Teeny tiny paintings

#8; Acrylic and wax pastel on Bingo card

Over the last two years I have become increasingly focused on working from observation in the studio. It's something I never thought I'd say.

Last year while visiting an exhibition of paintings by artist, Julian Hatton, at the elizabeth harris gallery in NYC, I was lucky enough to hear him talk about his work, which is bold and abstract yet small in scale. Hatton spent many years working en plein air in Brooklyn, of all places, and he talked about how the experience prepared him for his journey into abstraction.

I'm hoping there's a little bit of the same preparation underway for me right now. This feels, not like a departure from my earlier work, but a foundation for later work to come.

I'm making, among other things, a series of small acrylic paintings of flowers on bingo cards.

View the whole project here.

Henry Martin: 100 Days,100 Women

My work was recently featured in a project by art historian, Henry Martin. His biography on Agnes Martin is due to be released in the US this March. As part of that release Henry began an online project, "100 Days, 100 Women". His vision for the project is to reduce the male bias in the art world.

"100 Days 100 Women is a corrective measure I can take as a biographer and art writer, to not only educate myself on contemporary art practice by women artists known and unknown to me, but also to fight against historical precedent in the disappearance of art by women in art history books, the marketplace, and human consciousness.”

My work is featured here. Be sure to visit the home page of the project to discover other fantastic work.

Newest drawing

"Untitled", graphite, colored pencil, and gouache on paper, 4.5 x 6", 2017

I finally completed this piece last week bringing the total number of drawings in the series to seven. I am hoping to create enough for a small solo exhibition, but fortunately, they are selling as fast as I can finish them...So far they have all gone to forever homes in AZ. Perhaps it's a sign that I should be looking for a venue to show them in the southwest.

Fall exhibitions

"Rain Shower", 12 x 11", charcoal and mica powder on paper, 2014
On view in "Good Wonder" at ASU

This time of year has become like harvest time for me. The new ideas that I grew in the spring and summer are bearing fruit in the form of exhibitions. Tonight the Biennial opens at Five Points Gallery in Torrington, CT. If you're in the area, it promises to be a strong showing of 60 artists working in diverse media.

In two weeks time, "Good Wonder" will open at ASU's Gallery 100 located in the university's Tempe campus.  Curated by ASU gallery director, Grant Vetter, the exhibit explores themes of mysticism, sensory and environmental phenomenon, spectacle, and the metaphysical. (All of which is kind of "my bag" as it were.)

This week I also packed up drawings and sent them to Boston for exhibition. A selection of work from my small format sketchbook drawings will be part of an installation at Liquid Art House located in the Back Bay. Another diminutive work, at 8 x 10", will be part of this year's Hallspace Drawing Project at Hallspace Gallery in Dorchester, MA. That show opens August 21 with a reception on September 2 from 3 to 6 pm.

If that's enough for you, the PrattMWP faculty show will be installed at the end of this month in the school's new-to-it gallery space at Fountain Elms. I anticipate showing some garden paintings. The show opens September 8 from 5 to 7. The opening is usually well attended and buzzing with the energy of the new year. Come join us!

"All You Can Ever Count on is the Rain" 4.5 x 6", graphite and gold leaf on paper, 2017

In other news, my newest series of work has gotten a mention by Ann Landi of Vasari21; and now I am busy framing pieces for collectors who have made purchases from the series. Keep your eyes open at TD Originals and ODV wines for one of the drawings. It should be framed and shipped in a month.

Five Points Biennial next Friday

"A Love Letter to my Garden"; mixed media on panel; 2016

My painting, A Love Letter to my Garden, will be on display in the Five Points Biennial in Torrington, CT. The space is a non-profit contemporary art gallery showcasing professional regional, national and international visual artists. Five Points has earned the reputation as one of Connecticut’s outstanding contemporary art venues.

One piece from 60 different artists was selected for the biennial exhibition. Of the 60 artists, 15 states are represented. Artist mediums range from painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, & video. The opening reception is Friday, August 4th from 6 to 8:30 pm. Come check it out!