Rawpaint!

Adapted from Rawhide by Frankie Laine
Remembered as sung by Dad (certainly not my version)

Paintin', paintin', paintin'
Paintin', paintin', paintin'
Paintin', paintin', paintin'
Paintin', paintin', paintin'
Rawpaint!
Hah! Hah!

Keep paintin', paintin', paintin'
Though my feet are achin',
Keep them brushes breakin', rawpaint.
Through doubt and fear and hoping,
Hell bent for an art opening,
Though I feel like faintin',
All the things I'm craving,
Good vittles, love, and sailing,
Are waiting at the end of paintin'.

Matt 'em out, frame 'em up,
Price 'em up, move 'em on.
Sell 'em out, shoot 'em up:
Rawpaint.
Cut 'em out, crop 'em in,
Paint 'em in, paint 'em out,
Shoot 'em out, shoot 'em in:
Rawpaint!
Hah! Hah!

Movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them critics movin', rawpaint.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just paint an' frame an' brand 'em.
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
My heart's calculatin',
My true love will be waitin':
Waitin' at the end of my paintin'.

Matt 'em out, frame 'em up,
Price 'em up, move 'em on.
Sell 'em out, shoot 'em up:
Rawpaint.
Cut 'em out, crop 'em in,
Paint 'em in, paint 'em out,
Shoot 'em out, shoot 'em in:
Rawpaint!

(Painting', paintin', paintin'.)
(Painting', paintin', paintin'.)
Hah!
(Painting', paintin', paintin'.)
Hah!
(Painting', paintin', paintin'.)
Rawpaint.
Hah!
Rawpaint!

My artwork opened July 13 in the front display of the SAVA Fine Art Gallery and runs through July 31. It's in the main mall entrance, street level, as you walk in...just next to the parking garage.


SAVA Fine Art Gallery
July 13-31, 2010

Artists' Reception: Tuesday, July 13, 6-8pm.

River Center Mall
849 E. Commerce Street, No. 205
San Antonio, Texas

Tues., Wed., Thurs., Sund., 2 - 6 p.m.

Website: savisualartists.org

10 Shutterbug Rules

Here's a good excerpt (and the link) to general photography do's and don'ts.

And remember that it is illegal for anyone to make you delete a photo you've already taken.


Excerpt from Photography and the Law: Know Your Rights, by Photojojo.com:

The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography

Before we get started here, we have to point out that even though we’re smart and awesome and devastatingly attractive, we’re not lawyers. None of this should be construed as legal advice. If you have a legal issue, get in touch with a lawyer. Much of this information was gleaned from attorney Bert P. Krages‘ website, so we’ll go ahead and recommend him.

The Ten Legal Commandments of Photography

I. Anyone in a public place can take pictures of anything they want. Public places include parks, sidewalks, malls, etc. Malls? Yeah. Even though it’s technically private property, being open to the public makes it public space.

II. If you are on public property, you can take pictures of private property. If a building, for example, is visible from the sidewalk, it’s fair game.

III. If you are on private property and are asked not to take pictures, you are obligated to honor that request. This includes posted signs.

IV. Sensitive government buildings (military bases, nuclear facilities) can prohibit photography if it is deemed a threat to national security.

V. People can be photographed if they are in public (without their consent) unless they have secluded themselves and can expect a reasonable degree of privacy. Kids swimming in a fountain? Okay. Somebody entering their PIN at the ATM? Not okay.

VI. The following can almost always be photographed from public places, despite popular opinion:

• accident & fire scenes, criminal activities
• bridges & other infrastructure, transportation facilities (i.e. airports)
• industrial facilities, Superfund sites
• public utilities, residential & commercial buildings
• children, celebrities, law enforcement officers
• UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, Chuck Norris
  

VII. Although “security” is often given as the reason somebody doesn’t want you to take photos, it’s rarely valid. Taking a photo of a publicly visible subject does not constitute terrorism, nor does it infringe on a company’s trade secrets.

VIII. If you are challenged, you do not have to explain why you are taking pictures, nor to you have to disclose your identity (except in some cases when questioned by a law enforcement officer.)

IX. Private parties have very limited rights to detain you against your will, and can be subject to legal action if they harass you.

X. If someone tries to confiscate your camera and/or film, you don’t have to give it to them. If they take it by force or threaten you, they can be liable for things like theft and coercion. Even law enforcement officers need a court order.

What To Do If You’re Confronted

• Be respectful and polite. Use good judgement and don’t escalate the situation.
• If the person becomes combative or difficult, think about calling the police.
• Threats, detention, and taking your camera are all grounds for legal or civil actions on your part. Be sure to get the person’s name, employer, and what legal grounds they claim for their actions.
• If you don’t want to involve the authorities, go above the person’s head to their supervisor or their company’s public relations department.
• Call your local TV and radio stations and see if they want to do a story about your civil liberties.
• Put the story on the web yourself if need be.

Public photography is not a crime, but law enforcers think otherwise

Across our country, many shutterbugs like ourselves are illegally arrested or detained for taking photos in public places, from the video cam helmet to the cell phone camera to the professional.

The following excerpt from Popular Mechanics addresses what you should do if you get approached by someone asking you to stop taking photos. This problem effects everyone with cameras, not just professional photographers. It is illegal to stop photography of public places, and we need to pressure our lawmakers to put laws in place to protect us, or make our law enforcers more aware of our rights.

"So what should you do if you're taking photos and a security guard or police officer approaches you and tells you to stop? First, be polite. Security people have tough jobs and probably mean well. Ask them what legal authority they have to make you stop. (If you're in a public place, like a street, a park, etc., they have none; if you're in a private place, such as a shopping mall, they may have a basis for banning pictures.) Krages advises those hassled by security guards to threaten to call law enforcement. If it's an actual police officer who's telling you to stop shooting, ask to speak to a superior. And remember--you never have a legal duty to delete pictures you've taken."

Popular Mechanics LINK

For more articles on the subject:

Gizmodo

NBC

Peacocks and Perfection

Photo by S'zanne Reynolds

To require perfection in art is to invite paralysis-- to find reasons to procrastinate even beginning the new work!

--paraphrased from "Art and Fear"

Friday Flower Power pARTy!

"Sunny and Clear" 8x10" acrylic by S'zanne Reynolds

Friday, July 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cafe Monet at the Triangle
4700 West Guadalupe, Ste. 11 • Austin, Texas 78751

Flower Power with Monet & Merlot
Friday, we'll be getting our creativity on painting close-ups of floral faces with Austin artist, S'zanne Reynolds. Discover your flower power as you learn to mix vibrant colors in a rainbow of lights and darks. With a little guidance from S'zanne, you'll take on this happy sunflower or, paint from other garden stars like the rose or iris. We'll provide the paint, canvas and photos...you bring the wine and munchies.

Best of all, you'll have some fun and bring home a painting for the wall!

REGISTER IN ADVANCE, as seating is limited:
Call Cafe Monet at 512-906-2200.
$35 per person.

Studio 2 Gallery Opening Saturday July 17

"Apples on Orange" by S'zanne Reynolds, 12x12" pastel
$575

AVAA Juried Members Show
July17th - August 7th

Studio 2 Gallery
1700 S. Lamar, Suite 318
Austin, Texas 78704

Opening Reception
July 17th, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Delovely Weekend July 11-12

"Delovely Delisa" by S'zanne Reynolds, 16x19" pastel

Exhausted after a long arduous week of teaching on Friday, I hit the hay. Saturday morning I ran errands for art classes next week; that afternoon I started and completed a portrait! (Delovely Delisa...who I met at HEB the week prior.) Later that evening I had a very nice dinner with a man-friend at Z'tajas. I came home and curled up in bed with the cat to watch a strange, dark humored movie where Meg Ryan duck tapes her husband to the toilet in efforts to win back his love before he leaves her for the secretary...and enjoyed getting rocky road ice cream all over my sheets. (Yuuuumy!) Sunday morning I turned down a sailing invite (OMG!) to finish a painting I started about 6 months ago, and delivered it with 3 other paintings to a San Antonio gallery. All in all, it was a GREAT weekend...it's amazing what doing a few things for myself...especially PAINTING will do for the soul! I may have to do this again tomorrow!


"Summers on the Guadalupe" by S'zanne Reynolds, 6x12" pastel

"Like a New Emotion"

"Sailor Sam" by S'zanne Reynolds, 16x12" oil

This guy sat for me for about 4 hours. His portrait went home with a friend last week after a dinner party who fell in love with his eyes...she said they followed her everywhere. She confirmed she still thought he was just as dreamy the night after. Good thing!

Songwriters explore their emotions all the time. They show us their pain and they share their joy...which in turn shows us the pains and joys we all have in common. Artists can often do the same...or we can hide behind our easels and pretend everything is OK, and just reflect what's going on around us. Or can we? Maybe what's going on inside, really shows through anyway...in spite of ourselves! Maybe in order to create, we have to have a relationship with our feelings outside of ourselves.

So what do you see in his eyes? dreams? pain? joy? suffering? sensuality? or something else?

One of my favorite songs sung by Annie Lennox speaks of this to me...the memories and emotions that we carry around in our stilled presence, like a freeze framed portrait of our memories:

"Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
I want to walk in the open wind
I want to talk like lovers do
I want to dive into your ocean
Is it raining with you

So baby talk to me
Like lovers do
Walk with me
Like lovers do
Talk to me
Like lovers do

Here comes the rain again
Raining in my head like a tragedy
Tearing me apart like a new emotion
Oooooh
I want to breathe in the open wind
I want to kiss like lovers do
I want to dive into your ocean
Is it raining with you

So baby talk to me
Like lovers do

Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
(Here it comes again, here it comes
again)
I want to walk in the open wind
I want to talk like lovers do
I want dive into your ocean
Is it raining with you"

by the Eurythmics

July 23rd Flower Power Art pARTy

"Sunny and Clear" 8x10" acrylic by S'zanne Reynolds

Friday, July 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cafe Monet at the Triangle
4700 West Guadalupe, Ste. 11 • Austin, Texas 78751

Flower Power with Monet & Merlot
In July, we'll be painting close-ups of floral faces with Austin artist, S'zanne Reynolds. Discover your flower power as you learn to mix vibrant colors in a rainbow of lights and darks. With a little guidance from S'zanne, you'll take on this happy sunflower or, paint from other garden stars like the rose or iris. We'll provide the paint, canvas and photos...you bring the munchies.

Best of all, you'll have some fun and get your creativity on...and bring home a painting for the wall!

REGISTER IN ADVANCE, as seating is limited:
Call Cafe Monet at 512-906-2200.
$35 per person.
Vicki's singles group: If you register a friend, you both get $5 off.

Mark your calendars; see you there!

Fetching Art a Success

Fetching Art raised about $1700-2000 net for Austin Dog Alliance and their programs benefiting children with autism.



Fido, by S'zanne Reynolds, was auctioned off at Fetching Art last Thursday, June 24, 2010.










Vicki Brevell, Rae Andrews and Deanna Chestnut knocked themselves out helping me put up all the art, labels, tables and panels borrowed from Britta Herzog.








Caricaturist, Theresa Bayer, amazed the guests with her talents.











Happy guests winning door prize raffles.


Britta Herzog, far left, won Best of Show for her dog portrait...a $275 PR package was the award. Go Britta! We'll look forward to seeing your name in ink and lights!







Tables of art on display as well as panels, front and back, all the center.













Heather Ledesma-Robbins' dog bowl featuring "Starry Night" was a favorite of everyone's.


All-in-all, it was a big success!

Thank you artists of the Creative Community Coop, San Antonio and all area participating artists!

It's Official: Houston is Weirder than Austin

Did you know that Houston has a National Museum of Funeral History?!

It's located near Bush Airport...and focuses on death traditions. It's said to be stark "but not as morbid as one might expect"!??? Why don't they just go for it and make it rock-goth?! Right? The collection includes historic caskets and displays of famous funerals from Elvis to Gandhi, says AAA magazine. nmfh.org, 281-876-3063

Well, that's one museum I have no desire to get my art into! LOL!

Then, while you're there, check out the other museums:

Art Car Museum, artcarmuseum.com, 713-861-5526

Museum of Natural Science (love the butterfly rain forest), hmns.org, 713-639-4629

Center for Contemporary Craft (rotating installations staged by artists-in-residence whose studios are open to the public); crafthouston.org, 713-529-4848

The Menil Collection (on 23 acres...they collected a lot!), menil.org, 713-525-9400

Go artsy, Houston!

A Testimonial on My Summer Art Classes

"This class was a very positive experience for our 5 year old, Emma. She was excited to go to class every day and was very proud of her art work each day. I was glad to have an itinerary at the beginning of the week and then to see the whole class' work at the end of the week. Also, I was glad to see that they used a variety of materials in the class. Overall it was a great experience for us and we will definitely plan to take classes at Laguna Gloria again."
--Kim

Love Never Fails

8x10" pastel by S'zanne Reynolds

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

Lyrics by Brandon Heath
an interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13