First Friday at Stifel and Capra

This Friday, March 2, is "First Friday" at Stifel and Capra, located at 260 W. Broad Street at the corner of Route 7 & and Little Falls Road in the city of Falls Church.  Stifel and Capra is where I have my studio on the 2nd floor.  If you've never been to a First Friday, it's like going to a party.  Wine and cheese will be served and you can see art, vintage items and collectibles.  I hope you'll come and see me (I'll be there!) and have a glass of wine with me.  It's from 5 - 8 pm.  I'll have all my new Venice series there (be the first to see them!).  I'm going to the framers tomorrow to pick them up.  Can't wait to see my paintings in their new "clothes".  It's always fun, and afterwards, you can go to one of the many wonderful restaurants close by.

Here is another from my Venice series.  I started this one as a demo in my art class, too.  But I had to put in many hours outside of class to finish it up.  I'm hoping to have all of these Venice ones done and framed by the Ft. Smith Spring Show which is at the end of March.  (March 23-March 30).  I'll give you more news as it gets closer, but put Friday, March 30 on your calendar for a fantastic reception with wine and food from 6 - 8 pm.

Here's the next painting from my Venice Series.  This one is called "Early Morning in Venice".  (or Venice Series # 5.  I love to create art work, but I'm the worst at creating titles.  This takes a talent that I just don't have.  I need to develop this though because just numbering a series doesn't really enhance the experience.  If anyone has some good titles, I would love the suggestions and would gladly change the lame titles I've picked so far.

Last summer, I had an interesting gig.  I taught painting on a cruise ship.  I taught the class on the days we were at sea;  the days we were in port, I was free to roam.  One of our stops was Venice.  Of course, Venice is an artists dream.  My goal was to take as many photos as I could that might make good paintings.  I stopped at every bridge overlooking a canal and snapped away.  When we got home, I plugged my card into the computer.  I swooned and squealed as I saw the photos that I took.  (Tom was convinced that I had a new lover in my office because the noise I was making sounded like ecstasy. )  I couldn't wait to do these paintings, but when?  I had several commissions that took precedence.  I decided that I would incorporate my art classes that I teach with my goal of what I really wanted to paint.  So this semester, the class would focus on architecture.  For each of my four classes, I would teach my students about perspective and demonstrate through my paintings.  Each week , I focused on a different aspect.  The first week, the drawing of perspective, the 2nd week, the block in.  The third week I focused on windows and doors.  The fourth week, I focused on reflections.

Here's the first one I did for the Wed morning class.  Of course, I didn't complete the whole painting in class.  I did a small demo in class and then took the painting home and worked on it for hours before the next part of the demo.  This one is from my Venice Series called  "Canal in Venice # 4."  (I actually did 3 others prior to this one.)

"Piles of Pickles" is a pastel painting I donated to The Art League's big fundraiser.  The Art League, located in the Torpedo Factory, has a Patron's show once a year.  Artists donate paintings and patrons buy tickets.  A person who buys a ticket is guaranteed a painting.  Tickets sell for $125.

They also give prizes at the show, and I was lucky enough this year to win a Special Award of Merit!
I was thrilled and very shocked because there is a lot of fantastic art in this show.

The event took place yesterday, so my painting has found a new home.

If you've never participated in the Patron's Show, it's every February.  It's lots of fun and you always end up with a painting to take home.



Piles of Pickles (22x 30) pastel

The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is a tromp l'oeil painting that I entered in the juried art show "Think Like A Child". The show was sponsored by the Arlington Artists Alliance and the juror was Lisa Semerad.

Not only did I get into the show, but I won 2nd place! The idea behind this painting was that someone writes a complicated algebraic equation on the black board, and someone else (who obviously thinks like a child) scotch tapes up other objects that make a big bang noise.