Merry Christmas!

"So Shines a Good Deed"  8"x 8"  $225 Framed

One more new painting that's on exhibit at Caffe Zingaro in Seattle through December 31. If you're heading to a performance of the Nutcracker over the holidays, Caffe Zingaro is only a block away and is a great place to grab an excellent coffee before or after the performance.

This painting's title is taken from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice:

"How far that little candle throws it's beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."

You can make a difference every day. Light your candle and change the world!

Merry Christmas to you all! 

The Light Shines in the Darkness

"The Light Shines in the Darkness"  8" x 8"  $225 Framed  

I am a huge fan of the work of local artist Angela Bandurka. Her acrylic paintings have such beautiful rich color and such a luminous glow in them! I saw a beautiful painting of hers called "Glow" this fall and I wondered if I could capture a similar glow in watercolor. I pulled some old candles out of the cupboard, cut some Nandina berries from my garden, and took hundreds of photos, trying to capture just the right light. Then in the watercolor, I did my best to layer the clearest possible reds and yellows and set them against the darkest possible darks. 

The darkness this time of year can be really tough. I'm always counting down the days until the winter solstice passes and the days start to lengthen again. (Only 6 days left now!) The cold is difficult for me too, and I loved the chance to paint this candle flame and revel in its warmth! 

At Christmas, we celebrate how Christ, the Light of the World, came and darkness fled! The title of this painting is taken from a Bible verse, John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it". What great hope we have in that! 

Merry Christmas to you and all those you love!

This painting is at Caffe Zingaro, 127 Mercer Street in Seattle through the end of December.

Art Print Sale, Monday, December 16, 2013

Looking for some affordable artwork for Christmas? 

I'm participating in an ART PRINT SALE on Monday, December 16 along with artists Connie M. Bishop, Helga Jaques, and Charlene Collins Freeman. Both framed and unframed prints will be available. All my prints are of archival quality, printed on watercolor paper, and meant to last a lifetime. Many are matted and ready to drop into a standard frame. 

There will be Christmas treats and artists painting on site! If you have questions about selection and pricing, just email me at cmeyerjames@yahoo.com. 

December 16, 2013, 11:00am - 7:00pm
CMB Gallery
1805 136th Pl. NE, Bellevue, WA

CMB Gallery is located in the corridors of the Ultimate Salon Studios in the Overlake area of Bellevue, Washington. For a map CLICK HERE.

Prints available from Catherine M. James

Winter Rose

"The Weight of Winter"  11" x 14"  SOLD

It's always difficult for me to see the garden fade with the coming of winter. For me, winter is a weight to bear. It comes at such a cost to so many delicate, beautiful things.

The roses don't give up easily. There is always a bud or two hanging on until Christmas, blooming against the odds. This fragile rose struggles on and shows it's beauty in spite of the cold and the snowy burden it bears.

Mountain Sunset in Winter

"Last Light, Winter"  18" x  24"  SOLD  

In winter's short days, the sunset always seems to come too early. I wanted to capture that precious last light and warmth of the sun at the end of the too-short day. This is a scene from the Methow Valley in Washington, just east of the Cascade Mountains. As the warm sunlight recedes, the cold shadows lengthen and the mist flows into the valley. The pinkish light of the sunset catches on the tops of the hills just before it disappears.

This painting is at Caffe Zingaro at 127 Mercer Street for the December 2013 show, but it has sold already!

To see another painting I've done of the Methow Valley, click here.

Fern in Snow

"Fern in Snow"  11"x 14"  $475 Framed

I am so glad to finally be able to share my new winter watercolors with you! I've been painting like a fiend for the last couple months in preparation for the new show at Caffe Zingaro. 

This painting is another one from my garden. I have always had a real affection for ferns. I grow at least a dozen different ferns in my garden, including a couple huge Tasmanian tree ferns and a monster-sized Australia fern! This painting is a sword fern (polystichum munitum), one the most common woodland plants in the Northwest US. Drought-tolerant, happy in the shade, evergreen even in the mountains even under the snow, this fern is indestructible. Sword ferns often grow in the most pleasing spiral shapes. I loved how the dusting of snow accentuated the patterns in the long elegant fronds of this fern. 

If you'd like to see this painting in person, it will be on display at Caffe Zingaro at 127 Mercer Street in Seattle through the month of December. Stop in for a nice cup of coffee while you are enjoying holiday performances in or around Seattle Center!

December 2013 Art Show at Seattle Center

I have a new show of my artwork at Caffe Zingaro near Seattle Center!

Caffe Zingaro is at 127 Mercer Street, just up from the Opera House, Intiman Theater, and Seattle Rep and across the street from Teatro Zinzanni and the Metropolitan Market.

If you're visiting Seattle Center during the holidays for the Nutcracker ballet or other performance, this is a terrific place to grab a lovely pastry and a really excellent cup of coffee!

The show includes 15 of my watercolors including 6 brand new pieces that have never been shown before! (I'll be introducing the new paintings to you in blog posts over the next several weeks.)

When you stop in, be sure and register to win a ready-to-frame print of my painting "Fireworks Finale"! (Look for the little clear plastic ballot box on the shelves next to the napkins and sugars!)

My watercolors will be up at Caffe Zingaro through the end of December.

Win a print of "Fireworks Finale"!

Cottage Lake Gardens and Trillium Gifts

I am so honored to be working with Susie Egan of Cottage Lake Gardens again on artwork for her 2014 Trillium Tours Poster! Below, you can see the posters from the last two years that have also featured my watercolors. I was also lucky enough to do the logo artwork for Cottage Lake Gardens a few years back.

Cottage Lake Gardens is an amazing plant nursery just a few miles from where I live that specializes in the endangered wildflowers known as trilliums. It is one of the only places in the world where you can see all the species of trillium in the world growing in one place!

In the spring, Cottage Lake Gardens is a spectacular sight to see! Susie Egan offers her legendary Trillium tea, talk and tours of the garden and has many rare woodland wildflowers and plants for sale. (Tours are limited and you have to sign up early!)

The Cottage Lake Gardens website now includes a section of Trillium Gifts, many of which feature my watercolors, including Trillium Tour posters and Trillium notecards. On the website, you can also purchase the actual trillium plants and sign up for trillium tours coming next May. If you're like me, it's never too early to think spring!

Click here to visit the new Cottage Lake Gardens website. 

Preparing for December

Hello Friends!

It's been a month since I posted last, so I just wanted to confirm I am still alive and still working! I'm preparing for my December show at Caffe Zingaro on Mercer Street near Seattle Center. I've got four brand new winter paintings to share with you so far, but I will hold you in suspense until December 1st when the show begins!

My show at the Kirkland Public Library has generated so many wonderful new contacts and comments! "Windows and Doors" (shown below) sold last week from the Kirkland Library and will be a beautiful Christmas gift for some lucky person! Thank you to all of you who've been to the library to see my paintings! The work will be on display and available through the end of this year, so there's still time to check it out!

"Windows and Doors, Lan Su"  18" x 24"  SOLD

If you're thinking about Christmas gifts, my 2014 Art Calendars are available for $24.25 each. (If you buy several, the price goes down.) To take a look at the calendars and see the paintings on each page, CLICK HERE.

2014 Calendars Available from Zazzle.com

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!
Watch for my new artwork coming December 1st! 

Fall Fireworks and Autumn Leaves

This tree is just around the corner from where I live. The rest of the year, I barely notice it's there. This time of year it's the most beautiful thing on the street! There's something about the way the light filters down through those gold and red leaves that just glimmers! 

This week, the leaves are just really getting to their best here in the Seattle area. Yesterday, I was driving around mindlessly running errands, oblivious to the beauty of the leaves, and I noticed this lovely Indian couple taking pictures of each other under the trees. They were clearly just awed by the glorious colors! 

It's so easy to forget that not every climate experiences our amazing fall fireworks! If you're lucky enough to live in a place where the leaves say goodbye in their glorious reds and golds, be sure to stop and take it in. In a few weeks, there will be only bare branches. Gather the beauty in where you can!

"Fireworks Finale"  24" x 18"

Edmonds Art Walk: October 17, 2013

I am so honored to be one the artists in the Edmonds Art Walk this Thursday, October 17 from 5:00-8:00pm in Edmonds, Washington! My paintings are featured at Edmonds Vision Center at 201 5th Ave. S, Suite 102. 

Click here for a map of the Edmonds Art Walk. I'm at #24 on the map.

At the ArtWalk on October 17, I'll be offering my art prints, art magnets, and new 2014 Art Calendars for sale! You can also register to win a FREE PRINT of my new sunflowers painting! (See the photo below). If you're starting to think about a one-of-a-kind holiday gift, the exhibit also includes six of my small original paintings at very affordable prices, plus some impressive larger ones, too. 

Oh, and did I mention there will be pumpkin cookies? I promise I will have homemade pumpkin cookies and apple cider for you on Oct 17 if you stop by! I hope to see you there! 

The artwork will be on display and available for purchase at the Edmonds Vision Center throughout the next month. If you miss the art walk, please stop by the Edmonds Vision Center anytime through November 18. Click here for times the Edmonds Vision Center is open.

Department of Ecology Show

Just wanted to let you know that I am currently participating in an art show at the Washington State Department of Ecology offices. I have five pieces in the lobby of their Northwest Regional Office at 3190 160th Ave. SE in Bellevue, Washington. (This is in the Eastgate area.) 

This show is part of the EAFA Public Art Program and also features artwork by Peter Maxim and Donald C. Lee. Thank you to Elaine Mahler and all the EAFA Public Art Program volunteers who have coordinated the show at this lovely new venue! 

The exhibit will continue until January 9, 2014. The Department of Ecology lobby is open to the public from 8:00am-5:00pm on weekdays if you'd like to stop in and see the artwork. 

2014 Art Calendars

Hooray! I now have new 2014 art calendars available through Zazzle.com! You can see the twelve watercolor paintings featured in this year's calendar in the picture below.

The calendars are $24.25 each. (The price drops if you order more than one.) This is a very inexpensive way to get a dozen "prints" of my paintings!

CLICK HERE for my 2014 ART CALENDARS

If you live nearby and would prefer to get a calendar or two directly from me, please just contact me at: cmeyerjames@yahoo.com

My art magnets are also still available if you're interested:
CLICK HERE for my ART MAGNETS

Thank you so much!

Sunflowers and Summer

"The Unstoppable Cheerfulness of Summer"  18" x 24"  $750 framed

As Autumn draws in, I'm grasping for some way to hold onto summer. I just want somehow to capture and keep the cheerfulness and exuberance of summer at it's beautiful best.

The Seattle rain and darkness will come, but this great big bucket of sunflowers makes me feel like I'm still basking in the warm golden glow of summer. :)

Sunflower detail

Kirkland Library

I am so pleased to announce a new show of my work at the Kirkland Public Library in Kirkland, Washington! The show, titled "Nature's Gifts", is a satellite exhibition of the Kirkland Arts Center.

The paintings are on display at the checkout location in the library and will be there until the end of December. All artwork is available for purchase through the Kirkland Arts Center.

For more information about the show and hours the library is open click here.

Peaches and Plums

"Black Plums"   14" x 10"   $475 framed  

I just can't get enough of the summer fruit at the farmer's market! Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, and all the crosses between them. I have real trouble buying just a few!

Stumbling around the market with a camera, I sometimes come across the most interesting images. I just kept coming back to this image of the woman in the black dress. The sort of zig-zag composition is so much fun! And the black-plum color of the dress just sucks the light right out of the center of the painting. It's easy to make a connection between the woman and the abundant sensuality of the warm, sunlit fruit. Like mother nature in a little black dress, you can't help notice her sweet loveliness!

Spring Onions

"Spring Onions"   8"x 8"   $225 framed

Another new watercolor finally finished. I've been enjoying my summer quite a lot. Been visiting the Farmer's Market every weekend and collecting images of beautiful fresh flowers and produce for new paintings. Seattle in the summer is the BEST!

July Art Show at Victor's Coffee House

I am very pleased to announce a new show of my watercolor paintings at Victor's Coffee House in Redmond, Washington! The show includes 13 of my original paintings, including 6 newly framed pieces exhibited for the very first time ever!

Please stop by for a nice iced coffee or tea and check out the artwork. There is no actual reception scheduled, but if anyone wants to meet me there for a coffee, just let me know! My paintings will be on display and available for purchase through the end of July. I hope you'll get the chance to visit Victor's and see my paintings this month!

Yosemite

I've just returned from a week in Yosemite National Park. Sorry no paintings just yet, but I just have to share a few photos with you.

Such an amazing place! I think I have enough ideas for paintings to last me years! The scale of Yosemite Valley is like nothing I had ever seen before. 3000 feet of rock coming straight out of the flat valley floor. The relative narrowness of the valley creates the sense you are in some sort of grand beautiful cathedral in which it is obvious how very small you are compared to the greatness of God.

The great granite cliffs are like huge canvases for light effects. As the sun sets, the colors of the cliffs change every few minutes. Each cloud that passes creates effects like spotlights across the landscape. The whole valley is like a continuous visual drama unfolding. I can only image how Yosemite must change from season to season. I can see why the photographer Ansel Adams was amazed with the Yosemite light.

We camped in the park for five days and did the most amazing hikes all over the park. We experienced the ancient giant Sequoias, the granite domes at Tuolumne Meadows, we climbed above the waterfalls, and took in countless viewpoints with plenty of air under our feet. And we still barely scratched the surface of this amazing place.

Good Eggs!

"Good Eggs"   8" x 8"  $225 Framed

Here's another Redmond Farmer's Market watercolor. This is a fun little one, only 8 inches square.

I've been buying these eggs from Sky Valley Family Farms for several summers now. They are so fresh and tasty and have these rich dark yellow yolks. It makes such a difference when the chickens can run around and eat what they like!

The variety of warm colors in the chicken eggs is so wonderful! When I began the painting, I was thinking the eggs were just different shades of brown. As soon I began mixing colors, I was surprised to learn that the eggs were flesh-tones loaded with pink. I especially like that each egg is one-of-a-kind instead of something uniform and mass produced. And I loved this setting with the old-fashioned tablecloths.

June Art Events

June 14, 15, & 16 is the Edmonds Arts Festival! Did you know this is the 57th Annual Edmonds Arts Festival? Honestly, the Edmonds Arts Festival is one of the largest and best in the region and not to be missed! In addition to the wonderful outside art booths, there is an excellent juried art show inside the Frances Anderson Center on the same site. My painting, "Within the Willow" will be in the juried show, so be sure and stop by! For my original blog post on this painting click here.

Saturday, June 15 is the Museum of Northwest Art Auction in La Conner, Washington! This will be the 5th year in a row that I have had a painting in the auction and probably the 8th year I've attended the auction!

This is such a very fun event! Although tickets aren't cheap, the food and wine are fabulous. And, if you are interesting in purchasing art, you will certainly save yourself the price of admission on the deals you get purchasing artwork. Plus, you're supporting an organization that does so much for Northwest artists! My watercolor painting "Lilypond Reflections" is available in the auction.  To see my original blog post about this painting click here. To preview the complete online catalog for the auction click here. My painting is on page 22.


I also want to mention that this week my blog is two years old! This is my 84th post in the past two years! My blog has grown from a handful of wonderful supportive family members to over 200 viewers per month! I am so very grateful to each one of you who read this blog and follow my artwork! I am so thankful to you for your support in my crazy art career and so honored that you are with me on the journey! Thank you!

Men with Flowers

"Men with Flowers"  18" x 24"  $750 Framed  

Opening day, May 4 at the Redmond Farmer's Market was such a beautiful spring day! The vendors were all happy to be there, the Redmond High School Band played, and the atmosphere was so festive!

The flower sellers had buckets and buckets of such beautiful tulips! I took a ton of photos, but this image really captured my imagination. The spring morning light raking across the tulips was lovely, and it was so charming how these handsome guys were hard at work arranging bunches of flowers to sell. Maybe I just have a soft spot for men bearing flowers. :)

Several people have asked why leave the pick up truck in there so prominently? The pick up is such a perfectly masculine icon! I think it reinforces the contrast of the manly men and the delicate flowers. Plus the dark blue with the glowing yellow light is just delicious!

I hope you enjoy my painting!

"Men with Flowers" detail

Farmer's Market, Best Produce

"Best Produce"  17"x 25"  $750 Framed

I love to visit the Farmer's Market when it first opens; especially on those summer mornings when the sun is still low, but you can feel the warmth of the day coming on quickly. Everything the summer sun touches warms up instantly.

This painting was such an interesting challenge! I loved deliberately choosing the warm and cool areas of the painting. It was also such an interesting puzzle to simplify this complicated scene into tonal areas of similar values.

My favorite part of this composition is the triangles. It's so fun how the triangles of the paper around the flowers are similar to the tops of the canopies.

I hope you enjoy the painting!

Prints Available!

Thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets at Saturday's Redmond Garden Club Plant Sale! Congratulations to Marilyn P. for winning my peony painting!

For anyone who is sad that they didn't win, don't despair! You can order prints of this painting and others directly from my website! Just click here for the link to my prints! You can order prints in a number of different sizes and even have the print matted and framed if you like! Please check it out!

Win an Original Framed Watercolor Painting for $2!

This Saturday, May 11 is the annual Redmond Garden Club Plant Sale! 

I've been a member of the Redmond Garden Club for nearly 10 years. This sale is GREAT! Several thousand beautiful quality plants are available at garage sale prices. They are mostly perennials and shrubs - better value for money than annuals as they give you years and years of enjoyment in your garden. These plants are provided by 50 different obsessive gardeners, so there are always new and unusual plants included. The sale is from 8:00am-3:00pm on Saturday, but you want to be there EARLY as the good stuff goes FAST! The plant sale is in the English Hill neighborhood of Redmond.
The address is: 17817 NE 131st Street, Redmond, WA  98052

The MOST exciting bit is that they will be raffling off an original painting of mine at Saturday's sale! This painting, "Portrait of a Peony" is an 18" x 24" beautifully framed original watercolor! The painting has a retail value of $650, but raffle tickets are only $2 each (or 3 for $5)! The winner will be drawn at 3:00, but you don't have to be present to win the painting.

"Portrait of a Peony"  18"x 24"   Framed   Value: $650

If, by some sad twist of fate you are not the one who wins the painting on Saturday, prints of this painting are available on my website. Just click here for more information about the prints.

You can find more information about the Redmond Garden Club sale at http://www.redmondgardenclub.com/
If you are a bit of an obsessive gardener (like me) and would like to see the list of plants available at the sale just click here.

Please forward this information to anyone you think might be interested. Hope to see you there!

Farmer's Market

"Buckets of Flowers"  10" x 14"  $475 Framed

This Saturday, May 4th, the Redmond Farmer's Market reopens for the season! I love the farmer's market with its colorful flowers and fresh fruit and vegetables piled high! Such beautiful bounty all within easy reach! I enjoying buying directly from the hands of the people who grow my food. The farmer's market reminds me of the connection and dependence we all have to Mother earth and I always feel so blessed by her generous gifts.

I've been wanting to do some paintings of the Redmond Farmer's Market for years, but I've always been intimidated by the amount of detail in the scenes. I have this natural tendency to paint every little tiny unimportant thing with the same emphasis. This painting is part of my ongoing attempts to try to teach myself to paint only what's really important in a complicated picture. In this painting, the light on the buckets of flowers is what counts most. The sense of crowded busyness is achieved in the background with only simple shapes.

Watch for more farmer's market paintings coming soon!

Fun New Art Magnets Available!

Some of the museums I've visited during the past few years have had these nifty little art magnets of paintings in the gift stores. I always have to bring a few home. My fridge is like a little mini gallery of famous paintings I've seen. So, when I discovered I could get these little beauties made from my own paintings, I just had to do it!

These cute little magnets are 2" x 2". I've created 12 different designs from my paintings.

You can order them at:
http://www.zazzle.com/catherinejamesart

The coolest thing I've discovered about Zazzle is that they ship anywhere in the world for local postal rates! This saves a bunch if you want to order internationally. (I have family in England and I really love this feature!) Zazzle also gives you discounts if you order in quantity. (It's actually cheaper to order 10 magnets than it is 8!)

I know Mother's Day is coming up soon. Maybe this year Mom would like some beautiful (magnetic) flowers that will never wilt. She'll think of you every day, and maybe even use these magnets to hang things from you (or the grandkids) on her refrigerator!

Mossy Japanese Garden

I was lucky enough to visit the Portland Japanese Garden this February. I've been there several times before, but always in spring and summer. In winter, the garden has a beauty of another kind. The elegant branches of the Japanese maples were fully exposed. And the moss! The moss was very happy when we visited in February! It was misting (of course) and there was such a peaceful stillness with the soft green moss. The Northwest winter at it's best!

In addition to the beautiful moss, this scene fascinated me because of the different levels in the pond. There is the bottom of the pool with it's rounded gravel, then the fish in the water, and the various reflections at the surface.

I took these pictures as I painted. My lighting is not the best indoors, and some photos were taken inside, and others outside, depending on the weather. Please forgive the inconsistencies in the quality of the photos.

Here's my pencil drawing on 140# arches paper. I've stretched the paper on gator board. To the left is a sketchbook with my gray-scale study and notes about what is important about this painting. I always try to write down "The Big Thing" about this painting or the most important thing I need to communicate. I also list risks or things to watch out for and places where I'm likely to mess-up or lose my whites. You can also see my printed reference photos. I combined elements from several photos to make the best possible painting.

Before I begin, sometimes I preserve my whites with masking fluid. Here, you can see the beige areas in the lower left covered in masking fluid. These will be white reflections later on. I started with some larger washes to lay in some general color, but I decided to work on the painting in smaller, wetter sections. I would wet an area like the rock, so the colors would blend easily, then use really thick, saturated paint to try to get all the paint down in one go.

Working on the water and background, section by section, trying to keep the paper wet wherever I'm working. I had so much fun with all the different colors in the water!

Masking fluid has been removed in the lower left, but the remaining white shapes need to be softened and blended to fit into the painting. Strangely, I left the main subject, the Japanese lantern and tree, until last. (Usually, I do the focal point first.)

"Moss Garden Pond"  18" x 24"  $750 Framed

Here's the finished painting. I hope you enjoyed seeing the process!

To see other watercolor paintings I've done of the Portland Japanese Garden click here and here.