Art & Soup Show

For three glorious days last week I was honored to be able to participate in the "Art & Soup" art show here at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

There were 44 artists, each one with their own booth. Around the perimeter of the room were food vendors handing out samples of delicious food. There were pies, cake, soups, bread, cookies and drinks. There was live music performed by various artists.

Here are some fun pics of the event...

Ice Sculpture

I wonder how the sculptor managed to get the tulips and the brushes to be suspended in the ice!

I also had the opportunity to paint in the quick draw. Artists who wanted to join the event were asked to paint a painting in one hour (start to finish). Then our paintings were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Here's my painting. The light was dim so this image is not very vibrant.

Here are some fun pics from the show.

Me with my son, Ben.

Me with my sister, Heidi.

Honoring Utah Artists

The opening reception for Alpine Art's "Honoring Utah Artists" was 
Friday night. The place was packed! Stop in and see the paintings.

Each artist painted a 12" x 12" work surrounded by a black frame.

I love how the director hanged the paintings in a random fashion
rather than hanging them in a traditional grid type manner. It gave 
the exhibit a bright, fresh look.

I had two pieces in the show. My pinecones and this landscape.

This month, If you are near South Temple and 5th East, 
pop in and see the show. The artwork is terrific!

Red Cliff Ranch An Amazing Event!

I was honored to be invited to participate at the "Celebration 
For the Arts" at the Red Cliff Ranch. The Ranch is located 
East of Heber City, Utah and is a very classy place. 

It's near a beautiful pond and has several out buildings, 
a barn and a main house.

Von and Virginia Whitby own the place and created this event.

They were generous with their time and talents and treated

the artists very well!

Most of the artwork was in and around the barn.

Many of the artists hared horse stalls and hung their
work along the walls.

There was jewelry, hand painted silk apparel, sculpture,
encaustic work (wax), plein air painters, photography,
live music (several bands), mosaic glass, and much more!

Here's a visual tour:

Here's Lucia Heffernan.

Here's Traci O'very Covey.

Some of her work...

It was fun , friendly and truly a celebration. Thanks,
Von and Virginia!!

Art Exhibit at Visual Art Institute

Come and see our work!  Tyler Swain and me will have our art on 
exhibit at the Visual Art Institute, 2901 South Highland Drive in Salt 
Lake City, April 5 through May 5, 2016.

Give Back to Your Community - Share Your Art!

Last week I had the opportunity to do a presentation 
for the Intermountain Society of Artists (ISA) here in
Salt Lake City, Utah.

The ISA is an organization of artists who represent
all skill levels of creativity and who use just about 
every medium that you can imagine (oil, acrylic, 
pastel, sculpture, watercolor, mixed medium, etc.).

Each month the ISA members invite a visiting artist
to come and present their work to the group. Sometimes 
the visiting artist will complete a demo painting for the 
group or show slides of their artwork.

This month the presenter was me! 

So what is the point of this post?

Well, in spite of the fears and inadequacies that you might
feel about yourself as an artist, you can introduce your peers
and members of your community to explore basic art principles 
and inspire them to begin a journey of creativity through art!

You can present your passion for art to a book group, 

volunteer to teach art in an elementary school, Become a 

docent in a local museum or even apply to display your

work in a local library.

It can be scary at first, but once you get the hang of

it, it is truly enriching - and oh, so fun!

Yes, I am talking to you! 

Think about how art has enriched your life. Introduce

others to this creative process by investing a little time

and enthusiasm. Give back!

Art Night Live!

This year I was honored to be invited to be a judge in a 
multi-high school art competition. There were three of us 
participating, Nathan Pinnock, Al Rounds and me. 

Amateur artists from 8 high schools within the Granite school 

district participated in a 6-hour competition. The students had to 

begin and complete an artwork within a six hour time frame.

The best part about the evening was supporting each individual 

artist with personal tips and pointers on how to best utilize their 

time and improve their art techniques.

The work of aspiring young artists rarely gets seen. 

There is no high profile football game or a visible orchestra 

performance or even a shining trophy on display in the glass 

case of a lobby. 

The only way to share student work is to hold an event or 

exhibit where their create process and efforts can be visible.

Part of being a professional artist should include volunteering

to give back to the community. Creating and holding an event 

such as "Art Night Live" can raise awareness of the work of 

young artists and provide positive reinforcement and motivation

for them.

Besides that, it can be a lot of fun!

Our Open Studio Was A Success!

Our Open Studio was a success! This year we decided to cater 
Brazilian Food from Braza Grill and serve lots of cookies and treats.

The student work was beautiful!

Holding an open house to exhibit and celebrate your finished
artwork is an amazing way to complete a full cycle of creation;
from a blank canvas all the way to the final framed piece.