Capital Idea

"Statehouse 150" - 8 x 10" - oil

This past Friday I was at the Ohio Statehouse with the Central Ohio Plein Air group.  The Statehouse invited us out to paint in celebration of their 150th anniversary.  It was both an honor and a challenge.  For the first hour or so of the paint out it rained cats and dogs and even included a little lightning.  Nonetheless, I was out there trying to make lemonade out of a brutal day.  I was soaked, my palette was soaked and even my attitude was a little soggy.  Fortunately the sun broke through and gave me the opportunity to work on the painting above.  This piece will be hanging up in the statehouse for the month of July.

"Park of Roses" - 8 x 10" - oil

In my second outing of the weekend with the Central Ohio Plein Air group we were at the Park of Roses.  With a grant from the park, we turned the day into a mini competition among those that were painting that day.  I was informed yesterday that this particular piece won third place.  

Humbly Yours

"An Autumn View" - 8 x 10" - oil

For the most part I'm a pessimist.  It's unfortunate but it helps me deal with this roller coaster ride that I call "the art life."  All in all I'm just trying to break even but every once in a while something good happens.  Today for instance, I attended the Worthington Area Art League / Ohio Plein Air holiday potluck dinner.  It was here that I was presented with a first place ribbon for the painting above.  This painting is currently part of an exhibition titled "Leaving Footprints" at the Arts Castle in Delaware, OH.  We were fortunate enough to have Don Jones, "the father of art therapy" juror the show.  You can read more about Mr. Jones in this interview (click here).

This award was an important step for me because I'm still very new to the local art scene here in Ohio.  While I can enjoy this award today, tomorrow my focus will shift back to trying to make the next painting better than the last.

I've Been There"

"Meet Virginia" - 12" x 18" - oil

click here for purchase information

During my last post I said that I would post some of the pieces that are included in my online show at the Glave Kocen Gallery entitled “I’ve Been There.”  So here are a couple of pieces to get your interest.  If you’re in the Richmond, Virginia area I urge you to go to the gallery and take a gander at the pieces in person.  At the very least take time to view the pieces online by clicking here.  I have at least ten new pieces on display at the gallery for your viewing pleasure. 

In other late breaking news, I was informed a few days ago that the two paintings below were accepted into the 2010 Richeson 75 landscape competition and show.  Now if I could only have this kind of luck in all of the competitions that I enter.  

Landscaping....the American Past Time

"The Village #2" - 12" x 24" - oil

It's been pretty busy lately in the studio but instead of overwhelming you all with one big explosive update I'll give it to you in small doses. The painting above was just accepted into the Maryland Federation of Art's group show titled "American Landscapes." "The Village #2" stems from a unexpected walk through German Village (neighborhood just south of downtown Columbus, OH). Getting the acceptance letter was great news because it's been a while since I've entered any competitions and I knew how competitive the art scene is in the Maryland/DC area. The show will be at the Maryland Federation of Art - 18 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401 - from August 20 to September 19. Well, I better get back to the easel... I've got a whole slew of deadlines to meet.

Can't Win It if I'm Not in It

"Country Living" - 8" x 10" - oil

So now that most of the pieces for my upcoming Nashville show are done, I can get back to entering competitions. I've really slacked on that aspect of my career during the past few months because of several professional obligations. A good friend/rival reminded me a couple of weeks ago about the Richeson 75 competition. I've had success in the past with this competition and thought I'd try my hand at their small works competition. This is one of the pieces that I entered into the competition. It was a bit of a scramble to get the entries completed for the deadline but I made it right on time. On to the next competition.

"Goggle it" but don't "Google it" - Revised

"Nashville #2" - 24" x 48" - oil

The painting above will be a part of my upcoming show in Nashville, TN at The Arts Company. Now that that's out of the way I'll get to the important stuff. My fiance, and fellow artist, Evelyn Davis' goggle design(s) has been selected as one of the semi-finalists to be designed by Addias and worn in the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics!

PLEASE HELP BY TEXTING YOUR VOTE

Vote now! You and your friends have ONLY 48 hours, until this Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 5pm, to vote for your submission and help get her design to the final consideration round – from which adidas will select the winning design. She has two design options:

To vote for Ice is Nice, text to 21001 message ADIDAS 9TG7TF
To vote for UK Cozzie, text to 21001 message ADIDAS S4QDSF

Be sure to CAPITALIZE EVERYTHING and add a space between "ADIDAS" and the short code.
You can vote as many times as you want. Be aware, that each text will cost 99 cents outside of any typical phone charges your plan has. She would appreciate your votes and I would REALLY appreciate your votes because when she's happy... I'm happy (or so I'm told).

Sobering Thoughts

"The James #5" - 30" x 40" - oil

Available at the Glave Kocen Gallery

The past week has been somewhat boring for me. I finished two paintings for the The Arts Company in Nashville. I also completed two Columbus based paintings to take to Art Access next week. Lastly, the painting above was delivered to Glave Kocen a few weeks ago. I should have the mentioned paintings posted in the next week or so. That's enough about me.

In more exciting news my better half and partner in crime, at Davis Walker Creative won a design contest for the Boat Sober New York poster below. The poster was created out of paper collage. Evelyn's design efforts are primarily geared towards designing for non profit organizations such as the Civil Rights Memorial Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and any other charitable cause. She's definitely the goody good of this tandem and it works. If you have time, go check out our efforts at http://www.daviswalkercreative.com/

Back to You Ed

"The Hopper House" - 6" x 6" - oil

Sold

Last week was a slow news week for me. With a couple of sales, I can report that the Art at the Mill event in Berryville, VA was fairly successful. I had reservations about entering the show again because I hadn't had any sales from the three previous times that I participated. Like so many of these events, it takes time to build up a reputation/fan base before buyers/collectors start looking for you.

Crossing the Line

"A Fine Power Line" - 12" x 24" - oil

During my last trip to Virginia I did some sight seeing. At the time, I was just snapping pictures of any and everything in Richmond, hoping that I'd have something to paint. I drove down some familiar roads to see what, if anything, had changed. While reviewing the photos I came across a photo of a side street that I use to park on when I taught at VCU. I must have walked, parked and driven this street hundreds of times but that day the light was just right.

It wasn't until after I received a call for entries from the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Art's that I would find a reason to paint this scene. The call for entries was for the upcoming "Fine Line" Show. This piece was just one of the 61 pieces selected for the show. The show starts Friday May 1st in Fredericksburg, VA from 6-8:30pm.

No Bull

"5309" - 8" x 10" - oil

This is the second half of the recent cow paintings. This painting along with the one done in the previous post (titled "867") were painted for a cow art competition that I recently entered. With competitions, there's always a chance that you won't make the cut for any number of reasons. My problem isn't the possible rejection but what to do with these pieces if they don't get into the show. With my painting addiction at an all time high I'm sure to run out of storage space soon. I'd love to know what other artists do with old paintings or paintings that haven't sold. Sound off if you've got any ideas.

Daily Double

"867" - 8" x 10" - oil

This painting of a black Angus cow was motivated by an up coming cow art competition. If you haven't figured it out by now I'm in love with rural America. I could have gone with a dairy cow but I see them all too often. Very similar to most of my tractor/ vehicle paintings I chose to paint this cow at a profile. Even with portraits of people, I find the most powerful and distinguished ones are taken at a profile.

"Sushi" - 6" x 6" - oil

Sold

This painting of sushi was a result of my participation in the Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. If you're not familiar with this blog, I'll explain. Every two weeks a photo is posted and artists are welcome to paint from the reference photo and submit it to be posted later. It's fascinating to see so many different takes on the same reference. I had planned on participating earlier but I was either too late or uninterested in the given subject. If you're a fan of sushi then place your bid.

Generally Speaking

"Deere John" - 11" x 14" - oil


I painted this piece, along with some other paintings, a few weeks ago with the hope that it would be selected by the Art at the Mill show and sale. Did it make the cut? Yes and no. I'd like to tell you more but I don't completely understand the situation myself.

What should an artist talk about on a blog? This question came up from a friend a few days ago. I told him that people want to know about the insights of an artist's life. Now I'm starting to question that. People almost never ask me insightful questions about my life as an artist other than what I'm currently working on. Is it all about the artwork? How much insight is too much info?

Not to Mention

"Shine On" - 5" x 7" - oil

Sold

This painting stems from one of my many drives to DC. During each trip I would pass by one of the few views of farmland on that strip of 95 that wasn't blocked off by towering trees. The land itself is nothing spectacular but during my last trip the sky was just awesome.

Aside from working on a new batch of studies, I received a call last week from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. The call was to inform me that I got an honorable mention for my illustration titled "The Strong." Did I deserve it...who knows. Am I honored...of course that's why they call it an honorable mention.

"If third place were first I'd only be runner up."

Great & Small

"Over Heels" - 5" x 7" - oil

Sold

I recently received word that two of my entries were accepted into the Richeson 75 Small Works show. In honor of this "small" achievement I'm making this post short. The painting above is not one of the selected pieces but a scene from my last trip to Virginia.

Booth Museum Day 2: Hardwood Paneling

"Down Home" - 8" x 10" - oil

Sold

It's Saturday morning in Cartersville, GA. In only a few hours the show will open and the fans will pour in. O.K. I honestly have no idea if there will be any "fan fair" or even a decent turnout. Ezra, Thomas, Alex and I walked about town and found a small diner for a Saturday brunch. Mmmm mmm them some good vittles. Afterwards we headed up to the exhibition where Thomas proceeded to touch up one of his paintings on the spot. This was truly a site to see. We ventured to the museum bookstore and some of the other exhibits and then headed back to the hotel.

Once I got back to my room I realized that I had an extra three hours until the show. What am I going to do with all of that time. Fortunately a Steven Seagal/Jean-Claude Van Damme marathon had just begun. Between Seagal going "Out for Justice" and ironing my clothes I was fairly busy. I wasn't trying to look like a million bucks but I wanted to at least look like a hundred dollars. Everyone kind of just spread out after entering the museum. Thomas had to tend to his adoring friends and family. I just wanted to find somewhere to sit. My heart races at every art event that I'm involved in. It's nerve racking and on top of that where is everyone...the show started minutes ago. It wasn't long before that room was packed. There was even a news crew from ABC's Atlanta affiliate. Soon people were asking me about my work and seemed genuinely interested. I couldn't believe how many people were drawn to my painting. The compliments came tumbling in but I remained grounded...somehow.

What's next? That's right, the panel discussion. As I'm walking to the auditorium, one of the docents gives me this wonderful hug and plants a big one right on my cheek while simultaneously walking with me. Well, the panel discussion seemed to go on forever but it's always like that when you're the last one in line to speak (alphabetical.) What could I possibly have to say? I can't remember what I said... it was all a blur...a wonderful blur. Maybe I blacked out...who knows. Anyway, the show itself was a total success and I was told that it was the biggest turnout that the museum has ever had for an exhibit.

The night ended with dinner at D Morgan's. Exquisite food but also good company. I was seated next to Rae Weimer and two wonderful couples who were also art collectors. Well, I spilled my guts as they wanted to know more about me. I never say the right thing at these events and just find myself flustered. I didn't want to talk to them as if I'm trying to sell them a timeshare so I just took it easy. The night started to wrap up just before dessert and some of us said our goodbyes at the restaurant and some when we got back to the hotel. It's rare to get this much talent together for one show but it sure would be nice to get the ol'gang back together someday.

The Legend of Tennessee Walker

"Weathered" - 6" x 6" - oil

Sold

This piece was among the many paintings that spawned from a road trip to Tennessee. The plan is to take about twenty or thirty of these small paintings and make them larger. If all goes right, I can see this one as a 30" x 30". All of this work is geared towards my show later in the year at the Glave Kocen Gallery.

In the additional news column, I'll be in Cartersville, GA for the weekend to participate in a group show at the Booth Western Art Museum. I was notified of my acceptance several months ago but struggled with whether or not to participate. At the time it was more of a hassle than anything, but after some thought and seeing the awesome list of artists that I was among I decided to jump in.

Speedy: A Tortoise Tale

"Barnside" - 6" x 6" - oil

click here to bid or purchase

The assembly line has been running at a slow but steady pace this week. I usually work on one painting at a time but at the moment I've got about six paintings that are in the works. It's hard to leave an unfinished painting to work on another painting but I think the extra time to mull over works will help with the quality assurance.

In other late breaking news, a few days ago I got the news that my illustration titled "The Strong" was accepted into the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA) annual competition. The first time that I had work accepted to SILA I was comfortable with thinking that it was a fluke but now that it's happened again I'm just relieved.

Open Access

"Chatham Ridge" - oil - 5" x 7"
click here to bid or purchase

If you know anyone in Cincinnati, Ohio tell them to drop by the Manifest Gallery. I'll be there for the opening reception for the Terra Firma: A Survery of approaches to landscapes show. I'm not sure what I'm in store for but it'll give me a chance to see another part of Ohio.

On another note, I will also be participating in a show at Art Access Gallery titled Variations in the Landscape. Since the move to Columbus, I knew that I needed to get gallery representation in the area and I was fortunate enough to find the Art Access gallery in Bexley. The opening reception for the show is Friday, November 14th from 5 to 8pm.

I'm living on the air in Cincinnati

"Not that Clear" - 11" x 14" - oil

Today I packed my truck full of paintings in preparation for a roadtrip to Virginia. Many of the paintings that I'll be taking down the road are reserved for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts traveling exhibition. The painting above is just one of the paintings that will be included in this two year exhibition.

In other late breaking news, I was notified by Manifest Gallery (located in Cincinnati, OH) that the painting below will be included in their landscape show titled Terra Firma: Survey of Approaches to Landscapes. The show focuses on contemporary landscapes. I'm honored to be in the company of such a select group of artists.

"Fordson Tractor" - 11" x 14" - oil

Old Men are made of Cookie Dough

Case Tractor #2 - 8" x 10" - oil

This past week was a mental uphill battle as I celebrated yet another birthday (how old?...who knows). Getting older can be tough on everyone and especially hard on those who have high expectations for themselves. I spent the first half of the week reflecting and thinking about what, if anything, I've accomplished. The latter part of the week was dedicated to self loathing and a barrage of pity. Don't worry, this story doesn't end with me drowning my sorrows in a tub of raw cookie dough.

I later came across an old book amongst my collection that remained unread. It was the perfect time to read this particular book (kids...Reading is FUNdamental!). The book is titled Art and Fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland. If you're a tortured artist or know of one I would highly recommend it. It really put things into perspective and pulled me down off of that ledge.