Happy Labor Day. Actually I was born on Labor Day, 80 years ago. (But weren’t we all born on Labor Day . . . with all thanks to our mothers who did the work.

When I was eight I told friends I loved being eight and wanted to stay that way. After that “eight” became my favorite number.

I also like it because, turned on its side, it’s the sign of infinity, always a better age.

A friend asked what I’d like to do this year that I’ve not done. Oddly, I couldn’t think of anything. Well, maybe go to Iceland.

Looking back, it’s been full, as my three new books reveal. Finishing those, by this date, was a goal now met. I’ve said everything I have to say. At least till now. (https://www.hyattmoore.com/store/books).

(Well, my sister’s podcast added more. It’s here: https://www.hyattmoore.com/videos/interview-with-sue-donaldson)

Approaching this benchmark I’ve wondered if it would reveal some new idea for life, like Colonel Sanders coming up with a new way to do fried chicken when he was old.

Or would this life just continue with more of the same?

As it happens, both the studio and the calendar are overflowing cups. Six major painting events are in the near offing, most with distant travels. The desk is piled with projects. New paintings and new ideas keep the imagination on hum.

Moses proclaimed that the years of our lives are 70, or if there’s strength, maybe 80. Today that’s sounding a bit terminal. Ironically, he was 80 when he saw the burning bush and his life began again!

Of course my burning bush is a small fire of wick and wax on a cake, but maybe it’ll work.

He also said: “Teach us to number our days that we might apply them to wisdom.”

I asked a friend what that means and she said, “live intentionally.”

I like that, and the best I can do as I get ever-nearer to that side-ways eight.

As for goals: Like when I was eight, “No more birthdays.” I think I’ll just stay 80 from here on.

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Presenting a few paintings of a favorite theme. I even have a page on my website featuring just “Florals.”

The title here is inspired by the Biblical quote, “The grass withers, the flower fades.” Flowers die, thus, “never-lasting.” But they always come back, “ever-lasting.”

What’s more, a painting can last a very long time.

Detail of the newest one showing the rich, thick paint, a beauty in itself.

Here’s the full painting of the alstroemerias, an impressionist’s take. Still waiting for a title.

The alstroemerias in paint and actuality. The actual will fade and go away; the painting will be around for a long time.

“Consider the Lilies,” again, an impressionist’s take.

A photo in the mirror, thus everything reversed; with artist, just to show the size.

“Heightened Reality,” hanging temporarily in our home. I say “temporarily” as it’s really intended for someone else’s home, just don’t know whose yet.  It’s on my website.

“Poppies Popping” is another stunner, intended for someone. Don’t know who.  See details here.

“Silent Speaking,” another beauty, this one in red-orange with an unexpected textured gray behind.  Check details here.

“Waiting for Morning,” titled such because once the sun rises those flowers will turn, face and follow it through the day. See details here.

“Essence of Tulips,” that flower always a great theme, here treated as expressionism (more abstract). Check details here.

“Fields of Gold,” another very new piece, not even on the website yet.

Just to give an indication of size. It’s on unstretched canvas, meaning it can ship in a mailing tube, saving considerably on postage. Any framer can build the stretcher bars and stretch it.

A detail of “Fields of Gold.” Just like in nature, the closer you look, the more you see.

Another “Fields of Gold” detail.

I didn’t think I’d be sharing so many, but it’s sort of hard to stop. All these pieces are available. If there’s interest, contact me: moore@hyattmoore.com, or text at 949-290-8643. It would be great to hear from you.

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Once again Anne is holding forth at the prestigious Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. She is among 120 fine artists of all kinds: painters, jewelers, ceramicists, photographers, and only a few printmakers, of which she is one. Many, many artists vie to be juried in. It is a tribute to her that she has been showing there for 12 years.

A candid of Anne as she prepares for the arrival of guests on opening night, July 2. Note her press, here just a prop to help people understand that, while her pieces are called “prints,” it’s because they are made on a hand press.  Each is one of a kind and there are no reproductions. Her work is completely unique, including among fellow printmakers.

This year Anne received the extraordinary honor of having two of her monoprints selected to be outdoor advertising for the Festival of Arts. These “banners” hang at the entrance and are viewable to all passing traffic on the well traveled Laguna Canyon Road.

Two events are featured simultaneously at the beautiful venue, the Festival of Arts and the famous Pageant of the Masters, a nightly show of live tableaus of art with narration and orchestra. Always great.

Here she is with daughter Allison, also an artist.

Conversing with interested guests is one of the joys of exhibiting. Happily Anne saw the sale of six pieces the first week. That has never happened. Who knows what it bodes? Either way, she’s grateful, as am I. The show will run until September 1. Anne is generally there nightly except Tuesdays.

Note the red dot on the middle piece, meaning it’s sold. It’s the same as reproduced large for the outdoor display.

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Once again we ventured to a favorite hide-away in the Klamath Mountains, on the Trinity River between Redding and Eureka, if you know the area (or even if you don’t). We loaded the van with all our art-making materials, including Anne’s portable press.  It’s portable because it can be lifted, though it takes both of us, unlike her main one which never leaves the studio.

For a view of the area we were in, here’s a painting made this time but from a photo shot last time we were here, then in the fall season.

This time, being winter, we came prepared with chains, what with rain drenching the state, and in the mountains, snow.  But we never used them and the drive in was spectacular, like here passing by Whiskeytown Lake.

A view from our lodging, a not-so distant ridge, snow covered, drenched in light.  It’s no wonder they call these mountains the Trinity Alps.

It’s also no wonder that, when we tell friends where we stay, that they’ve never heard of it.  We never saw the 38 people.

We had rain more than snow, including some days with neither.  Either way, our cottage was cozy.

Almost every day I found new places to hike. I never saw anyone else.

But, on the first day, setting up, there was a problem; we’d not brought the press bed, here shown without it. The bed is the long board that carries the substrate (the paper) and necessary for the press to function.

Confident that there’s a solution for every problem, and that, near by, I found an old board at an abandoned shack and, with a borrowed table saw, cut it to size.

Now it works, the press with its newly configured bed (the blue board), ready to go.

Anne at her press, preparing to put a new layer on one of her pieces.  She was at it eight or ten hours a day, for the two weeks and a day we were there.

Across the room is my half of the “studio” with the beginning stages of a new piece.

One day I invited the grounds man in out of the rain. Recently from Ethiopia, he was delighted to see the painting I was working on, a girl from Ethiopia!

As Anne would make progress on a piece she’d set it out to dry, or tape it to a wall.

Here’s Anne’s work table, with her portable cabinet for inks and brayers and linoleum linocuts and everything else.

Only one day did we go out, for a post office run at nearby Junction City, a place with one store and no other occupied building at all.

While there we had “dinner out,” dining on a styrofoam bowl of chili (“world famous”) at the only restaurant table in town.

The one other building in town seems to be permanently closed. Too bad, what with lots of character.

We saw almost no one the whole time, but when we did they tended to look something like this.

Or this.

I painted mostly on unstretched canvas, taped up to a board. The board was also a find at the abandoned cabin where I found what became the press bed.

Of the 24 paintings I made during the time, four of them were these large floral pieces.

For me, the key to getting much done was the schedule I made for myself ahead of time. The I filled it in, journal-like, each day as I went.

Every day I took a hike, sometimes long, one day worrying Anne when I was gone so long. I didn’t know when I left that I’d be attempting to find the top of our mountain behind us. As it turned out, there was no top, not that I could find. Anne was much relieved when I finally returned.

Here’s a very brief overview of the work Anne accomplished and shown on the last day.

And here’s a short video of my work.

Until next time.

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What a contest it was!

170 entered, guessing the number of paint tube caps in the jar and sending pictures of their art-needing wall. Guesses ranged widely, from a very low 70 caps to over 6000!

Participants came from near and far, even Norway and Germany and South Africa. No one hit the exact number. Four came within 20, the winner within eight!

THE WINNER WAS MARY HOWARD who guessed 1087.

I called her to let her know. Since she lives within driving distance I invited her to come to the house and get her prize.

The painting I chose for her is “Beauty on Blue,” working best, I thought, with the room photo she supplied. She says she’s over the moon.

In the end I counted all the caps–1079. What a project, so many of them stuck together. What I’ve lost track of is how many paintings have resulted from those tubes.

I’ve enjoyed hearing from so many. I printed out all the pictures people sent, seeing so many great spaces, all with wonderful potential. They make me want to enter in and help find something just right.

From when I first started painting, one of my goals is to help people have art!  That’s ongoing, even after the contest.

I made two paintings at the same time, desiring to give the winner a choice.  She chose “Beauty on Blue,” right.  “Beauty on Indigo” is available for anyone interested.

Also, for anyone interested, here’s a video of me painting the two ballerina pieces.  It’s the whole process; short, but long.  You may want to just dip into moments, beginning, middle and end.  Enjoy.

(That’s what I do.)

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Hi friends,

A number of you have found some great things on the 20 percent off website sale.  There’s lots available.  Check it out here: store.hyattmoore.com.

This week we’re also hosting a contest. Guess the caps in the jar and send me a photo of your wall for a chance to win a free painting. (See more details below.)

It’s very easy, just text or email me a photo of your wall, preferably blank, and from enough distance to provide some context, and include it with your guess.

The prize painting will be of my choice.  The winner will be announced Valentines Day.

Do not answer on this blog. Rather use one of these numbers:

Text: 949-290-8643.

E-mail: moore@hyattmoore.com

It’ll be good to hear from you.

Have fun.

Comments Off on Sale, and Contest for Free Painting

This week we enjoyed a full-on rain storm. Very welcome. It wouldn’t be newsworthy if it wasn’t California. Seems a good time to feature a few of my rainscapes. It’s always an evocative subject for paintings, what with the mood they convey and the wonderful refections in color and shape, perfect for an impressionist painter like myself. Check them out, or scroll straight to the bottom and check details for our next show, just a week away.

Here’s daughter Acacia, visiting from her home in Grand Rapids where they get plenty of rain and snow. Finding much to love about this piece, she took it home.  For a better view, check it here.

Here’s a large one, Taking Rain in Stride 1, telling a story, perfect for a wide wall. Check below for how it was made.

I’d had “Her and Him 7” for some years and it was time to paint over it. Actually, it had begun as a commission but, oddly, the couple opted for a different piece instead. So I turned it on its side and began to think how it would look with rain.

As you can see, the basic color harmonies in the first piece served the second admirably.

The abstract elements and the general direction, once vertical, now horizontal, also served the composition well.

The painting is available and will be featured in our coming show.

Another, along the same lines, and done around the same time, is Taking Rain in Stride, 2. I have pictures of the process, and for this one a video of its making as well. Actually, there are two, one a 20-second time lapse, the other a full 30 minutes for anyone really into it. Click on the links for each of these on my YouTube channel.

Once again, I decided I’d had this abstract forest long enough, and I needed a canvas for a new idea.

The original colors served well for the new creation, providing a strong autumn mood in a city somewhere . . . doesn’t matter where.

This painting will also be included in the show.

Then there’s the newest creation along this line, in process right now. Maybe a little hard to see here with all the wet oil paint glistening, but it should be dry and available by the time of the show.

Here’s the show announcement. For any nearby, it is as much an open house as anything, a gathering for friends, whether we’ve yet met or not.

For those at a distance, everything is viewable on our respective websites.

For the show, and starting now, everything is on sale. That means 20 percent off the website prices for Anne’s work, and 50 percent off the marked prices for all originals on mine.

Here is Anne’s website: annesprints.com.

Here is mine: hyattmoore.com.

Would be great to see you, or hear from you.

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We were at a conference lately and, along with other art, I displayed a 60” canvas print of my “Last Supper,” when two other guests, one from Germany and one from Russia, came up to me exclaiming wildly. They knew the painting well and were overjoyed and over-surprised to be “actually meeting the painter!”

Click for larger view.

Turns out they’ve been using the image for some time in their endeavors in Eastern Europe and Asia. I asked them if we knew each other, if I had extended permission for such use, but they just laughed. Nothing like that. They’d just seen it and knew it was right for them.

I had to laugh too.

As the weekend progressed they kept coming back to me with further details of how famous the painting is in their circles. They gave me a list the the counties they use it in:

Belarus
Ukraine
Moldova
Romania
Bulgaria
Turkey
Russia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Mongolia
Israel

In the end, I decided they also needed the giclee print I had with me and made it a gift to them. Again, they were overjoyed.

Everybody happy.

PS I suppose they found it where you can find it, too, on my website, here.

PPS I just shared all this on my Facebook page and received all manner of positive feedback. Very grateful.

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As many of our friends know, about twice a year we escape to somewhere. It’s not an escape from work; just the opposite, and this time it was in a beautiful mountain retreat in Park City, Utah.

The valley below. A view back behind reveals winter ski runs everywhere.

The house, lent to us for two weeks by friends . . . three stories, six bedrooms, way more than enough, but highly appreciated.

The prime living space.

The entry area where I set up my studio, lit from far above.

A little rearranging of the furniture, the use of kitchen counter space and the bringing of our own table and press; it’s all Anne needs.

Anne brings a lot of pieces not yet complete to contemplate what each one still needs.

Meticulous in her art, here she works on some detail.

Here’s a partial array of drying and completed work, or in some instances, not yet completed.

Meanwhile. across the room from Anne’s studio, is mine. With drop cloth everywhere, all paints and brushes ready. The large plywood, prepared for a coming event following this one, nearby, served as an easel for both small pieces and large.

The materials, acrylics on one side, oils on the other, brushes and palette knives and whatever else.

Here’s most of what I worked on and completed during the two weeks, a couple of commissions, figuarative work, landscapes, abstract, floral, ethnic, even a doggie.

My last painting. Almost all, this time, were painting on unstretched canvas, cut from a large roll I brought. So much easier to transport. They’ll be stretched later. Though sometimes they’re shipped just like this, the buyer then having it stretched during the framing process. Works fine.

One more painting before leaving the Park City (Deer Valley) home. Anne thought to buy flowers to leave for our hostess/owner as she’d be coming with friends just hours after our leaving. I thought to make a painting of the flowers to have forever after. Each seemed a nice expression of our gratitude.

All done with palette knife, the paint so thick it won’t be dry for a week, maybe three. Couldn’t do that on the other pieces worked on during the stay as they needed to be dry for transporting.

PS  Just got a note from our hostess saying she loves it, the flowers and the painting . . . has even found a place where it will hang. Everybody grateful.

And over all, a great escape.

Thanks for coming along.

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I was reading along in a book I was much enjoying and suddenly, WOW, there was a photo of woman I once painted. What a surprise!

I’d called her Nepal Grandma and she was one among many of my “standing portraits.” The photo originally came from my friend, linguist and Bible translator Dave Watters who, with his wife Nancy and two young sons, worked in the outer reaches of Nepal for many years. He was full of amazing stories and I often encouraged him to write the book. But due to politics within the country the time was never right, until it finally was. It turned out to be just in time, before his untimely death . . . the book finished by the two sons. 

At the Foot of the Snows by David Watters, is available on Amazon. A great read.

The main progenitor in the book, besides David himself, is one Hasta Ram, a man of immense character and resolve. David once requested I make his portrait, which I was glad to do. It now hangs in the office of one of the sons, Daniel, in Waco, Texas.

As I finished reading the book the thought came over me that Nepal Grandma should also be in the Watters family. I made contact and my offer was heartily received. The painting now hangs in the home of the other son, Steve, also in Waco.

The Watters will send me a photo of how it hangs honorably in their home. Meantime, here’s how it looked in ours before it left, with the book on the couch.

Everybody happy.

PS We’re currently in Park City making art. Watch for the next blog about that.

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