painting

Mother Nature really doesn't think much about painters. It is as if her astounding beauty is worth all the crap she can throw at you as you try to enjoy it. As I've written in several posts, she likes to present all kind of obstacles to you when you paint. As if painting wasn't challenging enough. Well, I got the best of her this week. I'm getting married in June at really cool antebellum mansion turned B&B called Madison Oaks in Madison, GA. In conjunction with the event, I'm going to do several paintings of the place.

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On March 6th, I went back to the scene of the crime. Yes, I went back to Dallas for a weekend visit. It was too quick, but I packed a lot of great things in. First, I met up with several folks from the old gang at Sal's. Back when Dave Brown and Steve Armes hosted the infamous Friday Night Group at Synapse Studios, we ate at Sal's every Friday night after the drawings session. The first time I visited the group, way back in 1996, we went to Sal's. And again 9 out of 10 Fridays for the next decade. So it was the perfect way to start out my reunion tour.

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I had a busy weekend, but managed to squeeze out a digital painting based on a photo I took in the Shenandoah Valley. One awesome thing about the digital painting is that you can focus and learn a lot of lessons valuable in any medium. Naturally, many of these come to mind after you finish the painting.

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When I first visited Boston for work, some of the Bostonians would sarcastically remark that people from New Hampshire were bumpkins and mock their slogan "Live Free or Die". When I heard this, I immediately felt a warm connection with the Granite State since I'm from the country and have a strong independent streak. This was connection was validated during two wonderful visits to Manchester this this year. NH is a beautiful place and has a tremendous amount of pride in its role in the American Revolution.

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Ho, ho, ho! For the second year in a row, I spent the day painting in the cold plein air. It felt just like a holiday from the movies as I was painting the Merrimac River in Manchester, NH. I was standing in the back of The Millyard, a converted old factory. Standing alongside the main river in southern New Hampshire, I was able to soak in the prototypical New England town. I got to hear a lot of the local accent, as my easel was set up in a smoking area for those that work at businesses in The Millyard.

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Last Sunday wrapped up the TFAS 2008 (www.thetelephonefactoryartshow.com). Many thanks to Judge, Grant and Michelle for their hard work making it happen. Also thanks to the Fireball Collective (www.fireballcollective.com) for participating in the show with us. Also thanks to Kate for the wonderful food and to all my friends that stopped in to support the show. We had a blast and I sold several pieces.

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Well, it has been quite a gap since my last post. I'm not happy about that, but the good news is that it is because I've been so darn busy. As mentioned in the last post, I'll be in the 13th Annual Telephone Factory Lofts Art Show and Sale!

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It is great to be back in the South for the Fall. Autumn is spectacular in the Blue Ridge mountains, and the first signs of it were on display last weekend in north Georgia. I painted near Neel's Gap along a hike that is an approach trail for the AT.  Then yesterday I had the opportunity to paint in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was in Knoxville, TN for my cousin's wedding (Congrats Derrick and Lauren!). Kate and I spent the morning before the wedding visiting the countryside. We stopped at one of the overlooks and I did my first painting in Tennessee.

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I went out yesterday and painted the Chattahoochee River along a bank at the Chattahoochee National Rec Area. I've painted the Hooch a few times before, although not at this specific spot. I'm getting better, as the subject matter - big mess of trees - is quite challenging. One really nice thing about this spot was wading in the water during a break. It wasn't too hot out, only about 85F, but the river was very cold and it felt fantastic. In a couple of weeks I'm taking out my boat (The Olive) to scout around some additional spots along the banks. They call that Shootin' the Hooch.

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Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with me knows that I was raised in Alabama and spent most of my adult like (so far) in Texas. However, many people may not realize that I was actually born in Newport News, VA. I only spent the first year of my life there, and other than a trip in grade school to see where I was borned, Virginia really hasn't held any relevance for me.  However, that changed for me this past weekend, as I went out camping for a couple of nights at Shenandoah National Park. Just amazing scenery.

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