Web update

Afternoon Storm 12x12" ©2008

New images have been added online
at the home site Nicole Strasburg dot com.

Surprise

It's hot again here in California. Hot enough that you don't really want to do anything but lay around, nap and sip cold beer at the seaside. It's not miserable hot, just lethargy hot. So while wandering the backyard, making sure the plants are not wilting, I noticed this blossom on a succulent I thought was a goner. I don't pay much attention to the succulents I've collected over the years. They used to be forefront of my attention when I lived in the city and had a citified back porch garden. Now there remains just a few that I keep outside the studio door, ones that were gifts from friends who knew my weakness for that sage blue of the cactus, the way they turn red at the edges when they get plenty of summer sun.

In my journey south this past week, some friends directed me to a garden located in Encinitas, just north of the gallery where I'd be showing. It is called the Self Realization Fellowship Meditation Garden. What I noticed most there were the fabulous cactus blooms. I don't know if it was the heatwave we had last month or we just happened to be there at the right time but some of the blooms were just amazing. It really made the whole trip.

Okay... so my little bloom does come near comparing to what I saw on Thursday, but you have to admit that the color is extraordinary. Perhaps it has just triggered the sensation I had when coming up the garden path on the cliffs and bumping in to one of these spectacular blooms, a piece of the garden on my own back stoop.

It's Official

The show Surroundings at Susan Street Fine Art officially opened Thursday, May 15. The reception was held during the Third Thursday events that take place in the design district of Solana Beach, CA. It was really wonderful and the San Diego crowd was lovely, everyone was warm and welcoming.

The gallery itself was masterfully hung. All my babies looked fantastic, lit well and presented beautifully. It felt really good to be taken care of and to see the paintings at their best.

The show consists of three artists, myself, David Ruddell {sculptural boat images} and Jenny Wunderly. All images complimented each other nicely in the space with plenty of room around each to fully enjoy the individual paintings.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone at the gallery, Susan, Nina, Jennie and Dianna. Bravo and well done.



p.s. The show will be posted on the gallery website soon. I'll post it here when it's available.

Uploaded

Sundance just uploaded the 9 new paintings for sale!

Check them out HERE and HERE.

Don't forget to visit the 4 minis that didn't make it to the catalog.
They are listed in my SHOP.

Seriously

As you recall, I embarked on an office cleaning project once the paintings were safely escorted from the premises on Thursday morning. I did manage to get my desk pile down to one {even though there is still plenty of extraneous debris littering the book shelf area}. One of the files that was full to bursting in my cabinet, the one that seems to take the most room, is a folder full of painting receipts.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that I have sold enough work over the past 15 years that I have a busting file. I'm having serious regrets that my bookkeeping skills weren't as grand as I thought they were.

Up until 1999 I always had a job working for someone else, a job that would pay all my basic living expenses and then some. I was extremely good about getting slides done of all the paintings that were being produced, although I fell short when it came to recording them and writing down the buyers {when there were buyers}. I thought I was so smart writing up an invoice, but let me tell you, here it is 15 years later and I'm trying to match images to the receipts. Can I emphasize what an incredible pain in the ass that is.

Here is my beginning attempt at reconciling some of the information. This is only an eighth of the pile of invoices and I only muddled through one binder yesterday of slides pulling one each of the dupes to match with the buyer. Is there a better way to do this? Anyone? What is your method ... please, I'm begging you.

I will say this however, in 2004 I got smarter. I started researching and looking into software that would help me keep all these records straight. My first attempt was with ArtScope. I thought it would solve all my problems and at $100 I thought it was really reasonable. I'm not going to even give the link but it really wasn't the most user friendly program. I never even got so far as entering any information before I found Flick! Thank goodness I have at least 4 years of work in a database ready at my fingertips.

I have talked of Flick! in several posts. I cannot emphasize how fantastic this tool is and it's only $30 including all the upgrades that they make from the time you buy it. It is a savior and I pray to it regularly, it has made my slide foraging a thing of the past. I look so professional to my clients and fellow artists it's scary!

If only the 4 more binders of slides would jump into my scanner, scan themselves then enter all their appropriate information into the boxes provided I would be one well adjusted, well organized and stress freed artist.

Delivery

Winter Storm Tide
42x36"

All the paintings for the upcoming exhibition were scooped up by gallery owner Susan Street yesterday morning. Six rather large works were loaded into her van to be transported south to ready for hanging. The opening will take place at Susan Street Fine Art in Solana Beach next Thursday, May 15th from 6-9pm.

Also, I have heard from Sundance that the new work they received in March will go live on their website Monday, May 12th {this could definitely be give or take a few days}. How wonderful to have a lot of work surface into the public stratosphere at the same time. I've got orders in to my fabulous web gal to load new images on my own site. This may not happen simultaneously with the other events, but it's coming soon.

Now that the studio is feeling empty it may be time to attack the piles in my office. I may be buried under paper until the opening. Wish me luck!

Winter Tides

Reflecting Clouds
30x30"
oil on birch panel

Enjoying the weather