Sacred Grounds, Edwardsville Oct '07

"We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something."
-- Sandra Day O'Connor

My solo exhibit at Sacred Grounds Cafe in Edwardsville, Illinois was wonderful. I love the location and how they displayed my work. It was nice to see my name in big, bold letters on the wall. I was pleased to see my work - THINK SPRING - purchased by Brian Kalb, a local attorney. Brian thinks this work is "vibrant" - I agree, as THINK SPRING is one of my favorites.




Here's a sampling of photos from the exhibit plus a photo of the exterior of my favorite restaurant across the street - Laurie's.

SMALL WORKS '07 NO. 1

"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind." -- Bob Dylan

I've begun matting some 8x10, 12x14, and 16x20 works. I'm in the process of picking frames. In order left to right, left to right (click on each work to see enlarged detail)...Let me know what you think (click on comment link):

8x10 Spring Rain








8x10 Spring Storm

SMALL WORKS '07 No. 2

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."
--Eddie Cantor

8x10 Arizona Winter I

8x10 Arizona Winter II

SMALL WORKS '07 NO. 3

"Life, I love you. All is groovy." -- Simon and Garfunkel

Here's some more 8x10, 10x14, and 16x20 works. I am in the process of choosing frames for each of these works. Let me know what you think (see comments link below - I would appreciate your leaving your name, but email address is not necessary). In order (measured as matted):

10x14 SOULARD MARDI GRAS I


8x10 SOULARD MARDI GRAS II


8x10 SOULARD MARDI GRAS III


10x14 BLOSSOM I


8x10 BLOSSOM II


8x10 BLOSSOM III

August '07 BIG SPLASH

This year's St. Louis Watercolor Society's BIG SPLASH was held once again at the St. Peters Art Center, a truly lovely place to hold an exhibit. There were over 200 pieces in this year's show. All members of the society. I was fortunate to be awarded a Honorary Mention award for my painting entitled LEAVES. It is a half-sheet work framed to 22x28. Here's the piece as it was hung on the wall. This link takes you to a page on the society's web site that features my work along with other winners. This is my first year in the BIG SPLASH. I am honored to be given this award by Carole Carter whose web site illustrates her work at carol-carter.com.



"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses,
just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul."
-- Oscar Wilde

C J MUGGS Webster Groves 7/19-10/16

"Those persons who have perceptive eyes
enjoy beauty everywhere." -- Paramahansa Yogananda

I hung two paintings - RELEASE (accepted into THE FOUNDRY Dec 06 Watercolor Exhibit) and GALILEE (pictured - 3rd place in Our Lady of the Snows Gateway Exhibit in late 06) - in C J MUGGS RESTAURANT in Webster Groves, Missouri. Nice neighborhood restaurant in what is called "Quiet Webster Groves" ...lovely part of town....big old, houses and lots of mature trees. C J MUGGS hosts a new exhibit on its walls every month or so (through the St. Louis Watercolor Society). The painting is my award-winner - GALILEE. The exhibit is titled DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION and the next exhibit will be DOUBLE VISION - PAIRED PAINTINGS.

WARM WASHES/COOL COLORS June, '07

My work titled "Mountain Meadow" was accepted into the WARM WASHES/COOL COLORS exhibit at the ST. LOUIS ARTISTS' GUILD in June, '07. I've included some more photographs below of the layout of The Guild (see more photos below - COLLECTORS' CHOICE VI) which is located in a stone English-styled building in Oak Knoll Park. The park is woodsy, with rolling hills and a beautiful lake. I always enjoy my visits to Oak Knoll and the Guild. Let me know if you need directions, eh?





"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life."
-- Frank Lloyd Wright

COLLECTORS' CHOICE VI June, '07

I enjoy donating a painting to the St. Louis Artists' Guild COLLECTORS' CHOICE every year. The Guild is such a classy place (in Clayton, Missouri's Oak Knoll Park). My painting titled "Fall Walk" (top photo, at far left) was donated to the fund raiser.



"The longer you spend working on something – loving it into being, almost – the more you get attached. It's silly, but you do hope they go to good homes."
-- Anne Desmet

My Digital Demo 5/15

"Tell a person they are brave and you help them become so."
-- Thomas Carlyle

I used the above work, DREAMS OF RED, to illustrate how to photograph work digitally, place in Adobe Photoshop and prepare for submission to exhibits accepting digital in lieu of slides. I also went thru the process of how to email and follow the exhibit jurors' instructions (which is extremely important to even have one's work considered). I also wrote a 3-page handout, taking the reader step-by-step through the entire process (from equipment and software selection to how to position one's work to photograph properly). This demo was done for the St. Louis Watercolor Society. Over 30 members attended the demo. I rec'd. a lot of compliments on the thoroughness of my program.

If you would like a PDF copy of my handout, please let me know in the comments area of this post. I enjoyed helping others broaden their ability to submit to exhibits they might otherwise have thought was not within their reach.

Addendum: I have just learned that ART ST. LOUIS is now accepting (and prefers) digital submissions (on CD and DVD) for their members' "artists' registry." Forward thinking, as corporations and other entities prefer to view digital files for possible lease and/or purchase of artists' works.

RIVERS OF COLOR May, '07

RIVERS OF COLOR was the first ST. LOUIS WATERCOLOR SOCIETY that I submitted my work. The exhibit was held at Creative Arts Gallery on Ivanhoe in South St. Louis. Wonderful venue for an art exhibit! My painting is titled "RED" (look to right in the photo, between and above the sculptures).....one more juried acceptance in this society and I will have "signature" status. Only half the submissions were accepted into the exhibit. So I was pleased.



"When I begin painting I am in a state of unconsciousness; I suddenly forget that I am holding a brush in my hand."
-- Wu Chen

CAFE DOLCE 4/15 thru 6/15

My first solo exhibit was held earlier this spring and early summer at Cafe Dolce, a wonderful little European style cafe in O'Fallon, Illinois. I hope to have a invitational gathering next spring at this stylish little place that serves excellent pastries for breakfast and luncheon soups and sandwiches. Paintings displayed:




"One can do good things without being very much of a harmonist or a colourist. It is sufficient to have a sense of art – and this sense is doubtless the horror of the bourgeois."
-- Paul Cezanne

Flower Power at St. Peters 3/16-4/23

Great reception 3/16! "Sunshine" was awarded 3rd place out of 99 paintings in Flower Power exhibit at St. Peters Art Center. "Spring Tulips" (top) and "Delight In The Garden" were also in the show. Next up is my solo exhibit at CAFE DOLCE (starts April 15).





"One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve." -- Henry David Thoreau

Foundry Art Centre 1/12-2/23 Exhibit & Essay

The Foundry Art Centre Paperwork: In, On, And Of Paper (520 North Main Center St. Charles, Missouri 636 255 0270). I missed the reception for this exhibit, but was honored to have "Release" (above) juried into the show. Brother Mel Meyer was the juror.

In addition, I was pleased to see that an essay appears on the Foundry's web site about my work ("Fanciful Fanstasy"). Lindenwood art history student Jay Cantwell wrote a beautiful "compare and contrast" piece for his instructor, John Troy, professor of art history at the university. You can read the essay at www.foundryartcentre.org . Click on the link "VIEW 2007 COMPARE & CONTRAST" and then click on link to "JAY CANTWELL" where the essay appears.

"Fanciful Fantasy" (written about in the essay and below) was juried into the watercolor show at the Foundry in December, '06. Students were asked to choose a painting of their choice to write about as their semester project. Thank you, Jay, for writing about my "transcendental abstraction" style. You spoke of my art much more eloquently than I could ever speak.




"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost." -- Martha Graham

Camelot Auction 2-16-07

Congratulations to Linda Davis on her winning bid to purchase "Country Fall" at this year's Rotary Camelot Auction Fundraiser in February. Special thanks to this year's program co-chair Brenda Wagner. Brenda wrote me the nicest letter about how excited Linda was at receiving the winning bid on this painting. I'm told that the event was highly successful and raised over $43,000 to go to local charities. I look forward to next year.



"Character is higher than intellect." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Belleville Main Street Fundraiser 2/1/07

Congrats to Terri Isenhart on receiving the winning bid on "The Dance." I donated the work to support BELLEVILLE MAIN STREET. I'm pleased to see Terri win the bid on this piece and look forward to donating another painting to next year's fundraiser. Special thanks to Rick Ortiz, president of Belleville Main Street, for his friendship and appreciation.















"Color is all. When color is right, form is right. Color is everything, color is vibration like music; everything is vibration." -- Marc Chagall

FirstBANK 1/18-4/19/07

FirstBANK at Manchester and Weidman Roads just south of Town & Country, Missouri is a beautiful bank with a tall, two-story atrium in the center. The area is perfect for display of large pieces of art. The St. Louis Watercolor Society invites their members who volunteer within the organization to display their works in this exhibit. I am honored to be a part of this effort.



This is a view of half the exhibit, looking towards the entrance. My piece can be seen 2nd from the right in this photo. This exhibit will change again April 19, when I will have 2-3 new works on display at that time through July. The bank provides a list and map of the exhibit (usually about 25 pieces) along with info on artists, title of works, prices and contact information, etc. Many thanks to the Jim Dierberg family for supporting the arts! Please stop by to see the entire exhibit.

"There are two sorts of beauty; one is the result of instinct, the other of study. A combination of the two, with the resulting modifications, brings with it a very complicated richness, which the art critic ought to try to discover."
-- Paul Gauguin

Main Street Gallery, Edwardsville 1/12-2/23/07

"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend."
-- Henry David Thoreau

Main Street Gallery 239 North Main Street Hours: T-F, 11am-6pm Saturday, 9am-5pm Closed Sundays and Mondays



Thanks, Kathryn! You are my favorite gallery manager!

New Works 1-8-07

"Abstract painting is abstract.
It confronts you." -- Jackson Pollock

All works are matted to framed to 26x32.

PAINT ME RED, acrylic on paper.













Mountain Meadow, watercolor













Forest Green, watercolor

































Celebrate, watercolor


Garnier, watercolor






















Fleur Bouquet, watercolor