Over Coffee

Penny Fletcher writes "Over Coffee" that appears in The Observer News, The SCC Observer, and The Riverview Current newspapers.  She visited with Cynthia Atkins and me on November 19 to see what The Artist's Corner at Arianna's Rugs and Decor is all about.  Be sure to pick up one of these papers later this week. 

Out of town?  You can access these newspapers online at http://observernews.net/.  Just click on one of the banners at the top of the home page.  You can actually "turn the pages" of the papers!  Fun!

THANK YOU, CYNTHIA AND DOTI!

What a great time I had today!  Being the featured artist at Meet the Artist was such fun!

We had about 25 visitors who viewed my art and learned about giclees.  Hearing such positive comments and actually having inquiries about possible purchases reaffirms my commitment to my art.  Thank you to all who attended and especially to Cynthia Atkins and Doti Devane of Arianna's Rugs and Decor and to the folks at Sava Cafe who allowed us all to stream into and out of their coffee shop.  And of course to my husband Archie who is constantly supportive. 

I am pleased to have my work on view until the end of the year.  I encourage other SouthShore Arts Council members to consider this opportunity to show.  How wonderful to have people who encourage artists and provide such an outstanding venue!

Artist's Corner - Arianna's Rugs and Decor - RemixMyHome.com

You are invited to visit the new

Artist's Corner

at

Arianna's Rugs and Decor

5477 N US Highway 41

(across from MiraBay)

featuring the artwork of

Grace McKee

Meet the Artist

Wednesday, November 18, 3 - 5 pm

Sava Cafe

Can't make it to the Artist's Reception?

Arianna's Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11 am - 5 pm

Ruskin Seafood Festival

Art brings people together. Two MiraBay neighbors who had not previously met recently became acquainted. How? We were setting up an art exhibit, Creative MiraBay, a Big Draw event sponsored by the South Shore Arts Council and chaired by Paula Elliott.

Cynthia Atkins and I had such a great time that we decided to exhibit next to each other at the Ruskin Seafood Festival. Cynthia, owner of Remix My Home and partner in Arianna’s Rugs and Décor and its accompanying consignment shop, showcased her businesses by decorating both tents using items from

her consignment shop. I am an artist who creates paintings in acrylics and uses my computer background to create giclees of my work, so I hung my paintings and showed my giclees.

Other than the CRAZY winds from a tropical storm in the Gulf, we had beautiful weather.  I talked to at least 50 people that I know and just as many that I had not met before.  Great exposure for both us!

The two of us again had a great time. So much so that Cynthia is now setting up an Artist’s Corner in her consignment shop and I will be her first featured artist. Come by the shop at 5477 US Hwy 41 N just across from MiraBay. The shop is open 11 am – 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. We have tentively scheduled an artist’s reception to be held at Sava Café (next door) 3 to 5 pm, Wednesday, November 18. Come by to meet Grace and Cynthia.  (FIRST check back to confirm the date and time!)

PhotoShop Creation - Big Draw Workshop

I created this while assisting Dolores Coe at a Big Draw Workshop.  What fun!

Back from China

We had a fantastic trip. (China2009McKee.blogspot.com) Tried to help at the Big Draw In on Saturday, October 10; still jetlagged and tired so lasted about three hours. (SouthShoreArtsCouncil.org)

This past Saturday I co-chaired Creative! MiraBay, part of the Big Draw. We had a wonderful event: seven artists from MiraBay participated, over 50 people visited, and 31 were interested in knowing more about the SouthShore Arts Council. So a huge success! Thank you to Paula Elliott who chaired the event and Cynthia Atkins of Remix Your Home who was in charge of setting up the display. Also, we appreciate the support of Vaike O'Grady and Chip Barker of the MiraBay Welcome Center.

Off to China!

We are off to San Francisco and on to China from there. 

We will visit with Luo Ping at Xiamen University.  This picture shows us at the Sarasota Sister Cities luncheon.  We purchased this gorgeous watercolor of Suzhou from her.  We will also visit Suzhou on our trip.

You can follow our travels at http://www.china2009mckee.blogspot.com/.

Don't Be Koi - Acrylics on Canvas

I LOVED doing this painting!

My husband the scientist says the koi is eating algae off the back of the other koi. But I prefer to think she is kissing him.

Look closely and you will see the Chinese characters for "Don't," "Be" and "Koi."

Hope you like it. Click "Comments" to let me know what you think.

We are off to San Francisco in a couple of weeks and on to China for three weeks. Lots of opportunities to learn more about Asian art and for Archie to learn more about Chinese porcelian. Should be great fun!

Back in the Swing

So much has happened in the past two months. Lots of traveling: San Francisco, Las Vegas, North Carolina Mountains, Atlanta.... And once home I had a pinched nerve in my neck so that limited my painting and my computer time.

BUT NOW! I am doing better and have been able to have some creative fun:

• Submitted three paintings for the SouthShore Arts Council members' show at the Southshore Regional Library. Please go see before August 26.
• Participation in the BIGDRAWRUSKIN.org plans: Archie and I attended the artist's reception for Josette Urso, and I attended the kick-off meeting for the mural project at the SouthShore campus of Hillsborough Community College and a creative workshop for the mural project. Also I'm assisting Paula Elliott in planning Creative MiraBay, an opportunity for my MiraBay neighbors to show off their creativity. Mark the date: October 17. (Incidentally, "Ruskin" in the Big Draw name refers to John Ruskin. All residents of SouthShore are encouraged to participate.)
• Completed another painting--Don't Be Koi. Will post it next.

Feels so good!

West Lake Mural

Xī Hú (西湖; literally "West Lake") is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic center of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province,China. With its beautiful pink lotuses and tranquil waters, it was once an emperial retreat. West Lake is now enjoyed by travelers from China and abroad.

I began this mural some time ago as a headboard for our bed. Recently I have returned to it.

The center panel of the three-panel screen is now complete.

My next step is to add values to the side panels to create a 3D effect and to complete the colorful panels.

The tranquility of the West Lake produces that same tranquil effect in this get-away bedroom.

Can You See Yourself?

This piece was created for the Altered Functions Show at the Art Center of Manatee. The artists' reception is tonight, May 29, 2009. The pieces will be on exhibit from May 28 through June 27 in the galleries at Art Center of Manatee, Bradenton, Florida. Hope to see you there!

The acrylic painting is on plexiglass which was placed in the opening of this actual Porsche engine cover which I bought at Vortex in Tampa. (Thanks, Doug!) Adhered to the back of the plexiglass is a Florida map showing Melbourne to Clearwater, the route of the Porsche Club of America Sunrise/Sunset Rally. The sun is--appropriately--an antenna topper.

The original plate at the top of the cover reads, "Beach Racing Cars." The can contains the magnetic letters U and C. Screwed to the center is a 3D rearview mirror. This is followed by the letters N and A. The question mark is made up of small keys.

"Can you see yourself in a Porsche?" We hope so and we hope that you will join is in the Suncoast Porsche Club of America or the PCA of your local region.

"SUPPORT A LIVING ARTIST...

THE DEAD ONES DON'T NEED IT."

Saw this on an artist's apron.

We are doing our part. Have purchased an original oil by Fred Rothenbush, a print of a pastel by Miriam Cassell, and an original watercolor by Luo Ping from Xiamen, China.

I am an artist, but we (my husband and I) are also art lovers. Surrounding ourselves with beautiful and meaningful art contributes greatly to our quality of life.

Spiffying Up the Playhouse

One of the main reasons we bought our present house is that there was a closet under the stairs. Why? To make a playhouse for our grandkids a la Harry Potter.

The closet is tall enough in the front for adults to stand. It gets shorter in the middle and the roof slopes to the ground in the rear. We noticed that in other houses of our model the closet had been walled off and only the adult-height area was left. Soon the workmen tried to do the same to ours. Why? I can only guess that they wanted to save the carpet and labor necessary to leave the far-more-interesting configuration.

We insisted that the closet be finished out as in the model home!

Beth our youngest helped me paint a big blue house on the wall. (Our house is blue and the kids' favorite TV show was "Bear in the Big Blue House.) My husband Archie cut holes for windows with doors that open and close. (The lower door has been left off because the little ones are not ready to be closed up with no view of parents.) I painted a downstairs front door and another door and balcony above to mimic our house.

Archie added a doorbell that rings loudly. So loudly in fact that we resorted to removing the batteries when our grandson rang the bell often enough to make our granddaughter cry.

The house number is, of course, 5208 1/2 as ours is 5208.

We quickly painted trees and bushes and added a lamppost with a light that actually lights--quickly because our first two grandkids were soon to arrive for Christmas. I am now adding values to the trees, bushes and the lamppost to make them more dimensional.

Our Atlanta grandsons were here for my birthday and played in the playhouse. (You may have watched the puppet show they enjoyed in an earlier posting.) They are returning for the Fourth of July. So I am spiffying up the playhouse.

Art is for everyday living--to enhance our experiences on this planet.

Miriam's Blog

I am helping our friend Miriam Cassell set up her blog. We are the proud owners of a print of one of her pastels in her Kimono Series.

http://www.miriamcassell.blogspot.com

Happy Easter

No major artistic accomplishments to add yet. But I did hand-color these eggs for our Easter breakfast. If you wish to do something similar, I have two suggestions:

• Be sure to take previously boiled eggs out of the refrigerator at least an hour ahead or let them cool for an hour if you have just boiled them. Either way, pat them dry if they are damp.
  
• Be sure your markers are permanent (unless you are letting children color eggs with them).

Happy Easter!

NEW GRANDSON

No postings for the last few days. Our newest grandson arrived on Thursday--Callan Michihira McKee. We are PROUD!

YUM! Cakes by Beth

Our daughter Beth made this birthday cake for me. She is also an artist; her medium is a bit unusual--she expresses herself using fondant icing on bakery items.

She now has a blog, too. To see more of her creations, visit her blog at http://www.yumcakesbybeth.blogspot.com/. You will be amazed.

Rather than Artist....

Archie says I will always do more than paint, so I should name my site something other than, "Grace McKee - Artist." He recommends, "Grace McKee - Artistic Leanings."

What do you think?

Latest Painting: Bromeliad - Potted

Finished another painting: Bromeliad - Potted.

This plant I love and I haven't managed to kill it yet. (Archie takes care of our plants is the only reason.) Just as I painted the cut flowers Archie brought me one day for no special occasion in order to "keep them," I've done the same with this bromeliad. Only way I can keep a garden! lol

I said I'd be painting waterscapes for a while, but needed to let the gesso dry before beginning the next one. This bromeliad painting had been started, but I just couldn't seem to get it to speak to me. Well, it has finally spoken. I really like it now and hope you do too. Let me know.

Waterscapes: South of Rocky Point

I think I am ready to sign my first painting in my new series, Waterscapes. But I'd love to have your input first. What do you think? Is it finished?

Send me a quick email to artist@gracemckee.com and let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking!

New Series - Waterscapes

Inspired by a Carmel coastline photo (taken by either my husband or me) and a painting requested by our daughter and her husband (see photo of it hanging in their dining room in Alpharetta, Georgia), I have decided to begin a new series - Waterscapes.

This will allow me to loosen up from the style I have been using in my Asian Motif series. The ceramics used in some of those paintings called for such detail (to challenge myself), but now I am ready to "get loose."

This painting (above left) is not quite finished. Once it is, I will put a Waterscapes page on my website, www.GraceMcKee.com, so visit there soon.

My Chinese Seal

You might notice that my Asian motif acrylic paintings have a Chinese seal by my name. My Chinese name, Ma Cong Ci, is carved into a stone which is inked and then stamped onto the canvas.

  

Our son was in China in 1988-89 attending Zheng Zhou University. He was 19. He gave me this Chinese name: Ma for McKee (family name) and Cong Ci which means, "Wise Benevolence."

  

Many mothers of 19-year-olds would be as proud of such a gift!

Reinventing Myself Once Again - ARTIST

FINALLY! I have the time, resources, and self belief (and hopefully the energy) to become the artist I have always aspired to be!

From an early age I was in awe of my big sis Fran Dillard who is an accomplished oil painter. One of my earliest memories is studying for hours a palette-knife painting by my Uncle Rab that hung in our family room all my growing up.

With a big thank-you to my husband for his support (financial as well as moral), I have been pursuing this new venture of being a professional artist for almost a year now.

Not that I am new at creating art. All my life I have kept my sanity (no comments, please!) by creating, whether watercolors, silver jewelry, home decor, multimedia art, websites, murals, even bulletin boards. The only reason for cooking for guests has always been presentation and table decor.

For many years I studied watercolor with Jo Tarabula, AWS, whenever I could squeeze out the time in a hectic schedule of being wife, mother of three, teacher, and club sponsor. I am so lucky to count Fred Rothenbush, a well-known fifth generation artist, as a dear friend; I'm a huge fan! Most recently I have studied acrylic painting and drawing with Joanna Coke, a greatly respected artist and instructor in Bradenton. Another artistic force in my life is Miriam Cassel, a passionate pastelist. Miriam is walking art!

My work is presented here for your inspection and comments. I hope that viewing it will motivate you to share your feelings with me.

I offer encouragement to all of you who have an artistic bent to CREATE! The first step in my journey was to complete the assignments in THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julie Cameron. This gave me the belief in myself as an artist to go forward. I highly recommend this to you.