Strasburg Studio Archives: SPRING GREENS

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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

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S P R I N G G R E E N S
 

MARCH SPOTLIGHT : "Spring Greens & Trickster"
each image 4 x 4", gouache on Arches board, 2018.

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Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio. 

Spring Grees, 4 x 4”, gouache on arches board.

Well, spring has arrived. Sorry Punxsutawney Phil. California has not been experiencing your predicted extra six weeks of winter. I dreamed of more wonderfully wet, rainy days filling the house with smells of bubbling soup on the stove and fresh baked bread, coupled with hours in the studio tucked away from the elements with the dog happily snoozing nearby.

Sigh. If only…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we don’t have freezing temperatures with feet of snow piling outside or days on end of grey skies with rain that just won’t let up. But there’s something to be said for the slow, quiet rhythm of winter—the kind of days that invite you to stay in, to let time linger and stretch. The kind of days where the world outside feels a little farther away, and you can lose yourself in the simple pleasures of creation.

My March spotlight, Spring Greens & Trickster, are small gouache paintings on Arches board. I spend many happy hours at my drawing table creating these small paintings. Sometimes, they begin as studies for larger projects, and other times, they’re simply born from the pure pleasure of a brush gliding across the surface.

The beauty of working in a smaller format is the freedom it offers—the chance to explore new ideas, to test out different compositions, or to play with unexpected color combinations. These little experiments become stepping stones, guiding me toward what might eventually find its way onto a much larger canvas. And on those winter afternoons, when the fading light seems to pull the day into an early dusk, they offer me a way to keep moving, to keep creating. Each brushstroke is a connection, a thread to the next day’s work, to the endless possibilities that lie just beyond the horizon of my studio.

Trickster, 4 x 4”, gouache on arches board.

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Both, Spring Greens & Trickster, were paintings created for the exhibition The River's Journey: A Wider View hosted by Sullivan Goss in Ocotber of 2018. You can watch the fabulous video narrated by Susan Bush and view some of the collection from the show HERE. The image size is 4 x 4" and both pieces are framed with an 8ply matboard in a brushed florentine silver frame, finished size 13 x 11". 

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 Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

 One treasure. One story. Once a month.

I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.

Strasburg Studio Archives: Multiplicity

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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

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M U L T I P L I C I T Y

DECEMBER SPOTLIGHT : A grid for every occasion.
Sea & Sky images 14 x14" (x4) completed 2023
Forest & Meadow images 12 x 12" (x4) completed 2018
oil on cradled birch panels.

Ask me about price, delivery and install
Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio. 

From top right to left: Thin Blue Line, Uprush, A Bit of Perspective, Aloha Skies, 14x14” oil on cradled birch panel.

During the holidays, a time of celebration and joy, we are often surrounded by family. "Family" is such a rich and meaningful word, encompassing countless forms and connections. Artists often group their work in families to explore and express a single idea or experience, coming together to tell a story of both nature and time.

For December’s spotlight, I’m sharing two families of images: one collection capturing the vastness of sky and sea, another reflecting time spent in the national forest.

Each painting in a family is a fragment—a single piece of a larger, ever-evolving whole. On their own, each offers a glimpse, a moment frozen in time. But when viewed together, they form a bigger picture—one that is richer and more complex. Just as individual experiences, moments, and memories come together to shape our understanding of a place, these smaller works work in tandem to create a deeper, more layered narrative.

In the same way a single brushstroke may seem simple but contributes to the full composition, each fragment of the landscape—the shifting light, the changing colors, the patterns of the land—adds its voice to the larger story. It’s in the relationships between these pieces, the way they echo and contrast with one another, that the true feeling of a place emerges.

The fragments, when brought together, reveal something more than any one piece could alone, reminding us that the whole can often be greater than the sum of its parts. Through this process, I’m able to explore the depth and complexity of nature, offering a fuller, richer experience for both myself as the creator and for you, the viewer.

With this ninth installment of the archives newsletter, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read and respond. I wish you great joy and laughter this holiday season and a very happy start to the new year. xo

From top left to right: Cold Snap, Spring Thaw, Fall Hike, Sunlit Meadow - 12x12”, oil on birch panel.

The selection of ocean/sky images (14x14" each) were completed for my most recent solo show "Surfacing" at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara 2023. I love the new larger size for the grid and continue to add to this collection of sea worthy images.

The selection of mountain images (12x12" each) were completed in late 2018. I was in the process of building a new exhibit for Sullivan Goss at that time but life got in the way and when I returned to my easel my heart had turned back to the sea. This good size collection from the Los Padres Forest still resides in my studio growing in size. One day there will be a spectacular display of this congregation of trees amassing in my studio.

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 Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks

 One treasure. One story. Once a month.

I look forward to sharing the hidden gems in my studio in this monthly series.
Feel free to forward to other treasure seekers and art lovers.

Holiday Gallery Cheer

If you are looking for some much needed peace and beauty Sullivan Goss has three terrific shows on the walls now and the doors are open to visitors. 100 Grand, the annual celebration of local art in small format, still has plenty of precious gems awaiting homes. And in the back room is the Winter Salon which features many new works by the gallery’s stable of artists. Tomorrow we are expecting the first rain of winter, what a great way to spend some time if you can’t be outside!

Works by Nicole Strasburg, Ken Bortalazzo and Patricia Chidlaw

100 GRAND @ Sullivan Goss

It is that amazing time of year again when Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara puts on the annual 100 GRAND show. Gathering their stable of artists and a slew of local talent it is always the show not to be missed. It is a great opportunity to see work from new artists and find work from artists you love at an affordable grab. Start your collection or add to a growing one.

My contribution is a trio of gouache paintings representing a koi pond visited on the island of Oahu.

A merry start to the holiday for all. Be well. Stay safe.

Allegro 3.75x4” gouache on arches board frame to 13x11”

Animato, 3.75x4” gouache on arches board

Con Brio, 3.75x4” gouache on arches board