UTAH WATERCOLOR SOCIETY FALL SHOW

One of my paintings made it into the Utah Watercolor Society Fall Show and I was so excited! I just had to go to the opening. It's the first show one of my watercolor paintings has ever been accepted into. A milestone in my art career.

Me, my painting and my proud daughter, Sister S.

Sister S and my older sister, A, came with me to the opening and afterward we went out to dinner. It was some great girl-bonding time and we had a blast! I am so grateful I have such wonderful, supportive family in my life.

Waiting for our table at Mimi's...

We had a great time!!

WATERCOLORS

I've been inspired to do some painting lately. I sure do love creating...

Petunias, I'm not super fond of this one except for the leaves.

Plums from our tree.

MAPLE CANYON DAY

We decided to go to Maple Canyon yesterday for the family to climb and me to paint. It started out a little rainy, but that passed after five minutes and it ended up being a pretty nice day. Most of Big C's family came too, so it was quite a group.

Princess P makes friends with a dog.

Big C lead climbs.

Yes, I actually belay sometimes.

Cute climbing cousins!

My small plein air watercolor.

SUMMER SNOW 2016

I had mixed emotions about the workshops I attended this year. The first one was a watercolor workshop, but it ended up being mostly lecture and was taught by a man that was so opinionated he became confrontational instead of teaching. I was glad when it was over, just to be rid of the tension.

One of the few fun things we did in the watercolor class- draw with sticks.

The watercolor class.

The second week I signed up for a figure drawing class. I haven't drawn from a model in over ten years, so I was very intimidated and nervous, but it ended up being a great experience and a fun class.

Our drawing class.

Our teacher. She was quite a character and an amazing artist. Look her up here: Teresa Oaxaca

Here are my drawings from the week:

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

EUROPEAN ART TRIP- PART II

I got to go to Europe with the Snow College art department again. I went three years ago as well, and was so excited Big C let me go again. We went to Rome again and then to Barcelona. I wasn't very excited for Barcelona, but I ended up LOVING it! It was a great trip and I absolutely love Europe! I'll go again some day, mark my words! 

Personalize your own digital slideshow

I had so many photos, I just made a slide show.

Both times I've gone, I make a list of things to be missed and things I won't miss. Here's this trip's...

THINGS I WON'T MISS:

• Trying to find somewhere to go to the bathroom! Europe is terrible at providing public restrooms and workers are so rude about letting you use theirs. It gets really old. How are you supposed to stay hydrated when there's nowhere to pee? McDonald's saved our bladders more than once. 
• I also won't miss the horribly, odiferous bathrooms. Why can't Europeans get the pee smell out of their bathrooms?? Why is it so hard? They ALL reek and as soon as you get back to the US, the smell is magically gone. They need better cleaners or just better cleaning products.
• I also won't miss being on my feet all day long and trying to keep up with people (men) that want to speed walk everywhere we go. My feet are so sore and tired and still have scabby blisters from one pair of shoes. They need a rest. Some of our group had their Fitbits with them and we averaged between 10-15 miles everyday. 
• I also won't miss the crowds. Rome was unbelievably crowded! Easter is NOT a great time to visit the Vatican! The crowds at the museum were CRAZY! Wall to wall people. Barcelona was busy too, but not nearly as bad as Rome. I won't miss that in my cute little Ephraim.
• The last thing I won't miss is the long hike back to our hotel from the closest Metro station. It was in a very trashy area and when we would come home at night, there would be hookers wearing little more than underwear and stilettos on the streets. Yikes, it was awful! I felt so bad for them.

THINGS I WILL MISS:

• The food in Barcelona! Ironically, I was most worried about the food in Barcelona (I hate paella) and thought I'd starve there, but I ended up LOVING it! The whole tapas idea is awesome and I loved almost everything I tried. Sooo much better than Rome! Potatoes bravas and ham and chicken croquettes were some of my favorites.
• All the art and all the history. I love seeing art works in real life. It is an amazing experience and I never get sick of it. The history part of it all is fabulous too. Seeing the inside of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum this time was definitely a highlight. I am blown away that structures that old are still standing. I loved being there!
• The freedom of doing what I want without making dinner and being responsible for kids for a few days is always really fun. I miss them like crazy and I'm always ready to come home, but for a little while, a break is great!
• Being in Barcelona during El Classico was AMAZING! I wish so much that FCB had won the game, but seeing the excitement and feeling the enthusiasm of the fans during the game was so much fun! It was a very cool experience!
• Walking into a room in the Vatican Museum and seeing my favorite Caravaggio painting. I don't know how I missed it last time I was there, but I am so thrilled I got to see it this time. It is SO beautiful and most of Caravaggio's paintings in Rome are in dark little chapels and hard to see. 

Overall, it was a great trip. I had some reservations about going without a friend, but it ended up being alright. It was fun being a part of the group I was with. I made some great friends of the students and the faculty were wonderful! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go again. My next goal is Great Britain! 

ART SHOW OPENING

I went to our student art show opening this weekend and was very impressed by the work. The students at Snow College are very impressive! I love the work and the kids. I am so blessed to work with the faculty and have the job that I do. I love it! How many people can say that?

My friends and some of the Art Department faculty at Snow College.

MOTHER/DAUGHTER DATE

On the day I had to go pick up my print collection from the print exchange, I ended up having a fun day with just Princess P and I. We made a day out of it. I had to go all the way to Salt Lake, so after picked up the prints, we went to a Christmas Festival, went out to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (for the first time), to the Church Museum and, of course, Temple Square. It was SO MUCH FUN! I sure love this girl of mine!

A selfie while waiting for a table at The Cheesecake Factory.

I entered a work of art (the same one that is in the Springville Museum) into the Church's International Art Show. It made it through the first jury, but not the final cut. I still wanted to see the show, so we went to the museum and looked at it. I am happy to say that mine is just as good as some of the work there, so I don't feel too bad.

Princess P by a Walter Rane painting in the International Art Show.

We also checked out a little bit of the history part of the museum too, before it closed.

Princess P with the Angel Moroni.

The Salt Lake Temple!

We walked through Temple Square kind of quickly. It was cold and windy and Princess P didn't have a very warm coat on. It was still fun and we got some hot chocolate from the Joseph Smith Building, so that helped. We just love to go there during Christmas to see all the lights. I don't care how crowded it is. It's got a lovely spirit and makes me happy!

Another selfie with the lights.

ART IS MY LIFE

I was just having a conversation with my artist friend the other day that was probably cliche. We were discussing how hard it is to make a living doing art. I know the whole 'starving artist' thing is sometimes overdone, but ideas become cliche because there is truth in them. If I wasn't teaching I would be making no money at all from my art. It is a sad reality, but true. My friend was saying that maybe she should just quit making art and focus on other things and I was shocked. I just couldn't do it. I love making art too much to quit. It is for me more than anything or anyone else. I don't care if I make money. It is part of me and to even think of quitting makes me sad.

Putting together the print exchange.

A different friend and colleague of mine put together a print exchange and asked me to be a part of it. I was so thrilled to be invited! It was a pretty amazing group of printmakers! We all made 35 prints and got one of each. I am so honored to own this collection of prints! I ended up helping him make the boxes and put it all together. It was quite the process!

The sintra cut of aspen trees I did for the print exchange.

A few months ago a woman in town asked me to paint a watercolor painting for her son that she could give him for Christmas. I accepted because I felt pressured, but panicked almost immediately! I hate commissions. Yes, they bring money, but it is so hard to paint something for someone when they've already got something else in mind. How can you ever know what they want? I procrastinated for at least a month before I made myself finally sit down and do it. I really don't mind how it turned out. I am actually kind of impressed with myself. Thank goodness it's done! 

Philadelphia Flat, watercolor by Kim Gordon

SPRINGVILLE ART MUSEUM RELIGION SHOW

I cannot even tell you how excited I was that my sculptural book called A House of Learning was accepted into the Religion Show at the Springville Art Show! I am very grateful to my good friend, A, for encouraging me to enter and even taking my work up there. I had to remove it from the Faculty Show at the college so that I could enter it and it paid off! I never even would have thought to enter it after it got rejected from the Church International show. I really have poor self-esteem when it comes to my art. Something I need to work on, I guess...

Tonight we went to the opening and I got to see both my little book and A's video right across from mine! What an honor!

A House of Learning, Mixed Media Sculptural Book.

There is a lot of symbolism in this work of mine. The shape of the structure represents the many places we learn of spiritual subjects, such as our homes, churches and temples. The script you can see on the front and sides is a copy of the First Vision in Joseph Smith's handwriting. On the back there is a 'window' with music in it representing how much we learn through hymns. The books symbolize the many printed works we gain knowledge from by reading. It was fun to create!

SNOW COLLEGE FACULTY SHOW 2015

I missed the opening of the this year's Faculty Art Show so that I could go to C Man's bike race in St George. I was a little sad, but a trip to St George is just too fun to miss. 

Here are my entries this year:

Dirty Laundry Online, Woodcut on transfers.

A House of Learning, Mixed Media Artist Book.

Aspens, Sintra Cut.

WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY

Our amazing Art Center in town holds education classes once a week called Workshop Wednesday. I knew they were doing printmaking yesterday, so I made my kids go. 

C-Man shows us his foam matrix of a school house.

I can't believe they didn't want to come. They had fun once they got there.

Princess P cutting out her foam matrix.

C-Man's print.

Princess P's turtle print.

My print. C-Man taking a selfie with Princess P photobombing.

I {LOVE} ART!

HEARTS, PIRATES & GLASSES

It's LOVE DAY! I took a break from painting, caulking and spackling  to help her make a pirate ship Valentine box the other day. I'm not sure why she wanted pirates, but that's what we did. We also used pirate valentines and gave out chocolate coins with them. It was cute.

All I did was shape the boat and wrap it in paper, Princess P did the rest! She's so clever!

 Thanks to Obamacare, we now have insurance. Little C's glasses have a hard life. He is SUCH an active kid that they are constantly getting smashed and broken somehow. It's a good thing that big, fat plastic frames are in style.

Little C in his new hipster glasses. Dang, that's a good looking kid!

REMODEL- PART 3

We have made some significant progress since I last posted. Big C has been building the face frames for our entertainment center and computer cabinet. They are going to be beautiful!

Face frame for the entertainment center. 

 Big C has talked me into concrete countertops and now I don't want anything else. They look amazing (if they're done right) and we are practicing. The first piece we poured was a slab of light gray that we are going to use to put our wood burning stove on. It was too light, so I spent a couple hours painting on a stain pattern. Cory brushed on the sealer instead of using a roller and completely destroyed my stain job. Oh well, live and learn...

Watercolor brushes come in handy for staining concrete. Just thought you'd like to know.

Today our flooring came and we were able to put in most of it. Is is a brand called Adura. I LOVE it! It looks like wood, but is VERY durable and looks beautiful! I sure hope it holds up like it's supposed to. I really don't want to put in new flooring for a long time!

I came home from class and this is what I saw. Glue on one side.

It was very easy and quick to install. I was very impressed and so was Big C. We've made so much progress. It's only been a month since we started knocking out walls. Also, note our framed windows and doors with the pediments- they'll be white. I love those too!

SIL N and Grandpa G helping us.

Almost done within 2 hours!

Little Miss C and Princess P played outside since the weather is so gorgeous.

GOING THIS WAY

I was asked to create an artist book for a show at our cute little Main Street Art Center here in Ephraim. It's called the Granary Art Center (click for link). I was so flattered and excited to be a part of it!  They even used one of my images for the show advertising:

My Mom, Dad, older sister and I, circa. 1971 (I was almost 2) with our plane Charlie Cherokee.

Here are some pictures of the opening.

My name on the wall.

My family and I by my work.

Awesome A and I.

Me, visiting with friends at the show.

For part of the show upstairs you could make your own 3X3" work and take some else's home.

Here's Little C and Princess P checking out one of mine. I had my classes participate.

My work- 'Trip Scrolls, ca. 1971-2014'

The scrolls are all photos of trips or vacations I have been on throughout my life printed on Kozo rice paper. I love the way a turned out. One of the few art works I've made that I was able to create exactly a work identical to the one in my head.

Up close view of 'Trip Scrolls...'

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Kim Gordon / Kim Gordon is a bookmaker, watercolor painter, printmaker and educator. She was born in Arizona and has spent her life in the Western United States. After studying art at Snow College and Utah State University, she received a BFA in Art Education and has taught art at the middle school, high school and college levels. Her art focuses on the influence of her cultural heritage rooted in ideas of place, personal experience and family traditions both past and present.  Many of these traditions focus on travel and vacationing with her family.  Spending time together, building unity and memory making are all important aspects of her family life, and these ideas and traditions translate into her art making process. She currently lives in Sanpete County, Utah and teaches art at Snow College.