Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50

Thoughts from a Closet Regionalist

Dry/Canyon, Mountain Series, oil on board

Having recently read the interesting post on Edward Winkleman's blog about his thoughts on Regionalism, I had a small Epiphany of my own.  I am a Regionalist.  Not such a horrible thing, when you think about it.  There are numerous artists we all could name who are seen as internationally recognized stars of the art world but - who are, at the core - Regionalists.  So yes, I am a Regionalist.  I live and paint my environment, as I experience it.  As I want to share it with those who live in areas quite different from mine.

We most often learn about Regionalism in the Art History classes, looking at Grant Wood, or Thomas Hart Benton.  There is an odd quirkiness about their Depression Era work; it carries the negative stigma of being the kind of art that attempts to "reassure America with scenes of idyllic rural life." Art we would - in today's volatile political arena - dismiss as pandering to an unsophisticated audience looking for their Thomas Kinkade fix.

I admit, after reading Winkleman's open thread, I was feeling an insidious fear that my work was really just "Tourist Art from Quaintsville."  I had to remind myself of all the artists who inspire me, and the common theme I find in their lives - that they all felt the need to remove themselves from what was their equivalent of New York.  That they all isolated themselves, in an effort to discover their own sense of who they were and, more importantly, why they felt compelled to create the art that they did.

(image: Afternoon Light, Mountain Series, 20x30, oil)

I am also a realist.  I'm willing to acknowledge that my work will only show in New York if I participate in the National Association of Women Artists Annual Membership Show again.  The ambitious part of me mourns the idea that I will never make it in this rarefied arena - and the other part acknowledges that my passion has already taken me in a different direction.   Which - after all - it is the path that suits my art, the way I paint, the ideas that inspire me, and the stories I want to share. The stories many collectors appreciate.

This quote from Zen teacher Cheri Huber is on my studio wall because it is the most important thing for me to remember: "Every time we choose safety, we reinforce fear."

Because there is safety in crowding into the center of the herd, where you aren't as likely to be taken out by the predators. Safety in blending in and adopting a form of camouflage by looking just like everything else around you.

(Image: Eye of the Sleeping Man, 22x28, oil)

There is safety in not raising your hand, not sticking out your neck, not taking that road filled with rocks and weeds where you might suddenly find yourself lost and alone. And ignored.

But maybe, being an artist is what you are, not what you do, and if you honor that part of your creative life then you must also honor your personal voice.  If nothing else, this recession has been a gift to me in this respect.  I have discovered the freedom to explore ideas related to my art and my process that I would never have had the courage to express before - partly because no one seems to be looking right now, and I say that with all respect and warm humor.  It's like we are all waiting in the wings, and no one knows when the curtain will go up, but some of us are so fearful we will miss the big event we can't move from our spot. 

Maybe a negative concept like being a Regionalist Artist is the kind of impression that can keep you rooted in place, seeking safety.  Or maybe it is a concept that expands your way of thinking about your art. By working through the clutter of generalizations in Winkelman's post and continuing thread, it is possible to see that if we wanted to, we could describe everyone as a Regionalist - the Conceptual artists who require a continuing dialog with like minded people to fuel their work, the landscape artists drawing inspiration through environmental ideas, even the dismissive term of Quaintsville denotes a "Regionalist" way of thinking about where you are compared to where everyone else is. 

You could say I live in the middle of nowhere and I would agree.  You could also say that the Pacific Northwest is dominated by Conceptual and Contemporary influences.  And you could also add that the idea of someone choosing to paint landscape in such an environment is probably...well, someone who is lost in Quaintsville.

And you might be right - if you are speaking from a "Regionalist" viewpoint where the center is where you are and the importance of other art diminishes the further away it is from your center.

It is the secret reality of the art world.

We are all Regionalists. 

 

 

(images: Break in the Storm, Mountain Series, Mile Post 46, Mile Post Series)

 

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"I could sure hear you in the book, very upbeat and encouraging...I also loaned your book to my Tucson art teacher and she let another friend of hers read it, too.  She’s already doing most of what you suggested...she hates self-promotion like most of us do..."  TB, Tuscon, AZ

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The Tree of Shoes Image

The real tree of shoes.

100 Artist Show - Mile Post 42 and the Art of Communication

 Mile Post 42, 12 x 12 x 2 © 2011

 

This is my contribution to the 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon.  My challenge was to respond to a letter sent by my partnered artist and to create an art piece that represented our communications. The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery will be blogging about the show and the artists - and how you can bid for your favorite piece - here.

Artist Statement

My letter contained an evocative poem by Portland artist Jeanne Levasseur, titled Winter.  As I read her words I could feel the dampness in the air, the cold bite of frost.  I wanted to capture that sensory experience of time and place in my artwork.

I am inspired by landscape. Looking, experiencing, touching, and feeling the place and form are all necessary for my work. I pick up a dry and brittle twig from the debris of a passing storm, feeling the energy in my fingers, delicate, before crumbling away. This is the energy I try to interpret with my work. 

Paintings often begin with a textured layer of gesso. I rub color onto the surface, or place a gestural mark to suggest the landform.  I am interested in the transforming power of light, and like the Impressionists, I want my paintings to be recognizable but not familiar, a place of memory and not subject matter.  I move from the abstract to the specific, bringing what I know about the landscape into the abstract forms, colors and shapes, and transforming them into a living, breathing place.

Being open to where the paint takes me is part of the process, like a traveler in unknown terrain: the work is successful when I create a space that others want to explore.

This is going to be a fabulous show with so many different artists participating - I hope you will join along in the fun!

Press Release and Info:

100 Artist Show

 Art of Communication-10th Annual 100 Artist Show

Show Date: February 1 – March 3, 2012

Opening reception: First Wednesday February 1, 5-7pm.

Location: Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, 335 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301

Salem – Remember when we looked forward to art class at least a few times a week in school?  How about all that time spent learning how to print and write cursively?  All of those assignments written on notebook paper?  With budget crunches and ever-evolving technology in schools we have to wonder what will happen to all those words and art produced by hand.  And, as technology marches on, what will be the memories that today’s children leave their family and friends?  What if John and Abigail Adams had tweeted across the ocean instead of posting letters?   How about Julia Child and her friend Avis emailing instead of writing? All of that amazing correspondence gone in the flash of a DELETE button?

During the month of February, the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery will be presenting The Art of Communication, the 10th annual 100 Artists show. 

Over 100 artists were sent blank letters which arrived with instructions and included a stamped envelope with the address of a partnered artist.  These letters made their way to 100 different artists across the country and beyond!  Participating artists received a blank letter through the mail and were asked to write a thought, a story, or whatever they so chose and then send to their “partnered” artist. The artists had over three months to transform the writings into their work of art.

 During this show, the artists will present their own ideas of what it is to “communicate”, while creating striking and inspiring art pieces.  The act of letter writing is beginning to be a lost art, and receiving letters through the mail an almost forgotten pleasure for most of us.  The idea of “mail art” and keeping letter writing as a form of communication is our theme for the 10^th annual 100 Artist show.

 The artwork will be on display and the letters will be available for viewing.  The sale of the art will last the entire month with a silent bidding process ending at different times throughout the month.  Anyone interested can call the gallery for a bidding number, see the artworks online on the gallery website or stop in and do the bidding in person.  

This year the proceeds from the 100 Artists Show THE ART OF COMMUNICATION will be used to fund a special after school art and writing project for kids.  We want to replicate the DNA of this 100 artists show pairing children with each other as art pen pals and perhaps even with some of our 100 artists.   While this project will be launched in the Salem area community as a pilot, an important component will be to record what takes place so that the curriculum can be shared free of charge with other communities across the country who are interested in this hands-on experience.

The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, located at 335 State Street in downtown Salem, Oregon, is the premiere place for purchasing contemporary arts and crafts.  Open hours are 12 pm to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 12 pm to 5 pm on Saturday.  The gallery is closed on Sunday and Monday.  To preview the upcoming show and see work by many other Northwest artists, visit www.zeekgallery.com

 

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Got the book?

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Great Gift Ideas for Artists, Art-Lovers, and those who just like lists

One of my favorite Christmas songs is the one they play continually in the malls and on the radio - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."  It always makes me smile, and take a moment to stop and simply enjoy the season - the weather, the decorations, the smell of warm cookies -  without all the hectic demands.

If you're like me, you are always thinking about what you can get for that "hard-to-buy-for" person in your life, particularly if that person is an artist or an art-lover.  So here's a list of gifts that are sure to fit into almost any stocking.

A subscription to an Art Magazine.  Some of my favorites are Art of the West, Fine Art Connoisseur, Southwest Art Magazine, and Plein Air Magazine (Outdoor Painter).

A Fine Art coffee table book - here is a terrific one by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn, titled Embracing the Everglades, that features her artwork as well as the story of this endangered area. Embracing the Everglades is available from her website.

Every artist needs a good brush soap, and one of the best I've found is Jack's Linseed Studio Soap, available from Cheap Joe's.

Instructional DVD's.  Some of the Best are by Quang Ho, Scott Christensen, and Sherrie McGraw.

Liz Massey compiled an original and creative list of gift ideas on her blog Creative Liberty

Consider giving a small piece of artwork, or a gift certificate from a favorite artist, gallery, or workshop.

Show your support for what your favorite artist is doing by becoming their "patron" - consider a gift certificate offering to help clean their studio or cook dinner. Or just tell them how much you love their art and want them to keep creating it.  That would be the best gift of all!

For the aspiring artist of any age, don't forget Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist the business plan (not just) for the mature artist. In my Gratitude Jar (image above) I have many "notes" of gratitude for all of the wonderful comments you have been sending my way about Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist.  Here are just a few:

Thank you so much for your wonderful book.  It's full of great ideas and plenty of wisdom that I will put into practice.

I've got my book in the mail and I read it with great pleasure.

You have a great style and the whole book is such an inspiration.

Thank you so much. I really enjoyed it and I keep it handy for all the moments when I doubt myself.

For those of you in the UK, the book can be purchased directly from me (email me) or through Amazon US store, but the Kindle Version is available in the Kindle UK store.  And if you like it - or even if you don't - please consider leaving a review. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

Sign Posts Along the Way

This year I am participating in10th Annual 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon  - a very special art show titled the “Art of Communication."  The challenge set for this show was that each artist would receive an object in the mail, which would then be used as a starting point for a piece of art. 

A few weeks ago we each received a blank sheet of paper, with a stamped envelope – the envelopes were part of a "date of first issue" collection found at an estate sale, so the dates were from the 70’s, 80’s.  We were then partnered with another artist, and were instructed to write something on the blank sheet of paper – a note, story, poem – whatever we were inspired to write.  This would then be sent on to our partnered artist, and each of us were to respond to what we received by creating an “art object.”

Here is a brief quote from the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery:

“This year the proceeds from the 100 Artists Show “The Art of Communication” will be used to fund a special after school art and writing project for kids.  We want to replicate the DNA of this 100 artists show pairing children with each other as art pen pals and perhaps even with some of our 100 artists…an important component will be to record what takes place so that the curriculum can be shared free of charge with other communities across the country who are interested in this hands-on experience.”

My partnered artist is Jeanne Levasseur, a talented landscape artist from Portland.  Her inspiration was to write a poem, and she took some of her cues from the postmark date on her envelope of December, as well as a large  image of the Christmas themed postage stamp printed on the envelope.  The inspiration I sent her took the form of a story, played out in a letter from one young art student to another who had moved away to fly an airplane for the forest service (the image stamped on my envelope) – it will be very interesting to see how the various postmarks and images can “communicate” a story or personality or moment from one artist to their DNA partner artist, who in turn “communicates” that inspiration to the public in the form of a work of art. 

no title yet, 8 x 10, oil, ©2011

This is my current planned submission to the 100 Artists Show - unless I paint something I like better between now and the deadline.  It's actually the third painting - I was a little rusty and had a few "twenty-minute tone jobs" before I started to get the rhythm back. 

The 100 Artist Show will run from February 1 through March 3, 2012. All artwork will be online and for sale, as well as in a Blurb book - also for sale. As I get more details I will post them for you. The opening reception will be held on First Wednesday, February 2, 2012, at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, 335 State Street, Salem, Oregon  97301  It’s going to be a great show!

This is Thanksgiving Week, a time to be grateful for family and friends and the support that is all around us.  I am both humbled and very appreciative for the support I receive from the readers of this blog – and especially from those of you who have purchased Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist.  I am truly grateful for your overwhelming support.  I value all the emails I have received and I am so glad you are finding the book meaningful.  However, in all the edits and rewrites, there is at least one sentence that did not make it into the final version that I wish I had included – so I am including it here – feel free to write it in the book if you like:

There comes a point when you have to open your hands and let go of your expectations, when each brushstroke is an act of faith.

There is another quote from Robert Henri that I have always found meaningful:

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign-posts on the way to what may be. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge.” (Page 13, The Art Spirit)

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Who Moved the Goal Posts - Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist

            The year I turned fifty I decided to reinvent my life and become an artist.  At the time I was half of the management team in our small business, working 40 to 50 hours a week and perfectly happy, so the decision surprised almost everyone, including myself. 

            And it all started in - of all places - my garage. I found an article about painted furniture. With the help of my husband, we began to construct original Adirondack chairs in our spare time. Following traditional methods, I gessoed the wood and began painting what I thought of as *real art* on the back upright section of the seat. By the middle of July in 1998 I was kneeling on the cement in my hot garage, happily painting commissioned Adirondack chairs for $200 a pop.

            Three years later, in the middle of a hot July, I was on the second floor of the Galleria degli Uffici in Florence, Italy, standing in front of Titian’s painting, Venus of Urbino, realizing everything I had ever thought about painting was wrong.

            I think most artists can point to that moment when they change, from someone who finds art-making pleasant, into someone who discovers a deep need to create.  I now refer to my moment in terms of BT (before Titian) and AT (after Titian).  That hot afternoon in July I was overwhelmed by the power of the artist to reach out, across more than five centuries, and so profoundly affect me on an emotional level through his art.  I had walked through a door of realization that day and couldn’t go back.

            Over the AT years since, I have been following a personal journey of discovery into the nature, creation, and mystery of art.  It is a journey that is often solitary, filled with competing demands.  And as I learned and experienced and made numerous mistakes and assumptions, I began to journal – about the ways my thinking was changing, and how to maintain my passion and perseverance when the work would feel really hard.  Those journal entries, and subsequent research into curious aspects of art and brain science and age, have evolved into the book, Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, the business plan (not just) for the mature artist. 

             You may be wondering why I have written a business plan when I just told you I had a profoundly changing experience about art.  My background is in business, taking a germ of an idea, nurturing it, tweaking it when things don't quite work, and bringing it into some form of reality. I also spent more than four years working in a commercial art gallery, plus managing my own open studio, being a "gallery artist" with openings and deadlines and talking about art, plus mentoring other emerging artists.  It was natural to organize my thoughts using the generic Business Plan template.  Many of you actually downloaded and read the original version of this Business Plan, and despite some of the half-formed ideas, the careless writing and some rather awkward - now - assumptions, you were enthusiastic about the content and most appreciative: for that I sincerely thank you.  Your comments, inspirations and stories motivated me to revisit what I had written and make it better.

            Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, the business plan (not just) for the mature artist, will soon be available in book form through Amazon, plus the Kindle.  This is the new version, revised, strengthened, and written from an artist’s perspective and experience. You will find discussions about understanding your self and your art, before you move on to the real life business activities like marketing and promotion. There are sections on age and creativity, the powerful advantages of the mature artist over younger peers, and why you are never too old (or too young) to create meaningful art.  On my personal journey I've learned about self mentoring.  I believe it is the second most important thing an artist can do, so there are discussions about identifying obstacles, strengthening skills, understanding potential and accomplishing creative goals. 

            I also recommend three fine arts experts.  Through personal experience with their classes, coaching, blogs and books, I can attest to the value they offer in the development of your career.  There is a resources section, and insights from fellow artists working effectively toward their goals. The book has now expanded with 50% new content, and some of my favorite topics include how to remain passionate about your work, and how to set fear aside and focus on a curiosity about success.

            The book was conceived to be a source of encouragement and support.  I put honest, real life knowledge in this business plan, and no doubt there will be controversy over some ideas – like who and what really controls your pricing, or what constitutes creative honesty, and how difficult it can be to be original.  You may not agree with what I write.  Not everything will apply to you or your artistic experience.  But then again, it might.  The challenge in the narrative is to bring up the discussions we don’t know how to have, to start thinking about our art in new ways, and to learn how to define artistic success by our own terms. It is for artists of every age, but particularly for those who struggle with questions that have no easy answers.

             In the book Arts and the Creation of Mind, author Elliot W. Eisner writes, “The arts, when experienced in the fullness of our emotional life, are about becoming alive.”  Ultimately, each artist must find their own way.  Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist begins the conversation. Yes, you can put almost any business plan into action, and there is a wealth of information already available to you.  But if you've lost touch with your inner experience, if you've forgotten your artistic philosophy, or the ability to look at the whole of your creative experience and not just the parts, then you may never find real success. Because the artist who ventures off on his own without finding out what he wants, who wraps his accomplishments in validation from others while ignoring his inner voice, will soon find it impossible to create meaningful art.

            And in all likelihood he will give up.

           ♦

            I am self publishing Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist the business plan (not just) for the mature artist, taking advice from Barney Davey to self-publish my own work whenever possible.  And as with most adventures, this one is taking longer and filled with more formatting and proof-reading than I ever imagined.  Gremlins moving the goal posts.  But the files are in the process of turning very soon into something you can hold in your hand. 

            I hope you will follow along with me as I bring this book into reality. 

~ Sue

 

Getting out of Panic Mode

   For the past few months I have been operating in panic mode without being conscious of the motivation.  I know it had something to do with two conflicting events that set up the fear and kept me out of the studio.  I lost confidence in my direction at the same time I panicked about repeating recent successes.  I explored new/old directions and visited galleries and art fairs and looked at a lot of art that seemed in demand but wasn't the art that I resonate with. I dug out old books, bought a new book, and wanted to be an itinerant Russian painter working along side Isaak Levitan.

  I eventually found my way back to a clear understanding of what I want to say as an artist, but it was a summer-long struggle that included doing the Dave Ramsey thing, experimenting with marble dust and pigment in a series I had abandoned years ago,  several long afternoons in the back garden with a glass of red wine, growing my own tomatoes, and writing that got me back to the real business of art.

  I began writing the second edition of my book Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, the business plan (not just) for the mature artist as much for myself as for others. In the process, I rediscovered my voice, my courage and my passion.   I have received tremendous support from others in the art industry, for which I am immensely grateful, and my excitement for this project has been steadily growing.  In the process of building the Resources Section I came across a wealth of new sites that are too good not to share with you now.  They might provide the jump start you need to get back into creating your art.

 

This is a teriffic post from KISSmetrics, titled True Colors Infographic - Breakdown of Color Preferences by Gender.  

Following that, I linked up to the sources sited in the True Colors article and found these sites:

Color Matters - Everything about color - from color expert Jill Morton - fantastic resource.

Color Survey Results, from xkcd The blag of the webcomic, which is hilarious but definitely R rated so don't read it at work.

Which led me to Doghouse Diaries Monday Wednesday Friday. Thank you Ray, Raf and Will for the grins, chuckles, and outright laughter that accompanied a pleasant half an hour or so of what was definitely not wasted time.  Here is just one of the Random Comics  and another called Morning Routine which could easily be adapted to the activities of the artist upon entering the studio...yes, this site is addicting. 

Then I found an interesting service used by artists, called Blog Talk Radio.  Here is a sampling:

Artists Helping Artists

Art and Soul Radio

Annette Coleman

Nancy Wait Art and Ascension

And I began painting again. 

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Have a safe weekend.  Keep artist Carol Marine - who lost both her home and her new studio in the Texas fires - in your thoughts, as well as the others who are struggling with the effects of severe weather and national security issues. 

How To Create Portfolio Images Using Microsoft Word is a new tutorial available. Easier to do than the one using photoshop.  Check beneath the Resources for Artists and Patrons section in the right sidebar.

AS ALWAYS, I enjoy your comments and feedback.  And please forward this blog to others who might enjoy it. 

At What Point Is It Enough?

I do not normally post so frequently about the same subject, but I have found that at my age the longer I wait between question and answer, the more likely I am to forget what to say.

There is confusion between artists on the subject of creativity, originality, the nature of derivative work, leaving many people polarized.  When is work different enough from some inspirational source to be original?

I’ve found the best measure for any work is defined through this quote from the movie Jurassic Park, where Jeff Goldblum’s character, the Chaotician, confronts the genetic scientists:

“You didn’t require any discipline to attain it, you know.  You read what others had done and you took the next step.  You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourself so you don’t take any responsibility for it.  You stood on the shoulders of genius to accomplish something as fast as you could and before you even knew what you had…”

It seems sensible to me that every artist should develop the discipline, earn the knowledge, and take responsibility for what they produce.  

I have a rule about my own blog posts: if I have to warm up my coffee before I finish reading, then they’re too long.  Perhaps we will continue this particular dialogue in the near future.

I am adding a link to an excellent post on Making a Mark by guest author John Kinney that contributes to this fascinating discussion.  I  hope you will check it out.

What You Can't Say In Polite Company

There are some things you can't say in polite company.  I know this to be true, having frequently said the wrong thing at the wrong time, so I've learned to play it safe and not sorry and have recently taken my approach to the absurd.

At the artist reception for "There and Back" I found myself chatting with people, an occupation I enjoy: it's one of the few times I get feedback about whether or not I've been successful as an artist.  Aside from the person who first asked if I was associated with the gallery and then wanted to know where the hor d'oeuvres were, there was one emerging comment that rose above the rest. 

 

"You really have to get back from these paintings to see them."

 

January Thaw, oil on canvas, 26 x 22, scsmith © 2011

 

My first impulse was to say something like, well I don't paint small paintings.  I paint large. I want to you see them from across the room and I want you to run toward them like a crazy person and dive into the spaces and wander around.  I don't play safe with those ready made images you probably like and that - to me, at least - are boringly predictable.  I want a little chaos and disorder and incorrectness in my work.

But of course I didn't say that. What I ended up saying was that I was farsighted and that was probably why I painted like that...

 

Rocks of Reconciliation, oil on canvas, 26 x 30, scsmith © 2011

 

Jasper Johns is quoted as saying, "When you work you learn something about what you are doing and you develop habits and procedures out of what you're doing."  Sometimes, when you talk to people about your work, you realize the reasons why you choose the subject matter and the approach that you use, reasons that might not translate well in polite company but are valid none the less. But to talk around these ideas out of "politeness" makes you more vulnerable to making stupid explanations like "farsightedness."

So I guess it's true what Henri Matisse said: "Creativity takes courage."

Of course, you don't need to add the boringly predictable ready made images that you probably like part unless you want your gallery director to boot you out the door.  No.  That would not be good. 

 

Quotes from Artist To Artist: Inspiration & Advice from Artists Past & Present, compiled by Clint Brown, Jackson Creek Press, Corvallis, Oregon, © 1998

"There and Back" Opens March 4 at High Desert Gallery, Bend, Oregon

 

I am very pleased to invite you to "There and Back" - a two person show at High Desert Gallery in downtown Bend, Oregon that opens during the First Friday Gallery Walk on March 4, with an Artist Reception from 5 to 9pm.  I will be exhibiting seven new landscape paintings, and Oregon artist Dan Tilden will be showing his beautiful turned wood vessels.  This show runs from March 4 through April 5, and there is a very nice post about the details on the High Desert Gallery blog. 

 

   Aspen Grove in November, 26 x 22  

 

I love the High Desert Gallery space, located in a beautiful area of historic downtown Bend.  Very high ceilings, exposed industrial elements, excellent lighting, and my favorite staff - Kimberley Mathews, the Bend Gallery Director, and Myrna and Todd Dow, the gallery owners.  Despite the challenging economic times this team continues to cultivate collectors for me from as far away as Canada and the East Coast.  I am honored to be represented by them and I appreciate the work that they do.

 

Unnamed Stream, 30 x 30

Some of my favorite recent paintings are included in this show, and I hope I'll get the chance to talk with you about them at the opening reception.  I enjoy visiting with people about their reactions to what I paint, and they frequently ask me how I find my ideas.  I am basically a studio painter, but I spend a lot of time on a location, often returning in all kinds of weather, "looking for the painting."  By this I mean that moment when the personality of place reveals itself, which I then try to express through what David A Leffel describes as a single concept.

 

Near Mitchell, 12 x 16

Our weather here is still bitterly cold, but I hope that those of you who live in Central Oregon will put on a second layer of warm clothes and come out to support the arts community during the First Friday Gallery Walk and Artist Reception on March 4, from 5 to 9pm.  It's one of the best ways I know to meet with people who just love art.

Golden Hour, 22 x 22

If you would like more information on any of these paintings,  please call Kimberly at 1-866-549-6250. 

A Boy and His Dog, 6 x 8

High Desert Gallery, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award-winning fine art gallery located at 10 NW Minnesota Avenue at The Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend, Oregon.  High Desert Frameworks!, the award-winning framing studio is located at 61 NW Oregon Avenue at Lava in downtown Bend, Oregon. The gallery specializes in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing. For more information please visit: http://www.highdesertgallery.com or call toll free 1-866-549-6250.