WHAT TIME IS IT???? TIME FOR ART JAM

January 22, 2011 noon to midnight

If you have not attended this event put on by my good friend Tricia Ratliff, you are missing out. This year she has gone overboard. She has gotten sponsors and expanded the program to include drawing sessions with model, product demos, lectures on how to present your work to galleries, how to use photoshop for compositions, how to photograph your work for competition, much more, and of course the FAMOUS PARTY! And, it is all FREE!!! What??!!! Yes Free. Where else can you get this programing for free?

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeiksa07e2yfg509724477bb

I'm attaching the weblink here. If nothing else, you have to come to the party. The party is an opporutunity to exhibit your art work (or art form) in a gallery setting with museum quality lighting. Put your latest work on the walls or play acoustic guitar. Fine art models attend as do folks looking to swap art for lodging. The last time I brought a painting to ART JAM, it sold off the wall--no commission ! I didn't expect that at all and didn't even take but one photo of the painting. Bummer for me, it was a cool painting.

SEE YOU THERE!

Winter Course

Teaching at ArtSpace Herndon

I will be teaching my winter course at ArtSpace Herndon-starting tomorrow!!!. The class lasts 8 weeks (once session per week) and I'm thrilled that most of my class is made up of returning students. We have a great time. In addition to offering what I consider to be "short cuts" to achieving realism (dare I say useful instruction), the class is a blast. We listen to music and have some finger food and paint like crazy. I'm so impressed with the students. I wish I had progressed as fast as they have. Real talent in the class and I will definitely have to show you how much in a future blog.

Tomorrow I hope to find beautiful cabbages with extraordinary leaves for the set up. Yeah...right. Does anyone know a farmer? I would love real fruit and veggies unadultered by the grocerty stores. Now is not the time--I know--but as usual I have to plan ahead. I also have come to the conclusion that I have to build a garden next year to get the "quality" subject matter I need. Okay, let me clarify, someone else is going to have to build the encasement I need in order to stop the deer from ravaging everything I plant and dig the holes for the plants. I will simply water and fertilize. I do love the deer however...I think I'm the only one.

Work in Progress - Triangular Tomatoes

Here is the latest "unfinished" painting I'm working on. I had to take a break, why I'm not sure. But sometimes I just have to do that. Painters block tends to happen when I'm almost done, which is not good since I've put about 12 hours into this already. Also I can't seem to find a frame I like for this painting from JFM Enterprises, my favorite frame store (sometimes you have to plan ahead so everything is ready for the shows) . This is a big painting 36 x 36 so I don't want a huge frame. JFM is out of the floater frame I want and has been for months. Anyway, I thought I would show some progressions. Given the almost finished state, the changes will be less noticable, but what the heck. I will be adding the leaves, which are just blocked in. Also will refine the cloth and tomatoes to give more depth. Still a bit blocky for my tastes.

Another reason for putting this one aside is the fact that I got inspired by a photo of elephants my friend took while on safari in Africa. I swear her photos are National Geographic quality. Amazing and again inspiring. I will share progression photos in the next few days of the elephants. At this point I just have the drawing that I completed in the car on the way to my mother's house over the holidays. Stay tuned.

New Painting Exhibited for First Time

Here is another painting that I finished right before the private exhibit. The art exhibit got so busy that I didn't even get a chance to get it out of my car on the first day of the exhibit. The other problem was I had ordered frames specific for the show but they didn't arrive in time. I have a stockpile of frames, so it wasn't a problem except for this one, which is an odd size. I debated whether to show it at all because it was unframed, but I decided to on the last day of the exhibit. I got a really good response despite not having a frame. This was an actual bouquet of flowers I bought from LynnVale Flower Farm over the summer. I thought the flowers were so beautiful I just had to paint them. Of course the flowers have such a short life span that I started live and then finished from a photo. I also added a few wild flowers from my field (the buttercups, daisies). I plan to do more of these 12 x 12 paintings on board. They are so happy and colorful, they make me smile and wish for spring.

Private Exhibit

I haven't had a chance to write since the private sale in early December. What a great event that was and Tricia's house looked beautiful. Many thanks to her. What a great place to have an art show. She installed a hanging system when her and Walter built their house so you can move paintings of different sizes around without making holes in the wall. Brilliant! I sold four paintings. I'm so happy that they have found new homes. Thanks to my patrons!! I wish I had taken pictures of the event, but honestly there was not a minute of down time, so my best layed plans did not occur. Here are a few of the new painting I exhibited for the first time. The photos are not that good of the paintings. Too much glare on the left side of "Figs" and slightly off kilter. I will have to retake the photographs at some point.