Hello Art Lovers! I hope you are doing well and finding time for beauty and creativity in your life. I have been busy with many projects, paintings, and the like. Here is what I have been up to…
Featured Painting
From the Estate
Oil on linen
37” x 26”
$2,250
This painting was inspired by a trip to the galleries in Santa Fe, NM. One gallery there had a small retrospective of Jack Roth's artwork titled From the Estate. This made me ponder about the end of life as an artist. After selling some art during my life, will I eventually be relegated to a gallery exhibit titled From the Estate, the walls lined with the pieces that wouldn't sell during my lifetime? With the coming environmental disasters, will there be galleries or even museums in the future? Its an odd industry, preserving human expressions while doing very little to preserve the planet that sustains and inspires us. Will the entire art world get sucked down the coming whirlpool of environmental destruction?
Exhibits & Events
Lookout Ridge Grand Re-Opening
Lookout Ridge, City of Woodbury Community Center
8595 Central Park Pl, Woodbury, MN 55125
Sunday, Nov. 2, from noon to 4 p.m
Finally! After almost two years of working and waiting, the time has come where you can see my work REALLY BIG! The wall above is 33’ x 26’! The Re-Opening Celebration of the Woodbury Community Center and the Lookout Ridge indoor play area is just weeks away. Come on by and see the wonderful art and design throughout this beautiful redesigned community asset. My art is in the indoor play area, but there are also mosaics by Heather Novak-Peterson and Mercury Mosaics, an indoor planted area with water feature, a community ampitheater, and more! This will be a very fun event!
Project Art for Nature: Evolving Visions
Vine Arts Center
2637 27th Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55406
October 25 – November 29, 2025
Opening Reception: October 25, from 6 – 9pm
Gallery Hours:– Saturdays, November 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 from 1 to 5pm
I will be part of this exhibit of the reconstituted Project Art for Nature (PAN) group, a collaboration of artists begun by Vera Wong about 25 years ago. PAN focuses on art about endangered or protected natural areas in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. I was a member of the collective for a few years back when I was running the Botanical Arts Program at Como Conservatory. It will be fun to see some old friends and make some new ones.
2ºC Artists Talk
As a follow up to the 2ºC Exhibit, I gave an artists talk with Drevis Hager, at Everett and Charlie Gallery the evening of September 6. It was a small crowd — a thunderstorm blew through — but it was lively discussion about climate change and art! Many thanks to Suzie Marty, owner of Everett and Charlie, for exhibiting part of our show for the past month, having this event, and taking this fun photo.
The Mystery Book
I was asked by author Jeffrey Ryan to provide paintings to illustrate an upcoming book he has compiled. The book will include reproductions of twenty of my paintings. I am quite happy with the placement of the artworks, as Jeff and I chose ones that went best with the accompanying stories. The whole book is designed to be sparse but elegant. Obviously, it will be printed in color. I think it will be a really nice book to hold in your hands and work your way through. But, I cannot yet share the details of this project. The hope is to have it out in time for the holidays. Stay tuned...
What's Cooking in the Studio
Solving Frustrations
I bought some organic canvas that is particularly bad! Bad canvas!! It is worthless for stretching, so I have pivoted to glue the canvas down to boards and then paint on them - with tar! As an artist you’ve got to be creative. Sometimes that it is needed with materials that don’t perform as you wish!
Tar Painting Set Up
If you are going to paint with tar you can’t just whip open a can and slosh away. Tar is smelly, the fumes can be toxic, and it can start to get on everything! I have moved my tar painting outdoors or into my garage, where I keep the garage door up just a little bit to make sure air is moving through. I also take safety precautions, wearing gloves and a very good mask with filters. Finally, I put down a tarp on the floor and check my shoes and clothes before moving back into my studio. Tar is almost as bad as oil ground, you never see it on you until its all over you.
Website Changes
I was never really happy with my previous website host. They were geared toward artists that sell prints of their work. I don’t do that and always felt a bit of a third wheel. I have begun to use my archiving software, Artwork Archive, for my website. It is connected to my entire inventory and I can check availability, track where and when paintings have been sold or exhibited, and organize proposals, resumes and other documentation. Its really great software for artists… and it can host my website. The only difference is that people cannot purchase anything directly from my website, they need to contact me. But that is usually how it goes anyway. I hope you enjoy the new site.
Finishing Touches
Philando Castile Peace Garden
I have not talked much at all in this newsletter or on my social media accounts about my work with the Philando Castile Peace Garden. For the last two and a half years I have been designing and installing different elements into the garden.
“About two and a half years ago, I was approached by Nora Hall and Karen Gray who were helping a non-profit board to coordinate work on the Philando Castile Peace Garden. They were in need of someone to integrate sixteen large sculptural pieces into the existing garden, with an eye to . . . .” Read more.
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