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| "Lifting Fog at Dawn" 11x14 Oil - Available |
Campobello Island, New Brunswick
Canada
It
has been a whirlwind couple of weeks with travels. First, the Plein
Air Convention in Santa Fe, followed by a pastel workshop in North Carolina;
and finally, Campobello Island. Along the way, sadly, we had planned to
attend two memorial services for lost parents, one in Georgia for my father and
one in Vermont for Trina's. But even more sadly, as I approached Georgia
for my father's, I was notified that my mother had just tested positive for
COVID. Because of a mandated ten-day quarantine period, we had to cancel
the service, and I was unable to visit her. COVID can touch us in many
unexpected ways.
The Plein Air Convention was huge. I didn't get an
actual count, but I was able to calculate the number of chairs in the main
stage area, and most of those 800 seats were filled at times. As a
faculty member, I gave a pastel demonstration one evening that turned out very
well. I also enjoyed the afternoon paintouts, which were held at several
scenic locations, including the historic Santa Fe Plaza. I think my
favorite part, though, was watching the demonstrations of some of the best
painters in the world. (You can read a full write-up of the event on my blog.)
I'm honored to have been invited back for next year's convention in
Denver, which will be the tenth anniversary. They're expecting upwards of
a thousand attendees.
After a quick trip home to pack for the cross-country trip to
Campobello Island, I traveled to North Carolina. The workshop
was small, but that didn't disappoint me, as I prefer small groups. It
was held in conjunction with the statewide pastel exhibition, which is
sponsored annually by the three pastel societies in that state. Asheville
and Black Mountain provided cool upland territory to paint in, and we enjoyed
painting mountain streams and lakes.
When we finally arrived on Campobello Island, we found it much
as we left it: sunny and green and surrounded by a beautiful bay.
Better yet, even though we weren't able to be in residence the last two
summers because of closed borders, we discovered the house and studio to be in
fine shape. I'm looking forward to unpacking the studio and painting at
some of my favorite haunts.
Now, let me tell you about my upcoming events:
July 15: Judging for an online exhibition for the Arizona Pastel
Artists Association.
July 21-August 9: One-person show at Mulholland
Market, Lubec, Maine. As I'll be trying to clear out my studio
this summer (see the next item), I plan to put very low prices on the
paintings.
All Summer: Almost Everything Must Go Sale. I'm
closing down my Campobello studio, which means selling painting gear and art
supplies. As I don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping, you will need
to come to Campobello for this “cash-and-carry” sale. If you're
interested, let me know, and I'll send you a list plus pricing and the dates
I'll be available.
August 1-4: All-level plein air painting workshop in Lubec.
This is full, but I will put you on the wait list if you are interested—I
do sometimes have cancellations
August 7-12: Plein air painting retreat for experienced painters
in Lubec. Again, full, but I will put you on the wait list.
August 17-20: Pastel Live! I'll be teaching at
this online conference. This is hosted by PleinAir Magazine, and it's
part of the enterprise that includes the Plein Air Convention, Plein Air Live
and Realism Live. My session will be on Beginner's Day, which is August
17.
Also in August, I'll be judging the annual juried members' show for the
Vermont Pastel Society. I'm honored that VPS considered me for
this, as I've taught for them and was also a member when I lived in Vermont.
Maybe it's too early to talk about the fall,
but I will be at these two events:
- Escalante
(UT) Art Festival, September 16-21
- Prescott
(AZ) Plein Air, October 13-16
and don't forget my two fall
plein air painting retreats for experienced painters:
- October
2-7: Taos, New Mexico
- November
7-10: Sedona, Arizona
That's all for now. Stay well!
