A Change of Scene

A recent portrait commission. Pastel on board, 18 x 27.

Right after the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts a couple of weeks ago, I got sick. It was a huge bummer because - if you follow this blog - you know that my parents were visiting from Georgia. I wanted to take them to Reeds Gap State Park, but I was not up to it. There's nothing like the frenzy leading up to a multi-day art show and then the crash back to earth after the show.

I'm much better now and I've been quietly going about things. For me, the aftermath of a show usually involves replenishing supplies of frames for new pieces, updating my books, writing thank you notes, and figuring out the next things upon which I will embark in my studio. I've also used this relatively quieter time to complete a portrait commission, shown above. This piece is definitely different from the landscape and cityscape work that I normally do and I really enjoyed working on it. It's so rare that I can pull out my turquoises and go nuts.

Speaking of going nuts, I'm about to start traveling a lot. Tomorrow I will leave for a photo safari in New York City. I plan to pound the pavement for a solid couple of days to gather inspiration for new cityscapes that you'll see later this year and beyond. And next week, I embark upon a long-awaited and highly-anticipated midwest painting excursion. While my husband attends an academic conference in Chicago, I will continue on up to Wisconsin with our studio mascot, Annie, to do some plein air painting.

I'm very enthused about the "change of scene" that these trips will offer for me and the energizing boost that I always get from such variety. Along the way I'll visit some old friends and eat a lot of Wisconsin frozen custard. I'll be waddling back into my studio by mid-August....

Thank You

In my booth with my parents at this year's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Each year, my parents schlep up to Pennsylvania from their home in Georgia to help out my husband and me during the long days of the show and to dog sit for our studio mascot, Annie.

This past weekend I exhibited at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. I didn't know what to expect going into the show with our current economy and the challenges that so many people face right now. Much to my (pleasant) astonishment, this show was our most successful ever. Buoyed by a 50/50 split between new and repeat customers, my husband and I sold an almost equal number of recent landscapes and cityscapes. In addition, I received the Robert and Virginia Mountz Award of Merit for my overall body of work at the show. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported me this past weekend. I truly appreciate your continued enthusiasm for my artwork!

Summer Colors

I'm busy with final preparations for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts this week, but I wanted to give a brief update about what I've been doing so far this summer. June flew by in a whirl of travels for both family and professional purposes. Let's see, we went to Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and Cleveland. Too much! After this weekend's art show, I'm looking forward to a much calmer schedule.

Between travels during the month of June, I've spent a lot of time painting on location within Centre County and beyond. Here, our dog and hardworking studio mascot, Annie, keeps me company in Black Moshannon State Park. This is Black Moshannon, No. 27 - Kaleidoscope in progress.

During the second week of August I'm planning a road trip to my home state of Wisconsin, where I plan to paint some of the beautiful farm vistas that I recall so fondly from my childhood. I'll post a few updates to this diary with new pieces as they become available. I'm excited about this trip because it's been many years since I visited Wisconsin and I've never painted the landscape there.

Until then, I'll continue with local plein air adventures to area state parks as well as an upcoming Paint Out and Exhibition on Sunday, July 19 in Lemont, Pennsylvania. This event is sponsored by the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania and it should be a fun afternoon of historic architecture and artistry.