Better hurry to Art Prize

If you are able to go to Art Prize in Grand Rapids Michigan, better hurry if you want to vote on the st round. The first round ends Wed night. Then it is on to vote for the top ten. Great show!! Unwieldy but great none the less.

Art Prize show

We went to Art Prize in Grand Rapids Michigan today. It is a BIG show. It covers
3 sq miles, 193 venues,1,713 Artists and 449,000 dollars in prizes. The chances of winning are not real good. I am happy to be in the show. Kenny and I went to some of the venues that are least visited and saw some great art. It is too bad that most people will go to a smaller area and not bother to search out some of the great art in other areas. There is so much to see, I think it is really too big. We made a small dent in what we would like to see. I guess I will have to look at some of it online. If you can go, do. The show is worth seeing. The art is diverse and some is wonderful. You have to go in person to vote and the voting on the first round ends Wednesday night. The top ten will be voted on the next week. I wonder whose idea this was. It was a good one. I am glad to be a little part of Art Prize.

Art Prize in Grand Rapids

WOW! I am an official Art Prize artist. This has been an exciting experience.
My painting is located at San Chez Bistro at Thirty Eight West Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Kenny and I are going back to check out all of the art we can tomorrow afternoon.
What fun. This is a great show. If you have not heard of it before go to http://artprize.org to check it out. It was a charmer to enter. It took awhile to do it online. I had to reenter my bio about 3 times. I would hit the save button and it was gone. It is done, and hopefully people will pick up my cards and consider buying may art. That would be wonderful. Hope you can all go check out the art at Art Prize either in person or online.

Spring

Spring has been very busy. I have barely survived the winter since we had an auto
accident in December totaling our van and making me the very bruised traveler.
It was quite the miracle that we were not badly hurt. Another auto slid across the
wide media and hit 2 cars before hitting us head on,we saw them coming and slowed down but there was no place to go. Ah, well, we all survived. No one had to go to the Hosp.
I had some bad bruises and that was it, except it seems to have unnerved me artistically. I'm getting back into the groove. Some friends and I are trying new things. We all have art supplied that we never got around to using, so we are trying them out once per week.Last week and this we tried out pastels.
So much for my blocks. I entered Artprize this week and need a venue quickly.
More on that later.
Up and coming is the Grand River show at ART 634...must get to painting quickly. I will post pics as soon as I get them.
I think I am back.

Sandhill Cranes continue

Sandhill Cranes are beautiful and fascinating birds. Some people think they are prehistoric in apperance. I think they are amazing. Right now, I am working on four small paintings of these birds. Some are on paper, which I enjoy greatly. I love the process of watching the painting form and illuninate the beauty of the birds.
This painting celebrates the shapes of the these amazing creatures while flying and just being who and what they are. It is a bit different from my usual style or rather painting format. I just wanted to show the shapes and some of their movements. I hope you like it.
Hopefully more will come soon.

Birds of Jackson

Here is another small painting, this time on paper. It is mixed media.
We have a growing population of Sandhill cranes here in Jackson County,to the
frustration of many farmers since they do chow down on freshly planted corn.
They are fascinating birds and many people enjoy observing them.
Personally, I love their feathers and the way they turn from a blue-grey to
a brownish color at least in spots as they bathe in dust.
Stay tuned for more, I did start a sandhill crane on canvas, but was not happy with
a few things, so, that work of art is still in progress.Stay tuned for more Birds of Jackson.
Till then...Have a great week or 2. Betty Kay

New Series begins

Here it is, the first in my series of Birds of Jackson Michigan. Jackson is now being promoted as a bird watching area, and It should have been sooner. Therefore, it needs illustrations of the birds we see here all of the time. This fellow was a return visitor to a pond in front of a cemetary on N. Elm st. My husband photographed him every year until sadly, he came no more. He had no mate and looked a little scraggly if you were able to see him or her up close. We were so sad when he did not come back, but we have many photos to remind us of our friend and now a painting to remind of his life. He is or was a heron. We miss him.

I'm now working on Sandhill cranes. They are beautiful birds with a delightful dance. We see them summer to late fall. I'll put my finished work up as soon as I'm happy with it. These are small paintings, but I intend to also paint them on larger canvases too. I hope you like them. Look around you and pay a little more attention to the birds. they are wonderful. Till next time, have a great tomorrow. Betty K.

What's new

Today is the garage sale at Art 634. I don't know if I'll have anything garagy to sell or not. However, I started a new series of paintings this week. In honor of Jackson Michigan going to the birds (Bird watcher town), I have started a series of bird paintings. The first is a blue heron that my husband Kenny enjoyed photographing a few years ago. He (the heron) was always seen in a pond here in Jackson. He was a bit scraggly looking. I think he or she was old and had no mate, but year after year turned up at the same place, then last year, no bird. We were very sad about the lack of heron. So, in honor of our bird, the first is his portrait. Next will be sandhill cranes. Birds are such beautiful creatures. By the way, there will be a Sandhill Crane festival here in October at the Sandhill Crane Vineyard and Winery. The blue bird festival is hopefully coming back. That festival is in the talking stages.

Back to this weekend... Art 634 in Jackson Michigan, garage sale Sat. and Sunday. Sunday is also the 2nd Sunday with music and who knows what all, so come on over to join us for art, music and fun on Sat. and Sunday afternoon. I'll look forward to seeing you all.