New Artwork, New Exhibition

I hope you will mark your calendars and stop by to see the show! Each piece was inspired by the natural world around me and captures the color shifts as the day fades and the natural light changes.  

Newsletter Subscribers!

I am finally taking the plunge and working on newsletters again. For those of you that have never received one in the past, these newsletters share bits and pieces of my studio work and life in general. Sometimes I share process photos or inspiration photos; sometimes it will contain news about upcoming exhibitions; sometimes updates about my life in general, like what is blooming in the garden or what foster dog is currently in our home. 

If you are interested in subscribing to my newsletter, please leave a comment with your email or send me an email with your preferred email address. I do not share your email addresses with anyone else, and I will promptly remove you if you decide you are no longer interested in receiving the newsletters. 

Thank you for sharing my art journey!

LAND LINES

Virginia A. Spiegel's and my exhibit, Land Lines, continues at the Jewish Community Center Art Gallery, 333 South 132nd Street, Omaha NE, through August 30, 2015.

Above left is my artwork "Sunshine on the Water", and to the right is Virginia's "Sun, Water, Rock" series. One viewer commented that Land Lines was their all-time favorite exhibition, and another viewer commented that Omaha needs more shows like this. We love that everyone is enjoying this show so much! 

Gallery Hours:
Mon-Thurs 8am-9pm
Fri 8am-5pm
Sat closed
Sun 11am-5pm

Land Lines: Now Open

Virginia A. Spiegel‘s and my exhibit, Land Lines, is now open at the Jewish Community Center Art Gallery (333 South 132nd Street, Omaha NE) through August 30, 2015.

Hanging the show was an amazing experience.  Virginia and I hadn’t seen each other’s work in person, but we knew this was a theme that resonated with both of us.  We started by just laying artwork out and moving it about.  With a lot of help from Virginia's husband, we staged and hung the show in just over three hours. And that’s 120 feet of artwork!

The exhibition is gorgeous! The artwork starts on the right-hand wall with earthy golden tones and works down through leafy greens to watery blues. Then it crosses over to the other wall and starts in blues and works back to the earthy golds. The circular flow of landscape colors is amazing. Virginia and I both said WOW when we were done, and we have hung a lot of exhibitions.

I do hope you are able to see Land Lines in person. Please sign our guest book while you are there.  We would love to read or hear your comments.

I’m excited to announce Land Lines, an exhibit featuring the mixed-media artwork of Virginia A. Spiegel and myself, opening August 2 at the Jewish Community Center Art Gallery in Omaha, NE.

Virginia and I both work with abstract imagery drawn from the natural world.  We create lyrical and subtle tributes to specific places incorporating memory and emotion.

Virginia and I have known each other for more than fifteen years since we met at a group exhibit at, yes, the JCC! We have spent many an hour creating (and laughing) together at the KHN Center for the Arts in Nebraska City, NE where Virginia lived for seven years.

Boundary Waters 61 by Virginia A. Spiegel

Vista by Karen Stiehl Osborn

Our artwork has been shown in juried and invitational exhibits in the U.S. and abroad as well as published in numerous books, magazines, and exhibit catalogs. To see more of our artwork, please visit our websites:

Virginia A. Spiegel

Karen Stiehl Osborn

The Jewish Community Center Art Gallery is located at 333 South 132nd Street in Omaha.  Gallery hours are 8 am-9 pm Monday – Thursday, 8 am-5 pm Friday, and 11 am-5 pm Sunday. Land Lines continues through August 30.  Contact Gallery Manager, Lynn Batten, (402-334-6564) for more information.

Recycling

Every morning, when I first enter my studio, I create a "warm-up" collage. I've been doing this for years as a way to jumpstart my creativity each day. I use whatever materials are on hand (paper scraps, cloth, junk mail, etc.), and I spend about 15 minutes on it from start to finish. I have been using recycled cereal and cracker boxes as the base layer, but now I am actually running out of boxes. I never thought I would run out of recycled materials!

Wordless Wednesday

Spring in the Garden

This is the time of year that is hard for me to remember patience. I am ready to start planting and working in the gardens, yet I know that there is still a chance of a late snow. So, I have been painting and creating in the studio, inspired by what is starting to appear in the gardens. This is one of my favorite new works of art, and I'm happy to share it with you!

Wordless Wednesday

Howard is Adopted!

Howard with his new moms, Debra & Sherrie

Howard modeling a new tie

Howard discovering the basket of toys

It seems like Howard barely got moved in, and he was headed back out the door to his forever family. He is such a little, cuddly sweetheart, and they instantly fell in love with him. This was a "feel good" adoption, where I think they are the perfect family for him, and he is the perfect dog for them!

Howard

We have a new foster for the next week, while his actual foster dad is on vacation. Howard is a little male maltese, about 7 pounds and 4 years old. He loves playing with our dogs, and he's also a good snuggler!

Howard is available for adoption through Little White Dog Rescue in Omaha, NE.

Wordless Wednesday

Irish Always!

Play Time!

Mya with her favorite rubber ball

Noah with one of his stuffed toys

Yesterday the weather was absolutely gorgeous here --- warm and sunny, with a little bit of breeze. The dogs enjoyed playing outside, and I was happy to keep them company!

Meet & Greet

Abe (modeling his Easter bunny costume)

Buffy

Carter (with his "Adopt Me" bandana)

Darcy & Grant

Gizmo

Yesterday was another Meet & Greet and another opportunity to photograph some rescue dogs. There were a lot of dogs in attendance, and a lot of potential adopters stopped by for a chance to meet their new family member. I hope several dogs get adopted this week!

All of these dogs are available for adoption through Little White Dog Rescue in Omaha, NE.

Spring is On Its Way!

I always feel like spring is on its way when I start to hear and see the robins. They are here, and I am excited to feel the warmer weather!

Platte River

The weather was gorgeous, so I packed my camera bag and went exploring along the Platte River. Around here the Platte River has a reputation for being "a mile wide and a foot deep". I think it was a little deeper than that today, thanks to all the snow melting, and the wind was creating a few whitecaps. This is one of my favorite places to go --- so quiet and peaceful, a perfect place to relax, be inspired and connect with nature.

Evan

Evan is one of my previous fosters, and he will always have a very special place in my heart. He is a puppy mill survivor, and I personally got him from the breeder. It was a horrible place, and I'll never forget what he said as he handed Evan to me. Thank goodness he got out of that place and into a very loving home. Thanks to his mom for sending me this photo. With eyes like his, you can see why I fell in love with him!

Wordless Wednesday

New Artwork

I found two frames for 4x6" artwork the other day, so yesterday I started working on some small pieces to put in them. This is the first artwork --- double matted in black, then framed in a black gallery frame, available for $75. The colors remind me of a golden summer day with the sun shining and just a touch of blue for the water.