ARC Salon Finalist!

I am happy to say that I have been selected as an ARC (Art Renewal Center) Salon Finalist! I submitted five paintings and won't know until next month when the competition winners are announced which one(s) were chosen as finalists.

So, here are the five..wonder which one(s)?  Do you have a favorite?

Autumn Sunrise, Lennox Woods

18 x 24

Dusk-Edge of the Woods

18 x 24

Summer Song

25 x 21

Autumn-Pecan Bayou

40 x 30

Morning Light

24 x 30

Work in progress

I am working on a couple of larger pieces in the studio. This is an underpainting I did this week, 36 x 48. Down the road from us our neighbor Rick has a gorgeous grove of huge old white oaks that I walk through pretty much everyday. We have some big beauties on our property too, but he has more and in morning light they are magnificent . The small pond (or "pool" as they are called here in NE Texas) is actually elsewhere on Rick's land, but I "moved" it.

New Headers!

My friend and student Phoebe Chidester just designed two new headers for my email newsletters. I wanted some designs that were specific to various groups that I provide occasional newsletters to. She did a beautiful job- thanks Phoebe!

New Studio Mate?

When we got home from the Florida workshop, a wild kitty has taken up residence in the fenced portion of our backyard. Quickly, she discovered that our three dogs were not willing to share, so she relocated to behind the studio and frame shop. Of course, we started feeding her, and then we named her. She is called Luna. She showed up right around the time of the full moon and also about the time we went on the Luna Moth hunt in Lennox Woods. Plus, she is sort of a silvery color. So, Luna seemed right.

We've been down this road before. At our farm in Florida years ago we ended up with about 13 cats. They were really wild and catching them to neuter them all made us uneasy about trying that again. They all lived to ripe old ages but stayed wild and never forgave us! But, Luna cooperated, readily taking her meals in the pet carrier we put outside the shop.

This week, Steve rigged a spring loaded closure for the door, and voila! Luna was whisked to the vet for shots, spaying, worming and antibiotics for a wound on her hip.

$200 later, she is back home. We decided to put her in the studio until she recovered a bit more. But, now she is letting me pet her and even pick her up so...maybe she's the new studio cat!

Interview in the Studio & an Upcoming Class

Pine Bark Study

This past month, Allen Phillips filmed an interview in the studio for the Lennox Woods Project. So, click on over and take a look!

I have a few spots left in my Field Sketching for Landscape Painters online class which starts May 25. Here's a description of the class:


Working from Nature and direct observation is the time honored way to learn how to paint landscapes. Unfortunately, many aspiring landscape painters miss the essential first step: learning to draw and sketch in the field. If you are unable to draw the landscape you will have a much more difficult time learning to paint it convincingly. Most classes and workshops jump into plein air painting without giving students any tools to make a success of their efforts. This course is designed to give you the tools to draw and sketch in the field with confidence, both improving your plein air paintings and leading to better, finished work in the studio.

Topics covered will include:

~drawing materials and techniques
~a history of field sketching and study of examples of 19th century field sketches (drawings, watercolors and oils)
~how to do close studies of elements in Nature, value studies and thumbnails sketches
~how to use field sketching to gather reference material for studio work (and eliminating your dependence on the camera!).
~how to use field sketching to aid in working from memory and imagination




Here's the link for information and registration.