Busy Times and Group Show!

It's hard to believe it's been an month since classes ended and close to a month since I graduated from PAFA! The weeks since I graduated and hung my senior show have been just as busy as the weeks leading up to the ASE, I've had to keep at he easel in the studio or out in the field. I have two new paintings in the new group exhibition, Irresistible at Rodger LaPelleThis painting titled The Visitation is on display along with the painting in the previous post of the sail. This was the last painting I did in my old studio. I'm currently moving to my new studio as I prepare to enter the Master Program at PAFA in the fall. I have plenty of pictures here from the opening last Friday.

I've been trying to get out Plien Air painting as much as possible as well, I've been out with the Dirty Palette Club and recently helped form a new group of Philly based painters, the Philadelphia Plein Air Painters or PPAP for short.

The two paintings below are from our two trips out to paint this week, one on South Street and on back along Darby road. I painted this horse and barn last year, and I think I painted it better this time.

Trash Sail, Beaver Farm and Portrait Society

This is the plein air painting I did with my local gang of painters and friends. It's 18 x 24 and in oil on canvas. You can read more about today's adventure on the DPC blog.

This is one of the two plein air paintings I did last week at Beaver Farms. It's 16 x 20 in oil. You can read and see more here.

This is a picture on Susan Lyon, her husband Scott Burdick and myself at a get-together at my friend Rachel Constantine's place. Rachel histed a great sort of pre-game dinner for many of the artists coming into philly for the annual Portrait Society of America's convention, which was held in Philly this year. I got to meet and great and talk with a lot of talented and super-nice artists over the past few days. I couldn't take the conference this year but I still managed to mingle and talk with many visiting artists. Rachel was as awesome and gracious a host as she is a painter.

The Graduate

Yesterday I graduated with a Certificate in Painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. It was a great day shared with family and friends and the culmination of 5 years of hard work and a lot of fun as well. For me going back to school has been my best life experience so far and the best thing I could have ever done for myself as an artist and an artist who really wanted to make a big change in the focus of my career. the growth, friendships and experiences have done just that and have launched me into the world again as a painter.

The 111th Annual Student Exhibition opened to the public after the commencement and it was jam packed with friends, family, art buyers, gallery owners and art fans of every type. Many friends like Diane Feissel, Rachel Constantine and Angela Cunningham stopped by to chat and see the over 1000 pieces of art on display.

It was a busy week which started with the PAFA Women's Board preview night where the high rollers pay big bucks to come in and have first dibs on the art.It was also final crits and reviews for many.

each of the artist showing got all dressed up, scrubbed off the oil paint and plaster dust and stood by our walls to talk about our art to anyone who was interested, all hoping for some strong sales. i am happy to report I did have strong sales and even a commission. In these two photos courtesy of my fellow graduate and painter William Sentman show me chatting away with some art lovers. It was a great two days and very exhausting as well, but it will be 2 days I will always remember in mt art journey. I'll be returning in the fall as an MFA student at PAFA, but for now-Schools out!

Graduation Week

Here I am posed in front of my graduation wall for the Annual 112th Student Exhibition at PAFA. I graduate on the 11th and the event the exhibition opens that night to the public. It's been a great ride! You can read and see more over on my DRAW! blog.

The Delaware

This is the latest plien air painting which was done along the Delaware river in South Philly. It's 13.5 x 39 and I made this canvas myself and plan to enter this painting in the annual Spring Prizes at school in one of the landscape competitions. This was fun to do and the weather was mostly great except for some real gusts which often threatened to tip the whole easel and painting into the drink more than one time.

After being in the studio painting so much it was great to get out and back to painting from nature. This was by far the largest painting I have ever attempted to paint plien air and I have another canvas about the same size which i hope to take out and get to painting on this week after the bad weather passes.

Next Stop 15th Street

This painting came to a conclusion about 7 am after a last 12 hour painting jg. For now it's done, or I've stopped and who knows, I might go back and touch it or not, but it will be the center piece for my graduation show at PAFA. Its 3 x 5 on luan panel. This painting originated from a series of iphone pics I snapped on the train ride in when i saw the guy wearing the captain America hoodie....I just had to make a painting of this!

Bo Bartlett Studio Visit

I was very happy to have the opportunity to have the painter Bo Bartlett and his wife Betsy Eby visit my studio this week. Bartlett is also graduate of PAFA, and one of it's most noted alumni like Vincent Desiderio and Stuart Shills, all top painters who graduated from the school in the 80's. The dean called me to ask if I wanted to meet Bartlett and have him visit my studio as he was going to the school to visit on some business and wanted to see some of the current students work in their studios and I of course said " heck yeah!'

Bartlett along with his wife and the dean and president all piled into my studio for a visit early yesterday morning and I had a really nice but short talk with him and his wife about my work. He and his wife were both was kind, gracious and encouraging with his praise and compliments about my work and direction I am heading in. We have many of the same artists as role models and inspiration and i think touch upon similar themes in our work.

I certainly had a very nice power boost in the studio the rest of the day....