Signature Membership in MSW

Today I was granted signature membership in Mid-Southern Watercolorists by virtue of having five paintings juried into their annual open shows.  Here's an image of my painting in this year's show - Arlington Hotel.

Ozark Foothills FilmFest Branding Image

Each year, the Ozark Foothills FilmFest holds a statewide competition to find an image for its festival poster, program cover, and website.  One of my watercolor paintings, Summer on the Farm,  has been chosen as the branding image for the 10th annual FilmFest, set for March 23 -27 in Batesville.  I will have an exhibit of many of my paintings at the Batesville Area Art Gallery March 8 through 25, and will do a painting demo at the gallery on Friday, March 11, from 6 to 8 pm.  If you can, please stop by on March 11 to say hello and enjoy my demo.  If not, try to take in my exhibit sometime during March.

Brush Strokes Painting of the Month

My painting Big Ol' Barn won Painting of the Month honors at the December 10 Brush Strokes meeting.  This painting is based on a large barn I came upon in Ohio.  The painting is for sale for $325 framed, and is hanging in the Coronado Center in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas until January 14.

Best of Show in Brush Strokes Exhibit

I'm pleased to report that my painting Gallery Walk won Best of Show at the Brush Strokes Garland County Library exhibit. Selma Blackburn was judge. The show is very nice and worth a look; stop by to see it during July and August.

Best of Show in Brush Strokes Exhibit

The Brush Strokes art club holds its major exhibit each year at the Woodlands Auditorium in Hot Springs Village. This year I was awarded Best of Show for my half-sheet watercolor painting Arlington Hotel, depicting the famous Hot Springs icon. The judge was artist, instructor, and author Bob Rohm. The exhibit continues through the end of June.

Second Prize at Diamond National Exhibit

My painting Clinton Avenue Looking West was awarded second prize in watercolor on paper at the 2009 Diamond National Exhibit sponsored by the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs. This painting and one other of mine that was juried into the exhibit will be on display at the Center at 610 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, Arkansas, throughout the month of September.

Award at Brush Strokes Woodlands Exhibit

Brush Strokes is holding its major 2009 exhibit  at the Woodlands Auditorium lobby in Hot Springs Village from April 15 through May 31.  At our reception on Friday, April 24, I won the 2nd place prize in the professional category for my full-sheet painting High and Dry.  This painting is based on a scene I came upon at a marina in Maui, Hawaii.  The exhibit was judged by Frank Francese.

Third Place Award in Featured Artist Exhibit

My painting Seahawk has been awarded third place in the Featured Artist contest sponsored by the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs.  There were 143 entries in all media from across the state.  The exhibit was judged by local artist and Henderson State University art professor Gary Simmons.   The painting will be on exhibit at the center until October 28.

Second Place Award in 2008 Diamond Exhibit

My painting Passing Time has been awarded second prize in the watermedia on paper category in the 2008 Diamond Exhibit sponsored by the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs.  The painting will be on exhibit at the center until Tuesday, September 30.

Painting Chosen for 2009 Artist Engagement Calendar

This week, I was notified that my painting Seen Better Days has been chosen for the 2009 Artist Engagement Calendar to be published by the Arkansas Governor's Mansion Association.  Over 320 artists from across the state entered work that was judged by out-of-state jurors, and 88 were chosen for the calendar.  This is the second year that an artist calendar is being published, and the second year I have been chosen for this honor.

Ratindra Das Workshop and Brush Strokes Exhibit

Last week I attended a 3-day watercolor workshop in Hot Springs Village taught by Ratindra Das and sponsored by Brush Strokes.  I learned some important things about managing paint on wet paper, and I painted four paintings wet on wet on a vertical easel.  However,  I don't favor Ratindra's "flat shapes" painting style, and was unsuccessful replicating it in my paintings.  I've attached a painting of sailboats in a harbor on Maui that I did in the workshop, but it looks a lot like my usual style.

Ratindra also judged the annual Brush Strokes exhibit hanging in the Woodlands auditorium lobby in Hot Springs Village, and I was awarded second place for my painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn.  This is a rather old painting.  I had planned to exhibit a different painting, but it sold from my This Fair Land exhibit at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs in March.

Second Prize in Richard Stephens Students Watercolor Exhibit

Richard Stephens sponsored an exhibit for everyone who took his beginners watercolor course at the Garland County Library.  Richard has been teaching this six-week course for about eight years.  I took his course in the summer of 2004 - it was just about the first watercolor course I attended.  I entered the painting Lazy Afternoon into Richard's exhibit, the same painting juried into the 2008 MSW Annual Exhibit (see 2nd previous post).  At the library reception on March 5, I was awarded second prize.  Gary Simmons was the exhibit judge.  Richard has been a very positive influence - both in training and encouragement - during my four-year watercolor journey.

First Place in Diamond Exhibit

Yesterday evening I was awarded the First Place Purchase Award in the Watercolor category of the Diamond National Juried Exhibit for my painting Lake House. I was surprised and honored, as the quality of the paintings in this exhibition is very high. Thanks to everyone who worked to make the exhibition a success, and especially to judge Marlene Gremillion, president of Mid-Southern Watercolorists and an accomplished artist and art teacher.

The award was $750, with my painting going into the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs. I'm very excited about having one of my paintings on continual exhibition at the Fine Arts Center.

Arkansas Artist Calendar Competition

The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Association is planning to publish an arts calendar to introduce the work of Arkansas artists. A panel of jurors chose 88 works for inclusion in the first annual calendar, and from those entries, several will be purchased for the Mansion’s private collection. I am happy to report that my painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn has been chosen for inclusion in the calendar.

Mid-Southern Watercolorists Gold Award

This year the 37th Annual Mid-Southern Watercolorists Juried Exhibition included 38 paintings selected from 172 entries submitted by members from 9 states, and I felt fortunate to have my painting Biker juried into the exhibit. The exhibit is ongoing until May 19 at the Cox Creative Center, 2nd floor, 120 Commerce Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. It is a terrific venue... one can stand in the center of the exhibit area and see almost all of the paintings without having to walk from room to room.

Last night awards were announced, and I was extremely pleased to receive the Gold Award, the top award, for my painting. It was a real honor to be highly placed among so many excellent watercolor artists, and an experience that I won't forget for a long time.

Biker was also selected by the Arkansas Art Center as part of an 18-painting traveling exhibit that will be shown in vairous venues around Arkansas during the rest of 2007.