23 Jul “Red Letter Day” for Staff & Palette and Beau Lou Designs at Artsy Heart
Along the coast of Lake Michigan, summer is in full swing here in Chicagoland! Beaches are bustling, city streets are filled with tourists and locals alike, and parks of all kinds percolate with the laughter of children enjoying their break from school and routine. As much as we love this time of year, we know to hold it gently as very soon hot, humid nights will merge into the bright, blue weather with flaming foliage only crisp Autumn days can bring.
In anticipation, Staff & Palette and Beau Lou Designs have teamed up for our new Fall design! Our collaborative efforts are inspired by the courage it takes to let go of one season to make way for another and the awareness it requires to see the deep significance of each seemingly ordinary moment. Changing leaves ablaze against azure skies seem an apt illumination of this metaphor. I am delighted to share that my original oil painting with accompanying poem entitled “Red Letter Day” has been selected by fellow Chicago artist Theresa Daniel of Beau Lou Designs as a muse for her own unique graphic design which will grace her one of a kind handmade merchandise including jewelry and home decor which will be available for purchase on her website, in her Etsy Store, and in brick and mortar stores across the greater Chicago area.
| BeauLouDesigns |  |
Upon moving to Chicago with my husband John and our two dogs Ariel and Eli, I became fascinated with Theresa’s work using her own photography of iconic places in Chicago and around the globe as inspiration for original graphic designs that capture the essence of each place in a truly magical way. I felt a connection to her pieces and made several purchases. Wearing her work helped me to immerse myself into my new environment near the shores of Lake Michigan. Soon a friendship blossomed and turned to partnership when I asked Theresa if she would be interested in working with one of my paintings for a new original graphic design. The poem added even more intrigue to the process for Theresa who was excited to use her skills with an image of “Hope from Holly’s Garden” as our premiere piece for Summer in this new line of products based on my original paintings and poetry.
Because the response to this first collaboration was so positive, we decided to dive into working on another design together. If “Hope from Holly’s Garden” evokes the height of Summer, then my original abstract palette knife oil painting with accompanying poem “Snow at the Beach” certainly signals that Winter is on its way!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we also released our new Spring design inspired by my original oil painting and poem “A Closer Look”.
And now we are proud to come full circle completing the year of our seasonal line with our new Autumn design based on my painting and poem “Red Letter Day”. Once again Theresa has truly outdone herself in brilliantly capturing the essence of each.
“Red Letter Day”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Autumn Days
Are an hourglass
With light and warmth pouring down
Like sands of time
Diminishing
From the equinox to the solstice,
Darker
Colder
Yet Bolder
And this growing season
Is over,
But as the upper vessel empties
The lower fills
With bright blue skies of hope
Overseeing fragrant foliage falling
From reluctant limbs
Bravely becoming bare
Highlighting the hard won harvest
That sustains long
Into the snow songs
That serenade until spring,
These days of awe
Experienced at earth’s edge
Are written in red
Across the forest’s calendar
Hailing their deep significance.
“Hope from Holly’s Garden” has been internationally published in a juried periodical, Artistonish Magazine – May Issue 2022
Along with “Snow on the Beach” and “A Closer Look” it was on exhibit in my solo multimedia show entitled “Seasons: From Sea to Summit” at The Floyd Center for the Arts in June and July of 2022.
Images of “A Closer Look” were used for promotional materials for my original multimedia show “Seasons: A Visual and Vocal Journey” which premiered during Piccolo Spoleto 2019 in Charleston, SC.
All three paintings have been on display in the center of downtown Chicago at The Chicago School.
“Red Letter Day” is making its gallery debut at The Artsy Heart through this partnership with Beau Lou Designs.
All four of the original oils as well as giclee prints from this exciting collaboration are now available for purchase at The Artsy Heart here in Chicagoland at The Glen Town Center! Theresa and I look forward to working on an event with the owner of Artsy Heart, Renee Edmondson, which will showcase our artistic collusion. Please stay tuned for details!
Much of my work thus far as an artist in paint, poetry, and voice has revolved around the idea of seasons. Staff & Palette is delighted to be in a new one on the North Shore of the greater Chicago area in Illinois after a magnificent journey through Charleston, S.C. and the mountains of Virginia over the past decade. I am thrilled to experience all the artistic opportunities that await in this vibrant community during this promising season including ongoing professional engagements with the exquisitely gifted Theresa Daniel of Beau Lou Designs.
Stay in touch for what is next for Staff & Palette as we continue to settle into the Chicago art scene.
As always thank you for following my artistic journey,
Rina Lucas