¡Carnaval!/Carnival Show at Woolley and Peoples Art Galleries

While I was away painting the Oregon Coast, my paintings were featured in two fantastical shows. We missed the opening events but you can still see this fun show thru Sunday:

¡Carnaval de Cuba!, Oil on Canvas, 24x30", Quin Sweetman

Harlequin's Carnival, Oil on Canvas, 20x16", Quin Sweetman

¡Carnaval!/Carnival Show at Woolley and Peoples Art Galleries

Carnival: A multi-media exhibit celebrating everything that surrounds the classic and modern romantic traveling carnival: circuses, clowns, bearded women, amusement rides, freak show and side show acts, jugglers, etc - really anything to do with the idea of CARNIVAL.

This is a joint partnership gallery show between Peoples Art of Portland Gallery and Mark Woolley Gallery at Pioneer (next door to each other), celebrating 2 similar themes: Carnival (sideshow/circus) at Peoples and Carnaval! (the festival of dance/masks) at Mark Woolley at Pioneer Gallery.

3rd Floor, Pioneer Place

700 SW 5th Ave., Suite 4110, Portland, Oregon 97204

http://www.markwoolley.com/

http://www.peoplesartofportland.com/news.html

All dressed up with nowhere to go

Happy Friday!

Here's a little palette-knife painting I did of my constant studio companion. (Pardon the glare but I wanted to show my new Thumbox easel with a work-in-progress.) I'm really excited to have this handy little, lightweight easel for smaller paintings like this. Back to the cat:  I like to think of him as a mascot sometimes. He follows me everywhere; rather more like a dog. He was "making eyes" at me and reclining in a manner which reminded me of "paint me like one of your French girls." So, I obliged. Our other cat is very sweet but skittish. I'll paint her soon too so she doesn't feel left out.

"Boudoir Cat" oil on canvas/panel, 6x6" Quin Sweetman

Tomorrow with Quin at Maison des Artistes!

Tomorrow evening my Art is featured at the unique new gallery/boutique, Maison des Artistes. 

Would love to see you at the opening, if you're around, 5-8 p.m.:

Maison des Artistes

599 A Avenue

Lake Oswego, Oregon

971.302.9856

                                                   (Regular shop hours are Tues- Sat, 11-6)

Please join us for an evening of fun! Will be a gorgeous evening with​​ the patio open, plus drinks, food and entertainment. 

Friday, July 5th!

Makers Dozen Show

Saturday evening's show reception at People's Art Gallery was a lot of fun. Thanks to all who made it out and the well-wishes from those of you who could not. I sold "Boyfriend" (featured in the previous post) and had some wonderful feedback from fellow artists and even my mentor, Erik Sandgren, about the direction my paintings are heading.

 

Quin Sweetman, "Artist"  and "Evening Light" (two of 11 paintings left)

Mark your calendars! I have 12 paintings in this Show
Opening June 15th - Sat 5-9 p.m.

"Boyfriend"(detail) 11"x14" oil on panel painting, Quin Sweetman

Opening Event: June 15, 5-9 p.m.

Show runs: June 15-July 13

The Peoples Art of Portland Gallery – 3^rd floor Pioneer Mall (700 SW 5th),  Portland, Oregon

Join the Facebook Event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/209673689180636/

"Boyfriend" is one of 12 new paintings I will be showing. The sweet model is the boyfriend of one of our more frequent models. I was honored to have an intensive portrait workshop with the great Za Vue recently. Many of my recent paintings show her lovely influence.

Would love to see you at the opening event!

Quin

"A Picture is an Expressed Thought for the Soul"

A friend and collector of my work has asked me to write about artists I admire so I thought I'd begin with Emily Carr, whose work leads into the contemporary Erik Sandgren. I write about her first because I recently returned for a visit to Victoria, B.C., Canada and had the great pleasure of finally taking in her work in person.

Emily Carr exhibition "On the Edge of Nowhere" at the Greater Victoria Art Gallery

Emily Carr is one of my favorites for so many reasons and this visit was truly one of the highlights of my life. It's difficult to put into words how I feel about her work. For me it's pure poetry; the art of the possible. Something greater than real.  

  

Emily Carr Oil Paintings 

Emily Carr and her painting caravan, aka, "The Elephant"

Emily Carr, Artist and Author, 1871-1945, was a woman ahead of history. A great lover of life and her surroundings on Vancouver Island, she embarked upon many journeys to paint far from home; often alone in her little painting caravan or by hopping aboard a strange boat. This was unheard of for a woman of her time. I admire her courage and her commitment to honoring the First Nations Peoples and illustrating the importance of wild places and the Native way of life http://www.cathedralgrove.eu/text/06-Totem-Poles-2.htm. Though she was deeply religoius, I appreciate that her spiritualism was not limited to Christianity.

"A picture is an expressed thought for the soul," said Carr. 

Emily Carr Watercolor Painting with Cubist influence (my bad photo)

She found recognition in her lifetime but only when she was much older; after she was linked with the Group of 7, Canadian Landscape painters for a show at the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), http://groupofsevenart.com.  For me, Carr and the Group of Seven's art pushes line, color and atmosphere in a way that represents how I "feel" about the places I love. In addition to her lyrical paintings, I have also come to love what Carr had to say in her writings.  Read more about Carr at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Carr. Also, the book "Forest Lover" by Susan Vreeland, is a wonderful novel about her life. I have my mom to thank for turning me on to Carr's work and spirit. My mom spent time traveling many of the places Carr painted and I was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and lived on Vancouver Island in my early childhood.

Emily Carr's work has also greatly inspired one of my favorite living artists and mentors, Erik Sandgren of Aberdeen in Gray's Harbor, Washington and Portland, Oregon. In addition to sharing much of Ms. Carr's philosophy towards painting and conservation, Sandgren has visited and painted the totems and forest of the great Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of Northern British Columbia). You can really see her influence on his work, especially from that time and I admire him for carrying on her tradition of honoring Native peoples by incorporating their remaining totem artwork, wild places and symbols in his artwork. 

Erik Sandgren

More than simple "pretty pictures", Sandgren's often mystical paintings truly embody the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Asked what he admired most about Carr, Sandgren said "her relentless pursuit of change and progress in her own work, i.e. enormous courage - especially in her social context. She took lessons from (abstract painter) Mark Tobey, even!"

Erik Sandgren

Erik Sandgren

But I am most greatful to Sandgren for getting me to try plein air painting on the Oregon Coast nearly 10 years ago and for continuing to share his methods and inspiration with a whole new school of painters. He has helped me to look for something more than simple rendering in my creations. 

Art is so much more fun this way!

Erik Sandgren re-imagining Rocky Creek, Oregon Coast

See more of his work at www.eriksandgren.com.

I got a nice Review! Plus, show reception, Sunday

I am floored to see this nice review of my painting! I was feeling a bit down the past few days and this is the nicest pick-me-up I can think of. Oregon Arts Watch article:  "...a few pieces seem to exemplify the last decade's prevailing local art trends"

In addition, my work is included in another "Jane Eyre Painters" show for March. Reception is Sunday afternoon. Would love to see you!

Happy Saturday!