"Sunflowers" wins Honorable Mention!

Last night was the Arizona Pastel Artists Association reception for the Fall Juried Art Show held at the Sundust Gallery in Mesa, Arizona. I was very pleased to discover as I read and presented the award winners that my piece, "Sunflowers" won an Honorable Mention". Our group has many very talented artists, both professional artists and part time pastel enthusiasts......so to win recognition among such a group is truly an honor!

Artist of the Month!

Each month at the Arizona Pastel Artist Association meetings we have a competition for Artist of the Month. Members are invited to bring in pieces fully framed and show ready. The pieces are numbered and the members vote for the painting they feel is the best of the group. The votes are counted and a first and second place are awarded. The monthly winners bring their paintings back in June and the vote selects the Artist of the Year. Today I won first place for the month!!! I was tickled pink to say the least! The piece was "Greens and Purples" above.

Art Challenge Part 2

In a previous blog I shared the piece ("Greens and Purples") that I painted for the first AZ Pastel Association Art Challenge. I was so pleased with the results that I entered the piece into our fall juried show. (All three of the pieces I entered were juried into the show! The other two were "Sunflowers" and "Bulldog Cliffs"). I was somehow thinking I would have to take the painting to the show site prior to the November meeting where the art challenge paintings were to be critiqued/discussed. As such, I thought I had to do another piece for the challenge.....which I did. It wasn't until I had the painting started that I realized I did not have to do a second one as our meeting is the Sunday before the Wednesday we hang the show. However, I am very glad I did. I had fun with this one. I set it up at night in my dark studio with just one light placed low on the left of the setting. It provided great highlights on the glass goblet and the other items I grabbed from the kitchen. Hope you enjoy the results as much as I enjoyed the process!

Hidden in the Hills Open Studio Tour

This November I am participating in the Hidden in the Hills open studio tour for the first time. This studio tour is very well established and well respected. It draws thousands of people from across the valley and Arizona in general. The tour is composed of 46 studio spread across Cave Creek, Carefree, and North Scottsdale. Each of the studios hosts up to 5 additional artists. The event covers the last two weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) of November. I will be in Studio 27. Here are some links you may want to check out:
Web site: www.hiddeninthehills.org
Blog: http://hiddeninthehills.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page: http://artist.to/hiddeninthehills/
The directory: http://bit.ly/3IKXW7

Hope you are able to come and enjoy all the art!

Building the Inventory for Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour

I am continuing to work on finishing plein air pieces that just needed a little more work. Because I unexpectantly had the opportunity to be represented by the Menagerie Boutique, a large chunk of my inventory for the upcoming Hidden in the Hills open studio tour is now hanging at the gallery. This is actually a great opportunity to put a little fire under my feet to complete a number of paintings that have been awaiting my attention. Here are two pieces that I have completed the last few days. The painting on the left is another piece from Lake Pleasant entitled Lake Pleasant Cliffs. The slant of the cliffs and the shoreline reflections caught my eye. It was a day with scuddling clouds which is unusual for this area. The painting on the right is the location where the mustangs or open range stock wandered into the area while we were out painting (see blog on visitors on location for a picture of the foal). I was intrigued by the path leading to an expansive area composed of the McDowell Indian reservation and the mountains around Bulldog Canyon in the far distance. I called it Mustang Trail in honor of the visitors that day.

Menagerie Boutique is open!

We're open! The Menagerie Boutique (see previous blog) that is representing my work is now open. The grand opening was Saturday, October 17th. Bob and I went to visit today and see what things looked like once everything was set up. Very impressive.....and very exciting for me! I share the owner, Cindy Keogh's great expectations for the future of the alternative gallery. Here are a couple of photos that include some of my work. Please plan to visit. It is located at 14150 McDowell Rd. in Goodyear, AZ. Lot's of goodies to buy....and Christmas is just around the corner!!

Rio Verde

Yesterday I finished the final touches on this plein piece in my studio. This is a view of the shorline of the Rio Verde at the Needle Rock Recreation Area in the Tonto National Forest. I really liked the way the sun was hitting the topline of the overhang on the opposite shore highlighting the trees and shrubs against the deeply shadowed overhang. I was also attracted by the reflections in the swiftly moving water. It was one of those beautiful fall days in Arizona that just make you think of nothing but the joy of being alive and surrounded by nature's beauty. I could have painted all day......but the growing intensity of hunger pangs made lunch climb to the number one priority. Oh well.....lots more of these days to come....which is why I love living here!