A lot can change

In one month, this month, a lot has changed in my art career.

I left Perigold and started to inquire about Chairish. Cherish is a website that sells new and vintage pieces of furniture and artwork to the public and designers. Next I had a phone call with Chairish. They were fantastic!

They took me on right away and now are working on adding me to their featured artists list.

Next Mitchell Hill and I parted ways. I still think everyone there is sweet and professional but it was just not working. I immediately submitted to the gallery, Trager Contemporary in Charleston, and was surprised to get a reply the next day. We set up a meeting and I went downtown with a few paintings and Voila! a new gallery space for me.

I have also been working on a commission for a designer in the Boston area.

So to say a lot can change in very little time is an understatement for me!

Artist Dorothy Shain

We are on "Spring break" here which means, for me, working from home is extra hard. I think I will devote the blog posts this week entirely to art. So be sure to check back after getting to know the lovely, Dorothy Shain.

I visited Redux studios in Charleston just over a month ago and it was a late Saturday afternoon. Only a few artists were there working. Dorothy Shain stuck out in my mind because of her charming, welcoming demeanor. Did I mention her wonderful artwork?!?

I looked at her website as soon as I got back to my hotel and discovered a Virginia connection. The girl sailed around the world with UVA's sailing program! I emailed her as soon as I was back in Virginia and began to get to know her work a bit.

Photos courtesy of Brooke Kiernan  http://www.brooke-kiernan.com/

Get a load of that figure! It is one of the pieces that really moves me.

Photos courtesy of Brooke Kiernan  http://www.brooke-kiernan.com/

I asked Dorothy to tell me a bit more.

Here are a few of the things that Dorothy had to say in her own words:

"My current work is extremely explorative. My paintings aim to channel my inner William de Kooning with bright colors, mixed media, and gestural drawings. I often feel like my painting is not finished unless I leave the studio with paint in my hair, ears & on my phone. These works are my fun/ wild works. I get very lost in them, don't focus on detail, and let completely loose. 

 

My pen & ink drawings are opposite. They are very tightly wound & require a great deal of attention to detail."

"Inspiration: Talking to other creatives around town, collaborating & traveling. Meeting new people really fuels my process and causes my wheels to spin. Current artist/ designer obsession:  http://www.eloi.us  - She is fueling my play with paper cut outs. 

 

On the horizon: A collaboration with Tink + Tiger  http://www.tinkandtiger.com/

     An art show on  http://www.loveyoumeanitblog.com/

     An art + interior designer dinner with  http://furbishstudio.com/ &    http://thesogood.com/blog/ "

  

I encourage you to look at her website. I think it is a fresh take on an artist's website that is well executed.

Also, visit Redux studios in person, if you can, but certainly the artists that use the studio space warrant a web visit.

This is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and unsolicited.

New art series

 

"Moonlit reverie"20 x 24

I began a new series of paintings last week.  maybe you saw a few on Instagram or Facebook. I usually work on 3 to 5 at a time so they come together quickly. I work a bit on one and then sideline it to work on another, all the while keeping each in view so that I can see "what it needs next".

The series is titled "My side of the arbor" mainly as a tool to help me keep my focus but also as a theme.
I am introducing the series here because it is the direction I want my art to take. I have painted many different types of abstracts and never really developed my "look". Painting authentically and for myself looks like this and I plan to continue exploring this style and theme.

"Folly" 18 x 24 oil on canvas by Kerry Steele

"Lysie's wisteria" 30 x 48 oil on canvas

"Kissing Puck"

"Crocus" 20 x 24

"Sylphid" 20 x 20 oil on canvas

I plan to continue painting figures also while limiting my abstract work to this theme.
Keep an eye on my "abstracts"  and "new work" pages to see the latest.

5 artists to follow on Instagram

Christina Baker

I'd be nuts not to start with my artist bestie, Christina Baker.  Christina lives in Nashville and is represented by Gregg Irby Fine Art. Follow her here.

Wendy McWilliams

Wendy McWilliams is another Nashville based artist that I follow. She has done some edgy and dark abstracts and is posting very feminine, pastel colored works lately and the sheer volume she is putting out is amazing and I want them all. Follow her here.

Pamela Munger

I love Pamela Munger's wide range of abstracts, still life and landscape paintings.

Follow her here

Alexis Walter

I have been following New Orleans based artist Alexis Walter for a while an and her earthy, textural work is beguiling. Follow her here

Windy O'Connor

I am a major fan of Windy O'Connor's vibrant abstracts. She is represented by Hidell-Brooks in Charlotte, NC and Atelier in Charleston, SC. Follow her here

Etsy love

My blog headline, "Etsy love" has literal meaning today as I introduce Madeleine's Metier, my 16 year-old daughter's shop on Etsy.

She has raided my watercolor supply and began simply by painting what she liked for herself. Its a familiar story around here. I suggested the Etsy store and she was really into the idea. Its a big change from her declaration a year ago that she can't paint and is not creative.

I am enormously proud of her.

Many of her paintings are based on photographs but she really likes the fashion illustrations best.

Take a peek at her other offerings HERE.

Happy Valentine's Day!

New artist spotlight- Sam Kimura

Its funny how you run across things on Etsy that are just what you were looking for or better.

In my search for portraits for my son's room redo, I found Sam's Etsy shop.

It dawned on me to commission something and I liked her loose style. This was for the ORC linking event so I was a little terrified, but the commission exceeded my expectations. Sam mentioned to me that she is a student so I assumed that she is an art student but that is not the case.

Her work is really wonderful. Here is what she told me about her background:

"I am a painter from Louisville, Kentucky and a current student at Western Kentucky University. I major in religious studies and minor in psychology and I do art on the side. Ever since I can remember, I have loved to draw, paint, and sketch. If it's creative and it involves color, I'm all over it. I work primarily with oils and acrylics and I specialize in portraits but I also dabble in landscapes."

Here is what she painted for me.

It is based on a photo of my son (now 18) when he was about 7 months old wearing a Tibetan hilltribe hat. I asked her to exclude the fabric in the background.

Children are very hard to draw or paint without looking a little stilted but I think she captured that baby cuteness that I love.

Come back on Thursday to see the painting in situ and more of the art in my room redo for the ORC linking event.

Tuesday artist intro

"Doble bubble" By Diana Delgado

Today I chose the artist behind one of my first Pinterest pins, Diana Delgado. Her bio includes plenty of remarkable accomplishments including One Kings Lane's Emerging Artists sales.

I love the feminine colors juxtaposed with high energy, sharp shapes.

What do you think?

"Blue flowers (lamps)" by Diana Delgado

 See more of her work HERE.