High Point Merchandise Mart

This past week, Gail and I went to High Point NC for the April 2011 Furniture Mart. It was almost to the day, 60 years ago, I left High Point as a 9 month old baby. It was quite an adventure to see the small town and get a feeling for the "home accent" industry. We were both exhausted by the 7 AM to 7 PM schedule but the results were exciting. We met many many designers, connected with other artists, and had more information leaving than we could assimilate. The work showed wonderfully. Here are a few shots of the booth just at show time...

I will be working on commissions, shipping pieces sold and contacting the designers, business owners, and company reps I met for several days running.

What a Show!

What can I say: 31 paintings in 4 days! Gone, Poof, off the walls and into some of the finest homes in Palm Springs, Desert Palms, La Quinta, LA, and San Diego...wonderful patrons, great weather and a delighful stay with Bill and Denise Zolbert who have become fast friends over the 8 years of collecting. I am back in the studio and working diligently to get ready for the High Point NC Furniture Show April 2-7. This one will be totally experimental. I'm putting on the pieces I'm working on now...

California or Bust!

Latest piece finished! Told myself "just paint happy" and I did!

Some much influence from the master's I study; This one is a rendition of the Klimt piece I recently sold in Boca Raton.

Another new approach to the floral, this one was inspired by Egon Schile who is my new favorite artist...

I have loved looking at this piece. It's in the same line as my Kandinsky Villages, but the new lighting, coloring techniques have given this one a particular interest...

These Ladies kindda grew out of the same re-paint process as the first post. The lighting in this one is especially interesting...

Thought I'd never got this one off the boards. I painted it about four times before I settled on this deep tone, rich hued presentation...

Well it's hard to believe that for the eighth year in a row I am driving to CA for a few weeks... La Quinta Arts Foundation is the first show I did eight years ago when Glen Cole and I began to work on the business plan he developed for my small company. I was dazzled and amazed by the whole affair, having done only the two Stockley shows a year for 10 years. It was new territory and I remember when we got to CA, I called Gail as she was buckling down under 6' of snow back home in Denver: I was down to a t-shirt and riding with the wind in my hair! Glen and I got there a little before the tent set-up was finished (I had to rent tents because I had never purchased one) and we sat under the canopy with the welcome basket the Foundation brought by... complete with a bottle of fine red wine! Oh, we thought we were really in "high cotton!" Of all the things I value in my Denver experience, the one thing that changed my life the most was meeting Glen and having his expertise added to my talent. He catapulted me into the Big League with his encouragement, planning, guidance, and business acuem. Thank You Glen!

Energy and Design

Things are coming together: been in the studio long enough to hit the "zone" again - at last... Commissions have come into the approval staus and will finish them up this week, hopefully. Am continuing to experiment, especially with the new white space concept. Landscapes are lacking. Can't seem to find that image, that idea, to develop. Setting up business stuff for the new year, prepping taxes, rethinking the show schedule... it's all in the mix!

Saturday's a Work Day!

A few new pieces in the mix... two are commissions and the other two are for experimental purposes. Trying the idea of white space! I'll keep working on them of course as I am wont to do.

Planning the Mount Dora FL show Feb 5-6 and looking forward to California in March.

More New Works

" Lake View" is 36 x 48 and is done primarily by splattering the paint with a medium brush and very "wet on wet"...

Another Large piece, "Three Lady Lunch," is done by lifting the color off the canvas after it has cured...

Back in the studio, I am working on some larger pieces for the fun of it. These have been in the works for a few weeks now. I look at them daily as I work and then, zap!, I get an idea to move ahead in a direction which brings them out from the vague mesh of color and into the detail. These will continue to be developed over the next few weeks; I am planning on having them ready for the show in CA, La Quinta Arts Festival March 10-14... The "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" piece is done with underpainting of color block, lifting, and then stippling with small brush in all the colors juxtaposed... tedious but effective.

After Boca Show

Sarah in the Parlor...

Marla ordered this beauty and picked it up at the show...

One of my all time favorites, will be using her in the promo work for Paradise City shows...

Sold in a skinny minute...classic ladies, watercolors and fun!

An all red idea for Martice theme...

After another four hours of painting this is what the image below looks like...

Started this one and, after some feed back, went back to work on the colors, composition...

Spent four days in Boca Raton FL and loved every minute of it. The show there was an exceptional boost to the painting energy. So many good comments (and terrific sales), great crowds, and picture perfect weather (73 degrees and sunny)...and that while the rest of the country was under feet of snow! Came back to GA and hit the temperature drop right at the state line...Atlanta was in a deep freeze and Savannah wasn't much better. So I have cranked up the heat and started painting with renewed energy. Several commissions under way and are included here. Planned the next few months of shows and am really excited about Mount Dora FL on February 5-6. Then La Quinta March 10-14. I'll be working in between to keep the inventory. New pieces that haven't hit the website are also included here...