Lavender Tea

For all the "Red Hat" ladies, here is the first of my "Red Hat" series. All set and ready for tea! There will be future additions to this series, I hope to have a set of greeting cards using the red hat theme...

Blue Heron

Here's this week's entry. It was an attempt to do a more abstract background combined with a realistic foreground. By accident I discovered that by overlaying the blue tones on the heron with a little yellow ochre the result improved the sense of volume on the figure.

Foggy Morn

This is another California impressionist piece. My reference was a rhodedendron bush in a redwood forest, a lovely photo shot by Thomas Mangelsen. The painting is very different from the original reference material. One of the beauties of painting is the ability to draw inspiration from many sources and transmute it to your own idea. The full effect of the fog, with the trees showing through, only appears if you place the painting under a spot light. The shot above shows the full effect. This oil painting, 24"x30", is priced at $650.00.

Rocky Point, California

I became interested in California impressionism after viewing Dennis Doheny's work. I can only dream of being as fine a painter some time in the far future! I have plenty of material to draw upon from frequent trips through Big Sur, a favorite photo site for Tony. Even when painting a particular spot on the coast, I can remove roads, add fog, and change the lighting in the scene. The photo I used as reference was a very dark grab shot, so I let the sun come on in the painting. This oil painting, 24"x30", is priced at $650.00.

Old Vines

This is a recent oil painting that sold shortly before the gallery show. I'm thinking of doing a vineyard series similar to the Provence series. The painting is 24"x30". I like it because I can really feel the wind in the trees and some of the flowers seem to be turning into butterflies.

New Works

People bought watercolors and wanted to take them home. At first I thought I would insist that the pieces remain throughout the show. Then the lightbulb went off--an opportunity to hang new works! Here are new works that will be hung this week at the show. Drop back in and check it out. (Note, no weekend hours: Open 9-12 & 3-6 M-W-F, 3-7 T-Th.)
The top picture is quite a departure for me, I really went "Van Gogh" with this and just let the paint rush around the paper. It is titled "Menage a Trois", price $200.00.
The bottom painting is a basket of hydrangeas, titled "Hydrangeas" (can't be creative every day...), priced at $75.00. You may ask why two pictures of a similar size have different prices...it is a direct function of the framing cost!

All My Friends at the Show

Thank you to all our friends who turned out to see the show, because I definitely had performance anxiety before the opening. What if someone sneered at my work??? Instead I heard many great comments and found the experience painless. And now, here's the show!

Water Lily #2

The next day I got a call that another piece had sold. Here it is. Very exciting!! (I rushed right out and bought more frames... not quite keeping up with my earnings...)

Sold a Watercolor - "Rapunzel Dreams"

Within 15 minutes I sold my only painting which featured a person, "Rapunzel Dreams". You can see it posted along with the photo reference it was drawn from, Christie in a bathtub shot! Drawing and painting people is not my forte, so I was pleased to be approached by people inquiring about possible commissions for pictures featuring people. (Gulp, now I might have to perform!).

(Tony's note: We did not have a chance to properly shoot the art before the show as it was only just completed. The photo shown has glare off the glass and was shot at the reception. We hope to get a better one before the buyer takes possession. The black and white photo was shot at Roy King's Esperanza Studios several years ago.)

First Sale of the Show

I had pre-sold the picture "Heat of the Day", one of the lavender field pictures. It was fun to tack up a "sold" sign just as the show opened.

Opening Night of the Gallery Show

The show opened Thursday night at 6 pm with a very nice wine and cheese reception. Some people were confused to discover the show was hidden in a chiropractic office on the second floor of a strip mall, but were pleasantly surprised when they made their way upstairs. We had 60-80 people turn out for the show. On my side was representational art, water lilies, lavender fields, California coastline pictures, etc. On the other side was wild and crazy abstract art! Attendees tended to divide quickly based on their personal taste. Here's a picture of my co-artist, Dr. Barry Carlin, myself, and Barry's friend Barbara.

"Heat of the Day"

This is the third in the Provence series. It is currently on display at the Carlin Cooper Gallery in Santa Monica. It is a 16" x 20" oil painting priced at $450.00.

Look for coming entries on the opening day reception!

Tina

We're back!!

We were off line for a couple of weeks (the hard drive ate my homework, and also itself...). Now, with new and improved equipment, we are back in the blog business!

Gallery Show!

Skyshadow Studios

Announces

A Gallery Showing

Tina Chong

Oils & Watercolor

At the

Carlin Cooper Gallery

12113 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 203

Santa Monica, CA 90025

Telephone: 310-447-3540

Located on the North-West corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Bundy

10 August 2006 – 4 October 2006

Hours: M-W-F 8-12, 3-6; T-Th 3-7

Opening Reception Thursday, August 10, 2006

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Dusk at Pacific Beach

And here's Tina's impression of Tony's photo. Oil on canvas, 24"x30" framed for $650.00, plus shipping.

Pacific Beach Sunset - California Central Coast

This is Tony's photo of the California Central Coast area above Gorda. It was an overcast day and the shooting was marginal. Tina suggested I try for the sunset as she thought it might develop into something nice. It certainly did. She later did an oil painting based on this photo.

Provence at Dusk

Here is another lavendar field picture, "Provence at Dusk". This is a 16x20 oil painting. This picture is available for $450.00 US, plus $50.00 shipping. This is a great painting for contemplation, as it is very restful.

A Storm is Rising

This oil painting is 16x20 inches (sold). It is titled "A Storm is Rising". I am fond of pictures with lavender fields and am working on a series of paintings of Provence.