Art by Ariel Anderson
CAVU Cellars, thank you for hosting our Wilds To The Sea art exhibit that officially opens this Friday! Sarah and I are thrilled to have glittered our work all over your lovely gallery✨❤️ @therealcavucellars @mermaidmess @sarah_leighty
https://facebook.com/events/s/wilds-to-the-sea-art-exhibit-r/839409914112933/
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Wilds to the Sea- 11/4/22 @ 5-7pm, CAVU Cellars
An art exhibit featuring new works by Ariel Anderson and Sarah Leighty
Opening reception: Friday, November 4th, 2022
5-7pm at CAVU Cellars @ 175 E Aeronca Ave.
Exhibit on display- November 5th- 27th; open daily, 11 to 5
Contact for more details:
Ariel Anderson- [email protected]
Sarah Leighty- sarahleighty@gmail.com
On November 4th we extend a warm and open invitation for you to join us for an evening of mindful exploration- to seek, explore, and examine the wild world of our creations. We are Ariel Anderson and Sarah Leighty, artists, imaginators, and adventurers living and working in Walla Walla, WA. Our exhibit will include paintings and drawings, handmade clothing and quilts, and an installation that will offer an avenue for you to become an active participant in the exhibit.
We hope you will join us as we reveal what we have created over the past few years- a tumultuous and wisening time for us all.
A note from each of us about our work:
I am Sarah, and I freaking love art! Engaging in creativity without concern for perfection is at the core of my philosophy as an artist and as an instructor. I believe in dedication, workmanship, and conscientiousness, but I’ve learned if you hold too tightly an unnecessary struggle is inevitable.
I primarily paint and draw but I also love writing and collage. Lately I have a constant desire to play with clay, and a nagging itch to do some stone carving again. I am always starting new things, sometimes not completing them. Whether this is a curse or a blessing I am not sure, but I am leaning towards blessing (I try to stay positive, I believe in self acceptance, and my constant awareness that time is precious and fleeting drives me).
Ariel is a very special friend- she helps me to embrace beauty outside of myself but also my own, to savor my senses, to laugh out loud, and to remember gratitude. She empowers me!
I am Ariel, artist and imaginator. My medium is usually oil paint to imagine stories of my own and memories. I’ve recently been excited to use another medium, which I practiced throughout the pandemic: sewing. A new outlet to create articles of clothing, completely unique and expressive, has been very rewarding. I love the permission and freedom a blank canvas provides, whether it’s an actual canvas or a strip of fabric, to create absolutely anything I want. My work in this show will include a few articles of clothing I’ve made that have been inspired by my new paintings. The subjects being this year’s camping/forestry, and love of animals.
At this opening reception and through November 27th, we offer you to be received within the Wilds to the Sea space at CAVU, and we hope you can become momentarily rooted- to slow down and rest a moment.
I’m very excited to announce so many fabulous sparks that have happened! Here are a few:
1. I’ve created several new pieces since I last posted! I have to admit I was finding inspiration for paintings difficult during COVID, but took advise from a wise friend who told me to stop waiting for inspiration, and “just paint!” So I did, and found inspiration all around me! I spent time in the woods, time with my cats, and time looking out the windows of my lovely home. This forest painting, titled “Lower Falls Forest”, is 40×60 which happens to be the largest oil painting I’ve done.
These next two are titled “Fairy Pool” and “Enchanted Third,” 8×10 oil n canvas. The Fairy Pool is inspired by my kitchen window overlooking our lovely neighbors’ pool. The Enchanted Third is a view from our living room window.
These next two are also large sized, 30×40, oil on canvas titled “Catnip” and “Cat Hair.” Both of those are very much inspired by one of my very sweet kitties, other one we’ve had the longest (10 years) named Lady. She’s an amazing model, and she knows it.
2. Two years ago, I signed on to do an art show at CAVU Cellars scheduled to happen August 2021. Due to the state of the world, I wasn’t sure if was actually going happen…then poof! A brief breeze of new normal let it be possible! CAVU paired me up with one other artist, David Partridge, to have a show with this last spring. He is a gentleman in his 70’s who paints western style paintings.
Last Friday, CAVU Cellars hosted a beautiful artist reception for David and I, and it went fabulous! I sold two paintings: “Night Of Opportunity” and “Cherry Knights.” I’m so excited they are going to lovely homes, and got to see several friends and family🥰
The show will be up August 6-September 9 at CAVU Cellars in Walla Walla WA (they have delicious Rosé and Tempranillo wine…to name a few if you choose to partake)
A few weeks ago, I happened to stumble upon some very large canvases…and brought a few to the studio. I have done a few large paintings, they were so fun to do, but at the time I didn’t have the option to have canvases already stretched, gessoed and ready to go. I had to make them, which was also fun but time consuming.
This summer, one of my dear friends asked me to do a large painting for her of crows, and she inspired me to do more BIG work. I’m loving this idea, and this week finished this piece:
The Story Teller, oil on canvas, 24″x36″
Through The Garden-Oil on board, 8×10
Got around to touching up my painting from the Hospice Pond and Garden Experience. It will be auctioned at Evening Of Elegance event through Walla Walla Hospice this year. Thank you Dennis and Michaelle Saranto, for letting me paint in your beautiful garden.
Last weekend, the ArtSquared show was lovely, and over 70% of all of the artists’ works were sold! While the square show is done, the gallery portion of the show will continue to hang at CAVU Cellars gallery through the end of October. There, you can see my latest piece, The Next Thrill (9x 12, oil on board).
Saturday was a perfectly beautiful day, where I ran to first paint for the Hospice Pond and Garden show:
(An absolutely lovely experience, but found I need to practice having conversations while painting at the same time. I ran out of time to paint, but have a good chunk done on this piece. Many people wanted to talk with me a bit, and that was a lot of fun…I’m just very good at multitasking:). I plan on working on this a little more later, and then it will be donated to be auctioned off for Hospice’s next benefit function.)
After that, I headed on over to the day 3 En Plein Air event location. The property had a gorgeous view of the Blue mountains, which I did a little painting of.
On Monday, it was raining all day, and the last day of the En Plein Air painting portion. I actually enjoyed painting and n the rain. With my clip of lawn chair rainbow umbrella, big red chicken rain boots, and GAP outlet anorak (My sweet parents bought for me in when I was about 13), I was good to go! Lucky for me, a sweet cow posed for me long enough for me to paint her:).
Day 2 En Plein Air. These still need some touch up, but loved the forested borders to this property today!
Day 1 of first time participating in the En Plein Air event. Can’t help but have fun being inspired by beautiful scenery and talented artists all around. Love that a portion of the proceeds of this show go towards Carnegie Picture Lab, which teaches elementary students art!
This month is going to be busy and fabulous! I will be participating in 3 public art benefit experiences in September, and two of them are brand new to me. I’m so excited!
The first event is the Walla Walla Hospice Pond and Garden Experience. On September 14, I will be painting in one of the gardens to be toured during the event. I am donating the painting to be auctioned for their next benefit. The Pond and Garden Tour helps fund the hospice programs (mostly counseling) the provide to the Walla Walla Valley.
The second is the En Plein Air painting event series. During a couple weeks, a group of artists paint at planned locations throughout the Walla Walla valley. Everyone’s paintings will be available for sale September 20, with a portions of the proceeds going to the Carnegie Picture Lab program. This program teaches art to children in the public schools of Walla Walla County.
The third event is the ArtWalla’s ArtSquared show at the end of the month. This is my 4th year participating in this show, because it has been so much fun. Artists are each given ten 6×6 wood square canvases to create their art on, then are all sold for $36 for each piece, no matter the artist. 1/3 of the proceeds go towards the ArtWalla program, who promotes artists and art education in the Walla Walla area. This year, there was an optional eleventh square, that 100%of it’s proceeds goes towards the program. I took them up on it, and just today, put the final touches to my squares. It feels so good to have them done!
