"Demo at Gainesville GA 2019 1"

My final workshop teaching of the year was at Gainesville GA. Having done so many landscape paintings, it felt really good when I was painting still life again. Nowadays, my paintings get a kind of "stylish". I don't know it is good or bad. Definitely, the painting is recognizable. I am happy about that. However in a negative connotation, my painting is getting more cliched. I am not surprised this happens. As a human, I never dreamed to become a super man. I just wish I could have been smarter, so I could have not fell in traps the commercial world. I will try harder and come out of the "burn out" phase. Let us allow the art being "cliched" for a while. I will cook something new when the future comes.

Last week on Art With a Needle

Seems like I didn't do anything all week except work for PYRO Gallery.  I did a shift of gallery-sitting on Sunday, went in on Wednesday morning to hang my work, made the gallery tags for everything in the new show, printed them out and helped affix then to the wall on Thursday morning, went back Friday noon with a few more tags that for some reason hadn't been finished in time, came back at 5 to help set out the food for the reception, talked with dozens of people during the reception, made a few wall tags for new work that replaced things sold at the reception, and then back again to work a shift this afternoon.

It was an exhilarating week, because we had a very successful opening, but I am looking forward to not setting foot in the gallery for the foreseeable future.

Three of my pieces sold last night, all of them the little postage stamp hangings.  This morning I rooted around in my boxes and found one more postage stamp piece that I hadn't taken in, and found another one pinned to my design wall, which with 15 minutes work was ready to be hung.  So I hung the two new pieces in the holes left by the sold work.

six postage stamp hangings, before the opening reception

minus three, plus two, this afternoon

A comment on the blog this week from Rose, who noted my mention of my broken ankle and told me about HER broken ankle last year.  I had it so much easier than she did, and so much easier than a lot of other people I have talked to who broke ankles or other pedal bones.  I am so fortunate -- it could have been so much worse.  I guess we're getting to the age range where it's so much more common to fall, and to suffer consequences.  I wish for all my friends and readers a great new year, free of broken bones and other misfortunes.

Here's my favorite miniature of the week:

On the wall for Off The Wall

PYRO Gallery's new show, which opens tomorrow, is called Off The Wall, because if you buy something, you can take it off the wall and take it home with you right away.  Usually work purchased from a gallery show has to stay in place till the show closes, but we recognize that holiday gifts can't wait till December 28.

All the PYRO artists have work in this show, and I had hoped to have some new work ready to put up.  But between the broken ankle and the long cruise, I've been out of commission too much to get a lot made.  Besides, I need to hoard my new work for my solo show in June.

So I have a wall full of oldies but goodies, plus two new little postage stamp quilts.  I got them hung this morning but the wall tags aren't up yet.

If you're anywhere near Louisville, come by and see the show!  We're open Thursday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm.  The opening reception is this Friday, December 6, 6 to 9 pm.  PYRO is at 1006 E. Washington St. in Louisville.

Workshop reminder and my 2020 calendar

Happy Holidays my artist friends. The last month of the year 2019 has arrived. I am glad I finally have some down time. I am not traveling to any places for the entire month of December. During the Thanksgiving holidays, I got a chance working in my OG (off-the-grid) place for a few days, really enjoyable. I live intensionally for this month, writing down what I have done and will do on my notebook, otherwise, the time will soon pass without being noticed.

My friends, I want to use this time to remind you that my January workshop in Austin will start in exactly one month from now. It will a fine event to kick off the special year of 2020. We will improve our vision to art and to life, at least our mind's eye will have a 20/20 acuity. Please check: http://www.qh-art.com/qiang-huang-2020-still-life-workshop.html for more info and sign up.

I am also excited to announce that my 2020 painting calendar is ready to order. It has documented pieces of my artist life of this year. I hope those painting images bring you joy for the coming year. It also makes a good gift to your friends and relatives. Please visit: http://www.qh-art.com/calendar-2020.html to order or browse my art images. Thank you so much.

"Demo in Huntsville 2019 4"

After En Plein Air Texas, I really feel good about painting water lilies. I want to paint more of this topic. Maybe doing a few large ones. This one is a demo showing using multiple ref photos to do one painting.