Artwork Headed to the Daylesford Abbey Art Show

I am pleased to announce that this year I will again be participating in the Daylesford Abbey Art Show.

Last year was my first try at being juried into this exhibit and it turned out to be my favorite show of the year.

Below is a sneak peek of some of the work I will be exhibiting this year.

Put Your Best Face Forward
18" x 22" watercolor on paper

A few years ago I took many reference photos of this yellow Gerber daisy. As I was looking for a reference for a new watercolor painting I saw this photo. The image made me think of how we all have a public face that we present to the world - showing what we think is acceptable - and a private one that we keep hidden - keeping to ourselves the parts that we think will make it harder for us to fit in.

Still in Yesterday's Clothes
8" x 10" watercolor on paper

My family shops at local farmers' markets weekly during the growing season, and I have a habit of painting the produce we bring home. I especially love when I find produce that still has it's leaves and stems attached. This pair of peaches reminded me of a couple getting home very early in the morning after a fabulous party. They may not be as beautiful as they were before the event, their clothes are a little wrinkled and they look a little tired, but you just know they had rockin' good time.

Leaves with Helicopters
8" x 10" watercolor on paper

I love autumn! It may be my favorite season. I love the smells of burning leaves and sweet apple cider. I love the warm, sunny days followed by cool, crisp nights. And I love the riot of color that explodes across the landscape. Yes, especially the colors, because I know they will be replaced by months of winter grey. So when I am out taking my morning walks in the fall, I can't resist collecting a colorful leaf or two... or possibly ten. And when the grey descends I paint the pretty leaves and return to the joy that autumn brings me.

Are You Getting my Good Side?
10" x 8" watercolor on paper

Cardinals are normally skittish birds, flying off at the slightest noise. This guy was hanging out in my pine tree feasting on some bird seed. Instead of flying away, I swear he started posing as soon as I trained the camera lens on him. He seemed a little full of himself, wanting to make sure I was capturing his best side.

Seasons' Reflections
10" x 12" watercolor on paper

I collect glass Christmas ornaments. I love how they catch the tree lights and magnify the shine. Many of the ornaments in my collection were gifts. Others I purchased while on vacation. As I unpack each ornament and hang it on the tree, I dip into those warm memories and linger in their comfort. The good feelings wrapped in those memories are reflected onto me each holiday season much the same way the glass reflects the lights on the tree.

Waiting
8" x 10" reproduction of graphite drawing

This little house finch comes to my backyard bird feeder. I tried to take his picture a few times but he always seemed to fly off when I went to grab my camera. I think he is shy. Then one day he showed up with his lady friend and I was able to snap a few shots while he was distracted by her attention.

Produce Note Cards

An assortment of 8 blank cards and envelopes featuring a collection of my produce images. Two cards each of the beets, peach, apple and pears.

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Related Links:
Daylesford Abbey Art Show

Show Details:
Opening Reception - October 13, 2012
3:00 - 6:00 pm
$30 per person

Free Admission to the show begins on Sunday, October 14, 2012

Show Dates: Sunday, October 14th - Sunday, October 28th
Show Hours: Daily 12 noon - 4:00 pm
             Wednesdays open until 8:00 pm

Address: 220 South Valley Road, Paoli, PA 19301

Call (610) 647-2530 ext. 100 for more information

Majors at Daylesford Abbey Art Show

This is the last weekend for the Daylesford Abbey Art Show in Paoli, PA. It is open today and tomorrow from 1pm until 4pm.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am showing artwork in both the miniatures and the majors categories. So as not to be accused of playing favorites, I thought I would show you some of the major works as well.

Each artists is allowed to bring up to 5 major pieces. You have already seen 3 of the ones I am showing - Icebreaker and Keep on Your Toes from my tap dance series, and Peter's Missing Snack which is the carrot painting in my blog header.

Here are the other two pieces.

"Sacrifice"

18" x 8" watercolor on paper

©2007 Stacy L. Rowan

"Ten Minutes Peace"

28" x 22" charcoal on paper

©2008 Stacy L. Rowan

Miniatures at Daylesford Abbey Art Show

"Sweet Dreams"

8" x 10" watercolor on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Since the Daylesford Abbey Art Show in Paoli, PA continues through this weekend, I thought I would show you a couple of other paintings which I have in the show.

One of the things I love about this show is that they allow you to bring work in several different categories. I entered framed original artwork into both the "Majors" category and the "Miniatures" category. Their definition of miniatures is anything with framed dimensions of 8" x 10" or less. Conversely, the major category includes anything over 8" x 10".

I already shared two of my miniatures with you in my post about the opening reception. The painting "Sweet Dreams" above is another new painting in this category. I completed it during the last week of 2010 and matted and framed it for this show.

The subject matter may look familiar to you. These adorable mini cupcakes were made by my friend and served at my Open Studio. Before anyone arrived I quickly snapped at least a dozen photos. Then I took even more after everyone left the first day. There are definitely more cupcake paintings in my future!

"Hand Picked at Hausman's"

8" x 10" watercolor on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

This painting of an apple is another miniature I have in the show. Hausman's is one of the vendors at our local farmers' market. When summer turns to fall they offer a wide variety of apples. As the weather cools they also sell hot apple cider which they warm up on this old metal (cast iron perhaps) stove. I can't figure out how they load the hot stove back up to take home. I'll have to ask them sometime.

If you would like to see either of these pieces in person, head over to the Daylesford Abbey. The show closes on Sunday, February 27th at 4pm. It is open daily from 1pm until 4pm today through Sunday.

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Additional Links
Daylesford Abbey Art Show - Paoli, PA
Emmaus Farmers' Market
Hausman's Fruit Farm

Tap Drawings at the Daylesford Abbey Show

I thought I would post some of the art I have on display at the Daylesford Abbey Art Show for those of you who either can't make the show, or who want to see what I am displaying before you make up your mind.

I decided to start by sharing the three drawings from my tap dance series which are in the show.

"Dancing Feet"

8" x 10" graphite on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

This is the first time I am showing "Dancing Feet" on the blog. The drawing was created from one of my reference photos of the lovely and very talented Germaine Salsberg. I did this drawing as a preliminary piece to a much larger watercolor (which I promise to share here soon).

"Icebreaker"

14" x 18" graphite on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

My "models" for the other two drawings are both Tap Ties company members - Melody Kline (above) and Amy Smith (below). The Tap Ties ladies have been wonderfully supportive of this series of drawings and paintings and have allowed me to photograph a number of their rehearsals, for which I am forever grateful.

"Keep on Your Toes"

18" x 14" charcoal on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Daylesford Abbey Art Show Opening

Persephone's Downfall

8" x 10" watercolor on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Available through Feb. 27th at Daylesford Abbey Art Show, Paoli, PA

Yesterday my husband and I went to the opening reception for the Daylesford Abbey Art show.

This is my first time doing this show so I was excited to attend the opening. And I have to say my husband and I were both impressed.

The Ladies Chapter has done a wonderful job. The opening was lovely, complete with live music and an impressive assortment of appetizers and wines.

But of course the most important part any opening is the artwork. This is a large show and features a beautiful collection of artwork in a variety of mediums including sculptures, etchings, pottery, stained glass and jewelry as well as pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oils and mixed media works.

The available works come in a wide range of sizes from miniatures smaller than 8" x 10" to master works upwards of 28" x 22". 

Over 85 artists are taking part in the show and many of them have impressive bios detailing membership in major art societies, publication in respected magazines, receipt of prestigious awards and more. I am honored to be showing work with this talented group.

As icing on a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon I was happy to spot that one of my paintings in the miniature category, "Queen of the Winter Garden", was sporting a jaunty red dot indicating that it is going to a new home.

Queen of the Winter Garden

8" x 10" watercolor on paper

©2008 Stacy L. Rowan

sold

Overall I am more than pleased to be part of this event and will gladly participate again if I am invited back.

If you are interested in more specifics such as the show hours or address, please either check out my "Now Showing" page or follow the link for the Daylesford Abbey given below.

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Related Links
Now Showing
Daylesford Abbey, Paoli, PA

Paintbox Art Club Opening Reception

As mentioned in my previous post, last Sunday my husband and I attended the opening reception for the Paintbox Art Club exhibit at the Nazareth Center for the Arts. The show features a collection of works from artists like me who are members of the club.

Paintings from Paintbox show

artists are (l to r) Stacy Rowan, Sandra Hamlin, and Will Daskal

The Nazareth Center for the Arts (NCA) is a fairly new venue. It opened in December 2009. The center is located on Belvidere Street in Nazareth, PA. (Music or guitar lovers out there might be familiar with Nazareth as the home of Martin guitars.)

The NCA is run by the Nazareth Cultural and Arts Commission. Their mission is to enhance the lives of citizens of the community by making art, music and theater a daily experience through exhibits, live performances, and educational programs.

The Paintbox Art Club is a local art group which has been sharing art with the community for over 40 years. The club meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month except in January, July and August. Meetings consist of a short business meeting followed by a demonstration by a guest artist. Meetings are held at the NCA. Paintbox is a friendly and welcoming group that is open to new members. Annual dues are a very reasonable $15.

I was quite impressed with the presentation of the Paintbox show. The center did a nice job hanging the artwork and advertising the event. The venue provides an accessible space for the public to appreciate the work of local artists.

I wish the Nazareth Cultural and Arts Commission much success with the center and thank them for their support of the local art community.

Paintbox Art Club Exhibit - Nazareth Center for the Arts

A Tranquil Spring Day - Burnside Plantation

11" x 14" watercolor on paper

©2006 Stacy L. Rowan

I belong to the Paintbox Art Club. This Sunday we have a show opening at the Nazareth Center for the Arts in Nazareth, PA from 2pm to 4pm. I will be showing the painting above.

The show runs through February 25th. Show hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 2pm, the first Saturday of the month from 1pm until 4pm and by appointment, call (610) 759-8590.

Looking at art is a great cure for cabin fever. Why don't you stop by if you are in the neighborhood?

Open Studio 2010

A week and a half ago I held my second annual Open Studio event. I decided to start hosting this event in answer to the many local people who ask about my art. It seemed like a good idea to offer them a venue where they can see all of my current work hung together.

Since I paint at home (my studio is also known as the master bedroom!), I host the Open Studio event in my house. I set up all of my work in the downstairs and invite people to browse at their leisure. I also offer snacks and drinks so that my guests feel well taken care of.

View of the kitchen with snacks

Prints and note cards set up in the family room

The living room with this collection of work is one of the first things visitors see.

Over the next week or so I will be sharing more photos from the Open Studio. Since the event was limited to local people, by sharing in this way I am hoping my fans and friends who are further afield will get to feel like you were actually there.

I am also having a "door prize" drawing for this Virtual Open Studio, just like I did for the real life one. To enter all you need to do is comment on this post or any of the upcoming Virtual Open Studio 2010 posts. To have multiple chances to win, comment on multiple posts. You will receive one entry for each post you comment on. The drawing will be held one week after I publish the final Open Studio post. The winner will receive a pack of note cards featuring my art. (More on that later.)

So come back with your glass of wine and plate of canapes and enjoy my Virtual Open Studio. I look forward to seeing your there.

Autumn is Here!

Hello loyal readers! I'm zipping in today for a quick update in case some of you were wondering if I was extending my summer break into the autumn months. As lovely as that might sound when my alarm first goes off, by the time I'm fully awake I find that I'm happy to be back in the swing of things.

Much of my time right now is being put towards preparing for my Second Annual Open Studio (details below). In addition to matting up some paintings that have been patiently waiting in the "complete and ready to mat" pile, I have also been trying my hand at some miniatures.

I seem to have picked up quite a collection of little, bitty frames. Their cute size and agreeable price make them hard to resist. And although I only pick up one or two at a time, their numbers have multiplied to a point that I could no longer ignore them.

So I've been sitting down with my charcoal and graphite pencils and having some miniature fun! The timing couldn't be better since these pieces will allow me to offer some lower priced original works at my Open Studio.

Echinacea Buffet

charcoal on watercolor paper

3.5" x 2.5"

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Now about that Open Studio... It is being held this Friday, September 24th and Saturday, September 25th in my home (because that is where my studio is). Unfortunately, since it is in my home, I'm not comfortable opening up the invitation to the general public. While I know that all of my readers are normal, sane people, there are some ... ummmm ... let's just say less sane people out there on the internet.

I promise I will share pictures and an update of the event and throw in a little extra surprise to make it up to you. Think of it as a virtual version of the Open Studio.

If you happen to be a local collector, and for some reason did not receive your invitation in the mail, please drop me an email. My address can be found in the column on the right. Thanks!

Symbolic Still Life Group Show

Kitchen Reflections

10" x 13" graphite and charcoal

copyright 2005 Stacy L. Rowan

I am pleased and honored to announce that my art is part of the Symbolic Still Life Group Show at the Newberry Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. The show opening was held last night. I couldn't be there so I am anxiously awaiting pictures and an eye witness report from Michael Newberry (artist and gallery owner) and Robin Neudorfer (friend and fellow artist).

The show also features the art of:
Robin Neudorfer
William Wray
Mary Woodul and
Michael Newberry

Symbolic Still Life is a show of still life paintings, drawings, and pastels by contemporary artists expressing their personal iconography through using symbolism. Powerful imagery, dynamic compositions, beauty, and a personal message, either obvious or subtle, are the ideas guiding the selection for this show.

The show runs through June 4, 2010, so if you are in the area please stop by and enjoy the wonderful art and the stories behind the works.

I am also in the process of adding some static pages to this blog. (Thank you Blogger for this new feature!) One of the first pages I have added is a "Now Showing!" page. This page will point you to the galleries and shows were you can see my art in person. The pages can be accessed from the tab links found directly below the title bar.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope today finds you surrounded by people who love and support you.

Pitt brush pen in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Among the many things I am thankful for this holiday are galleries that partner with artists to help us sell our work. In particular, the wonderful William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor which accepted some of my work this summer. This gallery is opening a new show tomorrow (Friday, November 27th) which will run through January. The show is A Tribute to 100 Artists. Here is an excerpt from their press release...

"[This show] honors their talented and diverse stable of painters, sculptors, and craftspeople. Each artist has hanging one or more pieces of work. The juxtaposition of these varied styles makes for an exciting compilation, creating a balance and rhythm of color, palettes, pigments and perspectives. The works stretch from landscapes, still life, figurative, realism to abstract and vary in media from watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, mixed media, wood to ceramic."

They are celebrating with an open house all Thanksgiving weekend. Please stop by if you are in the South Jersey shore area.

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The sketch above is of Indian corn - a staple of Thanksgiving and autumn decorations. For those of you who don't know, Indian corn is the name for cobs that have colored kernels vesus the common white or yellow kernels. I am sure other places in the world must call it something else, but I only know it as Indian corn.

Exciting News

Hello friends and fans! I have some exciting news to share with you. Many bloggers might entertain you with a long, dramatic story building suspense to a moment of spectacular reveal. But I might burst if I try that, so I'm just going to throw it out there...

I got into my first gallery!!!

And the best part is that it's the fabulous William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ. This is the same gallery that my husband and I have been visiting during our vacations for at least the past 10 years. It is the gallery where we made our first purchase of fine art. And it is a lovely, family run gallery which shows consistently beautiful work. I couldn't be happier!

I met with director Mary Cantone Thursday morning. Mary's warm, friendly personality put me right at ease. I really enjoyed showing and talking about my art. Mary agreed to take six pieces -- four drawings from my tap series and two watercolors. Hooray! (I promise to share images in a future post.)

Please stop by and take a look if you happen to be in Stone Harbor or any of the neighboring South Jersey shore towns.

And thank you to all of my online friends who encourage me and give me feedback on my work, especially Rose. I don't believe I would have been able to accomplish this goal if I was creating in a vacuum.

Art Festival in Pitman, NJ Tomorrow

The last couple of days I have been busy matting and framing some of my work and packing up my show supplies. Tomorrow I will be participating in a Music & Arts Festival in Pitman, NJ. This is the first year for the festival. Artists will be displaying their work in Ballard Park at the intersection of Pitman Ave. and Broadway. The festival runs from 2pm until 8pm.

I have displayed my work before in Pitman at their annual fall craft show. They run nice shows which have good attendance. I am excited they are branching out into shows specifically for fine art.

If you are in the area tomorrow afternoon or evening, stop by and say hello.

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The picture above shows some of the work I framed up this week, including drawings in my new tap dance series. I will be sharing these new drawings here soon, complete with better images. The drawings were well received at the Tap Ties National Tap Dance Day Celebration.

My Art in the Garden Cafe in Nazareth

The Garden Cafe on Main Street in Nazareth, PA is a sweet and cozy cafe. Kate has owned and operated the cafe for 12 years. In addition to providing a great place to eat, Kate also offers her support to local artists by providing them with a place to display and sell their work. This month I a honored to have my artwork hanging on the cafe walls.

I hung nine original watercolors including the cabbage and the Detwiller House. I also hung 2 charcoal pieces (Ten Minutes Peace and Sunquats) and two graphite pieces.

Below you will find my first attempt at a video clip. It is a short video tour of the cafe with some shots of my artwork on the walls. The two charcoals and one graphite piece are hung behind the tree. They make a great little grouping there, but I didn't get a good shot of them in the video.




Hopefully my future attempts at video will be better. For some reason I couldn't edit the video to shorten it. At the point where my computer froze and I thought I had lost the whole thing, I gave up and saved it as is. It was either that or toss the computer out the window. And it was much too cold to have a window open.

If you are in the area and want to stop by the cafe, the address is...
52 S. Main Street
Nazareth, PA 18064

Both breakfast and lunch are served at the cafe. Hours are 8am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday. I recommend going for lunch and ordering the chicken salad. It's delicious! Tell Kate I sent you.

Art Sales

Warmth for the Lonely Traveler

12" x 16" watercolor on paper

Stacy L. Rowan

I am pleased to announce that today I am launching a new blog, At the Moment, which will be dedicated to the sale of my artwork. This new blog is my online gallery of the artwork I currently have available. I chose to start off the posts with one of my favorite pieces, "Guardians", my painting of the Bethlehem Waterworks. I will be adding work regularly until all of my available work is posted. After that I will add new work as I complete it.

I chose today for my launch because it is International Artist Day, which according to their website is "a worldwide tribute to artists which will honor and bring recognition to the contributions they have made to civilization." Announcing the completion of a goal I've had for at least a year seemed like a good way to celebrate.

On this International Artist Day I'd also like to recognize Rose Welty. Rose and I became friends through the Virtual Sketch Date. She has worked along side me for the past few weeks, offering encouragement and advice, while she prepared to launch her own sales blog. Thank you Rose!!

I am excited with this new venture and would love if you would take a look. Let me know what you think.

Information on the painting:
Last New Year's Eve I was lucky enough to have a guided tour of the Sun Inn in Bethlehem, PA. I took over 100 photographs of the Inn which just celebrated it's 250th birthday.

The reference for this painting is from the guest suite on the first floor of the Inn. The Sun Inn was well known for its comfortable lodging and had many famous guests. Travel was difficult back in the 1700s, there were no mini-vans with built-in DVD players and heated seats. So as I painted this I imagined the welcoming warmth of the Inn after a long day on the road. But I also realized that most of the travelers were probably gentlemen who were traveling alone and were probably missing the company of their family. The cold light coming through the window and the single bare branch outside represent this loneliness.

This painting is currently on display in the Bethlehem Palette Club 2008 Fall Juried Exhibition. The exhibition is being held at the Siegel Gallery in Iacocca Hall on the Lehigh University campus now through December 14th.

Preparing for an Art Fair - Part II

Sketches of people at a soccer game

graphite in small Moleskine

So now that I am done with my art fair, I have time to share the rest of my tips with you. If you missed part I of Preparing for an Art Fair, which dealt with managing the "stuff" needed for your booth space, you can find it here.

Part II deals with managing inventory and starts with making lists. I love making lists. Making lists makes me feel productive. So it's only logical that I chose to simplify my show prep by making lists...in this case, inventory lists.

I have an Excel spreadsheet for my note card and print inventory. In it I keep track of how many note card packs and prints are in inventory, maximum inventory levels and minimum inventory levels. The spreadsheet is set up to automatically calculate how many note cards and prints I need to make when I fall below the minimum inventory level for each specific image. It even has a column for production priority so I know what to make first. I swear, I could be a poster girl for Excel.

Now I know spreadsheets don't seem very creative and many people might be turned off by this tool, but I have to tell you it saves me loads of time. Before having the spreadsheet, I had to decide before every show how many note cards and prints I wanted to make. And of course, since it wasn't written down, I could never remember what I did for the last show. Plus it was too easy to get emotional about the whole decision. You know, thinking that this was going to be the show where hoards of people showed up all wanting the same print. Since I don't want to disappoint anyone or lose a sale it only made sense to make a few, or ten, or twenty extra prints of that image. Right?!??

With a spreadsheet the numbers are cut and dry, so I don't have to worry about being under-, or over- prepared.

I also have a handwritten list detailing the amount of each cash denomination that I take to a fair for making change. It makes a trip to the bank for rolled coins super easy. And it gives me a way to double check my receipts at the end of the day since I know exactly how much money I started with.

All the lists save me time by eliminating the repetition of figuring out how much of everything I need for every show. But, perhaps equally as important, they also give me confidence because I know I am well prepared.

In an ideal world I also mat and frame my paintings as soon as they are done so I don't need to have a framing marathon the week before a fair. The same is true for printing and packing note cards. I replace them as soon as I fall below my minimum inventory levels so I'm not making 30 or 40 packs all at once. Unfortunately I don't live in an ideal world, so sometimes this is more of a goal then a reality.

At the end of a fair, part of my wrap up when I get home is restocking bags (for putting purchases in) and business cards and returning the cash bag to its beginning values. That way I know everything is ready to go for next time.

Using this system I've had much better luck avoiding the pre-show stress-ball stage. I've also been able to take advantage of opportunities that showed up without much lead time. Best of all, I don't have to give up painting for a month leading up to a fair date, and my family has stopped avoiding me during that time as well.

Art Fair Today - Nazareth, PA

Coffee Break

approx. 4" x 3" watercolor and graphite

Stacy L. Rowan

Just a post for people in my area to announce that I will be showing my art this afternoon and evening at Nazareth Evening on Main Steet in Nazareth , PA. The event starts at 3pm and runs until 8pm. The art show is taking place in the square at Main and Center Streets. Also local businesses along Main Street will be open for the evening and there will be entertainment in the street and square.

If you are in the area, I'd love for you to stop by and say hi!

I created the above image for the postcard I sent to my mailing list announcing this event. If anyone is interested in how I make and print my own postcards, leave a comment and I'll be happy to share. Notecards with this image are also available.

Preparing for an Art Fair - Part I

Familiar Blush

3.5" x 2.5" watercolor on paper

Stacy L. Rowan

I am currently preparing for an art fair that is taking place this Saturday evening in Nazareth, PA. While I'm in the middle of the process, I thought I'd share some tips that make show prep a little easier for me.

My first few art fairs included a mad scramble of preparation which took up all of my art time for the few weeks leading up to the fair. As much as I like doing fairs, I hated being away from my paints for so long and my family hated the stressed out, frantic person I turned into.

The solution - move as much of the prep work out of the weeks leading up to the fair.

This first post will deal with managing the "stuff" required for an art fair. By stuff I mean the canopy, lights, table, extension cords, print rack...everything that is not art.

After my first couple of art fairs, I realized that I needed the same stuff for every fair, and with a few fairs under my belt I had a pretty good idea of what it was. So months before I had any shows scheduled, I sat down and made a list of all the stuff I wanted to take with me. Now I will admit that I over pack for every occasion, so my list is quite long. I included everything I thought I might possibly ever need. And I mean everything. Big things like my canopy and chair and display racks and little things like zip ties, scissors and tissues.

Once the list was done I put it in a safe place. For me that place is in my bin of office supplies (receipt books, stapler, pens, calculator, business cards) that I take to every fair. It would also be a good idea to have a back-up copy somewhere, say on my computer.

Next I chose a spot in our basement to store all the stuff that I don't need to unpack between shows. This saves time when I am gathering everything together for my husband to load into the van. It also makes it easy for me to point my art fair stuff out to my family. So when I say "Don't touch Mommy's art fair stuff!" they know exactly what "stuff" I am referring to. Lastly, having everything together in one area makes it harder, though not impossible, to lose or forget something.

In my next post I will give some tips for managing inventory.

About the painting: I love the little blush of red that sometimes appears on green pears. I had the idea that cranberries would "pair" nicely with one of these blushing pears because of the common color and similar shapes. So I tried the combination on my kitchen table and a painting was born.

Morning Call Art Show - Lehigh Valley Landscapes

The local paper, The Morning Call, has sponsored it's second annual art show. This year the entries were juried. Over 80 artworks were submitted and approximately 50 were accepted. You can see the show, The Morning Call's Masterpiece Series: Lehigh Valley Landscapes, by visiting the Baum School of Art on 501 West Linden Street in Allentown, PA. My painting "Tranquil Spring Day" of the Burnside Plantation is in the show. Show hours are from 9am to 5pm Friday and 9am to Noon on Saturday. The winners of the contest will be announced at Mayfair on the Master Class Stage Saturday May 24th at 3pm.

On another topic...the other day I was looking through my reference photo collection. I was toying with the idea of doing a larger painting of "Storm Clouds" and was looking for some references that would provide information on how the light strikes clouds during a sunset. Imagine my surprise when I came across this reference.

I took this picture probably seven years ago right after I bought my film SLR. I was in Ocean City, MD and as you can see, we were witness to the most spectacular sunset. It must have left quite a visual impression on me if I was able to reproduce it so closely from my imagination.

So now I am going to leave you with this spectacular sunset and a wish that your weekend is equally as spectacular. I will not be blogging over this long Memorial Day weekend. Instead I will be weeding and mulching with the rest of the family, enjoying the sunny, warm weather we are finally supposed to get, and maybe even taking some time for a little fun. And if I don't return right away after the weekend, you will know that we chose fun over weeding too often and I am busy finishing up the work.

Places You Can Find My Art - April 2008

For anyone who happens to be in or around the Lehigh Valley, I thought I would fill you in on where you can currently find my art. That way, if you are interested in viewing it in person, you know where to look.

Starting tomorrow, April 19th, the two pieces at the right are in a juried show at The Garden Of Easton located at 249 Northampton Street in downtown Easton, PA. The show is titled "All Walks of Life". It opens tomorrow and there is an artist reception tomorrow night. Unfortunately, I have a conflict of schedule and won't be able to attend the opening. The reception is from 5pm - 7pm, Saturday April 19th. The store hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11am until 5 pm and Sunday noon until 5pm. The show runs through May 17th.

Also tomorrow, at the Miller Heights Elementary School Tricky Tray Raffle, prize number 52 is a print of my Bethlehem Waterworks painting (Guardians). The school is located at 3605 Allen Street in Bethlehem Township, PA. Hours are from 10am until 4pm with the prize ticket drawing starting at 4:15pm. You do not need to be present to win. All winners not present are notified by phone.

And lastly, for anyone visiting the Moravian Hall Square retirement community in Nazareth, PA, I have 11 paintings on display in their main building through the end of the month. Down the hall from the reception desk, take a right into the next hallway and you will see a lovely picture rail on the left side of the hallway displaying my watercolor paintings.