Angela Bentley Fife's Artworld:

ANGELA BENTLEY FIFE'S ARTWORLD: all things right-brained.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Spoils of My Garden

 I have spent the last few weeks preserving....for what? I don't know, the winter I guess. I am so sick of it, but not sick enough to throw all the tomatoes, peaches, pears, raspberries, onions, in the trash. Sometimes I wish I were heartless and could just throw out perfectly good produce, because it becomes hours and hours of work. I could not, would not bottle the produce this year, so I decided to freeze everything and I will say it was 10,000 faster and 5,000 times less messy!

From left to right, back row first... tomatoes (roasted, then frozen), "sugar peaches" (our favorite, peel, slice, treat with 'fruit fresh', add sugar...freeze), pear sauce (an invention of mine this year...we'll see if it works out), and raspberries (mashed and frozen for smoothies or ice cream sauce).
This is how I feel looking at my fruit trees and garden and imagining all the work I have ahead of me.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Friday, September 14, 2012

Grandma turns 100!

Grandma is doing quite well for 100. She is on no medication, drinks Coke every day and cannot live without chocolate. She has an entire drawer in her bedroom dedicated to candy. And it is a big drawer! It is reserved for herself, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. It is the first thing my kids do when we get there. We have lunch together every week, fried potatoes, Coke, dessert (rocky road or chocolate covered almonds...from Costco), and salad only if somebody makes her. She is still witty and sweet to all the kids. She is so much fun to still have around. Happy 100th Grandma!




Friday, June 29, 2012

More Landscapes

 This is the same process I was using with the landscapes a few posts ago. I should clarify a little because I got several questions about it. It is more a process for the painting than it is for the drawing. Yes, grids are an old and proven way to draw from a source, but I think it can make you lazy too. Don't freak out, it's just my opinion. I think if I didn't continue to hone my drawing skills without a grid, I just might lose my eye for really finding the angles and perspective, etc. You may not agree. However, the process of painting within a grid is so intriguing to me. It makes me simplify the image and keep it more abstract. I am loving it! I am working on 4 more right now. 2 landscapes, 2 still lives.
 These 3 paintings were sent to Wally Workman after they sold the other 2 within a week. So maybe they are going to go well and make me rich and famous (hubby wishes)....

Perfume Commission

 Last year I had 3 big shows within 6 months, which is against my policy to have 6 months BETWEEN shows. It was hard. It was great. And I couldn't possibly say "no" to 3 really important opportunities. Needless to say, my house was feeling the neglect. And we ate a lot of take out and pizza. So, I hired 2 great ladies to deep clean my house a few times a month so that I could focus on painting and not feel the pressure of falling behind on the house...It was the best gift I have ever given myself. The coincidental part is, that one of the ladies, Elisa, has a well known artist mother who has recently retired (in her 80's). Elisa really likes my work and bought 2 paintings after just a few months of cleaning. These are commissions for her (trading now) because she collects perfume bottles. It was really fun to do and I think I would love to do more of these. And thank you Elisa for my very clean house. I will trade paintings for you ANYTIME!


Friday, May 11, 2012

300 Plates Show

 Art Access Gallery
Salt Lake City
May 17th, 6-9 pm
This is a GREAT fundraiser show. I am honored to be a part of it.

New Cityscapes

 I took a weekend workshop with a former professor a few months ago. It was so exciting for me because he introduced a process that he has been working with and we kind of played around with it a bit in class. The process is broken down into squares and as you go you just keep breaking down the squares until an image emerges. The cool thing about it for me is that it keeps my painting more loose than usual. I have the tendency to close the painting soon and with the squares it sort of forces me to keep it open and loose until the very end. It is the first time in several years that when I leave my studio, I can't wait until I can go down and paint again.
Oh and I did have my studio expanded to about 3 times the size...YAY! So I am sure that helps as well. I will definitely post the finished product (the studio) when I get it put back together.
These paintings are small, 8x10" and 12x12". It is fun and I have a few more in process now. I started by driving up on this old Texaco in Draper, Utah and I was so inspired by the shapes and the sign. It has spurred a series of 6 paintings of vintage signs so far. Let's just hope the galleries are willing to take them off my hands.

My Shadow #3

 Painting her "princess chair" that goes with her "princess table".
 Is this what happens when this little girl has been surrounded by mannequins her whole life? I think I have about 17 in my 'still life' collection now. So she is following me at the store and I hear "Mommy!". I turn around to see her holding hands with big, white, creepy mannequin, sooo proud of herself.
 Ohhh. The curse of the baby fine hair that she inherited from Mom AND Dad. Sorry kid. This is from ONE night's sleep.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Role Apprehension

I just found out today that this painting (of shadow #1) was accepted into the Springville Salon 2012. I painted this last year for my show at Terzian Gallery in Park City. I have told my girls that I will do a painting of them at age 12. They seem less than excited to sit for me for hours on end. As I was conceptualizing this, I was thinking about when I was 12. I was becoming a young woman and starting to think about my future. In our family and culture, 12 is kind of a rite of passage. The beginning of a journey of becoming an accomplished and well-rounded young woman. As I got older I had a lot of thoughts about what I wanted to become. And quite a few apprehensions of the roles I would be considering. Hence the nest and the forward gaze to her future. Some may say I'm "projecting", but hopefully this painting could mean different things to different people.

Timon and Pumba...

 So I'm driving along and I look back to change lanes and surprise! The funniest part about it is that they were totally quiet, watching a movie. They were not wearing these to make me laugh, just for their own pure enjoyment. And, that's right, I took the picture while I was driving....eyes on the road, just point and shoot. I laughed all day about this. I love the lack of any inhibitions in kids.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Trade for a Friend

My friend Emily King did a beautiful paper cut for me of my family in return for this painting of a vintage dress. I am always so flattered when a friend wants a painting of mine. I hope she loves it forever.... And thanks for your beautiful piece, Emily!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Top Secret


Okay, this is top secret. This is a view of a day in the life of an artist/mother/wife I guess. So I had to get a few paintings framed to take to Park City to show for the Sundance Film Festival. But, I also had to make dinner. And for some insane reason I thought I could to both at the same time, and I just had to make chili because it was snowy and so cold outside. But the frames needed a few more coats of stain and polyeurathane. So, why not get the chili started while the frames dry. I am sure no drops of chili got on the paintings :)
I think I need a bigger house or maybe just a wood shop inside my kitchen. I wonder if I will ever be the kind of person to just do one project from start to finish....

Group Show

Wally Workman had a group show with the theme of 'After Dark'.
This is 12x24", titled 'Going Out'. I haven't painted shoes for a long time, but it was nice to revisit it.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

#1 Reason My Blog Has Lapsed







#1...I've been quilting....
#2...Holiday craziness, and watermelon brains...





#3... We got a PUPPY!!



Another Reason my Blog has Lapsed





Oh, gourmet cooking classes....it makes me feel like I'm on Top Chef.
Thanks Alex (our new friend that has taken us under her wing and decided that we must be "gourmets")...she teaches cooking courses now, you can find her here. She is AMAZING!


Monday, January 9, 2012

New Ones





I'm embarrassed that I have not posted since August. But I have a few new paintings. I did have a group show in Iowa in November (I miss you land of corn) that I sent paintings to, and I have finished a few for my gallery in park city. I
also did a painting of my dad for Christmas (oops I forgot to photo). Hopefully he won't just put it in a drawer, and I will see it again to photograph it.
I did a painting for a friend that did some b
eautiful paper cuts for me (suspenseful, but I will post both in the future). And I even had time to do some Christmas shopping online (Fife Christmas brought to you entirely by Amazon).
So now to my New Year's resolutions, that include getting myself out of my "painter's block" by trying something entirely new....still in process, and the jury (myself) is still deciding if it is working. And being stricter about my production...no more staring out the window or reading art magazines waiting for inspiration to stri
ke, I'm going to just start painting.
I have a few small shows coming up this year
and a commission that may take me in a new direction, as well.
So, without being any more cryptic and vague, here are some new images. The first 2 are 12x12" (above), then 20x20" and the final 3 are 8x10". I know, nothing earth-shattering, but hopefully sellable!
ps...I have been doing a lot of quilting and I have discovered Pinterest....uh oh, hope for the best.