Artist of the Month

Exciting news to share! At the New Braunfels Art League meeting last night, I was selected as the February Artist of the Month. Each month, members are invited to submit a work of art, with the artist's name covered, at the general meeting for the members to vote on. I presented my yet-untitled four-foot square painting that I posted her a few days back. I competed several times last year but was always beat out, usually by more traditional, realistic work. What this award means is that I get to display my work in a front window for the whole month of February. In addition, I'll have some extra display space in the gallery in the same general area. I can't wait to see that bright yellow wildflower painting fill the front window facing W. San Antonio Street! Incidentally, I believe the image that I uploaded here came in a little darker than the original. I also get my bio in the art league's newsletter and can have a reception at the gallery to celebrate the award, which I plan to do. So if you are in the area, mark your calendar for the Second Thursday of February (Feb. 9) and come join me from 5-8 that evening. Many of the downtown New Braunfels businesses are now open late on "Second Thursdays" so I'm hoping for a good crowd!

Great names so far!

So far, I've had 3 friends come up with wonderful title suggestions for my latest works. I'm close to making some decisions, but I want to hold off another day to see what else might pop up. Anyone who reads this is welcome to make a suggestion...even if you don't know me! It's always so interesting to see what other people come up with. I've read and had other artist tell me that you shouldn't title your work at all. "Let the viewer see what he/she wants to see." But that seems so, so... impersonal. "Untitled," "Untitled," Untitled." How exciting is that? I do slack off to some degree when it comes to my Wildflowers Squared series. I'm doing dozens of those, ranging from 4-inch to 12-inch square. So I do number them rather than title individually. For example, "Wildflowers Squared(4) No. 1-Blue." And so on (the 4 is superscript, like a mathematical notation). But my big works...they NEED titles. Actually, they NEED names! Names that spark the imagination! Names that pull the viewer deeper into the work so that he/she becomes a part of the painting, a part of the experience. So thank you for looking at the work and letting your mind wander through the wildflowers. Have a great day!

Wildflowers without names

Had a great time at my "meet the artist" event yesterday. Met up with some old friends--expected and unexpected--which made my day! Thanks, guys, for your support! Talked with a few strangers about my work and gave out a few postcards. Every little bit of exposure helps and I'm still so excited that my work is being viewed by thousands of people this month while on display at Kerbey Lane Cafe.
I have several new works that are ready for names and I'm hoping that YOU can help me. (Last time I did that, I got some great suggestions, which I have used!) I'm uploading the new images with this blog entry. Look them over, think about it, and post any thoughts you have for titles. They range in size from 24X30 to 48X48. Yes, I've done another four-foot-square painting! It's the bright yellow one. Thanks for you help!

New works have names!

Thanks to Susan and Amanda, I've named the 2 works in the previous post. I choose "Caramel Sky" for the smaller one and "Mellow Meadow" for the other. I have several other new paintings that I'll be posting in the weeks to come and hope to get equally as inspiring title suggestions for those as well. How fun! I will have "Caramel Sky" with me tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 15) when I appear at Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin for a "Meet the Artist." I have 28 paintings on display there through the end of January. I invite one and all to drop by and say hello if you are in the area. The restaurant is open 24/7 and is located in NW Austin on Research Blvd (go to www. kerbeylanecafe.com for directions).

Help me name these, please!

I'm posting 2 new Wildflower paintings today. I finished these right after Christmas. I've been thinking of how my paintings look in homes, on walls of various colors. I know that many people have neutral walls, so I'm exploring background colors that may work with a variety of home decor. Perhaps I was also influenced by the color of the landscape in the Texas Hill Country. Now that we are in winter, the grass has turned brown and tan and shades of cream. Yet, in my heart and mind's eye the Wildflowers continue to bloom and brighten even the most dreary of days. I need your help dear reader. I have yet to title these two new works. I'm considering "Yellow Ochre Daze" for the smaller of the two, which is 24X36. I have no title in mind for the second work, which is a whopping 36x48. Do YOU have some suggestions? I would love to see them in a comment. Since the works are new, they are available for purchase as well. Please contact me if you are interested.

New Year!!!!

First day of a new year. A clean slate. Time to start fresh. They are all cliches but they work for me. Resolutions are the usual ones: get physically and financially fit while finding a way to spend more time with friends and family. Stop and smell wildflowers along the way. Like John Lennon said: "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." So I raise my coffee cup in a toast to the New Year and living it to the fullest. To my fellow artists and art lovers around the world: may your year be filled with colors of happiness.

Saying good-bye to 2005

What a year it has been. I've spent less time reflecting on the past year and more time making plans for the upcoming year. But it's in the back of mind no matter what and shapes how I look at the future. I'm thankful for the blessings I have enjoyed as many have suffered in the past months.

And now I throw open my arms and say "Welcome, 2006!" I have plans for you and me! What a great way to kick off the new year as I prepare to hang my solo show in Austin at Kerbey Lane Cafe on Sunday afternoon. David and I visited this week to size it up. What wonderful food they have! And I can't wait to see my Wildflowers blooming through out the restuarant, filling the walls with color and happiness. I'll post some photos after we get it all set up.

To you and yours, best wishes for 2006!

Last class of the year, getting ready for January

I'll have my last painting class at my studio in New Braunfels tomorrow. Then I'll be taking some "down time" until about mid January. I love teaching and having some time off helps to keep me loving it! I'll be excited to see my students, old and new, come January. In the meantime, I'm preparing for an exhibit in Austin at Kerbey Lane Cafe, northwest location (www.kerbeylanecafe.com). I'll be hanging my work on Jan. 1 and plan to be on hand for a "meet the artist" on Sunday, Jan. 15. But before all of that comes about I have some painting and self-promoting to do! Time to update my website! Also, I plan to be in my studio for the next 3 days, for last-minute gift buying. Always plenty to do!

Full Circle

Like this milk can, my life continues to come full circle. Ages ago, it seems, I would do custom paintings of traditional Texas bluebonnet scenes. Last month, I had a call from Mary who wanted to give this antique milk can as a Christmas gift. I just delivered the finished product today and she was thrilled, which brings me more joy that I can express. It is truly wonderful to be appreciated and to know that my art will live on--whether it's on a stretched canvas, a wooden birdhouse, an emu egg (yes, I once painted a windmill and bluebonnet scene on an emu egg), or an antique milk can. Having grown up on a farm in the late 1950s and 1960s in rural South Texas where we had a small dairy, these old milk cans hold a special place in my childhood memories. Thank you, Mary, for bringing me this wonderful project!

Photos from Wildflower Center

Here are a couple of shots of our booth at the recent show at the Wildflower Center in Austin. Met a lot of nice people...fellow artists and artisians, Wildflower Center volunteers and staff and the visitors who came to the event.

Nice and warm in here

As the temps outside are not likely to get above freezing today, "Basking in the warm glow of Spring" warms the heart and soul. One of my favorite works, it is shown here in its new home in Boerne (see the previous post from Dec.4).

Sunday Morning Reflections

It's been an interesting few days. Wassailfest was a success. Planned the amount about right...only had about a quart of wassail left over! That's pretty good since I always fear either running out in the first hour or having a couple gallons left to throw out (I can only drink so much wassail!). Talked to lots of folks about art classes for the spring, which is great! I plan to teach drawing again (haven't done so in about a year) and want to put together some other art courses. David got to discuss his photography with several people and he continues to get such positive comments about his work.

Something really great happened Thursday/Friday. Got a call from a very nice couple from Boerne who read about me and my art in the November Hill Country Edge and wanted to see my work. Long story short, David and I took several paintings to thier house Friday afternoon so they could see what fit. Two works, "Spring Medley" a 48x48 inch (my largest work to date, which is also the painting I'm in front of on the front page of my website) and "Basking in the Warm Glow of Spring, a 40x30 inch painting in warm tones with a reddish background, now have a new home in Boerne! I am so very honored that my work affects people the way it does and it will continue to warm hearts and souls for years to come.

We are heading back to Austin today for day two of "Wild Ideas: The Shopping Event" at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Yesterday's traffic and sales were slow but we are hoping for the best today. Three of our Texas Birdhouses will have new homes come Christmas day as they were purchased for gifts. At least 2 are going out of state! Had some serious interest in my paintings as well.

I've been working on my website this past week and struggled with some broken links. I think I have them all fixed but still can't get my Wildflower Catalog pdf file to link correctly. That's the next thing on the list. If you ever find a broken link on my website, please let me know!