Patti Gibbons Art

Stunning day on Cape. We typically go to the beach from 3-5. Less people, less sun. Today we drove to Marconi Beach where it was surprisingly quiet. It was low tide, with a fab sandbar and between the beach and sandbar was a nice swimming area safe from the jaws of the sharks - about 4 feet deep. The water temp was 60 though I swear it was much warmer. Maybe I’m just a tough old bird used to mountain streams. I swam. And painted some postcards and small watercolor cards. I travel simply and  just bought my basic Kremer set. My friend from Barcelona is in the states, so I await her and another friend for a few days of  playtime. Larry will have to deal though somehow I suspect he enjoys being surrounded by women. Oh what a lucky man he is.

Coast Guard Beach later afternoon. Painted in my Moleskine watercolor notebook which documents my travels.  This book started in 2015- flipping through it brings back memories-Redondo Beach, various beaches on the Cape,  Whitinsville Reservoir, Mohonk Mountain House, Lake George.... I may finish the book this week. Stay tuned..... (Kremer Pigment watercolors, black ink pen)

Day 2:  another lovely day.... the first piece I painted was a flop. I screwed up the boat and ended up just making some weird mystical thing in the water. I enjoyed the process and may use pieces of this in something else, or not. (I am writing on my iPad, in poor photography light, and my wireless keyboard seems to have bit the dust!) The second painting I did while waiting for the workmen to finish their work in the yard. I sat in the screened in porch painting my view. Not quite finished. A good exercise. I will repost when done. I work in layers...and need to put more detail etc in.  After my 3 o’clock float on the reservoir I had to pack up and head to destination 2- Cape Cod. I found the traffic to be very light leaving late from the camp in Douglas. Totally psyched to go to our yearly rental and see my dear friends. The second piece

First full day of vacation. The first painting was my memory of dawn as seen through slatted eyes before I drifted back off to sleep. With the image seared in my pre-coffee brain, I painted in a trance-like state.  Watercolor on 6x6 Strathmore Artist Watercolor Tiles 400 series. I love a square and though I work in various size formats, square is my all time favorite magical shape.  The next was a composite sketch that I did while walking to the reservoir causeway and in the state forest preserve. I would walk a bit, then sketch a few components in the area I randomly stopped at. I used a Windsor Newton black watercolor marker with a water brush to make washes, then added color/ iridescent watercolor to the ink sketch when I returned to the cabin.  I found that I could not get a dense rich black with the brush- I may go back in a few places with a more permanent ink... time to try my Montblanc Magic Black! Of course there was floating, and snacking, and conversation.....

On the Road (Again) Packing Have not written as I have been busy as I had my grandson for a few weeks, and put all but the most pressing jobs and projects aside for quality time for him. If there is one thing I have lived in this colorful life I have had, is people you love come first.  A month or two ago I wrote a blog about my art bags. Faced with a road trip and minimal time to get ready, I had to make a hard decision as to what supplies I was bringing. I decided to take ONLY what fit in my new red office/computer bag, a 5.00 bargain in a second hand shop in Warrensburg, NY. It was new with tags no less!  I have used this bag a few times to transport small pieces to galleries. Though it does not fit more than 2-6 pieces, I can stack a smaller bag on top, and easily wheel them to the gallery.  Life has been complicated, and my current mantra is simplicity. I decided upon watercolors, as they are easy to hike with, dry quickly, and I can stack my art for...

I was feeling blocked last week. I could not come up with any work that excited me or felt strong, I had a difficult time even getting into the studio.  Life happens, and then some. I shrugged my shoulders, accepted that I was in a low spot- and didn't give it any more energy than a passing thought. Over the years of highs and lows of art inspiration and production, I have come to realize that being stuck is often a sign of being overloaded, overworked, and overcome. We need to take a break from our work and muse, and when one is “blocked” that is the best time to do it. As artists, whether we compose music, paint, write, or dance, we need to live life in between our work; time to take an adventure to a museum, go see a play, or a concert, work in the garden, or make those butter cookies you've been dying to try. Make some dates with friends, and kick up your heels a bit. Go swimming, hiking, take some photos. In the end, taking time to live is inspiration in itself that feed...

I had a show last night from 4:30-9:30, at a lovely golf club outside of Kingston, NY. It was a fundraiser for Raising HOPE, an organization that helps women realize goals in their life, whether it be getting a car, or going to college.  I went into the show knowing that people were not going to a craft fair- they were going to a dinner which they had paid for, and shopping was probably the last thing on their minds. I try not to get myself too worked up about what I have to sell, as I have never learned how to predict what people are buying on any particular day. I bring what I have, and let the rest go. To ease set up, I always rule out the space and set up in my house, take a photograph for reference; it makes set-up super easy and fast. The event was delightful. I had a great space, next to the bar, (a popular place), and a beautiful view of the Catskill Mountains at sunset. I did sell a small piece of art, a very cool architectural steam punk piece, and a ...