Anne Leuck Feldhaus Adventures & Art

30 Miles, 70 SPF on 7/5/09

Rich & I did our little day trip to Indiana on Sunday...we biked the Calumet Trail which runs 18 miles roundtrip along the railroad tracks in blazing hot sun...so the other 11 miles were forays down tree shady roads trying to get over to the beach and lake, we did succeed. Please note the cooling tower in the background - I thought they only came in pairs...not pretty, but I like to paint them. That's Rich's shiny Workman's Bike...and a cool old VW Bus below.

 
The trail...

RIP Currents! no we did not swim : (  we had another 10 miles to ride.This was not the trail, just a lovely tree lined road we used to get to the beach.

 

There were beautiful cat tails all along the trail, and I saw 2 snakes! ack!

 

57 Ends

Brand new painting: "57 Ends". Inspired by a drawing in my sketchbook from last year done on a short little road trip to Indiana to pick up an amplifier that Rich found on Craigs List.

Good N Plenty Pups

Good N Plenty Pups. 18x18. Available for Purchase on Etsy - FREE SHIPPING in the US!

2 Months Later...the Sign is Finished!

I've had many distractions trying to finish this sign, among them 3 art fairs and a show. Also bought some time testing a board covered with my sealed paint swatches outside. The black and white seemed to be compromised so I had to go over everything with a latex exterior wood & metal paint. This was grueling work...I just hope it holds up to the elements after all of this! Hopefully I'll have it sealed and hung before Labor Day! : )

All 3 pieces end to end, they line up pretty well considering they were painted separately.

It's a rainy 4th of July here...I've been at the studio all day and Rich is busy building a cabinet to house his amplifiers &  mikes at his practice studio...tomorrow we have fun: heading to the Indiana Dunes to bike on some trails and it's supposed to be beautiful weather - I can't wait!

Tuesday's Finished Portrait

Last week Sue came to pick up Tuesday's portrait - the first one painted here in my new studio! She loved how it turned out as did I...this was really a fun project, view my previous posts to see a photo of Tuesday and the sketches and painting in process.

I'm pretty behind with blogging...busy week, art fair last weekend, art girls pot LEUCK here on Tuesday and now I'm putting pretty much everything else on hold until I get my sign done! It has become my nemesis...stay tuned for photos from the past 2 weeks...

Art business blogger Barney Davey comments...

Art business blogger Barney Davey wrote a wonderful post about My First Billboard. Be sure to read the comment I left for him regarding my "confidence"!

Deacon - Pet Portrait Print Design

I had to get my print order in and really wanted to include Deacon as a thank you to my friend Laura Nugent & her husband Donald who I stayed with in Kansas City last month...he will be my first test subject as a Pet Portrait Print. In a perfect world I would have gotten their feedback and made edits...right now I just need an example here in the studio to show my customers!

Laura & Donald if you are reading this...I know his beard is way too big and he looks a little schnauzery, I will be happy to make changes and color edits for your custom gift!

Before the Rain Came...

 

Have I mentioned I love weather...? I really do, especially storms, I was loving those clouds as I was driving home this morning and grateful I beat the rain and the hail, especially trying to deliver a painting. Coming to the shop in the dark at noon amid torrential rain and small ponds in the middle of city streets was a little eerie. Of course I wish we could have storms without the destruction and all the flooding, so many basements in Chicago are going to be really wet today...

Pet Portrait Progress

Tuesday's pet portrait is coming along, these are process photos based on this sketch. Hope you are having a great Tuesday wherever you are!

Rapt in Maille

I'll be featuring several of my friends from "Art Girls" over the summer as I happen by their art fair booths, today it's Melissa Banks of Rapt in Maille. I love her work and own one of her wide slinky cuff bracelets....I think it must be a wonder woman thing with me, I feel empowered with a cuff on! And Melissa is very prolific in this department, below are 2 of my new favorites. The chain mail is so comfortable to wear and for me always getting into paint and clay and other materials I don't have to worry about mussing it up, easy to clean, shiny stainless steel. 
Melissa has many different collections which include necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings, visit RaptInMaille.com to purchase on-line or better yet try to catch her in person at one of her summer shows. She is exhibiting at Wells Street is this weekend, June 13-14th.

Friday Musings...

Lots of folks stopping in the shop today with the sun finally shining! This is Sarka & Zoe with their owner Marcela in the photo, they came in last night in spite of the cold (they just moved here from San Francisco) very sweet pups..siblings. I'm thinking evenings are my 'prime time' here in the shop and of course I'm a night person so that works all the better for me. My posted hours are Noon-7pm on Thursdays & Fridays but if my schedule allows and folks are out and about I'll stay until 9 or 10pm. Same for Saturday (posted noon-5pm)...and you'll probably find me here Sunday-Wednesday too even though I do not have posted hours those days. Just knock..I may answer!

I visited Barker & Meowsky the other day to see their space, they have invited me to be their featured artist next Friday, June 19th for Tasteful Art on the Avenue which benefits Children's Memorial Hospital. I will be there with many of my canine canvases from 6-9pm...if you live in Lincoln Park please come by: 1003 West Armitage.

Okay...time to paint, I think...it's a challenge staying on track here. Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Meet Rone Prinz

I had the pleasure of meeting Rone Prinz at the 57th Street Art Fair last weekend, she is from Woodland Hills, CA. I came by her booth during the drizzle early Sunday morning as she was putting out her work.I thought this bird in a tree piece was just wonderful and clever, it's what drew me into her booth. Then all the other treasures started coming out like the chair necklace in the top photo.
The sculptural pieces actually come apart and contain multiple jewelry pieces and have messages etched in them. Very unique and wondeful things...You can see Rone's work this weekend in Chicago at the Old Town Art Fair or next weekend in Milwaukee at the Lakefront Arts Festival.

I spy

A sweet blue pick-up...saw this gem on the Kennedy this morning on the way to Dick Blick. It's nearly the same color as my shop.

More photos coming tomorrow, met a wonderful jeweler from California who I'll introduce you to and will be featuring more of my friends here in Chicago who exhibited at the 57th Street shows over the weekend...

It's a Sign

. One down, one to go...the 14 foot one. I'm having someone varnish it for me, I made this test board so he can be sure that the heavy duty UV Sealer won't attack my acrylics...hopefully it will be done and ready to hang soon! Time to close up and pack the truck for my art fair in Hyde Park tomorrow...come on down if you are in the neighborhood, Saturday 11am-6pm and Sunday 10am-5pm, this runs right along side the famed 57th Street Art Fair. The shop will also be open from noon-5pm on Saturday.

PS When I get my act together that 'Gallery & Shop' sign will be replaced with one cut in the silhouette of one of my flying dog images.

My First Billboard

This was over I-35 in Kansas City...
Laura & I with the fuzzy billboard in the background
The loot..posters, t-shirts & programs

...and the program interview, I'm forever a work in progress when it comes to these.

Dog Park Debacle in Kansas

Got back to Chicago from the show in KS late last night, will try to share some more photos tomorrow...including the billboard with my poster design on it!

Ogi...one of the many adorable dogs I met at the show (he must be a distant cousin of Alice)...and Deacon, my lovely canine host:
...and Laura Nugent, my good friend and human host-ess making a sale in her booth with her fabulous paintings!

More Eye Candy for Window Shoppers

All my finishing touches at the shop are taking longer than I had anticipated, throw this weekend's art fair in Kansas City into the mix and another in Chicago the following weekend and I wonder if I'll ever get ahead. Trying to be grateful for getting the little things done, I finally put hooks up over the window shades so I can hang artwork in front of them when the shop is closed - much better exposure for drive by traffic. Also found a sandwich board for the sidewalk (in an alley - but it's in good shape!) and have yet to finish my sign. Okay, back to packing...and re-arranging things so it doesn't look like I had a fire sale...do you think I'll get my Newsletter out before I leave town? Not likely at this point, but I'm going to let myself off the hook, it was more important to spend time with family the last 2 days.

Pet Portrait Sketch

Just received final approval on Tuesday's Pet Portrait Sketch - this will be the first one I get to paint here in my new space! It's a fun composition, Tuesday loves to play with garden gloves, sits on step #5 of her stairwell to watch out the window, gets very excited when she spots a UPS or US Mail truck and crouches down with excitement when her human/Mom comes home. Tuesday was found and rescued by a police officer and then adopted by my client, Sue, 7 years ago...she is a very sweet, attentive canine!

If you are interested in a Pet Portrait for your companion, you can now get one for half the price - I now offer ready to hang Pet Portrait Prints, contact me for more information!

Gift Certificates and the rest of my day....

I just designed gift certificates for the shop...available in amounts $20 and up, can be used for prints, paintings, gifts (magnets, cards, notepads and more) or towards a Pet Portrait or other Commission Painting....just contact me if you would like to order one!

How did I spend my day? Fed & walked the dogs, stopped in at Earth Pups to drop off some Pet Portrait Postcards, came to the shop, paid some bills, followed up with an art consultant, printed mailing labels for my Kansas & Missouri customers...designed a quick postcard for my art fair in Prairie Village, KS May 29-31, not too much work since I already designed the poster...still need to buy some heavy white paper, won't get my full summer show schedule mailing done until June. Still have to pick the Grand Opening date for the shop! Looking at July 16-17-18 or July 23-24-25...starting on a Thursday night and going through the weekend. I'm thinking if I start it on a Thursday night more people can make the party than on a Saturday in the summer. What do you think? Can you come? I hope so! Also met with a sign painter/finisher/hanger...regarding varnishing and hanging my sign - not an easy or cheap task. Meeting with another gentleman on friday. So many details! Also contacted some animal welfare folks including Chicagoland Tails about partnering to do adoption events in my shop. In the midst of this I visited with some of my daily dog walkers and met some new folks and their canines...

 
This is Amanda & Dusty Rose, she is a very sweet Lhasa Apso, did I spell that right?

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Now heading home to my pups...hoping the big concentrated attention they get when I am there makes up for the time I'm away from them. It's quite a new concept to go home and relax, I like it...Hope you had as beautiful a day wherever you are as we had in Chicago today!

Bisque Fix

Some of my recent clay creations at Lill Street, the face container broke into several pieces during firing...I forgot to leave a hole for the air to escape (I tend not to listen very well during technical teaching moments). My wonderful teacher Corinne saved the day by lending me her Bisque Fix, amazing stuff...you can actually 'glue' it back together and refire with glaze. I kept calling it Bisquick by mistake and that made me hungry, my Mom used to make great strawberry shortcake with it when I was a kid - I think I have to go buy some!

This is my longest truck to date...I'm getting much better at constructing them.

My shelf at Lill Street - lots of glazing to be done and only 2 weeks of class left and a trip to Kansas City in between. May have to wait until next fall.

Lakeview East Poster Submission

Leave it to me to wait until the last minute...the Lakeview East Art Fair is having a poster contest this year and  the deadline is today. The only parameters were that the final poster/banners would be 12x24 and their info/text had to work with the image. I didn't have time to come up with something new so I mocked up these two recent paintings with text. Do you have a preference?

Life as a sign painter...

Mother's Day Weekend Hours & Gifts!

Stop by the Shop at 2040 West Roscoe in Chicago from now through Sunday for Last minute gifts for Mother's Day...Ready to hang Prints Magnets and Original Paintings from my "Folks You Know" Design Line.  More Gift Products coming soon!

Signs, Canines and Settling In...

Still settling in, finishing projects: working on the sign here, this is the middle section. It's been fun having surprise visits from many friends and customers and getting to know my new neighbors here.

I brought some of my 'soft' dogs to the shop, this is Izzy & Alice...I hope to offer these for sale soon!

Soft Alice w/Real Alice..

A Flash Cab parked in front of the shop the other day, had to snap a photo..this was the blue I was going for in my space, I think I got it..!

 
This is Riley, one of the many dogs I've met in my first week here...

and Wallace...

and Moon, who I painted with his feline siblings a few years ago, fun to meet him in person after all this time!

I'm in a conundrum about imagery to use on the 2 four foot sections on either side of the sign. I may ask your help in choosing...time is running out though, I need to get this up on the building and get to the real painting. 

...added later: I think this is going to be it for the design of the top sign...too busy? maybe, but I can always change it down the road. Hanging one looks to frilly.

Honeybee Gallery Launches with Anne's Art

Honeybee Gallery, the Web’s Only Source for Original Artwork for Children’s Rooms and Nurseries just launched on April 8, 2009: Honeybee Gallery offers fine, original artwork for babies’ and children’s rooms with a diverse selection, featuring works from over 20 artists from Coast to Coast and some international, with a variety in style and theme....I am happy to count myself among this talented group!