Finished?? TBD 10 '15

I think I have just about finished my painting of Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon, AZ . ( I am still trying to decide whether I want to modify the sky color). 

In the meanwhile, I am going to start working on a new painting of Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing. This is one of the most photographed places in the world, so it will be challenging to see if I can create an interesting perspective.

Pumpkin to Paint 10'13

Bruce bought this gnarly little pumpkin at a farm-stand yesterday. The checkout person asked if we were going to eat it. Bruce answered, " Not before my wife has a chance to paint it"

People Choice Exhibit Opens Today 10'13

 The 2013  People Choice Art Exhibition opens today. 

This is my entry.

Oconee State Park

This annual Charleston  Artist Guild  Exhibition is sponsored by First Federal Bank.

You can see this  piece and all of the other fine artwork

 between 9 am to 5pm daily from Oct 2nd through Oct 17th at:

First Federal Bank Building

34 Broad Street, 

 Charleston, SC

There will also be a

  

 an

Awards Reception:

October 10, 2013 - 6pm - 7:30pm

Caesar's Head SC State Park 10 '12

 This mountain top park has awesome views. 

Raven Cliff Falls Caesar Head SP, SC

I hiked 5+ miles along the flank of the upper peaks of this SC State Park to an overlook for Raven Cliff Falls. It is possible to hike  an additional 1.5 hours straight down through dismal gorge to the bottom of the falls, but the trail signs warned it would then  take an additional  3 hours  to  hike straight back up.  Alternatively I could have hiked an additional mile  to a suspension bridge that crosses the top of the falls, but then Icouldn't actually see the face of the falls.. I decided the overlook was the best choice for getting a good look at and some reference photos of the 400 foot plunging waterfall.

References for Gallery hopping in Appalachia 11' 10

I  just came home from a week in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of South Western North Carolina.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to some of the finest artist and craftsmen in the United States. So  We spent much of my time seeking out and exploring the area's galleries. It wasn't hard to do... They were virtually everywhere. Along the smaller roads, quilters announced their presence by painting a quilt on the sides of their home, wood carvers and basket weavers sat their wares in open display stands in their front yards. Slightly larger communities might have a coop gallery representing several artists working in different media. And of course the larger towns and cities had multiple galleries pulling in art from all over the region. I visited too many to name them all, but here is the list of my favorites ( and their links):

• The Folk Art Center On the Blue Ridge Parkway had some of the finest art quilts I have ever seen, as well as wod carving, basketry, pottery, glassware, and many other local crafts. ...Folk Art Center. Milepost 382 Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC or http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/attractions-destinations/folk-art-center
• 
  
•  The Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville features Contemporary Fine Art and Craft for sale by Artists of the Southeastern United States The light-filled, 15,000 square-foot gallery spans three floors connected by an open stairway. Within the gallery are some of the finest contemporary art/craft I have ever seen anywhere! .... 8_Biltmore Avenue, Asheville NC 28801 or http://www.bluespiral1.com/gnews.htm
•  
• The Haen Gallery just down the street from the Blue Spiral is home to two of my favorite artists... Lynn Boggess and Larry Gray... See them at : 52 Biltmore Avenue Suite 101, Asheville NC 28801 or http://www.thehaengallery.com/ .
• 
  
• The SevenSisters Gallery in Black Moutain features fine arts and crafts including pottery, jewelry, sculpture,  paintings, glassware, and metal works all handcrafted by local artisans at: 117 Cherry Street, Black Mountain, NC.
• 
  
• And finally, The Silver Fox Gallery in Hendersonville was a new discovery for me and is  certainly destined for many return visits. This quietly elegant upscale gallery in Hendersonville is a delight. Color is a dominant theme with brilliantly hued ceramics by many fine regional and national artists. The glass art is equally eye catching particularly the richly hued works by Victor Chiarizia. The gallery walls are covered with fine paintings and intricate textile art and the rooms are warmly appointed with inviting hand-made furniture. It was as much of a home decorator store as a gallery, but almost everything was one of a kind,   Go to 508 N. Main Street Hendersonville, NC 28792 or http://silverfoxonline.com/index.html

26 Annual People's Choice Art Show 10 '10

CC Beside her painting ( upper one)

CAG Show was held in Lobby of the First Federal Building

You may remember that last month I was thrilled to be promoted to an Exhibiting Member status by the Charleston Art Guild last month. One of the advantages of this status is that I am now eligible to apply for entry into the many shows they hold in downtown Charleston. The first one I entered was the prestigious People's Choice Award sponsored by First Federal Bank. This show has been presented annually for 26 years and is know for it's high quality art. Out of 350 exhibiting members, 125 pieces were shown. and mine was

Mountain Home Farm 6 '09

One of the more interesting places we stopped in the Blue Ridge Mountains was

The Mountain Home Farm.

I got  some great photo references  of this gem.

Set up and maintained by the US National Parks Service,

The Mountain Home  Demonstration Farm has authentic original  farm buildings that were purchased when the Blue Ridge Parkway was being constructed and moved to this location to demonstrate what life was like on a  pioneer farm in the Blue Ridge mountains.

All of the buildings on the farm have  signs explaining the use of the building , and  Forestry Service  personnel are there to answer questions more detailed questions about the exhibits.

Of course most farms shared their services with their neighboring farms rather than attempting to be completely self sufficient.  So rather than representing a typical farm, the buildings on the Mountain Home Farm shoe  complete  collection of buildings dedicated to every aspect of farming that would be represented in the community.

Most did have pigs, or some form of livestock, and those that did not relied on hunting.

and most had a kitchen garden with herbs for medicinal and culinary use.

But some were wealthier and had really large  barns and farm plots on very fertile soil

When one considers that all of this building and planting ,( including the clearing of the land and the cutting of trees for the buildings), was generally done by hand and by hand tools, it is truly an impressive accomplishment.

Fall in the Low Country 12 '08

I am really surprised at how much fall color we get in the Low Country.

Coming from a part of the world where we get none

this is truly a treat

My artwork has become so m uch more colorful since moving to the East Coast