Summer Highlights

Juggling the Good Stuff

Summer is typically a juggling challenge – trying to keep all the balls going at once: the standard ones like work, family, friends, then toss in warm-weather adventures, parental acrobatics, travel, gardening… And this summer, a new one, teaching! So, it was a season full of good things where the biggest challenge was keeping all those balls in the air! It was overall a blessing, but one that leaves me looking forward to the transition into Fall! As the season shifts, I wanted to share some highlights of Summer and thoughts for Fall - both in the studio and beyond!

A Summer Exhibit & A Final Festival

This July marked my first invited gallery show and the final Wedgwood Art Festival, a beloved neighborhood tradition. In a very nice twist from the many applications I pursue, I was invited to participate in the Summer Exhibit "In and Out of Weeks: Time in the Landscape" at Studio Piano Nobile! It was fun to see my forest works in their beautiful gallery space in the historic former school located in the “Lower Brick Building” at the Phinney Center, with amazing tall old windows, vintage library light fixtures, and views of Green Lake.

July also brought my second year at the Wedgwood Art Festival. It was bittersweet to be part of its closing chapter, yet I’m so grateful that I was able to participate again. It was one of the hottest weekends of the summer, so I’m extra grateful to all that came out to share and support us makers and creatives! Thank you also to the Our Lady of the Lake for hosting this local gem for 11 years! If you missed it, please take a look in my Shop and Recent Works pages for some of my available works, or get in touch to come by the studio by appointment. I'll be adding more small works and prints to my Shop later this Fall.

Heron at the Winter Pond by Teresa Stern on view at Studio Piano Nobile

New Workshops + Classes

I had long considered teaching, but had worried about how to fit it all in. This year I decided it was time to take the plunge, and I’m glad I did! I really enjoy sharing what I’ve learned over the years with others, and watching the creations of my students come forth! Making art can be such a therapeutic endeavor, not to mention being fun and social in a group class context.

Getting things going definitely has taken an upfront investment of time - to develop new curriculum for a 3-hour oil pastel workshop, along with several new designs for Paint & Sip style step-by-step classes and private parties, and creating setups for a new series of Still Life Drawing sessions. Plus, I'm just getting started outlining a new Introduction to Drawing 4-week series. I’ve been partnering with local businesses for some amazing venues. Necessitated by my small art studio, this approach has turned out to also be a wonderful way to connect with new audiences and work with some truly passionate and inspiring people.

The "Bold Landscape Minis" Oil Pastel Workshop was one of my favorite classes of the summer, since we had time to delve more deeply into the process. Designed with beginners in mind, we explored abstract composition through a cut & paste exercise and a guided sketching process to learn the basics of landscape layout. From there we dove into mark making and drawing with colorful sets of oil pastels. Watching participants lean into creative exploration, and embrace experimentation was quite gratifying. And, it was such a success we'll be offering the same workshop again this Fall! The next oil pastel workshop will be on Saturday October 4th, from 10-1pm, in the lovely workshop space at Studio Piano Nobile in Phinney Ridge; please register through the Piano Nobile link HERE. The class is great for beginners, or for those at any level wanting a social and creative activity.

Artist Teresa Stern teaching composition and oil pastel drawing.

Teresa shares tips on creating sketches from photo references.

A student artwork created during the Bold Landscape Minis Oil Pastel Workshop.

Family Adventures

Our family summer travels focused on the Pacific Northwest this year. We had an urban adventure in Vancouver, B.C. that leaned into public and alternative transit. We let Amtrak take us across the border, and then enjoyed Chinatown, Gastown, and Stanley park by foot, bike, bus, and light-rail. We caught some art exhibits (of course), visited with friends from Gibson, and shared a spooky tour in Gastown filled with ghosts and tales of survival in the Old West, vice, and murder… We also managed a trip closer to nature, camping with friends along the Green River on a very hot weekend. I highly recommend Lake Nolte State Park, which is close by, for an excellent swimming and small craft lake. A dip in cold but not too cold water, that’s the way I like to beat the heat! Both trips definitely helped me recharge and get my creative energy back up!

Painting Outside

I had that great paint-out in Index at the end of May, and then didn’t really get to paint much outside until a Volunteer Park Paint-out in August! I did a lot of sketching though, as well as painting and drawing as part of teaching preparations, so the creative flow was there, just redirected for awhile. As soon as the “back to school” rush was complete, I got out again to paint the Seattle skyline and test a new-to-me vintage pochade box gifted to me by a friend. There’s definitely special energy in painting outside, and I always learn something new. It also keeps me inspired and connected to the natural world that so often finds its way into my art.

Looking Ahead

Summer has filled me with gratitude - for the chance to create, to share art with others, and to spend time in beautiful places. Summer also took a lot of my energy, and I'm looking forward to slowing down and carrying all the summer inspirations into the fall - with more time in the studio to paint, plus opportunities to teach and connect using the new classes I've developed so far this year.

Upcoming classes and exhibits are listed on my Events page, or please subscribe to my newsletter to get semi-monthly updates on classes, events & new artworks!