The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD
Hours: Wed-Sat 12-4 PM
Through January 8, 2022
Please come view this very special show which is also available online http://www.art.strathmore.org
I am pleased to have 2 miniature paintings that were juried into this exhibit.
I’m pleased to announce that 2 pieces of artwork
were accepted for a 3 month exhibition at the
Center for Plastic Surgery
5550 Friendship Blvd, Suite 130
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
Exhibition Dates: April 5 – July 5, 2021
A month long show started off the year at Gallery B and then off to Greece for a 10 day workshop and lots of plein air painting followed.
Another style idea more in the color palette of Expressionist Faux painters of the 19th century, with bright hues, turned into a bigger project when a painting I had slated to go to the gallery in Oakland Maryland was noticed by an admirer. I agreed to sell it to him if he didn’t mind me repainting it again. Usually an original painting is expected to be a one-of-a-kind, but in this case, since I got permission from the purchaser, I repainted the same scene in the same color palette. Of course there are some small differences, especially because it is a fairly large painting at 36 x 24 inches. The 2nd version is now proudly on display in the Garrett Arts gallery in Oakland Maryland. For the rest of the year I turned back to the non-representational abstract and began working on several new projects. More on that soon…
And for artists, creating art is essential! There are so many excellent opportunities for shows and workshops through the warmer months that sometimes there is no time to write about them. In my case, the painting opportunities came one after another beginning in January and ramping up with a workshop in Santorini, Greece in early April. Then, the Plein Air season at home went into full swing through June. The hot summer months found weekly indoor studio time at the Yellow Barn and then continued with an abstract painting class into the Fall after the Glen Echo Labor Day weekend show. Currently, I am participating in an Olney Art Show at Kentlands Mansion as well as a fundraising show at Strathmore Mansion where 2 pieces of my artwork were donated for a raffle drawing type event. In addition, I was a participating donor artist for a special event on behalf of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless and Whatsyour50! So, I guess I don’t feel as badly about not updating my blog each month, as I usually do, when I look back on all the art things going on. Next up, pics of some of this past seasons work and some on the new projects in progress.
After a busy 4th quarter with two simultaneous shows at Strathmore Mansion, The Miniature Painters (MPSGS), and the Montgomery County Plein Air Painters and the annual Yellow Barn Studio member show, I was able to take a breath to get ready for a smaller group show for February. This fresh new show to start 2019 will have all new artwork and goes on exhibit at Gallery B the first week of February. This will be my fourth year at Gallery B and my fellow artists, Nancy, Jennifer, Christianne, David and I are looking forward to showing together in this beautiful venue in the heart of Bethesda.
I will be showing both plein air paintings and mixed media artwork. Friday February 8th we will be open to the public until 8PM. And I will be in the gallery each Wednesday from noon to 3PM so please come visit.
Autumn is my favorite time of year to do outdoor painting and enjoy the warm colors. The Yellow Barn Studio class I often attend with Walt Bartman, gets us out in the weather twice a week, September through November. Its been unusually chilly for the past few weeks, which delayed the colors, but they are finally out and we are taking advantage of it.
Its always fun to see artworks as they develop. Here’s some starts from the past few weeks. Each painting usually gets worked on for at least 2 sessions onsite and then touch-ups are done later in the studio. 
Its looking like there will be a nice batch of new paintings ready for the next show. There are several group shows on the calendar for November, December and into 2019 that I have been busily painting for. More information on those to come soon.
Fluvial Close-up # 1, Mixed Media, 10 x 12
Presented by The Friends of the Yellow Barn
July 21 & 22, 2018, 12:00 – 5:00pm
The lovely people at Maplewood Park Place in Bethesda, put on a wonderful reception for the opening of our 7 Palette’s summer exhibit. It was another rainy spring day but a great way to spend time on a leisurely Sunday in early June. In the meantime, we can now look forward to a warm and sunny summer very soon!
“Together Again” ~ a joint show by The 7 Palettes
Maplewood Park Place
9707 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814
June 1, 2018 – August 24, 2018
You are cordially invited to our Opening Reception
Sunday, June 3, 2018. 4pm – 6pm
Parking is free and also available next door, at St.Jane de Chantal church.
Here are 2 of my newest pieces that were recently created on a 7 Palettes workshop to Biloxi, MS with award winning plein air artist and teacher, Marc Hanson.
Halstead Bayou, Mississippi Gulf
Distant Deer Island, Mississippi Gulf
There will also be other recent paintings including one that just showed at Martha Spak’s Gallery on the District Wharf.
It was very generous of Martha to ask the Montgomery County Plein Air Painters to come down to the wharf, paint and then show our artwork during the month of April. If you haven’t been down to the District Wharf, they’ve done an incredible job renovating the area and it is now a beautiful and fun place for the whole family. The Anthem Theater is on my list as the best new music venue in the area and they have been attracting a lot a great musicians.
There are more paintings in the works and I hope to add another blog update soon.
Happy Spring (finally)!
The last 3 shows where one or both of the Fleeting Fluvial’s were exhibited generated a lot of interest in these mixed media paintings. Work has commenced on a 3rd piece in the series as well as 3 small versions of the larger pieces. Each small version is a microcosm of one of the larger ones. I choose one of the areas within the large piece that had enough interest that it could be slightly enlarged and stand on its own. All of these artworks are very rewarding to create and I look forward to the finished pieces. The large piece is 30 x 40 inches and therefore a little larger than the 2 previous versions which were 30 x 30 each. A lot of work has already gone into Fleeting Fluvial #3 and the smaller pieces, of varying size, are still in the early phases. The small pieces are a nice change from the larger ones, which have so much surface area to be worked, that it gets a bit complicated with all the layering and design decisions. And its always fun to take a small area from a larger painting and blow it up into another painting and thereby enjoying a new perspective.
In the meantime, Spring is finally bringing warmer weather and the opportunity for some plein air painting. A travel workshop is on the horizon.
Sara's Art 