It was only a matter of time, but a new reality show is in development for the art-world.  Variety today reported the following:

"Sarah Jessica Parker's Pretty Matches shingle is teaming with reality factory Magical Elves to create a "Project Runway"-type show for the art world.

Potential skein would pit a dozen aspiring artists against one another, following the group as they attempt to produce various kinds of artwork -- from painting and photography to sculpting and industrial design. Pieces would be rated by a panel of judges, as well as by the contestants themselves."

There's a new movie about painting and painters that needs the support of artists and their friends to get wider distribution. The movie is called Local Color. Please visit the link for more information on the movie, to watch the trailer, and to find out where the film is playing.

The film is produced by George Gallo, who is also an artist.

I know I'll be getting the DVD when it's out, but I'd love to see it in the theatre too...*crosses fingers that it comes to Denver*

This past week has been one of struggle where painting is concerned. So, after several attempts and many scrapings later, I decided to play today. In our studio, we believe that play is one of the pathways to creative growth -- not to mention that it's just a heckuva good time.

When either The Wessence or I get frustrated or need a push in a new direction we do something we call a "Slash & Bash." You take whatever paint is on your palette, put a brush in one hand and a palette knife in the other, and without any planning or direction, just start laying paint on in a feel-good frenzy. There is no right or wrong -- just play.

So, I've posted two S&B's in the inital stage and who knows how these two  will end up. If they work out, I'll post the results. Just have fun!!

I'm delighted to announce that I will be participating in a group show at Gallery 821 in Denver, CO, February 14 - 28, 2008.

The other artists participating are: Kathy Beekman, Don Ward, Janelle Cox, Tom Hoekelman, and Richard Alan Nichols. It's an honor to hang with such great artists.

If you are in the Denver area during that time, please drop by and see the show.

 Please check out the February 2008 edition of American Art Collector Magazine (pg. 95) for an article on Nomadas del Arte, Plein Air Exhibition & Sale.



What is Nomadas del Arte (Art Nomads)? Here's an excerpt from their website:

The Nόmadas del Arte Paint Out and Show
It is the goal of Nόmadas del Arte to bring together two hundred of the best nomad artists working en plein air today to exhibit in one show. Nomadas Del Arte is unique in that artists may complete their paintings at any time during the paint out year  in six southwestern states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas or Utah.  Four hundred paintings created for Nόmadas del Arte will be exhibited for sale in the spring of the next year at a different gallery each year.

About the Host Galleries
The Sage Creek Gallery of Santa Fe is the Nomadas Del Arte gallery for the 2007 Paint Out.  It is one of the premier galleries in the southwest, representing such artists as Scott Burdick, Gay Faulkenberry and William Scott Jennings.  The show will take place during the month of March 2008.  For 2009, the Southwest Gallery in Dallas, Texas will host paintings from the 2008 Paint Out during the month of April 2009 .

Renowned Artists
Nόmadas del Arte is proud to have renowned artists Scott Burdick, Gay Faulkenberry, William Scott Jennings, Jeff Legg, Ann Templeton and Karen Vance  participating in the 2007 paint out and show at Sage Creek Gallery in March 2008.   Keystone artists for the 2008 paint out and show at Southwest Gallery in April 2009 will be Albert Handell, Anita Louise West, Guido Frick, Stephanie Birdsall, Brent Cotton, and Carol Swinney. 
For helping to make Nόmadas del Arte a complete success, we thank you!

Judging
Kristen Bucher, Editor In Chief of Southwest Art, Allen Duerr, Co Publisher of Art of the West and Joshua Rose Editor of American Art Collector are our judges.

Nomadas del Arte was founded by my husband, Wes Hyde and his two artist partners, Anita Mosher and Mark Coulter.

Please come see the show in Santa Fe in March! The list of participating artists is incredible, so the art is guaranteed to be fantastic.

Dear John Painting:

This is so hard for me to say, but I can't see you anymore.

Please don't cry! You're intelligent, good-looking, witty -- and if you got out more, I'm sure you'd be popular. In the inimitable words of Blue Rodeo, it's just Bad Timing .

It's not you; it's me.

The title of this post is the first line of a letter by Vincent van Gogh written to his brother Theo in July of 1888. Vincent writes:

Surely a canvas I've covered is worth more than a blank one. This, dear Lord is all I have -- my right to paint, my reason for painting -- and believe me, my pretensions go no further.

And after all it has cost me: this dilapidated carcass and a brain addled from living as best I can and have had to because of my own philanthropy.

My concentration is becoming more intense, my touch more certain. So I can almost dare to promise you that my paintings will get better. Because that is all I have left.


A very thoughtful friend sent me the book, Vincent van Gogh: A Self-Portrait in Art and Letters edited by H. Anna Suh for Christmas. An excerpt from the book flap: "...more than 150 of the artist's letters excerpted and newly translated, are set side by side with more than 250 of his drawings and paintings. This combination allows us to see the world through van Gogh's eyes, and gain insight into his work."  (Translations by Alayne Pullen, Alastair Weir, and Cora Weir).

Letter to Paul Gauguin, June 1890



Translated letters to Theo regarding the portrait of the woman



While I've always been a moderate fan of the van Gogh's I've seen in art books and museums, I did not truly appreciate his work, the artist and his process until I read this book. His work is a revelation! And to follow the progression of his artistic and personal growth (and set-backs) in letters, accompanied with the actual drawings and paintings is an invaluable treasure.

Thank you Vincent...and thank you Ette, for this Christmas gift. It will help me grow as a painter. 
 

Occasionally, I act as my own Sherpa and attempt to climb my personal Mt. Everest of paintings stacked in the studio and throughout the house.  It's amazing what one can find in those stacks: perfectly-toned canvases from imperfect "scrapers", failed paintings that make you go hmmmm, and every once in awhile, an orphan.
 
Orphans are those almost paintings: the ones you meant to get back to and just never did. I feel wistful and a little guilty that I have abandoned them; yet hopeful that I may yet finish the piece.

But those new paintings always seem to beckon....

The painting above was to be called, "Parisettes and Paint" and was painted from life in the studio at Chateau Coligny in the Loire Valley in France. In October 2006, I was there painting with nationally-renowned still life artist and plein air painter, Jeff Legg, OPAM and found I had the studio to myself on one rainy afternoon. I walked down to the boulangerie in the village and bought the Parisettes, a cafe au creme to go, and headed back to the studio to set up the still life. It's a wonderful memory, and everytime I see the half-finished painting, I long to go back to France -- to that cosy studio listening to the rain fall and to finish this painting.

Studio at Chateau Coligny
 

Rest in peace, Sir Edmund Hillary.

Thanks to a great Christmas gift of a new easel, I was able to retire the old, well-worn one and christen the new easel with a new motto and new paint. On each of my easels, I like to write a "motto" to keep me focused, encouraged, or inspired.

New Easel Motto: Seek the Poetry



Old Easel Motto: No Fear Zone!!!

I'm starting to understand my own work.

I'm pleased to announce that my artwork will also be represented by L.I.W. Cargo Gallery in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I look forward to working with the gallery and thank the owner, Jayme Raygo for including me in her roster of gallery artists.

During our week-long stay in Taos this past December, we stayed at a gorgeous vacation rental. The location was ideal -- a 5 minute walk to Taos Plaza and the main strip of galleries, restaurants, and the Taos Art Museum and Fechin House.

The place was called Casa De Los Pasajeros (House of the Wayfarers) and I highly recommend it for artists or other travelers to the area.