The Buffalo History Museum is good to their artists.

I am writing about donating again. Artists are constantly asked to donate work for fundraisers. Who asks a handyman, lawn service or plumber for donations? We are the first to be asked to contribute to our community and sometimes works are purchased by bids that are lower than the price of the frames we send them in...no counting time, materials or skills.

It is fairly easy to contribute a painting to groups I truly believe in and also somewhere that appreciates it with a 'free' membership, a ticket to an event or some profit sharing from the sale of my art. Some venues collect more donations than they need and barely acknowledge the artist, making repeat donations rare.

Last year, The Buffalo History Museum asked for a donation and I gave them a painting of their gardens. In return, I was sent a ticket to the event which turned out to be a lovely evening even though I barely knew a person in the three large rooms. I did get to see most of the museum and sample many lovely foods as well that evening. The best part was seeing four different people silently bidding up the price on my picture.

On their donee's paperwork, the museum asks if you want to donate all of the proceeds or make a 60/40 split with the museum. Talk about fair! This is what artists need, an opportunity to make a bit back on their own investment. More groups should try this and they will see the quality of the art they have go way up.

This year, I am sending two paintings for their November 6 'Paint the Town' fundraiser, a lovely little one of the Japanese gardens that I painted at the Cherry Blossom festival and another of Ruth's Garden in Artpark, framed in a thick and luscious golden plein air frame. Believing in the mission of the Buffalo History Museum, I hope they make a bundle.

Rain in the Japanese Garden, 5x7 oil on boardwww.buffalohistory.org/

Off the Boardwalk in Long Beach

For the past two years, I have been told that I should paint on or near the boardwalk in Long Beach. Finally, I went, to the exact spot I was told to go, which was by the fancy new and expensive hotel. It was fairly quiet there when I started, but as the tide went out more people were set up in all directions, tanning, reading, scrolling on their phones and partying with scrumptious picnic baskets. It got fairly crowded and full of rented chaise lounges and blue umbrellas from the hotel.

I was the only one standing around, long sleeves, long paints, wide brimmed hat, flimsy white umbrella hoisted high like a flag and the interesting thing is...I was invisible. No one spoke to me or stopped to look, or apologized for walking in front of me (that normally happens a lot). The hoi polloi did have exquisite bathing suits, matching towels and sandals, spray on tans, perfect hair and skin, nipped tucked, plucked and primped like models. The one mile between my normal painting spot and this one could have been a hundred as it was another world altogether. This 12x16 oil came out perfect, so I'm glad I went!

'Near the Boardwalk', 12x16 oil on board

'You Are There' a P4P art exhibit

Eight plein air ocean paintings based on the Ohio Street Jetty are displayed at Artists Space Gallery on Main Street in Buffalo as part of the Painting for Preservation group. The title of the exhibit is "You Are There". Without a written explanation, I hope you would feel the power of water and weather, the changes around an ocean barrier and the mood of an ocean.

Sara Zak invited a group of the P4P painters and photographers to show, but the focus was not our preservation paintings, rather, work of our own choice that illustrated the theme. Looking at the work, I was intrigued by the powerful images displayed. 

They are shown here grouped within an architectural plaque on the entrance wall, but by the time the final show was hung they were moved a bit further down the wall, into a wider format.