When Opportunity Knocks

"Follow The Light" 10"x10" Oil

Hi!

I have been itching to tell you about this for a couple of weeks now.

Remember that art residency I attended in Maine last year? Remember what a boost of confidence it gave and how it pushed and challenged me professionally? (If you missed that, you can read about it HERE).

Remember the wonderful residency hosts, Shelley and Greg, and how they served us lavishly? Well hold onto your wig!

They have invited two artists to their large home here in Michigan to present their best works to a select group of their close friends and associates.

The guest list includes gallery owners, curators, art collectors and other artists. One of the two featured artists is Martine MacDonald, the remarkable woman who first introduced me to Shelley Stevens.

I will give you two guesses who the other featured artist is.

Yep! You guessed it!

So I have been painting like a maniac these last couple of weeks so I could bring fresh new work to show.

"Follow The Light" (above) features a moth instead of a bird. I will leave you to interpret it for yourself, and save the backstory for another time.

I'm hoping the next one will be finished and dry in time.

(Not yet titled) 10"x10"

In Progress (no title yet)

This one is part of the series, "Chickadees In The Studio."

Each time I get an idea for a painting, I sketch a thumbnail of it in my idea journal.

This one, which features one of my mural brushes, kept tugging at me every time I flipped through the journal for inspiration.

As I was preparing for Shelley and Greg's Saturday Fall Salon, I knew its time had come.

I'm still working on the shadows and need to develop the chickadee's feet and the metal of the brush.

I will be making both of these available to Shelley and Greg's guests on November 18.

But it just wouldn't feel right if I didn't show them to you first.

After all, my Studio News people are the ones who have stuck with me through all the triumphs and experiments, as well as the flops and fumbles.

So if you want to own one of them, please say so before then. Each is $348 for subscribers ($465 for non-subscribers)

One day when I obtain gallery representation, I may not be able to offer this much of a discount. But you can be sure I will always find some tangible way to show how important you are to me.

So what do YOU do when opportunity knocks?

For goodness sakes, answer the door!!!

Hmm...I think I need to get me a doorbell that sounds like songbirds.

Jan