"Let it go", "Shake it off" and get ready to "Celebrate the Creative Spirit Within Us All" in 2015!

  As the galleries sleep, the artists are cozy and warm in their studios creating beautiful works of art and fine craft for the coming season. As much as I love hibernation, I am looking forward to spring on Beaver Island and seeing all the familiar faces I've grown to love over the 23 years since my first migration there.

  If you have your brand, spanking new 2015 calendar sitting next to you, here's a date for you to save -

     August 1, 2015, 12 pm - 4:30 pm, Livingstone Studio's "Meet The Artist's Show and Sale".

  Lots of art, fine crafts and friendly artists outside of the galleries (which will be filled to overflowing with every enticing item I can find!) There will be wonderful refreshments, music and perfect weather ;-). I will be sharing more in the months to come, with lots of sneak peeks along the way.

   I'm wishing you all a healthy, happy New Year full of everything your heart desires, and I hope our paths cross in the year ahead. xo Sue

(photo taken by Laura Reid 2/10/14)  

Exciting news, MORE exciting news and "Back to my "other" life!"

The first exciting news...(heart bursting with joy)... the arrival of Kaydence Anna Marie Campbell, my SECOND great granddaughter! I know, it's impossible to have great granddaughters when I'm only 35 (in my mind), but we seemed to start our families early the last three generations, and the more the merrier! Mom and baby are doing great, and her big sister is very happy too.

The NEXT exciting news is...(jumping up and down here)...the beautiful Erda purses we sell in the gallery in the summer will be available on our website now. Not only that, but you get to choose your leathers or fabrics, the wonderful women at Erda make your purse, and ship it to you directly! The best part is....you pay the much lower price offered on our website !!

AND....this is just the beginning! Glad to be back! xo Sue
   

An Interview With Michigan Artist, Beth Scully

I'm so excited to finally start sharing my Livingstone Studio artist interviews with you all! The first is with Beth Scully, a wonderful Michigan artist who works in oils. I feel so blessed to have so many talented and interesting artists sharing the small galleries with me each summer on Beaver Island, and on the website I manage from Illinois the rest of the year. When people see Beth's work the most common response is, "Wow, she 'has' it, doesn't she?!" People know when they are viewing something created from the heart...they connect with it in a special way. It's something deeper than technical proficiency she posesses. I always wish the artist could be present when I hear the praise or sell a piece..it's magical, even after all these years. We now have "Meet the Artist" one weekend day every summer, just for that reason. It's my pleasure to introduce you to Beth..talented oil painter, nature lover, avid reader and all around wonderful person..ask anyone who knows her!



1. How did you get started in the medium of oil painting, and what inspired you to pursue it?

I have always loved the depth and richness of oils ... they have the ability to change with the light as the day goes by, thereby giving the illusion of living phenomena. While teaching high school (English), however, I believed that I didn't have the time needed to use oil as a medium. So for 35 years, as a weekend avocation, I painted with watercolors and pastels. As soon as I retired (3 years ago), I began to experiment with oils and just love them...This is a medium I can spend a lifetime learning about ...and I really enjoy the challenge.

2. What draws you to a particular place or subject matter?

Because I have spent my life next to lake Michigan, I am drawn deeply to the magnificent beauty of the water and its sandy/forested surroundings.... in every season. I am at home...I experience that 'sense of place' that offers a feeling of belonging ...involving memory emotion and all the senses.

3. When you find your "place" what do you do first? What is your process?

I paint in a small second-floor studio overlooking the dunes, so one of the places I love is right before me. If I want to experience a roaring lake in November, I'll begin to sketch a combination of waves and clouds...then experiment with wild lake colors to try to 'be there' ... then I'll paint a smaller study for composition ... which will influence the final piece.


4. What goes through your mind in terms of composition and lighting, and how do you know when it's just right?

I must be able to say, "Yes, I have been there", again all the senses are re-energized in the memory. I do experience that 'final' brush stroke inner knowledge..that one more attempt will simply be superfluous or worse...will make the painting too 'heavy.'

5. What advice would you give to a new artist interested in pursuing oil painting or landscape/nature painting?

If you are 'called' to do art, get moving! Don't depend on or look for 'the right mood' ... You will unconsciously slip into your work as you put your energy to it. ... LOVE your subject matter. Be passionate about your message. The energizing forces behind my work include the joy and peace that such natural beauty gives, anger about the prospective loss of the health of this ecosystem, and frustration that more isn't being accomplished to save it. If I didn't suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, I'm sure you'd find me at the bow of the Greenpeace Whale boats ... as it is, I'm hoping that my work reminds people of the fragility of our earth and the responsibility to preserve its well being.

Celebrating The Creative Spirit Within Us All!

Welcome to Livingstone Studio's first blog entry! For a little more about us, please visit livingstonestudio.com, and check out "Beaver Island" and "Studio" links. We are a seasonal business on Beaver Island, (Michigan) with a new year-round website featuring the art and fine craft of local, regional and American artists, with a little fair trade on the side. Our mission is to "Celebrate the Creative Spirit Within Us All!" We opened 15 years ago, but it feels more like 5..time flies when you're having fun I guess! Take a peek at our new site....I'll be forever grateful to Jeff Cashman, (Island Design) webmaster extraordinaire for his creative vision, and expertise. I'm also very grateful to him for leaving me without answers to every question, and pushing me to do alot of the work myself...I learned much, even if it was frustrating at the time! I also want to thank all of the artists I work with every year ...it is my great joy to have your work around me and offer a venue for sharing it with others. To all our loyal customers and friends who visit the galleries on the island or the website, you make it possible to continue doing what alot of us were born to do, and I think I can speak for all of us when I tell you, "THANKS!"
I've just added new work to the website, including the world's softest leather purses (you know what I'm talking about if you're one of our summer customers).... several stunning bracelets created by Doty Avery, a couple of my paintings, some gorgeous clocks created by my brother Jim Thomson, and more. Stay tuned...more rings created by Jim Blanchard should be up by tonight or tomorrow.
thanks for looking,
sue