Riding Through Central Park

"Riding Through Central Park"

Day 15

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

The inspiration for this painting came from our carriage ride through Central Park.  I have been painting so many city sidewalks and buildings for this 30 day challenge and this was a nice diversion to add a splash of nature into the mix.  

I think this painting shows the much needed balance of the hardscapes and steel structures against the calming forces of nature.  As I have said before, New York City is blessed to have so many welcoming green spaces scattered throughout this vibrant city that provide a welcome respite for all to take advantage of.  

Urban Corner

"Urban Corner"

Day 14

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

This scene may look familiar to you if you saw my pitiful posting yesterday.  I decided to use the same photo but I changed the format to an upright composition.  In addition, I also used a brush exclusively to complete this one instead of a palette knife. I also changed the color palette drastically and I am much happier, though not completely pleased, with this version.  This 30/30 January challenge road I am travelling has lots of potholes along the way but it is a journey worth taking because I am learning new things each day and that is what this challenge is all about for me.  

Thanks for coming back to join me in my journey.  Let's see what happens tomorrow!

Urban Soho

"Urban Soho"

Day 13

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

This 30/30 challenge for me is about discovering and trying to learn something that is totally out of my comfort zone.  I am sharing it for all to see and some days that can be embarrassing but so be it.  I am stretching myself and without struggle I cannot grow.  So please bear with me as I continue to stretch.  Look away if  you must!

Cobblestone Street in SOHO

"Cobblestone Street in SOHO"

Day 12

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

We had just left Kate Spade and we wandered up Mercer Street and noticed the cobblestone streets.  I did a little Google search and learned Mercer, Wooster, Greene and Bond Streets in SOHO are in a protected historic district.  The cobblestones are actually flat rectangular Belgian granite and were brought over in the 1830's as ship ballast much like what I have always known about some of the streets in Charleston SC.  Charleston is a favorite city of ours to visit since it is only a three-hour drive from where we live.   

I am doing this 30/30 challenge to help me with perspective and that is why I choose this street.  I am sort of pleased with the perspective on this one but it is not realistic to have a NYC street without cars so I had to attempt them.  Please overlook my poor excuse for these vehicles!

I plan one more piece tomorrow using this same Qiang Huang limited color palette so I hope you come back tomorrow for Day 13!

The Roosevelt Hotel

"Roosevelt Hotel"

Day 11

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Can't believe it is day 11 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge but I am still standing so that is good.  I am really enjoying myself and learning little things each and every day.  It is demanding but it truly is fun.  

One evening we were on 5th Avenue and got caught in the masses of people looking at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and the spectacular light show on the facade of Saks 5th Avenue.  As soon as we could we ducked down 45th Street to escape the crowds and came upon this beautifully lit Roosevelt Hotel.  It was so magical to me and I snapped several photos.  It was built in 1924 during the Roaring Twenties and Guy Lombardo and his orchestra played there for 30+years and even broadcast "Auld Lang Syne" from there one New Year's Eve!

I had already chosen my photo of the Roosevelt Hotel to paint today and I had just received Qiang Huang's blog where he talked about using a monochromatic color palette of black, white and transparent red oxide.  I felt this would be a perfect image to try to use his limited palette.  Since I already had these colors I started mixing and only added a little yellow ochre to bring in the bright lights needed.  I used a brush but a lot of palette knife for added texture.  Check out his blog if you are not familiar with him.  He does a lot of beautiful still life paintings but also does street scenes from his trips to China.  I have long admired his skills and hope you will check him out!

Central Park View

"Central Park View"

Day 10

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Today I felt the need to play with my palette knife and be loose and carefree.  I am learning that the hard edges and angles needed to define buildings are cramping my style!  I normally paint landscapes which allow me to be much looser than the angles of buildings require.

One afternoon we did something that has been on my bucket list of things to do while in New York City...take a Central Park carriage ride!  It was so nice to sit and enjoy the scenery and learn a little about what we were seeing such as the history and purpose of what some of the structures are and what movies and television shows were filmed in certain locations of the park.  We also learned which celebrities had apartments in which buildings overlooking the park.  I shot many photos from our horse-drawn carriage so you may see some more of these.

I really loved playing today and learned a lot.  That is one of the things that this challenge is supposed to do.

Radio City Music Hall

"Radio City Music Hall"

Day 9

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the annual Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.  We attended an early morning performance which gave us several hours later in the day to continue our trek through the city.

This show features not only the very talented and precision-dancing Rockettes but live animals like camels and donkeys when the Nativity scene takes over the stage.  It is quite moving and reinforces the real reason for our celebration of Christmas.

We used the subway system to get to far off places and my daughter Kim and daughter-in-law Leah were very knowledgeable when it came to figuring out where to get on and get off once we decided where we needed to go.  It is nice when roles can be reversed so my granddaughter and I could just be tourists and let them make all the decisions and calculations.  Age has its benefits!

A Tree Grows in Washington Square

"A Tree Grows in Washington Square"

Day 8

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

When I was a young girl, I read a book called "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith.  Since we had hoped to get over to Brooklyn via the Brooklyn Bridge but ran out of time, I snapped several photos of trees in Washington Square Park that will just have to suffice!

As I mentioned yesterday, New York has given its residents and visitors a welcome respite in the middle of all the hustle of the big city.  The parks give a quiet place to sit and reflect or join in on the frivolity of the area.  We chose to sit and relax and take in the scenery before moving on in our travels in the city that never sleeps!

Washington Square Arch

"Washington Square Arch"

Day 7

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Washington Square Arch is a very imposing marble structure in the Greenwich Village area of lower Manhattan.  It was built in 1892 to celebrate the centennial of GeorgeWashington's inauguration which took place in 1789.

We were walking down 5th Avenue and all of a sudden happened upon Washington Square Park and this huge Arch.  I don't know if this large evergreen tree, which was decorated for Christmas, is there all year round or was erected  to give it a more festive quality for the holidays.  My daughter said she always remembered seeing the Arch when she watched "Friends" back in the 1990's.  I will have to look for it the next time I see some reruns.  One of the many wonderful things about New York City is that green spaces such as this park pop up just when you need them which can force you to sit and relax and take in the atmosphere.  The park had hundreds of NYU students, tourists and others milling around, relaxing and enjoying the day.  We even saw a group of groomsmen gathered for a photo op.  Never did see the bride!

I hope you come back tomorrow to continue your tour of Manhattan!

"Kate Spade Shop"

"Kate Spade Shop"

Day 6

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Here is my entry for Day 6 in my journey on perspective for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

Late Saturday afternoon on our one full day in the city we were exploring lower Manhattan and really enjoyed our time wandering through SOHO and the many interesting shops in that area.  Kate Spade, with its brightly lit interiors, made for a great photo op.  This painting really was a challenge for me with all its angles but since that is what I have decided to tackle this month, I took on the challenge.  But just let me tell you it was an exhausting day!

Hope you enjoy these street scenes and hope you sign up for my blog to continue receiving them in your email inbox.  See you tomorrow!

"Joe's Pizza"

"Joe's Pizza"

Day 5

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Continuing with my paintings for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and my quest to improve my perspective skills (or lack thereof), I offer you my Day 5 painting of "Joe's Pizza".

On saturday of our weekend trip to New York City in December with my daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, we explored so much of mid to lower Manhattan.  We walked and walked and experienced so many places that I have never been to on previous trips.  In fact, my Fitbit told me I walked just under 24,000 steps that day.  That may not be a big deal for your body but believe me for this body that is quite an accomplishment!  I loved every minute of it and really enjoyed experiencing so many new places.  

For lunch we fortunately found Joe's Pizza on 14th Street near 3rd Avenue.  I had a HUGE slice of Joe's Caprese pizza.  Let me tell you how delicious it was and I urge you to please put Joe's Pizza on your "must eat at" list when you are visiting New York.  

NBC Studios

"NBC Studios"

Day 4

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

On our last day in NYC we had the wonderful opportunity to see the amazing Radio City Rockettes in their annual Christmas Spectacular.  We had tickets for an early performance but we made good use of our time and roamed the area around Radio City Music Hall.  We strolled down W. 50th Street on our way to see the Rockettes and passed by the NBC Studios entrance of The Tonight Show.  I wish we had the time to go inside but we did not on this trip,  I love Jimmy Fallon and it would have been exciting to go inside to roam around a bit.  I guess I will just have to add that to my list of things to do on my next trip!

Daytime in Rockefeller Plaza

"Daytime in Rockefeller Plaza"

#3 of 30

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

Granted, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is not as glorious in the daytime as it is in the evening, but the beautiful blues skies and balmy temperatures we experienced in early December still make it exciting to see.  This perspective of the tree viewed from a lower plaza level down near the ice-skating rink makes it look like the skyscrapers are falling in on the tree.  My resident art critic says it looks funny but I am pleased with it!  

I hope you will continue to follow along with me as I wander the streets of New York City.  My challenge to myself is to work on perspective and all these cityscape photos I took give me the perfect inspiration.

Stately and Elegant

"Stately and Elegant"

#2 of 30

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

I do not know what this building is, but I thought it was so elegant in its simplicity.  I loved the touches of greenery and red ribbons signaling the holidays.  We were walking down 5th Avenue near NYU and we were just a couple blocks away from the Washington Square Arch near Washington Square Park down in Greenwich Village.  Stay tuned...you just might see a painting of that scene too.

Thanks for following along with me on my travels thru New York City.  

Olive Market

"Olive Market"

#1 of 30

6"x8" oil on canvas panel

$75.00

     Time to once again dust off the ole blog!!!  I am once again participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  For me this month will allow me to focus on angles and perspective, a skill for me that sorely needs improving!

     In early December I flew to New York City with my daughter, daughter-in-law and almost 13 yr old granddaughter for a wonderful girls weekend experiencing NYC during the Christmas season.  I think the hundreds of photos I snapped on this trip will provide me with plenty of practice working on perspective and architecture as well as document memories of a fabulous time in NYC.

     I hope you follow along with me as I roam the streets of New York City.  This particular scene was snapped through the car window as we were heading back to the airport.  I loved all the lights sparking through the windows as we drove by.

     

Pumpkin Patch

"Pumpkin Patch"

8"x6" oil on panel

This past week I went plein air painting in a local pumpkin patch and had a hard time deciding what to paint while I strolled among the sea of pumpkins.  After a bit I settled on this grouping of pumpkins scattered at the base of a clump of corn stalks.   I brought it home to tweak the background and I am pleased with how it turned out.  

Nancy Franke Workshop

     Attending a Nancy Franke workshop has been on my bucket list for a couple of years now.  I put my name on the cancellation list and fortunately, due to some cancellations, I was notified two weeks before it started that I got in!  It was a two-day Ease and Flow Paint a la Prima workshop in Highlands NC.

Nancy paints with a very limited palette of Titanium White, Cadmium Lemon, Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium.  She loves linen canvases or panels and her favorite brush is a #12 long flat Rosemary brush.  I was introduced to Rosemary Brushes three years ago and have several of them so I already had on hand what she suggested we might want to think about using.  After lightly drawing her composition with vine charcoal she uses her egbert brush to form the flowers or foliage on her canvas.  Here is her beautiful floral demo along with a photo of her still-life setup that she did for us the first morning.  I think the canvas size is 30x24.

The first thing she had us do is paint a still-life setup of three pears with ONLY a paper towel dipped in Gamsol and then in our squeezed out paints.  No brushes allowed!  I won't bore you with my pitiful rendition, but try it for yourself!  She gave us 30 minutes to do this and it is interesting what you can come up with.  Then she gave us another timed session of 45 minutes and I painted these white roses with my #12 Rosemary flat on a 14"x11" linen canvas.  It is my favorite piece of the five panels that I painted those two days.

Next we painted some hydrangeas in another timed session of just a little over an hour.  Let's just say I got carried away and my hydrangeas are about twice the size they should be!

The next morning she produced a beautiful demo of a little girl on a 24"x18" canvas.  She spent more than 30 minutes drawing and redrawing this little girl.  She did not like what she drew and wiped it all off and started all over again until she got what she wanted.  She said to figure it out before you commit!

My big takeaways from Nancy are to use BIG brushes i.e size 10 for a 6"x6" canvas, size 12 for larger canvases, negative space on your canvas is your friend and most importantly be free and expressive and have FUN doing it.  

She is a petite little thing but energizes you with her infectious spirit and immense talent.  Her workshops are FUN.  I encourage you to study with her if you get the chance.  Here is a parting shot of Nancy and me at the end of the workshop.  

Plein Air Convention - Part Two of Two

Asilomar Beach

On Tuesday, April 14, after attending the 6:30 am Art Marketing Bootcamp and watching numerous demonstrations by several of the fabulous artists I mentioned in Part One, we headed out in the late afternoon to paint Asilomar State Park in Pacific Grove in the beautiful sunshine but with 25-40 mph winds!  The Pacific Ocean is very deep and mighty but with those winds coming in off the shore, it made for a very exhilarating afternoon of painting. "Extreme Painting" is a term that comes to mind because you had to hold down your easel with one hand while tying to apply the paint to your panel with the other hand!

One of the very special aspects about attending this convention is getting together and spending time with the four other artists that I traveled with. We planned and talked about this spectacular trip for almost 9 months.  Another  delight was seeing old friends and instructors from other workshops I have attended in the past and meeting in person and spending time with the dozens upon dozens of Facebook "friends" that I have followed over the past several years.  We met, clicked and spent several days with the very talented pastel artist in this group photo below after we finished lunch on Fishermans Wharf.  His name is Jz  and he has a fascinating story to tell.  He is married and we are all married but we decided to call this photo "Jz and all the married ladies" because of  Beyonce and her single ladies tune!

Another wonderful thing is meeting and talking with artists like Quang Ho.  I was walking thru the vendors booths and came across him in the RayMar booth and asked if he would mind if we snapped a photo.  He is such a gracious and sweet man and his demo on Thursday was spectacular and a joy to watch.

On Wednesday we painted in the late afternoon at Lovers Point just a few miles south of Monterey.  The winds were calm and we had another beautiful day to paint.    On Thursday we drove down to Carmel by the Sea and painted at Carmel Mission Ranch overlooking a pasture leading out the the ocean with dozens of sheep grazing,  That was quite an unexpected scene.  We then drove around the corner where I snapped several photos of Carmel Misson before we headed back to our Portola Hotel  and the convention sight for another art-filled evening. 

The official convention activities concluded on Thursday afternoon but we were scheduled to paint all day Friday on Fishermans Wharf.  That day turned out to be a very special and enjoyable day and I completed four plein air pieces that day.  It is hard to imagine but let me tell you how exciting it was to be on the wharf with several hundred of your closest friends painting the gorgeous views that you saw at every turn.  

At some point on Friday afternoon, all of a sudden all these artists that I follow on Facebook just appeared together and I told Dottie we just had to have a photo taken with them.  They are Becky Joy, Debra Groesser, me, Dottie Leatherwood, Shelby Keefe and Jane Hunt.  Very talented ladies indeed!  Check them out on Facebook to see if you don't agree!

The 4th annual Plein Air Convention was a glorious week spent in the California sunshine with special friends and new-found friends and it will always be such a wonderful memory for me.  Thanks for taking the time to read this blog but I really wanted to put my thoughts together and share some of my memories with you!

 

Plein Air Convention - Part One of Two

Recently I attended my very first Plein Air Convention in beautiful Monterey CA along with 700-800  other fellow plein air enthusiasts from around the world.  This trip has been in the works since last June when one of my good art buddies suggested we attend.  Our gang of five met three years ago at a workshop in Atlanta and we have since then attended several other workshops in various places in the South but this is the first time we hopped on a plane and flew across country to paint!

Here we are:  Robin Rohwer, Connie Gaertner, Dottie Leatherwood and me getting caught up in the moment and enlisting in the Plein Air Force.  Karen Rose was missing from this photo.  Sorry, Karen!

Karen and I attended a 1 1/2 day pre-convention workshop with  the very entertaining C. W. Mundy.  When I first began painting several years ago I tore a photo of one of his paintings out of a magazine because I thought it was so beautiful.  So when I learned I could study with him, I jumped at the chance since he is cutting way back on his teaching schedule.  I filled pages of my notebook with his nuggets of wisdom and then watched him paint a 16x20 UPSIDE DOWN painting from a recent study he had done of the rocks and crashing waves.  He painted this in 30 minutes and worked another 30 minutes to add more color and details.  It was fascinating to watch!

Plein Air Magazine sponsored this 4th annual Plein Air Convention and it is a VERY well organized event filled with seminars, art discussion and demos by so many plein air and non-plein air artists.  The convention started each morning at 6:30 am for Art Marketing Boot Camp with Lori McNee and Eric Rhoads.  I am NOT A MORNING PERSON but each day I was there along with hundreds of others to learn about social media, blogging and a myriad of others ways to share and market our artwork.  Each day we bounced from one demo stage (with two huge screens so everyone had a birds-eye view of the palette and painting of the guest artist) to another to watch Bryan Mark Taylor, Roger Dale Brown, Lori Putnam, Jason Sacran, John Lasater, Brian Blood, Lem Chmiel, Carolyn Anderson, Susan Blackwood, Debra Joy Groesser, Bill Davidson and Quang Ho.  And these were just the demos that I watched!  

Many other stages were filled with pastel and watercolor artists.  And this was just during the daytime hours!  In between sessions we would wander out into the vendor booths where every art supplier you could imagine was giving away samples and selling their wonderful toys/wares!    Each day the convention would break at 4 pm so we could hit the beaches and other sites to plein air paint for 2-3 hours then return to our wonderful hotel to drop off our gear to get ready to attend the nighttime sessions watching young Russian painters doing portraits from live models to painting nocturnes along the wharf to listening to critique sessions by C.W. Mundy and Carolyn Anderson and Lori Putnam and Quang Ho.

The daily schedule was exhausting but so much fun!  We ran on adrenaline most of the time but since everyone was there for the same reason-to learn more about this passion we all have-we went from one session to another with eagerness.  

I hope you will come back for Part Two!

Riverbend

"Riverbend"

30"x40" oil on gallery wrap canvas

$1800.00

For this most recent session of classes at Butler Studio, Curt stretched us to use color vibration to design and build our composition.  He showed us how to employ abstract impressionism by building our painting slowly using abstract color notes with varied brushes and knives to VERY SLOWLY bring about our design.  He kept telling us that we should not see the subject until about the 4th class of  the 5 week session!

My color vibration was blue and green.  My colors consisted of a limited palette of ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow deep, titanium white, burnt sienna, cadmium yellow lemon with a small amount of magenta (one of my new favorite colors) to add the purple/lilac mountains in the distance.

Here are a couple progress shots showing how this painting slowly came to life.

Stage 1 progress shot

Stage 2 progress shot (sorry about the light bulb glare)

The final class yesterday was spent adding more greens in the tree masses, brightening some of the sky and adding that same brightness to the flowing water.  I am very tickled to see those strokes of purple in the water to balance the same colors in the receding mountain range.   I was very pleased with how this one turned out and am always very grateful for all Curt does to help me "see the light".

Dining Room Sunlight

"Dining Room Sunlight"

10"x8"

I feel much better about this interior scene.  I loved the wonderful sunshine pouring through the bay windows and the shadows that resulted.  The beautiful home of my son and daughter-in-law have provided the photo source for this scene and the one I posted last week.  I am sure they were wondering why I was walking around their house snapping photos here and there!

I subscribe to a blog written by a wonderful plein air artist from The Netherlands by the name of Roos Schuring.  A few days ago her blog featured these words:  "Fail fast, fail some more.  Admit the failure and do better.  Failing can be fun.  Failing is a given."  These words resonated with me as I am struggling with these interior scapes but I keep plugging away and hopefully some day I will win!  

The struggle continues...

The Quiet Room

"The Quiet Room"

8"x10" oil on panel

One thing I have learned as I've grown older is that I am strong enough to put artwork out there that is not up to my standards...case in point, this piece of artwork above!  

I have been attempting a few interior scenes lately to stretch myself and also because I have always admired scenes of this sort.  I have learned that it is VERY difficult to pull off successfully.  I may do a few more to continue to practice but really want to learn how to do this so much better.  Someday I would love to take a workshop from someone whom I have long admired-Anne Blair Brown-and who does this type of work so well.

By the way, the color of these blue chairs on my monitor is very electric blue and not at all like the color I have painted them.  I usually do not have this issue but it is very evident in this image.  

Evening Glow

"Evening Glow"

10"x8" oil on panel

This is a diversion from my usual landscapes, but I wanted to give it a try.  I always admire the interior scenes done by other artists so I went around the house a few nights ago and tried to set up and capture scenes that might work.  

I have a couple more to paint, so please stay tuned!

"Henny Penny"

"Henny Penny"

12"x12" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

$325.00

This colorful lady is not shouting impending doom like her namesake in the famous children's story but is simply saying "look at me" in all my multicolored glory!

There was considerable discussion as to whether she/he is a hen or rooster but I am the artist and I went with hen!

Bessie

"Bessie"

16"x16" oil on canvas

$450.00

This purple cow is quite a departure for a painting topic for me.  But I must say I really like the way she turned out!  My photographer friend Jennifer graciously gave me the photo to use and I really let my creativity run with this one as far as the color goes.  Using various shades of purples and the complementary yellows really allow this one to stop you in your tracks when you first see it!  My sister-in-law Linda named her which is a good thing because I was going to go with the mundane "purple cow"!  Very original, don't you agree!!!

Art Studio Cleanup and Organization

CLEAN STUDIO-AFTER

MESSY STUDIO-BEFORE

After putting away all the Christmas decorations and getting my house back in order, I decided to tackle a very overdue project---MY MESSY STUDIO.  Since these past few days in January have been rather dreary and gloomy, I have put my time to good use by putting some order back into my studio!  For the last few years I have used an unfinished door that I bought for $8 at Habitat Restore.  I stained it and it made a very nice desktop atop some old filing cabinets for my studio.  As  you can see, it also allowed me to put anything and everything I had in my hands on it!.  My husband would always shake his head when he comes into my studio and ask me how I can operate with a mess like that but I have to be IN THE MOOD to take on a project like that.  These dreary days prompted me to clean up my act!  It actually has stayed this clean for several days now!  

These chrome storage shelves were ordered from Amazon because we could not find the size I wanted (72"x36"x24") in our local stores.  It arrived in two days, was easy to put together and Steve inserted these dowels in between each shelf to hold things upright and separate the multitude of frames and old canvases that I wanted to store.  I found some never used carpet remnants in the attic from when our house was built 13 years ago and they provide the perfect cushion so frames, etc do not get damaged.  Now everything is in its place and very easy to locate.

You will notice that I have not posted any photos of the OTHER SIDE of my studio!  Actually it is not that bad-just a little cluttered.

Bass Lake Stroll

" Bass Lake Stroll"

8"x8" Oil on Panel

SOLD

Earlier today I received a very welcome phone call from Debbie, the owner of Providence Gallery here in Charlotte, telling me that this little painting sold shortly after New Years.  This was a study I did last spring from a photo Steve and I took in Blowing Rock a few years ago.  Bass Lake is a lovely small body of water about a mile or so from the quaint downtown streets of  Blowing Rock NC.  After doing this study, I created a 24"x24" painting of this same scene.  Love getting phone calls like this-great way to start 2015!!!

Hotel Metro

"Hotel Metro"

30"x30" oil on gallery wrap canvas

$1,200.00

Hotel Metro was the hotel my daughter Kim and I stayed in a couple years ago when we traveled with her Meredith College alumni group to New York City.

The theme or topic for the past five-week session in my art class at Butler Studio was city lights and nightscapes and I felt my photo created the perfect scene.  It was fun playing with the bright, shiny night lights, making reflections on the marquee ceiling and adding the figures walking along in front of the hotel in the city that never sleeps!

NYC Ornaments

"NYC Ornaments"

6"x6" oil on panel

$350.00

For the last three years, I have entered the Randy Higbee 6" Squared Exhibition and Sale.  Every painting submitted must be 6"x6".  Randy owns the Randy Higbee Gallery and also owns King of Frame where he sells beautiful frames to artists all around the country and the world.  Each year, I have been fortunate enough to be juried in.  This year, "NYC Ornaments" was juried into this hugely popular show.  I think almost 1,200 pieces were submitted.  I am not quite sure how many pieces were accepted but those that are accepted are all framed in his beautiful floater frames and are displayed in his Costa Mesa CA warehouse/gallery with a huge opening reception in early December.  He always posts videos of the opening on YouTube and Facebook so all the artists can participate virtually by watching the videos.  It is exciting to see the people mingling among all the paintings displayed.  It is quite impressive to see hundreds of paintings all the same size displayed all around his well-lit gallery space.  

I took this photo in New York City two years ago while my daughter Kim and I were coming out of Radio City Music Hall after seeing the Rockettes perform their annual Christmas program.  For those who have been to New York, you know how HUGE these ornaments are!  For those of you who have never seen them, take my word for it-they are probably a story tall!  

Very excited and honored to be included in this show!  

Highway 84

"Highway 84"

24"x36" oil on gallery wrap canvas

$995.00

This is a piece that I completed back in the Spring and I don't think I have featured it on this blog before.  I recently entered it into the annual Paul C. Rhyne Art Competition sponsored by the Arts Council of Lincoln County.  The judge awarded it an Honorable Mention and I was thrilled to read the comments made by the judge.  I think most artists would agree that when a piece you have worked hard on to create wins an award of any sort, it is very gratifying.  I know I certainly am!