Chesapeake College Art Show and Sale

I dropped off the Grazing Belties yesterday afternoon for the 33rd Annual Chesapeake College Art Show and Sale. They were beginning to get the 131 pieces of art together and hang the show, so I breezed around seeing what was there.

There were a couple of interesting paintings in the oil/acrylic category. Two that caught my eye were a painting of an outcropping of river rocks and a painting of a sand dune. Both were very colorful representations of very monochromatic subjects. Both artists embued the images with lots of purples, greens, blues, and reds while maintaining a sense of the greyness. Pretty cool.

I enjoyed seeing some of the watercolors and photographs as well.

The show has a category for computer generated art. I should have entered something in that category, but I was unclear as to what was included. I talked with the event promoter about the criteria, because it seemed that it was about Photoshopping photographs.

She said they really didn't have any criteria, just that it was original and was generated by a computer. She showed me an image that was some bouys that had been run through the watercolor filter. It was ok, but still had very little art applied to a pretty nice photograph.

She invited me to help define criteria for next year's event. I will have to think about that. I told her that my very talented friend Greg would be a good person to discuss this with as well. He is accomplished at both traditional and electronic creation of art.

I look forward to the show. I hope the cows sell, but I would enjoy having them around as well.

More on the Weekend

Here are some shots I took while at the BFA on Saturday. It was a really beautiful place and a spectacular day.

Two stories

I was sitting in my booth getting used to the whole event and a young mother came in with her child in a stroller and mother in tow. She walked up to the Oxford Cottage painting on the easle and asked where the cottage was. I said Oxford, Maryland. She had a really puzzled look on her face and said, "That was my grandparent's farm." We chatted for a few minutes and I said she "had to have it." She agreed and purchased the painting, asking if she could leave it there while she went around to the other booths.

After a while, when she didn't return, I asked my sister-in-law and BFA volunteer--the fabulous Adrienne Mayberry--to check if she had processed her credit card. She called back about the same time that the woman arrived with a sad look on her face.

She was having some buyer's regret and had seen a photo of the Eastern Shore that was less expensive. I said, no offense to the photographer, but this picture had waited for a year in an Oxford restuarant unpurchased to come here and meet her. With this painting you get the only one--an original--and a story. She was sold.

Second story:

On Wednesday before the event, I was on FB and for some reason was able to see a post that one friend from college left on another former roomate's photo. I reconnected with the old roommate and his wife (also an old Mount friend) and was very happy for that little surprise.

Before leaving for BFA, I posted a general invitation to "come on down and visit" to my wall.

They did! I was overjoyed to see them and Lisa and I chatted it up for about an hour about kids, etc. As they prepared to move on to the rest of the festival, Bill--a man of few words--said, "I want that one." He pointed to the Canoe painting. So it now resides in Wallingford, PA.

This was my first festival in a very long time. I do a lot of freelance illustration and commissions where I make artwork to other people's specifications. This was my largest (althought very small) effort displaying my artwork created to express my point of view. It was well-received and I am overjoyed that the two paintings went to people with a connection to the artwork and me.

Once I posted on FB my reason for doing artwork. I hope that some distant relative is inspired to create artwork because they see a piece of work that I created. I continue to explore what this means to me.

Well, I now have to create many more pieces and maybe even some prints for next year's show. The cows are going in the Chesapeake College Art Show and Sale next week. Hope they sell!

Brandywine Festival of the Arts 50th Anniversary

BFA has come and gone. I have to start working on art for next year!

It was a great experience for me and I signed up for the same space for next year. The guys on either side of me were super. I was in the international area with Bobby the photographer from Jamaica on one side and Brian Yung from Hong Kong on the other. Our spot was incredible providing great shade and we were in front of the live music (awesome acts). It was loud enough to have impact, but you could hold conversations.

Lots of traffic on a beautiful day 1. Sold two paintings, Oxford Cottage and Canoe. Gave away lots of cards and had some nibbles on commissions. It rained on day 2, but ended up ok for the second half of the day.

I also painted the Mustang Dune painting on site. Live painting is fun.

I have some good thoughts for next year and hopefully will do some prints for sale as well.

New Work: Canoe

I really strived in this painting to keep loose and impressionistic. As I laid in the sail color, I was worried that the purple was too dark. Amazing what happens when you put green opposite that color!

I like this.

I was watching a biography on Fredrick Remington the other day. He commented about struggling with color after working so long in black and white. It wasn't until he painted night scenes that he felt he really made a successful transition. I grew up looking at Remington prints in our bedroom. Great action, motion, and storytelling. The illustrators of the early 20th century that I grew up looking at—Remington, NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Rockwell—all had a bold, colorful way of rendering stories.

Still working on last minute artwork for the Brandywine Festival of Arts. Getting very anxious about getting everything done and making a good impression. Oh yeah, and selling art!