Heather Watts - Pg9 - Oasis Velvet Mini-Preview (more to come)

Hey - 30 days 30 paintings, cool.

I've been giving myself a limited amount of time on some of my new stuff. Seemed to stop me over working them.

If you have time post some pics for us poor souls that can't make oasis.

I am so excited to be getting one of these paintings this year!

Hi Heather -

I didn't purchase a painting last year but it was cool to meet you and hang out for a while.

This year I'm going to rectify the situation and purchase a beautiful painting from you. There is a certain anxiety in the back of my mind, you know, what if you sell out before I arrive...kinda like a dream where a monster chases you but you can't run because of marshmallow ground. I'll have to be totally spontaneous and not pick a painting out in advance for fear of not being able to buy it, I'll just have to make a lightning decision Saturday morning..that's what makes it fun and unpredictable..a microcosm of Tiki Oasis itself.

See you next month. Positive energy your way from Sylmar in your efforts of one-a-day. I can't even imagine that goal and I paint too :)

Cheers! Greg

Aloha Heather,
I am so bummed I cant make it to the u.s tiki oasis this year- i would have loved to see your paintings up close.
I think I'm going to dedicate a bag for you, would you mind me re-creating something in bag form ? I do love velvet too and i love to applique layers of colours !
If thats ok, I will show you what i come up with.
Smiles from down under..tiki diva love.

What a slew of new work.

And such a high level of design!

Hi Heather,
It was great seeing you again at Oasis.
I'm posting my commissioned piece.

Here is "Kiddle Island". My amazing boyfriend commissioned this piece for me for my Birthday last year.
It merges my two obsessions, vintage Liddle Kiddle dolls and Tiki, well maybe three obsessions if you throw in Heather's art.

Thanks for doing such a great job on this. It is my most prized possession.

hugs,
Darilyn

Hi again everyone!

First thanks so much to everyone for all the wonderful comments and sorry for not replying individually yet!!!! Thanks also to everyone who came by to show their support at Oasis IX! I can’t believe a month has already passed since then… I guess that means there are only eleven more left to go on the countdown to next year (I better get painting!)

Special thanks to LiddleLola for posting the Kiddle piece! I've been meaning to post that for ages, but between the disorganization of my hard drive and my infrequent stops in to Tiki Central I still haven't gotten to it! The frame on that one is carved by my friend Patrick Robinson, and I love how it captures the old vintage velvet frame style but with a sort of mid-century simplicity. Perfect!

Anyway, I just dropped by to post a few quick pics here of a piece you might recognize from Kavakon's newest album "Tiki for the Atomic Age". I'm totally stoked because I just got it framed today in a beautiful custom wood & bamboo piece by TabooDan (of Taboo Tiki). Mahalo Dan! :)

Enjoy!

"Tiki for the Atomic Age"
by Heather Watts, 2008
12" x 12" Acrylic on Panel

[ Edited by: Travellin' Tiki 2009-09-14 20:50 ]

wow Heather this is my first time seeing this piece. its fsntastic. I see a sugestiveness in the brush strokes. niiiice.

Beautiful!
A perfect storm of beauty and humor
Polypop and Atomic Age!
Thanks for the close-ups!
One of my favorite thing to do at a museum or gallery is
to get reeeeeal close and see the layering and process of the artist!
Thanks for being so talented
and such a sweet kid!

"A perfect storm of beauty and humor "

Afterall Kinny, isn't that what every guy wants in a girl?

Love ya, Jen

Beautiful work Heather. Great to meet you at Oasis and see your work in person.
Your velvets have unbelievable pop! I cant wait for Oasis 10. I will definately
take time to see everyones art next year. Cheers

this as a 30ft X 30ft piece would look incredible. Didn't know this Kava Kon piece was THIS good up close. Way Way great.

You've bound to have something new by now!

Well, shame on me. My last post was September?!?!?!

Sorry it's been so long all! Since my last post I have good news and bad news. The good news is GROG, you're right, I do have lots of new work to post. :) The bad news is I won't be making it to tiki Oasis this year. :( Mike and I are taking our vacation time to travel back east later this month and spend some time with his family and meet our very first nephew, newly born in May! We're really excited, and I'm still making plans to try and send some paintings down to Oasis with another vendor, so at least I will be there in spirit. It won't be the same, but c'est la vie I suppose. I'll also have a cast in the Tiki Oasis Keep-a-breast Auction for breast cancer awareness so be sure to check that out too if you're at the event. The thread is here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35879&forum=18

I'll start by posting some from 2010 and catch up with 2009 later. Most of these have already been posted on my Facebook page if you're following me there: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heather-Watts/80412485683?ref=ts

I'm going to miss you all at Oasis this year, but ironically, it will probably motivate me to post here more often since I won't be getting my annual 'fix' in San Diego. For those of you that are headed to the event, have a wonderful, fabulous, fantastic time, and make sure to get out and support the keep-a-breast auction, as well as the hard-working artists and vendors who help make Tiki Oasis so unique!

Enjoy the new art and see you on TC soon with more!
Heather :)

"Lil' Silkworm"
5" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet
(he was at Harold Golen Gallery's Hukilau Show "Polyblend")

"Silkworm Sailors"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet with Rhinestones
(these little guys were also at the "Polyblend" show)

"Travelin' Tiger"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet
(also at the "Polyblend show)

"Demon Drummer"
6" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet

"Birdwatchin'"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Frame by Patrick g. Robinson
(this little birdwatcher was at Bold Hype Gallery's recent show "False Idols")

"Zombee"
5" x 7" Acrylic on Black Velvet with Rhinestones
(this guy is currently at MF Gallery's "Zombies Attack Brooklyn" show.

"Sun Worshiper"
8" x 10" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Frame by Patrick g. Robinson

"The Moth Queen"
11" x 14" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Vintage Velvet Frame

"The Butterfly Queen"
11" x 14" Acrylic on Black Velvet
Vintage Velvet Frame

amazing as usual!

I saw your paintings at the Harold Golen exhibit at the Hukilau! Beautiful work!

Just plain stunning Heather!

Big Props -

[ Edited by: Babalu 2010-07-02 07:56 ]

Looking forward to seeing your art at Oasis again this year Heather!

Awesome stuff. You're really mixing up the characters lately. This thread was quite for awhile, I was afraid you had stopped painting velvets.

Yay!!

You've really got the black velvet thing down! Great work.

Wow, they are all so perfect and beautiful. Wendy

Man, these are beautiful! Well worth the wait.

Cool new ones, always happy to see you around.

Love 'em all but Travelin' Tiger's my fave!

Nice!!

Butterfly and Moth Queen...
You're so Awesome,Heather!
Brilliant in execution
Brilliant in Concept....
YAY!

I had the pleasure to see the silk worms in person at the hukilau. Beautiful work Heather. I get real excited to see an updated post from you.......

Heather!?!?!
Where are you?
probably painting...
let's see!
:)

Haha--yes ken, if I wasn't here I was definitely painting. :wink:

Despite my best intentions I always seem to fall off the posting bandwagon as fast as I climb on... paintings have to be painted, shipments have to be shipped... it's a tough life :wink:

Anyway, here's my little official announcement that a few of my velvet paintings are now safely in San Diego awaiting their day in the Sun at Tiki Oasis 10! I've been a vendor at Tiki Oasis now every year since 2004, but as some of you know I won't be attending this year. Hodadhank of Freaky Boutiki will be showcasing a few paintings for me at his booth in the vendor's marketplace on August 21-22. I was only able to send a few pieces this year, but I'm still happy that I'll at least be able to make a showing and be there in spirit through my art.

I'm going to post a few preview pics here this week (and on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188150&id=80412485683&saved#!/pages/Heather-Watts/80412485683 ) so here are a few for tonight and more to come tomorrow!

Here's a good shot (from an odd angle) of one of my smaller paintings for the event.

A work in progress pic from one of my paintings: I know I don't post a lot of this sort of stuff--it can mess with my head to post too much of my process sometimes I think, but here's a nice one that shows the texture of the velvet. The painting is a car (the half-finished black part on the right is the hood and headlights.)

Close-up pic of frame carved by Patrick g. Robinson on one of my Oasis velvets.

Packing my shipment for San Diego... Try not to get too excited! :wink:

That's it for tonight! Sorry to rush through this--I still haven't replied to all of your replies which, by the way, mean a lot. It's tough sometimes making art for people I don't see very often, (or haven't met!) I often don't get the direct feedback I would doing sales face to face out of a studio or gallery. But when I post here, I always feel encouraged and valued in my work, and that is something every artist needs! So thank you all! :)

However, on that note I should go, because my poor old computer is trying not to overheat on a warm Vancouver day.

Back soon with more (I promise!) :wink:
--Heather

Go Heather! Thanks for posting. G

patiently awaiting...

we will miss you at Oasis.

More! More! More! Here you go! :wink:

I love how the rhinestones go on the velvet... my way of putting a little coco joe in some of my pieces. As you can tell I'm just posting this to tease you, because it doesn't show much else... but I love the colors in this one.

Did you know tiki torches grow naturally in some parts of the world?

The same work in progress I posted yesterday, but you can see the whole thing here. A few pics of the characters finished below:

The guy in the upper right hand corner of the work in progress:

The driver... hmm maybe I should have rotated this one? :wink:

And finally, a happy little butterfly riding on the front of a canoe:

AAAAAW! You're such a tease!
love the in-progress shot.
it proves you're only mortal
and can be kidnapped!
:)

I Got The Watts!!

http://www.spike.com/video/i-got-motts/2902728

I dig the closeups, you're getting such gorgeous colors!