Zion's Embrace

I just thought of an action verb that struck me as funny when I said it to myself and realized I've never used it in a blog before (though I've done plenty of it). The word is 'Gloat.' So realizing that I haven't done much gloating here lately, it's time for me to gloat over some new shows in which I'll be represented.

The first show has already opened and it's my first time in the show. It's called Icons of the West, and is sponsored and held at Dana Gallery in Missoula, Montana. It runs through August 31. Two of my pieces are in the show: At the Brink, Lower Yellowstone Falls and Canyon Mist, also of the same subject depicted from downstream at Artist's Point. At the Brink was featured an our Christmas card last December.

Another first is having a piece in a California Art Club exhibition. The show is titled, The Spirit of Adventure. All work in the show is supposed to exhort people to travel and elucidate the joys of travel discovery. Mine is of the Grand Canyon at sunrise - definitely one of the joys of my recent travels! The painting is called, Out of the Canyon Rising, and is in a vertical format to accentuate the deepness of the canyon. I loved how sunrise revealed crazy shapes of stone outlined by cool blue shadows in the earliest moments of direct illumination. The show is held at Altadena Town & Country Club in Altadena, California, now through September 22nd.

Running simultaneously with the International Association of Pastel Societies biennial convention from June 3rd to 7th, the 3rd Master Circle Exhibition will include my painting, Zion's Embrace. The show is at Hotel Albuquerque in the Old Town section of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A signal honor this summer is to be invited to participate as a guest in two very important shows. First up is Where in the World is Plein Air 2015. Rather a mouthful but worth visiting the web site frequently during the three day event to see new work as it is created and posted along with brief videos introducing the work by the artists. Over 100 artists from around the world will participate, each painting one piece per day for three days and making three selfie videos as each painting is begun, progresses and is completed. The videos will be on the web site and paintings will be sold first-come, first-served at a fixed price set by the artist. The three day event is June 10-12 with all paintings not sold available at Illume Gallery of Fine Art in Salt Lake City thereafter.

The second invitational is Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters' Plein Air for the Park 2015, hosted by Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center at Grand Teton National Park in cooperation with the Grand Teton Association. I'll be painting in the park for about two weeks. On July 15th the work of all the participating artists will go on exhibit and sale at the visitor center. It's for a worthy cause so please come out and take home something to remind you of one of America's greatest natural treasures.

Finally there are two group exhibitions where I've been juried in: 29th Annual Pastels USA, sponsored by Pastel Society of the West Coast and the 11th Annual Mile High International Pastel Exhibition, sponsored by Pastel Society of Colorado. Pastels USA at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California runs from July 2nd through September 13th. The Mile High is from July 12th to September 25th at the Denver Public Library in Colorado.

I think that's just about enough gloating to hold me for a while!

Out of the Canyon Rising

Canyon Mist