Richard Stephens Workshop

I recently attended a 3-day workshop given by Richard Stephens and sponsored by Brush Strokes.  It was great, as usual.  Richard's demos were varied... a barn, an urban scene, and a portrait.  I followed his pattern, and produced three reasonable paintings (all shown here).  His portrait demo particularly captured my imagination, and motivated me to try a few additional portraits after the workshop.  But it's been a struggle... so, what's new?  Richard is a great teacher and painting coach, and I've learned an awful lot from him.

Holiday Exhibits

During December, besides my normal exhibits at Artists Workshop Gallery and ArtChurch, I have a painting Country Christmas (shown here) hanging in the Coronado Center in Hot Springs Village until mid-January, and two on display in the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs Members Holiday Exhibit.  I hope you can stop by any or all of these venues and enjoy my artwork.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Alvaro Castagnet Workshop

From Sunday Nov 9 through Thursday Nov 13 I attended a watercolor workshop in Columbus, Ohio by Alvaro Castagnet.  He is a fantastic artist, and quite a character.  Alvaro believes the primary goal of an artist is to interpret the world around him.  He paints with subdued, or grayed, hues, with some bright color as accents.  He uses squirrel mops almost exclusively.  He enjoys painting plein air, but the Columbus weather did not cooperate, so we painted inside all five days.  He basically did paint-alongs, where he repainted a painting he had done previously, and we followed along in two or three steps.  I don't normally like paint-alongs, but because of his unique style and approach, it was a very valuable exercise.  Using the mop brushes, and concentrating on soft and dry brush strokes and deep darks, I finally painted loose paintings, and paintings of city scenes - both of which I have been working to accomplish.  I was exhausted by the end of the week.  It will be exciting to work to incorporate Alvaro's approaches into my own paintings during the coming months.  I've included images of alvaro and of two of the eight paintings I completed during the workshop.

Exhibit at ArtChurch

Beginning this month, I will exhibit paintings at ArtChurch at 301 Whittington Avenue in Hot Springs.  ArtChurch is a new art venue created by Terri and Marc Menefee by renovating the old Haven United Methodist Church.  It includes display space, space for art classes, studios, a performance stage, and the Menefee's living quarters.  I've provided eight paintings that should be hanging by gallery walk on Friday, November 7.  Unfortunately, I'll be out of town then, so the first gallery walk when I'll be present at ArtChurch will be on December 5.  Please stop by ArtChurch anytime and take a look - it's quite an unusual venue.

2008 Brush Strokes Galleria

The Brush Strokes Art Club of Hot Springs Village will hold its 2008 Galleria this coming Saturday, November 1, from 9:30 until 2:00.  There will be over 40 artists exhibiting their paintings, demonstrating, and offering paintings, prints, and cards for sale.  The Village Strings will provide music, and light refreshments will be served.  Come to the Coronado Center this Saturday to enjoy the art and the atmosphere.  I've included a photo of my table from a previous Galleria.

New Paintings in October

For the last few months, I've been trying to "teach myself" to paint city scenes.  I've made a little progress, but I've also been getting frustrated.  So I decided to take some "time off" and paint a few paintings of my more usual subjects - waterscapes and landscapes - in my traditional style.  I worked at Artists Workshop Gallery two days this past week, and each day I painted (almost completely finished) a half-sheet painting (cut down a bit to better fit landscapes).  They're shown here... one is from a photo I took from our cruise ship, departing Domenica in the Caribbean; the challenge was to paint convincing clouds.  The other is a farm scene that I came upon near Paron, Arkansas.  I like them both.  It was therapeutic to regress for awhile.  In November, I'll be taking a workshop from Alvaro Castagnet, and I'm hoping that will help me understand better how to paint cityscapes.

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.

Calendar Signing Event

My painting Seen Better Days was chosen earlier this year for inclusion in the 2009 Arkansas Artists Calendar.  On Friday, October 3, Gallery Walk evening in Hot Springs, I joined Arkansas first lady Ginger Beebe and other area artists at Gallery Central to autograph copies of the calendar.  It was a fun event - I met many artists whom I had heard of but not yet met, and said hello to many current and potential clients.  The gallery was mobbed... in fact, all of Central Street was humming.

2009 Arkansas Artists Calendar Signing Event

I am fortunate to have my painting Seen Better Days featured in the 2009 Arkansas Artists Calendar.  The calendar is on sale at many galleries across the state.  First lady Ginger Beebe will be signing these calendars at Gallery Central, 800 Central Avenue in Hot Springs, on Friday evening, October 3, from 5:30 to 7:30, during Gallery Walk.  I plan to join her to sign the calendars, and will also have this painting on display and for sale at Gallery Central that evening.

My painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn, featured in the 2008 calendar, will be on display and for sale that evening at Artists Workshop Gallery, 810A Central Street, just a few steps down from Gallery Central.  2008 calendars are still available for sale.

I hope you can join Ms. Beebe, me, and other artists for this fun event.

Arkansas Artists 2009 Calendar Reception

On the evening of September 10, Jeanette and I attended a reception for artists and sponsors involved in the 2009 Arkansas Artists Calendar at the Governor's mansion in Little Rock.  It was a very nice event, with the Governor and Mrs. Beebe in attendance, as well as many calendar artists and sponsors.  A lot of energy was devoted to artists autographing each others' art images in the calendar.  I plan to join Mrs. Beebe at a calendar signing event at Gallery Central in Hot Springs on Friday evening, October 3.

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.

Cookbook Cover Art

In June I reported on a commission for my church - Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church - a painting of the church for the cover of the yearly cookbook published yearly by the United Methodist Women.  The cookbook has now been published, and the cover looks good.  There have been a lot of positive comments about it (and about the original painting) by church members.

Painting Accepted into 2008 Diamond Exhibition

This week I learned that my painting Passing Time was accepted into this year's Diamond National Juried Exhibit.  This Exhibit is sponsored by the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, and draws talent in all mediums from Arkansas and neighboring states.  The opening reception is scheduled at the Fine Arts Center, 610A Central Avenue, Hot Springs, at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 5, Gallery Walk night.

Brush Strokes Exhibit at Garland County Library

Today was the reception and announcement of winners at the annual Brush Strokes juried show at the Garland County Library.  This is the best Brush Strokes show I've seen.  I entered my painting Fresh Shrimp (shown here) but didn't win a ribbon.  I've included a photo of the winners who were present, along with Gail Sheasby who organized the exhibit, and Richard Stephens who juried and judged it.  It's very worth a trip to the library to see this show.

Featured Artist at Artists Workshop Gallery During July

My art will be featured at Artists Workshop Gallery, 810A Central Avenue in Hot Springs, for the month of July.  My opening reception will be on Gallery Walk Evening: Friday, July 4, from 5 to 9 p.m.  I hope you'll be able to drop by, say Hello, and enjoy the art.

I will be showing many new paintings of all sizes, including seascapes and landscapes.  Both paintings accepted for the 2008 and 2009 Arkansas Artists Calendars published by the Governor's Mansion Association will be on display.  I also have done several new paintings of Hot Springs landmarks.  I'll also have many matted, unframed paintings available.

If you can't make it on July 4, my paintings will be on display all month at the gallery; the hours are 11 - 5, Monday through Saturday.  This is the last major exhibit that I have planned for this year, so I hope you don't miss it.

Commission For My Church

Several months ago, the United Methodist Women of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church requested that I do a painting of the church for use as the cover image for their 2008 cookbook.  Like all commissions, it was a bit of a struggle, as it needed to be more realistic, or "architectural", than my normal style, and it had to be in a vertical format to fit the cover, even though the church is a low, rambling building.  I painted a large sky and foreground to provide space for the text planned for the cover.  I completed the painting in April, and once we were sure my image of the painting was acceptable to the printing company, I framed the painting (half-sheet size) and presented it to my pastor, Mike Morey.  Everyone who has seen the image or the actual painting seems to like it.  It feels good to be able to use my art in service of my church.

New Paintings of Hot Springs

Over two years ago I did six paintings of Hot Springs - five of the bathhouses, and one of the three "ladies of court", the well-known pastel-colored houses on Court Street.  They all sold fairly quickly.  Recently, I decided to do a few more Hot Springs paintings, shown here.  All can also be viewed in the gallery on my website, and most will be shown in my upcoming exhibit as featured artist for July in Artists Workshop Gallery.

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.

Close of Show at the Fine Arts Center

My exhibit at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs closed last week. Unfortunately, neither of the Gallery Walk evenings worked well for me... the Fine Arts Center closed for the actual evening, due to snow earlier in the day, and we had very few visitors for the following Friday's special reception. However, my sales at the Center were good, with seven original paintings and a fair number of prints and notecard sets finding new homes during the month. To top it all off, due to some heavy rain around the end of the month, five of my paintings hanging in the Center suffered water damage. Fortunately, the paintings themselves and their frames were not damaged, but I needed to disassemble, clean, re-mat, and reassemble them.

My next major exhibit will be at Artists Workshop Gallery in Hot Springs for the month of July, with an opening reception during Gallery Walk on July 4. Perhaps we'll see some of of the art fans who did not make it to my exhibit at the Fine Arts Center. I also have my large painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn currently hanging in the lobby of the Woodlands Auditorium in Hot Springs Village.

Painting Donation to Habitat for Humanities

Members of Brush Strokes art club donate original art to each new Habitat for Humanities home. It was my turn on Saturday, March 15. I donated my painting In The Woods, 26" x 36" framed, to the new homeowners at 103 Vivien Street in Hot Springs: Brenda Hammock and her daughters Shakedra and Shoniqua. It gave me a good feeling; I hope it helps them to turn their new house into a home.

Our Fair Land Exhibit - Reprise

My opening reception last Friday was cancelled because the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs closed due to bad weather. I am happy to announce that the reception has been rescheduled for this Friday, March 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. I am told that several galleries which closed last Friday will be staying open late. I hope you will be able to stop by this Friday to say Hello and enjoy the art. If you cannot make it, my paintings will be on display (without me) at the Fine Arts Center until April 2. The Center is open Tuesday through Friday 10 - 4, and Saturday 12 - 4.

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.

Our Fair Land Exhibit

I am featured artist for the month of March at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs, 610A Central Avenue.  I will be exhibiting over 30 paintings, a number of which have never been shown before.  My painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn (shown here), whose image is included in the 2008 Arkansas Artists Calendar published by the Governor's Mansion Association, will be included.  Most of these paintings capture the beauty and tranquility of Our Fair Land - rural America and its coastal waters.  I will also have some matted, unframed paintings and prints available.  Please stop by and say "hello" at my opening reception on Friday, March 7, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., during Hot Springs Gallery Walk.

Painting Juried Into MSW 2008 Annual Exhibit

This week, I found out that my painting Lazy Afternoon was juried into the Mid-Southern Watercolorists 2008 Annual Exhibit.  This is a vignette style painting, and is one of my all-time favorites.  I feel fortunate, as there are many high-quality submissions to the MSW exhibit each year.  I'll also be displaying this painting at Richard Stephens' Student Exhibit at the Garland County Library in Hot Springs during March.  The Reception for that exhibit is at 5 pm on Wednesday, March 5.

Portrait Demonstrations

Because I won the Gold Award at the Mid-Southern Watercolorists 2007 Annual Exhibition, I was invited to present "How I Did It" at the January MSW meeting.  Because of time constraints, I spent most of the time describing my portrait-painting process, and just demonstrated a few of the steps.  I've attached a photo of me in the process.  (It was more fun than it looks like.)

I'll be repeating this program at the Brush Strokes meeting on February 22.  There, I'll do the painting vertically, to avoid having to have the overhead mirror set up.  I've also prepared a handout of the steps so people can leave with some simple instructions.