Art in the Swiss Avenue Historic District...

If someone invited you to their historic mansion, you would probably remember what time to arrive, right? Well, I arrived an hour too early to drop off my painting, Sanctuary, at this beautiful home in the Swiss Avenue Historic District in Dallas. The gracious host swore it was all his fault and he must have had the time wrong. All of the artists participating in Artscape had pieces featured here at a party yesterday evening. I hope when I pick up my painting this weekend, all will be forgiven, and I can see a bit more of this beautiful home.

This is a big month for arts at the Dallas Arboretum. They announced this week they will be sponsoring another Garden Paintout beginning September 20. I'll be at the Arboretum on weekends in September and October capturing some of their latest blooms on canvas. Something tells me it is going to be a bit cooler painting there this month than it was in July! Artscape on the Arboretum grounds kicks off September 20-21, with food, entertainment, and artists in tents hoping it doesn't rain. I'm pretty excited, it's my first outdoor show. *note to self to pack mosquito repellant and comfy shoes*

During the month of September, you can also stop by the DeGolyer House on the Arboretum grounds to see two of my works that were selected for the juried art show from the Mayflower Paintout, Splash and Sanctuary. For more details on all the art stuff happening at the Arboretum, visit the Events section of my web site.

Splishin and Splashin

Splash at the Dallas Arboretum

11X14

Oil on Linen Board

Splash is a second painting that was selected by jurors for the Dallas Arboretum DeGolyer House Show in September. This is the first time I've ever had art accepted into a juried show. I'm so excited I think I will find a fountain somewhere today and hop in. If it's as hot as it was yesterday, I bet I can get just a whole crowd of folks to join me.

Depths of Blue

Depths of Blue, 16X20, Oil

Inspiration for Depths of Blue

Depths of Blue is another in my series from the 2008 Dallas Arboretum paintout. When I was painting depths of blue, I could hear my former art teacher Vicki McMurry in the back of my head directing me. She was saying things like, "It worries me that you are making that flower so bright near the edge of the canvas..." She really is a great teacher. I worry about me, too, having all these voices in my head when I am painting. Must have something to do with the aging process.... Vicki has one of the best books on painting I ever read. She is a master of beautifully rendered color and she has the added distinction of being a Texas gal.

Dallas Arboretum Paintout

Arboretum Afternoon, 11X14, Oil on Linen

The Inspiration for Arboretum Afternoon

In May painters from around the region set up their easels at the Dallas Arboretum for the first annual Paintout there. I'll have a series of paintings from the Arboretum on my web site soon, and I'll have works at the Dallas Arboretum Artscape in September.

Early May is the perfect time to visit the Arboretum, while the blooms are in high season and the sun hasn't remembered it should be baking us to a crisp yet. I met some fellow artists at the Arboretum and really enjoyed painting outdoors for the first time in that setting. No pugs assisting on this one, just the squirrels and an occasional butterfly.

A Day at the Dallas Arboretum

Into the Woods, 11X14, Oil on Linen

Into the Woods was painted on location at the Dallas Arboretum with a little help from a 9-year-old friend. If you notice a particularly gorgeous smudge of dark purpley brown in the bottom left corner, well that was the mark of what will likely be a future Picasso in the making. I never got her name. After she made her mark, she gave me back my brush and began hopping up and down and spinning in circles in her red dress.