From art of imagination by Bea Garth

Bea Garth, Jordan Clark pix from Art Talk & Opening at Cerulean, PDX Feb. 2018

Jordan Clark and I enjoyed ourselves this last Sat. night (Feb. 24th, 2018) giving our Art Talk at the Gallery @ Cerulean (Skies Wine) in Portland.

Here’s two pix from after the Art Talk taken by Jennifer Williams:

Jordan Clark and Bea Garth in front of 2 of their paintings at Cerulean Feb. 2018
Jordan Clark and Bea Garth in front of 2 of their paintings at Cerulean Feb. 2018. Bea’s painting Secrets is on the right…
Jordan Clark and Bea Garth at Art Talk and Closing at the Gallery at Cerulean Wine Feb 2018
Jordan Clark and Bea Garth at Art Talk and Closing at the Gallery at Cerulean Wine Feb 2018

Later in March I should be getting the video of part of the Art Talk as well as the Poetry Reading we had at the Opening Reception plus original music played there by my husband’s band Climate Strange from Hazel Miller, the curator of The Gallery @ Cerulean.

Jordan Clark and I are also talking about possibly doing a collaboration, which I think could be amazing. Our styles are very different, but our colors, movement, line and feeling are very similar. More on that later!

Here’s two more pix  of me with some of my work at  the Opening Reception, Feb. 1st 2018. I had just finished The Music Genie 2 days before the Reception! Fortunately its acrylic on canvas so it was dry. Its the painting in the middle in the pix on the right:

Bea Garth looking at her painting "Legs Like Vines" at her opening Gallery @ Cerulean, PDX Feb copyright 2018
Bea Garth looking at her painting “Legs Like Vines” copyright 2017 at her opening at the Gallery @ Cerulean, PDX Feb 2018
Bea Garth in front her painting The Music Genie, copyright 2018 at the Gallery @ Cerulean feb 2018
Bea Garth in front her painting The Music Genie, copyright 2018 at the Gallery @ Cerulean Feb 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bea Garth by her painting "Turtles Complaint to Gaia" copyright 2015 at the Gallery at Cerulean feb 2018
Bea Garth by her painting “Turtles Complaint to Gaia” copyright 2015 at the Gallery at Cerulean feb 2018

–And yes you can see my arm in a brace. I am still recovering from surgery on my wrist after a bad fall in December. Thankfully now the brace is off. It helped but was very uncomfortable. Am doing massage and exercises to more fully recover use of my left wrist. Its happening. Am very grateful I am healing well.  Even though its still painful its not at bad as it was. This exhibit showed me that positive expression was and is possible even during difficult passages in life. Just needed a little push and help from my husband and friends.

“The Music Genie” by Bea Garth at The Cerulean thru Feb. 26, 2018

NOTE: Jordan Clark and I will be giving an Artists Talk Sat. night Feb. 24th, 2018 from 7 to 8 PM — with folks gathering at 6:30 — over at The Gallery at Cerulean, 1439 NW Marshall St., Portland OR, PH: 503 308-9137.

————

I have a bevy of paintings @ ‘The Gallery at Cerulean including my newest, “The Music Genie” you see below. I welcome those that can come hear us and see our work. The show is up through Feb. 26th. It is well presented with both my work and that of Jordan Clark harmonizing with each other by means of color and shapes–though his work is frankly boldly abstract and mine figurative.

The Cerulean is both a wine bar and art gallery on the edge of the Pearl district in Portland.

The Music Genie by Bea Garth 30 x 30 copyright 2018 acrylic on canvas
The Music Genie by Bea Garth 30 x 30 copyright 2018 acrylic on canvas

The Music Genie was inspired by my husband who was in one of his reverie’s composing music.  The watery depths in the background and the ghost like Genie to his right show him exploring his musical imagination of harmony and inter connected feeling.

I finished this painting just in the nick of time with putting in final touches just moments before putting the painting in with the rest before my husband drove off with them to take them to the gallery the day before the exhibit. Fortunately acrylic dries quickly with the aid of using a hair dryer! I had pulled an all nighter and had to crawl into bed–satisfied but curious as to how it might be received.

“Healing Her Back,” cartoon for larger painting by Bea Garth

Oh wow so much to do prepare for Open Studios here in Vancouver, WA! Meanwhile Lymes started inflaming my joints again–most especially my shoulders and neck. I have to just focus and do what I have to do to take care of myself and let the rest slide for now–though I did manage to take one of my paintings over for the big show for the Clark County Open Studios at the beautiful new Cave Gallery here in Vancouver, WA (reception this Friday!!).

"Rubbing Her Back," small painting sketch by Bea Garth copyright 2015 acrylic on paper
“Rubbing Her Back,” small painting sketch by Bea Garth copyright 2015 acrylic on paper

Am finally starting to feel better using natural remedies!! Likely tomorrow I will be able to draw and paint again–perhaps by doing a larger (better) version of this small  sketch  to the right (“Rubbing Her Back”) which relates to husband rubbing my sore shoulders. This afternoon I went for a walk with him. Doesn’t sound like much but for me it is a victory! Given where I was at the last few days.

So yes often my art is born from struggle even if it does not always show it directly. I often like to focus on communication, beauty, eros and transformation. In this case  it is more directly about the transformative power (and closeness) of healing.

“Swimmers,” painting in progress by Bea Garth

I just started working on my painting Swimmers again in preparation for the Clark County Open Studios in mid November.

"Swimmers " painting in progress by Bea Garth copyright 2017
“Swimmers ” painting in progress by Bea Garth copyright 2017

Given this very traumatic fall season with massive forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and yet another mass shooting, I feel its important to  realize we all have special moments that make this world very worth preserving.  Meanwhile we need to do what we can to help those in need and begin to rectify some of the causes of these difficulties such as global warming and creating a better socio-economic system while still remembering to cultivate and savor those happier moments.