Cat Art Show - Benefit for the Cat House

Our local screen printing shop/gallery Screen Ink is hosting an event next month to benefit The Cat House - a no kill animal shelter and adoption facility here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I love my feline friends and was happy to make a piece for the show.

Here are a few process images from drawing to completed piece. I get asked quite often "how long does a painting take you", well..... it depends a lot on how well I know the subject, size, if things are going "well" with the painting layer. But this specific cat painting (3.5 x 5 inches) took me about three hours.

The final scanned image. This painting will be part of the show, and proceeds from gallery sales will be donated to The Cat House. So if your in Lincoln stop on by for First Friday in November at Screen Ink!

Freestyle 50

Friday night was the opening to Freestyle 50 at Screen Ink. There was an amazing turnout and lots of great skateboards!

The show will be up till the end of the month, check it out if your in the area.

Visit Freestyle 50 for more details about the show and artist lineup.

Tree Fort Reading Club

As summer draws near I think of of my grade school days of hanging out at the pool and camping with my family (both of which I still love to do), but another aspect of the season that I loved was the summer reading program at our local library. Read so many hours and you get a little prize pack and certificate (can't really remember what the prizes were?), but I as always so excited to start logging my hours.

Reading is certainly a pretty common theme in my work these days, rabbit reading in a hammock or badger curled up with a good book. I love how reading can reveal wonderful adventures and worlds (currently reading The Wheel of Time series by Jordan), same goes with a favorite movie (finally watched the newest production of Adventures of Tin Tin and LOVED IT.) or video game (currently loving Xenoblade Chronicles).

Tree Fort Reading Club, 3.25 x 3.25 inches, Gouache & Ink on paper,

© Nicole Gustafsson 2012

Fox sure made herself a little spot to catch up on a good book. So far she's the only one in the Tree Fort Reading Club, but I'm sure that her other friends will join :)

This original painting is available in my shop. SOLD

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Coming up this Friday are the openings of two group show's that's promised to be so gooood!

Freestyle 50/50 at Screen Ink in Lincoln, NE

Come join us for the reception May 4th, from 7 - 11pm.

Meme show at Gallery 1988: Melrose in LA, California

Celebrate the wonders of the internet, reception May 4th, from 7 - 10pm 

Freestyle 50 - Skateboard Exhibit

Opening next month is the Freestyle 50 Exhibit at Screen Ink here in Lincoln, Nebraska. 50 local artists and designers use blank skateboards as their canvas and paint away. Part of the proceeds from the skateboard sales benefit Skate For Change, a skateboarder organization dedicated to helping the homeless by hitting the streets and handing out food, water, and hygiene products to those in need. Here are the details for the show:

Freestyle 50 Exhibit

Opening reception Friday, May 4th  - 7 to 11pm

 Exhibit up through the month of May 

At Screen Ink

For my board I decided to do a forest city inhabited by wonderful little raccon-like creatures called Tanuki. Some are coming into the tree village while others are pruning the trees and doing a little yard work.

My love for the animal first originated in Super Mario Bros 3 for the NES. Later when I went to Japan, my host family had a stuffed Tanuki in their house which they decorated in a traditional clothes and walking stick. Such fascinating little creatures!

If your in the area, stop on by for the reception May 4th, from 7 - 11pm in Downtown Lincoln.

Thanks for coming!

Thank you everyone who made it out to Screen Ink last night for the reception!
It was great to see both new and familiar faces. Here's some photos from the evening.

 There was live screen printing that night on t-shirts.
Here the color is being printed by the pro's at Screen Ink!
 

The show will be up at Screen Ink for the entire month of February.

Store Hours:

Monday thru Friday: 9am - 5pm

Upcoming Show at Screen Ink!

Pantone Forest

Paintings by Nicole Gustafsson

Exhibit Showing February 4th - 25th

Reception: Friday, February 4th, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
At Screen Ink

416 South 11th Street  |  Lincoln, NE

If your in the area please stop on by for the reception next Friday. 

There will be live screen printing on T-Shirts with a design I created, plus food & drink and friends!

Snow Day!

Today was the first day where we got a "pretty snow" where I live in Nebraska, and also meanings that it's a SNOW DAY! All the schools are closed and many businesses are taking a day off. For me, I'm catching up on some design work and painting some new pieces for my upcoming show.

Here is a sampling of paintings that will be in my upcoming show at Screen Ink. All of these are painted on Rives BFK paper. I originally bought it (way too much!) for my printmaking because it is great for etchings, but I also found that it is great for painting too! It's nice and cushy/smooth to paint on. (Goodbye way-too-expensive watercolor paper - for now anyway!)

Have a great *snow* day!