Tiny Art Show

Rarely have I ever painted tiny pieces. When my friend, Wendolin Mercado, announced she was curating a Tiny Art Show, I decided why not give it a try. show. I will have nine paintings in this art show.

These two medicine men were inspired by masks I saw on a recent trip to Oaxaca. 

Both of these tiny Medicine Men are acrylic on 3" x 3" wood panel.

This brand new oil and cold wax painting is 6" x 6" and will also be in the show.

Tiny Art Show curated by Wendolin Mercado

Art supplies will be provided so you can create your own tiny art! 

June 15-16, 6 to 9 pm

The Cove, 402 N Tennessee St., McKinney, Texas  75019

Hope to see  you there!

Surprising Faces

This Spring I saw a few Instagram Art Challenges focused on the face. Not everyone, but many artists find drawing and painting faces quite challenging. I include myself in this group.

I decided to spend some time on the dreaded face. I signed up for an online class called Wandering Muse by Jeanne Oliver. There is a section of this class devoted to experimenting with faces. Jeanne emphasizes that these are just studies. Just play and see what happens. And so I did.

Using charcoal, stabilo pencil, ink, gesso and watercolor pencils I took Jeanne's ideas as a starting place. Some were definitely better than others. With more practice I began to actually enjoy drawing faces. 

I put the more successful ones up up on the wall. Seeing them altogether added another dimension. 

The last two were my personal favorites. Since they were the same size, I experimented with putting half of one face over half of the other. 

I posted a few of my faces on Instagram and Facebook. The response was truly surprising. I received several Private Messages of friends telling me how much they loved them. One friend drove from Dallas to see them in my home art studio. Another friend who owns a shop on the McKinney Square asked me to bring them up to her Shop. 

I sold several originals including the two large faces to the Shop Owner. She may use a couple in her clothing designs.

My friend from Dallas loved the two half faces. I took them up to a local printer who professionally photographed them to make customized prints.

My big takeaway from this experience is the energy with which I approached these faces. I was experimenting and playing rather than trying to create a masterpiece. The result was something fresh and new.

And the Winner Is...

A BIG thank you to all of you who signed up for my mailing list!

A random number generator was used to select the winner.

Honey Freis is the new owner of this waterscape painting. Congratulations!

New Mexico Dreamscapes

I'm delighted to announce the details of my first Solo Art Exhibition. Here is a sneak peek at two of my paintings from New Mexico Dreamscapes. 

Road Trippin'

New Mexico. It is impossible to describe, but easy to feel. This collection of paintings is a record of my month-long artist residency at Elephant Butte Lake in Southern New Mexico. It reveals what I saw, heard and felt there. It is a transcript in colors and shapes of my deep conversation I had with that mystical landscape.

My art show runs from June 10 - 30, 2017 at The Martin Place, 1799 N. Graves St., McKinney, Texas  75069. 

My opening reception is June 10 from 6 PM to 9 PM. I will give a short artist talk at 7:30 PM.

Red Hills

Marshes at Bosque del Apache

Hope to see you there!

Mr. Rooster Is Up for Bids

McKinney is a chicken friendly city. Each April our town hosts an event where chicken owners open their backyards to visitors and poultry enthusiasts. It’s called the McKinney Tour de COOP. I always enjoy seeing the variety of chicken coop designs people come up with. Some are quite fancy with chandeliers and stained-glass windows while others are simple and rustic.

Mr. Rooster, acrylic on gallery wrap canvas, 16" x 16" 

This year, there is an online auction of chicken coop inspired art benefiting McKinney's Historic Chestnut Square. The auction is open through April 30, 2017.

This event inspired me to paint a colorful and playful rooster!