The Field, 9" x 12"

Last weekend I participated in a plein air event sponsored by the Everson Museum, at the Stone Quarry Hill Park. This park is located in Cazenovia, 20 miles east from Syracuse, and it's an sculpture park with lots of acres where nature and art mix.

Only five artists showed up for the event, probably because rain was predicted in the forecast, but that was reason enough to get to work right away. I was able to produce two paintings, this one here and a panoramic view. But as it often happens when you work outdoors, the light changed so fast that it threw me off with the panoramic view. I might be able to fix it, but it'll have to be from memory.

The more I paint outdoors the more I realize the drawbacks of painting from photographs. This doesn't mean that I'll give up working from photos, but simply that I'm becoming more and more aware of their limitations.

Green Lakes 8" x 9", SOLD

The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me. For two weekends in a row I participated in local arts-and-crafts fairs, and in preparation for them I had to do a lot of framing.

One of the pieces I sold, Green Lakes, was started on location last year. In the rush of framing, I forgot to take pictures of the final painting, though the differences compared to the photo at the left (unfinished) are minor.

This is the second year I've participated in this kind of event, and so far it has been great. Every so often one hears that this is not a good time for artists due to the economy, yet for me and other artists I've talked to, sales have been good recently. I find this a bit disconcerting because as a business person, one would like to find a formula or something that would work most of the time. Places that I have thought of as being promising have turned out a total disappointment, and the opposite has been true too. So, I always end up with "you never know".
All I know is that I have to keep on trying, and find more ways to bring my art to the right public.

Setting up and taking down a tent and displays is bothersome to say the least--even if you have the process down to a T, but is well worth it if you want exposure and like to do a little PR. On the plus, plus side, I got a an invitation to sell at a gallery!