Riverworks summer fun

The complex at Riverworks is constantly expanding up and out and becoming a great family site. We took our grandchildren for dinner and they enjoyed the variety of watercraft passing, including party boats and cruisers. 

They didn't see this side until we were leaving so we took a few turns on the slowest Ferris wheel ever. It was magical. I've painted the LaBatts six pack twice and other views here too as there's always something worth studying  

Riverworks Ferris Wheel 9x12oil on birch board

Greetings from the wildlife at Niagara Falls

Too tired. 

While painting the first bridge at Three Sisters Islands I was surrounded by newborn geese as well as 1-2 day old Ones In the first photo, the newest babies had a hard time crossing the path with their new legs. The second shows a family of duck critics in front of me.

The last shows my painting and the actual bridge from my view. Unfortunately the cat on a leash who decided the shade of my easel would be a good nap spot escaped the photo opportunity.  

Regular critics. Quack 

The First Bridge  12x16 oil  

Winning is wonderful, but I forget to share it!

Two years ago I participated in a week long plein air event in Westfield, NY. During that week I stayed with friends and spent most of each day painting, there were several evening events for the artists and a lovely weekend art exhibition.
While there, I discovered the local bakery, Portage Pie where you preorder dessert pies or take a chance they have an extra. I left a fun painting of the Portage Pie shop with my hosts. The next year, the building which had been blue for as long as anyone remembered, was painted brown. Just another example of a plein air artist capturing an image that doesn't last.

Nearby Barcelona Harbor, which is along the nearby seaway trail has an eclectic collection of new and vintage boats including liveaboards on shore and rusting hulks in assorted places. I was attracted to a majestic sailboat in the harbor; while I painted a gentleman sat quietly eating for a long time so he was added to the boat portrait. Later I met him and thanked him for eating his lunch so slowly.
"Lunch?' he said.
"I only had a donut."

At the Riverwalk Exhibit in Tonawanda this summer that painting was selected to win an honorable mention. The announcer prefaced the prize  announcement with "This painting is of my favorite places, Barcelona. We are thrilled to be headed back to Spain next Spring."
Sheepishly I informed her that it was the Barcelona on Lake Erie and we all had a good laugh. So pleased to have had such a successful year with my paintings. I need to keep up with this blog better, the paintout was two years ago and the River Art Gallery sponsored prize awarded two months ago. Old news can still be good news.

2 Masts In Barcelona, 20x16 plein air oil

Always nice to win!

Nice coverage of the NACC prize in the Niagara Gazette!

A NACC Art Award for Plein Air

The Light in the Tunnel, 20x16, oil on canvas
Award for Excellence in Plein Air Painting

Pete's Tavern 18x12 pastel on Wallis 

The annual Niagara Arts and Culture Center's summer exhibit "Beyond the Barrel" is always a fun event and a chance to catch up with artists in the center, two gallery shows and friends who hibernate the cold months. These pictures were my two entries, and both were accepted. I try to apply for this show every year, in 2018 the show was appended "Inspire".

At the reception 'The Light in the Tunnel' was awarded the Vjolla Cela Award for Excellence in Plein Air Painting. The certificate hangs by the painting throughout the exhibit and I also received a cash prize. This lovely show of mostly WNY artists will remain in the Townsend Gallery until July 29th.

The Sunday Niagara Gazette published an article and a photo that you couldn't miss in the Night and Day section. These kind of recognitions are flattering, but also reinforce my dedication to creating art that says something, that contains the spirit of the place it is produced. 

The saying 'paint 1000 pictures before you are a painter' is true. Check.

Merit Award won at Kenan Center Gallery

Both of my entries were accepted to the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Spring Exhibit. I am very pleased that Juror Donald Zinteck selected this entry for a Merit Award. Two floors of excellent paintings to choose from makes the distinction more meaningful to me.This shows the painting mounted at Kenan reflecting the draped windows and chandelier of the beautiful building. The lights looked like sailboats in the water to me. 

This shows the placement between two floor to ceiling windows, it is next to their grand piano in the main floor parlor.

Horseshoe Races 24x30 pastel c.2016 Merit Award

Tonawanda Riverwalk Prize

Art on the Riverwalk is a wonderful Sunday afternoon show in Tonawanda along the Niagara River. This was the 14th year and I had participated once before. SInce then we were always busy that weekend with family visiting and the 4th of July weekend. This year, I was free to attend and applied.

The wind blew gustily all day but the tent stayed up and people came by to cool off with the river breezes. Kids ran around, bicycles and skates passed walkers on the path and it was a simply fabulous day to sit out and chat with happy people.

I was assigned spot #9 by trees, close to my car and the comfort station, next to two painters displaying on the snowfences and a ceramic potter.

The organizers and PArtners in Art Gallery secured prizes locally which made the exhibit extra special. The painting above took the Jenna Koch-Tonawanda City Council President Award, an Honorable Mention green ribbon as well as a cash prize donated by Jenna Koch.

The painting reflected the day as it was painted during a similarly windy event. A hurricane whirled a distance off shore. The gusting winds lifted the crests of the tumultuous waves and created roosters of mist. Sturdy clamps held my board steady on a weighted tripod. It was fun to paint it!

Wave Watching (From the Boardwalk) 9x12 oil on carton 

And the winner is....

Sheila, the winner of the painting with Kath

  I do few public events that are not gallery exhibits each year. Three times I was at events where I heard many lovely comments about this painting. Clients in the studio all hoped to win it. It was my 'gift' to customers, for every sale their name was entered into a drawing which was held after the Knox Mansion Holiday showcase. Sheila Petrocy Green is the new owner of 'Botanical Garden Gifts', a 16x12 pastel under glass. 

The Buffalo Botanical Garden has an amazing floral display and any seat in the greenhouses includes a 360 degree view of holiday splendor. From a bench I could see beyond the tower of poinsettias and was attracted to their huge Christmas tree, blazing with giant golden globes and mini white lights, surrounded by extravagant wrapped gifts. Most of this painting was completed at the Garden, I later spent studio time working the golden ornaments and the wrapped packages.

I was so pleased to have Sheila, a jewelry artist, win the painting. She was genuinely thrilled to take it home to her family. Her website is www.harkjewelry.com, check it out!

Impact Artists Gallery features 3 solo shows.

The month of August is mine. At least at Impact Artist's Gallery it is partly mine. The first long wall, shown above, around the corner and then another wall and you will see all my favorite flowers, vegetables and various botanicals. Along with Paulette Jurek and Joan Hambleton we have filled the gallery with our three person show titled "Empower".

'Fourth Friday at Trimain' was our artist reception with the standard table of brownies, cheeses, wonderful dips and pita which kept several people in the gallery for longer than usual, it was a classic hot August evening, but I just felt cool, finally seeing these particular pieces displayed together. Lots sent their regrets as it was a big night for events in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, but I was still pleased to have had visitors coming in steadily for the entire time of the reception. Lucky for me, Bobbie, Chris and Sandi, along with one of her roommates also were there and they got to visit the Buffalo Artist Studios area as well.

First Prize

I enjoy the challenge of painting water.

Once in a while a plein air show is juried. Our NFPAP annual show is an art exhibition, but this time the Impact Artist Gallery put a call out for plein air art work, to be judged for entry as well as for prizes.

I spent quite a while deciding which paintings I should put in, frequently changing my mind, until I determined to choose these favorites, as neither had been shown before.

Lo and behold, at the reception I was awarded First Place, with a prize of a solo exhibit for my ocean panorama, but also was given Honorable Mention for my flume. This was the pastel I did in the rain, standing on a huge round boulder, surrounded by poison ivy. When the water seeped through the fabric of my umbrella I realized I should get out of the rain and poison ivy and dry off, preferably in a safer spot as the water coming down the creek was steadily increasing. Quickly finishing the forms was all that was necessary in this Adirondack scene frequently painted by the Hudson River School Painters.

This Long Island jetty was my subject for a week last summer, and the fisherman was there whenever the tide was right for fishing. The largest work I completed in oil, it has a calm but humbling mood to it. When he saw my painting, he offered his lunch to me, sticky rice and seasonings wrapped in a leaf and tied with thread and was quite tasty. I gave him some of mine, which was probably PB&J. We didn't share languages but had a fairly good conversation about the day, our camera and painting. And then I took a first prize for my experience.

Slippery When Wet, pastel 12.5 x 9.5
FIshing for a Big One, oil, 12x24

Lewiston Art Festival Ribbon 2012

Although I participate at several individual events each year, they are usually indoors. My big 'sell it on the street' in a tent is also the nicest WNY art showcase. Artists apply for admission in the winter and their work is juried by a committee of artists. The jurors limit the number of artists and keep the show 'fine art' without work that is commercial or reproductions. It is a huge amount of preparation for me, and exhausting, but it is also the biggest social event, I see EVERYONE all in two days. Students, coworkers, neighbors, customers and acquaintances all come to chat and catch up. 

There are hundreds of artists and tens of thousands of visitors in Lewiston for the weekend. This photo by Carl shows Mary Grace Ohrum, a wonderful artist who started painting with Carl in the Artwheels program, and former neighbors from our first home on 3rd street, Niagara Falls, a lifetime ago.

Cooler weather prevailed for the annual weekend festival in Mid August, we always get rain in Lewiston but this year had only a brief downpour with a few minutes of sprinkles several times on Sunday. The sun shined brightly on my work though, as I was awarded a prize and an Honorable Mention ribbon in painting for this plein air, a view to the west side of Tuscarora State Park, looking across the creek, the water had a Caribbean color in brilliant sun which reflected into the spring trees.

Tuscarora Caribe, oil, 11x14 2011

BNAA Fall art show at Artsphere

The Erie County Fair is supposedly the largest fair in America. Two years ago, the fair's plein air contest did not conflict with the Lewiston Art Festival weekend and so I competed.

I had four hours to create and return a finished, matted painting and spent a good part of that time looking for a location and racing back to the car for supplies. While I sat on a bench painting, a hawker behind me was screaming 'Guess your weight, your age, your birthday!' for the entire day. After a while it was pretty hilarious because he was making a ton of money guessing birth months within two months, (meaning 5 months of the year were covered), with similar conditions for weights and ages. The cable company's Roadrunner is a giant blow up next to their trailer , with classic fair food behind it, and riders screaming in the distance.

The picture is hanging at Artsphere Gallery and Studio, 447 Amherst Street Buffalo, this month along with the Youngstown pastel I made this summer. This is the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Fall show of small works; this one is framed at the maximum size, it is 16x20 with a maximum impact!

 It won a 2nd prize, but mostly my process cemented the sensations of the fair in my brain. Permanently.

Guess Your Age, Your Weight, Your Birthday, pastel 12x18 2009

Plein Air at Erie County Fair

A plein Air competition on the hottest day of the summer!? I found a shady bench under a tree & worked with pastels to capture the feeling of variety & excitement at the fair.

On the right is the Time Warner Roadrunner-he has the goofiest face, but I may be the only person who spent any time looking at it-there was so much going on all around me. On the back side of my tree was "Mr.Guess", hawking for customers ALL DAY. He was very accurate guessing both weights & ages for $3 a pop. He had to be within two years or two pounds & didn't lose very often. Winners went home with a blow up Mr. Sponge-Bob.

It was a long way from my spot back to the car to mat my picture & then cross the fairgrounds to submit my entry. I returned my painting to the judges at the very last minute-none would be accepted after 4pm - and found a sink to wash up & a traditional lemonade to rehydrate. It wasn't long before the winners were posted & my painting had a big yellow ribbon-third place. What more could I ask for, I spent a hot summer day in the midst of crowds of happy people enjoying 'America's Fair' and also won a prize ribbon and cash for my art.

'Guess your weight, age or birthday', pastel, 12x15 2009