My Art Blog now on New Website

Hi Everyone, my blog is now on my new website, so make sure and check in regularly at http://www.colleengnos.com/ for the latest!

-Colleen

Aloha!

I wanted to let you know that my art studio will be open tomorrow and Sunday! I will be painting live on a surfboard and canvas, and will have many wonderful new things for sale. I have a line of new cards, which make great gifts. I have new mermaid surfboard prints and glicées, and I will be introducing the giclée of my "Beach Party" that took a full year to complete. It will be available in 25 x 25" size and in 18 x 18" only. My latest completed surfboard, "The Kiss," will be on display and for sale, it is truly amazing to see in person.

Come on down and sample some delicious Kelsey See Canyon Apple wine and appetizers, while you enjoy my latest creations.

Also, I'm holding a raffle to win a large 16x20" print of my latest release, "The Hobie."

Look for the red balloons and signs to 546 First st., in Avila Beach. Open 10 to 5 on Saturday and Sunday.

See you there!

Colleen Gnos

Web: http://www.colleengnos.com

Subscribe: http://colleenssurfart.blogspot.com/

Join me on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colleen-Gnos-Surf-Inspired-Artworks/95689156361?ref=ts

"The Kiss" finished!

The finished surfboard is currently at the glasser getting its final gloss polish, but you can see it in person at one of my upcoming events!

October 8 & 9: Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in Del Mar Faigrounds

Oct. 15-16 & 29-30: Open Studios Tour, 546 first st., Avila Beach, CA

Love Conquers All

Here I am adding the finishing touches to "The Kiss." Is it a statement on interracial relationships, an example of forbidden love? Or is she luring him to his death? You decide. Pretty soon, you will be able to drink a bottle of Kelsey Wine that this image will adorn, and contemplate it further...

It goes off to the glasser this week, and then I will be able to display her!

"The Kiss" is about halfway done...

Here's an update on the progress of my latest surfboard. I plan to be done by the end of next week, have it photographed, then off to the glasser for the final coat of gloss resin, so it could actually be surfed (don't know anyone who would want to, though).

"The Kiss"

Here is the latest surfboard I am working on. It's about halfway done and is a somewhat modern take on the ancient stories of fishermen being lured and seduced by sirens. I've painted a weathered old-growth redwood finish on the top and bottom.

It's titled "The Kiss," and will eventually be the wine label for a pink bubbly at Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. This awesome 70's singlefin shape was created and glassed by Greg Webster.

Make sure to swing by Open Studios in October to see the finished product in person!

After almost a year of work (off and on), here is the finished painting. It is based off of a photo taken by Joe Quigg back in 1949. I was initially attracted to this image because the woman in yellow resembles my mother. When my mother was a teenager, she and her sisters worked on the beach every day, renting surfboards and canvas mats for my Grandfather's surfrider rental stand under the pier in Avila Beach. My mother told me many stories about this era and this painting is my interpretation of these times.

I will have giclées, prints and cards available very soon.

It's funny how I have been painting this scene off and on for a year, and I just noticed that there is a guy playing washtub bass. I keep finding new things in this painting...one could look at it for quite a long time and find something different each time.

Arrrgh!

More detail added...

Beach Party San Onofre

This painting I am currently working on is from a photo taken in the late 40's. There are so many things going on in this image, that the more I look at it, the more I see. Will it take me forever to complete? Quite possibly.

A bit of Blasphemy, a lot of Awesome

Here is the completed hand-painted surfboard "The Creation of the Surf Bum"

It's a 5'4 hand shaped board by Jeff Malmen with a gloss polish over the artwork. It can be surfed or hung on the wall.

Jeff and I art donating this board to Surfrider Foundation, which works so hard to keep our water clean; a very worthy cause.

Here are a couple of photo's of the board being raffled off for Surfrider Foundation

Check back for more as the board is completed

She's done! I will be making prints and giclées of this image. Next stop is the glasser.

Here is a photo of the Abalone Mermaid as almost done. I actually finished her yesterday, but didn't take a photo. She is currently with Peter, who photographs all of my art, and I will pick her up next week, take her to the glasser down in Ventura and she will recieve her final coat of gloss polish. I always have my boards photographed before the coat of final varnish since it will be so shiny that it will cause too much glare for a picture.

She may take more than one coat of resin since my paint application can be thick at times. I applied a lot of gold leaf and then distressed it by sanding it back and mottling and stippling paint over it, giving an aged and abstract background. I will have a photo of the finished product soon!

Abalone Mermaid

After having returned from a rejuvenating trip to Nicaragua, I am filled with energy, creativity and excitement. After surfing some of the heaviest waves of my life, I am tackling this intimidating project with with zest. With my limited time to work (only about 15 hours/week) I am making the most of those precious hours when my son in daycare.

I am also juggling a large commission and an insanely detailed painting of a 1940's beach party, not to mention the 50 paintings I'd like to start, so I have to prioritize the projects.

On this piece, once the figure is completed, I will texturize her with 23K gold leaf, roughing up some of the "cleanliness" of the woodgrain I painted, adding a warm, antique feel. Drawing upon all the deteriated wood, gold and metal I have seen in Italy and even in Nicaragua, I am creating a surfboard that bridges the past to the future.

6' Abalone mermaid

I've started to block in more colors on the flesh, adding warm highlights and cool shadows. I've also started to "grain" in some 23K gold leaf, adding an antique look to the piece.

Recently, my friend Dave gave me a shortboard blank that he had rescued from a dumpster after a "Beach Blanket Bingo" theatre production! It was saturated with housepaint and had been sitting in a storage unit for 3 years. I gave it to shaper, Jeff Scardine (http://jscardine.blogspot.com/) and he was able to work his magic and create an amazing retro "pumpkin seed" shape from a shabby blank. It was almost impossible to resist the temptation to surf it, but I knew it was destined for art.

So far, I have painted a bird's eye maple stringer, heartwood rails and redwood center panels. An abalone mermaid is being painted on the bottom. I will be updating as she comes together.

Moe"Uhane is complete!

Here are some of the completed photos, without the gloss coat.....she received her gloss polish today and I pick her up tomorrow, so come on down to see her at the second Open Studios this weekend, October 23-34 from 10-5pm, as well as other new paintings!

"Moe'uhane" Mermaid surfboard

Here is my latest hand-painted surfboard, shaped by Jeff Malmen.. I have titled her, "Moe'uhane," which means "dream" in Hawaiian. She is still a work in progress, but I plan to have her finished by this weekend, October 16-17 in time for Open Studios. Please come by and see her, as well as my latest paintings. I'll have prints of my last mermaid surfboard, "Malia"(see below) and many other prints available for purchase.

On this piece, I hand painted the woodgrain as a faux bird's eye maple and walnut finish. On the bottom of the board I am painting a Hawaiian mermaid as I see her resting at the bottom of a Hawaiian reef, encircled with Butterfly fish, coral and abalone as she dreams of a handsome fisherman.

6 hot days in the making.....

The Utility box is finally finished....

it was tough to paint in the 114 degree weather. On tuesday it was 104 degrees, but at 3:30 in the afternoon, I brushed some glazes on my treasure chest and the paint was still wet 10 seconds later! I looked up and saw that a bank of clouds had moved in and the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 20 minutes. At that point the paint could be blended, mixed and glazed. I could finally make some progress. I spent a total of 6 days on this project, feeling almost like a celebrity. I was painting on the busiest street in San Luis, and everybody saw me working. I was honked at, yelled at (all positive statements), people gave shakas, thumbs up, and thanked me profusely. It was very satisfying to see people grateful for the art the utility box artists were providing for the public. It didn't even bother me when an old lady came up and started shaking her cane at me when she found out that the paint was not going to wash off.