UPCOMING EVENT: ART ACROSS THE RIVER FESTIVAL

SECOND APPEARANCE AT THE "ART ACROSS THE RIVER FESTIVAL"

This will be my second time exhibiting at this event. It is a beautiful place to exhibit, and offers a chance to meet other fellow artists and vendors. I will be showing my fine art crafts, as well as original paintings for sale.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008 (PLEASE NOTE: RAIN DATE IS THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, SAME TIME FRAME- THE FORECAST IS CALLING FOR RAIN THIS WEEKEND)

Set up begins at 8:00 am, judging at 11:30, and the exhibit ending at 4:30 pm.

Various prizes are offered. If you would like more information, or would like to be considered as a vendor/artist for next year, please visit http://www.artacrosstheriver.com/

NOTE: UNFORTUNATELY, IT POURED THE ENTIRE DAY, SO I DID NOT MAKE MY APPEARANCE BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT MY WORK TO BE RUINED IN THE RAIN.

DESPITE THE RAIN, THE VENDORS ON THE PA SIDE OF THE RIVER INSISTED THE EVENT STILL TAKE PLACE, DESPITE MANY PROTESTS.............THAT WAS THE WRONG MOVE AS I SEE IT.

My First Collaborative Painting

This is my first collaborative painting, with a fellow artist/friend named Charlie Hanson, who also belongs to my group, The Arts Communtiy of Easton. This project was actually his idea, and we both brought our strenths to the table. He is an extremely skilled portrait artist, which is not my strong suit; and I am skilled creating impressionistic landscapes.

I would highly recommend doing collaborations with other artists; it is a chance for both people to learn from each other, while creating something beautiful.

This painting will be featured at the Pennsylvania State Theatre Gallery, along with pieces from various other ACE artists, which opens on September 28, 2008. The opening is from 3-5 pm. The show will run from 9/18 to 11/7. The State Theatre is located on Northampton Street, in Easton, PA.


Completed, framed "Lady in Waiting", acrylic on canvas. This is an antique frame which Charlie Hanson restored for this project.












Completed, prior to framing.

This is the end of Stage 1 of the painting, after I finished most of my work on this piece; leaving the figure for the other artist to begin. I then completed the finishing touches, as it appears above.

This is my sketch that I worked from for this piece, done roughly in charcoal. It is a very good idea to do this prior to starting anything on canvas, so that you are sure of the placement and scale of the items in the painting. The idea for the background scene started when Charlie, the other artist and I, were doing an outdoor show at the beginning of the summer, and I started to do some sketches after he asked me if I would be interested in collaborating with him on a project. I love lilly ponds, and artists like Monet and Seurat, and wanted the figure in the piece to appear like those in of Monet and Seurat.

EASTON FARMER'S MARKET 08/23/08

For the second year in a row, I will be manning the ACE, Arts Community of Easton's booth/ tent at the Farmer's Market in Easton, PA (all around the Center Square) on Saturday August 23, 2008- weather permitting. This event runs throughout the summer until November, every Saturday, from 9am-1 pm.

I will be featuring my hand painted crafts, including some new clay flower pot pieces, as well as various 2 dimentional artwork. I have found this is a good place to exhibit items that are "garden" related, and there are alot of nice people to meet.

For more information on the event, please see:

http://www.eastonmainstreet.org/index.html

or visit the Art Community of Easton's website:

http://www.eastonart.org/

Hope to see you there!

It was an absolutely beautiful day; I enjoyed the sun and meeting alot of nice people who gave me many good compliments on my work. I did have a sale, so it was a success.

Here are pics of the newest hand painted terra cotta pots I just finished for this event:

"Shabby Chic" inspired hand painted clay pots

This is a portion of a set of terra cotta pots I just completed; I took the design and colors from the hand painted vanity (see below) I did for my youngest daughter. I love the yellow/white combination.

"Rust" themed hand painted clay pot set

All of these pots have similiar but slightly different color combinations, and ended up looking very nice together.

"Lavendar" inspired hand painted terra cotta pot

This color combination, as far as my crafts are concerned, was something totally different for me. I just wanted to try something out of the norm; and used lavendar, blue, and pink. I think these colors work very well together.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY SEE A COMPLETE PORTFOLIO OF MY HAND PAINTED CRAFTS ON FLICKR.COM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO

MY PHOTOSTREAM AT:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36189494@N00/

Restoration of Authentic German Hope Chest

AFTER- TOP VIEW

This is an authentic German Hope chest, which a friend of a friend asked me to restore. It was built in 1934, has German writing on the inside, and a unique painting on the top. It was severely damaged in shipment from Germany to the United States.

I had to repaint mostly the entire orange area on the lid; it was so damaged.....the customer did not want me to do too much to destroy the authenticity of the piece- and I believe I was true to his wishes.

AFTER- FRONT VIEW

This is the front view of the chest; and hopefully the areas that I had to repaint blends into the rest well. The entire corners and sides had to be sanded down in many areas. I then applied acrylic gesso, then matched the colors and painted one color at a time. The green area was very difficult because there are five variations of the green that had to be matched.

BEFORE- FRONT VIEW

BEFORE- FRONT/INSIDE VIEW

This is the first time I have ever undertaken this type of furniture "restoration". With patience and attention to detail, it can be done properly; and look even better than before.

Upcoming Events: 2 outdoor shows

Sunday June 08, 2008- Community Faire and Car Show, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Lake Minsi Drive, Bangor, PA. This is a Church sponsored event, and my own artwork will be displayed, along with a few other artists and crafters. This is also a car show, which should help to attract customers!

It is very beneficial to be involved in your community, and participate in events such as these. Church is a place where you can also make connections, and gain potential customers!

This event was a fun event and a success; I was able to sell one item.

Sunday, June 15, 2008- 2008 River Rites Music and Art Festival, an ACE, Arts Community of Easton Event, Riverside Park, Easton, PA. This is a Juried event; paintings and other craft items to be displayed. This will be the first year I am able to participate in this event, and from what I have heard from my fellow ACE members, brings alot of visitors to the area.

It is free and open to the public. There will also be a full schedule of music at the amphitheatre starting at noon, in addition to the arts and crafts booths.

For more information, please visit: www.eastonart.net/RiverRites/

This is a view of my set-up with a free-standing display. It was a reqirement of this particular show; but I would recommend it to any serious artist who does not want their work to fall in the wind. It is very heavy to transport, but it's worth it not to have anything get damaged from the wind blowing.

This is the view down the river, looking at the "Free Bridge" between Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, NJ. The park is located just to the side of the main bridge on rt. 22.

This is a view of some of the other vendor's set-ups.
Although I did not sell anything at this event, it was a good opportunity for me to network with other artists, and I even did a little sketching and painting, and started working on a collaborative painting I will be doing with another fellow artist. Here is a good tip for those of my fellow artists who often participate in outdoor events such as these: have multiple small items for sale, $20.00 and under; because most of the people who attend these type of shows do not wish to spend alot of money at one time.

"All Walks of Life" at the Garden of Easton, Opening April 19, 2008

"Old Lady" 5"x7" $50.00 Framed

Original watercolor on canvas board

Currently on sale at the Garden of Easton, Easton, PA until May 17th.

On April 19, 2008 from 5 to 7 pm, will be the opening for my next show entitled, "All Walks of Life", which celebrates Earth Day. This will be held at the Garden of Easton, located at 249 Northampton Street, Easton, PA. This is a "small works" show as all of the pieces had to be a maximum of 12" on either side.

My entry for this show is entitled, "Old Lady", which is a piece I did back in 1987 while still in High School and is somewhat of a "character study".

The Garden of Easton is a quaint little shop which is owned by a fellow ACE Member and friend, and has a somewhat "ecclectic" ambiance. "Everything available to create your tranquil space indoors and out, i.e. fountains, wind chimes, gifts for gardeners, plants and more".

This is the second time I have had a piece on exhibit in this location. I hope to be exhibiting another after this show. For more information on the show or the shop itself, please visit
www.TheGardenOfEaston.com.

Arts Community of Easton Annual Group Juried Show, "Reinvention" Opening 4/5/08

"Flower Still Life" by Maurice Utrillo, 1946

"Utrillo Impression" 21"x21", original acrylic on canvas

$250.00 available at Connexions Gallery, Easton, PA until May 11, 2008

The "assignment" for this show was to "reinvent" a vintage poster, while still staying true to the original. My choice was Maurice Utrillo's "Flower Still Life" from 1946.

This is my interpretation of the artist's piece. His is more of an "Expressionist" interpretation; i.e. harder lines and a rough feel of the still life. I wanted to create an "Impressionistic" interpretation of the image; using techniques using loose brush strokes and mixing the colors on the canvas instead of on the pallete.

"Reinvention"The Arts Community of Easton's Annual Group ShowApril 4th thru May 11thOpening Reception, April 5th from 6 to 9 PM.

Connexions Art Gallery, 213 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 18042

Time once again for ACE's Annual Group Show at Connexions. In past years, we have focused on a "river/water" theme for this show. This year Connexions will be doing something different. We have asked artists to take vintage art posters and incorporate them into a piece of their own art in a way that creates a new piece of art.

This will be a juried show. Ingrid Renard from the Hunterton County Museum will be the juror. Stop by and enjoy the recreations of these vintage posters as interpreted by members and supporters of the Arts Community.A portion of the proceeds will go towards the ACE general fund.

For more details and information regarding our show, please visit: www.connexionsgallery.net

My Recognition as an EmptyEasel.com Contributor!

As an almost every day reader of EmptyEasel.com and now a frequent contributor to their article section, it seems as if I have been recognized and thanked as a participant!

I would recommend this web site for every artist of every level. It offers very useful tips for every aspect of the art world; including how to promote your work and yourself. I have learned a variety of things here, and if you are mentioned on their web site, you will receive a free link to your own site......I have noticed that the amount of readers of my own blog have increased since I have been doing this.

Please check out the article here which mentions me, and quite a few other EE Contributors!

http://emptyeasel.com/2008/02/25/a-special-thanks-to-ee-contributors/

Upcoming Online Exhibition

I will be participating in the "Artanddesignonline.com" 2008 4th Online Invitational Exhibition, beginning on January 28, 2008! I am not sure how long this show will run, but please take a look at http://www.artanddesignonline.com/ for further details.

I will try to find out the direct link of my work and post it here on my blog, for those of you who would like to take a look. I will be featuring my two paintings for sale, entitled, "Summer Poppies" and "Secret Garden". This is a "member's only" show.

Here is the link to my page: http://www.artanddesignonline.com/Member_template/member_temp_portfolio.php?m=33391

What Is Your New Year's Resolution?

What is your New Year's Resolution for 2008? My latest article I wrote for Associatedcontent.com describes an alternative resolution that I think can apply to anyone; especially those of us "creative types" out there. How to be "true" to yourself for the New Year; and for the rest of your life.

Please read on here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/511565/how_to_be_true_to_yourself_for_the.html