Sheila M. Evans

Apparently, the Pastel Journal’s Pastel 100 issue is out, and I’m happy to report that my pastel, Horizon Study (left), received an honorable mention in the contest. The Pastel Journal is an internationally-read magazine dedicated to the pastel medium. Their extremely popular annual contest gives awards to the top 100 pastels submitted. The awards are divided into five top prizes, then split into five different subject categories, within which there are first, second and third place awards, and honorable mentions. My honorable mention is in the Still Life and Floral category. The other categories include landscape, portrait, animal/wildlife, and abtract/non-objective.

The nice thing about this contest is that you can submit any piece done within the past few years—even if it is sold. Which reminds me: Lorraine, if you are reading this, I’ll send you a copy!

More good news! I’ve added a new show for 2010: Art on the Square in Belleville, Illinois. This show has been ranked #1 in the country by the Art Fair Sourcebook (the art fair artists’ version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). It’s going to be a long trip, but I am so excited to do my first-ever midwest show. By the way, I only got juried in with pastels. The competition to get into this tiny but excellent show is tough!

I am so happy right now! I just learned that I have been juried in to the Bellevue Arts Museum show again. This year, not only did I get in with my pastels, I get to show my oil paintings! This is a first for me in Bellevue, one of my very favorite shows to do. To celebrate, I’ve decided it’s time to fire up the Art Fairs 2010 page. Then I think I’d better get some painting done.

(Left: Frost Line, one of my newest oils. See it at the Kress Gallery in May.)

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Etudes for the Equinox, my first solo show at the Tinman Gallery, opens Friday!

Opening reception will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the Spokane Visual Arts Tour. If you haven’t been to the Tinman, it is a great space in Spokane’s wonderfully eclectic Garland district (thus the Oz theme). The Tinman, owned by Sue Bradley, represents some of the area’s best-known artists—now more than ever with the retirement of Lorinda Knight last November.

I’m very much looking forward to the show, which will feature a large collection of my newest work in pastel (including Dewfall, above) and perhaps a few not-so-new, never shown in Spokane pieces as well. I hope to see you there!

The Tinman Gallery
811 West Garland Avenue
Spokane, Washington 99205
509.325.1500
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday

A little show preview:

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Things are starting to happen in the new studio! After spending a weekend moving in (enough to start painting, anyway) I got to work on my first oil painting in my new digs. It went surprisingly fast, which I have decided to attribute to the good energy in the room. Pretty impressive for a 100+-year-old basement. I would have expected something, well… spooky. But it is just the opposite—cozy and inviting.

Shiva (above) practically painted itself. It is not completed in the photo, but it was finished maybe an hour after that. One more piece ready for the Kress Gallery show in May! By the way, I do plan to start posting my more professional-looking “official” art photos again soon. One side effect of my ongoing move has been to separate my art and workspace from my usual photography spot, but I’ll get that worked out shortly.

Oh, by the way, I seem to have  a correction due… last summer I mentioned that I won an award and thus a re-invite to the Edmonds Arts Festival this June. Turns out the award does not include a re-invite after all! Ooops. Anyway, I went ahead and applied so we’ll see what happens. It would be pretty sad if I didn’t get in after all that, but I guess I’ll just have to wait for it! (LOL!)

I was starting to think it wouldn’t happen, but it did… I finally finished Las Lunas, the 3′ x 9′ oil version, just in time to move into my real studio. Here it is in the upstairs space where I painted it while waiting for my new studio to be open (thanks to my very nice new landlord Len for allowing me to paint in this cool AVAILABLE office space!) Look for Las Lunas in my all-oils show at the Kress gallery this May.

Now that I’ve finished this monster, it’s all about getting settled in my new basement speak-easy-esque studio, framing for my pastels show opening February 5th at the Tinman Gallery, and making MORE OILS for the Kress!

Oh, one more thing… if you are in Spokane, check out Buttercuppity’s new shop in Steam Plant Square… they had my new studio before me and quickly outgrew it. Congratulations Ari and Captain Hotpants! Love your store.

For another view of the new studio click here.

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So this has been an incredibly busy week. For the five of you who actually read this, I apologize for my recent lack of posts. Between the holidays, my upcoming shows, and my sudden realization that my in-home studio wasn’t cutting it, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.

My plan since early December had been to start painting my three-panel luna moth oil this coming week. I recognized that studio hours would be spotty at best until after the new year and had been thinking about finding a new work space, as I mentioned. But as I started prepping the canvases, it became clear that the three panels literally would not fit in my current space. Not without wrapping around a corner, anyway, which posed a big logistical problem. So I got it into my head that I would find a studio that I could work in by Monday (tomorrow).

Last weekend I started, with the help of family and friends, looking around town for some possibilities, and on Monday I started calling. The first few spaces sounded promising, in funky old buildings with great locations. But there were downsides. The first space I actually got to see was in a building I’ve always loved for its great windows and light, but the spaces available inside were windowless, depressing offices… not at all what I had pictured. The next few places seemed promising but ended up being loud, tiny, or otherwise not as advertised. Read more

Tonight is the First Friday art walk in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. I will have new work at galleries in both places: six pastels each at the Tinman Gallery in Spokane’s Garland District, and the Art Spirit gallery in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Both opening receptions are tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. If you are out and about in either city tonight, please come see the art!

Both shows are the respective galleries’ holiday small-works group exhibits, so there will be lots of art and artists to see. I plan to attend both shows for a bit, and hope to see some of you there!

Blue Suspension No.4 Study, above, will be available at the Tinman Gallery.