New things, New Year!

First of all,  I am wishing everyone including myself a Happy "Ninja" New Year!  I am excited.  I gave myself permission awhile ago and I hope I continue to listen to my voice telling me to "go ahead, do it, do it."  I know.  .  .  "do what?"  Well .  .  .   "whatever within reason."  That means a  lot.  I have opened my own Etsy shop.  If you would like to take a look, type in Peggi Kroll Roberts in the search box, click on that and it should take you to my store.  This is where I am selling my "personal, experimental, not what the galleries want" work.  And because of that I am able to sell it at affordable prices.  Heaven knows there are so many artists and works out there that I would love to own but I simply cannot afford most of it.  I do trades but I can't come up with the $$.  AND! I wish people would look for ORIGINAL art and not all these giclee prints!  I mean it's simply "Ink on Paper" and I think they are WAY OVER PRICED!  Priced accordingly I would NOT have a problem with it. Now that does NOT INCLUDE wonderful woodcuts, mono prints etc.  I want to know the artist had a real hand in it.  I mean you can go into a museum shop and find a wonderful poster of a master work for what? 25 bucks??  So why would I pay $1000 for a print!  And especially if it had a run of 200 or more.  Come on! I don't believe they will hold their value.  Sorry, but that is the way I feel about it.  Buy Original art.  

"Ninja Lady"

Below are the recent works in gouache that  I will be placing in my Etsy store.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  "If you don't ask, you don't get."  I simply want to "Paint, teach and sell." 

(And travel.)  

"Long Flowing Hair"

SOLD

"Table Top with Blue Creamer"

"Table Top with Olive Oil"

SOLD

"Table Top with Bowl of Fruit"

SOLD

"Table Top with Backlighting"

SOLD

"Table Top with Yellow Coffee Pot"

"Table with Flowers"

SOLD

Building a Series.

I continue to work on my series of gouache paintings and I am trying to build a body of these that cross over into abstraction.  I am loving it and whenever venturing in a new direction one must build a "portfolio" to show this direction was fully explored.  Sometimes the reaction is "wow, these are so different for you."  Well, not really.  This has been inside of me for a long time and I plan to continue to explore as much as I can.  And BTW they are for sale!

March on!

"Center of Attention"

Gouache

6" x 9"

$65

Plus shipping and CA tax where applicable

"Floral"

Gouache

6" x 81/2"

$65

SOLD

"Portal'

Gouache

6" x 81/2"

$65

Plus shipping and CA tax where applicable

"Loops"

Gouache

6" x 9"

$65

Plus Shipping and CA Tax where applicable

A few new works and "Nonsense Work No.1"

I wrote in an earlier post about how I was going to "explore more".  Well, I have been working in gouache and creating works to translate into larger pieces in oil.  I am hoping they will work up well to about 30" x 40" in size and I plan I limiting my number of strokes so that means using some BIG brushes.

"Palm in Window"

Gouache

8" x 6"

  

"Floral, Pink Vase"

Gouache

8" x 6"

Can you see this as a large oil painting?  We'll see.  I have to give it a shot.

"Nonsense #1"

Gouache

Now hence, part of the title of the post.  I am creating what I title "Nonsense Paintings No. 1"  and the numbers will go up from there.  I don't know the name of that poetry style where you "just write whatever pops into your head". Anyone know that?  So I am gathering reference, giving it no preplanning and just filling a page.  I am working in Gouache and am having so much fun.  That's what it needs to be.

Ok, while I was in Scottsdale teaching a workshop I revisited a few times, a favorite spot to paint.  We lived in Scottsdale for 13 years.  This pond is home to ducks and swans and geese.  It is so peaceful and in the middle of the city.  I have done many paintings here.  I stopped and did a few tonal works with my white and burnt umber gouache.  I miss this spot.  

Just a peek.

I have a lot of artist friends.  Aren't you curious about what their homes look like?  I am.  I think there is a notion that all of us artists live a somewhat eccentric life.  And maybe our homes would reflect that.  Ours is modest and I love our home.  It's about 1400 sq. ft.  The garage is a two car garage but we use it to store everything but cars.  Our studio is a separate building about 50 ft. from our front door.  We have another building that we'd love to turn into a guest house someday.  So how about a peek into our home.

A hallway to the back bedrooms and I use these walls to hang work by artist friends and family.   

One of the bedrooms.  Our smallest one but it works.  Found this great rug.  Look how good Auggie looks on it!   Wish I had matching bed frames.  But there was only one and it is Rock Maple and it was $17!  There are a few decorating blogs I follow.  I would love to intern for someone like Katherine Ireland or Bunny Williams.  I dream of having a "put together" home and some people have an incredible knack.  And we have had to do ours "on a dime" but finding a bargin is a thrill.  Plus we have had to keep in mind (when decorating Ha!)  the three kids, all their friends,  all the pets, living in the country.  Looks like I need to straighten some frames!

This was our sons room.  Now it's a guest room.  But Rex, honey, you know it will always be your room!  Simple.  And look how good Auggie and Benny look on the guest bed!  

This is really my favorite room.

 You can see a nice fire going in the wood stove.  Today it's pretty chilly out and I love to sit in this room and work and keep Ray company while he watches NBA.  The fire gets roaring and keeps us so toasty warm.

You should have seen this kitchen before!!  We have knocked out a few walls in the 15 years we have lived here.  And this was also done "on a dime".  Thank you Lowes.  

Our dining area "slash" command central "slash" scheduling headquarters "slash" conference room!  I hate the light over the table!  Cannot  believe I chose that thing.  Was in a rush, very little to choose from so I settled in a hurry.  Bummer.  Will change that someday soon! 

And I have accents like this all over the place.  I love this bowl.  I bought this while on a trip to Nashville.  My host took me to a "market" where this elderly gentleman and his whole family created these marvelous ceramic works.  I had to have this for $40.  His mother made this piece of art!

I took a workshop myself.

A great perk I receive for teaching at the Scottsdale Artist School is I get to take a workshop of my choice (with the permission of the chosen instructor).  Like an instructor trade.  I was lucky enough to take Mark Daniel Nelson's workshop combining realism and abstraction.  It was fantastic.  First, I can't recommend highly enough taking this class.  Taking any class from Mark would be great.  He is a really good and thorough teacher.  His demos are great.  His slide shows pertaining to each idea are brief and to the point.  He gets us excited to start the next painting idea and keep going.

A couple of things that really stuck with me is he talks about design and "the big dumb shape" and the creative curve from "1 to 5" and how if we can stay in the zone of "2 and 3" this is where we will create our most honest and intuitive work.  So interesting.  I just got so much more out of this.  

We did exercises paying close attention to cropping.  We did sketching outdoors.  Just walking around and randomly drawing, only to later bring them to the studio and create works from them.  And even to create  works from maybe just a section of the larger piece. 

He's big into cropping, rearranging, using photoshop and creating these marvelous compositions with wonderful color.  Check him out on Facebook or www.gallery1261.com.

Here are a few of his works below.  Amazing. 

So I dove in and have to say I felt like a "duck out of water" and loved it.  This is just the start I needed and the words I needed in order to keep giving my self permission to go on to other ideas.  To allow myself to experiment more.  I love a good abstract work and ya know, they are not easy and "NO ! a monkey couldn't do what Joan Mitchell did!"

I didn't go hard core abstract but I pushed myself and here are a few examples of work below.  I did a ton!   I am going to take several of them and find that "big dumb shape" and work it into the piece. 

Working on cropping.  This was the first idea to think about.

So I just grabbed random objects, juggled them around and played with the cropping.

And we were to try and approach the drawing with a more child like interpretation just to see where it would take us.  

Then I had to move on to some figure work.  I just started looking around the class and composing without too much judgement.  That's another thing he talked about!  Avoiding the judgement zone on the curve.  A lot of doubt and second guessing will creep in!  

I cropped in on a car I drew out in the parking lot and played with the screaming red.  

Oh, I worked in Holbein Acryla Gouache and regular gouache for the 3 days.  How I wished it would have been a 5 day workshop.

More of the students in the class.  Just turned around and had this great view.

Had a lot of fun with this.  Really pushed the composition and then created the big crop with the one below.

And another working with the figure.

Busy with the Beach!

For while there, galleries were requesting more "Beach" paintings and I couldn't seem to find them anywhere inside of me!  I was on to other things just trying to renew my energy.  I took a couple of ceramic classes.  I decided to draw at night.  I tried doing some abstracts.  I was a teaching maniac all over the place.  It was taking all I had.  But for some reason, after teaching my Scottsdale workshop and being with such a great group of people, I was able to explore the beach again.  And bigger too!

"Beach Patterns"

16" x 20"

Oil on Canvas Panel

"Pacific Grove Overlook"

18" x 24"

Oil on Canvas Panel

"Child's Play"

16" x 20"

Oil on Canvas Panel

"Torrey Pines Umbrellas"

24" x 30"

Oil on Canvas Panel

"Building Dreams"

18" x 24"

Oil on Canvas Panel

I WANT one!

Yes, I want one.  Can you imagine?!  Of course we would need a full time crew.  The crew would need to be Air Force trained and looking for a cush job with great benefits and plenty of time for their families.  And then we would have a townhome in Scottsdale and  I would hanger the aircraft at the Scottsdale Airport.  I could say to Ray, "Sweetheart, we need to see the show at the Met in New York but we would have to be back in time to take the kids to Hawaii for Christmas." And then I could say, "Tammi, I will pick you and Chuck and Trevor and Bob and Deb and Bill and Nici up at the Menominee Airport and we are going to Hawaii for two weeks and get you out of that cold Michigan winter!"  

So I guess I need to build an empire a la Martha Stewart, Tom Cruise, or whoever else owns their own plane with crew!!!   So it's just fun to do some crazy creative visualization!  

And if the one above is too much then how about the one below!  Can you imagine!  No more commercial flying going through those stressful TSA lines.  Fully reclining seats.  My own armrests.  Setting your own hours.  A cashmere blanket on each seat.  And, and, and.  I will have to sell a lot of DVDs, paintings, note cards, MVPs, books and what else am I going to have to create?!  Diane Von Furstenburg did amazing things all starting with her signature wrap dress.  It can't be something with food.  I absolutely hate to cook even though my scalloped potatoes and ham is delicious.  And you know what else?!  I would be part of that Angel Flight program donating hours to flying people and animals in need and getting them to where they need to go. 

What fun! 

Scottsdale Airport is where I learned to fly.  I got my pilot's license when I was 19.   I did my Ground School through Arizona State University.  I took all my check rides from this airport.  My final solo cross country flight was from Scottsdale to Blythe, CA of all places during the middle of the summer no less.  Talk about thermals and a bumpy ride as I came down in altitude.  I learned to fly in Cessna 150s and 172s.  I loved it!  Such freedom but responsibility.  I used to think I wanted to be a corporate pilot but chose a career in art.  And this was a perfect airport to learn to fly at.  They had a Unicom at the time and now they have a Control Tower.  It's quite different now from when I was training there some 40 years ago!      

Back from Scottsdale.

Every year during November I teach a 5 day workshop for the Scottsdale Artist School.  I was raised in Litchfield Park, Az and later lived in Scottsdale, Az during my early twenties after Art Center and then later in my thirties to raise the kids.  It's going back to my old stomping grounds and seeing old friends.  I love Arizona.  And I love the Scottsdale Artist School.  They run a top notch program and draw an incredible roster of instructors.  I usually teach a figure class, studio and plein aire.  

Below are photos of some of the stuff I bring!  Costumes, teaching tools, paint, equipment.  Lots of stuff.    

This is the class working very hard!  We had a lot of exercises to cover over the week and this group was so receptive to experimenting!  Love that!  There were 13 students and 2 lovely models.

Sometimes I bring 5 boxes of costumes.  We had one fabulous day at a private home with a beautiful pool belonging to one of the participants.  The weather was perfect.  

Remnant Kits, big discounts.

I am pleased that I keep receiving requests for the Value and Color Kit.  Some of you may already know that I have taken it off our website and sort of discontinued the product.  Can something be successful and a nightmare at the same time? 

What happened was we created this kit.  And a DVD to go with it.  Put a ton of work into it.  Bought spray guns, sanders, chop saw and ordered a ton of kiln dried wood.  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find spheres and cylinders.  Also bought bolts of fabrics in all sorts of colors to offer the greatest variety possible of color and value relationships.  Began production.  Rainy season.  Not painting, just cutting cloth and spraying blocks.  

Bad batch of wood!  Supposedly kiln dried but sap starts seeping like crazy.  Very discouraged.  Put out on market.  Tons of orders.  Fill them and try to make more.  Tell ourselves this is insane!!!  What about China?  Minimum order of $30,000.00!!!  Plus want to produce in USA with USA products and help.  Forget this!!  Have lots and lots of shapes left. Out of drop cloths.  Out of some shapes but plenty left of the most important ones.  

Creating remnant kits for big discounts!

So the deal is I am putting together kits that are reduced in price.  And in case you already have the Value/Color DVD I am offering any DVD you choose out of the 18 produced to go with the kit.  

Pricing below.

Contact me at peggi@krollroberts.com

                                                            And a lot more left!!

"Kit 1"

15 Shapes

Free DVD

Shipping/Handling

$68

SOLD

"Kit 2"

15 Shapes

Free DVD

Shipping/Handling

$68

SOLD

"Kit 3"

14 Shapes

Free DVD

Shipping/Handling

$68

SOLD

"Kit 4"

15 Shapes

Free DVD

Shipping/Handling

$68

SOLD

"Kit 5"

14 Shapes

Free DVD

Shipping/Handling

$68

SOLD