My Kids In The Studio

I love when my kids come out to the studio to spend time with me while I paint. My little artist is getting to an age where he can paint right along side me and entertain himself, for short periods of time, while I keep working.

It's amazing how observant they both are of my mannerisms when I paint because they mimic the things that I do subconsciously. When my little artist is drawing me he will look at my face, draw a little bit, look at my face again, draw more. Really studying and being precise in his decisions. La Artista will pretend to paint on the canvas, back up and stare almost like she is studying the piece, take a few steps forward and then paint more. Seriously it's amazing to me how much they pick up on.

Even though  my little artist is only 4 he is already drawing things bigger if they are in the foreground or smaller if they are far away or in the background. I'm a proud dad!

This little one loves to get into everything in the barn! I can't wait until she is content to paint with us.

Art SWAP

We were very happy to host the Springville Museum of Art December Art SWAP in the barn last week!

Santiago with Virgil Jacobsen - Assistant Director SMA (and Our Little Artist ).

The setup before the guests arrived.

We had about 30 local teachers and their spouses attend.  One of Santiago's art teachers from Junior High was even there!

Santiago talking about his art including his inspiration and process.

One of  Santiago's VW busses is pictured in the background.  It is in the process of getting restored.

It is always great to get to know people from the local art community and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Kirk's Figure Drawing Class

Every Thursday night you can find J. Kirk Richards teaching his figure drawing class in our barn.

We love hosting this class and it's been wonderful to get to know Kirk and see his talent for both painting and teaching first hand.

Art Show Recap

The barn is not just Santiago's art studio it is also where he restores VW busses much like the ones he paints.  So to get ready for the show it involved switching stages from auto restoration to art production.

Adding some additional track lighting.

Kirk and all the students burning a little midnight oil to get everything set up.

Showing the final touches on one of the pieces for the show with his current restoration project in the background.

We had such a great turn out. We estimate that around 300 people attended!  In case you missed it, here are a few shots from the night of the show.

Thank you to everyone that was able to come and support us!

Art Show Details

Saturday, May 21st

6-9 pm

Nude figure work will be shown in Santiago's studio

268 E 350 S Provo,

all other pieces will be shown just a few blocks away at the

Carriage House Mill showroom 560 S 100 W Provo.

The presale 20% discount will run until 6 pm on Saturday

Christmas Gift - A Post From Santiago

This Friday, May 21st, is the first art show I will be having in the barn and preparations are in full force here. Details for the show can be found here and please know you are all invited and I would love to see you there!

Aside from that I recently completed the unfinished painting I gave to my wife for Christmas.  I had never painted Elizabeth before and it was a whole different experience (and pretty intimidating) to paint someone that knows me better than anyone else, and in turn someone I know so well. 

We have been talking for years about exactly what she wanted and narrowed it down to something that portrayed her Irish heritage and the work ethic of her ancestors.  We started at the local Hale Center Theatre and sorted through their rooms of costumes until we found one that matched what we had in mind (although not the color we were wanting).  Then we headed up the canyon near Dear Creek Reservoir for a photo shoot. 

We also took some shots on our property with the help of 'our little artist' and our newfie.

Here is the photo I ended up using as reference and the finished painting.  Elizabeth was very happy about the final product and the best part is we will have this piece to display in our home instead of sending it off to a gallery or show.

You're Invited!

Hope you can make it for our first show in the barn!

It's Finished!

Over the last 8 months, in between painting, Santiago has been diligently working to build his new studio and it is now officially completed!  We are excited about all of the possibilities - classes, shows, and parties that we can host here.

 

Here are a few pictures of the process. 

With a lot of help from family and friends Santiago has taken our empty lot and built an amazing 1200 sq ft studio complete with radiant heat, a bathroom, track lighting, and plenty of space to paint.

A special thanks to everyone that has made this possible!  We hope that many people within the art community will be able to enjoy and benefit from this space.