International Association of Pastel Societies Juried Show

On Friday before leaving for a two week vacation in Hawaii I received a very exciting e-mail. For the first time as an artist I had submitted an entry to a national level pastel show.....the International Association of Pastel Societies juried show to be hosted by the City of Brea Gallery in Brea, CA. The e-mail I received on Friday was congratulating me for being juried into the show!!! I was very excited.....to say the very least! The piece I entered was "Late Night Snack"....the second piece I painted for the Art Challenge using the glass goblet. Just goes to show you....stretching yourself to paint something you would not have chosen to paint on your own has definite benefits!! I cannot include a picture here of the piece as I do not have my computer with me with the photos of my art work.....but you can see it in the blog entry "Art Challenge Part Two" posted on October 30th.

Young Bulls

This is the painting that I started working on the first weekend of Hidden in the Hills. The expectation is that artists are working even if they are not in their own studios during the open studio tour. I sold this painting (half finished) to a gentleman that came through that weekend. After all the hubbub of the second weekend of Hidden in the Hills, hosting the holiday get together of the Arizona Pastel Artists Association in my home, and getting ready for a holiday vacation in Hawaii I finally finished the piece. I was very pleased with the results! Aren't they a curious bunch?

Hidden in the Hills - Year One is in the Books

Hidden in the Hills is over! My first experience with this open studio tour and art sale was very positive although it ended with a bang! Sunday was the last day with 5:00 being the close of the tour. Around 4:15 the sky began to darken.....by 4:30 it was black! We got hit by a storm with wind and rain that had us scuttling to protect the goods. Needless to say we broke down early. It was interesting loading my paintings into the cars without them getting wet......but we managed! My husband was a real trooper....even though he was freezing as he rushed over to help me while still in shorts. The temperature dropped dramatically and with the wind...it was certainly chilly!

Everyone who has participated in HITH has expressed that their first year is the slowest. With that in mind along with our current economic condition I was looking for exposure and to sell some of my note cards I had created showcasing my art. Well....I exceeded my expectations. I did sell a lot of cards. Some people even bought them planning to make a collage or series of small framed pieces as they could not afford the paintings themselves. But......I also sold a painting! It was actually a painting that I was working on during the tour as a "working artist" of a group of young bulls looking curiously at the photographer. The gentleman who bought the painting (brave man as it was only about a third done!) is a jeweler who designs jewelry. He ended up calling me after the first weekend and asking if I wanted to display some of my work in his jewelry store. Needless to say I was tickled pink! I was also approached by a woman interested in having me do painting of her horses.....a possible commission! This last weekend I was approached by a woman representing the Thunderbird Artist Expo. This is a ten week long event held annually in a large tent with over 150 artists working and displaying their art. I was encouraged to consider participating in this juried event.

So.....HITH was a definite success for me....both financially and moving me forward in getting my art exposed! Can't wait for next year!