Albright's Donuts, Santa Cruz

"Albright's Donuts, Santa Cruz" 12x9, Pastel on sanded paper

It's been a while since I've been able to post a new painting! I've been so busy with many exciting things in my art community, it seemed like every time I picked up a pastel to finish this piece, I had another phone call! Can I grow another arm please?

Anyway, this little gem is from my trip to Santa Cruz last summer. This coastal community has it's characteristics that identify it as Santa Cruz. Sleepy, older buildings dot the main streets, with side streets full of bungalows from the 40's and 50's. A nice, sunny area to live! This little donut shop is on the corner of Water and Magnolia Streets, just down the street from my brother's home.

So, what's been going on in my art community?

I came across an add on CraigsList for a gallery in my community, and so I had to check out who was doing this new venture. You see, our downtown area doesn't have a nice gallery space to hang our work. But in the city of Portland there are plenty of galleries, but you have to go a distance to get there. This spot is just 2 miles away from where I live, and the shop owner is changing her business into a gallery space that works in conjunction with her floral and wine shop. Naturally, I want a part of this because the location is so perfect and the building is incredible! So I've been helping the store owner convert her shop into this gallery idea along with many other incredible artists. Organizing something like this is fun, but it eats up precious painting time. So that's it! Wish us luck in this adventure, for it is a temporary one that could turn into a permanent space.