Team Vranes!

This is the man who made this NY trip happen! My husband Matt is the best! I couldn't have asked for a better business partner. When we decided to make this trip at the last minute, he organized the whole thing--boxing and shipping the artwork out, designing and ordering all new marketing materials (in less than a week, mind you!), organizing multiple babysitters for our 4 kids back home, booking flights/hotel...you name it, he did it. He also had the brilliant idea to print some of our full-page Art Business News ads onto plexiglas and have them displayed in the booth. They were a big hit with our ABN partners!

But the best thing about Matt is that he is great with people. He has a big personality that people are drawn to instantly. This makes him the perfect partner in a show like this--he helps alleviate the social stress I would normally feel. We had a ball being in NY together and experiencing first hand all the adventures that come with a big show like this. It was a whirlwind of excitement!

"Artist Profile" in Art Business News!

Art Business News (ABN) has planned to spotlight me as their "Artist Profile" in one of their upcoming issues...so it was perfect timing to have Kristin Stefek Brashares (Editor-in-Chief of Art Business News and DECOR & VOLUME Magazines) in our booth all weekend long! We did manage to find some time for an "official" interview. The article is slated to appear in June's issue of ABN.

Nature's Scene, Fine Art Distributors

Nature's Scene is a family run Distributor/ Publishing company based in Ontario Canada. Nature's Scene is the exclusive distributors for Millpond Press, a foremost publisher of limited edition prints. This family run company (Jack Cole and his four sons: Steve, Brandon, Peter and Philip) brings in sales between $5-$10 million a year. They are well known in the industry for their high integrity and good relationships with their artists.

I was delighted when Jack and Philip came into my booth and responded very positively to my work. Jack was especially excited about my colorful landscapes. He's very passionate about art, and liked how bold and vibrant my pieces were. He picked 6 of my images right off the bat to start with! He told me that when he sees something he likes, he jumps on it! No need to go home and think about it for weeks...he knows immediately what artist will work. I'm just happy he chose me. I couldn't be more thrilled!

Large artwork needed for a NJ office!

This NJ Design Group came to ArtExpo to find a couple of large pieces for their office. They instantly felt a connection with my work! They ordered the top painting, "Aspens in Autumn (triptych)" as a 60" tall by 90" wide three panel Giclée for a big wall in their conference room! And for another spot in the office, they all agreed that a 48" tall by 60" wide, ultra-enhanced Giclée of "Treasure Trove" would be perfect! I do hope they send me pictures. It sounds like a fabulous space for my large pieces.

10 x 10 Giclées make a splash in NY!

I decided to bring a series of 10 x 10 Giclées to NY...and they were an instant hit! At only $250 each, these enhanced Giclées are not only affordable, but truly stunning pieces of art! And they can fit anywhere! They look great hanging alone on a wall, or together as a grouping. The possibilities are limitless. These smaller prints also make perfect gifts for family and friends.

ABN sales reps!

Kim Klatt (left) is a sales representative for the two leading art-and-framing trade publications, Art Business News and DECOR and the two leading art and framing trade shows, Artexpo and Decor Expo. It was because of him that we got this opportunity to share a booth this weekend! Fred Rogers Jr. (right) is the west coast rep for Art Business News. It's been fun getting to know them and the whole ABN gang better. My husband and I manned the booth, while these two charismatic salesmen roamed the show. I'm convinced Kim Klatt knows everyone in the Art world!

Wyland at ArtExpo

Recognize this man? Chances are, you've seen his work! He's marine artist Wyland-- world famous for his large, outdoor murals of whales and other ocean life. The symbol on his hat was a dead giveaway when he came into my booth. I asked if he was doing this show, and he gave me a bit of a smirk and said, "heck no! I don't have to!"

Signed with Winn Devon, Art Publishing!

I recently signed with Winn Devon, one of the largest art-publishing houses in the world. Winn Devon (a division of Encore Art Group) is a publisher of open edition posters, limited edition prints, and original works of art. Their collection showcases an eclectic mix of art from 200 international artists. They sell artwork through galleries, framers, museums, gift boutiques and art retailers (like Target, Macy's etc.) throughout the world. These guys will help take my work to the next level! It's all very exciting.

Niki Colley is the Chief Creative Director at Winn Devon. She was also at the ArtExpo, so we got the chance to meet in person and talk about future plans. She is very excited about my work, and thinks there is a good market for my colorful landscapes on an international level. I'm thrilled about this company and I can't wait to see what they do with my work.

NY Pizza--Yum!

We plan on eating this every night! NY pizza really is the best in the world. I'm especially fond of the tomato/basil variety. I wonder how many calories is in one slice? Whatever it is, it's worth it! I'm not even going to care this week!

Opening Day!

We did it! The booth looks fabulous. The first two days of the show are for Trade only. This is when all the Galleries, Designers, Publishers, Art Dealers etc. come out to catch the first glimpse at all the new art offerings. There is some mad negotiating that goes on these days--this is NYC after all!

Booth setup at ArtExpo NY!

International ArtExpo is the world’s largest fine art trade show, providing dealers with access to thousands of wholesale works from artists and publishers in one single venue. Over its 30-year history, ArtExpo New York has hosted many of the world’s most renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Peter Max, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Indiana and Leroy Neiman.

This is what the show looks like the day before it opens. Lots of setup pandemonium going on! The boxes behind me are all my paintings! I'm so happy they arrived safely. That's the biggest fear with a show like this--that somehow the artwork gets lost in transit, or arrives too late...and one must sit in an empty booth! Every box is accounted for, so I can rest easy! We did have to overnight 7 of these big boxes from Scottsdale to NY. Not cheap! But worth having the artwork for the show. Now we just have to get this booth together. It may take us all night! :)

Young Talent!

These are my dear friends the Elcocks! Sean and I go way back to good old college days at BYU. They live in Arizona, so every year we get a chance to meet up in Scottsdale at the Celebrations show. Their daughters are quite the budding artists! I gave them a blank canvas, and some paint and they instantly began to "create" their masterpiece. The abstract shapes and bold colors were really quite wonderful. Keep it up Girls! Most kids stop creating art by the age 12...the ones that continue to practice on into their teens become the artists!

"Evening Rest" -- 48 x 60

My studio webcam at the show snapped a pic of me working on "Evening Rest." Here it is all finished up! I've done several versions of this particular scene...but this one is my favorite!

Cactus Paintings -- 6 x 6 Minis!

Elly and Steve Hammerman are avid art collectors. They've been coming to the Celebration of Fine Art show for 17 years! Last month, they purchased my "Out of Bounds" a 48 x 48 aspen painting with lots of colorful wildflowers. Steve saw my two 6" x 6" cactus paintings (my first desert scenes ever!) and had to add them to his collection!

I stopped by their home to deliver the two paintings, and to get a chance to see where the Hammermans had hung my "Out of Bounds" painting. It's such a treat for me to see where client's hang my work in their homes! It looked fantastic in one of the guest bedrooms. Everything in their home is Western, so it was unusual for them to collect something that wasn't of that genre. But I'm glad they made an exception with my work! :)
The funny thing is...the Hammermans didn't know I had painted a tiny golf flag in the background. They bought this piece because they liked the flowers. It was after they got it home and hung it up that a relative mentioned the "golf" motif. I guess they're not avid golfers! Steve joked with me later that had he seen the flag, he would have thought twice about that piece! I think he was kidding. :)

We're going to International ArtExpo NY 2010!

I'm so excited! We just got a call from Art Business News. They have a platinum booth for the ArtExpo NY 2010 and they asked if I wanted to share it with them and be their spotlighted artist (well, help them sell ad space, and also help "decorate" their empty booth with my art). But, I am thrilled to say the least! These booths, range from $4,000-$20,000--depending on size and location...and this particular booth is in a primo spot! This is truly a win-win. I've been advertising with ABN every month for over a year now, and have seen great results--so I will naturally be their best saleswoman for the magazine while at the same time I get a chance to display my work in front of thousands of people! This is an international show. The only problem is...the show is in a week in a half! I have to figure out which paintings to ship out to NY, find babysitters for the kids (Matt is definitely going with me on this!), books flights to NY, get a Hotel, hire someone to booth sit for me here in Scottsdale for the Celebrations show (this is that show's last week, so this isn't the best timing.) But, this is the chance of a lifetime, so I know it will all work out. It's going to be awesome!

Arizona Aspens -- 48 x 24

Just finished this piece up! Lots of great rich metallic golds and bronzes with nice tones of red. Should do really well in my Gallery in Sedona.

"Heavenly Spring" 48 x 60

I have a web cam in my booth that takes a still shot of my easel every couple of minutes. It captured me working on my latest Spring painting. The paintings I do with flowers are my quickest sellers! I can't keep them in stock for long. This is an especially strong piece. I actually mixed iridescent silver and pearl into the paint to make the white trunks of the birches/aspens glow. It looks like sunlight is refracting off of the white bark! It turned out pretty neat!
(close-up of the highly textured flowers!)

"Aspen Gold" -- 72" x 24" vertical!

Here's another great vertical piece! It's hard to keep this size in stock! I used lots of nice, shimmery golds and metallic rusts in this painting--it literally sparkles with autumn!

"Evening Romance" -- 72" x 24"

I love these tall verticals! It's been a very popular size lately. They're great because the width is only 2' so they can fit just about anywhere! People laugh when they see me painting a piece taller than myself. I think nothing of it--most of my pieces are bigger than me...but it must look strange to an outside observer. I have to stand on a chair to paint the top!
I took some close-up shots of the thick, impasto texture. I use palette knives to build out layers of heavy acrylic paint. I want my paintings to come to life with texture that can be felt!

"Heavenward" -- 48 x 48 and "Upwards III" -- 60 x 48

I love painting these 'looking up through the trees' types! You can't tell from the pics, but the texture on the trunks and leaves is almost 3 dimensional! So chunky, thick...while the clouds and sky in the background remain smooth!! I love it. It makes the trees truly jump out at you. This is one of my most popular series!

Sisters?

I already have 7 sisters...but I've always thought Susan Potje, the show's head coordinator, could be one! Except for the height, she would fit right in with my family! We couldn't resist the urge to snap a picture together in our coordinating "Spring" outfits!

Paintings in Sedona!

Yesterday, I sent over three brand new pieces to the James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona...and Linda Timberlake (my Art Manager) just sent me pics of the paintings hanging up in the Gallery! Looks great! I was pleased to see they gave me a very prominent wall. They want 6 more before the end of March.

Last Family Visit!

This is the last time I get to see my kids until after the show finishes up at the end of the month! All they wanted to do was swim, swim, swim. They had a blast! None of their friends get to swim in March! I sure miss my little crazies.