Abstract Art from My Advanced Art Class!

Kids are awesome artists...

 Ann

 Christina

 Danielle

 George

 

 Grace

 Kimberly

Megan 

 Rockell

 Sara

 Sophia

Tayla

Annie is Done!

 

Wish we all could have known Annie...thanks, Mary Ann, for sharing her! Those eyes....

Annie, the Latest Commission

I want to introduce you to Annie, who has occupied a fair bit of my time lately.  I can tell she was a sweet girl.  She belonged to my friend and co-worker, Mary Ann, and passed away 8 years ago.  The family has never been able to get another dog since.  I am happy to be able to draw Annie for Mary Ann and her husband!  I'll show you the rest when I am done!

 

BMS Winter in Waikiki Family Fun Night and Auction!!!

When:  Friday, January 28th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the BMS Gym
Cost:  $6.00 in advance/Family Pass for up to 5 for $25

Come support the Benicia Middle School PTSA fundraiser!  There will be fun activities, a silent auction, and a light meal is included.  I will be auctioning off a single 5x7 portrait to support the cause...but there will be many other cool items as well!

The Frida Pig you see here is one I made to support the Benicia Education Foundation. Other Benicia artists and art students made additional fun piggy banks!  You will find these pigs in various stores and restaurants around town.  The event is called "Pigs on Parade." Plunk your extra coins in the pigs when you see them!  They will also be auctioned off in the spring.  My pig can be found in Piccolo on First Street.

Art of a Community Show at Arts Benicia

Hey all...AB is once again hosting their Art of a Community show.  The show will open this upcoming Thursday, the 20th of January, and the reception will be Saturday night the 22nd from 7-9 p.m. Come support local artists!  See ya there!

Crab Feel/Crab Feed

Saturday, January 29th, the Benicia Public Service Employees are holding a crab feed at B.D.E.S Hall in Benicia with net profits benefitting Arts Benicia!  Many of you may know our (AB's) city funding was massively cut recently, so it is very cool for the BPSE to do this.  Tickets are $35 each, and I have some to sell! 

Why crab feel?  It was a late-night typo I did on facebook and I kind of liked it! 

January Sunshine

Happiness!  Put my last vacation chore off until today, and seemed to have picked the perfect day...sunshine!

Learned a couple of things:  who knew night-blooming jasmine grew prolifically in the winter and would need a trim, and who knew a cat would follow me around like a puppy as I gardened? 

Things I thought about in the garden:  I am thankful that I saw from both my dad's and my nan's examples that caring and loving unconditionally is a winner for everyone.  I try to keep this at the front of my brain always.  Never miss a chance to tell others how much you appreciate what they have done for you, or how much they mean to you.  It's a free gift to the giver and the recipient!

Thing I need to learn:  how to re size photos on this blog!  I can get the boxes on the corners, and it looks like I am shrinking it, but then it just goes back to normal!

Last day of vacation...about 90 new kids to meet tomorrow and about 60 to hear new stories from!  :0)

Holiday Card

I got motivated to do a Christmas card this year, and plan to do once each year based on some piece of art I have already done and love.  I went with the owl theme this year and did "Los Buhos de Navidad."

The Start of Commission Work

So once I had some confidence, I offered myself for commission work.  My first piece was for Jes, my friend Tommy's sister.  It is of a friend of hers.  Jes lives in Louisiana, so it was all done through email and snail mail.

For Jes

Next, Tommy's neighbors Jay and Star wanted a gift for Jay's parents.  This was from a favorite cruise picture they took.  I have since met Jay's folks and they are as happy as they look in the picture!

For Jay and Star

Next, the then chair of the Arts Benicia board, Gene, asked me to do his folks.  I was honored to be asked to do work for Gene who is a collector of art.

For Gene

Gene's partner, Dan, also asked me to do his folks.  Again, honored, especially since Dan's mom was sick with cancer.  He went to see her, bringing the drawing as a gift, and she died within days.  Dan wanted his dad to have this drawing for his dad, since it was from a favorite photo they always wanted to have blown up, but Dan had made into a drawing instead.  Cool.

For Dan

Next, my friend Dennis C. asked me to do three different dogs as gifts for friends....a very generous thing to do.  I did two for him to give his friend Boz, then one for his buddy Mike.  Mike's dog, Roxy, had passed away and was much missed.

For Boz

Roxy, for Mike

Mike loved the drawing of Roxy, and Dennis C. shared this with me.  "Mike got choked up when I gave the picture to him, and today he said to tell you that you really captured her.  He said that is the look she always gave him when she wanted to go for a walk or have a treat. She has a little smile on her face.  He was truly touched and loved it."

So later, Mike commissioned me to draw his other dog who had also passed away, Rory.  Again, honored. Mike shared, "Pat - I received the drawing of Rory.  Spectacular!  Just like I thought! Thanks so much.  I'll recommend you to other people...you really are good."

I gotta say, it feels dang good to get this sort of feedback! 

Rory



Submitting to Gallery Shows

As I was considering offering my work for commissions, I also started submitting to gallery shows.  Wow, scary.  Kind of like it must feel the first time a singer hits a stage for an audience.  What if I stink and my fellow artists mock me?  What if we weren't really "fellows" and I was just a hack, and they were the artists?  Well, I had to just do it.  No other way to know if I fit in other than to try and fit in.  So I put work in Arts Benicia's Art of a Community show in January, 2010.  The piece didn't sell, but I didn't audibly hear anyone laughing.  There it was, my piece, on a wall, in a gallery.  Wow. 

I drew an ocean-themed picture I just loved that Dennis's daughter Trista took in Hawaii.  I love Spanish, so titled it "Tortuga."

I wanted the turtle to look like it was coming out of the page.  This started a technique I am still using often, where the subject escapes its borders

My next piece is "Pelicano" drawn from a great picture my sister Barb took. It was on the wall at a show called H20 at Sebastopol Center for the Arts in July of 2010.  No one bought it, but there I was again, this time at a juried show where no one knew me, on a wall, like real art.

I drew two other pieces for this show, but they were not accepted.

Ola Caida

Leones del Mar

I will have these two pieces in the upcoming Art of a Community show, January-February 2011 at Arts Benicia.  I still really love them.  I wanna be where that wave is! The bubbles are Trista's again. The palm trees are from a photo I took on the big island in Hawaii, and my sister inspired the sea lion section.

This past year, I also had two pieces in the "Bees at the Bee" show in Sacramento.

Hover

Close-Up

Then this fall, in November and December, I had a couple of pieces in my second juried show, "small works", at Arts Benicia.

El Buho Con Ojos de Color

El Gato en la Ciudad

The cat came from a photo my cousin Jocelyn took when on a trip to Greece.  Thanks, Jocelyn!

How It Started

I have an art degree from Cal State, Long Beach.  I had the degree, but only played with drawing on the side and kept it pretty private.  Then much later, actually quite recently, I wanted a way to do something special for friends and family, so I put aside the sketchbook and started drawing on real paper, making real drawings that could be matted and framed, like real art!  I started with drawings for my friend Dennis. I drew him and his daughters.

 Dennis

 Brittany

Trista

I thought they turned out okay, so went on to draw my family.

 Dad, Joe

 Greta, Stepmom

Ian, Nephew

Kyle, Nephew

Connor, my "nephew by choice"

I was getting some great reactions, and was pretty excited.  I challenged myself by adding even more detail.  It took a fair bit of time to do these, so someone suggested I might start charging for them, and offer myself for commission work. Eventually, I did this, but was compelled to add another drawing for a friend, Kathy.  I drew her beautiful blue-eyed daughter Kami in what Kathy calls her "Gaga" pose.

Kamden

Kingston

I also chose to try my hand at pets, so drew my friend Angela's dog Kingston in both graphite and colored pencil, just to see how they would come out.  Everyone LOVES the graphite one!  Folks around town know Kingston and recognized him in the drawing!

Also, I was inspired by the lovliness of a couple of my pregnant friends, so drew Tara with Ezri inside.  She was beautiful.  I love this drawing, because I love Tara, Josh and Ezri!

Ezri Inside