Spring flowers surround us

Dear Michele

Monterey Biennial Opening Celebration

Saturday, May 17 | 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Free public event

I was honored to learn that my Painting "Big Sur Beauty" was selected for the inaugural Biennial at the Monterey Museum of Art. You are invited to join the exhibition opening at Monterey Museum of Art—Pacific Street! Enjoy beverages and light bites in MMA's Sculpture Garden and spend time in the galleries exploring the exhibition. This special event honors the diverse and dynamic talent of artists from Central California's artistic community.

This exhibit will run all summer, and admission is free to all on Sundays,

Read more about MMA events here.

Bold Botanicals

I will participate in the ACCI Gallery's "Art & Plant Street Sale" on Saturday, May 10, 11am - 5pm. The street show will be located on Lincoln St near Shattuck Ave. Find me there and say Hi. This show is in collaboration with both the Gallery and the Berkeley Garden Club,

ACCI Gallery, at 1652 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley, will be exhibiting a spring flower show, offering art in many forms celebrating flowers. Wild Iris, 18x18, shown here, will be among my 7 floral oil paintings selected for this exhibit.

Spring Travel Inspirations

This March, Richard and I, escaped to warmer, drier climes. We visited San Diego, Palm Desert, and Sedona AZ.

Our final stop was the red rock country of Sedona, Arizona. Arriving during a snow storm, we were surprised by the weather. Fortunately, the snow melted quickly, and we enjoyed weather in the 60s with no further precipitation. The next several days were spent hiking and gathering inspiration among the canyons and cliffs. Read more about our Sedona trip here.

Studio Work

I’m glad to see some sunny days. During recent rainy and overcast days, I worked on some large paintings. Sometimes it takes me months to decide what a painting needs to become finished. This winter, I added more darks to the foreground rocks of Sundown 24x36”. I wanted the painting to have more drama in the contrast of light and dark colors. The mixture of ultramarine blue and cadmium red medium contrasts with the rose colored sky and water. An image of the finished piece will be in my next newsletter.

Tip for Artists: Editing a "Finished" Painting

Making changes to “finished” paintings can be a bit scary. To help you decide if an idea will work out, you may cover your painting with plastic wrap or plexiglass. I used a couple of sheets of plexi to see if darkening the foreground of Sun Down would create the desired effect. I applied the dark color on the plexiglass first. When I liked the result, I removed the plexi and painted directly on the canvas. Before painting on a dried canvas, I apply a thin layer of oil alkyd medium.

I often get pieces of plexiglass when I purchase simple frames. I save these pieces for later use. Plexi also makes a good liner for a plein air pochade box and can easily be replaced when it becomes too difficult to clean. Locally, you may buy plexiglass from Gary’s Plastics near the climbing wall and Seabright Ave in Santa Cruz.

Spring Brights,12x9, available at ACCI Gallery Plant and Art show in Berkeley CA., May 10.

Prints

Paintings

I hope the sunshine makes your days more enjoyable.

Come by and say "hi" at any of these May Art events.

Michele

Instagram (michele.hausman.art.) ... My YouTube Channel ... My website: HausmanStudio.com

Represented by Wisteria Art & Antiques in Soquel, CA, Luna Sea in Pescadero and ACCI Gallery in Berkeley.

You can also explore and purchase my art through my website, at HausmanStudio.com.