I'm pleased to share that my painting A Measured Response received the Third Place award at the Artists of Northwest Arkansas Regional Show which is on display at Art Ventures in Fayetteville, Arkansas till the end of September.  If you are in the area, I hope you will pop in and see all the great work in this exhibit. My thanks to all those involved in putting on this event and a special shout out for the terrific catalog produced this year!  Thanks to all the sponsors and to Gary for his amazing, and tireless, fundraising abilities.  (By the way, loving this Princeton watercolor brush that was given out at the reception!)  A special thank you to the Bud & Marie Leding Memorial Fund, Pacmac, Celtic Construction, and Gary Johnson Fine Art for sponsoring the Third Place Award.  Also my thanks to the Jury of Selection:  Phil Starke, Simon Kogan, and Selma Blackburn; and finally the Judge of Awards Bill McNamara.  I couldn't have been more surprised.  Back to my brushes.  

"Perhaps the safest prediction we can make about the future is that it will surprise us."  - George Leonard

It's been a month since I posted and I thought I'd just jot a note here.  Two weeks ago my parents were in a car accident and the following day so was my youngest.  When it rains it pours.  Yes, It was raining.  Why is it always freaking water?  I suppose it must be the gods of irony.  Back to my brushes.  

"It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety."  - Isaac Asimov

My entry in the Watercolor West 50th International Juried Exhibition has been accepted!  My painting titled A Weather Eye will be headed to the City of Brea Art Gallery in Brea, California for the exhibit which will be on display from October 13th to December 16th, 2018.  My thanks to the juror Katherine Chang Liu.  If you plan to be in the area be sure to add this exhibit to your itinerary.  The opening reception will be October 13th, 2018 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.  Back to my brushes.  

"Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure." - Irving Wallace

I will be exhibiting with the Artist's of Northwest Arkansas at the 24th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition.  Thanks to the jurors of selection:  Phil Starke, Simon Kogan, and Selma Blackburn.  I look forward to seeing the many talented artists from the area and meeting new ones as well.  This exhibit is a gem of the region and hosts all different mediums.  I hope if you are in the area you will stop by Art Ventures on the town square at 101 W. Mountain, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  The event opens September 6th and closes September 28th, 2018.  If you would like to meet the artists, stop by from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. the night of the awards ceremony and reception September 15th, 2018.  Back to my brushes.  

"It is the function of art to renew our perception.  What we are familiar with we cease to see."  - Anais Nin

Well, what can I say...I've been busy.  I'm pretty close to finishing my latest work.  I have been working on my next piece in my spare time, completed 25 books since March and a few other surprises.  Apparently I'm a high-functioning insomniac and don't need to fret about it... much like President Clinton.  Okay - I'll take that.  And by the way, I've already finished his latest collaboration five books back.  Just saying.  Back to my brushes.  

"Don't stress out about the white space - the path you can't draw - because therein lies both the surprises and the opportunities."  - Sheryl Sandburg

I've been working on a piece and making some delicate decisions along the way.  It's been enjoyable and I like the results.  I travel back and forth, but pure hues ever call me.  I have continued with late nights that have included books by my new fav Christopher Moore, as well as James Patterson & Bill Clinton, and James Ryan.  I enjoyed each and every one and I send my thanks for the respite/entertainment.  But I have also added a new documentary to my art documentary page if you are more interested in film.  I will rest another day.  Back to my brushes.  

"Better to make a hundred mistakes than to stare at a blank piece of paper to scared to do anything wrong."  - Neil Gaiman

My painting, In Line With 19, will be displayed in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's 39th Annual Exhibition.  I am really happy to have this piece excepted in a show.  It is not my normal subject matter, nor part of a series, but a painting I did specifically for my eldest.  Why do I like this painting?  It has some abstract elements that were a lot of fun to paint and I think are interesting and unique.  It has some really fun placement of color, and yet it stays true to my realism roots.  A recollection of good times.  Back to my brushes.  

"I can't say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days."  - Daniel Boone

I've added a new series to my art documentary page, newest at the bottom of the page, as usual.  

So here's a question?  Do you paint because it's easy or hard?  Would it be as much fun if it had no challenges?  For me, it is the challenge that makes me pick up a brush.  Can I do that?  Will it work?  For instance, I began a painting that included tin cans.  Could I do it?  Would it be artful?  At the time...no.  I threw it away.  I tried again a year later.  No.  I burned it.  I tried again a year later.  Success!  Was it as I had first pictured?  No.  It was better.  There were years of experience between the first and the last painting.  So I say with authority that I paint because it is challenging.  Easy is just another word for boring.  Back to my brushes.  

"My stories run up and bite me in the leg - I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite." - Ray Bradbury

I started a new painting and that is always an exciting time for me.  I have it all planned out in my head, well, mostly anyway.  I have my palette reconstituted and it is bright and beautiful and I can hardly wait to dip my brush...but first I clean off the mixing area.  It's not logical and it's a terrible waste of paint.  I'm not changing my palette after all, just starting a new painting.  I suppose that's the explanation as well.  It's a beginning.  The last painting is done.  I want to be totally in the moment with this painting.  So I wipe the "slate" clean and begin.  It feels good.  I can't recommend it; but it is what I do.  Back to my brushes.  

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from."  - Seth Godin