Sunday, October 18, 2009

More Catching Up To Do

I have some more catching up to do. On October 8th we had the opening reception for The Art of Reading Show. Due to the generosity of the Friends of the Mobile Public Library we were able to grant 4 Purchase Awards for this show (Lindy Hawthorne, Karen McGahagiin, Joseph Mwanzia, and Jan Horton), as well as five Honorary Merit Awards (Billie Goodloe, Jaime Lee, Fran Newmann, Ardith Goodwin, Benita McNider). I noticed today that the Mobile Register posted the winners of the awards in the Sunday's arts section, which is really a good thing. Kathy Friedline, Phyllis Jeffery and I really enjoyed working on this show, and have received many positive comments on the quality of the show. So I hope you will be able to check it out. Kathy and I disqualified ourselves for consideration for any of the awards. But here are photos of each of us with our artwork.





On October 9th, we had the opening reception for the Mobile Art Association show at the Mobile Arts Council downtown, which was during the LODA Artwalk (I entered my tractor painting into this show). I also worked the counter at the Cathedral Square Gallery during artwalk, but was able to spend a little time at both venues.
On October 7th I participated with my last session of the Downtown Figure Group - we just have not had enough participants this fall to keep it going and to be able to pay the models. So on Saturday,October 10th, I drove to Fairhope with my friend Conroy to check out the Fairhope figure group at Eastern Shore Art Center. It was a great experience, very down to the business of figure drawing with a good group of artists and a good model. This group is moderated by Ron Thompson. We are hoping we can sustain a similar group in Mobile. Here is one of my drawings from the downtown group and a couple of drawings from the Fairhope group.






I also found out last week that I was accepted into the Watercolor and Graphic Arts Society!

I have started a bird painting, hopefully for the bird show being coordinated by Bill Morris for December. I have a couple of other ideas for bird paintings that I hope to be able to complete by then. Hopefully will be able to show you progress on these paintings before too long.

Then today I attended the Mobile Art Association monthly meeting. Had two interesting presentations by Jeff Knighton (on home-made scratchboard techniqued), and by the Yamato(?) Magnolias (Yuko, Satomi and Kaoru) on their collaboration for an upcoming show at the Mobile Arts Council blending Japanese and Southern cultures in their artwork.

Fall seems to be a busy time of year for the arts...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Art of Reading Exhibition - Reception Tonight!

I've been working with my friend Kathy Friedline and Phyllis Jeffery of the Mobile Public Library over the past few months to put together an exhibition of artwork celebrating the love of books and reading. We took in artwork for the show this weekend and hung the show on Monday. It will hang at the West Regional Branch Library through December 4th. It is really a beautiful show, and you can tell how much books and reading means to so many of us by viewing the artwork and watching the reactions of the library patrons as they view the artwork. The reception and awards presentations are tonight (Thursday). We are using entry fee money to assist the Library in purchasing artwork to hang in the library brances; and the Friends of the Mobile Public Library have also donated several hundred dollars to assist in building a permanent collection of art for the library system. Here is a copy of the exhibition Announcement and Invitation to the Reception. It is open to the public, so hope to see you there!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Some Catching Up to Do

I just got back from a 2 1/2 week roadtrip - we drove up to Massachusetts and stopped several places in route to visit with family and friends. While I was gone, my friend Kathy Friedline picked up my artwork from the Shared Expressions show at the Mobile Museum of Art (Thanks, Kathy!). Here is a photo of the finished painting (earlier photo was posted of the incomplete underpainting). I call this Baldwin County Cow No. 2. This was a really pretty cow we discovered last fall when driving through Baldwin County looking for some plein air painting sites. This is acrylic on canvas (30-in. x 40-in.)


I got back just in time to help pull together the last minute plans for The Art of Reading exhibit at the West Regional Branch Library, and spent Friday and Saturday accepting artwork for the show. I had to frame my painting for the Reading show and varnish another painting I had just finished for entry in the Mobile Art Association at the Mobile Arts Council downtown. Both were due Saturday but at opposite sides of town - and I had to be at the libary all day Saturday. Fortunately my friend Karen McGahagin agreed to deliver the painting for the downtown show for me (Thanks Karen!). Judging and inventorying all the submitted work for the Reading show was completed on Saturday, and then hanging the selected artwork on Monday this week. I then worked Tuesday at Cathedral Square Gallery. And showed up for Downtown Figure Group session tonight. Then tomorrow is the opening reception for the Art of Reading Show. And then LODA Artwalk and staffing of the counter at Cathedral Square Gallery on Friday evening. Phew!

Here is the Watercolor/acrylic painting I submitted for The Reading Show. This is called "One, Two, Three . . ." and is watercolor/acrylic on paper. This is son-in-law Christian reading to grandbaby Priya. She loves reading books!


Here also is the painting I entered into the Mobile Art Association Fall Juried Exhibition. This is acrylic on canvas, 16-in x 20-in. I call this "Yard Sale Tractor". Someone had placed this old, beat-up tractor by the street with a For Sale sign on it. It kind of looks like Fall to me. Hopefully it will cool down soon and start feeling like fall again around here.