Rainy Sunday, new salvage art, et cetera.

I'm headed for my barn soon, so I hope the rain will let up; chilly and gray but the whole landscape is splashed with bright fall yellow, orange, red. So it's not bad at all, though I think I am going to need another good pair of gloves soon.

Meanwhile, new work: The Same Old Bright Idea, found objects and oil paint, 13" H x 6" W. $350.



For me this has something to do with watching our culture try to recycle the same concepts that failed the last time around -- selling the same old thing while the rest of us just try to keep the lights on.

UPDATE! This piece has now SOLD.

Studio Stuff

So I finally got a studio space set up in the basement here, and it's a lot more cozy and pleasant than I'd ever expected.

Photos of the space to come soon; meanwhile, here's what I've been up to in there. A bit of drawing as I get back in the groove so I can go forth and paint once more:



Above, Appaloosa #3, charcoal and pastel on painted paper, approx. 10 x 13.5".

Below: Mare Sketch, charcoal and chalk on newsprint. This was a warmup drawing and I really like it so I'm sharing it here.

Vinny the Rooster

Vinny belonged to Barbara at Coffee On Broadway in Robbinsdale, MN. He is sadly deceased, and today I drew an homage from some snapshots Barbara had on hand.

Vinny the Rooster, graphite, charcoal pencil and chalk on paper, approx. 7 x 9."




9/30 UPDATE! This drawing now has a new home with Barbara of Coffee On Broadway, here in Robbinsdale.

$99 Sale at The Soap Factory!

On Friday night, Sept. 19th, the Soap Factory opened its fourth annual $99 Sale.

The sale featured over 230 works -- each one 5 x 7" in size and priced at just $99. One of them was my New Hope, pictured below, a tiny wall-sculpture made of found objects:




My piece sold within an hour of the show's opening. There was music, great food, beer and wine, and every time I thought I had seen all the art I would discover another piece I had missed.

Toward the end of the night, a team of ghost hunters came in, scheduled to spend the night in the place (which really was a very old soap factory in its former life) looking for evidence of spirits.

I had a wonderful evening and can't wait to do it again next year.

New Salvage Art.

Blue Bird. Found objects and oil paint, 22" H x 13.5" W

Moved to Minnesota!

I finally did it -- got out of Southwest Florida and on to cooler pastures in the Minneapolis area.

There's a whole new world here, and I soon expect to be teaching art, displaying art, and generally having the career I couldn't have built in Ft. Myers. Below, my first new work since moving:

The Night House. Found objects and oil, 22" H x 11" W.




Below, a detail shot. Click to view at approximately the actual size of the work.

Fresh Paint!

Little Stallion. Oil on canvas, 10 x 10".



This was recently finished. Its companion piece, the Little Mare, is in progress:



This -- all dark red and brown -- is what the first one looked like in its early stages, too. It's always amazing, even to me, that I can get from here to there.

Show at ACT Gallery, Fort Myers, FL

Friday, 3/7/08

It was a beautiful evening. ACT Gallery has a remarkable space, with its antique wood floors and brick walls. Many thanks to Gallery Director, Claudia Goode, for her work in arranging the art.



That's me in the green shirt, having a lot of fun talking to people.

Now for something that I've decided is a Law of the Universe: The art you haven't photographed yet is the art that will sell. I had to go back today and take a photo of this piece while I still could, before its new owner takes it home:



A Thousand Little Stories. Salvaged objects, oil, colored pencil. Approx. 13" high.
$300. SOLD.

To see more of my salvage art, visit my website:
www.traciethompsonart.com

Six minutes of fame

That's what I got this morning, when my brother and I were guests on our local FOX station's morning show. This would be FOX 4 Rising in Ft. Myers, FL.

We had to arrive at the station at about 6:30 (mind-bogglingly early, by artist standards) and they did two three-minute segments with us, about an hour apart. The first of those two interviews is posted HERE on their website.

The process was much more relaxed and enjoyable than I had thought it would be, and everyone at FOX 4 was great. I'd definitely do it again if I had the opportunity.

My sincere thanks to Claudia Goode and Arts for ACT Gallery, without whom this art show and all its nice media coverage would never have happened.

My brain hurts!

In this case, though, the pain is a good thing.

I've been attending a three-day workshop in pastel portraiture, taught by the amazingly skilled Greg Biolchini. Today was day two.

I'm a total newbie when it comes to pastels. It's a medium I've always loved to look at, but never tried to work in until now.

Sometimes I feel like my brain is going to melt and leak out my ears. That's how I know I'm getting my money's worth; the learning curve is steep. It's quite enjoyable, though, and as skilled as Greg is, he's a lot of fun and very genuinely a nice guy.