31 Oct “Snow at the Beach” gets a Beau Lou Designs Makeover in Chicago!
Warmest Wishes from Chicagoland!
Just in time for the holidays, Staff & Palette and Beau Lou Designs have come together again for another powerful collaboration using our combined artistic vision. I am delighted to share that my original oil painting with accompanying poem entitled “Snow at the Beach” has been selected by fellow Chicago artist Theresa Daniel of Beau Lou Designs as inspiration 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.
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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 templates 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 collaboration 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 her premiere piece 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 new design together. If “Hope from Holly’s Garden” evokes the changing light of late Summer into early Autumn, then my original abstract palette knife oil painting with accompanying poem “Snow at the Beach” certainly signals that Winter is on its way! This piece was inspired by a rare snowstorm in the Lowcountry in January 2018. It was created by a very green technique I call “gleaning the palette” where nearly spent paint from a previous project is used to make more art as it is applied in thick layers onto the canvas with my palette knife. This snow event, though rare enough in South Carolina to occur only once in a generation, is one that is seen often along the coast of Lake Michigan. Theresa and I thought it might be fun in her design to reimagine this extraordinary moment from a southern beach setting with all the colors and light expected in this part of the country while paying homage to the Chicagoland experience from where we both live and work as artists. Once again, her abilities did not disappoint as her design so brilliantly expresses the unique and surreal kaleidoscope atmosphere my painting and poem sought to capture as I witnessed “Snow on the Beach” in Charleston’s Lowcountry that miraculous January day. This remarkable and rare moment depicted reminds us to cherish each one, because truly each is precious in its own way.
“Hope from Holly’s Garden” has been internationally published in a juried periodical, Artistonish Magazine – May Issue 2022
Along with “Snow on the Beach” 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.
Both paintings have been on display in the center of downtown Chicago at The Chicago School.
The original oils as well as giclee prints of each are available for purchase from Staff & Palette. Please contact me at [email protected] for more details. Very soon my oil paintings and giclee from this exciting collaboration will also be sold at The Artsy Heart. Please stay tuned!
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 collaborations 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