My annual trek 200 miles north to Door County has one purpose: Create and admire exceptional plein air art. This type of event is the only national plein air event I've ever been to so I don't have anything to compare to. But it's always well done, and the art is great.
My quick paint piece sold. Didn't win anything. I never do. The competition is getting better every year. But I had fun, and that's what counts.
Here are a few photos from the Saturday main event. Just the invited artists are shown at the Peninsula School of Art.
A went on a late winter vacation to Huatulco, Mexico. Located on the Pacific coast as far south as you can get before you reach Guatamala, this area is full of great surf and sites. I took my newly made cigar paint box and a bunch of pastels, with a goal of painting while relaxing at the resort. Lucky me, there was great coastline, super surf, rocky shores and just awesome light. I managed to paint 5 pieces, selling one right on the beach as I was finishing it! Here is a sample.
As the year comes to a close I was wondering how many pieces of art I created this year. I don't keep very good records by month/year but I do have a pretty good idea. Sure, I can go through the dozens....185 to be exact...paintings that pile up in my studio and I'll remember what I did this year.
I had goals for my art, many were hit, some not. Art is not my sole source of income. Thank God, because I would epitomize the starving artist label. Again, I don't create art solely for making money. It's nice, believe me, when someone purchases one of my pieces. Two galleries I exhibited in closed, so I lost local exposure. I've done nothing to get new gallery representation. But, that's okay.
So what about the art? Let's start with a piece, two to be exact, that just sold to a buyer in New Jersey. He happens to be an artist too, and saw my bit on YouTube. First the plein air video. I did it during Christmas break 2012, about a year ago.
I liked the scene enough that I decided to make a bigger version back in the studio. That video is here.
24x36" Oil "December Chill" sits framed on my dining room wall. The cool thing about this one is the scene is literally less than a mile from my house. Sometimes I drive around for hours looking for a place to paint plein air. This was the painting that started out my 2013.
