"Duck and Shadow of Duck" Oil, 20" x 16"

This is a still life about ... well, a dead duck. But also, sadness, and the death that is always so close to all of us.

I spent a very long time looking at this duck. It's so beautiful, even in death.

I completely forgot to post this painting here after I painted it, so if you hate paintings of dead birds, click out of here right now. Wait. Too late!

This painting is available at Abend Gallery

"Drawing the Three-Hour Portrait", Weekly Class at Scottsdale Artists' School

Here's a quick photo from my phone of the info in the Scottsdale Artists' School catalog for my charcoal drawing class, which meets on Wednesdays from 1:00 - 4:00 starting on October 9, 2013. I really hope you can join me in this class, it should be a lot of fun and we're sure to encounter a lot of interesting faces. Contact me if you have questions.

The link to sign up is here.

"Underpaintings" blog: an article about the upcoming Women Painting Women (R)evolution Show

Artist and writer Matthew Inness has published a "sneak peek" on his "Underpaintings" blog about the upcoming Women Painting Women: (R)evolution show at Principle Gallery . His article contains a thorough and concise explanation about the show, including the concept for the show and photos of the works to be exhibited (I will have three) - thanks so much for writing this, Matt!

http://underpaintings.blogspot.com/2013/08/sneak-peek-women-painting-women.html

More about "Stay, Rose, Stay"

My painting "Stay, Rose, Stay" (see this post below) is now hanging in the window at Principle Gallery, along with paintings by Cindy Procious and Candice Bohannon. The three of us (among many others) will be at the gallery for the opening of the Women Painting Women: (R)evolution show on September 19th, 2013. More on this later on.

Women Painting Women: (R)evolution show, opens September 20th at Principle Gallery, Alexandria VA

I'm really happy to announce that I'll be showing three paintings at the upcoming Women Painting Women: (R)evolution show at Principle Gallery, Alexandria VA . I'm so honored to show my work next to these incredibly talented people! I'm posting the print ad that ran in the September 2013 issue of American Art Collector magazine.

I'll write much more about this show in the days to come (and also post my three paintings). I've had a crazy summer, travelling nearly every two weeks. This is good news if you're trying to escape Arizona heat, but bad news if you are trying to stay sane, organized and also produce studio paintings. (Speaking of which, I did manage to paint some plein air landscapes this summer, which I will post when I get around to it).

"Stay, Rose, Stay"

Oil, 20" x 16". I think this was the last rose on my rosebush this year, as the intense heat this summer has put a stop to the rose party in my garden. Soon on its way to Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

Two good things that happened to me

Two good things have happened that I want to share with you.  The first is that my painting "Rachel in My Studio" has received a Finalist Award from the Art Renewal Center's 2012/2013 International Salon. There are so many amazing paintings featured in the contest and I'm very excited and honored to be included in the list of Finalists. (Here's a link to the list of ARC awards. ) This painting is currently available for purchase at Principle Gallery.

The second good thing is that my painting "Daniel Jabari" has been accepted into The Butler Institute of American Art's 77th Midyear Exhibition, in Youngstown, Ohio. This is a very prestigious museum show and sale and I'm so honored and thrilled that my painting is in the exhibition. The show opens on Sunday, June 30th, 2013 and runs through Sunday, August 18th, 2013.

If I can get to the opening, I'll be sure to post some photos here on my blog!

As usual, it seems to me that my sitters should receive some sort of award (or a medal!) for their patience with my struggles to capture what I find most striking about them.