We got home two weeks ago & I arrived with a cold which laid me up for a week & from which I'm still trying to get my energy back. I haven't even finished the unpacking & clearing up. Starting to feel a little more active & we walked down to the lake to take pictures of the swans. I got some gorgeous photos & probably just in time as the lake is starting to ice up. I also took a lot of photos of our two newest calves (two dandy bulls - Greg is really happy about that). They are by & out of some very good bucking stock so it should be interesting to watch their progress.

We found a place to buy in TN. 25 acres of pasture with a wonderful house (2,500 sq. ft. on an unfinished basement). That's the good news, the bad news is that we are going to have to work on getting our home up for sale - lot's to do.

I put the painting to OPA into the mail & finally got my paints set up. Would like to start a painting for the OPA National show, among others. I have a drawing done of horses behind the scene at the track that hopefully will turn out as I envision it. I'll also start on the swans, calves, wild horses, buffalo, elk.....oh my! Must go work.

I won a second best of show!!!!

It has been a great past couple of weeks. I won second place in the San Dimas Wildlife show, last weekend...Yea!!!! It was even made better because there were some outstanding artists & art. The show was a terrific success & the sales were stellar. I'm going to try for their western show (have to show that I have enough western work). The people who run the show are so great to work with & many of my artist friends are there. It would work out to be good timing with the Wickenburg, AZ workshop.

I also was invited to participate in the Small works show at the Clymer Museum of Art in Ellensburg, WA. I have to get those paintings in the mail ASAP. I stopped & picked out a frame to be made for the Oil Painters show & it should be home about the time we get there.

We are leaving Sunday to drive home through Nashville. We just found out we have another bull calf on the ground & Greg is anxious to see his new additions. We have also found a few houses to look at. some with about 25 acres, although I'm too old to be taking care of cattle, it would afford us some space for quiet.

Our trip so far

I had a great time at the show in Cody, WY. Great art & terrific experience. I had the Irma Cody suite which I decorated with easels covered with old fashioned material to display my paintings. We had a great turn out & the show was a success which always helps one have a good time.

After the show my husband & I made our way through Yellowstone park ( we had a little trouble because of some fires closing a portion of the road & construction closing other parts). Never the less it was spectacular! Tons of elk & buffalo & fabulous scenery - great pictures that I can't wait to paint from. We walked all of the available geyser trails & had to drive through Bozeman the first day to get to our room in West Yellowstone late but it was worth it.

We are both looking forward to doing this again.

I'm at a hotel in San Dimas tonight. We set up our show tomorrow & then have the "dinner" for the collectors. The show is two more days & then we will start looking to leave the first of the following week. I think we are still set on driving through Nashville on the way home. We have several places to look at for new homes & we just found out we have a new bull calf so it will take some pretty bad weather for Greg to decide this isn't a good idea.

I stopped on the way to San Dimas to get a frame made for a painting that is going to the OPA eastern regional show in Florida. I am anxious to see how it looks but he is sending it to our home so will have to wait for awhile.

Will post some images of our trip later this week. I'll also let you know how the San Dimas show goes. This is such a good show & they only invite 23 artists so I am very honored to be amongst them. A very dear friend & funny gal, Leslie Kirchner, will be staying with me on Saturday night so that should be a fun evening. So far the room is fabulous & I am having a very good time.

'Autumn on the River' oil 9" x 12"
Just one of the gorgeous autumn days in Minnesota. I am doing a wildlife show so I placed some ducks in the milling in the background.

'Misty Vista' oil 9" 12"
This is at Bandon Golf Course in Oregon. A good day no matter how you play.

I'm slowly getting ready to leave for my trip to Wyoming & California.

Must make a correction to the date for the San Dimas Show, it's Oct. 16 through 18.

We will stay in L.A. for a couple of weeks to visit with the moms & go to the ABBI bucking bull show in Las Vegas on the way home. Three days of entertainment & food. We stay at the Southpoint which is about as comfy as it gets. I also plan on a lot of visiting with art friends & getting saturated with art. We have some great friends that are long time docents at the Getty museum & I plan to take them up on an offer of a close-up inspection of some of the gorgeous work there.

I've been painting on some small landscapes lately. They are so much fun to do that it might be hard to get back to the detailed work of fur & feathers. I started because it seemed that backgrounds were what I needed the most work with. I could always do them well but I'm working to get more spontaneity. It doesn't necessarily add up to less work. The goal is to really work on looser brushwork. I can't see myself using the thick juicy paint that plien air painters use but a softer, lost edge look that is my own is coming through. So far they have been very well received. I've include 2 at the top of this entry.

I took down the show at the Northern Gallery & got my painting sent off to Texas. I have decided not to do the San Bernardino show - it's just so much work & even though the sales are good I get way too tired & it keeps me away from home for too long. I'll probably put my walls up for sale when I go back to L.A. in April for the Wickenburg, AZ workshop. It will be my 4rth & I may also do a one day plien air workshop between the lecture & the 3 day workshop. I'll post more on that later. I've decided to concentrate on juried shows. They are much easier on me & I can do some traveling to the openings along with the couple of wildlife shows I do in CA. I've been asked to do some workshops that are out of town but I'll have to see how well they schedule in. I may also finally get to some sculpting & wouldn't jewelry be fun?

Stay well & be happy creating.

Getting ready for Shows

When I Grow Up - oil - 12" x 16"

Juried into the Bosque Classic, TX

'Misty Links' oil 9" x 12"
On display at Northern Artists Gallery, MN

I have been remiss, as usual, in adding to my blog and that's a little odd considering how much I like to talk. I do have a lot going on now and in the future.

There are two of my small works originals being shown online at the WAOW membership show. Go to www.waow.org and I'm under signature & emeritus.

Greg & I will be leaving Sept. 21st-ish to drive to a show in Cody, WY Sept. 23 through 26. This show should be lots of fun. It's being held at the Historic Irma Hotel & I've been assigned the rooms of Irma Cody (Wild Bill's daughter). You can find information on this show at www.codyartshow.com.

We then head toward Los Angeles to visit our moms, after a swing through Yellowstone for a few days of photographing the sights. I have a wildlife art show in San Dimas on Oct. 21 through 23. This is a terrific venue, only 22 artists are invited and they supply the walls.

I also have a painting (I'll show it at the end of this writing) juried into the prestigious 24th Annual Bosque Art Classic in Cliffton, TX(used to be the Bosque Conservatory).

We are staying in L.A until the first of Nov. (I'm talking to Wickenburg to see if we can agree on a time for me to give a workshop but it might have to wait until next May). We are deciding on whether we might stay in Vegas for a few days to see the ABBI classic & relax at the Southpoint or drive to Nashville to visit with Greg's brother & take a look at what TN has to offer.

I'm doing some smaller - 5 x 7 & 9 x 12 - landscapes. They are great fun but I have to get busy on a nice piece for San Dimas plus I need to do a small work on paper for a benefit they have. I'd like to make this a good one.

Here is a sample of what I'm doing:
One is when 'I Grow Up' a 12 x 16 oil, going to the Bosque Classic show Sept. 13 through the 26th.
The other is 'Misty Links' a 9 x 12 oil of Bandon Course in Oregon. It is being shown, along with some of my other work, at the Northern Artists Gallery where I was asked to be feature artist for the month of August - this is also their 20th anniversary.

I'm happily painting without too many interruptions & will hopefully have everything done for our trip. We found someone to stay with our home & care for our pets - that's always a biggy. Hope you all are well & creating.

This is Buttons the painting is 'Spring Surprise' & is a 12" x 9 oil painting of one of our calves.


It's been awhile since I last posted - shame on me. I've been very busy both with personal & artistic things. On a personal note my husband, Greg, & I took our first trip together in about 10 years. We drove to Los Angeles, stopping both ways at my daughters gorgeous new home in Evergreen, CO. She & her husband Vince moved from Hawaii in August & are absolutely thrilled, she has elk roaming through her yard & fabulous vistas everywhere. She has made a career change & gone back to school for a P.A. degree & is happy as anyone can be. Greg & I stayed in southern CA for about 5 weeks. I had to stay with my mother while she received & recuperated from a knee transplant. I'm now back in CA because my mom had to also have drastic shoulder surgery. I was going to fly in the first of Feb. & leave mid March & then return in mid April through May but she needed more care taking than that & I am staying here until mid May, it made doing taxes & such a bit logistically difficult. I miss home & Greg & my pets very much & hope the days fly by.

On the art scene, I gave workshop in June to the Wickenburg group & another in Jan. to the group in Baudette, MN. It was such good fun. Both groups are full of such great artists, so willing to learn & share. I have had my elephants accepted into another show in CO along with the frosty barn. A great show, wish I could have attended. Hopefully my mom's health will become stable & I can do more traveling.


I am invited to the Reflections of Nature wildlife show in Fallbrook, CA May 1, 2 & 3. I'm really looking forward to this show. So many of my favorite artist friends are attending. I'm rooming with one of my favorites in a guest house that has been graciously offered us. They only accept 27 artists & it is considered a premier show on the west coast. They treat us so great there & the venue at their art museum is always lovely. I'll write about how it went as soon as it's over.

Remember to create when you can & be greatful that you can create.