A Little Bit of Alamosa - ARTWALK

Alamosa ArtWalk is this Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m, and though we would never dare to predict the weather - I can predict a good day to visit Downtown Alamosa - to shop and take in the art scene. The work of local artists will be on display at downtown locations in celebration of the San Luis Valley's vibrant arts
community, of which I am very
proud to be a part.

My work is being showcased in the San Luis Valley Brewery during Artwalk and on Saturday I plan to be out on the street by 9 to do a plein air demo.
In the event of snow I will be warming a chair with a double shot in Milagros Coffee House.





If you are looking for a good reason to visit our corner of Colorado, this is it. On Saturday morning ArtWalk schedules and maps will be available at Milagros Coffee House, Treasure Alley, Cranes and Crows, Wild Roses and Firedworks Gallery. Get your ArtWalk schedule stamped from at least 10 participating merchants and turn it in for a chance to win prizes in the drawing held at the SLV Brewery at 5:30pm.




There will be live music in the afternoon at the SLV Brewery and Saturday’s ArtWalk events will wrap up with the drawing at 5:30 p.m. for a $200 gift certificate- good towards a piece of art of the winner’s choice, as well as other prizes.

The paintings shown here, all scenes of Alamosa, were either done en plein air at past ArtWalks or done specifically for past ArtWalks.

Honorable Mention in Texas for Happy Trails

This is the first year I entered the Midland Arts Association 2012 Juried Art Exhibition, in Midland, Texas, and I was very happy to be notified this week, that my 16"x 20" entry "Happy Trails" won an Honorable Mention at the opening on March 29. Whoo- Hoo!
and
a HUGE Congratulations to my friend, photographer Steve Immel who won a First Place Prize and an Honorable Mention. Click the link on his name and check out his website.
Special THANKS to Peggy Immel, friend and fellow painter who suggested I enter the show in the first place. Thanks Peg.

Congratulations SLV Painters

Congratulations to the San Luis Valley Painters on a very successful show.
We closed the SMall Works Show at Milagros last Friday after a very happy "hometown" run. We sold 15 paintings and tho' it was a small percentage, were able to donate over $200. to the Milagros fund for our community.
Thank You to everyone who took part.

Looking for Snow

Last week Sue, Dave and myself went looking for snow and found it up the Pinus Creek Road in the San Juans, above Del Norte, Colorado.
As Spring comes on, the winds kick up in Colorado but we managed to catch a morning that was very mild and almost calm. There was a lot of "atmosphere" though, because of fires that burned in other parts of the state; downright smokey day actually. Some painters go for that atmospheric/air look -
being originally from California, I'm not so keen on it.

Spring in the Mountains

I painted with Sue McCullough at Rock Creek, in the San Juan Mountains this last week. It is amazing, to me how seemingly colorless the landscape can appear at this time of year.

Spring ? ? ? Where's the GREEN?

Spring is finally coming to our part of the country. You would never know by the views or snow covered mountains but temps are rising and that is always a good sign.
Last week, David Montgomery and I went east towards LaVeta Pass- looking, for something -not sure what, but we finally pulled over on the road and just started walking around. I am not very patient, or willing to spend a lot of time looking for a certain thing, but am more inclined to find a view with what is available. In this case, the bushes and fence served but I came home rather cranky about all the BROWN landscape.
I guess I haven't been getting out enough.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

SMall Works Show and Party

Most of the San Luis Valley Painters gathered last Sunday in Milagros Coffee House for our SMall Works Show party. It was a pleasure to share it with the community and people passing through from as far away as Santa Fe (3 hours away) joined in our Art celebration; some even took a painting home with them. As part of the festivities, everyone was encouraged to vote for their "favorite" painting. The honor went to Brown Cow by Kayleith Pellandini; by an overwhelming margin.
Kayleith could not stay for the
photos so a young admirer stood in for her.
Thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks, also to Milagros Coffee House and the community who are helping to spread Red (sales) dots all over the walls. The SLV Painters are donating 20% of all sales to the Milagros fund for our community.
This show will hang until Friday March 30th.

SLV Painters present the SMall Works Show

The San Luis Valley Painters is a group loosely associated with my Painting Classes. We try to hold a show locally every Spring and today we hung our SMall Works show in the Milagros Coffee House Gallery in downtown Alamosa.
Milagros is a place in the San Luis Valley, where roads, friends, art & book lovers, free thinkers, musicians and writers, all seem to meet. It is a stop for tourists, a setting for conversation and coffee drinkers, and for years the site of the only espresso maker in town.
A gathering spot, very much at the heart of Alamosa,
that supports causes that our little community hold dear.
It is a natural place to show and celebrate art in Alamosa.
18 Painters are represented with 107 pieces,
all in sizes less than 80 square inches and all very affordable.

It felt a bit like mayhem as work went up but response from the morning coffee crowd was very positive; 3 pieces sold before the work was all up.
BRAVO! to all the painters who participated - and Thank You!

Join us to celebrate with a reception on Sunday, March 11 from 2 - 4pm.

Spring Shows '12

Entering SHOWs is a big part of my painting season and January is a time to review: what did I enter last year, which shows were a bust, or a waste of time or just too expensive to enter...
One show I plan and paint for every year is the PAAC Show or the Plein Air Artists of Colorado Annual National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition and Sale - whew! - some long title.
Featuring the best work chosen from paintings entered by a membership of over 250, the PAAC SHow is set for May 5th in Taos, at my gallery- Wilder Nightingale Fine Art.
I was pleased to hear, last week that my 3 entries were juried into this year's show. From the top: Running Snow, 12x9,
Afternoon in the Tall Grass, 12x16,
and Endo Dawning, 12x16. Click on any one of these to see them larger.
















This is the first year I entered the Midland Arts Association 2012 Juried Art Exhibition, in Midland, Texas, and I was just notified that my 2 entries were selected for the show set to run March 29- April 29.
My entries are Happy Trails, 16x20, and Autumn Way, 16x20. Whoo- Hoo!

Now to think about the more mundane - shipping and paperwork...

Class Notes: BETTER Value Sketches

A sketch is a sketch is a sketch . . . .
worthwhile or a waste of valuable time that I could be spending painting?
Well, it's like pointing the car in the right direction and just hoping you get where you want to go. Your sketch is the MAP: a way to master the view, instead of letting it master you.
Here are some simple tips for sronger value sketches:
1. Use a viewer to limit and "trap" the view so that you know exactly what will be included in the frame; both positive, as well as negative shapes. I use an empty cardboard slide holder. (remember slides?)

2. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Start with a sketch (or Notan) - limit detail by squinting so you see less and can combine areas of detail into larger areas of value that are similar.

3. Stick with 3 values.
Remember that step-by-step process a few posts back?
The lights which are the white of the paper, the darkest darks which are as dark as you can make them with the pencil, and the middle tones in between. Simplifying the sketch to just 3 values will communicate your ideas more powerfully - and translate more easily to color.

4. Make value changes for a better composition.
Once the sketch is done, you have a map for yourself but it may become apparent that not every route is a good one. Think about rearranging value areas or connecting them to improve the composition or to better lead the eye through the painting.