Funny that

When I paint a lot, I must be using up my writing energies, too, so I don't seem to blog as much. I kind of feel like BB King, who can't sing and play Lucille at the same time. Let's not go to walking and chewing gum, okay?

So I will catch up after I get the pieces signed and photographed. Then there will be a flurry.

In the mean time, chew on this. I think it's very cool, but I am not so sure about the practicality time-wise or, frankly, competition-wise. The ARTS in Embassies Program sends borrowed art to the residence of ambassadors around the world for the length of their tour, two and a half to three years. They pack it professionally and take care of the details.

In looking at the list of borrowed art, it includes heavy hitters from significant collections, but it also seemed to include pieces from more regular folks than Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning , Mark Rothko , or Robert Rauschenberg, which are displayed around the world.

To quote:

Mission
Established by the United States Department of State in 1964, the ART In Embassies Program is a global museum that exhibits original works of art by U.S. citizens in the public rooms of approximately 180 American diplomatic residences worldwide. These exhibitions, with art loaned from galleries, museums, individual artists, and corporate and private collections, play an important role in our nation's public diplomacy. They provide international audiences with a sense of the quality, scope, and diversity of American art and culture through the accomplishments of some of our most important citizens, our artists.

Would you consider contributing work for this cause, an ambassador’s home away from home for a few years? I think my landscapes could provide a welcome slice of Americana. cough

I found ART in Embassies looking for calls for artists. Look toward the bottom of my sidebar for the list I maintain for myself and to share. A couple links are lists of many opportunities.

Photo by Phyllis at our DAR chapter picnic along the Potomac near Mt. Vernon earlier this month. It shows my EasyL Pro from eBay last winter and, a la Kenn Backhaus, a clipped-on car sun shade, which works well for shielding both the mixing and painting surfaces.

Glowing Afternoon

Like Devil's Rain, Glowing Afternoon was created in the May Leesburg Workshop with Sara Linda Poly. Also like Devil's Rain, it began as a 25 stroke painting which then received a lot of expression, texture, and knife-work.

All paintings should be so much fun to create.

Glowing Afternoon
Oil on board
8x10
SOLD

Workhouse Opening

Join us for a Wine and Cheese Reception at the Workhouse Arts Center featuring pieces from the Workhouse Artists Associates and the Workhouse Artists Guild.

Visit the Workhouse Gallery in W-16 from 2-4pm on Sunday, June 21. Also take some time to visit the Workhouse Artists Studios from noon until 5pm.

Devil's Rain

In the South, storms which happen while the sun is shining are called devil's rain. It makes for some interesting cloud formations.

Begun as a 25 stroke painting during Poly's workshop, Devil's Rain quickly evolved into a knife painting with loads of texture and expression.

Devil's Rain
Oil on Board
8x10

Potomac Shore

Today was my DAR chapter's end of year picnic at Riverside Park near Mt. Vernon on the GW Parkway in Alexandria. This has been my favorite roadside park for over a decade. It's a simple place with little more than a parking lot, but the view is superb of the Potomac River. And ever so calming. One can watch the tourists ferried in and out of George Washington's estate while steering clear of the cyclists whizzing by.

It is also near the daycare my son used when he was tiny, so I would go a little out of my way pass it often. If I was running even five minutes early, I would pull into Riverside Park and recharge. It is my meditative place and this pleasantly hazy day was the first time I seized the opportunity to paint it. I think I captured the soft, gentle nature the park lends me.

oil
8x10 on canvas

Poly Plein Air Workshop 09

Like the last weekend of May 2008, I was able to take another Sara Linda Poly workshop. Last year, I did pastels one day, oils the next. This year was all oils. Both were in the Leesburg, VA vacinity.

Saturday was comprised of a demo by Sara and several 50 stroke paintings by us, much like last year. I found 50 much more difficult than the 25 from last year and she chose to request 25 for the second day. With 50, one loses track of strokes easily and the urge is to just paint. It is much easier to be true to 25. Over the course of the weekend, I did seven, several of which I'll show here over time. I did embellish several afterward.

Following is Sara's demo, two sheds on one side and one on the other. It was a pretty little painting and I realize where I borrow my style now.

After the demo, while we were out working on our 25 stoke pieces, she laid in the final "dots and dashes" to complete the painting.