If there was an award for best house guest, I think I’d be in the running. Not only did I make two paintings for Brigitte while I was staying with her in California, but I came bearing handfuls of jewelry.
If I stay with you, you’ll likely end up with at least one new piece of jewelry. But I was feeling pretty generous (I blame booze and the California sunshine), so Brigitte ended up with quite the haul.
But you do have to admit, she wears it well!
After my long weekend in San Francisco, I headed to Sacramento to spend the rest of the week with Brigitte.
Brigitte is one of those friends that I met through the Internet but have gotten to know in person through mutual friends, travel, and conferences. Brigitte and I both love to talk, and anytime we get together the conversation never ends.
One of the best days I had (ok, truth be told they were all fun) was when we spent the day enjoying the sun in Brigitte’s backyard. Brigitte pulled out her paints and canvases (left over from an online painting class we both took) and we chatted and drank beer while I painted and she worked on the computer.
Standing in the sunshine, finally getting a taste of summer (it’s bern too cold for me this spring), with a good friend and good conversation, while working away at two paintings – I’d be hard pressed to come up with a more perfect day.
“Bear”
Acrylic on canvas
“The Perfect Day”
Acrylic on canvas
And, since the canvases were too big to fit in my suitcase, Brigitte is now the proud owner of two Megan Auman originals! (After all, she did supply the paints, brushes, and canvases.)
I just love seeing my paintings in Brigitte’s beautiful home and I love the idea of visiting someone and leaving a record of our time together!
Even though I was only in San Francisco for a few days, I had to head over to the ocean before heading inland.
Land’s End is part of the Golden Gate National Parks, and a pretty spectacular place. When Joe and I were there a few years ago, we ate at the diner that juts out over the cliff and watched whales swim by.
Even though I didn’t see any whales this time, I couldn’t help but look out into the ocean and picture those whales frolicking in the waves.
Last weekend I flew to San Francisco to participate in SFMOMA jewelry trunk show. This is my third time participating, and it’s always a fun show to do. The mix of designers is great (and small), the museum store staff is so friendly and enthusiastic, and who doesn’t love an excuse to fly to California!
I brought the canvases from my regular display, which made it pretty easy to set up a table display that I was really happy with!
The museum is closing this summer for a major, multi-year renovation, but the museum store will remain open in a different location, which is fantastic, because its such a great shopping destination
All three of these paintings took a while to come together, but I love how the resulting layers create so much depth. I seem to be jumping back and forth between paintings that come together quickly in an intense burst of brushstrokes and these slower, built up paintings. I don’t see myself picking one over the other anytime soon, because there are things I love about each method,
“After the Rain”
Acrylic on canvas
36″ by 36″
“Someday Soon”
Acrylic on canvas
24″ x 24″
“Lost in Thought”
Acrylic on canvas
12″ x 12″
This weekend I went to Delaware to see the opening of my friend (and production manager) Amy Klainer’s show at Heidi Lowe Gallery.
Amy’s work is inspired by the urban and industrial landscape. Amy and I use similar materials (steel) and processes (welding) but I love how different our work is. Especially because Amy powder coats her pieces in incredibly bright neon colors!
I took home two brooches but the hit of the show was definitely this big neon yellow necklace. Everyone wanted to try it on!
I recently started a new running training program that I’m really excited about. We had some serious rain on Friday morning, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I’m sure I looked pretty ridiculous but I felt pretty badass charging through puddles while parents sat in their cars waiting to drop kids off at the elementary school.
Something about that experience (and my rain soaked clothes hanging in the bathroom) reminded me of this giant painting I made right after I got back from Europe:
“Running in the Rain”
Acrylic on canvas
30″ x 48″
I finished these three paintings before I left for Europe. They were definitely inspired by all the days I spent sitting with my jewelry while at a trade show!
“Chandelier”
Acrylic on canvas
24″ x 24″
“Take Flight”
Acrylic on canvas
24″ x 48″
“Magpie”
Acrylic on canvas
16″ x 20″
I couldn’t have loved Vienna more! The buildings were beautiful, the city was clean and easy to navigate, and the museums were incredible (and abundant)! But my favorite part was that, no matter where I went, I was greeted by incredible black and white decoration.
Oh, Vienna, you sure do know the way to a girl’s heart…
This incredible black and white building was across the street from the famous Secession building.
The lobby of the Upper Belvedere was so incredible, I had to sneak a few pictures.
The floor in the cafe at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
The walls and ceiling of the cafe in the Lower Belvedere.
Part of the “Design Engaging the City” exhibition at the MAK.
There is something about traveling Europe by train that is so romantic to me. I took a sleeper train from Milan to Vienna, and I was positively giddy!
I had plenty of opportunities for train travel on this trip: Milan to Vienna, Vienna to Salzburg, Salzburg to Munich, Munich to Pforzheim and back, and Munich to Prague.
It’s a little challenging to capture the scenery from a moving train, but here are some of my favorite shots from along the way:
