We all feel "safe" in different ways.

Some of us are in our homes with work from home jobs.
Some of us have no roof over our heads.
Some of us wait in a line at a food bank we never thought we would need.
Some of us have taken pay cuts while our business is closed.
Some of us haven't worked for weeks.
Some of us are missing out on the celebrations of our once in a lifetime moments.
Some of us can feel the stress of the world in our bones. 
Some of us are home schooling our struggling children.
Some of us will get sick.
Some of us are single moms and dads going to work every day. 
Some of us just want a return to normal.
Some of us miss our friends.
Some of us are high risk and won't leave home until there is a vaccine. 
Some of us just want our jobs to open back up so we can support our families.
Some of us filed for unemployment for the first time in our lives. 
Some of us will die.
Some of us had to close our business and will not recover financially. 
Some of us have sheltered with our abusers.
Some of us wait for our kids to return from the co-parent house. 
Some of us are in pain from a medical procedure we had to postpone.
Some of us are in nursing homes and haven't left our rooms. 
Some of us have opened online and hope we can weather the storm.
Some of us have filled out all the paperwork and wait. 
Some of us are dealing with things yet to be named.
​
Some of us are feeling safe in some moments.
Some of us are not feeling safe in most moments.

All of us are riding the waves.

The journey
to a return to normal begins again.
And I fear the return
is too fast for the virus
and too slow for the economy. 

Our "New Normal" is being
​navigated
and negotiated. 

Whatever your definition of "safe" is,
I do hope you are finding it,
in whatever form that takes. 
​I hope you can choose your safe. 

I tap into my feeling of "safe"
by making cards.
I write the words
"May you feel safe and loved"
as my mantra to myself and to
"some of us."
​
It isn't much, 
but it gives me control 
of something.
​
If you would like a little reminder
of that feeling of safe
for you or a loved one
sign up for a heart card
made with love
at beautifulgrunge.com. 

Feeling inspired to share some love.
Visit beautifulgrunge.com to sign up for a card for you or someone you love.

A nice little write up in an online magazine.
​
http://voyagedenver.com/interview/meet-gina-barry-gina-barry-artist-highlands-ranch/

look at this stuff
isn't it neat?
wouldn't you think my collections complete?

not even close!
I have so many ideas and things left in me to make
Let 2020 be filled with making ART

I joined the Parker Artist Guild this year.
Hoping to have more opportunities to share my art
and get to know more artists.
I am super grateful they picked me to show
​at Vines Wine Bar in Parker this month. 

I have a goal to hang art on walls other than mine.  I decided to check out some different art groups around town and it looks like Parker Arts Guild is pretty active. So, I joined up and I submitted my work to an art show they have coming soon and got in!!!
​
Come see my work at 
Notching UP
Show dates: August 31, 2019 - October 26, 2019
Location: Schoolhouse Gallery, 19650 Main Street, Parker, CO 80138
​

When the best 12 year old I know
(my daughter)
asks for an octopus
for her bathroom wall, it happens. 
This time on a canvas
​ rather than a mural. 

 Portfolio Gallery is now open! 

I am so excited and grateful and hopeful and blessed to have a collection of 60 paintings for sale at Portfolio Gallery on main street in beautiful Breckenridge, CO.

Opening weekend August 3-4, 2019 was a great party. I had so much fun meeting other artists and being in the new space. Hope I sell lots of art so I can be in this space longer than the year!

Check out my Gallery page to see all the art work, (although art will hopefully sell so the current stock may not be the same)   then go to Breckenridge to buy some art. 

You will also find the beautiful art work of Julie Leidel and Nikki Nienhuis. 

What is my ISM?

I was in Spain in 2016.
(I know how that sounds, and I still pinch myself 
that I have had the amazing opportunities 
to see the things I have)

Plug: I love Rick Steve tours - 
many reasons, but I learn so much more 
than I would wandering on my own.
Having a local tour guide tell me passionately 
about the art on the wall, the history, the food...
It is worth EVERY penny. (and, no I didn't get paid to say that)

Anyway, 
We toured the Prado museum (12th - 19th century art).  
We admired the details 
and the realism in EPIC paintings 
that are taller than my house.  

I love to see and understand (once again) 
why all these artists made it into the art books.
No, that 2 x 3 black and white photo 
doesn't do anything justice.

I got to really meet, Goya, Valezquez,  El Grecko, Rubins, Titian...
they were all...
insert word from another language
because we don't have one that describes
how beautiful and hopeful
I felt looking at these creations.

They are amazing works of art that have changed me.  
I pinch myself - that I got to see them...

That same day - we moved to the Sophia (20th century art)

As we entered the old insane asylum.... 
The wonderful local tour guide 
explained modern art in a way no one has ever before 
(at least to me)

It is simple.

We just spent the morning with masters of realism. 
These artists painted larger than life 
details to the hairs on heads of children. 
Hours and time to get just the 
right look to make the images look alive. 
(realism... and I know it is not easy)

Our guide pulls out a toy... 
a tiny camera.

This single device was introduced to the world. 
It can create the fine details 
that we just saw artists 
spend lifetimes perfecting. 
In one little "click".

And today, they are instant and everywhere.

the introduction of the camera (1814)
gives birth to Modern Art.
WHY?
Art is no longer needed to capture every detail. 
Modern Art is simply a reaction to the camera.

(my BFA trained mind BLOWN!!!.....)

In this one moment, this Spanish tour guide 
just changed the way I look at modern art.

These big moments don't happen often.

What can I make that the camera can't capture?
a mood? a feeling? a crazy creature that nature would never produce?

This concept has rattled around
 in my brain for several years now.

What is my ism?
What will be my response and reaction to the technology of today?

you can apply a filter in Instagram
to that photo that you took on your phone 
that makes it look painted 
and you can print it out 20 x 30 if you want.

Photoshop can move 
and re-arrange the entire photo 
to however you want it to be.

What the heck do I do with that?

Well, whew...
I am a pretty abstract painter. 
I haven't seen many round birds or circle trees around.

So I can go confidently painting my odd trees 
with the strange circles and lines 
that may be found under a microscope.

I will draw lines on the rhino 
and add texture to these funky animals.

no camera can capture the imperfections I add to the page. 
Imperfections.
​I am good at making those. in this big beautiful imperfect life. 

no filter has been added that can suck the creatures from my brain. 

I will let them out with my pen and paint. 

New work 2018
This series of trees is created on paper using acrylic paint. 
I use a card to push paint around the page, playing with the chaos.
After the painting is dry, I look for the hidden trees.

Gelli Plate printing
This is an acrylic paint technique where paint is applied to a Gelli plate and then a mono print is pulled. Ink is added to define shapes or add fine line trees. Each of these are 5" x 7". 

I also create quote cards using this technique. 
​The cards are various standard card sizes with envelopes.