We enter 2018 settled for a bit in Spokane, WA. Doing this travel thing for the last (almost) 7 years has been a strange sort of life for a number of reasons. Since the contracts are usually at least 3 months long, often extending longer, we have the experience of not just visiting but truly living in each place for a time. Of becoming “a local”.
But even on the longer stays, we always know it is just temporary. We aren’t truly local, just visiting.
We often talk about how weird it is to stake a claim in one place– especially if it is a place you were born into, that you didn’t choose yourself. How strange that governments and principalities decide where lines are drawn on a map and we swear allegiance to the lands between those lines. We want to truly choose where we decide to call home.
One thing traveling has taught us has been that you can make a home, make a life, wherever you decide to be. We’re looking forward to finding ourselves in one such locale, wherever it may be, in 2018.
Another year is nearly in the books, ya’ll! This year was one of the most “settled” we’ve had in our nearly seven years of traveling– we were in Tacoma until the end of November and I had my own little dedicated studio space for all that time. It was very good for my creative energy and artistic well being!
As much as the travel and new places fuels my inspiration, the stability of being in one place helped give me the time and space to work out lots of ideas in the studio!
acrylic paintings completed 38
While the number of completed acrylics this year was lower than last, I explored abstraction more than before and felt more emboldened to try out some different ideas. I found my groove in the reflection inspired ECHOES series, completed a second round of the tiny SCINTILLA series, began a new wilderness inspired series LEMOLO, a conglomerate of my CAESURA explorations and my earlier LATITUDE series.
watercolors completed 40
2017 found me diving more into watercolors after my #the100dayproject last year. I explored a range of techniques and forays into abstraction with watercolors this year. In addition to the larger watercolors, I continued my almost daily #watercolorsandcoffee practice.
A goal of mine for 2017 was to increase my experience with commissioned work and I’m proud to have completed 3 commissioned pieces for clients in Florida, Boston, and Vancouver, BC.
28×36 acrylic commission
36×44 watercolor commission
60×36 acrylic commission
Be on the lookout for a new Commissions page on lesleyfrenz.com with more info on past commissions and my process for working with you on a commissioned piece!
Every artist has their own style, not just in the work itself, but in the way they work. What we wear in the studio has as much to do with our personal style as it does with our working style. Messy painters and sculptors probably don’t wear precious clothing or jewelry in the studio!
My own personal studio style is an extension of what I like to wear every day. I don’t like changing clothes throughout the day and since I work freelance from home, I can pretty much wear whatever I like. I do, however, like to feel “ready” to work– I never roll out of bed in my pjs and get to work. Putting on my studio clothes is as much a signal to get down to painting as putting on my favorite music.
So what do I wear in the studio? Comfy clothes and shoes for a start.
My favorites are a t-shirt or tank under an oversized flannel or chambray with stretchy leggings.
I layer up because mornings here in the PNW are usually chilly but if I’m working hard, I’ll soon need to strip off that top layer. Fashion faux pas or not, leggings let me move easily and comfortably and they are my fave. I buy the cheapies from Target so I don’t feel guilty when they end up with paint on them.
Since living in the PNW, I can wear my most comfy old boots in the studio for most of the year.
In the warmer summer months, I opt for cheap flip flops I don’t mind getting paint and medium all over. Although, this year I’ve noticed a difference in the way my legs feel after wearing the flip flops in the studio all day so think I need to find a more orthopedically friendly choice.. ugh. Getting old is for the birds, ya’ll.
I always wear an apron in the studio– since we’re traveling light, my clothes need to be able to do double duty, so I can’t really have a set of clothes just for the studio. A sturdier apron works best for me, since I tend to use a lot of glazing medium, which has a heavy, glue like consistency and will go right through thinner aprons (which I discovered the hard way).
I rarely remember to remove my rings and watch before I start working, but find that acrylics clean up off them easily enough if I get super messy.
How about you? What’s your best get down to work wear?
Side note: All those artists I see on Instagram painting in bikinis or cute dresses and heels? No way you’re actually painting in that. Let’s be real with ourselves and each other.
September has been a super busy month, ya’ll! My work has been poppin’ up from New Hampshire to Seattle, but this coming weekend, it’s an actual POP-UP!
Friday & Saturday, September 22nd & 23rd, there will be a one-time Pop-Up show of my latest work at the Seattle Art Source showroom in the International District in Seattle. New acrylic paintings from both my ECHOES & LEMOLO series, as well as large & small watercolors on cradled panel will be on display inside the SAC showroom, showcased with Plank & Grain’s gorgeous reclaimed wood furnishings.
I will be in the showroom gallery on Saturday, 9/23 from 11am-1pm and would love to meet you in person! I’ll have my watercolors with me, so you may even catch me doing a little watercolor sketching!
For directions to Seattle Art Source and showroom hours, click here. Hope to see you on Saturday!
Hi friends and especially Seattle area folks! A new painting from my LEMOLO series has been chosen to be a part of the juried group show, ICON, opening at Lynn Hanson Gallery on Thursday, September 7th.
The Mountain Comes To Me, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 20x20x1.5
Since being in the Tacoma/Olympia area for nearly a year, we’ve spent a good bit of time exploring around Mount Rainier. This summer, while camping at Cougar Rock, we took a few strolls at dusk at the base of the mighty mountain and I was awestruck once again by her presence. The Mountain Comes To Me was painted the following week.
view of mount rainier from the nisqually vista trail at paradise
The ICON show opens during the First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square where dozens of galleries and venues stay open late for your art browsing pleasure. Lynn Hanson Gallery will be open for First Thursday from 5pm-8pm and there will be an Artists Reception & Awards event on Saturday, Sept 16th, from 4-7pm. I won’t be able to make it to the First Thursday opening, but Mr. F and I will be at the gallery for the artists reception on the 16th– come by and say hi!
If you’re in Seattle for First Thursday or if you’d just like to see the show in person, drop by Lynn Hanson Gallery, 312 S Washington St, Sept 7-30th to see the show! For purchase information, please contact Lynn Hanson Gallery at 206-960-2118.
Since beginning the #100littleartworks project way back in 2016, I’ve been diving deeper and deeper into my love of watercolors. I’m excited to announce that six new watercolors on Aquaboard panel are part of my second showing with Nahcotta Gallery in Enormous Tiny Art #22 opening this Friday, September 1st!
waterbound I and VI, watercolor and cold wax on aquaboard panel, 7×5 art in 10×8 white float frame
I’ve been exploring watercolors beyond paper and have completely fallen for Ampersand Aquaboard panels. The surface reacts much the same way as watercolor paper, but unlike paper, they can be displayed without glass once sealed. These watercolors on panel are sprayed with fixative and then, for extra protection, coated with a cold wax finish.
To see all of the Waterbound series available at Nahcotta, check out my artist page on their website. Work is available for pre-show purchase now and the show will be up in the Portsmouth, NH gallery until September 30th.
What our eventual home space will look like is a major topic of conversation for Mr. F and I. We’re on our 15th(!) living space in 6 years of traveling and with each new home we discover what works for us and what doesn’t.
Since amping up my studio practice in the last several years, having space to paint has become more and more important for my happiness as an artist and well, the Mr. knows that happy wife=happy life. For our permanent living situation, we’ve talked about an in-home studio, backyard studio, and off-site studio. But lately, we’ve been seriously thinking about a live/work studio home.
Even when I have a little studio area, my painting paraphernalia always seems to find its way out into the other living areas. We don’t want a huge house with wasted space, so why not combine our living space with my work space?
Mr. F isn’t picky and he’s super low maintenance, not minding the thought of basically living in a big artist’s studio. All that he requires is a comfortable bed, sofa, and well-functioning kitchen. We both prefer spaces that aren’t precious– none of that “furniture you can’t sit on” for us. So I think we’d be OK with knowing there may be random paint splatters happening.
With that said, I’m a pretty neat painter– I always wash my brushes and keep my studio pretty clean and organized. So I think we wouldn’t have to worry too much about living in a disaster zone.
We’re still a few years away from settling down, so we have lots of time to ruminate on this option. Any of my artist readers work/live in the same space? I would love to hear your experiences!
Do you remember the scene in Wild where Reese Witherspoon can’t stand up under the weight of her pack? Every backpacker knows that weight is everything. Every ounce you add to your pack is an additional strain on your legs and back as you hike, which makes what should be an amazing, beautiful experience painfully agonizing.
It was so last minute, I didn’t have a tiny sketchbook to carry with me and I wanted to be able to do some watercolors when we had downtime. So industrious artsy that I am, I decided to create a makeshift watercolor kit for backpacking.
First task– create a sketchbook. The Mr.’s job recruiter recently came to visit & brought us some branded goodies– among them a few pocket journals, which just happened to be the perfect size for backpacking (remember, size matters! ha!). I ripped out the lined journal paper, then cut a few pieces of Canson Mixed Media paper to size, securing them inside with a heavy rubber band, recycled from grocery-bought veggie bundles (I always keep some on hand, they come in so handy!)
It worked perfectly– and as an added bonus, it is lighter than a moleskin would be and the pages will be easily removable as I fill them– so it will continue to lighten the more I hike & paint!
Onto the paint itself. I already had a super light weight flower-shaped watercolor palette with a lightweight cover. So I filled the wells with my favorite tube colors and let them dry out before packing them up. I zipped the palette up in a ziploc, to protect all my other things just in case there was any paint leakage.
A small, inexpensive brush is sufficient for tiny quick sketches. I hacked off about an inch from the end so that it would fit easily in a quart-sized ziploc with my sketchbook without bending the bristles. That ziploc was then placed inside the freezer-sized ziploc with my palette and a small plastic water cup. I also bring along a folded paper towel for blotting. Viva brand towels work best– light and super absorbent, so I can do lots of blotting and cleaning up without soaking the towel through.
Everything worked like a charm! I may eventually switch out the palette for something more secure, perhaps with a larger mixing area (I like this option, the thumb hole would make it much easier to hold onto), but for now, it does the trick. We’re hoping to do another overnighter this weekend along the Sol Duc River, follow me on Instagram for photos!
Here’s a clip of me getting ready for a backpacking adventure.. 🙂
It’s been a bit since I’ve shared what I’m reading with you! I just finished Judy Chicago’s Through The Flower and wanted to share some quick thoughts I took from her early experiences as a female artist.
Frustrated with the patriarchal structure of the art world, in 1970 Chicago took a faculty position with Fresno State College to teach a women-only art program. The groundbreaking Feminist Art Program provided female artists a platform for creating artwork specific to their experiences as women.
For several years, Chicago immersed herself in the study of other female artists working in abstraction. There is truly nothing new under the sun, but looking back at how other women created and functioned in the male dominated world (both the art world and the world at large) helped give the artist the confidence and commitment to create her own visual language and tradition.
In her early years, Chicago heard a professor tell her class that women had made no contributions to art history. This, along with a sense of equality and justice instilled by her father, propelled her to work tirelessly not only to become an important artist but to become an important, inherently feminine artist. Chicago’s style of feminism is very direct, while the work of other female artists can be more subtle.
As an artist, I find myself feeling like I should be making important statements with my work. But as a person, I’ve never been one for overt statements, though I have definite opinions. Over time, Chicago found her voice. I hope to do the same.
Top image by me. Other image sources linked above.
When I’m in the studio, I’m always listening to something– just what depends on my mood and what I’m working on. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes podcasts. I have a few “go-to” podcasts that I really enjoy and thought you might like a listen if you haven’t tried them out already!
We all know Danielle Krysa as a champion of artists, but it turns out she is also a fantastic interviewer! Danielle spends time chatting with artists over coffee or an adult beverage, getting the low down on their backgrounds, artistic inspirations and aspirations, and fun tidbits like whether they prefer potato chips or chocolate. I’ll take chocolate covered chips!
A painter with a sincere appreciation for the ins and outs of the studio work of other painters, John Dalton’s podcast Gently Does It, is a joy to listen to, especially for gaining insight into the minds of some of the best painters working today. I have a few favorites that I’ve listened to multiple times including Ep. 30 pictured above featuring Alyssa Monks and Ep. 26 and 27 with Ali Cavanaugh.
I have a soft spot for Joshua Tree, California. If you’ve been a longtime reader of AF, you may remember, Mr. F & I spent six months living in JT a few years ago. Joshua Tree has a distinctly creative vibe, which attracts all sorts of artsy folks to the high desert. Emily Silver interviews local JT area artists in their studios, which adds a layer of familiarity to her interviews that isn’t there among the podcasts in which interviewer/interviewee are separated by miles. The artists and Emily both continue to remind me of what an inspiring and magical place Joshua Tree can be.
Gale Straub’s She Explores podcast centers around the experiences of women in the outdoors. Artists, entrepreneurs, and thru-hikers are among her interviewees. Each bringing their own unique experience to the podcast. Listening to the SE podcast makes me want to get outside and if you take your inspiration from nature, like I do, I promise you’ll be inspired!
I’ve been a reader of Young House Love longer than any other blog I’ve followed. Even from before they were YHL (I remember This Young House!). Anyone who reads their DIY blog knows these two are super fun and super cute. Listening to them is like hanging out in your best friend’s kitchen.
Wild author Cheryl Strayed joins Steve Almond in dispensing advice to Dear Sugar listeners on this weekly podcast. Smart and insightful, this one is a favorite when I’m gessoing!
