Festival Season is Here!

Art Festivals and 1 day painting workshops will be keeping me busy this summer. This weekend I’ll be trying to stay warm when I exhibit at the Sturgeon Bay Fine Art Fair, looks like we will be lucky if temps warm up to 60 degrees! I’ll be featuring new encaustic paintings ranging from landscapes to…

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Lunar Eclipse Re-visited

A painting of the moon in the sky.

This week was the return of the Blood Moon, a lunar eclipse event that was visible in every U.S. state. Seeing the full moon brought me back to the first time I viewed and painted lunar events. For this version, I decided to use soft pastels combined with micaceous iron oxide to give the underpainting…

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End of Summer

Sunset over canyon with colorful sky.

Where did the time go? I spent Labor Day finishing a painting that I’d been thinking about since returning from Arizona last week. This summer I was able to travel and see amazing National Parks; experiencing these natural wonders has impacted my creativity. First were visits to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. The Teton…

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New Routines

Abstract watercolor landscape with trees and sky.

I’ve been acclimating to life in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s a huge change from my urban dwelling and lifestyle in Chicago (and before that Boston). Landscape inspiration is steps away from where I live now. I am still reviewing photos I took last spring, summer, fall and winter. Finally I have time to explore and…

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Pastels at the Peninsula School of Art

Rocky shoreline with distant trees and water.

“Cana Island”, a favorite painting completed on the last day of the pastel workshop. I finally made it to the Peninsula school in Door County, Wisconsin. I attended a pastel workshop with Colette Odya-Smith last week. It lasted four days and I am still absorbing so much of what I learned. I wrote an article…

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IAPS and Upcoming Exhibitions

The international association of pastel societies is a group of people who are interested in learning about pastels.

Tuesday morning I am headed to Albuquerque to attend the International Association of Pastel Societies biennial convention – IAPS There has been so much hype on social media and I can’t imagine what it will be like, I am very curious and excited! I started painting with soft pastels during the pandemic when the world…

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December Shows & Etsy

Twelve colorful abstract landscape paintings in frame.

It is not too often that I open my Etsy shop to feature small works at competitive prices. “A Year of the Full Moon” pictured above is just one of the many pieces currently available. I love the fact that patrons from all over the world have an opportunity to see (and purchase) my paintings…

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Juried Show Acceptances

Beach scene with sand dunes and grass.

I am having success in the pastel world, and it feels pretty good! Submitting work to juried shows is always so subjective, a painting that is rejected from one show jury can be accepted by another, such is the case with these two paintings. Having my work accepted into juried shows is one way of…

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Upcoming Solo Show

Pastel landscape painting exhibition announcement poster.

I have been slowly but surely framing my favorite pastel paintings, preparing for a solo show down the road. The opportunity to exhibit this month was unexpected but I jumped at the opportunity because I am ready! I’ve already decided to include 24 pastel paintings. The pandemic became a perfect opportunity to learn more about…

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Flowers in the Air…

Colorful flowers alongside a garden pathway.

… and Art Festival Season is only a few months away! The light at the end of the COVID tunnel, winter’s end and brighter days have inspired me to paint warmer landscapes. I have spent most of the year better learning soft pastels and it finally feels like my paintings are maturing. I continue to…

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