The Big 200 next Saturday!

Next weekend is going to be huge! I'll be at Crafty Wonderland both days, and the opening of the Big 200 is Saturday afternoon! I'll definitely be stopping by after Crafty, and I have 10 new paintings there so I hope you will too.

This is the Big 200 (previously the Big 100)'s 4th year, and the 4th year I've participated. Every year it's bigger & more fun than the last! Each artist is given 10 wood panels, and when they are finished they are hung anonymously throughout the venue. Last year it was at the Goodfoot, but this year it will be in the 4 gallery spaces on the 3rd floor of Pioneer Mall. ALL of the paintings are only $40 a piece, cash & carry! Here are a couple of the paintings I made that will be there--will you be able to find them all?

"Lovely" 8x8" Mixed media on wood. c. 2011 Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

"Light As A..." 8x8" Mixed media on wood. c. 2011 Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

"Plume" 8x8" Mixed media on wood. c. 2011 Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I will also have prints of all 10 in my etsy shop, and will be posting images of them all on my website, so keep your eyes peeled! xoxo

Drip Drop Presents: Pre-Nostalgic

I don't know about you, but after watching some of my classmates in college (long, long ago...), I thought of installation art going something like this: Some loud, indescribable yet painful noise coming from a crappy speaker, laser lights shooting out from a corner, and maybe someone flopping around on the floor moaning. The onlookers would be standing around wondering what it all means and either pretending to know or loudly pronouncing that it's a bunch of b.s. to make up for the feeling of inadequacy they are left with. Okay, so maybe art school failed me in that way ;) Luckily I have been graced with the chances to see some much more beautiful and meaningful installation art since then. And this...this is something completely different.

Pre-Nostalgic is warm, brilliant animation filling up 5 screens. It's Portland buildings carefully sculpted from wood and colored glass and illuminated from within. It's music composed from the soul, spilling out from speakers that surround the room. It's all of these things orchestrated to move together--the animation, the lights within the buildings, and yes, even the sound moves. Not just from one side to the other, but completely around the room.

From the mezzanine above, you can watch the whole thing as if it were a play. Or step within the circle, and you become a part of the piece, enveloped in a soundscape that dances around you, turning your head as lights come and go through the buildings, captivated by one screen and the next. If you are like me, you will have to experience the whole thing several times from different points of view because you will just want to keep soaking it up.

In Portland, this weekend only. DripDropProductions.com for more information.

Vacation!

Okay, so it's just a 2 night trip to the coast. And it's really rainy right now so there's no way I'll be seeing dry sand, let alone sunshine. But I am sooooo excited to leave work behind for a couple of days and hang around the rainy coast with some of my favorite friends. Have a great weekend!

2011 Buckman Art Show & Sell

Kids need art in school!! We all know it, but now it's time to step up and support a great school--Buckman Arts Focus Elementary. Indigo is in her final year there (yikes! Middle school is just around the corner!), and it's thanks to great events like this that she's had exposure to so many great art experiences & teachers.

I will have a booth here this weekend along with 140 other artists, and 30% of all sales go straight to the school! Plus there is tons of awesome art by Buckman students, art activities for the kiddos while you shop, and some yummy catering. As if you needed any more reasons to go, you can also see my mural in person! Yay! I'll be hanging out all weekend--hopefully I'll see you there! For all the details visit http://www.buckmanelementary.org/artsale

First Thursday @ the Show & Tell Gallery!

"Indulgence," by Lea Keohane 2009. Acrylic on Canvas.

First Thursday: February 5, 2009
"Introspection"
New Paintings by Lea Keohane
Show & Tell Gallery
Everett Station Lofts, 625 NW Everett #231
6-9 pm

With music by Inkre:mentals from 7-9 pm

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!

This year I have brand new coloring books made from my original artwork, mini-paintings priced at $25-30, magnets, stickers, and more! Whether you need stocking stuffers or main gifts, this will be the place to be. I will be there along with 180 other Portland artists and artisans. Buy awesome, unique gifts and support the local economy!

See you there!

Guess Who?

Have I mentioned recently how much I love Portland? Especially on days like this, when it is cold but sunny. This Fall we have been lucky to have lots of extra sunny days! So today I dragged my friend Heather to the post office, then to Laurelhurst Park for a nice hefty walk.

That was when we ran into this amazing owl! What is he doing up at this hour?!? I don't know, but he was still there at the end of the walk (of course we had to swing back by and see him again). I was so enthralled that I actually dropped Heather off at her place, swung back by my place and got my camera, then went back for some photos. He was watching me watch him, which was even greater. Absolutely stunning.

First Friday SE Artwalk--come see a great show!

"Antiquated," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Several months ago I answered a call for artists by Yelp and Adrienne Fritze of Working Artists Network. The idea was to take phone books and create art with them. The artists involved created a wide range of very interesting pieces, from clothing to paintings and more!

For my own contribution, I decoupaged pieces of a phone book onto a masonite board, then created a stencil of a 1920's telephone and stenciled it on. I wanted to incorporated one of my female characters, but I wasn't sure at first how to make her an important part of the piece. So, inspired by my friend Cara's brilliant Art Nouveau paintings, I decided to put her in a great flapper costume. The idea behind this painting is that, in the age of computers, phone books are a thing of the past. Which they certainly are in my own household! I get a pang of guilt every time new ones show up at my doorstep, as they go straight to the recycle bin.

The phone book mashup project, in conjunction with rdEVOLUTION, a project in which artists explored inter-species survival, will be on display for two months, with an opening tomorrow, Friday September 5th, at the Olympic Mills Commerce Center, at 107 SE Washington St., from
6-8 pm. If you are in Portland, this is a must-see event with new work from over 20 amazing Portland artists!

Mississippi Street Fair!

It was a long day on Mississippi yesterday, but it was fun! Temperatures got into the 90's so it was really hot, but luckily our booth was snug against some bushes on the East side of the street so we were in the shade for most of the day. Here's a shot of our booth!

My friend and booth-mate, Danielle, organizing her earrings and stitch markers. At the end of the day I bought a stunning pair of her earrings--they are very dramatic, I can't wait to wear them! She has two great etsy shops--MissPurl and PoeticPurl.

Here's my half of the booth, with Nancy of Karma's Kreations sitting to the side. It is always fun to see her--I was happy to find that she was our neighbor for the day.

Here is a shot of Mississippi Ave. all the way down the street! The crowd is stunning. That lady doesn't look too happy that she's in my picture, though :) Across the street from us was the fabulous Fresh Pot coffeehouse, with a Starbucks under construction in the same building right next door!! Appalling. Apparently I'm not the only one to think so, as there was a group of people doing anti-Starbucks performance art in front all day long. I am sorry that I didn't get a photo of it. I'm also sorry that I didn't take a photo of my amazing sandwich--grilled portabello mushroom with pesto, basil, and feta cheese.....drool.... It was just too yummy to stop and take a picture.

Father's Day and the end of a great week

These two smiles are what made this week the perfect summer kick-off. Along with Indigo, my brother Dylan, and my niece Raven I didn't get a lot of work done this week but I had an amazing time. Between walks to Laurelhurst Park (my favorite ever), the International Rose Test Garden, the Nickel Arcade and a movie, and an overnight stay at Canon Beach (see Goonies Rock...erm, Haystack Rock above), and late-night chats with my brother, I had a great time. The girls are 3 years apart, with my niece not quite in Kindergarten yet, so there was some bickering, but the sheer bliss on their faces at the beach made up for it completely.

Now it's Sunday, Father's Day, and I have the whole day to myself. Which is great because I have 2 custom paintings to work on, and just got some awesome glass bits in the mail from the Crafty Dragonfly that I am going to use to make magnets out of, plus errands to run, laundry to wash, and about a hundred other projects that I am sure will take me the whole week :) And don't worry, I've also got a hike scheduled with a friend this morning, and a hot soak in the bath in my plans for this evening, so it's not all work today, either.

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads, step-dads, and other men who provide or have provided a positive role model to kids out there, plus to all of the single moms who have to be dad too!

Come see LeaKarts at the PDX etsy show Aug. 11th!

I had a dream last night that I sold a gazillion pendants at the show. Premonition?!? I hope so! Either way, come see my cute pendants and super-fun ACEO's in person, not to mention lil' ol' me! :) Plus a ton of other fantastic Portland etsy-ers and their fan-tabulous crafts!!

See you there!