posted by Mark on Dec 9
”Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters”
Holiday Sale and Silent Auction
http://www.bromwikstrom.com/
and
NOW SHOWING: Cincinnati Art Club’s Signature Members Christmas Sale
December 5, 6, 12 ,13, 19 and 20,……….. 12:00 — 5:00 p.m. week-ends.
Stop in and check out the original art work for sale from 25 of our Signature artists! You won’t be disappointed!
First three weekends in December. Cincinnati’s best kept secret.
The Cincinnati Art Club Holiday Sale by CAC Signature Members.
Saturdays and Sundays ……………..Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Open to the public. Come meet the artists! Find that perfect, unique gift of original art. All price ranges and many sizes. There is nothing like original art. Oils, watercolors, pastels, and acrylics. Treat yourself to a stop at our Holiday Sale!
Link: http://www.cincinnatiartclub.com/
posted by Mark on Sep 24
My painting of a hitch horse (which my wife titled ‘Flossie’) giving rides to tourists during Octoberfest in the Bavarian-simulated village of Leavenworth, WA, was recently accepted in the 2009 Fall Open Juried Exhibition and Sale of the American Academy of Equine Art at the International Museum of the Horse, Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The Exhibition runs from September 26 to November 8, 2009. Artist reception is on Friday, September 25 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
posted by Mark on Aug 10
I will be exhibiting August 15 and 16 at the Woodland Park Art Fair, which is rated in the ‘Top Ten Summer Events’ by the Kentucky Tourism Council. I will be located at booth #97. Hours are Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday 11am - 5pm. Free Admission as well as a Kid’s Zone, food, entertainment and free shuttle services. Hosted by the Lexington Art League, you can get more information from their website at this link: http://www.lexingtonartleague.org
posted by Mark on Jun 4
Out of 270 applicants, I was happy to receive notification that I was accepted as one of the 150 artists participating in the 2009 event. Mark your calendar for June 27 and 28 to be at Midway College, which is between Frankfort and Lexington, Kentucky. It is rated among American Style Magazine’s ‘Top Ten’ art fairs in the country for the third year in a row. I was intrigued to learn about this show from other artists who say this a rare show where the promoters treat the artists like royalty and really roll out the red carpet. It’s always nice to know that you’re appreciated. After 25+ years of doing art shows, I can tell you that the majority just consider fine art to be another commodity for exploitation to fund their local pet projects. Please visit us at booth #111. For more details, here is their link: http://www.franciscosfarm.org
You might also be interested in a preview. The work of nineteen artists who will be exhibiting at the Francisco’s Farm Art Festival at Midway College will be on display at First United Methodist Church, 211 Washington Street, Frankfort, KY through June 25. An artists’ reception will be held on Sunday, June 7, at 5:00 and includes a talk by Event Coordinator, Marcie Christensen, about this award winning fair. The event is free and open to the public.
posted by Mark on Feb 22
I attended the February meeting of the Cincinnati Art Club and enjoyed a presentation by guest lecturer Jennifer King. She gave a slide show on California Impressionism and plein air painters in particular. Starting with turn of the century artists depicting a West Coast genre, she then gave examples of present day artists doing the same. However, Ms. King posed an interesting question at the end of her talk by asking, “What is the difference between the artist of 80 years or so ago and the plein air artists of today?”
There were several good answers from the audience such as light, color, composition etc. I mulled over this comparison when I got home and remembered an anecdotal experience I had about 20 years ago. I was doing an outdoor art show in Gig Harbor, Washington one summer and an elderly gentleman was looking at my art and telling me how wonderful it was. You always meet different kind of characters at these events. He proceeded to tell me that he was the art critic for the Boston Globe, but now retired. He said he had contacts with Mill Pond Press and that I should send my work to them. He took my card and I didn’t think much of it afterwards.
About a week later I got a letter from him proving that indeed he was who he said he was and he gave me a name at Mill Pond, one of the biggest print publishers in the country. So I sent my best stuff with high hopes of being among my heroes Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, John Seery-Lester etc. The response wasn’t what I expected, but it was very revealing to me as an artist. The reply was that I was as good as their stars, but what else could I do that was different. They wanted something from another angle. I wasn’t picked up by Mill Pond, but from that day forward, I had the revelation that whatever I paint had better knock the socks off the person looking at it.
I think that’s the challenge for most artists today, whether they paint plein air or in the studio. By the way, I’ve tried the outdoor thing and the sun moves too fast for my satisfaction to do things right. Plus there is wind blowing things around and flies that love to land on wet paint. Got tweezers? Someone in the audience asked Ms. King if most plein air artists touch up things back in the studio. I overheard a comment, “Probably about 15 hours worth.” I guess there’s a romantic mystique to saddling up one’s easel and trekking into new vistas. But, I will stick to the familiar ambiance of my studio sweet studio.
I will appreciate the art of the past and even contemporary masters. However, the times for good art are never over as long as the artist sets his or her sights on the incredible and beautiful imagery that God has bestowed upon His Creation. For some reason, the artist is unlike the average citizen and happens to be at the right place at the right time to capture something no one else can. This is the gift of creativity that just keeps giving.