Midnight Beach Abstracts--New Art Card Series

Happy New Year!! I am starting off 2009 by hitting the ground running (and not just after my toddler ;o) My latest art card series is now on Etsy, titled Midnight Beach Abstracts. You know how the beach looks late at night with the moonlight gently caressing the surf? That feeling of complete calm that seduces you as you breathe the tang of the salty air and get lost in the rhythm of the tidal dance? Those are the feelings that emerged as I put brush to canvas for these small abstracts.

There are three paintings in this series: each one is an original 5" x 7" abstract acrylic painting that presents like a card, allowing for a written message to personalize the back. Each painting in this particular series may be purchased separately for $12.00 each, or the entire series of three paintings can be purchased for only $30.00. Stop by my shop on Etsy and check them out!

http://www.galleryzooart.etsy.com/

Work in Progress--Serendipity

Here is my latest work in progress, titled Serendipity. This piece is going to be a mixed media diptych, 20" x 32"; this is panel one (20" x 16".) It is painted on gallery wrapped linen (depth is 1.25" thick) primed with clear acrylic gesso which allows the color and texture of the linen to show through. I love creating pieces with linen as the ground because it establishes a very different sort of setting for the painting than canvas. I become immediately engaged with more than the visual--it invites me to touch, to breathe the scent of clean fabric...well, you get the idea (hopefully without thinking I've imbibed too much holiday spirits.)

This first panel of Serendipity has been created with a fine art paper (ah, yes, another love) that contains tiny, unwoven strands of yarn in yellow, blue, red, and green. On top of that I have applied a wide strand of some sort of open-weave raffia (I've had it for so long that I honestly can't recall what exactly it is, only that it is still wonderful stuff) and then drizzled white and black paint about in a random pattern. This piece is about texture with a fiber-feel, with strands of color and lines unifying the energy and movement that goes into the process of creating a design for weaving or knitting (or anything, really--my inspiration happened to be loom-weaving.)

I hope to have Serendipity's second panel completed by next Sunday (January 4th.) Look for it on http://www.gallery-zoo-art.boundlessgallery.com/.

From the Mouths of Babes

Today my son and I walked to the bank. You know how quiet banks are inside, the kind of quiet that is only surpassed by libraries? While I held him in line (where I swear I could hear a feather drop, if only the partridge actually were in said pear tree), he played peek-aboo with the women behind us over my shoulder. Abruptly without provocation--and to my absolute horror--he announced at the top of his voice, "GET AWAY FROM MOMMY'S BUTT!"

I am pretty sure at that moment I could lead Santa's sleigh--Rudolph's nose be damned.

The Heroine's Overture

Here is my most recent posted piece, The Heroine's Overture. It is my first triptych, where one image continues across three separate canvases. I enjoy the dramatic quality creating across multiple canvases brings to a piece--I will definitely be exploring more pieces such as this. Each canvas measures 20" x 10", for a total size of 20" x 30" (canvases may be spaced farther apart for a larger size.)

So what is this painting about, exactly? For me, it is an exploration of line, color, and movement--an abstract visualization of the type of music used for a heroine. Here I see energy, life, courage, determination, yet something larger than herself that she must face or overcome that will mold the change or shape the destiny of the heroine. This piece depicts the triumph of the heroine. All of my art at this point reflects the positive element in life, nature, and the human character.

The Heroine's Overture By Catherine Jeltes, GALLERY ZOO ART

http://www.gallery-zoo-art.boundlessgallery.com/

Sale At Boundless Gallery

For interested readers...

There is an Early Shoppers Bonus (read "sale") on my site at Boundless Gallery. Go to www.gallery-zoo-art.boundlessgallery.com for 30% off any purchase $100 or more.

Click on "Coupon" or enter code EarlyShopBonus at checkout.

Sale good through December 15, 2008.

Happy Holidays from GALLERY ZOO ART!!

Deck The Halls With Dirty Clothes And Cookie Crumbs

I love this time of year. Yes, I am one of those weirdos who actually thrives on more stuff to do, who enjoys creating hand-made gifts, baking cookies from scratch, and devising new arts and craft projects for my two-year old that does not involve pulling apart the ornaments and dropping them into a freshly peed-in potty. The beauty of the holiday season is that I get to do all of the things I normally do as a mom, wife, and artist, only now I can listen to festive music. There is something quite sublime about baking to the tunes of "Silent Night" while my toddler zips from room to room with his Fisher Price popper toy (you know--the one that "pops" the colored balls as it is pushed or pulled, creating just enough of a commotion that you want to march into the manufacturer's office and beat them to death with it) shrieking "CUTTING THE GRASS!" Even I have to admit that laundry strewn from room to room on my as yet unvacuumed floor really adds a nice touch to the holiday decor. Now where is the cat?

Perhaps my favorite part so far is having had the opportunity to really hone my photo shop skills. Spending over two hours removing myself from my son's Santa picture taught me many things. Along with improving my technical skills, I now realize I no longer need five cups of egg nog to look three sheets to the wind. Bonus!

Somehow, I have no doubt the secret national anthem of moms everywhere on December 26th is "Happy Xmas (The War Is Over)".

Holiday Art Card--Red Series 1, Tree By Catherine Jeltes

www.galleryzooart.etsy.com

And From the Playroom...

Had to share this with all you moms out there.

In the midst of writing my previous posting, I had to change my son's training pants from perhaps one of his most expansive bodily expulsions since he was an infant. It went...

Everywhere. Out went the jeans and the pad to the changing table. In came the Glade, which I practically napalmed the house with (and mind you, I worked in animal barns for seventeen years. I am not a princess when it comes to being inundated with scent.)

We are still perfecting the "potty learning", which apparently is the politically correct term these days. Heck, if we are being that word conscious, why don't we just call it what it is--Operant Conditioning To Increase Mommy's Clothes Shopping Budget.