A Worthy Cause

May 1 is the date of this year's Cascade Aids Project art auction. This annual event raises money for aids awareness and many fine art objects will be available. I am pleased to say this year my donation"Sauvie Island," a fused glass work has been selected for an honorable mention. For more information about the auction visit Cascadeaids.org.

Save The Dates

Mark your calendars for May 15th and 16th for the annual "Four on Forty-First" Open House Art Sale. This year I will have paintings in acrylic on canvas, hand-pulled lithographs, watercolors, cards, and my latest explorations in fused glass. Also showing will be Stephen Leflar, Mary Real, and Jason Greene. There will be a variety of media in a variety of prices. The work will be on view Saturday and Sunday from 10-5 at 1705 SE 41st Ave., Portland. More details to follow. Stay tuned.

Passing On

I join with many Oregon artists and friends in mourning the loss of Laura Russo. I showed work with Laura for 15 years and always admired her solid support of Northwest art and artists. She was always honest and direct. She cared for her artist family and presented their work in a professional and dignified way; always hanging just the right amount of work. She cared about my family and took the sale of work very personally. She was not always easy and not always tactful, but you knew how she felt. I will miss her directness, her loyalty and her presence. A service is planned for Wednesday, February 17th at 3:00 at the Portland Art Museum.

New Year, New Glass

Here are some recent additions to my glass work. I am beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the medium and am enjoying the process and the results. I can see the potential and am very excited to continue working in this direction as well as painting.

A New Adventure

I've just completed a five day workshop at Bullseye Glass in Portland called"Painting with Light." Through the use of powdered and crushed glass and other glass structures we constructed imagery that was fused in the kiln. I have so much to learn, but I enjoyed the class and am looking forward to playing around with what is a new art form for me.

Something New

It's finally time for an update from the studio. This painting is based on some photos taken last summer of reflected trees near Neskowin, Oregon

Upcoming Events

I will be participating in two fund raising events coming up next month. The first,"Uncork Joy," Saturday,November 7, from 7-11 pm, will be held at Thirst wine bar at Riverplace , Portland, Oregon. A variety of art and other items will be available for purchase in a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the Children's Cancer Association of Oregon. A limited number of tickets are available, and more information can be found at the Thirst website. Friday evening November 13th, as well as Saturday and Sunday will be the annual Sitka Art Invitational, benefiting their ongoing programs in art and ecology. Always a fine show. Contact the Sitka website for more information. More details to follow.

Commission Finished

The painting for Lebanon is finished. I'm looking forward to seeing it installed above the fireplace in the library. Time to move on to other paintings.

A Work In Progress

The commission for the Lebanon Public Library is coming along. The painting began with a light blue toned ground. Next came the blocking in general areas of color. This was followed by some color adjustments and refining. Today I will continue refining and adding textural details.

A Good Book To Read

I'm nearly finished with a great book of interviews with David Hockney called "True To Life." He talks about his photographic work, painting, his theories on the use of camera obscura and photo lucida by the Northern Dutch painters, and his return to plein air painting in Yorkshire. Fascinating and inspiring stuff.