"Wired"

 Armand Cabrera

 Don Hatfield

 Frank Ordaz

 Marc Hanson

 Mick McGinty

Sally Tharp

I am wired! And psyched! And super pleased to be a part of a group exhibit entitled "Wired", opening next month in Rocklin, CA, not far from Auburn.  The works above are samples of several of the artists in this show. This unique and special group of painters were "herded" (to use his words!) by Frank Ordaz, the driving force behind this exhibit.  The title of the show comes from the fact that all of this group has made connections, somehow, using the electronic media, primarily blogs.   Frank's brilliant idea was to bring together in a physical exhibit, the works of these artists.  

This is a terrific honor. Some of these guys are like painting gods to me... they are my heroes - for their work, and for their character and faith. It is pretty overwhelming for me to be a part of this group, and you can bet I'm working  hard to get my best effort out there.  And now you know why I was so freaked out about being in a slump!!

Here's the list of artists and the dates and times of the show. Any of you out there in California, check it out!

Stephen Magsig
Chris Hopkins
Denny Holland
Mick McGinty 
Sally Tharp
Debra Per
Rob Carey
Armand Cabrerra
Marc Hanson
Don Hatfield
Janice Skivington
Thomas Fluharty
Terry Miura
Michael Dudash
Frank Ordaz

The show runs from April 15 through May 12 at

William Jessup University Library
333 Sunset Blvd.
Rocklin, CA 95765
Opening reception is April 15, 5:30-7:00pm

Southwest Art Magazine

Here is a full page color ad that will appear in Southwest Art magazine. I believe it will be the April edition.
I was very pleased and honored that the printing company asked to use the image of one of my paintings in their ad.
The way this came about was that the image above was selected for the poster image for a series of trail races  outside of Los Alamos, NM.  The poster is used for publicity, fundraising, and also each finisher of the event is given a print.   Starline Printing down in Albuquerque, NM did the posters, which came out looking great.
When they decided to run their ad, they wanted both a color and black and white fine art image to include in their ad, and here is the result. The drawing is by artist Dino Cornay - I think it's absolutely fabulous.  You can click on the poster image for an enlarged view.  Wow!   My painting represents an "overlook" on a ridge about 9000 ft. elevation, above Los Alamos. The Pajarito ski area is the far distant hill,  and some of the race course runs along this ridge through the trees, around the back side of that ski hill, and then down back into town.  It's a 50 mile race, so it does cover quite a bit of territory.
My husband and I are going to be the "grim sweepers" for the race.  A "sweep" is someone who goes behind and follows the last runner, making sure that nobody is left out on the course.Nobody wants to see the sweep, as that means you are dead last in the race.(that's why we say "grim") Sweeps will often carry some energy gels or salt tabs to help runners who might need a little assistance out there too. We'll also be pulling the ribbons and course markers as we go. This is a fun way to do the run at a relatively relaxed pace and get some good training in.  I thought Steve should dress in a grim reaper costume just for fun. Not sure if I have convinced him of that yet.
Well, anyway, it's pretty cool to have a painting in Southwest Art.

When You Hit a Slump

No Regular Office Hours

It happens to all of us at some point. For whatever reason, we just hit a slump. We are uninspired, frustrated,

distracted, tired, sick, anxious.... any combination of those things can hit us, and it seems like we woke up one morning and just forgot how to paint. Or worse, we wake up for days, weeks, or even months, in a row, and face the same sort of doldrums.

I guess there usually IS a reason.  For me, it most often happens when I have other things on my mind - family concerns, money concerns, health concerns... and these sap my creative energy and there;s just nothing left over to create art.  If this is the case with you, if you're there now, my advise is: 

1.Be kind to yourself.

Take some time to yourself and try to sort out what might really be on your mind.  If you can name it, then you can begin to deal with it.  And then, deal with it if you can.  If it is something you absolutely cannot change, then come to grips with THAT notion, and decide how you will handle it going forward.

2. Try to find the joy in your painting again.

Sometimes I get caught up in the need to produce. That's a real need for those of trying to make a living through our art.It's legitimate. But  that pressure can take a toll.. At least it does for me.  So sometimes I need to just paint something JUST FOR FUN.  Paint something that you want to paint. Forget if it might be something somebody might want to buy. Paint what interests you, and maybe even think of it as just a study, or practice, or whatever.. Take all the pressure off and just do it for pure enjoyment.

I've been in a little bit of a slump lately, which is of course why I am writing this post.  I've got several shows I NEED to paint for. I really can't afford to be in a slump. But, here I am. This time, I can't seem to settle on subject matter, or what I start seems to just fall short... I've had several scrapers lately.  So I took my own advise.  I think I have a handle on what has been bothering me, and then I put away the lousy starts I've made, and found something that just interested me and painted it for fun.  I took all pressure off myself.

I had this photo of this fisherman in my reference files, and I just liked the light, and the color.  It flew off my brush because I was having fun.  I don't really care if nobody likes it, I liked painting it.

I feel better, and a little refreshed, and maybe I can start tackling the things I HAVE to paint.  If not, then maybe I'll do something else just for fun. Who knows? That might be the winner I've been aiming for.

I'd love to hear from all of you too. What do YOU do when you hit a slump?  What works for you?