Layer by Layer

Ro's (rose) Sky

2011-11-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

“In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.” ―Rumi

Mirror

2011-10-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

altruistic
assertive
attractive
authentic
autonomous
balanced
beautiful
benevolent
beyond
bold
brilliant
calm
caring
centered
clever
comfortable
comforting
compassionate
consistent
conscientious
creative
cute
dance
diligent
direct
determined
deep
a dreamer
depth
elegant
enthusiastic
expressive
exuberant
ethical
focused
free
fun
funny
gentle
genuine
generous
giving
good
gracious
graceful
happy
hard worker
healthy
hearted
helpful
honest
honorable
human
humble
humorous
impractical
inconsistent
independent
inquisitive
insightful
inspiring
intent
intelligent
intense
intuitive
joyful
just
kind
knowing
knowledge
laughter
listener
loving
motivated
objective
open
organized
passionate
at peace
peaceful
pillar
practical
poetic
poised
proud
prolific
quiet
reliable
reserved
resolute
responsible
self assured
sensitive
sensual
sharing
sincere
smart
spirited
strong
stunning
stylish
supportive
tender
thoughtful
true
unique
vibrant
vivacious
vulnerable
weird
wise
witty
youthful

this is what I see in you love, help me reflect it

To Frame or Not to Frame

2011-05-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

I don't often frame my work as the horizon lends itself to be unbound so I opt for extra thick gallery wrapped stretchers. However, for those rare occasions that call for it, I now happily take my work to a great custom framer Bryan Smith in Fort Collins. Here is his new site showing the process of framing my painting "Siena Spring"... http://bryansmith-frames.blogspot.com/2011/05/up-and-running.html

Siena Spring

2011-04-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

"Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems. " -- Rainer Maria Rilke

FCMoCA Invitational

2010-10-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

Very excited that my image is on the promos for this show!!!
Please stop by Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art for the annual Invitational Art Sale Nov 4th 6–9pm [Ticketed Preview Event] or Nov 5th, 10am–9pm; Nov 6th, 10am–5pm; Nov 12th, 10am–5 pm; Nov 13th, 10am–5pm. For more information: http://www.fcmoca.org/do/holiday.html

new book available

2010-08-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

A comprehensive compilation of paintings by Alyson Kinkade with photography by Jafe Parsons.
To order a signed copy today contact me or stop by booth #15 on August 21-22 at Creative Garden during New West Fest in Fort Collins, CO. 50 page signed copy is $55, proceeds go to the Larimer Humane Society.

Click here to view this photo book larger

newer artist statement

2010-07-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

"For years the vast open plains have intrigued me in their simple beauty. I recall hours of watching the landscape span past me in bands of color from the backseat of our Buick station wagon during family cross-country trips. I am still mesmerized by this understated beauty. The landscape around me has shaped my aesthetic.

The horizon has captivated me, first as a visual expanse, secondly as a symbol of the human condition. Each goal we strive for becomes a line in our near or distant future. For me, these horizons are about our transitions, representing our goals and aspirations, the possibilities of what lies ahead, and our intention for the future. As we reach a goal, others may appear. – [I suppose depending upon the ambitiousness of a person, but it is my observation that human nature is to stretch our reach.]

The act of cultivation in agriculture intrigues me, I appreciate the attempt made to tame the enormous and ever-changing entity of land. I'm sure at times a seemingly futile task. But the repetition and difference involved is very exciting and entrancing to me, this meditative rhythmic difference and repetition also emerges in the visual language. A harmonious, subtle tension created by an integration of structure and the unplanned. Horizon is the channeled form; Color creates a dialogue.

I now find myself documenting my cross-country travels by digital camera, I rarely utilize these snapshots in my paintings – usually just to spark my memory of a place or a particular moment. The paintings are therefore not a literal translation of the place, rather a filtering of my experience of the day, shaped and fueled by my internal dialogue.

While the landscapes become outlets/or reflections of my personal relation with the world, the viewer often does not see this translation, at least not initially. The fact that they may read into it their own story makes me want to share such imagery more."

herding cats

2010-06-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a great anecdote on galleries, owning and operating one myself I found this to be quite insightful. And, being an artist myself, I hope everyone knows we give it our all. Just wished to share this with everyone...

"Once I fed the cats of friends on vacation, theirs and whoever else showed up. I tried to tell the others that I couldn’t take on any more with that one can of food, but oh, the anxiety! Before seeing the artadvice articles, I could only imagine two things about gallery operators: (1) They were like me, and the artists trying to get in were like the cats. So they developed special over used lines to try to not hurt our feelings when getting rid of us. (2) They were beings of mystery like ourselves; people who had an ability to sell art as we have abilities to make it. I’ve been in nonprofit places and sold nothing because they were not run by these special people." -Robert Wollard

No one likes turning down an artist, and this economy has made it all the harder. The market will turn around [hopefully we can hang in to see that]. And the right niche is out there so long as you keep creating.

Thanks for the good insight Robert.

Remembering Plains at CSU

2010-04-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Colorado State University has selected nine paintings from my "Remembering Plains" series for placement in their Behavioral Sciences Building.

Expanse

2010-03-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations." -Anais Nin

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T05:51:00.000-08:00

"....my individualism is really an illusion.
I am part of the great whole, and I can never escape.

But I can deny my connections,

break them, and become a fragment.

Then I am wretched.

What we want is to destroy our false, inorganic connections,

especially those related to money,

and re-establish the living organic connections,

with the cosmos

the sun

and the earth,

with mankind

and nation

and family.

Start with the sun,

and the rest will slowly, slowly happen."

[from The Apocalypse by D.H. Lawrence]

Strength

2009-11-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

"This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whomever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond."

--Rumi

Children's Hospital Burn Camps Program Fundraiser

2009-11-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

My most recent donated painting for a great cause is "Plain Desire" which is up for auction at The Children's Hospital's 2nd Annual Burn Camps Program Fundraising Dinner Nov.11th at Maggiano’s Little Italy, 7401 South Clinton St. Englewood, CO

Cocktails and Silent Auction 5:30-7:00pm
Dinner and Program 7:00-9:00pm

http://noordinarycamps.org/?p=41

The Children’s Hospital Burn Programs was created in 1983 to meet the psychological and rehabilitation needs of the child and family following a burn injury. The Child who sustains a burn inury is impacted for the rest of his or her life. After a burn injury, a child can anticipate reconstructive surgeris and on-going physical and occupational therapy. During their growth and development the child will also need resources to meet the challenges of growing up in a world where external beauty is valued.

The Burn Camps Program has grown into a series of camp programs to meet these needs by providing challenging activities,opportunities to form lasting friendships, adult mentorship and goal setting opportunities.

Cheley/Children’s Hospital Burn Camp
The flagship week long summer camp adventure in Estes Park for children nationwide between the ages of 8-18

if you can't make it to the auction, then donate online http://noordinarycamps.org/?page_id=36

Building

2009-10-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination -Voltaire

Flutter - Butterfly Program Fundraiser

2009-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

painted for "ONE HUNDRED ANGELS" A Fundraiser for The Butterfly Program - Denver Children's Hospice celebrating 10 years http://www.chionline.org/states/co.php
November 6 - 21 at Arts at Denver 1025 South Gaylord Street featuring more than 50 Gallery and Guest Artists' original works inspired by butterflies or angels http://www.artsatdenver.com/

Space

2009-10-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction.... one examines 'spaces' with different numbers of dimensions and with different underlying structures..... space is considered to be of fundamental importance to an understanding of the physical universe although disagreement continues between philosophers over whether it is itself an entity, a relationship between entities, or part of a conceptual framework.... personal space is highly variable..... people make exceptions to, and modify their space requirements.... stress from allowing closer personal space distances can be reinterpreted into emotional fervour..... a number of relationships may allow for personal space to be modified and these include familial ties, romantic partners, friendships and close acquantinces where a greater degree of trust and knowledge of a person allows personal space to be modified.... a method of dealing with violated personal space is dehumanization.... a person with soft boundaries merges with other people's boundaries, and is easily manipulated.... a person with spongy boundaries is like a combination of having soft and rigid boundaries they permit less emotional contagion than soft boundaries but more than rigid, are unsure what to let in and what to keep out.... a person with rigid boundaries is closed or walled off so nobody can get close to them either physically or emotionally, often the case if someone has been abused, can be selective which depend on time, place or circumstances and are usually based on a bad previous experience in a similar situation...... flexible is the ideal, similar to selective rigid boundaries but the person has more control to decide what to let in and what to keep out, are resistant to emotional contagion, manipulation and are difficult to exploit....

expanse

2009-09-07T12:08:00.001-07:00

“Something Alive and Ancient, something neither kind nor unkind, exulting only in continuance, knits together the green world of farms and meadows, forests and parks.”

-Michael Cunningham

Plain Desire - Art for Life

2009-09-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the painting I donated for "Art for Life" auction Sept 11th at Abend Gallery, Denver to benefit a local non-profit, Project Angel Heart http://www.projectangelheart.org/. Get tickets and enjoy an evening of cocktails and food as well as some lively silent bidding on 125 to 150 pieces of art.

"The organization was founded in 1991 by a small but dedicated group of individuals who were determined to ensure that those living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses were receiving proper nutrition. Initially we served 12 clients from a single pan of lasagna that had been donated by a local restaurateur. Since that time it has grown into an organization which harnesses the dedication and energy of more than 40,000 volunteer hours annually to freshly prepare, package and home deliver over 400,000 meals to approximately 1,700 clients each year. In fact, Mayor Hickenlooper dished up the 3 millionth meal on August the 15th.

The most common diseases served by Project Angel Heart are cancer, end stage renal disease, HIV/AIDS, chronic obstructi ve pulmonary diseases and congestive heart failure. Over half of our clients are women and nearly half are over the age of sixty. Throughout the past eighteen years of unprecedented growth, our focus has always remained the same: providing life-sustaining nutrition to men, women, and children coping with life-threatening illnesses, free of charge. Each year Project Angel Heart has a series of high profile fund raisers and the one which I champion/provide leadership and financial support of is "Art For Life". This year on September 11th we will host approximately 800 art aficionados at Abend Gallery http://www.abendgallery.com/ for an evening of cocktails and food as well as some lively silent bidding on about 150 pieces of art." M. O'Donnell

Expansion

2009-08-27T06:08:00.001-07:00

Paintings for Loveland Yoga and Core Fitness
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loveland-CO/Loveland-Yoga-Core-Fitness/77343678038
Loveland Yoga & Core Fitness is designed for people wanting to enhance their lives by bringing mind, body and soul together.

Transformations - electrical cabinet mural

2009-08-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

stay tuned for updates...

Selected Design for the Art in Public Places call described below, "Limitless". Shown here is my conceptual approach, a combination of expansive horizon-line and vast skyscape - color and form transition between sides and top to work in the round.

I'll be painting at Mariana Buttes mid-August thru October at various random times, but you might catch me. It's an absolutely beautiful place to paint.

"PROJECTS IN THE WORKS.......
Artist Call for EntryTRANSFORMATIONS PROJECT
The City of Loveland Art in Public Places Program seeks Northern Colorado artists to create unique murals upon designated electrical cabinets in downtown Loveland and the Marianna Butte Clubhouse as part of the Transformations Project. The intent of the program is to transform everyday objects into one-of-a-kind works of art which stimulate our senses and create a sense of place within the community!
Thirteen boxes (or groupings of boxes) have been identified within downtown Loveland and at the Marianna Butte Clubhouse. All boxes may be viewed online at: http://www.cityofloveland.org/; Arts & Leisure button, Art in Public Places. Selected artists will be compensated for their artwork, which will become a part of the City’s public art collection."

building

2009-05-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

"Risk! Risk Anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth." –Mansfield

to think, what others may see

2009-05-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul,

and paints his own nature into his pictures."

-Henry Ward Beecher

Breckenridge Commission

2009-05-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the work installed, the painting hangs on an electronic mechanisim that lifts to reveal a large screen television.

Interior design by Design Co. PnL in Denver

I recently completed a commission for a beautiful multi-million dollar home in Breckenridge, Colorado. The painting measures 48"x60". I will post new images as soon as I have photos of it in place, it is being framed now.

Amaterasu's Doe

2008-11-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

Deer are considered messengers to the gods in Shinto, especially Kasuga Shrine in Nara Prefecture where a white deer had arrived from Kashima Shrine as its divine messenger. It has become a symbol of the city of Nara. Amaterasu is described in the Kojiki as the sun goddess who was born from Izanagi, who was also accompanied by her siblings Susano'o, the storm deity, and Tsukuyomi, the moon deity. In the Kojiki, Amaterasu is described as the goddess from which all light emanates and is often referred to as the sun goddess because of her warmth and compassion for the people who worshipped her. Some other myths state that Amaterasu was born from water. Most of her myths revolve around an incident where the goddess traps herself in a cave because of her brother's actions. For a while, everything amongst the three revered gods was peaceful and all of the world ran smoothly. One day, Susano'o, in a drunken rampage, trampled Amaterasu's rice fields, filled all of her irrigation ditches, and threw excrement into her palace and her shrines. The Omikami asked her brother to stop but he ignored her and even went so far as to throw the corpse of a skinned horse at her hand-maidens who were weaving at the time. The women were killed by the splintered wood from the looms piercing their bodies (in the Kojiki it was their reproductive organs that were pierced[1]). Amaterasu was greatly angered and in protest she shut herself in the Heavenly Cave and sealed it shut with a giant rock. As a result, the world was consumed with darkness. Without her, everything began to wither and die. Countless Kami gathered in front of her cave and devised a way to lure her out. They all sat around the cave and set up a mirror across from the entrance. Ame-no-Uzume, the voluptuous goddess of merriment turned over a wash-tub and began a sensual dance, tapping the beat on the tub. She exposed her breasts and lifted her skirts as she danced. All of the gods made a great noise of yelling and cheering and laughing. Amaterasu peeked out to see what the noise was about. She asked the nearest god what was going on and he replied that there was a new goddess. When Amaterasu asked where she was, he pointed to the mirror. The Omikami had never seen herself before and when she caught her reflection, she stared at the radiance of her own form. She was so surprised she said "omo-shiroi", which means both "white face," which the Omikami had, and "fascinating". When she was out of the way, Tajikara-O shut the rock behind her. Having lured her out of the cave, the gods convinced her to go back into the Celestial Plain and all life began to grow again and become strong in her light. Once back in the Celestial Plain, she made sure that she was ready for her brother's harsh actions again by having a bow and quiver at her side. Later she sent her grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto to pacify Japan: his great-grandson became the first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. He had a sacred sword (Kusanagi), jewel (Yasakani no magatama), and mirror (Yata no kagami) that became the Japanese imperial regalia. Amaterasu is credited with inventing the cultivation of rice and wheat, use of silkworms, and weaving with a loom. Kukai famously linked Amaterasu with Dainichi Nyorai, a central manifestation of the Buddha, whose name is literally "Great Sun Buddha". Thus Amaterasu is held as an divine Emanation of Buddha Vairocana. Her most important shrine, the Grand Shrine of Ise, is in Ise in western Honshū. The shrine is torn down and rebuilt every 20 years. In that shrine she is represented as a mirror, one of the three Japanese imperial regalia. The Ise Shrine is said to be the home of Amaterasu. This shrine, however, is not open to the public. She is celebrated every July 17 with street processions all over the country. Festivities on December 21, the winter solstice, celebrate her coming out of the cave.

SHIFT

2008-08-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

change / exchange / jolt / shuffle / spin / a change in attitude; judgment or emphasis / maneuver / device / system of parallel changes affecting sound structure / next / gear / move / redirect / transfer from one place, position, person, etc to another / evasion, artifice, or trick / reinvent / substitution / change or substitution / scheduled period of work / exchange within same class / rearrangement / bridge / reposition / change in meaning or use / strategy / lateral / rearrangement for improved defense / restructure / fault line / dislocation of a seam or stratum: fault / transfer position / a loosely fitting dress that hangs straight from the shoulder; a chemise or slip / alter position or place / new direction; perspective / a change in direction / change – position direction, place or form / a change in position / tilted, spun, and swept away on waves of waking dream / to put aside and replace by another / successive crops in crop rotation; tract of land used / to provide for one’s own needs; get along / expediently ingenious device / a change in wavelength, causing a movement of a spectral band or line / to get along by tricky or evasive means / a means to an end; an expedient / rearrangement from one formation to another / a stratagem; a trick / new configuration / SHIFT

Love Hue

2008-08-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

'My eyes, desirous of beautiful things,
And my soul, likewise, of its salvation,
Have no other means to rise
To Heaven but to gaze at all such things.'

– Michelangelo

Firenze

2008-08-13T06:06:00.001-07:00

Firenze - Roof Tops, the sea of terra cotta tile from my hotel in the center of Florence

Firenze - Ponte Vecchio, looking from the old bridge at 2 of the 6 bridges over the Arno

Firenze - Duomo Scaffolding, an incredibly impressive architectural highlight seen from nearly every vantage point of Florence

Firenze - Santa Croce, the gorgeous marble clad buildings withintricate designs are powerful and captivating

Women in Art

2008-08-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Plain Desire

2008-07-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

'The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.' -Blaise Pascal

Remembering Plains

2008-07-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

'Remembering Plains' is a statement about the depleting open spaces of our changed and ever-changing environment.... a series that I developed in 2005. The most developed series to date with 25 so far. Subsequent series are 'Sunset - Open Plains', 'Plain View', 'Plain Desire' & 'Sunstacked'. This body of work speaks to the meditative quality of the horizon evoking longing.

CREATIVE GROWTH

2008-07-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

I've had a very productive time with high amounts of growth over the past few months.... after a long painter's block - painting but without direction - I found a turning point out of this rut in an attempt to deal with what seems to be a continual broken heart - causing me to reassess life intentions. I made it a point to paint as intuitively as I could.... avoiding my over active editing, expectations from outside influence and myself as well as precluded thoughts of what the nonexistent art market would want... [which is never what one anticipates] Instead I painted for self and for art's sake - the way I used to paint. This act has opened me to a very productive and creative period over the past few months. I'm now painting more, enjoying the act of painting more, and feel the paintings are defining themselves to a completed state.... one I'm satisfied with, a state that is leading to new territory.