Blackbird

Blackbird
6x6" Encaustic on panel
©2011 Giselle Gautreau

This painting is on view at Many Hands Gallery, in Capitola, CA

Among twenty snowy mountains,
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the blackbird.

-Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, by Wallace Stevens

Octopus

Cephalopod
©2011 Giselle Gautreau
4x4" Encaustic painting on panel
NFS

True story: My seven year old son went on a field trip recently to the UCSC Seymour Marine Lab in Santa Cruz. The students heard about the octopus that they have there. Apparently at one time fish kept disappearing from a tank at the lab and the folks there decided to set up a video camera to find out what was happening to the fish. The octopus was seen leaving it's own tank, going across the floor to where the fish were and eating them before returning back to his own tank.
Smart!


Greyhound

Greyhound
©2011 Giselle Gautreau
Encaustic painting on panel
4x4"

NFS

About this painting:
I've had two greyhounds in my life. Our first dog, Gus, came to us by way of Tennessee... a stray dog in need of a home. My husband & I were renting a 2nd floor apartment in Charlottesville, VA that didn't allow dogs, so it was rather challenging trying to sneak a 75 lb dog past our landlord's office, which was right across the street. We weren't successful, so eventually moved so that we could keep Gus.
Our second greyhound, Soprano, was a retired racing greyhound. He had a silver face and a slate grey coat that got more silver-grey as he aged. He moved across country with us, enjoying his last days in sunny California. Not a bad retirement for a race dog who spent the first five years of his life working hard in snowy New Hampshire.
This little painting is my homage to these gentle & regal dogs. They make fabulous family members, by the way.
Soprano was adopted through Greytexpectations, an amazing organization based in Maryland.

May Day


Goodbye April

I can't say that this month was very productive in the studio, as there was a bit of a lull after hanging my solo show at Regale Winery. Then came my children's Spring Break followed immediately with jump-starting our spring house projects. Speaking of our house, it's been three years since we've moved into our Santa Cruz Mountains home. Happy house anniversary! It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but with time it'll get to where we want it. In the meantime, the weather is warming so it's time to garden, be outside with the chickens, and dare I say it... contemplate getting honey bees.
During my hiatus from the studio, I have to admit that my head and heart were still in it. By the time I jumped back into my work, I had a million ideas spinning. It felt great to start making art again. I couldn't wait to return to encaustic painting. I've also been reading up on beekeeping, so bees are on my mind. You'll likely see some of the results of those two preoccupations in the following weeks here on my blog.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some upcoming art events.

My show at Regale Winery is up for another month. If you missed the opening, the show is up until May 30. Don't forget to sign my guestbook!

I will be showing some of my birds & bees paintings at Many Hands Gallery in May & June. Many Hands Gallery is located next to Gayle's Bakery in Capitola. Fabulous baked goods + art, all by the beach. Sounds like the perfect field trip to me.





Three Birds & Bees

Just added to the collection of paintings on view at Regale Winery are three mini paintings.
Each measures 4x4" or 4x6", oil on canvas, and are priced at $125. I hear the winery is doing some fun events in May, including something for Mother's Day.

Gathering Bee

Bottom Note

A Conference of Three

You're Invited!

Featured Artist at Regale Winery & Vineyard: Exhibition & Reception
Local Atmosphere: Paintings by Giselle Gautreau
Sunday, April 3- 12:00 pm-5:00 pm
2040 Summit Road
Los Gatos, CA

Exhibit dates: April 2 through May 30th, 2011
Tasting Room Hours at Regale
Weekends: Noon-5:00

Fountain at Regale
Oil on canvas
20"x30"
©2011 Giselle Gautreau

A portion of sales to benefit the Loma Prieta Public Education Fund

Moss Landing, revisited

Moss Landing
36"x48"
Oil on canvas
©2011 Giselle Gautreau

I love Moss Landing. Driving down Highway 1 toward Monterey, my eye is always drawn to the salt marshes & bright orange moss that is visible from the road. With the ever-present Pacific marine layer, the fog just makes this orange color glow. I started this canvas well over a year ago, and because it's a lot bigger than I normally work, it was very slow going. I'd put it away for a while, put it back on the easel, and continued to breathe life into it until I really captured that feeling... of that light-illuminated fog, the reflection of the water, and the glow of the orange moss. In this, I wanted the air to feel as palpable as the land.

Elkhorn Slough

Where Slough Meets Sea
Oil on canvas
36"x48"
©2010 Giselle Gautreau

This is a big canvas for me. I mean, really big. Most of my work falls into the 12" or less category, with my "big" paintings being at 20"x20". I loved working on this. Time and again, as I painted my landscapes on a small scale, I'd think "ah, but what if this were bigger?" There's something about walking into a room and being drawn in by the scale of the art. That's what this painting is for me. Maybe my new "small" will be the 20"x20".

Sentinel

Sentinel
12"x12"
Oil on panel
©2010 Giselle Gautreau
This painting will be on view at Regale Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The show opens next month and will continue until the end of May.

About the painting: A couple of years ago we took our first ever trip to Yosemite. On our road trip with the kids, I really enjoyed taking in the changing landscape. We left the Santa Cruz Mountains, went through Silicon Valley and then headed across the Central Valley before getting to the Sierras. The Central Valley really struck me in it's flatness and how most of it seemed dedicated to agriculture on a grand scale. Field after field, orchard after orchard went by, and once in a while a small cluster of houses. This tree stood out... a cypress in the middle of nowhere, with the Sierras in the distance.