A new series

Don't Ask

 I have had my shop on my website the same for years. I have decided to put out collections of paintings instead of just listing them all together in a random order.

Many of the paintings will be no more. 

This month I'm doing neutrals.

Here are a few of them.

Salient wave

Wrecked

Entropy

These are just a few of what's available in my shop.

Let me know when you stop by and tell me what you think.

A dreamy powder room

How do I get the power room I want? I ask myself this almost daily.

I need gloss black paint and a marble sink  with brass hardware and a modern toilet. The toilet is important. It must not have any sides that I'd have to lean over in about three inches of space to clean.

I'd top it off with a tiny chandelier like this one.

Then I'd add a painting with feeling like this one called Black Palm.

It's pretty moody but in a tiny little powder room I think it works.

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!

New artwork at Gregg Irby Gallery

Today I am in Atlanta to bring a new body of work to Gregg Irby Gallery.

Here is a sampling of the 8 large canvases I will be delivering.

"The unraveling" 30 x 40 mixed media

"Sleeping in the midday sun" 48 x 48 mixed media

"Mechanical music" 60 x 48 oil on canvas

Mr. Designdumonde even built me a custom two-tier rack to transport the paintings carefully.

This will be my first visit to the new gallery and I am so excited.

Stop by the gallery if you are in Atlanta!

New work at Anne Neilson Fine Art

"Melting reason" 48 x 48 mixed media

I am on the road this week taking new work to galleries.

My first stop is Anne Neilson Fine Art in Charlotte NC.

 I will be taking 7 pieces to her this week. These are just a few.

"Speranza" 36 x 36 oil on canvas

"Escape velocity" 30 x 40 oil on canvas

Stop by the gallery if you are in town this week!

Off to Charlotte--new artwork

"Winter nights 7"

I am on the road today headed to Charlotte, North Carolina. I am dropping off new pieces at Anne  

Neilson fine art and attending a workshop. I plan to drop in on Lisa Mende and Traci Zeller at Studio 202 also. It has the makings of a fun day!

"Winter nights 4"

I was asked to bring more pieces to add to my minimalist "Winter nights" series. 

"Winter nights 1"

I am throwing in a few other pieces on paper too.

"Mother and I"

"Through the window"

untitled oil on paper

All of these and others are available through Anne Neilson fine art

Working with a neutral palette

When I decorate, I prefer color tied together with a neutral as opposed to dominant neutrals with just a speck of color. When it comes to painting, I am open to anything and I have upped my neutrals.

 Working in grays, blacks, beige and white with just a hint of my favorite pinks and blues has been fun and judging by the speed at which they sold, I am onto something.

Available at Anne Neilson fine art Charlotte, NC

Available at Anne Neilson fine art Charlotte, NC

Art and interiors with a few GIFA artists

I took a cue from Jennifer at The Pink Pagoda's post last week, highlighting my paintings at Gregg Irby Fine Art with different chairs. I love creating design boards and thought it would be fun to make some for a few of my fellow artists at GIFA.

I started with Erin McIntosh. I am smitten with "Zoe", a 60 x 48 canvas that makes a statement. I paired it with mixed metals and a very long and feminine console table. The black rug and modern accessories give the vignette an edge.

Next I chose one from my friend, Christina Baker.

I chose "Eastern Blues" just because I love it so much. I paired it with classic furniture and Persian rug so that the painting takes center stage.

I went a different direction with the board for Michelle Armas. I chose funky mix to go with her piece "I believe this belongs to you", and dark walls. I do wish I had saved the draft on that one because I found a better chair later. I'll just have to do more of these next week!

Eileen Power has long been a favorite of mine and I thought the piece "51" would be great in a modern, uber-feminine and glam space.

I just chose 4 of the 25 artists at Gregg Irby today, but there is always time for more.

Who's work would you like to see in a styled room?

Dispatches from the studio

The past few months have been, for me, like "Blog? What blog?". I feel as if I have been remiss blogging,  kind of like handing in homework late. New and exciting things were happening and I am here to tell you all about them. So consider this my tardy note.

The snowball started with me deciding I a needed a new website logo for KerrySteele.com and that snowballed into creating something that I could use in Blogger, as a letterhead and a favicon. 

 Terrena at eLance.com was fabulous to work with. That brushstroke is actually mine and she worked with the precise colors I wanted. I always thought something like this would cost a boatload of money but it was surprisingly affordable.

Next on the list was my face. No, not plastic surgery, just a professional photo. My husband kept saying, "Let me take it."  Nope! I wasn't going for that. I know what his photography is like.

I researched a few photographers and hired Michael from LeftHandedPhotography.com.

He had been wanting to photograph an artist in studio and I wanted a professional photo that did not look like a realtor, so it was a lucky match. He arrived on a Friday afternoon and over the next three hours we moved furniture, staged shots and basically laid waste to the first floor of my house, which sounds like a bad thing but I felt like we were squeezing out every ounce of creativity.

These are a few of my favorites.

Michael was awesome to work with. I hate having my picture taken, but I can honestly say that this was really fun. If you are in the Richmond area I highly recommend him.

He even helped me find a new camera and lighting so I can get better images of my art.

This is the temporary setup just inside my front door.

I really love the Nikon I bought and the timing was pretty good too. Being able to get really good images of my work is ever more important.

"Come away with me" 40 x 30 oil on canvas by Kerry Steele available through Gregg Irby fine art

Finding and working with the right gallery is one of the most important things in an artist's career and I am proud to say that I am now being represented by the venerable Gregg Irby Fine Art in Atlanta. GIFA also happens to represent some of my favorite artists, so it is particularly special to be on their roster.

This painting is headed to Atlanta, along with others tomorrow.

 As if it couldn't get any better, somewhere in this whirlwind, the art collection manager of Serena and Lily contacted me about my work. I am thrilled to be included as one of their artists too.

"Cocktails at seven" oil on canvas by Kerry Steele available through Serena and Lily

All of these great things mean lots of time painting. Lucky for me painting is my favorite thing to do.

So, my tardiness in blog writing has come from the pleasure of realizing many of my goals...all at once.

I am ready to get back to talking about chairs and fabric in between all of the painting going on here.

Opening at Anne Neilson fine art in Charlotte, NC

If you read my blog often you likely know that I was selected as one of over 30 artists to be represented by the new Anne Neilson fine art gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. On May 1st, I drove to Charlotte for the grand opening reception.

I was in contact with the artist Ellen Levine Dodd beforehand and we spent a good bit of time together that day along with her husband, Joe. Ellen is an amazing artist with and impressive list of talents and is a darling friend.

The gallery is in an old warehouse building with an antique architectural dealer and studios above.

Anne's talented staff was all in attendance.

Karen Cappotto, Kerry Steele, Ellen Levine Dodd

I was able to speak with all but one of the artists in attendance. It gave me a clear picture of the varied viewpoints represented. It was an impressive group that I am honored to be a part of.

The event carried a lot of buzz around Charlotte and it was a packed house.

Anne Neilson (center) with Ken Abraham (NYT bestselling author) and his wife, Lisa

"Watery" by Kerry Steele

Check out the Anne Neilson Website for more about the artists represented by her fine gallery.

New work

"Lemonade envy" 12x 12 oil on canvas

Last week I was immersed in creating not just watercolor paintings but also canvases for Jennifer of The Pink Pagoda's new shop.

Each of these is created with her look in mind and they should be available later this week.

"If you dance" oil and charcoal on 18 x 18 canvas

I also completed a floral abstract that is headed to Anne Neilson Gallery in Charlotte, N.C.

"Palace garden" 24 x 48 oil on canvas

Some paintings come together so quickly its like they painted themselves. This was not one of those. I tweaked and layered and glazed for what felt like too long but the resultant layers are what I strive for with all of my paintings.

The other two that are headed to Anne Neilson are "Penny Mac" and "Watery"

"Penny Mac" 24 x 48 oil on canvas

"Watery" 24 x 30 oil on canvas