Working BIG!

I have an opportunity!

A really BIG, fantastic, incredible opportunity!

The backstory.
In 2020 I was selected to be part of a residency program called the "Artist Accelerator Program," created and hosted by The Arts Center in Corvallis, OR. It is a program designed to help artists excel at the business of being an artist.
The art school I attended in the '90s was an art-only based program. One class at the end of the program touched on things like an artist's resume and approaching galleries, but no one talked about the business side.

Therefore, I am exceptionally grateful to The Arts Center, as the residency did indeed accelerate me into becoming a working artist and a business owner! A lifelong dream which is now a beautiful reality.

Cut to today.
I have an opportunity to work with The Arts Center in Corvallis again. They are producing a show featuring the last five years of residents, a reunion tour if you will. After speaking with the curator about my work and thoughts on the show, I decided to take this opportunity to work big! Much bigger than I've ever worked before, in any medium, now that I really stop to think about it.
To this end, I've purchased three 2x3 foot cradle boards, knowing that the recent winter storms and king tides would provide the inspiration.

I spent a lot of time gathering images during the last few king tides. Photo by mshoup_photography.

Once I was done collecting inspiration in the form of hours upon hours of photos and videos of the ocean. I set to work.

The first step was a test sketch in my wax sketchbook - to get a feel for the composition and the color palate I wanted to use.

The second step was to make a miniature version of what I had in mind.

The next step was color matching and mixing LARGE quantities of the color palette I had chosen.

This process has been equal parts exhilarating and intimidating, but I love every moment! There is something so energizing about stretching one's wings and standing on the edge of something big.

Come back next week for part two of this exciting journey!