I’ve made about twenty of these drawings in the last month, four of which will be available & Weiden & Kennedy this evening at The 100 Show.

Please join me for January Fun Days on facebook.
Answer fun art related questions & trivia, win prints & drawings, or use the points for a percentage off my paintngs.
https://www.facebook.com/shanon.playford.art

Who says nothing is ever free? Some “lucky” artist will take home this beauty. I’ll get to take home one of theirs.

It’s a brilliant thing.

2011 PORTLAND VISUAL ART EXCHANGE
Exhibit dates: December 1-8, Mon-Fri 12-4pm
Public reception and Artist trade event: December 8, 5-8pm

Over 50 participating artists will exhibit one piece of original work in a week-long, invitational show at the Littman Gallery. The exhibit will culminate in a (semi) blind art trade and public reception. Although the event is open to the public, no work is for sale and only the participating artists go home with an original piece of art by another Portland artist.

Anyone interested in participating next year?

Please join me at Springbox Gallery this Friday, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m..
I’ll have several new paintings in this group show. Springbox is a great place to enjoy looking at art.
N.W. 24th & York, Portland

So once you have the initial sketch done for a painting, & you have it roughly painted in, this is as alive as the painting will ever be. Every brush stroke after, slowly takes the life out of it. Every dab of paint deadens it. Once you go down this road, you begin the slow arduous process of killing it, & then working your damnedest to resuscitate it.
Why not walk away in the beginning? ….because it seems too easy to leave that beautiful lively, expressive sketch. Even though it seems to say all that you need it to say. It seems perfect.
In your mind, there must be some struggle, or it doesn’t seem legitimate.
I guess the struggle could be the ability just to leave it alone.

Splendorporium presents -  The Invitational Group Show
Featuring 5 great Portland Artists: Elliott Wall, Marianna Gordon, Andy Paiko, Ross Christy & Shanon Playford

Hope to see some of you Friday night. (7 to 9pm)

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

- Mark Twain

I wanted it to express my heartfelt gratitude to every single soul that walked through my door over the weekend.

So here I am on Friday still trying to write the perfect note. Perfection is impossible so just let me say this:

Over the last year or so, I’ve had such doubts about being a painter….It’s isolating & well hell, I don’t make a lot of money doing it. To me, the main reward is in connecting w/ people – & there were some people that attended, that truly connected to my work & in turn connected with me…

And that makes it all worthwhile.

Not to mention those of you that put some cash in my pocket, that helps too!

But the main thing is just showing up, something I try to do more & more for my friends, because I’ve come to realize just how much it means.

& thanks to those of you that really tried to attend. I understand that sometimes life gets in the way of our best intentions.