Friday, December 12th debuted my artwork at the opening of “From Near and Far”, featuring works in pastel and a recently finished egg tempera painting. The paintings included landscapes from travels to France, Italy, Cayman Islands, Colorado and Wyoming.
A huge thank you to hostess Laura Snodgrass and her gracious staff of EdwardJones who provided the space and delicious food, Alisha Lee Jeffers, friend and fellow artist who provided fun photos of the event, and everyone who took the time to view the work, visit, and those who supported my work with a purchase. Thank you!
For those of you too far away to attend, here is a quick virtual tour for you.
Starting in the office lobby, you can see “The Cheese Seller of Giza” and “Fall Bouquet“. A guest is looking at one of the prints for sale as well. Just through the door is “Belle Fourche Reservoir“, a small plein air painting from a summer trip to South Dakota.
In the next room, I had a large wall to use. Since most of my work is small (6×6 to 9×12), this was perfect for a ‘salon’ style display. 
Here I am after deciding the layout, hanging all of the pieces and getting the tags just so, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I stopped to get a quick photo. On the left is the newest piece, an egg tempera painting, “il cortile or The Courtyard” that was finished just in time for the show. It still needs a final coat of varnish and a photo session, but it made it into the frame and onto the wall.
Next to the “il coritle – The Courtyard” is “Four Mile Rock” from nearby Bobcat Ridge, “The Bluff Begins at Dawn” from Cayman Brac, “Doggie in the Window” from France, and “Waiting for Spring” one of the coves at Lory State Park.
The “Doggie in the Window” was a favorite of many visitors, probably because there are so many dog lovers here in Fort Collins. Although my straw poll showed tremendous variety in the tastes and interests. Each one was a favorite for someone.
In the third room were these two pieces from Wyoming. The “Meadow of Gold” on the left is from the Snowy Range of Wyoming, just west of Laramie and the granite monolith, “Reynold’s Hill” on the right is from Veadauwoo, Wyoming.
One of the guests asked, “How much of that meadow is real? How much did you make up?”
The meadow is almost 100% true to life. In fact, there were so many flowers that I had to take some out because the didn’t look ‘real’ in the painting! It was the paintbrush that initially caught my eye – red against a backdrop of yellow. A few purple daisies were attempting to get there moment in the sun too.
It was so fun to see so many friends. After being holed up in my studio for the past several weeks working on the final details, it was nice to get out and see some friendly faces. It was also nice to have artist friends see my work, comment on the pieces and share the trials and tribulations of putting a show together.
The final piece, “Mallard’s Playground” was also a favorite. Several people knew the exact location of that little pond and the ducks and birds that frequent the spot.
While I’m still working on prints for many of the pieces (they didn’t arrive in time), I do have prints of “Mallard’s Playground“, “Meadow of Gold” , “The Cheese Seller of Giza” and “Four Mile Rock” available in 8×10 prints and in stock for quick shipping. If you would like a size that isn’t listed, just let me know. I can have (almost) any size printed.
Thank you to everyone for your kind words and encouragement and your comments and insights.
I wish you all a very happy holiday and a wonderful new year!
PS: If you would like to purchase one of the paintings, you can either purchase it in my shop or give me a call at (970) 692-0059. If you are a local, just select “local pickup”. If you want it before Christmas, the last ship date is this Wednesday, December 17th for originals. Prints are available for pickup or delivery as well.
If you would like a custom painting, I am now taking commissions. Let me know if you are interested.
