Category: acrylic

Bird show month…and exhibit…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, animals, colored pencil, exhibits, Morro Bay Art Center, watercolor2 Comments

In January, Morro Bay puts on a Winter Bird Festival. Because of the king tides pushing the birds on the bay close to the boardwalk where I walk, it was spectacular. People took trips to see birds at the Carrizo Plains, Owling at Night, Birding by Bicycle, Osos Flaco, Sweet Springs and did a Big Day and Little Big Day bird count !

EXHIBIT
I recalled many years ago as a child, I had painted a Ruddy Duck for my grandmother. (Listen to podcast) I was about 10 years old. In honor of that time, I decided to paint a Ruddy Duck in courtship mode slapping its bill against its chest making a myriad of bubbles. You may see it on exhibit at the Morro Bay Art Center on Main Street.

Courtship
Courtship

I, also, entered a Common Loon with a Chick riding on its back and a California Quail which I have yet to photograph, but you may see them all until they take the show down on the 6th of February 2017.

Common Loon with chick on elk hide
Common Loon with Chick on elk hide

Until the next sketch…peace, Heather

Success… Open Studios Tour

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, ArtsObispo, exhibits, oil painting, pastel, plants, seascape, skyscape, watercolorLeave a comment

My first chance to participate in the Open Studios Tour turned out pretty well !  Lots of visitors including friends, neighbors, mothers with artistic children and many new people who just decided to see what I was creating.  If you have the desire to see any pastels, notecards or mitered corner napkins, to purchase for holiday gifts, please contact me in the form below my signature.

One of the most exciting things was that I raised $155 for the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch on sales of mitered corner napkins, stuffed peregrine toys, peregrine pins, hats and t-shirts. People understood that 25% of any sales I made would go to the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch which is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit who gives a $1,000 scholarship to a Cal Poly Wildlife Biology student.

Pastels and watercolor on display
Pastels and watercolor on display

People loved my pastels of seascapes, Morro Rock, the CalPoly Arboretum and were fascinated with my birds painted on elk hide for wall hangings.

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My studio

The view out of my small studio over our raised bed garden with the Pacific Ocean in the distance was a pleasant surprise to many visitors.

Oil paintings in the studio with feathers
Oil paintings in the studio with feathers where I work

Until the next sketch…peace, Heather

Interview on KCBX.org

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, animals, ArtsObispo, exhibits, pastel, seascapeLeave a comment

Just in time for the Open Studios Tour, I was interviewed by two artists who have been participating in the Tour for years. Below is the link to our PBS station to hear what I had to say.

http://tinyurl.com/hr574on

As I continue to prepare for the first day of the Tour, October 8th, everything is coming in line…many pastels are mounted in frames, others are matted and put in clear bags, a Common Loon with a Chick riding on its back has been framed for the exhibit at Central Art Supply, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. Please come to this reception on Friday, October 7 from 6-9PM.  I’ll be there!

Common Loon with chick on elk hide
Common Loon with chick painted on elk hide*

Please know that any purchase you make of my work, a 25% donation will given to the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch. http://pacificcoastperegrinewatch.org

Peregrine with new chick Photo by Cleve Nash
Peregrine with new chick                                               Photo by Cleve Nash

Bob Isenberg is at Morro Rock to educate the public about the life cycles, personalities and antics of these peregrine falcons, the fastest animal on the planet! This organization is close to my heart and keeps us in touch with the fragility of all lives in the natural world. Always a good way to keep us informed about how to take care of our planet.

Morro Rock, home to two pairs of peregrine falcons
Morro Rock, home to two pairs of peregrine falcons

Until the next sketch….peace, Heather

* Elk hide – Hunters who hunt for meat for the winter often will have the hide tanned to be used in many ways. My first elk hide was given to me by a Shoshone friend in Ward, Nevada after I showed him my sketch books. The majority of hides are often discarded by hunters who don’t bother to use the hide only to have them retrieved from the trash by the Native Americans and carefully tanned and used in a more thoughtful manner. I’m now participating in this by making artistic use of all pieces and the scraps. Knowing this, my son gave me one of his elk hides after providing meat for his family.

Open Studios Tour 2016…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, ArtsObispo, exhibits, landscape, pastel, seascapeLeave a comment

This year, a very exciting opportunity presented itself. The ArtsObispo Open Studio Tour happens every October and I jumped at the chance.

postcard
Postcard invitation

Word got around that I was new to this, so I was interviewed by Crissa Hewitt and Steven deLuque for our local PBS station KCBX.org. They are artists in their own right and were so nice to ask me questions that truly took me to the source of why I make pictures. You may listen live at 1PM Wednesday, September 7. To hear it later search my name (Heather O’Connor) at KCBX.org for the interview.

Crissa Hewitt and Steve deLuque Photo by Heather O'Connor
Crissa Hewitt and Steve deLuque        Photo by Heather O’Connor

You may take a tiny peak into my tiny studio… in the upper left corner !

A friend, Alyce Broome, is joining me in displaying our artwork. Her oil paintings are aerial views of the California landscapes. Just like a bird would see when flying over our planet!  Visit both of our entries in the ArtsObispo Directory. Just enter Alyce Broome’s name or mine (Heather O’Connor) and you’ll find what we posted for this year’s tour. Be sure to click on my “orchid” to see my other entries.

My acrylic bird paintings on elk hide will include 2 Common Loons, one with a chick on her back, a Painted Bunting, a Canyon Wren, and a Harlequin Duck.  Others may be custom ordered and will benefit the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch.  25% will go to a CalPoly  Biology Scholarship.

Birds on elk hide
Birds and a Monarch butterfly on elk hide

My pastels include a series of seascapes including marine layers, kite festival, rough winter waves and offshore views from Montaña de Oro CA State Park and landscapes of the Nine Sisters in springtime and gnarly trees of the California Central Coast.

And please come visit me at my studio October 8-9 and 15-16, 10AM to 5PM.

Wild Trees
Wild Trees – pastel

Until the next sketch… peace, Heather