Elverhoj Opening Reception

We had a really good opening reception for the Elverhoj Museum show on Saturday evening. This show was a 6 artist show and we all know each other so it was fun to be in a show together. Some are old friends who I've known since I moved here and it was really nice to hang out with them. We had a good crowd that seemed to be pulsating in attendence leaving time in between it getting really crowded to talk to each other. I think by the end of the reception 4 paintings had sold which was great except none of those were my sales, but hey, like the song says, "sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" and if you can't handle that art is not the career to be in.
I had a great spot for my largest painting of a sycamore tree as you can see in the pic below....

 Maybe I didn't mention it but the Elverhoj is a Danish museum built in a Danish farm house that was owned by 2 artists who did pottery in a studio that is now the gallery area. They heated that room with a large fireplace and had their kilns outside behind the studio. The rest of the house is the museum decorated with things a house like that would have an other Solvang historical artifacts. Lots of charm.

Linda with my friend and artist Carol Wood. Carol is my favorite painter in the valley and the most down to earth person I know around here. I have never been around Carol where we didn't laugh...she's that much fun. Linda of course is always my running buddy. While there we bumped into a couple who live on a super large ranch just outside of town. His father was one of the founding members of Solvang. They let me go up to their place to paint or take reference photos. I was glad to run into them because I need to go back to their place to get some better shots of a canyon with a meadow filled with oaks. They gave me the green light to come up anytime. Yahoo! 

   The museum did a great job of hanging the show and getting the word out. Good crowd, sales, excellent lighting etc. Thankfully, the museum is only 5 minutes from my house so it is the most affordable show I can do in this awful economy. Maybe I'll make a sale before the show is over...ya never know.

CAC City Lights Show

California Art Club

"City Lights"

Jan 18 - May 21, 2013 

 

I was very fortunate to get one of my paintings into the California Art Club "City Lights" show held at the very swanky Altadena Country Club. My painting, "Bookstore Flowers", was juried in to the show which made me very happy since I was unable to submit anything into the last 2 shows the CAC had due to scheduling problems I had. I really hate missing some of these shows because it is the only time I get to see some of my artist friends I know down that way. Over the years I've made some really good friends that are doing some wonderful work. Marian Fortunati and Laura Wambsgans are the sweetest people and very talented artists and they both had super pieces in this show.I'm hoping they both make sales!!!
If you can make it to see this show do so because the work I saw that was turned in was incredible....has to look even better hanging and lit up.

Altadena Town & Country Club

2290 Country Club Drive

Altadena, CA. 

Phone - 626-583-9009 for details  

Wilcox Property

"Wilcox Property Shadows"

12x16 Oil on canvas

 Another painting from my visit to the Wilcox Property in Santa Barbara. Actually, this area is now called the Douglas Family Preserve but most call it by the old name. The first name came from the fact that it was the Wilcox Nursery...then the area was going to be developed but Santa Barbara residents bought it to keep it undeveloped.....and that's where the second name came from, actor Michael Douglas donated $600,000 to help with purchasing the property....a good guy with 600,000 reasons why it should be called the Douglas Family Preserve. On a great sunny day, walking in the shadows of these old trees and looking down into the swells of the Pacific ocean below the bluffs it doesn't really matter what name it is called....it just feels good.
The morning shadows were just so cool there that day. I'm glad I got there early. I really would like to go back down there in late afternoon and see what the lighting is like. The cool thing about that place is the nice stands of eucalyptus, pine and coastal pines. There are many other types of trees there and the trails under the strees reminded me of hikes in forested areas in Washington and British Columbia. Very cool place.

A detail of the small coastal juniper.....rough bark and big branches shaped like banana trees.       

   

Elverhoj Museum Show

I will be part of a 6 artist show at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang from Feb. 2 through April 28 2013. The show is called "The View From Here" and features 6 local artists presenting their interpretations of local scenes throughout the Santa Ynez Valley. I am honored to be a part of this invitational show and am looking forward to having my work shown at the Elverhoj. If you live close to Solvang please come by the museum on Saturday Feb 2 to the Show Reception between 4 to 6 pm. Also, on Saturday March 2nd there will be an artists panel discussion that I will be participating in.

Here is the show card below....for more info please contact Esther or any of the other fine people working at the museum....805-686-1211

Ted Goerschner

Ted painting in the Los Olivos Quick Draw

 Ted Goerschner

1933 - 2012

When I was painting with PACC down in Santa Barbara recently one of the members told me that Ted Goerschner had passed away right before Christmas. I was working on a painting at the time and was stunned to hear of his passing. The rest of my time painting was spent thinking about Ted. The one thing I personally know about Ted is that he was such a nice man and that I wish I had known him more than just that.

I first met Ted when we were both setting up our gear for the Los Olivos Quick Draw 2 years ago. Ted was represented by the same gallery I am in down in Pasadena, Galerie Gabrie. I'm positive Ted didn't know this since we had never met so I walked up to him and introduced myself. I had heard he was a straight forward no nonsense kinda guy and could be intimidating. It turned out he was super nice and I liked him instantly. 

If you have never seen Teds work that's probably too bad for you. You'd probably have to look it up online but I can tell you now you will only see pale images of Teds work. I had only seen his work for years online and thought it was good. Then, at our studio tour a few years back I saw my first Goerschner painting in person....hugh difference. If you ever get the chance to see one of Ted's paintings in person you will be in for a major treat...his color work was just awesome. Rich darks, intensive brights and a wonderful range in between. You really have to see one of his works in person to really get the full effect of a Goerschner painting. I have Ted's book on painting, "Oil Painting, The Workshop Experience", and in it he has the most killer dark greens in his snow scenes. Ted also had the most wonderful purple/violet color for distant mountains and a great violet tone used for shadows. Some guys make you drool with their painting and Ted could do that easily. Ted was a Master Painter for sure and he is going to be sorely missed by many.      

Wilcox Property Shadows

"Wilcox Property Shadows"

18" X 24" Oil on Canvas

More fun with some really nice morning shadows down at the Wilcox Property in Santa Barbara. This is the main trail that runs parallel with the bluffs overlooking the Pacific to the left side of the painting. There are a lot of coastal cypress trees there and they make for a nice change in painting eucalyptus, oak and sycamore trees. Of course, the Wilcox property has some nice stands of eucalyptus so I had to paint some of those too. I saw these shadows while walking in and knew right away that I'd do some sort of painting with them. It was a lot of fun painting the shadows.
I plan on going back down here when the foggy days are here in summer. I'm sure there will be some killer atmospheric images to be had in this area. I cant wait!

Sunset Above Santa Barbara

"Sunset Above Santa Barbara"

12" X 20" Oil on Canvas

I almost hated to title this piece ignoring the large storm clouds moving over the mountains. What a great scene this was as Linda and I were leaving Santa Barbara heading over these dark mountains back to Solvang....ominous but majestic all rolled into one.
I painted this scene over 2 years ago but something never seemed quite right. After it had dried into the storage room it went. After Christmas had passed I was going through the paintings in there deciding on what old ones would be painted over. I came across this painting and took another long hard look and decided to throw it back on the easel and revamp it with a new foreground. I'm glad I did because it works much better to me now. I added the eucalyptus trees and background trees, I reshaped the bushes and really exagerated the grasses. I also went back over the mountain in sunlight and added more rocks jutting out of the mountain. The scene is now not quite what was actually there but works better as a painting I think.

A detail of the painting.

Click on image for a larger view

Painting at the Wilcox Property

"Trail At The Wilcox"

9" X 12" Oil on panel

Today was the paint out with PACC at the Wilcox Preserve in Santa Barbara. This area was set aside as open space and a haven from developers. Land is at a premium down in Santa Barbara and this coastal bluff is prime real estate down there....has to drive the developers insane that they can't get their hands on it.
This was my first time there, and aside from the thousands of dogs brought for a walk in nature by yuppies and eldery doing a good job of staying in shape, the place is a cool painting area.

While there I had a chance to talk to a fellow artist who joined our group to paint for the day. Her name was Kathy Francis from Port Townsend, WA. and she was down here avoiding the fun of Winter up in Washington. Kathy shows her work in a gallery in Port Townsend and a member of a painting group just like ours. Was really fun to see her work for the day and talk about life down here and up north, people we've met and places we've been. Hopefully when she is down this way again she'll hook up with our group to do some painting. When I showed Kathy my painting for the morning she suggested I drag the lowest shadow across the trail and up into the grasses on the right...so I did when I got back to the studio...good suggestion!

   Kathy Francis working it up out in the field

Eaton Canyon Fall

"Eaton Canyon Fall"

20"x24" Oil on Canvas

Another scene from my hike through Eaton Canyon on Thanksgiving Day. This old sycamore was up in Coyote Canyon, a small canyon that drains into Eaton Canyon. Great hike that morning. Met some really nice people out for some exersize or just sight seeing and taking in some fresh morning air.

Leaving 2012

Finally! My 2 daughters were unable to come up to my house to celebrate Christmas until a few days ago...3 very cool days with them, one of their husbands and the baby....gift giving, good food, some sightseeing in town, lots of laughs and the chance to hug my now 21 and 22 year old daughters.

 

My young little ones

I have always found it interesting that I see my children in all of the stages of their lives everytime I see them. They can be talking to me and I listen but see images in my mind of them learning to walk, feeding them babyfood and the smiles they had...hearing conversations with them when they were small. My oldest daughter once asking me how long it will be before Santa comes down our "chimely". I remember the bad times too...having to spank my daughter for not picking up her toys in her room, scolding her for not wanting to do her homework, sending them to bed early for acting up...stuff all parents should do that you hate doing inside but can never let them see that you feel that way. 

 

Christmas 2012 Jennifer left, Amanda right

Parenting was tough. I'm glad I was the way I was with my girls because they make me proud today. They understand hard work, helping others, being kind and treating people with repsect. When I hug them it isn't like hugging that one person...it's like hugging 21 and 22 different people. I'm glad for the visit with them....glad they are still good people. I painted them both a snowman painting for Christmas so they can hang them each year at Christmas time.

 Getting that worn out look, hahaha. Amanda's baby at 5 mo old

I'm not so sure how art will go this coming year. Sales were dismal over the last 4 years with each year getting worse than the last. Because of the slow sales I have been jumping online searching around and reading articles about how to drive up sales. There is a lot to read and the popular consensus is to use social media to drive up traffic and your visibility as an artist. Of course, this is mostly pushed by internet marketing guru's trying to sell you their "how to promote yourself and drive up your art sales" videos, software and newsletters...not to mention the traffic your visits bring to their websites. Have you ever had the feeling that you were being conned.....well, that's the feeling you end up with after reading dozens of these articles. I'm not mad about it....everyone is trying to make a living somehow. I've learned a long time ago that you should trust your first instincts. They really are usually right. My first instinct after reading all of these articles always tells me to go back to the beginning.....work harder at trying to paint better. I enter shows, I'm in a gallery, I have a website, 2 Blogs, 2 Facebook pages, a Twitter account, I'm on LinkedIn, I've just joined Pinterist, I'm a Moderator on an art website, I'm a member of several art organizations, I eat sleep and drink art and am typing this...I also paint. I make frames, canvas boards, stretcher bars, do my framing, snap my own reference photos, deliver my work, buy my supplies, keep organization of receipts, bills, sales, expenditures, advertising, web master of my site, read read and read more about what is going on in art and see what is selling out there. It all can be very frustrating at times but no one is going to do it for you. I remember my art teacher in high school asking me if I was going to go to the Art Center once I graduated. Art Center was astronomically expensive back then and my blue collar and proud of it Dad was not going to pay for that. I told me teacher that I liked art as a hobby and that I'm sure it was really hard to try and make a living off of it....first instincts at work again. I love being an artist but just like parenting, it is hard. We'll see how the year goes.......

A Coastie Scene

          The beginning...paint the arms and see how it goes.

            I have to submit paintings that I had finished earlier in the year for the Coast Guard submission cutoff date that is quickly approaching. I had 4 pieces but I felt I should have done one more with mainly crew members in it. So, last week I started the painting below of crew members of the Stratton hanging a giant power cable across the back deck of the ship. This big black cable brings power from shore to the ship while it is tied to the dock. I think there were 3 or 4 of these pulled on board by the crew the day we arrived in port.
           I was going to paint this scene earlier but kept putting it off because I just don't have much experience with figures up close. I gave in and decided to try it. I figured I'd start with the arms first and if that went well I'd paint the heads next. No sense in wasting time painting in the background only to find the figures weren't going to work.
          The arms went well, better than I thought I could do. I drew in a light outline of the arms and then just painted in the rest working from just the values casued by the shadows, curvature of the arm and muscle mass. The hands were the toughest part only because they were smaller, the tiny fingers and really you just have the shadows between the fingers to seperate them to define the hand. I wish I had worked larger to give myself more room to work the hands better. I'll live with what they look like here. So, it was on to the heads next.
          The heads were tougher than the arms. Most of the head features are really just suggested features, the darks around the eyes, the pinkish tones of the cheeks etc. Basically I painted them the same way. I thought they looked workable so that was that....paint in the beackground and then go in a touch everything up to pull it together.

I painted the girl in mostly soft peachy tones but needed brighter highlights and made the mistake of using white...not good, makes the person seem as if they spent their life living in Antarctica....or they are dead! Later I came in and painted over with brighter pinks and flesh looking colors....remember, I'm working with 3 primaries ( UBlue, Aliz Crimson, Cad Yellow Med) and Cad Orange and homemade grey which was a mix of my leftover paint from the last painting. I also use titanium white but that's not a color....a limited palette.

 Finally the crew was finished enough to go after the background work. The white spots on the two crew members are for the life jackets. I painted in a ladder and a couple of white beams after this part but then called it a nite to let it dry up a bit. I'd continue in the morning.

Around noon the next day it was at this point. The girl looks pregnant! Had to make changes there.
The colors are too bright here so I greyed them down at the finish to get rid of that intense look on the blues of the uniforms. Also, had holiday company show up so I had to stop until I could continue on the next day. Pesky company! More company the next day too so I didn't get started until 10 pm and just worked on it till it was done at around 3am. The next day I just did some minor touch ups and called it finished!

This is the finish. I like the greyed down look of the uniforms here better. The CG uniforms are deep blue color and somehow they all look brand new! When I was in the Army are uniforms were OD (olive drab) Green but in various shades. Originally we were issued cotton fatigues and they were washed and starched eventually they looked almost white. Then the Army came out with permanent press fatigues and they kept their color all the time....the ones I still have look as new as they did back then. Varying the shades of blue is good...nothing worse than uniformity...unless you're in the Coast Guard....but we're painting here.

Those Who Inspire

Gerald Garden in 1976, photo courtesy of the 1976 Blair High Yearbook

              At my high school, Blair High in Pasadena, 1972-1976, the only art classes they really offered was Sign Art and Cartooning Class. I took them both but I took cartooning all 4 years. My teacher was Gerald Garden. I did very little cartooning and did more illustration work. Mr. Garden would come up to me with an editorial cartoon from Time Magazine or out of the LA Times newspaper and ask if I thought I could do it...so I did and I think it sort of, maybe just slightly, amazed him how fast I could redraw an editorial cartoon without the aid of tracing paper or a projector. I liked drawing the old Sunset magazine covers. I also liked to draw just whatever popped into my head. I had gone to see Jaws one weekend and on monday decided to draw the boat from memory and it wasn't half bad. I had a great time in Mr. Gardens class. Here was a grown-up who took drawing seriously. I had never seen that. I think Mr. Garden made me feel that creating art was something some people actually did for a living...that it was even possible.
              After I came home from 3 years in the Army I worked and took classes at our local community college, PCC. Years later I mentioned Mr. Garden in one of my online Bio's and his daughter stumbled on it from a Google search. That put Mr. Garden and me back in touch and we occasionally emailed each other. Mr. Garden was then retired but working for the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, now called The Autry. He did the cartoons and artwork in their newsletters. I lost his info when my hard drive crashed one year but after moving up to Solvang I found his phone number doing a Google search. I called him and turns out it was his birthday! We both got kick out of the odds of that happening.

Some of my projects at the end of my senior year at Blair 1976

               I enjoyed sending him things about art or cartoons or news I had via email and I was happy we had the chance to keep in touch...the least I could do to thank him for his inspiration and guidance when I needed it. I found out recently that Mr Garden had passed away and felt a great loss and sorrow but at the same time I felt very fortunate to have known him and that we had kept in touch. I would say that the sign of a good man is the impression they leave on you, the thoughts you carry around about them and the inspiration they have imparted on you. My best wishes and thanks to Mr. Garden for his life of teaching and the inspiration and guidance he gave to so many.      

Old Painting Made New

A few years ago I needed a large painting for hanging over our fireplace for the Studio Tour. At the time we didn't have one up there at all and it was about time. I decided to go long, vertically, since it would fit better. I made up 3 feet by 6 feet stretcher bars out of 2x4's cut down to 2"x 2" bars. I stretched canvas over it and began painting a scene of a sycamore tree up off the road to Nojoqui (no-ho-wee) Falls from a reference photo I had taken. I liked the original painting...looked good and fit what I needed it for. More importantly, it was the best I could do at the time. Things change.

I think I've improved a little since then so I took the painting down, wiped off the varnish with a rag soaked in pure gum turpentine (beyond stinky!) and began touch ups I felt would make the painting better. I wanted to throw in some oranges, touch up the tree bark and suggest some fallen orange leaves down in the grasses. Done....I also wanted to add a bit more color to the grassy meadow behind the tree and that was it.
If I painted this one all over again I'd do it much differently now. This was my largest painting at the time and painting larger is different. You need bigger brushes and you need to practise painting with  bigger brushes. I would use even larger brushes if I painted this one over again now. I think that would make you feel as if you were still working smaller but on a larger scale of course if that makes any sense.  

Wildling Museum Move

The Wildling Museum in Los Olivos has found a new location in Solvang. Not only is the new location about 3 times larger, maybe 4 times but it is also lower in monthly rent. Personally, I think Los Olivos has gone berserk over property costs and now it's mainly a wine shop town. It used to be a town of gift shops, art galleries and some wine tasting rooms, a small home town feel but not any longer. Too bad.
The Wildling has supported the arts and local artists so when word got out  Linda and I volunteered to help....and we have a truck. Today we got there early for the move and helped carry most of their equipment out to the waiting trucks. We had about 15 volunteers show up so it all went much faster.
Good luck with the new location to the Wildling!

Palette...temporarily

I'm not someone who has gobs of paint to squeeze out on various palettes....I live on a budget too just like everyone else. The other day I needed to grab my pochade box and go painting on location at Lake Cachuma. I scraped the paint off my studio palette and put it in the pochade and off I went. After getting back I needed to do touch ups on that PA painting so I just set up my pochade box near my studio easel and finished the painting. After that I started a quick snow scene and continued to use the paint I had left in the pochade box as a make shift palette. Works just fine and I've been doing this off and on for a few years now. No wasted paint...no messy transfering paint. I think it would work even better if it was just a larger palette with a small lip but used in the same manner...maybe I'll build one in the future. If I made the lid more air tight and added a sponge soaked in clove oil I wouldn't need to refridgerate the palette at all. The clove oil would keep the paint from skinning over for up to 2 weeks. Hmmm.......

Busy Day....

         Well, I knew if I tried a snowscene with only rain outside there could be problems. No big deal...all good suggestions made by my friendly artists friends and I'm soaking them up like a sponge on overdrive. No big problems, just little things to dab paint on in hopes of making a better painting and learn the art of painting snow.
         Today I wanted to do my corrections which most have been done so I tried gwetting another photo of it but my camera just keeps picking up the oranges too much...I toned them down some but now it seems to be picking up a reddish tint....instead of having nice white snow and blue/pink shadows in it I'm getting violet shadows....well, violet shadows that are way to strong so I wait till morning daylight to try photographing it a different way.
         While all of that fun was going on I got a call from the Elverhoj (el-ver-hoy) Museum in town. They are having a group show, about 7 to 9 artists I think, this Feb and I was asked if I'd like to be a part of it...you "betcher" buns I would! They want local scenes and I have plenty of those. So a show close to home is real good and I dig the Elverhoj too.....a very classy Danish museum built in a converted farmhouse.

          Another thing on my To-Do list today was send off my artist agreement for the upcoming California Art Club show in January....My painting "Bookstore Flowers" was just juried into that show which will be down at the Altadena Country Club. I was making finishing touches to my painting at Lake Cachuma with PACC while the other members ate lunch and took a quick break to check my email on my phone. I was expecting an email from Linda and there instead was the good news from the CAC. Cool!
          When you get notified by CAC one of your pieces is in the show the next step for me is to frame the painting. CAC likes gold frames and I have one for this painting so in it it will go. I've done a couple in black frames because they looked better in black but most go down there in a gold frame.
          ....and then there's Christmas to be ready for.....man, does it ever stop!?

Snow!

"First Snow"

12" X 16" Oil on Panel

I've wanted to paint snow for years now but we never get snow where I live. I've also not been anywhere near snow for around 15 years. Before that I was up to knees in snow every winter and saw plenty of it when I served 3 years in Germany in the Army....we lived in it over there. Snow has such a peaceful look to it. I really like the contrasts in color and nice strong shadows you can get in a snow scene so this is my first attempt at snow. The image is out of my imagination and from memory of looking at many a snow picture....and some fond memories of working in it, shoveling it, sleeping in it and falling in it.

A detail image from the painting....

PACC members, Me, Gerry Winant, Morgan Green & Sheryl Knight

Had our monthly paint out with members of PACC at Lake Cachuma today. Cachuma was Gerry's pick and a good one it was. I've lived up here for 8 years and not once have I painted at Lake Cachuma. Everyone arrived at different times but got to work right away. Some did sketches and some did paintings. I got lucky and spotted a scene looking across the lake and jumped right in...painting, not the lake. I was happy because it pretty much is done but I'll do some touch ups tomorrow morning. I was up really late last night and then got up really early, painted till noon and then spent the next couple of hours taking photos around the lake.

Water, grasses and a tree and that puppy was done!

Hanging out with the group as they had lunch and talking shop was fun. Like a knucklehead I didn't bring my lunch figuring I'd head home right after painting...should have brought lunch and did a second painting since things were going so well. This group of artists is really fun and they are all fine artists. Most of them are much more involved doing paint outs, plein air festivals and workshops a lot more than I. Sometimes I think I'm too happy doing studio work compared to lugging around equipment and paying for hotels at a plein air event. I like plein air painting but I think I far more enjoy studio painting.

The cart!

This little cart was bought by a couple of the artists to lug their equipment around and works pretty well. I think they bought it at Ace Hardware....it was a gardening cart but works great for those of you wanting an easier plein air outing. They use bungee cords to hold their easels on top and one hand it to location....whatever works.

  BJ Stapen at work

BJ Stapen and Camille Deller arrived at noon and painted up off the main road in to where we were all painting. BJ has the coolest Virginia accent but I'm not sure if that is where she is actually from. I have another friend from Virginia and they sound a lot alike....they remind me of southern belles you see in the movies. Camille is one of the first painters I knew in the valley who had some wor in one of the galleries that just blew me away. She's now into knife painting and don't tell her but I one day plan to steal her truck!....better mileage and shiny paint.

Camille working it up....I left the truck out so she won't get wise to my plan.

Beautiful Lake Cachuma in the background....which by the way is the water supply for Santa Barbara. I spotted her Utrecht bag on her cart and she told me of one of their store locations in Santa Monica, so the next time I go down that way.....well, you know, artists and art stores.

Eaton Canyon Sycamore...more

"A Changing Season"

12" X 16" Oil on Panel

I'm still gettng my share of Fall colors from my trip to Eaton Canyon. This sycamore was on a ridge in Coyote Canyon. The grasses were just fantastic there and from my low vantage point seemed to be reaching for the sycamore. I have been working on painting better grasses and this of course would cover all of the bases...grasses, fall colors, sycamore trunks and twiggy growth off of the sycamore and surrounding branches. Can't ask for more than that so I painted this one today starting around noon, 6 hours, but I took my share of breaks getting coffee, helping bring in the groceries, feeding the horses. I also listening to my music including favorite Christmas songs I've downloaded which is fun this time of year.

Some details of the painting......

Meeting the A List

My gallery owner, Jasminka Gabrie, at the recent Galerie Gabrie show in Pasadena 

            Last Thursday I made the rainy drive down to Pasadena to attend the a show at my gallery, Galerie Gabrie. What is normally a 2 hour drive turned into an almost 5 hour drive thanks to rain and Los Angeles traffic during rush hour. I wanted to go to this show because it's good to go to your galleries shows, to see my owner and her husband Jim and I would finally get the chance to meet other artists who are represented by the gallery. 2 artists in particular were there, Charles Muench and Dan Schultz. These 2 artists are very experienced California artists who will undoubtedly be in this years California Art Clubs' Gold Medal show (last years show). Dan has a gallery in Ojai and Charles has been selling phenominal pieces for years and lives in the Sierras. Both of these guys are ones I look up to and who I would consider on the "A" list of artists. I think we all have our "A" lists...the artists we look up to and aspire to one day be equal to. I'm not going to tell you the rest of my "A" list because everyone would have a different list of artists on their list. Mine list is a mile long anyways. 

Deck The Halls With Smalls at Galerie Gabrie 2012 

           I've got to tell you, meeting these type of artists is pretty much a trip. I've been to shows where other "A" list artists were in the same room but I hadn't met them. Charles and Dan were introduced to me by Jim Gabrie and they were both very cool, super nice and casual...nothing like I thought they would be. For some reason I always think artists who paint at much higher levels are always on this ethereal plane of thinking, kind of looking through you as they contemplate light, shadow, value and composition in everything they see while awake....maybe they do and are just so damn good at multitasking and can do it while they make you think they are interested in your conversation! There was no intense arty talk nor did they look down on me....it was just fun talk with laughs and very much like meeting someone at a bbq in the backyard. It was too cool and a fun night at the show. 

          Another artist who is represented by the gallery is Ted Goerschner. Ted wasn't there but he lives about 5 minutes from me and we have been in a couple of shows up here in the Santa Ynez valley. I met Ted a year ago in a Quickdraw event and we had the chance to talk right before the event started. Ted was the same way....down to earth, super nice.....a lot like bumping into your favorite neighbor despite the man's gigantic reputation as an American artist.

Ted Goerschner making it look like childs play...I snapped this pic of Ted painting away in the 2009 Quickdraw in Los Olivos, CA. Ted's work can be seen on the Galerie Gabrie website 

          People up here had warned me about Ted...Ted was a guy who spoke his mind and if you goofed on a painting he'd tell you in no uncertain terms....sort of like one of my painting teachers in college. Ted turned out to be absolutely charming but I couldn't help but feel relieved when we first met that we weren't standing anywhere near my work! My lesson in meeting the "A" list artists is go ahead, be thrilled as hell and  relax, they don't bite.....(and maybe hide your work!)