Goin' for the Gold-Finch!

"Goldfinch Blossoms" SOLD--thank you!

Happy Summer everyone! First a giant thank you to everyone who helped and supported me during my busiest event of the year--the Denver Summer Art Market a few weeks ago.

Any outdoor event in Colorado is always a bit of surprise but it was gorgeous dry sunny weekend. Almost 100 on Saturday but thankfully my tent partner had a portable bucket misting fan (from Home Depot) which was very popular! I also tried a "gel cool pad" for my chair which I threw in the freezer the night before. Highly recommend for any warm weather event for a quick cool down!

And of course thanks to Denver's best art shoppers for stopping by and collecting my art for yikes almost 20 years! (Started very, very young..;). Sold many of my favorite recent paintings like this cheerful goldfinch painting posted today.

It's a lot of work getting ready for an art event like this but it's so rewarding. You get some time out of your studio, you meet and connect with many new people, you get a ton of painting practice and build your inventory--I painted over 50 new paintings.

With the Market behind me though I'm getting ready for some exciting new art events including...
My NEW 2 Day Glowing Colors Oil Painting Workshop: August 23& 24
Location: Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado
Click here for more info or to register.

Foothills Art Center Golden, CO

In the workshop I'll be sharing my tips for using transparent colors to create an exciting under painting which the method I use for many of my animals, including the goldfinch here. I don't often offer a 2 day intensive workshop so this is a good opportunity if you've been looking for an in person painting experience to learn this very popular method.

And finally thanks to all my current summer students for taking time out of their busy summers to paint with me! See you at the easel soon!

Top 10 List Just for Artists

I’m going to share that in college I had three big celebrity crushes: Han Solo (I mean Harrison Ford), Don Johnson (I mean Sonny Crockett) and David Letterman...

College Era Dav--Maybe he's reading my letter??

So I’m a little melancholy painting in the studio this morning after watching Dave’s last show last night. My crush on Letterman was so well known that my friends wrote a letter to him (on my behalf) proposing marriage to him. (Sadly, I did not get a reply.)

I have fond memories of gathering around my little color Sony TV with fellow students to watch Dave even if we had an early exam. So in honor of Mr. Letterman I’ve put together my own artist themed (of course) Top Ten List…Ladies and gentlemen here we go... 

Top 10 Best Things about Being an Artist
10. Wearing a teal beret (and maybe even a red cape) to the Costco seems perfectly reasonable.
9.  When someone says: My child is a wonderful artist--You really DO want to hear about it.
8. What happens at the art supply store…Stays at the art supply store.
7. Everyone wants to be your Pictionary partner.
6. You think something “sketchy” doesn’t sound well that bad.
5. Your somewhat “eccentric” collection of bones, rusty cups, and old string is perceived to be “charming” and “artistic” by friends and family.
4. You CAN draw a straight line.
3. You know there's way more than 50 shades of gray. (Thanks to my friend and fellow late night fan MR for that one.)
2.Your artistic license doesn’t require a photo.

And the number one best thing about being an artist...
1. Your “non traditional” schedule allows you to stay up late and enjoy the same crazy shows you watched in college!

Thanks for all the memories Dave—you'll be missed! P.S. My next upcoming group class starts Wed. June 24. For more info please visit my website. Cheers everyone!

Let's Paint--It's Blossom Week!

"Peaceful Paint" 8x10 oil on Gesso Panel (SOLD-Thank you!)

To me, horses and freedom are synonymous. 
Equine sculpture Veryl Goodnight

This is one of my favorite weeks in Denver.  It’s the week my four ancient crab apple trees come to life turning cotton candy pink. I always look forward to "blossom week" and this year it’s even about a week earlier than usual.

April apple blossoms in my yard

If you’ve been following my last few posts, you saw I was working my way around the color wheel with some fun mixed media work but today I woke up in an oil mood.

Pink blossoms are also tasty!

I have thousands of reference photos (I take photos at least a few times a week) so I look through them quickly to see what grabs my attention. What am I looking for? Typically 2 things: Intriguing shapes and bold value changes. Note that as much as I love color it’s not the main factor.  

I selected this photo because a bold dark/light design supports allows for more personal color interpretation—and for me that’s the best part of painting. 

For more information about my upcoming May color art class (for oil and acrylic painters) please email me or visit the Curtis Art Center website. Wishing you week full of creative blooming!