Second Day of Open Studios

Diane Martarano with her lovely artwork

Another view of Diane's space

Alison Turner with her art in the garden display

A partial view of my display area

Here you have some views of our studio, part of Silicon Valley Open Studios. There will be two additional weeks of SVOS, but we are not showing in the areas north of us. Diane Martarano does beautiful impressionistic work, many of them florals. Her small framed originals for Mother's Day and hostess gifts were popular again this year. Alison Turner enjoyed her post in the back gardens where her guests could take advantage of the back patio seating. Alison's work features animals in their natural habitat and wonderful scenes from the desert and mountain areas. She is an ambitious adventure traveler, which inspires her work. Alison and Diane are members of our elite South Side Art Club, along with Don, Arleta, and Penny. The Club grew from a class we took together and we we meet paint every Thursday evening. Penny and Arleta acted as greeters for the show, and Don came on Sunday to provide moral support and comraderie.

Sunday proved to be a slightly slower day than Saturday, the reverse of two Open Studios in the past. There was much going on, including a Sharks game, and the streets were quiet. I sold the ever popular cards and two additional paintings :

• "San Juan Bautiste Mission" - 11 x 14 watercolor
• "Holly's Iris" - 4 x 4 watercolor framed with a triple shadowbox mat

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the small iris painting. I found a lovely small frame that can sit on a shelf or table. It is square, black, and had a shadowbox triple mat. I specifically painted this small piece from the irises that bloom in my garden every year at this time. You can see them blooming now and our show patrons enjoyed them very much. The new owner has a special display in mind for a guest area in her home.

"Holly's Irises" on my side patio

These Irises are very special to me, started from bulbs gifted by a friend.

Rooster on a Mission

" Rooster on a Mission"

11" x 14"

You can take the title of this piece literally. A few days ago when I painted in San Juan Bautista, the feral chickens and roosters were busy running the streets of this tiny town. This rooster was hanging out at the Mission. He kept me company for a while as I sat painting, so I grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and quickly painted him without first drawing as I was afraid my subject would fly the coop. He had the most lucious colors in his feathers. This one was just plain fun. After a time, he drifted off and I packed up my painting supplies for the day.

Awhile back I added "Leo and His Ladies" to this blog. He is the family rooster, belonging to my son's family. Jeff told me that never in Leo's wildest dreams did he imagine he would be that famous. I told him that Leo would be surprised when people started "flocking" to his coop. I am hoping that Leo isn't jealous with he sees the Mission Rooster. Yes, we do have some fun with the art.