Bird in Paradise

Bird in Paradise 12"x12" o/c

                                                        

                                        

                                                              Tortuga Island, Costa  Rica

The Chair and The Coconut

The Chair and The Coconut
20"x24" o/c

Came upon this wobbly legged wooden chair on the beach in Montezuma, Costa Rica

Trip to Costa Rica - part I

Tortuga Island

Just got back from vacationing in Costa Rica

We visited many parts of this Central American Country;
San Jose, Santa Ana, Puntarenas, Montezuma, Tortuga, Atenas, Jaco

Before the trip we read Nadine Hays Pisani's; Happier Than A Billionaire
a true story told with great humor about an adventurous young couple
who quit the American rat race to become permanent residents in Costa Rica

"Pura Vida" is a phrase commonly used by the locals that means literally, pure life

it's used to say hello, goodbye, thanks, enjoy, etc...

kinda like, "take it easy" or "life is good"

I think it can also mean That's Life, because it may be used to say 

no worries,  I know I'm late,  that was an epic fail, 

...here have a coconut

our cabin at hotel Los Mangos in Montezuma

Being in Montezuma made me want to do like Paul Gauguin; 

just pick up and leave my present life
to go paint the natives in a primitive paradise

Capuchin monkeys over our table at Sano Banano restaurant

It's very green there, like Oregon,
only with jungle plants and angry monkeys

PURA VIDA!

(I'll leave the interpretation to your own discretion)

3rd annual Art Tour

Studies of Chess pieces in my studio

The annual High Desert Art Tour is coming the weekend of October 8th & 9th

There will be over 25 artists exhibiting their artwork 

Drop by my studio between the hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday 

or

12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday

Pick up tour maps at Agua Dulce Vineyards or Vincent Hill Station

For further details please visit the tour blog: High Desert Art

Hope to see you then!

sharing a present

Some individuals are blessed with a wonderful spirit of generosity, 

never hesitating to share what is theirs with others. 

Karen Appleton is one of those individuals.

As you may know, Karen paints symbolic gift-wrapped presents.  

During her recent artist's residency she came up with an elegantly simple concept 

for connecting people around the globe by sending out little gift-wrapped boxes,

 or "Presents" that recipients photograph, then pass on to whomever they please.

What is exciting to me is that Karen's art has branched out

and become a conduit for bringing people together. Brilliant!

I've already submitted a photograph of my Present. 

It will be posted on Karen's Present and Accounted For site just as soon as 

she posts everyone else's picture who was in line before me (no pressure Karen).

There is no telling how big this project will get or how long it will go on for. 

I for one will be staying tuned to see where on earth these Presents travel to.

I'd really like to pass mine off to someone outside of this Country. 

Is anyone I know going on a trip soon? 

Let me know, I have a package I'd like you to smuggle. 

Oh, and check out Karen's original Blog for the December 15th post 

about her experience while trying to ship Presents off to Canada. 

It's good to have a laugh while enduring a difficult situation. 

winter grass  

8x10" oil plein air study

painted with  Rich & some of his friends yesterday

felt so good to use a full array of colors again

I would like to wish all of you a very 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

black & white pawns study

18x18" charcoal & pastel on newsprint

I resisted writing this, but someone kept pressing me to write it
"for the sake of artists who get crushed and quit".
If nothing else, it will at least be therapeutic for me to vent.

I recently went with a friend to an Arts Tune Up seminar in Los Angeles.
There were 10-11 tables in a meeting room. Each table had a sign posted
for the subject that would be discussed there by a professional in that field.

We could choose only 5 tables to sit at for 25 minute sessions each.
The subjects ranged from Grant Writing to Making a Professional Presentation. 

My friend and I went to some tables together and some separate.
At one point she was leaving a table that I was headed for and as we
crossed paths, she warned me to "watch out for this one" because they
had just slammed a poor artist who was caught off guard. 

I thought; no it's cool, I can take it. Bring it on baby.
But nothing could have prepared me for the cynical spiel that followed.

The sign at that table should have read: Elitist Dribble.
As she blathered on in a patronizing tone about the upper echelon
of the art world, I briefly considered lunging at her throat and choking her
until she stopped emitting noise. But this is not very genteel behavior, so I
sat there leaking out precious self-esteem through every pore.

I left there reeling with self doubt.
I don't think there was a soul who didn't leave that table deflated.

That speaker represents to me the art world at it's superficial worst.
She somehow conveyed that anyone not creating the type of work she represents
shouldn't be wasting art materials.
Or oxygen.

I enjoy understanding and being able to identify at some level with each genre of fine art.
I think it is inexcusable when a group from one of the genres, be it Traditional Painting or
Pop Art, undermines the importance or purpose of the other.

Each one has a valid reason for being.
We each have different values and ways of expressing them.
Our perceptions and interpretations of the world are varied and unique. 

Remembering a conversation I had with my mom earlier this year snapped me
out of my funk.  I had just gone to an art exhibit at an L.A. museum and perceived that
the work of the male artists was superior in technique to that of the female artists.
Pondering this, I asked my mom why is it that men are generally more successful than
their female counterparts in any given field?  -relax, I said generally. 

She thought for a couple of seconds and simply replied with 3 words;
                     "emotions undermine determination"  

Whoa   -stop and ponder that.

My point; make your art no matter what. Don't let anyone dissuade you or
make you feel inferior. Don't allow others to undermine your determination.
Man-up. Get single minded. Focus.

It's been my experience that truly skilled artists are very generous in nature
and those who act superior are usually hiding behind a very fragile veneer
and follow the impulse to crush others to stave off their fear of being crushed.

OK,  I feel better now.  I hope you do too.

black rook study 24x18"

charcoal & oil pastel on newsprint