FUN WITH KINETIC SAND

Do you remember those rare, lucky days at the beach when the sand was perfect for molding?

I just discovered Kinetic Sand by Waba Fun. This remarkable stuff works just like that lake side sand you recall from your childhood but without the mess. It doesn't stick to your hands, it doesn't scatter on the table or the floor; it's anti-microbial. And while I wouldn't recommend eating it, it is safe. I'm bringing it to the gallery. You can come play with it at Gallery 427 at the Northrup King Building on our next First Thursday in the Arts District on Thursday, June 5, 5:00-9:00 pm. Let's have some fun!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Love wearable art?

Studio mate Darrell Hagan and I will be hosting Erica Bouza and her collection of one-of-a-kind jackets and hats, created by well-known Minnesota fibers artists. Erica was the owner of Erica's Gallery of Wearable Art. The items are lightly used, all sized medium.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

5:00 - 9:00 pm

#427 Northrup King Building

1500 Jackson St., N.E.

Minneapolis, MN 55413

Click here for directions

Jackets $95 - $135

Hats $30 - $45

     

ART ATTACK 2011

"International Harvester"

acrylic on canvas
5" x 5"
framed $125
unframed $85

“Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., in “Strength to Love,” 1963.

I smile every time I read this quote. I’m hardly capable of saving humanity but I sure do feel “creatively maladjusted,” especially when I head to my studio, a place where an ADD specialist would find a enough material for a PhD. thesis. I’ve finally decided to ignore other people’s urgings that I stick to one voice/one medium -- and the work I’ve done over the past several months reflects this joyful rebellion. The result? Glad you asked. I’ve continued with the hands portraits...but nothing’s finished yet. The botanical watercolors have morphed into ink and oil monoprints. I’ve fallen in love with something called “spirit houses.“ I hope to have a couple of ‘em ready for November’s Art Attack (see below). What is finished is a series of framed 5” x 5” acrylics that are really cool, if I do say so myself. If you're thinking about holiday gifts, you might want to consider a gift of art. I'm offering gift certificates in any amount to be redeemed by the recipient whenever he/she gets around to it. You'll find 3" x 4" prints on miniature easels ($12), oils in the same size on easels ($25), framed and unframed watercolors ($45 - $75), framed acrylics ($125), and unframed oils ($400 - $600).
ART ATTACK The Northrup King Building http://www.northrupkingbuilding.com
200 artists, one location
NOVEMBER 4 5:00 - 10:00 pm
NOVEMBER 5 noon - 8:00 pm
NOVEMBER 6 noon - 5:00 pm
You’ll find me and studio mate Darrell Hagan in #427. We’d love to see you!

I'M ON LOCAL ARTIST INTERVIEWS!

MinneapolisPhotographer Michael McGraw featured me on his Local Artist Interviews. Thanks, Mike; you make me look really good!

Artist Bio~ I started painting when I took a workshop through the U. of Minnesota's Split Rock Arts Program. A week at the Cloquet Forestry Center in a class called "Drawing for the Truly Terrified" (which I was!) and I was hooked.

Fifteen years later I'm still learning. I so much enjoy exploring and experimenting that if consistency of medium and voice is what you're after, you'll not find it in my studio. Visitors there often remark on the variety in my subjects and voice. What can I say? I’m sort of like the Manhattan Transfer. I paint what I love and what I love is as varied as their music. (On the other hand, my mother would have told you that I just get bored easily.)

Tell me about your work. What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I’ve been working in oils for a number of years, creating portraits of people using only their hands. About a year ago I took a botanical watercolor class from Marilyn Garber, founder of the Minnesota School of Botanical Art.

I wasn't particularly interested in watercolor work or in painting pictures of plants. Rather, I saw this as a discipline I needed; I signed on under the theory that if you want to play jazz piano well, a good foundation in classical music isn’t a bad idea.

To my way of thinking, Garber’s instruction would provide me with the classical basis I needed if I wanted to get better at what I was already doing. I never expected to fall in love with botanical watercolors. As a result of almost a year under her excellent tutelage, I'm experimenting with combining my hand portraits in oils with my watercolor botanicals.

The Massage Therapist

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

Whether they're looking at the hand portraits or my botanicals, I hope that viewers of my work come away with a heightened insight into the details that make both people and plants intriguing, mysterious, beautiful.

Independence Day

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

“You’ll never be an artist because you can’t tell me how many buttons are on your shirt without looking,” my 9th grade art teacher told me. It took me 40 years to figure out that what he was saying was that an artist needs to pay attention to the details. At 14, I believed him and became first a secretary, then an English teacher. I didn’t start painting until I was almost 50. I’m a slow learner...but one who pays attention to details.

Tell me about your work space and your creative process. I show at Northrup King and I work at home. I have half the basement for my oil paints. Not glamorous, but the walls are white and my husband stapled sheets of white foam core to the ceiling. The upstairs attic-cum-bedroom is where I do my dreaming, writing, drawing, and watercolors. My stash of art books is there, sharing space with my plants, boxes of handmade paper, and three ring binders I call my Directories of Visual Instruction...collections of magazine clippings, sketches, colors I’ve mixed...it’s my main source when I want a new idea.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

I wish there were room to list them all! At the top of my list are Margo Selksi. Her narrative figure work entraps my imagination. Kristie Bretzke does insightful and thoughtful portraits of street people.

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see? I get to the "biggies" a lot...the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center. I love wandering through the galleries in Grand Marais. Locally, hands down it’s the amazing and ever-growing work by the N.E. Minneapolis artists, especially those artists in the Casket Arts Building and those in the Northrup King Building.

Primrose Leaves

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I’ve stumbled across some amazing people through Fine Art America. I frequently return to the apps I've installed on my iPad, a favorite of which is "Art Authority."

Another favorite is an accidental find through eBlogger: Myrna Wacknov does collages, watercolor figure work and portraits that speak of someone who loves people, color, and experimentation.

An Act of Contrition

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I’m not ready to make a detailed commitment to what I’m experimenting with, but I can say that it has something to do with combining classical music with jazz...in other words, my watercolor botanicals with oil paintings. If this works out, they’ll be at the gallery space I share with Darrell Hagan in Studio 427, Northrup King Building, Minneapolis.

ART-A-WHIRL SPECIAL OFFER

'What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something,
because of course art is about sharing: you wouldn't be an artist
unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.'
David Hockney

I've written earlier about the classes in botanical watercolor I've been taking under the excellent tutelage of Marilyn Garber, founder of the Minnesota School of Botanical Artists. I wrote about how surprised I was to discover a discipline I didn't expect to fall in love with and about my discovery of an intense pleasure in a zen-like, focused experience. Just me, nature's gorgeous colors, and my paint brush.

I'd love to share with you the results of my studies. I'll be hanging these new watercolors in time for

ART-A-WHIRL (click here for directions)

May 14th, 5:00 - 10:00 pm
May 15th, Noon - 8:00 pm
May 16th, Noon - 5:00 pm
Northrup King Building
Studio 343

In addition I'll be offering for the first time ever an Art-A-Whirl special--50% off of selected oil paintings. If you're in the Twin Cities area the weekend of May 14, I hope you'll stop in. I'd love to visit with you!

ART-A-WHIRL 2010

Art-A-Whirl 2010
Click on the poster for more info

Art-A-Whirl, presented by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, is the largest open studio and gallery tour in the United States. This is a highly anticipated annual event that welcomes local and regional visitors to the Arts District in Northeast Minneapolis to see the art being made in this area and to meet the artists. As visitors come to see the art over the three-day weekend they also experience the unique and welcoming community of Northeast Minneapolis. More info at NEMAA.ORG.
New in my studio this year--my botanical watercolors. I'd love to see you at Studio 343, Northrup King Building.








Four Cherries
by Judy Westergard
Watercolor on Fabriano 300# hot press
All rights reserved
click on image for purchase info

HOWEVER DID THEY PAINT THAT FOOD?

Four Cherries
watercolor on paper
by Judy Westergard

I should be cleaning my studio but that always involves reshelving art books. Cleaning's boring. Reading's fun. So I park my Hoover in one corner and my keister in another and surround myself with a couple of piles of books that beg me to once again thumb through them. I pick up a collection of paintings by the Old Masters, many of them Dutch. All that food! Succulent fish, colorful fruits, glistening glassware...those gorgeous still lifes set my mind to reeling. How, I wonder in awe, did those guys steel themselves against eating their specimens?
BTW (as the texters say), I've got a new web site. You can get there by clicking on the cherries. If you get a chance I'd appreciate any feedback you'd like to send my way. Too slow to load? Confusing? Of course, if you'd just like to tell me how great it looks, that'd be good, too. Thanks!

A FOOT IN THE DOOR

The Massage Therapist
by Judy Westergard
oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

The Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP) is a unique organization that is run by and for Minnesota artists. Every 10 years MAEP, in collaboration with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, sponsors the Foot in the Door show, a collection of small works by Minnesota artists--nothing larger than 12 inches. (That's the size of art, not the artists.) "The Massage Therapist" will be in the show which runs February 19 - June 13, 2010.

PRICE REDUCTION ON MY GICLEE PRINTS

Just a quick note here that the prices of my images, which are available as cards and giclee prints through FineArtAmerica.com, have just been reduced so you might want to take a look at what's available. Prints now start at $24.00.
Giclee (zhee-klay) - The French word "giclée" is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt."
The Advantages: A tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
The Quality: The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
The Process: Giclee prints are created typically using professional 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, & Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology printers are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets.

reprinted with permission from Giclée Print Net, Inc

ART ATTACK '09

Judy Westergard Studio
#343, Northrup King Bldg
1500 Jackson St., N.E.
Mpls., MN 55418

If you're in or near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota the first weekend of November, consider visiting Art Attack, an annual open studio and gallery crawl at the Northrup King Building in the heart of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. The weekend-long event features over 200 artists working in painting and drawing, sculpture, photography, architecture, custom furniture, fiber arts, metal, ceramics, glass, hand-crafted and custom jewelry, mixed media, mosaics, textiles, and more. Art Attack is an exciting opportunity to gain admission to private studios and to buy original art direct from local, nationally and internationally known artists. This 12th anniversary will feature live music, special exhibits in the gallery and on the green space and a chance to win $500 in Art Bucks which can be redeemed for art of your choice. The Northrup King Building is at 1500 Jackson St., N.E., Minneapolis. You'll find directions and more information at NorthrupKingBuilding.com. And if you come, stop in and see me and my amazing studio mates in Studio 343. I'd love to meet you!

ART AND THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR

"The Gardener"©
by Judy Westergard
oil on canvas
24" x 24"
all rights reserved

It's State Fair Time!
"Our fair is more than food-fest and farm animals.
For these twelve days, we are all of us Gathered together and swept up into one fluid choreography
Of pleasure, tenderness and curiosity"
-- from "We Are All of Us" by Leslie Ball written for the '06 Minnesota State Fair.
Ahhh...the tangy aroma of pronto pups with mustard. The sweet crunch of sugar on your tongue as you bite into a warm mini-donut. The screams of the teenagers from the midway. The lust-filled eyes of the guys at the new car displays. Newborn calves, goats, pigs at the Miracle of Birth barn. The sudden quiet as your cable car gracefully lifts you up and across the fair grounds. All this and ART, ART, ART! I can't say I wasn't tickled to learn that "The Gardener" was accepted into this year's fine arts show. You can see it, along with sculpture and photos, watercolors and pastels at the Fine Arts Building. And as long as you're wandering around the fair grounds, stop in at the Butterfly House. Art pals Jon O. Erikson and Lauri Svedberg were instrumental in the display and art work. Not only is this a great respite from the hullabaloo of the fair, it's a great place to regain that sense of childhood delight as you watch the awed faces of little kids with butterflies on their foreheads, hands and tummies.

It's the Great Minnesota Get Together!
August 27 - Labor Day, 2009
St. Paul, Minnesota

I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE MY ART AS GREETING CARDS

I'm excited! Much of my work is now available in greeting card format! Through my home page at Fine Art America.com, click on an image that appeals to you, then click on the greeting card link. From there, have fun using that image to custom design a greeting card that you'll be proud to send.

Greeting Card Details

FAA greeting cards are 5" x 7" in size and produced on digital offset printers using 110 lb. paper stock.

Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss appearance.

The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with a text message up to 500 characters in length. The message is centered on the inside of the card and printed in black 18pt arial font.

Cards may be ordered in a horizontal or vertical configuration.

Cards may be ordered with a white background or black background.

All greeting card orders ship within 48 hours, and shipping is available to any destination in the world!

"Namaste"
as greeting card
on black 110 lb. card stock

ART-A-WHIRL - annual n.e. minneapolis art crawl

(Looking for my non-ad blogs? Just scroll down a bit.)
If you're in or near the Twin Cities, I invite you to Art-A-Whirl Open Studio Tours in the Minneapolis Arts District. Whether you're looking to add to your collection or merely looking, this is one of the most astounding collections of original works you're likely to see in one area. Studios of 600+ sculptors, painters, fibers artists, photographers, jewelers, clothing designers, and more will be open Friday, May 15, 5-9 pm; Saturday, May 16, noon - 8:00 pm; and Sunday, May 17, noon to 5:00 pm. Silent Auction (all three days) in the third floor gallery of the Northrup King Bldg, 1500 Jackson St., N.E., Minneapolis. And if you're in the Northrup King Bldg., stop in to in Studio 343. My studio mates and I would love to talk art with you!

STUDIOPOLIS GROUP SHOW

ARE YOU FEELING BLUE?
YOU DECIDE

Studiopolis' Annual Group Show features professional and emerging artists.
Sculpture, painting, photos, fiber pieces with the theme of "blue"
in all of its possible interpretations.
Preview Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 5-9pm
Reception Friday, February 6, 7-10pm
Gallery hours Saturday, February 7, 12-5pm
Northrup King Building #423
1500 Jackson St., N.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413


FIRST THURSDAYS IN THE ARTS DISTRICT
Thursday, February 5, 5-9pm

Brighten your February with a self-guided tour through the artist studios at the Northrup King Building. You will find an abundance of beautiful paintings, textiles, jewelry, sculptures, unique furniture, pottery, photographs and more. Bring a friend or come alone. The Northrup King Building provides you with the opportunity for conversation with the artists in their studios. And while you're here, stop in at Studio #343 and visit me and my amazing studio mates.
I'd love to see you!

NEW WORK ON FINE ART AMERICA

Pierrot
Pastel on paper
available as giclee print at Fine Art America.com

A Room of Her Own
Pastel on paper
available as giclee print at
Fine Art America.com

No stories accompany these two pieces; they're here only to announce that they've been added to pieces that are available as giclee reprints at Fine Art America.
A bit about the giclee process - The French word "giclée" (zhee-klay) is a feminine noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The word may have been derived from the French verb "gicler" meaning "to squirt."
The Advantages: A tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.
The Quality: The quality of the giclee print rivals traditional silver-halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
The Process: Giclee prints are created typically using professional 8-Color to 12-Color ink-jet printers. Among the manufacturers of these printers are vanguards such as Epson, MacDermid Colorspan, & Hewlett-Packard. These modern technology printers are capable of producing incredibly detailed prints for both the fine art and photographic markets.

from Giclée Print Net, Inc.
©1997-2008
reprinted with permission

FIRST THURSDAYS in the ARTS DISTRICT

February 5 , 2009 - 5:00-9:00 PM

Northrup King Building

343 Jackson St., N.E.
Mpls., MN

Join me (Studio #343) and my colleagues (in the rest of the building) for First Thursday in the Arts District. We're a multitude of painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, ceramisists, textile and fiber artists, jewelers, furniture showrooms and more. Our studio doors will be open at the Northrup King Building located in the heart of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.

I'll have -- "hot off the press" -- my newly printed copies of "Past Matters." (Mention this blog and receive a $2 discount on the $12 price.)

Past Matters
a collection
of paintings and stories

Stop by the Red Stag Supper Club after First Thursday for late night music. The Red Stag Supper Club features Happy Hour 3pm - close and late night music at 10:00 PM

The Red Stag Supper Club is located at 509 1st Avenue NE, Minneapolis. For more information, go to www.redstagsupperclub.com.

NOW TAKING COMMISSIONS

FROM FAVORITE PHOTO TO TREASURED PAINTING

I'm excited to announce that I am once more accepting commissions for portraits in oil from your photos. Prices start at $300.

Please feel free to contact me regarding a possible commission.
References provided upon request.
judy@judywestergard.com

COFFEE WITH D.

The Listener
pastel by Judy Westergard

I had an opportunity the other day to spend some time with an old friend whose busy schedule rarely lets him take time for a leisurely chat. At a small table in front of the local coffee shop, oblivious to cars, dogs, strollers, bikers, we spent most of the afternoon catching up with the events, the joys, and the challenges in our lives. Almost three hours later, our cold and barely touched coffee made us realize we each needed to be someplace else. I left filled with new ideas, energized and confident that I could pull them off. I didn't feel like the same person who’d earlier sat down with that now stale coffee.
My friend is brilliant in his field...an award winning creative. But to my way of thinking, his greatest gift is his ability to listen so well that anyone who shares time with him leaves feeling like she matters. That’s a lesson I need to study. And while I try to master it, I’ll continue to be very grateful that there are people like him in this world.

First Thursdays in the Arts District
monthly Open Studio art crawl
Thursday, October
5:00 - 9:00 pm
1500 Jackson St., N.E., Mpls., MN

Come visit Studio #343; I'd love to see you!
--Judy

NEW ADDITION ON FINE ART AMERICA.COM

Enero en Puertos Aventuras watercolor 14" x 10"

I'm not a plein air painter; wish I were, but my aging body doesn't handle well the challenges of working outdoors. Nevertheless, there are advantages to working from a photo in my studio...consistency of light being the best. (I often paint at night, at which point that famous "north light" becomes a non-issue!)

My scuba-diving daughter sent me a photo that seemed so wrong for oil and so right for watercolor. It's a challenging medium, but it's one I like to work in when my oils start to become too precious. (How do I know? Well...the other day I found myself counting eyelashes for a portrait.)

"Enero en Puerto Aventuras" is available as giclee prints in your choice of sizes through Fine Art America.

OPEN STUDIOS, NEW WORK, AND A GALLERY SHOW

"When..."
oil on canvas
part of a tentative series entitled
"Sketches from a Children's Book for a Child Not Yet Fledged"

This is a work in progress; email me your feedback!
judy@judywestergard.com

CURRENT NEWS:
First Thursday in the Arts District on September 4th from 5:00 - 9:00 PM. at The Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St., N.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55413
directions www.northrupkingbuilding.com
(Lots of free parking...and it's not even close to the RNC crowds!)

Join me and my studio mates in Studio 343.
Can't get there? Visit my on-line studio at judywestergard.com

In addition to the vast number of open studios, the special exhibit 'Translating Politics' will have its closing reception. 'Translating Politics' is a group exhibition that runs through September 4th at the Northrup King Building. The exhibit features work in painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, digital video and more by 13 local artists who offer their perspectives on global politics.

Polish Artist Exchange - The Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM) will host an exhibit by artist Joanna Sulek-Malinowska of Warsaw, Poland as part of its Artist Exchange program. Opening Artist Reception is Friday, September 19th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM in the third floor gallery (#332) of the Northrup King Building.

For more information about First Thursday and the various exhibits in September go to www.northrupkingbuilding.com

I'M IN A GALLERY SHOW!
St. Paul, Minnesota's Water and Oil Art Gallery is featuring my series "A Show of Hands -- Hands as Portraiture" during the month of September as part of their "Hands On: People at Work" show. Directions and gallery hours available at Water and Oil.com

GICLEES OF MY WORK NOW AVAILABLE!

I've made some of my more asked-for pieces available as quality reprints through Fine Art America, a safe and reputable on-line art gallery. Through them you can purchase reprints as posters, on canvas, framed, unframed...lots of choices for every budget.
Go to http://judy-westergard.fineartamerica.com

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
I used to send out periodic book reviews as part of my Westergard Studio Occasional Newsletter. I hadn't realized how much recipients of that newsletter liked those recommendations until I stopped the newsletter! So...they'll be back. In the meantime, here are five titles from the Best of My Summer Reading List:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
Fat Girl: A True Story by Judith Moore
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobleski