Artist in the Family
June 1st, 2008
Last night we attended an art show where Curt’s brother Craig was selected to represent Cal State Fullerton with his watercolor entitled “Georgia on My Mind”. We were so proud of him! He just recently finished his very first watercolor class. We always knew he had artistsic talent, but wow…take a look….
Click the thumbnail to see it larger. The painting is a portrait of Georgia O’Keefe done in watercolor. And to top it off Craig also designed and made the frame! Pretty cool, huh?
It’s a large piece. Here’s a family photo to give you a size perspective.
On the left are Craig (my Brother-in-law), Lill (my Sister-in-Law) and Britta (my niece). On the right are Uncle Jack (Curt’s dad’s brother) and me and Curt. In the middle is Georgia! They had ballots for Best of Show and of course we all voted for Craig. We honestly all thought his really was the best piece in the show after looking at all the entries. I’m anxious to hear who won. If you’d like to leave a comment here for Craig about what you think of his piece, please do. I know he’d be tickled to hear from my stamping (and non-stamping) friends. 🙂
Before the show we had a yummy dinner with friends Dave & Dana and Mark & Liz who also attended the show with us. We went to Belmont Brewing Company and sat outside next to the outdoor fireplace with an awesome view of the beach and harbor. Great food, great company, the best view…what else can you ask for?
After church today, I’m looking forward to lunch with some special friends. It’s a jam-packed weekend – all good stuff. Hope you are enjoying your weekend as well – thanks much for spending a few minutes of it with me!
June 1st, 2008 at 6:36 am
Wow is right! That painting is absolutely gorgeous! Sounds like today will be fun! Have a great day! :o)
June 1st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Holy Cow! This piece is beautiful! I can’t believe he just recently finished his FIRST watercolor class! I hope it is something that he will continue to pursue. Fantastic! I hope he wins Best of Show – I love it!
June 1st, 2008 at 7:53 am
WOW!!! That is amazing! I keep looking at, I just think he did such a fabulous detail job! I also love the color pop! And his frame is beautiful, too! I really like the linear design, it frames the painting wonderfully.
Good luck to him! I hope he wins! He deserves it.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:06 am
It is a beautiful and clever painting. I love it!! I hope he wins!
June 1st, 2008 at 9:10 am
Amazing! Such the artist you are… Of course, we knew that already. Really, a great painting and clever subject.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:30 am
HOLY COW! Jami… that painting is AMAZING. KNOCK MY SOCKS OFF! DANG!! Wow, and the frame too? I guess talent is abundant in your family. SHAZAM baby….. How cool is this? Thanks for sharing with us. Wow… my mouth is still open and my jaw is on the keyboard.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:42 am
A fabulous piece of artwork. Wonderful detail.
June 1st, 2008 at 9:52 am
this is *amazing*! At first look I thought this was an altered art piece – Georgia is so lifelike and realistic I thought she was cut from a photograph. And the colors on the poppy? Wow! Craig, you have my vote for Best in Show, all the way from Texas. (Waving ‘hi’ to Mr. Jami, too!)
June 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Man — Really, Man! This is awesome! I am in awe of people who can sketch and draw…that is a special talent. Congratulations!!
June 1st, 2008 at 10:24 am
Absolutely gorgeous artwork . . . such wonderful detail in Georgia’s face and that beautiful poppy instantly reminds me of her fine artwork. What a wonderful talent Craig has — I hope he wins best of the show . . . he certainly deserves it!!
June 1st, 2008 at 10:25 am
WOW!!! It is absolutely amazing. He is extremely talented. Thanks for sharing with us Jami.
June 1st, 2008 at 11:38 am
Holy MOLY! The details in her face are amazing! And that frame…. absolutely gorgeous!!!
June 1st, 2008 at 11:40 am
WOW Craig!!! You did a fantastic job on this. My jaw is on the ground!
June 1st, 2008 at 11:54 am
You’re kidding!!! His first class? Portraits are darn hard to do (my Mom always told me). He really captured some character in Georgia O’Keefe’s face. Totally amazing. I mean, it looks like you could reach out and feel the weathered texture of her skin. There’s so much expression in her eyes. Not flat at all. Well…I’m no art critic and I don’t have the right words but surely some serious talent is apparent in this piece. Thanks so much for sharing, Jami!
June 1st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
AWESOME!! Great job!!
June 1st, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Amazing! First of all, I love Georgia O Keefe, 2nd of all, after living in Georgia for 12 years, I also jumped when I saw the title “Georgia on My Mind” and THIRDLY and most importantly… such a fabulous work of art. Are there multiple copies, cuz I’m thinking we all want one! Congratulations, best wishes, and keep making beautiful stuff!
Jami, thanks for sharing this with all of us.
Carol
June 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[…] I don’t usually put links to other Blogs, but this is an exception […]
June 1st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thank you all.
Everyone has been so encouraging in their comments, it has actually touched me deeply. I am honored and honestly a little embarrassed. As a middle aged dude with little promise on the horizon, discovering I can do something like this is like awaking from a dream, and gives me much hope and excitement for the future. Thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging statements. They make an old dude like me want to continue this pursuit (which I have so much passion for).
Just as a little point of clarification, the “Introduction to Watercolor” class I attended was at Fullerton Jr. College (my daughter goes to Cal State Fullerton). My good friend of many years Marshall Van Druff was the instructor (he used to lead a Bible group I went to some 30 years ago). Marshall is probably one of the best teachers I have ever met. He is encouraging, even while correcting weakness. I recommend him to ANYONE who desires to learn to paint. You can learn more about him here;
http://www.marshallart.com
Also, while I designed the frame, my longest known friend Dave Morgan (who I met in high school) built it. I only assisted. Dave is one of the most amazing wood workers I have ever met. I call him “Micrometer Morgan” becuase he uses a micrometer on almost everything he does. Talk about a perfectionist… this guy ROCKS!
If you’d like to see some other projects that dave and I have worked on (or some of my other art), please visit my website at http://www.craigsibley.com. Click on the “Architecture” link button and you will see many of the projects at my home many of which Dave and I worked on. We make a neat team he and I, he with the precise craftsmanship of a guild artist, and me as a wacko designer who sees the world in a very skewed manner.
Unfortunately, you will not see many other art pieces on the site similar to “Georgia On My Mind” becuase I am new to painting (“Georgia” was my third watercolor painting). Most of the stuff you will see is more geometric “modern” stuff. However, now that I realize I can do this stuff, I hope to create much more to post in the future.
Again I am honored by your statements. This is from the heart.
Jamie… thank you for the post. Your Brudder loves you! 🙂
June 1st, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Wow… amazing! I’m speechless…what amazing detail. Thanks for the links to some of your other art. I had fun looking!
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 am
Wow! I have a real appreciation for this work of art. I try my hand to do my simple little sketches and scenes and they look like childs play in comparrison to this gorgeous work. Congratulations, Craig! Thanks Jami for posting this. What a treat.
PS…I read your blog every day and don’t often post as I try to post in SCS galleries. I love it though and wanted you to know. Also, this article was just too good to pass on commenting.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
My jaw dropped when I saw the painting. WOW! Craig us uber talented. VERY cool!
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Impressive talent. . . thanks for sharing. Beautiful frame as well. You deserve to have your work recognized. Congratulations!
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Georgia O’Keefe is my favourite painter. I have loved her work since I was very, very young.
Craig has a GIFT. I hope he pursues his painting/art. His/your Family look so proud. As you should be!!!!! And the frame…..wow.
Thank you for sharing this Jami.
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
What amazing talent Craig has. I hope he continues with his art! After just one watercolor class, he created this masterpiece!! It’s just wonderful!!
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Wow! It looks like you could sit and have a chat with Georgia. This is truly stunning!
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I just found out tonight that I was voted “Best of Show” at the exhibition. I am shocked, and truly honored. There were so many great pieces at the exhibitioin that were probably more deserving than I. But this is very exciting for me and I will continue in this pursuit. Thank you all for believing in me.
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 am
Wow, Jami! Craig’s art piece is amazing! I find it hard to believe it’s a watercolor! What talent!!!
June 4th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Beautiful work! Congrats on being in the show and finding your passion for life in painting! PS The frame is incredible!
June 5th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
i’m a little late in saying CONGRATS to Craig!!!! the pic is wonderful and deserved to win!
you keep painting Craig….it’s never too late to find out what you really can do!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Fabulous work! Thanks Jami for the nod to check this out!