Two more paintings for The Waterfowl Festival

These small oils will be part of my exhibit at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, November 13, 14, 15.

"Golden Pond"  6" x 6" oil

"Waiting Game"  7" x 7"  oil

I've lifted the following from the Waterfowl Festival's website, which offers a good description of the show.

A Wildlife Arts & Sportsman's Expo

The ultimate weekend for the sophisticated sportsman or art lover. Twelve venues throughout Easton feature world-class wildlife paintings, sculpture, carvings and photos. Collectible decoys, sporting gear and adventures to delight every outdoorsman. Also scheduled are World Championship Calling Contests, decoy auctions, retriever, fly-fishing and stunt dog demonstrations, kid's activities, and evening concerts. A festive atmosphere topped by great food and music make this event a must each November. Free parking and shuttle service.

A Small Town Celebration

Paying homage to the annual migrating Canada geese flying overhead, Easton closes colonial streets, decorates historic buildings with natural greens, and recruits 1,500 volunteers to greet 13,000 visitors and 300 of the nation's finest wildlife artists, craftsmen and vendors with a ready smile and a helping hand. Excitement radiates throughout the town and neighboring St. Michaels, Oxford and Tilghman Island. Enjoy the 39th annual Festival, the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, fine restaurants, and quaint shops lining historic streets.

A Commitment to Conservation

"Waterfowl Festival, Inc. is dedicated to wildlife conservation, the promotion of wildlife art, and the celebration of life on Maryland''s Eastern Shore." In its 39 years, the Festival has become a leader in the conservation of waterfowl and wildlife habitat. More than $5 million has been raised and donated to projects throughout the Atlantic Flyway, and in particular the Chesapeake Bay.

American Art in Miniature - Gilcrease Museum

My painting, How Now, has sold at the annual Gilcrease Museum's annual exhibition American Art in Miniature, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.    It may well have been the smallest and the least expensive but it sold, which is what this is all about anyway.  

If you'd like to see the show,  go to http://gilcrease.utulsa.edu/  then click on American Art in Miniature 2009.  There are some fabulous pieces - it's worth taking a few minutes to check it out online.

Speaking of Tulsa - I am represented by the Pierson Gallery in Tulsa.  It's a great gallery - and they do well for me.

The Waterfowl Festival - right around the corner!

This will be the twenty-third year that I've exhibited at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.  I can hardly wait  for the mad dash from BWI to the Washington Street Pub in Easton (with artist friends Melanie Fain and Joe Garcia) where we eat too much steam & peel shrimp.  I'll be painting right up until the time I leave so I'll be ready for a little R & R.

These are some of the smaller oils I'll be showing at the Waterfowl Festival.   I'll be at the Elks Gallery again this year.  I'm looking forward to seeing my friends there!

SOLD    "Socked In"  6" x 6" oil

SOLD    "Chesapeake Stroll"  6" x 6" oil

"Trio"  6" x 6" oil

"Storm Across the Valley"

This is the last piece I painted during the week of the Sedona Plein Air Festival.   I was in Jerome - freezing cold - so I sat in the car and painted the view across the Verde Valley to Sedona.   I would like to paint this piece really large.  Of the six paintings I did this past week - this is my favorite.

SOLD

"Storm Across the Valley"  8" x 8",  oil

Sedona Plein Air Festival week

Phew...it's been a long week.  It started with glorious weather but by Wednesday we were painting in a snow storm.  Well...snow flurries, perhaps - but snow nevertheless.

This morning, the artists gather at L'Auberge - here in Sedona - for a 'quick-draw'.  Last year I painted the a couple eating breakfast at the outdoor creek side restaurant.  This year, I doubt anyone will be eating outside!  Still too chilly.

These are three of the six pieces I have done this week.

8" x 8"  "Local Color"

8" x 8"  "Quince - Warm Refuge on a Cold Day"

(Jerome, Arizona)

                                       SOLD

9" x 12"  "Sedona's Best"

Oak Creek Market and 'Sedona's Best' ice-cream parlor in uptown Sedona

Sedona Plein Air Festival

SThe Sedona Plein Air Festival starts tomorrow with a paint-out in uptown Sedona, with 32 artists from all over the U.S., including me.   I have a few spots picked out for tomorrow's painting session,  but will probably be painting at the intersection of Jordan Road and Hwy 89A from 2:30 - 5 pm.      On Sunday, October 25th, I'll be painting in front of Windrush Gallery from noon - 2 pm.

One of the festival artists, Latvian artist Larisa Aukon, www.aukonlarisa.com,  will be staying at my house for the week - and artist Joe Garcia, www.joegarcia.com,  and his wife, Anne, will also be here for the festival.  Artist Susan Faust www.susanfaust.com,  will also be painting with us!  So it will be a busy week - painting all day then washing down the bugs and dust with a glass or two of wine in the evenings while discussing the joy and challenges of our day's work.

I painted this piece last year in uptown Sedona and was honored to receive the Curt Walter's Award.

Yellow Umbrellas - Uptown Sedona

SOLD

Painting plein air is so much more fun when you share it with good friends.

Three new pieces for Legacy Gallery

These are 12" x 12" oils on Ampersand cradleboard.  Similar to 'gallery wrap', the painting surface sits is on strips of 2" deep birch....a more contemporary feel and no frame needed

"Lines and Spines"   SOLD

"Hooks and Crooks" SOLD

"Pins and Needles"  SOLD

Sonoran Moonrise

I recently did a small painting titled, 'Red Sky at Night'.  If you scroll down a few posts, you'll see it.  I really liked the feel of it - so I used the same colors for this 8" x 8" oil, 'Sonoran Moonrise'.

'Sonoran Moonrise' will be in Legacy Gallery's Holiday Small Works Show.  www.legacygallery.com
The show opens on Thursday, December 3, 2009 with an artist reception from 7 - 9 PM. 

Tip for cleaning brushes....

This morning, I was cruising (or is it surfing?) around the internet, checking the blogs of some of my favorite artists. Among them is Carol Marine. www.carolmarine.blogspot.com

Check out her 'painting a day' oils. Clean, vibrant color and great compositions.

Anyway, she has a great brush cleaning tip that I'd like to share:

Murphy's Oil Soap! It leaves brushes nice and soft, AND you can put old, dry, caked up brushes in a jar of it for 24 hours, wash them like normal, and every last bit of paint comes off.

Hope Carol doesn't mind that I lifted this off her blog and partially quoted her. I did leave out the bit that 'it smells good' as I cannot stand the smell of the stuff. In spite of the awful smell, I'm running out today to buy a large bottle. Finally I can save some brushes that I forgot to clean.

Birds in Art

The Wall Street Journal has a great article on the Birds in Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574417023686769120.html

My painting, 'Cold Embrace' is in the 2009 exhibit. 'In the Wind' was in last year's exhibit and is still traveling with the year-long national tour.

For more information on the annual Birds in Art exhibition, go to: www.lywam.org