Life is a Great Big Canvas

 --This piece was originally published in 2015 but has been updated for the new blog format. Early 2015, I received an invitation from Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, to come tour the Baker Heritage Museum. I, along with many other artists, went, and found inspiration for art in the artifacts, exhibits, stories, and people dressed and in character, at the museum. Upon entering the museum, one of the first people I met was a woman wrapped in a red feather boa, with a feather fan in her hand. Her real name is Elaine Logsdon, but her character's name was Diamond Lil. I imagined she had been a burlesque dancer in her youth, and now perhaps ran her own saloon and theater. I am sure she could tell some very interesting stories! I knew I had to paint her, and knew her personality would shine through on the canvas. I decided with the other paintings I made for the museum, to be more creative in the composition. Instead of painting the entire object, I chose to crop it in a way that would b...

I first met Sherri in the weeks before opening my gallery. Opening my own gallery was a big, scary, yet thrilling step for me, and I didn't even know if any artists would support my endeavor, but Sherri was one of the first artists to bring her work, at the encouragement of artist Becky Litke. Throughout the next two years, Sherri and her beautiful watercolors and etchings helped make The Dancing Elephant Gallery successful. I have come to know and appreciate Sherri and her beautiful artwork, and now you can get a little glimpse into her life and art, too. AV: Please tell us a little about yourself, and what kind of art you create. SL: My name is Sherri Kay Linnemeyer, I am 55 years old, and live in Baker City, Oregon.  I have fallen in love with watercolors and can see myself continuing to grow and learn with this media. I am inspired by wild flowers, animals, birds and other wildlife.  I have experimented with acrylics, print making with etchings, lithographs, silk ...

Do you want to see more of my art? Well you are in luck! Find me and/or my art at these events in June: June 5 , Baker City: First Friday Art Walk will be going on, from 5:30 to 8pm, and the display lasts through the month. My art will be displayed at:  Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn Avenue  Short Term Gallery, 1829 Main Street  Cabin Cowboy Designs, 2013 1st Street. June 12 , Nampa, Idaho: Nampa Art Walk begins at 5:00 pm, and the display lasts through the month. I will be featured artist at:  Third Hand Antiques, 1212 1st St. South June 27 , Boise, Idaho: The Community Progressive, Julia Davis Park This is a one day event running from 11am-7pm. I will be there in my booth, with plenty of art, prints, cards, and wearable art.

I am excited to share with you my first show (outside of my own gallery) where I am a featured artist! For the month of February, I am sharing the spot of featured artist with the wonderful Maja Shaw of Richland Washington (also her first time as featured artist), at Crossroads Carnegie Arts Center here in Baker City, Oregon. I am showing figures and still lifes in oil and charcoal, and Maja is showing her florals and landscapes in watercolor. I am debuting "Hadassah" at this show, another figure/portrait in my series of exotic women, along with Delilah (seen in the poster) and Tamar. I plan on doing a few more in this series. Maja's watercolors are very vivid. Her florals are not soft, but lively and intense, as though viewed at mid-day with the sun shining down on them. They are very fresh, and well-executed. Drop by Crossroads any time this month to see our show. Who says oil and water can't mix? For more of Maja Shaw's work, visit her websit...

Leather Elephant, oil, 2014 I have been excitedly preparing for February's First Friday festivities. I will have new art in at Short Term Gallery and Cabin Cowboy Designs, but I will also be one of two Featured Artists in the show "Visions and Visages", at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center. The show will be a mixture of portraits, figures, and still lifes paintings. This is my first time as featured artist outside of my own gallery, The Dancing Elephant. This painting, Leather Elephant, will be one of the paintings on display at Crossroads. I found this leather elephant, and its mate, at an antique shop in Sumpter, Oregon. They were so unique and interesting, I just couldn't pass them up. I am not an elephant collector, not really, but my sister Cathy was. Cathy was older than me by nine years, and she collected elephants from the time she was little. She passed away a few years ago from Ewing's Sarcoma, a very rare cancer with no hope at this point for fu...