Road Trip!

Upstairs Studio Artist Darla Myers has a show opening in Seward tonight, July 1. This is a unique show paired with former Upstairs Studio Artist Cheryl Lyon. They painted from the same scenes, one artist in oil the other in encaustic for their show titled "Look Twice".

The show opens tonight  6-8pm at Resurrect Art Coffee House, 320 Third St, Seward. Both artists will be present at the opening. The show will remain on display for the month of July.

Artist Show Statement-

"Cheryl and Darla met after being paired as studio mates at Upstairs Studio. In getting to know each other we found we had much more in common than just the studio we shared. We both paint with bold colors and choose subjects based on our love of nature. Other commonalities include admiring the same artists, enjoying cooking (especially traditional mexican), wearing skirts with extra tufs and knitting. An immediate friendship formed between us although we no longer share the studio space.

For "Look Twice" we chose to paint the same scenes, one of us in encaustic and the other in oil. Encaustic is an ancient painting medium using beeswax, damar resin and pigment to paint. The wax is heated and then painted quickly before the brushload cools too much to spread. Wax layers are fused with heat-either a heat gun or torch and then the wax can be further worked by carving, scraping and layering. The unique translucence, irregularities and shine are some of the attractiveness of this medium.

The paintings are all from our own photos and observations. We chose the subjects together and decided which medium each of us would paint the scene in. We agreed to paint separately and not to see each others paintings until completion. That became the hardest part-we were quite used to stopping be each others home studios and giving each other input on paintings when needed. It was very exciting for us to see each others paintings upon completion.

We hope our paintings remind you that everyone sees the world a little differently, and also to take a second look at the everyday beauty of nature and friendship."

Sneak peak at some paintings and inspiration photos- 

What we painted from

darla myers-oil "sunglow"

cheryl lyon, encaustic-"standing together"

Eklutna flats photo

cheryl lyon, encaustic-"iris haven"

darla myers, oil-"eklutna flats"

Ninilchik boat photo

cheryl lyon, encaustic "sitting in fireweed and cow parsnip"

darla myers, oil-"ninilchik sunshine"

If you make it to Seward in July be sure and stop by and see our show at the coffee shop. More about our art on our web sites- www.cheryllyon.com and www.darlamyersart.com