Stepping Stones, 18 x 14, Pastel

I had an amazing surprise in July when I received a call from the director of the Headwaters Art Center in Dubois, Wyoming. The call from Tammy Lucas was to let me know I had won the Landscape Award in the 64th Annual National Art Show of the esteemed Wind River Valley Artists Guild. If you aren't familiar with the organization, it was founded so long ago that bison probably came to their first show without a proper invitation. Dubois is in the upper part of the picturesque valley of the Wind River, near where the Wind River and Absaroka mountain ranges converge, just over the divide from Jackson Hole.

For the past five or six years I've been blessed to win recognition for my pastel work in this venerable show. Last year was notable for my winning the Purchase Award which means the painting that won was purchased for the permanent collection of the Headwaters Center. One of my main two goals in entering the show was thereby accomplished. You can read about that happy event on another blog post.

This time the award was the Landscape Award, one of the top honors for the show which counts its entries in the 250-300 range. This award, unlike the Purchase Award which is decided by the organization's board, is awarded by the judge of the show. The judge this year was Jerry Antolik, a widely known and respected artist who happens to make his home in Wyoming. To me, it's not only an honor to receive this award, it is also an honor to have my pastel work recognized in competition with other media - oil, watercolor, acrylic, and so on - by someone who knows how to paint himself and who knows Wyoming's landscape and colors. This award was the second of my two goals for entering the show. Mission accomplished! ...But the good news didn't stop there.

I've also been invited to be the show's judge for 2014 and to offer a three-day workshop in conjunction with the exhibition in July. I don't know what could be better than that! I'm truly moved to receive this honor and the recognition of my peers in the Wyoming art community. I hope many of my friends can make the journey to Wyoming, spend some time in a beautiful and spectacular locale and join me for some art adventures next summer in Wind River country!