I’m honored to be invited to participate in the Grand Opening of Tappen Studios along with four other local artists (Shauna Meiri, Dawn Tappen, Pegguin Pfenniger Reed and Alexis Terry Bouchard). Join us on May 27 to celebrate the opening of this new gallery and workshop space in SE Portland!
It’s been a whirlwind around here as I get ready for the event. This has been such a learning experience. I’ve worked on graphic design, lined up sponsors, placed ads in local publications, promoted on social media, and probably dozens more things in addition to getting the artists situated.
All of the hard work is so worth it. As the day gets closer, I’m getting butterflies envisioning the booths all set up. Last year it was amazing to see the artists arrive and to see the variety of work that they brought, and I can hardly wait to see this year’s show!
Details are on our website and I’ve also been posting sneak previews of the art daily on our Facebook page.
When I was a kid I read every fairy tale book at our small-town library, so it’s exciting to be accepted into this show. The library was in a historic building in the Sonoma plaza and I still remember being 8 years old, going downstairs to the kids’ room, smelling the deliciously musty scent of old books, and hearing the cellophane covers crinkle as I opened them. The stories inside made a big impression on my young imagination.
Portland artist Kelly Williams came up with this evocative theme and is curating. She’s chosen a great group of artists and I can’t wait to see how everyone interprets the various stories. I think I’ll keep my painting under wraps until the opening. The show is at the Portland’5 Center for the Arts. It opens with a reception the evening of April 7 and runs through the end of May. Definitely worth checking out!
Lisa Griffen, Red Scarf, mixed media on 8×8″ wood.
Baby, it’s cold outside. She’s all dressed up in her scarf but her nose is still red.
This is the third of my ten paintings for the 8th annual Big 500 show at Peoples Art in Portland. It opens Saturday, Dec 12 with a high-energy reception and runs through mid-January.
Lisa Griffen, Wise Beyond Your Years, mixed media on 8×8″ wood.
This is my first painting finished for the Big 500 show at Peoples Art in Portland. This is my third time participating. Every year I get my boards and plan to finish my paintings before Thanksgiving…and every year I’m still working on them at the start of December! One down and nine to go!
The show opens with a huge reception on December 12 at 2 pm, with music, snacks, a canned food drive for the Oregon Food Bank, and thousands of pieces of original art priced at $40 each. It’s always a good time and I’m looking forward to being a part of it again.
This year I’m coordinating the committee for the gallery’s 6th Annual Art Challenge. Each artist creates four small pieces with a shared theme. It’s always a fun event with a wide variety of art styles and mediums. Registration is on February 27 and 28 and from the response I’m hearing, those are going to be a busy couple of days!
Lisa Griffen, Opening Doors. mixed media on 20×20″ canvas.
Today I dropped off these two new paintings at People’s Art in Pioneer Place for their annual Love of Portland show. This is the third time I’ve participated and I’m happy to be involved. The show opens with a reception/birthday party for the organizers on February 21.
Lisa Griffen, Not the Boss of Me. mixed media on 16×20″ canvas.
Lisa Griffen, Artic Sea. acrylic and oil pastel on 20×24″ canvas.
This year I want to slow down a little bit on my exhibition schedule and spend more time experimenting and exploring. This painting is one where I tried some different techniques. I had a lot of fun with it and I’m happy with the result.
As the description says, I recently read In the Kingdom of Ice. It’s about 19th century explorers’ attempts to read the North Pole. The book is full of reverent descriptions of Artic conditions, the strange lighting effects and weird weather and the feeling of being in awe of nature.
Lisa Griffen, Fighting Words. mixed media on 8×8″ wood. Sold.
The Big 500 show wrapped up this week and I found out these two paintings sold! I’ve sold quite a few paintings by now but I still get excited every time someone buys one, and I always wonder who it was who made that connection with the art. It’s a good feeling to know they’re out there in the world.
Lisa Griffen, Snarky the Cat. mixed media on 8×8″ wood. Sold.
Remember those little books that came with a 45 record? There would be a beep when it was time to turn the page. I played them on my red and white portable record player. Ok, I’m showing my age now.
I had the story of the Frog Prince and I must have listened to it hundreds of times. “Princess, Princess, open up…” It was so creepy.
It must have lodged in my subconscious, because last month I found myself painting this little lady.
Lisa Griffen, Frog Princess. mixed media on 8×8″ wood.