Pohnpeian Cowry Shell (present moment)

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell (present moment), 4x5"
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In this painting is a cowry shell that I brought back from Pohnpei, Micronesia (north Pacific) when I lived there during the summer of 2001. I was there doing volunteer work and SCUBA diving at a marine science lab -- I also made their logo and painted murals for them.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Italian Plum (Yin & Yang) (2014) or a bunch of my paintings of cowry shells or my present moment paintings.

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Still Life with Pohnpeian Cowry Shell, Forelle Pear, and Cherry (+ Artemisia = feminist icon)

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"one of the most talented followers of Caravaggio"

"She was one of the great female protagonists of the late-Renaissance art world. Forgotten in the 18th and 19th centuries, she was rediscovered in the 20th as a feminist icon...

"...At the age of 17, [Artemisia Gentileschi] made her debut in the art world with Susanna and the Elders, a daring work that broke Counter-Reformation taboos at a time when female artists were confined to still life and portrait painting."

"...'Florence was intellectually stimulating, Artemisia meets Galileo, and her paintings reflect his discoveries in astronomy. Her talent and erudition grow,' says curator Francesca Baldassari. 'And she becomes the first woman to be admitted to the prestigious academy of design.'"

"...After her death in 1654, Artemisia was forgotten — like Caravaggio. It was not until the 20th century that these late-Renaissance artists were rediscovered and a new appreciation emerged for their Baroque style, with its expressive, non-idealized figures that give viewers a sense of participation in the drama of the scene."

"...A painting by Artemisia was sold at Sotheby's [five] years ago for more than $1 million. But in a sign of a substantial gender gap also in the art market, a painting by her father, Orazio, was bought by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in January for more than $30 million. And yet, with her intense colors and heroines at the center of dramatic narratives, the daughter's paintings far outshine those of her father." [Source]

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see a bunch of my paintings of Pohnpeian cowry shells.

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To purchase my work, view my Current Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Pear

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"For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

When I was in my 20s, I spent time doing volunteer work (teaching, scuba diving, and illustrating) in Pohnpei, Micronesia (near the equator in the North Pacific). If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see my other paintings of Pohnpeian cowry shells.

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To purchase my work, view my Current Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Thanks in advance,

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Peach (Yin & Yang) (+ 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation)

The end of Celeste Headlee's Ted talk, "10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation," is: "Go out, talk to people, listen to people, and, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed." Watch the full video here.

To purchase my work, view my Current Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Italian Plum (Yin & Yang)

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Italian Plum (Yin & Yang) No. 2
4 x 6 inches, oil on linen on panel, 2015

This painting continues my "yin and yang" series that I started back in 2010. Like its sister painting, in this painting is a another cowry shell that I brought back from Pohnpei, Micronesia (north Pacific) when I lived there during the summer of 2001. I was there doing volunteer work and SCUBA diving at a marine science lab.

To purchase my work, view my Current Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell (+ very generous comment)

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell
6 x 4 inches, oil on linen on panel, framed, 2015

In this painting is another cowry shell that I brought back from Pohnpei, Micronesia (north Pacific) when I lived there during the summer of 2001. I went to do volunteer work and SCUBA diving at a marine science lab. This is my second time painting one of these remarkable cowry shells.

Mindful Studio Practice Scholarship
To learn more and contribute a bit to this fund, click here. I am grateful for any support you can offer so I can give out workshop scholarships. (by the way: I am looking into the issue of donating from Canada -- thanks to those of you who brought that to my attention!)

Workshop recap & comment
My recent Sedona Arts Center workshop was off-the-charts amazing. What an incredible group of painters. If you're considering one of my workshops, I can share a bit of feedback below from one of my awesome participants from Sedona. I'm particularly honored by Catherine's last line at the bottom:

"Having experienced Sedona last year, I came back because I knew Abbey would be able to easily articulate any difficulties I may have and help me to solve them. 

I tend to get overwhelmed with so many choices, and Abbey always brings me back to the fundamentals: the joy of painting, realism, color, the tactile joy of putting brush to canvas -- all those myriad of elements that merge in my brain to create something I can be proud of. 

Abbey's calm demeanor and sincerity are not something described in her workshop description, but they are of immense value to me. And they're such rare qualities in an instructor! 

Abbey removes her ego from the process. She is an excellent listener; and in my experience most people just want to be heard and their anxieties about painting recognized, so they can then put them away. Abbey respects other's opinions. She is incredibly generous with her knowledge about technique and processes. All of these qualities set Abbey far apart from other presenters and workshops I've attended. 

Since Sedona, I'm not afraid to put my art out there for sale, which says a lot about my confidence. At the workshops, I've met some super people that I will continue to stay in contact with.  

Abbey is consistently intelligent, generous and funny (yes, funny is important to me!) 

Also, I'm much more positive, confident and quick about painting than I used to be. I guess that's called learning and practice! Watching and learning from Abbey, for the first time I can honestly say I love the challenge of color and finally may be starting to 'get' it. This, after years of thinking I was a lousy colorist! 

Abbey makes me feel like I can find my own way. That's priceless."

~Catherine Twomey, catherinetwomey.com (check out her work!)

I'll post some more testimonials soon.

To purchase my work, view my Current Painting Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Pohnpeian Cowry Shell and Italian Plum (Yin & Yang)

This painting continues my "yin and yang" series that I started back in 2010. In this painting is a cowry shell that I brought back from Pohnpei, Micronesia (north Pacific) when I lived there during the summer of 2001. I was there doing volunteer work and SCUBA diving at a marine science lab, and it was amazing. This is my first time painting this remarkable shell, although I've thought about painting it for years. For fun, to the right is a snapshot that I posted recently as #tbt on facebook of me diving in Pohnpei. (P.S. You might notice in the snapshot that 2001 was also the summer I shaved my head in San Francisco, but perhaps I'll save that story for another day...)