for the shop's Grand Opening Celebration, with food by Sol Food of San Rafael, and film "The Triplets of Belleville", provided by Tom Boss of "Film Night in the Park". The paintings give the shop a little color, in contrast to the black and white of the bikes on the stands.
My painting from last year's, Mill Valley Paint Out, with bikes in the bike rack... next to a Breezer commute bike, by local cycling legend, Joe Breeze. Breezer Bikes plans to give a portion of sales from it's bikes at "The Bicycle Works" back to support the new shop and it's mission.

In the Studio Today... Burley Parade; Day 2

2009-08-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

"Burley Parade on Shaver Grade", near Phoenix Lake. 24" x 30".

To read about the inspiration for this painting, click here to read my previous post.

In the Studio Today..."Burley Bike Parade on Shaver Grade"; Session #1

2009-08-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 3, 2009
Day 1; "Burley Parade on Shaver Grade", near Phoenix Lake. 24" x 30". I have been wanting to paint Burley bike trailers into my paintings for a while now, but have had the hardest time coming up with a concept for this. We have pulled our twins in Burley trailers since they were under a year old. They are pretty much beyond Burley's now, at age 7, but we have a very fond appreciation for the great rides we were able to take, with the boys keeping quiet in the trailer, or falling asleep for much of the bike ride. We even pulled them with a tandem mt. bike with string lights all lit up at night. I hope someone will enjoy this painting with memories of transporting their kids as I have. It's a gamble to paint something new and different, but if you don't take the chance, you never grow... right?

In the Studio Today...Ridgecrest Sunset Cyclist; Final Painting

2009-07-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 31, 2009

DETAIL OF HILLS: Sunset Cycle on Ridgecrest.

"Sunset Cycle on Ridgecrest", Ridgecrest Blvd., Mt. Tamalpais State Park,
Marin County, California."2 ft. x 4 ft.", o/c.

DETAIL OF CYCLIST: Sunset Cycle on Ridgecrest.

Please come see the painting in person, September 1st at a wine and cheese reception in downtown Mill Valley, California. A beautiful place to ride your bike!

September 2009
The Depot Bookstore & Cafe
Solo Show of Cycling Paintings
87 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley, CA
Opening Reception; September 1, 6pm to 7pm

In the Studio Today...Sunset Cyclist on Ridgecrest; Day 2, work in progress

2009-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"Sunset Cycle on Ridgecrest", Ridgecrest Blvd., Mt. Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, California."2 ft. x 4 ft.", o/c. Day 2; work in progress.

Fleshed out details on the mountains in background and foreground, as well as light on Bolinas Lagoon and some of the trees. Coming along. Still lots to do.
Painting at the exact same state as above, but inside, with halogen lighting. Colors look much warmer with lights on the painting.

In the Studio Today... Ridgecrest Sunset on Mt. Tam; Panoramic with Cyclist

2009-07-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 27, 2009

"Sunset Cycle on Ridgecrest", Ridgecrest Blvd., Mt. Tamalpais National State Park, Marin County, California."2 ft. x 4 ft.", o/c.

I am delighted to be moving into a large canvas today, and back to a landscape. I still have finishing details to do in two other paintings, but I wanted to start this one, as the sunset scene with rolling hills had got me really excited. The big paintings always are fun at a show, and stand out. Smaller, more detailed ones force the viewer to go up to the canvas and look at all the stuff in them, but my big paintings usually do not. The image of the rider is pulled from a shot I took at the Tour de Marin, in Sausalito. He was part of the peloton, going around the Stage in Sausalito for folks to take photos. The image of Tam is from a sunset shot, a week ago with my family. This painting makes me want to go for a ride!

Plein Air... Mill Valley Paint Off 2009

2009-07-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 27, 2009

"Saturday afternoon on Miller & Throckmorton", 16" x 20", o/c.

Final painting. Started at the Mill Valley Paint Off, 2009, completed in studio.

This is my painting from the Mill Valley Paint Out, 2009... after a second day in the studio. I had originally wanted to paint the scene with the street signs for "Miller" and "Throckmorton", as well as add the lip of the red awning from the Depot Cafe as a repoussoir element. I also added a woman driving a classic mint green convertible in the background, as well as the Cici Gelato bike. Cici sponsored the paint off this year, and sold gelato from Lytton Square during the judging of paintings, and I managed to capture a few shots of the bike and rider, leaving the Depot in his new, burgundy red clogs that matched the bike. I decided to go with the quirkiness that this paint off result produced, and include as many people and bikes as possible. It has a feeling of being a fun, friendly illustration, rather than a work of realism. Below is a detail of the Cici Gelato man and bike.DETAIL: Cici Gelato Bike from "Saturday afternoon in Mill Valley", 16" x 20", o/c.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Models, beside "Miller and Throckmorton Saturday";
16" x 20", o/c. (Click image to enlarge).

The man and dog standing beside my painting showed up about 10 minutes before the end of the paint out, so I asked him to stand by the clock tower, and I painted him and his dog into the scene. It was fun. Most of the people always paint the red awnings of the Depot Cafe, and the last painting here, by Scott Grabowski, won first place and the people's choice award. Mill Valley just loves those awnings.

Above: 1st Place Award to Scott Grabowski

Pam Gould, of "More Marin", the blog... also visited the event and wrote us up on her blog! Here is the first press I know of about the event: (Mouse over the images to read the artist's names)
"Paint Off in Mill Valley draws enthusastic crowd"

In the Studio Today... La Coppa Coffee; Day 2

2009-07-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 24, 2009

"Ride to the Roasters 2".
La Coppa Coffee, Downtown Mill Valley, California. 16" x 20".

Painting in progress. Will feature 4 bikes in painting. See my previous post on this painting, here.

In the Studio Today...Farmstand Bike; Day 3

2009-07-23T14:47:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 23, 2009

"Gospel Flat Farm, Farmstand and Produce Bike" 18" x 24".

In the Studio Today...Bolinas Farm Bike; Day 2

2009-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Work in progress... Produce stand owned by Gospel Flat Farm, as you enter the town of Bolinas, CA. Details of Bike and close up of stand, image 1 and 2 above... image 3 is the full sized canvas, 18" x 24".

In the Studio Today...Christin Coy Workshop & Mill Valley Coffee Shop

2009-07-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I started 2 paintings in one day, today! Wow...! You know you have a deadline when you start 2 good sized, detailed paintings in a day. The paintings I started today are local shops in Marin County; The red awning of the Specialty Coffee shop in downtown Mill Valley, and the Gospel Flat Farmstand as you enter Bolinas, California. I now have a total of 6 paintings for the Mill Valley show, and I have about 5 more to go. I chose some large canvases, so the paintings should fill in the Depot Cafe walls with some good negative space around them. If I have 10 new paintings, I will be delighted. If I can finish 12, that will be even better... but quality versus quantity, always. Spoken in the voice of Ellen Degeneres, as Dory in "Finding Nemo"..."Just keep painting, just keep painting, just keep painting, painting, painting...". By the way, if you've read this far, this marks my 202nd post on my blog! I reached 200 posts with out even realizing it!

"Ride to the Coffee Shop", 16" x 20", o/c.
Work in Progress... (Will detail 4 bikes in scene when complete).

Actually, the real reason for the 2 paintings in one day... I had a workshop this evening with artist, Christin Coy. It was a great session. Richard Lindenberg, who used to work for Sennelier Professional Oil Paints, was on hand to give a color mixing lesson. It was fantastic. I haven't mixed colors in a color wheel format in many years, but it was a great reminder, and I learned about "Chinese Orange", a color specifically commissioned by Cézanne. It's sort of a burnt umber, rust orange red color, but has a great transparency to it so it can be used to varnish, or when mixed with white, it is more opaque.Christin taught me to pre-stain my canvas with an acrylic color and water, to give it a warm undertone and get away from starting with the blank white of the canvas. The color I used was a warm sienna red color, which was perfect for the reds in the awning of the coffee shop.

In the Studio Today...Bolinas Farm Bike; Day #1

2009-07-21T15:54:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

"Bolinas Farmstand & Produce Cycle" 18" x 24".

Session one on this painting, for the Mill Valley Depot show, September, 2009. This is a great farmstand in Bolinas, run by Gospel Flat Farm. They bike all the produce from farm to stand. The back seat is holding a galvanized bucket of flowers... stay tuned. I wanted to show the variety of uses of bikes in Marin for this Fall show; not just recreational road cycling and mt. biking. Click image to enlarge.

In the Studio Today...Mt. Tam Cyclist; Session #3

2009-07-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 20, 2009

Detail: "Afternoon Ride on Ridgecrest" 24" x 36", o/c. Painting in progress, Day 3. Click images above to enlarge to show details of paint.

In the Studio Today... Mt. Tam Cyclist; Session #2

2009-07-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Detail: "Afternoon Ride on Ridgecrest" 24" x 36", o/c. Painting in progress.

This is the second day on this painting for the Mill Valley Depot show, September 1st. I've had a postcard from MALT painter, Dana Hooper, sitting on my dresser since the May show. She paints with a palette knife which produces thick swatches of paint and a more painterly feel. For some reason, I was inspired to paint this cyclist with a knife today. More details to come, but I think I like the contrast of the foreground texture with the smoothness of the background. I used to paint more like this in college.

In the Studio Today... Mt. Tam; view of Bolinas

2009-07-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 18, 2009

"Afternnon Ride on Ridgecrest" 24" x 36", o/c. Cycling painting in progress.

This is the first day on a large painting for the Mill Valley Depot show, September 1st. I was up on Mt. Tam a few days ago, capturing reference images for some new cycling paintings. This painting will have a cyclist in the foreground, headed up Ridgecrest Blvd. towards Mt. Tam. I liked the composition, with the the layers of hills, trees, Bolinas Lagoon under the fog, and Bolinas above the fog. Stay tuned for the next couple days of painting on this one.

In the Studio Today... Elephant Mt. Cyclist Final

2009-07-15T16:18:00.003-07:00

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

"Dwarfed by Elephant Mountain".

Platform Bridge Road near Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road.
O/C 30" x 30", gallery wrap canvas, unframed.
Available at Mill Valley Depot show, September 1, 2009.
View painting in progress, in a previous post here.
DETAIL of above painting.

In the Studio Today... Ole's Boathouse Old Greenwich/Riverside, CT

2009-07-07T19:42:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

"Ole's Boathouse, Riverside, Connecticut" o/c, 24" x 36". Commission.

I grew up down the road from this active boat yard, with access to Long Island Sound. I was able to spent part of my recent vacation time painting this commission. I forced myself to leave out details in the trees and water, and I like how that part of the painting turned out. It is very easy to over work a studio painting and add too many details. In this case, concentrating the details in the building, and leaving them out of background forces the viewers focus to the building, as one might paint a portrait of a face, with a misty or abstract background. Prints of this image are available. Please email me if you are interested.

In the Studio Today...Elephant Mt. Cyclist; Day 1

2009-06-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

"Dwarfed by Elephant Mt." 30" x 30", o/c, Day 1. Click Photo to enlarge.

Starting on my series of "Cycling Through Landscapes" for the Mill Valley Depot show, September 2009. I love this drive out towards Pt. Reyes, and the feeling of emense mountain awe you get when you round the bend on Platform Bridge Road headed towards Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road, and see Elephant Mt. (Black Mt.) for the first time. The day I was out there to take this photo, I had pulled my car over and was taking pictures from the side of the road when this cyclist came by. I knew I wanted to paint this image right away. More details to come...

In the Studio Today...Second Commission of Two & Christin Coy Summer Workshop

2009-06-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Detail: "Bike at the Cabin"; Original painting 12"x 16", o/c, 2009.

I have created paintings that inspired a commissioned copy of the original, sold painting. This time, I was asked to create 2 of the same painting; one for a client and one for her brother. The painting request was from a combination of photos taken at a summer cabin in Vermont, but the client did not have a photo with the lake behind the cabin... this was my job, to paint the lake in to make it look like the cabin was on the lake... which it is, but the photos were not taken to show this properly. I am glad to finally be done with the second version of this painting.

My June news is that I will be taking a summer workshop with Marin Landscape Painter, Christin Coy, beginning in July. I look forward to getting out of the house with my paints for 5 weeks, and hopefully, I will be able to use the time to work on my landscape paintings with bikes in them, for the Mill Valley Depot show in September. Please save the date for a September 1st, 6pm reception at the Mill Valley Depot.

I visited Mill Valley yesterday to measure the walls at the Depot Cafe & Bookstore, and plan out my show. I am looking forward to filling the space with Marin cycling related scenes. It should be a lot of fun for me, and hopefully too, for the great cycling enthusiasts in the Bay Area.

In the Studio Today... The Art of Creative Writing

2009-05-27T11:38:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

From Left to Right: Cover of Miller Brothers book, my painting of Nicasio Fence Post by Old St. Mary's Church, and photo of me and my own twin boys at Nicasio Valley Farms, 2008.

My knee is still throbbing from surgery last Friday. Being in physical pain is something I am really not good at. I've survived years of emotional pain, but the real, OUCH kind of pain that feels like someone is sitting on the back of your knee with a truck tire... no, this ain't for me. Wrestling would not be my sport of choice. However, here I sit after having read a book for 4 hours that actually took my pain away with out medication. "Either You're in or You're in the Way", by Logan and Noah Miller. This book is phenomenal. I laughed out loud, cried, and laughed out loud again and just could not put the book down(Ok, confession... minus the 10 minutes it took me to eat a yogurt).

This book means a lot to me as a Marin resident, a mother of twin boys, and as a painter, who loves West Marin. I lived in the hills of Fairfax for seven years in a rat infested rental home owned by Forest Knolls women who rode motorcycles. When we told them the house had rats, they said, "Welcome to West Marin". And over the next years, I witnessed baby deer born under our deck, wild turkeys landing in flocks on our roof around sunset, and rainbows you only had seen in movies, crossing over the three mountains we could see from our house. There is something about the land here that is so special, you just don't want to leave. It perhaps has to soak into you a bit, and you have to be tough enough to live with "great habitat", as the watershed district once told me... West Marin is a true gem, and until I read the Miller Brother's book, I didn't realize fully that this has become my home.

Their book is not about Marin, but about the creation of their film about their lives and their father, who lived in Samuel P. Taylor park for 15 years, as a homeless roofer. He was an alcoholic and loved by everyone he met, but he didn't get the help he needed and ended up dying in 2006 in prison. The most amazing thing is how these boys, Logan and Noah Miller, were able to love him for who he was, and promise to make this film for him, and do it in one year. The power of a "deadline" is very amazing and real for artists. Perhaps for everyone in life, but I have found that if I don't have a deadline, I just won't get the work done. I want to commend these boys for their will and love of their Dad, and Northern California.

As a painter, I often see and feel things in the landscape, but can't describe them the way I'd like to in words... so I paint. The Miller Brother's can describe scenes with words, that I could probably paint... For example, "We drove along the river, passing rolling vineyards glowing shades of pink in the dusk as the redwood hills turned to shadows against the dying light behind them." I live to paint moments like these. Here's another one of my favorites from their book: "Later in the afternoon, the sun warmed the redwoods above the Monte Rio Bridge and we jumped off the concrete slab and swam in the cool waters below."

For the past 4 years, I have made the drive out to Nicasio to our favorite pumpkin patch, to let my twin boys pick out pumpkins, run through the hay maze, and jump and slide in the big jumpees at Nicasio Valley Farms. I would go more than once per season, just to let the boys jump off steam and I would relax and take photos of the rolling hills, and gorgeous produce. Inevitably, I would end up chatting with the lovely woman who worked at the farm, and she would tell me about her twin boys, the writers. When you have twins, you always chat with others who have twins. It's a club, for sure. You can't understand what it's like unless you've joined, and it is always nice to meet another twin mom to chat with. So each year, Lynnette would tell me about her boys, the writers, who were trying to make a film. I'd never met them, or knew about them more than this.

It is so wonderful to be able to congratulate this mom and these twins today. My week of pain in my knee post surgery has been bearable because I've had this story to enjoy and celebrate Marin. I am so proud of these guys, and I want to tell everyone to go read this book! It is a miracle. It is that first great effort by any artist, that puts them on the map. A dedication to a deadline, and getting it done, despite all odds. I hope that some day, my twin boys will be able to do something as extraordinary as the Miller Brothers, and I can be as proud as my favorite twin mom out in Nicasio. If my leg is feeling great on Saturday, you may see me out in Pt. Reyes with my crutches, waiting to get my book signed for my twins to have some day.

If you go: Meet the Miller Brothers, this Saturday, May 30th, in Pt. Reyes Station. Book Launch and Benefit for MALT with the Miller Brothers at Toby's Feed Barn. 6:30-9pm. Clips from the film will be shown. Oysters, hot dogs, Lagunitas Brewing Company Beer, and Straus Family Creamery ice cream will be for sale, with part of the proceeds going to help preserve more family farms in West Marin. Ticket price for adults includes one beer (I.D. required), price for under 21 includes one non-alcoholic drink. Purchase tickets online or at Point Reyes Books.

In the Studio Today... Session #2; Greenhouse

2009-05-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 14, 2009

"Lizzie's Greenhouse", Cow Track Ranch, Nicasio, CA 14"x 18", oil on canvas.

Day two working on this painting I started en plein air in the Cow Track Ranch Greenhouse on Tuesday. For more info on that "Art on the Farm" visit, please see my previous post.

In the Studio Today... Cow Track Ranch Greenhouse

2009-05-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
"Lizzie's Greenhouse Starts", 14" x 18", oil on canvas.

I drove out to Nicasio today to paint with the "Art on the Farm" group at Lizzie Daniels stunning property, "Cow Track Ranch". It's just past downtown Nicasio and the Nicasio school, and also just past Nicasio Valley Farms, where I have seen Logan and Noah's mom smiling and telling me about her twin sons, the writers, every Fall at the pumpkin patch, where my own twin boys have spent endless hours in the jump house and hay maze. Congratulations, twin mom. You must be so proud! : )

Today was a sunny, 64 degree day, with light winds, and perfect weather for outdoor painting. Lizzie boasts of her Marin County Fair "Best of Show" Merlot Red Lettuce(photos below), and it was a sight to behold, growing all over the property, surrounding the barns, amongst the roses, and in the new greenhouse. Liz offered a tour of the greenhouse, where she grows all varieties of organic vegetable and herb seedlings that are sold to businesses such as Local Flora, and provided to several school gardens in West and Central Marin County. Liz has also provided Osteria Stellina in downtown Pt. Reyes Station with assistance, lettuces, and produce.

"Cow Track Ranch" Organic, Merlot Lettuce, is a dark, burgundy color.
For more on today's visit, please visit the "Art on the Farm" Blog.
www.artonthefarmblog.com

In the Studio Today... MALT's Annual Show!

2009-05-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have been attending the MALT show for more than five years now, and anticipate it every year. As a plein air landscape artist in Marin County, this is the most coveted place to exhibit one's work. To be accepted to MALT for their annual show is an honor, when there are hundreds of landscape painters that would like to hang their work on the walls of Druid's Hall in Nicasio. For me, it is a goal to be included in this group some day, but for now, I enjoy visiting the show each year when I can, and talking to the artists, who often are there to share and discuss their paintings.

The drive to Nicasio alone will have you feeling at peace with our natural surroundings, and then to enter the show is just magical. The walls in this small space are packed like a patchwork quilt; every painting packed into the Hall contributes something unique and special about Marin county farms and land that has been preserved by Marin Agricultural Land Trust. It is a joy and treat for me to be there each year, if not as an exhibiting painter, at least as one in spirit! Please go and support MALT on May 16th(my Birthday!)from 2-5pm, or on May 17th, from 10 -4pm. They offer books, greeting cards and other items that are fairly priced and make great gifts, as well as prints and paintings. Visit the MALT website for more information, and some great audio interviews with participating artists.

You may also want to take a look at the MALT website and a new MALT Blog that is written about Ranches and Rolling Hills, and full of information and inspiration about art and farming, by Elisabeth Ptak.

Finally, you may also want to visit the blogs of 2 MALT artists I have had the pleasure of venturing out to farms with through the "Art on the Farm" group trips:

• Christin Coy's Blog
• Richard Lindenberg's Blog

Enjoy!

In the Studio Today...OPEN STUDIO; May 2 & 3rd

2009-04-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Lemons Before Mt. Tam" Plein air at Fairfax Fresh, Meyer Lemon Farm, 2008.

Hello Friends and Art Enthusiasts!

There are 4 artists in my neighborhood that will be opening their doors to the public on May 2nd and 3rd. 3 of these artists are right on San Anselmo Avenue, so look for their signs and balloons. They are on the map found in the recent issue of "Marin Magazine". I am located just off San Anselmo Ave, at 92 Elm, but I am not on the map this year.

Please click here for a map:92 Elm Ave., San Anselmo, CA (Just off of Scenic Ave., or San Anselmo Ave. White house with a red door, and large palm tree in front.)

I have many oil paintings of local, Marin County landscapes, and I am trying to clear them out, as I am creating 20 cycling related scenes for a September show at the Mill Valley Depot. So, what this means is that ALL prices are negotiable at this time, and I have let a few things go for as low as $150. So, if you need a painting for a graduation gift or Mother's Day.... Please take a look a this link below and consider stopping by. I will put a few balloons out in the yard. The paintings are all hanging in my home, and you may click here to preview what I still have available online here. (or paste this url in your browser http://tinyurl.com/dmsyxt)

Thanks for your support!

-Colleen

In the Studio Today... This Sunday-April 19th; "Art on the Farm" Reception at VMA, San Rafael

2009-04-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

(click image below to enlarge)
Please come for a reception this Sunday, April 19th, hosted by the Friends of Marin Veterans' Auditorium and Marin Arts Council, 2-5pm. I have 2 paintings on display, among the 40+ artists that will be exhibited. Paintings are from plein air outings to Marin Organic Farms in 2008. Please RSVP to Friendsmc@co.marin.ca.us or phone 415.499.6014. For more info, please visit: Art on the Farm Blog

Directions to Marin Center:

FROM 101 NORTH (From San Francisco):
Take the North San Pedro exit, and go east.
Turn left at the first light, Civic Center Drive.
The Center is 1/2 mile down on the right, just past the lagoon.

FROM 101 SOUTH (From Santa Rosa):
Take the North San Pedro exit
At end of off ramp turn left onto Merrydale
At traffic light turn left onto North San Pedro Road, and go east under the freeway.
At the first light, turn left onto Civic Center Dr.
Follow Civic Center Drive approximately 1/2 mile.
The Center is on the right, just past the lagoon

In the Studio Today... I Spy Art Mirrors & Poster

2009-04-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 6, 2009
(Click above image to enlarge)
The above is a poster of 18, 10" x 10" individual "I Spy" mirrors my son and his classmates created to raise money for the YES Foundation. "YES" funds Art and Music at their public school. I photographed the kids mirrors and combined them to create this poster, and put all the questions the kids came up with in the center of the poster. We are framing this and auctioning it off at the YES Gala this year. Wouldn't this be great in a pediatrician's office, or waiting room? Kid's playroom? Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing a poster. Also, check out and feel free to bid on the great items for auction online to support the boys' art and music programs in the Ross Valley School District.

In the Studio Today...Bouquets to Art 2009

2009-03-18T02:07:00.001-07:00

Bouquets to Art 2009, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I had a brief glimpse at this year's "Bouquets to Art" show at the de Young in San Francisco today. Floral designers choose a painting, sculpture or piece of art in the museum, and let it inspire them to create their work. Some are very traditional displays, while others are truly unique, and modern works of art in themselves.

It was a gorgeous day, great weather, and the opening day for the show, St. Patrick's Day. I saw a lot of people wearing green, and many beautiful hats and brightly colored outfits. The show inspires so much color, and it was so crowded I had to line up behind other camera carrying folks to snap my photos for this event. Very well attended today. 4 more days, through March 21st. Don't miss it! Always worth the trip! Click here to check out some of my photos from today...

Frank Lloyd Wright House Cookie

2009-03-09T18:29:00.001-07:00

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Frank Lloyd Wright House Cookie, originally uploaded by cproppe.

An MFA graduate of CalArts and friend is currently working on a feature length documentary about Architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's "Organic Architecture"; architecture which blended into the landscape and expressed the beauty of natural elements, such as falling water and rocks. His 1939 Kaufman House, known as "Fallingwater", has repeatedly been named the most beautiful house in the world by the American Institute of Architects.

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Frank Lloyd Wright, and my friend has launched a baking project to compliment and raise funds for her film. If you make a donation to the film, you can have these amazing house cookies sent right to your door..... or you can join her "Architecture Cookie Club", and receive a new cookie inspired by one of the architects in her film, every 3 months. For more information, please contact Holly at durivage@mac.com or check out her blog, which is soon to become a more elaborate website for the film and the cookies, of course!

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In the Studio Today... Claudia Chapline GalleryOpening Reception

2009-03-09T13:02:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 8th
It was a gorgeous and busy day at Claudia Chapline Gallery in Stinson Beach. We kicked off the opening of "Art on the Farm" with a great crowd. From left to right are: Alan Mart(founder of Art on the Farm), Claudia Chapline, Chris Adessa, Christin Coy, and Richard Lindenberg. View more photos at the Art on the Farm blog.

In the Studio Today... Recycled Frame Complete and Delivery to Claudia Chapline Gallery

2009-03-02T20:14:00.001-08:00

Claudia Chapline Gallery; March 2008, originally uploaded by cproppe.

Well, here is the result of the framing by Chris Cheek, of Heritage Salvage in Petaluma. The wood is from an old BARN! Too cool. I am very happy with the look of it. Very rustic and farmy. Claudia Chapline is going to hang it in her front window of the shop! Very exciting.

For more information on this March show;
click here to visit my previous post.

In the Studio Today... "Going Green" with Recycled Wood Frames

2009-03-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

Bay Area artists looking to help the environment need to look no further than their own backyard... Heritage Salvage of Petaluma has an entire palette of recycled wood and can custom frame your paintings too. For the March show of "Art on the Farm" at the renowned Stinson Beach, Claudia Chapline Gallery, my painting will have a recycled wood frame created by the staff at Heritage Salvage. Above, you can see the many choices available in recycled wood... The corner frame samples and colors are on the left of the image. Click the photo above to enlarge. Do you have a favorite frame for this painting, above? Email me your favorite, or send an idea of your own.

When I arrived with boys in tow yesterday, Michael "Bug" Deakin was on site, and happy to let my little driver sit and play on the company forklift. It's a fun place to visit, with all kinds creative ideas for building with recycled materails. I wrote about Heritage Salvage over a year ago when I learned of them from local artist, Judith Selby Lang, who is constantly creating art with recycled trash from beaches and helping to educate and inspire all in our local community. To read that older post, click here.
If you go....
Heritage Salvage is easy to find on Google Maps:

In the Studio Today...Claudia Chapline Gallery

2009-02-25T13:19:00.001-08:00

Claudia Chapline Gallery, originally uploaded by arawak812.

I just mailed 60 postcards out for the upcoming March show at the Claudia Chapline Gallery and Sculpture Garden in Stinson Beach, California. What an exciting venue for "Art on the Farm". I am really looking forward to seeing a piece from each artist I have enjoyed painting alongside over the last year on Marin Organic Farms.
Click below event promo to read:

Please email me if you would like a postcard mailed to you, or if you would like information about the March 7th, catered, preview dinner and sale (the night before the artist's reception).

A separate event, the Artists' Reception, with over 40 artists, will be Sunday, March 8th, 3-5pm. You may find the information on the card above, or learn more about "Art on the Farm" at the blog, or website

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In the Studio Today... 50th Anniversary of the Life & Death of Frank Lloyd Wright

2009-02-14T15:46:00.000-08:00

April 2009 is the 50th Anniversary of the passing of architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Well known here in Marin, Mr. Wright's design for the Marin County Civic Center represents the culmination of his career; it was his final design, the building completed only after his death. A colleague of mine from the California Institute of the Arts has been working on a film, chronicling the history of several architectural descendants of Frank Lloyd Wright. She hopes to have a portion of the film available to celebrate Mr. Wright's 50th, this April 9th. Her film is supported by the San Francisco Film Society. Please view clip, below:

Selected sequence from feature length documentary in progress:
Our Pace Setters; A Chronicle of Organic Architecture
A Film exploring three student descendants of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Film by Holly du Rivage. Principal photography by Ezra Stoller © Esto Photo.
Original music, by Gunnar Proppé.

This 16 minute portion of a feature film in-progress was recently exhibited at the University of Florida(September 2008) where Alfred Parker is a professor of architecture. For his 92nd Birthday, University of Florida honored Parker with an exhibition, lectures on the campus, and tours of his homes in Gainesville, Florida.

These sequences are an introduction to Alfred Parker, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and his 92 year career as an architect and teacher in Florida. The clip documents Parker's early career, his relationship with Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful magazine, and his relationship with Mr. Wright.

If you would like to make a donation to Holly's film in honor of Frank Lloyd Wright's 50th Anniversary, she is currently accepting funding in the form of checks made out to "San Francisco Film Society" or SFFS*, with a note at the bottom of the check, "For Holly du Rivage, Producer". (*Soon, you will be able to make an online, tax-deductible donation for this film directly from SFFS's secure server on their website, but until then, Holly requests that checks be made out SFFS and mailed to her). Holly is offering gifts for the top donations, as well as the first to donate, and those who tell the most friends! Please email Holly for further information. To read more about Holly or this film, please visit her blog.

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In the Studio Today... Art Couples and the Art of Life; Embracing the Past, the Present, and Hoping for Pleasant Surprises in the Future

2009-02-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I've been thinking a lot about artists who are couples, and what that was like for me at one time in my life. My previous post on Martha and Ralph Borge, the couple that painted in West Marin for MALT,and would have celebrated their 60th Anniversary this year...
I am also reminded of René and Georgette Magritte, made more famous in the lyrics of a Paul Simon song. They too enjoyed a happy and long, healthy marriage while being constantly involved in successes in the new and exciting surrealist art world.Photo: René and Georgette Magritte with their dog Loulou at Brussels airport before leaving with Sabena for New York. (http://www.musee-magritte-museum.be)

I was once married to an artist and musician, and being with him for a decade in my adult life truly affected the way I have learned to love art and view the world. It was a relationship that felt right to me. Artist's have a way of being able to discuss the world in a way that others do not have. We draw on a palette of colors, textures, senses and musical chords that some, I believe, truly can not see or feel; or, sadly... they never had the luxury of learning this language, like any other language that must be learned from youth. I was so lucky to have parents that fostered my art from a young age. I want to thank them both at this time, and tell them how much I love them. They still house dozens of my paintings in their home, and share my art with their friends, as if each painting I produce for them is a gift from the gods. They have never made me feel my art was anything but special.

In my recent reflection on my past and memories of my former husband, I have revisited my post I wrote years ago on "Motivation; Advice for Artists", to address how the loss of an artist spouse can affect an artist, and how I have found ways to work on my grieving and continue in life. It is no easy task. I think that "art couples" bond in ways that are truly unique, and my hypothesis is that these couples have a harder time with separation and divorce due to the very nature of their shared language of art. It is my hope to feel better about this loss someday, and explain it to my children. I hope others may understand as well, and may learn from my shared experiences. To read the revised post, click here.

Some successful, Marin County "Artist Couples":
• Kathleen Lipinski and Steve Emery
• Richard Blair and Kathleen Goodwin
• Linda Larsen and Larry Bryson
• Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang
• Martha and Ralph Borge

In the Studio Today... Connie Smith Siegel

2009-02-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 7, 2009
(click newsclipping to read) Tomorrow, Sunday, February 8th, at 4pm, is a reception for Connie Smith Siegel at the San Geronimo Cultural Center Gallery, in Woodacre, CA. I hope to attend. Connie is a native of West Marin and has taught numerous artists over the years. She is a remarkable artist and inspirtation. I took this photo of Connie at Mt. Barnabe farm, in 2008. You can read more about that farm visit, here. Article reposted as a clipping from The West Marin Citizen.
Post script, Sunday night: I attended Connie's opening and really enjoyed the show and listening to Connie share her thoughts on some of her students and their work. It was well attended; the gallery was packed with 100 or so adults. Connie is offering 1 day workshops on Drawing and Painting later in the month. She released two new books, and I am excited to read these treasures by a local art gem. My highlight of the evening was Connie telling my that my photo of her on Mt. Barnabe is one of her favorite photos of herself. What a nice thing to say! View and purchase the books:

• Spirit of Drawing: A Sensory Meditation Guide to Creative Expression

• Spirit of Color: A Sensory Meditation Guide to Creative Expression

In the Studio Today... Graphic Design

2009-02-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2009
Project: Flyer to promote Wedding Floral Design
Client: Local Flora
Single page design that will be displayed in Hotel and Wedding binders in SF and Marin County. The client wanted something that showed off her unique and organic, local flower designs. I chose to use this close-up image of a bouquet from her photos. The photo itself was really well shot, clear and it draws the viewer into the intimate intricacies of the flowers; a goal most weddings hope to share. I included images of veils from a wedding I photographed in Nicasio.

In the Studio... Art on the Farm & Ralph Borge

2009-01-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 24, 2008
(click image below to enlarge)
I recently read of the passing of Ralph Borge, a West Marin artist who painted for MALT's Ranches and Rolling Hills Show for many years, along with his wife, Martha Borge. To read more about Ralph's life, please visit here. You may also read about his 38 year teaching career at California College of the Arts, here.I never had the pleasure of meeting this artistic couple, but I have visited their shows for the last several years, and admired their work immensely. Ralph's painting "Gathering Storm over Point Reyes" was the Marinscapes Poster for 1991. I have always been one of the silent admirers of these great artists, who have paved the way for myself and others who now seek to paint the land for it to be remembered and saved as we move into times of uncertain future for our earth's health and climate. In honor of Ralph and the others that have taught us to paint with the spirit of giving back, I would like to share an upcoming show of several Marin artists who also seek to paint the land and farms of Marin and Sonoma County, in order to honor the local farms and give back to the local growers with a percentage of sales from the paintings. I hope you will have an opportunity to visit the latest show of "Art on the Farm" at the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium Foyer. To visit Martha at her studio, you will find her Gallery at 221 B Street in Point Reyes Station.
Condolences may be sent to:
Mrs. Martha Borge
PO Box 118
Point Reyes Station CA 94956
Contributions in Ralph’s memory may be sent to:
The CCA Ralph Borge Scholarship Fund
CCA Advancement Office
5212 Broadway
Oakland CA 94618

In the Studio Today... Bowling Pin Art

2009-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

(Mosaics; Tammy Lee-Sullivan, Cat; Katie Ruiz,"Estrella Hermana" or Star Sister;
Big Sister holding little sister; Barbara Lawrence, Wood and Glasswork; Leland Dennick.)

This is a plug for a GREAT local art event that is coming up on January 21st. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marin kicks off the new year with "Pins of Marin", a event that advertises and leads up to their biggest fundraiser of the year in March, "Bowl for Kids' Sake".

"Pins of Marin" is much like Hearts of San Francisco, but instead of painting or decorating hearts, the artists are asked to decorate bowling pins. Over 200 "Art Pins" will be displayed at a kick-off dinner and art reception next Wednesday night, 6-9pm, January 21, 2009, at Piatti Ristorante and Bar in Mill Valley. After the event, the pins are displayed in businesses throughout Marin to help advertise the upcoming "Bowl for Kids' Sake". The pins are also available to purchase via online auction from January through March. For more information, please email Tina Faulkner, or visit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay.

In the Studio Today...Show ends January 27th

2009-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Extended to January 27, 2009
Up to 40% off Paintings
Local Flora Flowers, Plants & Art Gallery
Adjacent to United Market
100 Red Hill Ave.
San Anselmo, CA
Download the pricelist as a pdf file
View photos of the show

My show at Local Flora, in San Anselmo, has been extended an additional 2 weeks until Tuesday, January 27th. After this date, watercolor paintings by fellow artist, Kate Peper, will be exhibited in the gallery. I hope you have enjoyed the show, and if you haven't seen it yet, that you will drop by in the next 2 weeks to enjoy my art surrounded by flowers and rustic gifts. It is Marin's version of SF's "Bouquet's to Art", in a way! It has been a pleasure to work with owner, Silke Vom Bauer, and I recommend this venue for other local Marin artists looking for a lovely setting to show their work.

To enter the Local Flora website, click the image, below.

In the Studio Today... Grafitti & Dog Photography

2009-01-09T20:30:00.001-08:00

Wonder Dog II, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I spent a warm, January Friday today in Bolinas, CA photographing an old friend and her beautiful dogs. It was a great day, and the dogs had so much fun. Bolinas has very unique and special beaches to visit with your dogs, and kids. Agate Beach boasts the most abundant tidepools, while the surfing beach is full of cool rock formations, mossy rocks, walls with fantastic and colorful grafitti, and surfers you can watch, gently coasting in on the long, low waves. I always stop at Gospel Flat Farmstand on the way out of town. They have amazing produce. Their fresh celery is the tastiest celery I have ever eaten. You can view my set of Bolinas beach photos from today here.

In the Studio Today... Christina Richard

2008-12-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day, 2008
I thought of entitling this post, "Christmas Duck", but that is not really so... Although this is my Christmas Day post, the duck is a pet, and lives on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver. I am delighted to have my dear friend, whom I worked with in the animation and edutainment industry in the 90's, now visiting and working in Marin for a few months. She brought me a copy of their local paper with a great feature about her work. Click on the images below to read about Christina.
Order a copy of the Gumboot Coloring Book Christina worked on

In the Studio Today... Cabin Commission

2008-12-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 16, 2008Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008Commission in progress; 12" x 16", o/c. I am working on two paintings of this lakeside cabin for a client. The client chose a photo with great shadows from the trees. There is a red bicycle in the foreground, still unpainted, but when I put the red bike in the foreground, it will pop forward with warm color. It's a nice composition to work with. It's always great when clients come to me with their special photos!

In the Studio Today...Local Flora Photos

2008-11-16T12:47:00.001-08:00

C. Proppé Reception at Local Flora, originally uploaded by cproppe.

I had a really nice reception at Local Flora yesterday, from 3-6pm. The weather was fantastic and we pulled the food outside to enjoy the sunset. Thank you Kate Peper, Danielle, Mom and Dad, BJ, Annelise, Laura, and Silke. Please go visit the show, now through January 10th. For more information, see my previous post, or visit the Local Flora website at www.marinflora.com. To view photos from the reception, please click here.

In the Studio Today... Local Flora Show & Pricelist

2008-11-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 10, 2008

This is the pricelist for my current show at Local Flora Gallery in San Anselmo. Click on the above photo to enlarge. You may also download this same pricelist as a pdf file for my current show. For more information about the show, please visit www.marinflora.com

In the Studio Today... Historical Mural Painting

2008-11-06T02:03:00.001-08:00

Leapin' for Obama, originally uploaded by Delta Niner.

My guess is that there will be a lot more murals to come in the next four years. It is a wonderful thing to see. This one is in Houston, Texas, outside of campaign headquarters there. This photo has been viewed on Flickr over 11,000 times. I think art tends to reflect what we are going through in the world, and artists really seem to be responding to Barack Obama's historical significance right now. His message of change, the idea of prosperity for all people- it is a really special time for the world, and I kept hearing people say how proud they were to be Americans today.

Yet, I got a pretty seething comment on my blog today, eluding to the fact that Marin County is "pure segregation" and wondering what this election will do for that. This goof was telling me to "paint black families, moving into their new homes in San Anselmo and Fairfax, and going to school with my kids." Sorry to disappoint your false sense of reality, but there really are plenty of black folks here, and yes, my kids attend school with children of color and they love them like all the other kids. I might paint a portrait of Obama's beautiful family someday, but until then, I have commissions from paying customers to help pay my own rent.

I don't know who keeps writing me these senseless messages, but it is really hateful, especially at a time when peace and hope have a real chance to prosper more than ever. Do I have to sit here and share with this freak who is writing me all the Black, Asian, Guatamalan, Korean, Thai, Hawaiian and so on... folks that live amongst me and yes, that I have invited into my home here? Do I really have to tell you that my sons attend a public school with black children to make you feel that Marin is not racist? That I have been a minority in a Church in Marin City? That one of my oldest friends is a white female preacher in a primarily black church community? That I have bathed a black person in a nursing home and tried to assist her in every way that I possibly could? That I have helped people that can't walk or see? That I have friends with children that are disabled? Friends and family with cancer? That I do care about all people? I hope there are not more people like you out there that don't believe in change right now... Our counry has spoken, and most people I know in my town, my friends, and family voted for Obama. Hopefully, he will draw the best and the brightest to work with him in Washington, and people will want to come and be a part of history, and help change things with fresh ideas. I believe things can only get better.

Why not talk about that, rather than put down poor artists that can't afford to pay their debt from attending art school? I have volunteered more time in the last 2 years to my community than I ever have in my entire life, and I get asked, almost weekly, to create art for free and donate it to this fundraiser, and the next one. Right now, 3 local fundraisers here have asked me for donations.... And yes, I will try to accomodate them, in between my paid work, my family, my volunteering for local schools, writing letters on behalf of other artists, newsletter design for groups for free... Please go and try to fluster someone else, Mr. Hateful Blogger. Marin loves people of all ethnicities and I have meet more worldly people here than I ever could have imagined.

In the Studio Today... Solo Show at Local Flora

2008-11-02T22:46:00.001-08:00

Sunday, November 2, 2008
"3 Belles, 1 Iris", Pt. Reyes, CA. 16" x 20", o/c. At Local Flora; $485.

I just hung a show of my paintings at Local Flora Gallery in San Anselmo. This is a unique Flower Shop which is a member of Marin Organic, and adjacent to United Market on Redhill Road, just before the Hub. This show will run through the holidays and I have discounted paintings 40-20% lower than usual. 40% of the purchase price goes back to the Local Flora Shop, and I donate an additional percentage of my plein air paintings painted on Marin Organic farms back to the Marin Organic Interest-Free loan fund for farmers. There will be a reception on Saturday, November 15th, so be sure to drop by and say hello and check out the shop. Photos to come later this week...

November 2, 2008 - January 10, 2009
Wine & Cheese Reception; Saturday, November 15th, 3-6pm
Local Flora Flowers, Plants & Art Gallery
Adjacent to United Market
100 Red Hill Avenue, San Anselmo, CA

In the Studio Today...Face Painting

2008-10-31T04:28:00.001-07:00

Cat Face; Halloween Eve, 2008., originally uploaded by cproppe.

I am working on Holiday commissions these days; lots of paintings of people's homes and places they want remembered in a painting. Besides this, it's Halloween! I painted this face on my son tonight, as a test to see how it will look for tomorrow. I may be painting it on 2 more times before the Holiday is over.... He has a parade at school tomorrow, and then the main event trick-or-treating is 4 hours later.... I don't think he will want to keep the face paint on for 4 hours.... So... Looks like I will be a pro at face painting by the time the night is out tonight! I have never actually painted faces before, but I think I would enjoy it, as long as I have designs to work from.