Autumn in the Carolinas

Autumn in the Carolinas

8 x 8, pastel

I promised that I would let you know if any of my paintings were accepted into the Artoberfest Juried Show at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery. Well,----------all three of them were!!! Woohoo!!! And it gets even better, they told me that one of them won an award!!! Woohoo, again! I won't know what kind of award or which painting won until the reception tomorrow evening 5-8pm when the winners are announced. If you are free and would like to enjoy free food, wine and lovely art, drop by tomorrow.

This lovely area is on the Biltmore Estate, I believe. I took so many photos last fall while in Asheville, N. Carolina that I cannot keep them straight. It is one of the three paintings on display in the Artoberfest show.

Also, other good news received today, Daily Paintworks chose my painting, First Peek, to be a Facebook Pick of the Day. It will be on display at the site all month I believe. They choose 6-8 new ones each day. You may check it out at, www.facebook.com/dailypaintworks  or go back a couple of posts to see the painting.

Biltmore Lake

Biltmore Lake

9x9, pastel

Click to buy

The last full day we were in North Carolina, Hurricane Sandy finally decided to move on and allow the sun to shine. The November sun was glorious that day. The grounds of the Biltmore Estate were beautiful.  I have a friend from Ashville, North Carolina who has painted plein air on the Biltmore grounds. How awesome would that be!

I'm Still Here!

Harvest

15 x 11, watercolor

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We sure did!

If this painting looks familiar, it is. This is my watercolor rendition of Bountiful Harvest, the pastel painting that won an award in North Carolina. I haven't been painting this week, been down in my get-along, as my dad would say. So I had to pull out a painting from the summer. I was worried about getting the patina on the kettle to some out ok in watercolor, but I think it turned out pretty good. I also added the folds in the fabric that the pastel painting did not have.

I have painted a Christmas card to reproduce for the last several years, and I am hoping to get that done soon!!!! Time is running out, I am thinking.

I Finally Got to Paint!

Meander

8 x 6, pastel

I finally got to paint!!!! It was such a good feeling to pick up the pastels again. I worked on 2 pieces. The first was a variation of  the breakthrough painting I did in Marla Baggetta's workshop. It was a sunset variation, pretty fiery. It was my husband's fav. I may post it, but it is pretty wild!

This was taken from a picture I took on our first day in North Carolina. There were black and white cows off in the field to the left. That may be another picture--you know how I love to paint animals!

The Very First!!!

Bountiful Harvest     (10 x 8, pastel)

I was notified today that this painting has been accepted to The Appalachian Pastel Society's 2012 Juried National Exhibition!!!! This painting was one of 74 paintings out of 230 submitted that was selected by the juror, Richard McKinley, PSA, PSWC-DP, NPS. It will be displayed October 18 - December 14, 2012 at The Asheville School Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.

This is my first ever acceptance into a juried show!!! I have to thank Rita Kirkman (check out her blog, Rita Kirkman's Daily Paintings) for the workshop that ignited my desire/ability to work in pastel and for encouraging me to enter shows outside of our local gallery. I also have to thank Angie Banta Brown (check out her web site) for years of instruction, encouragement and friendship, helping me to get to this point in my art experience!!!