Normally at this time of the year I am in a winding down sort of mode, easing back from my easel and painting table to take a deep breath. It is normally when I reassess the year and begin to put together a new direction in which I might push the work. But this has been an unusual year and I find myself busier than ever. My show, Inward Bound, at the Kada Gallery runs until December 6 and my exhibition at the Fenimore Art Museum, Internal Landscapes, hangs until December 31. That would be a full schedule in itself but this year offers yet another opportunity, one that fills my schedule to the brink and has kept me fully engaged in the studio as of late. I am talking about a solo show of my work, The Waking Moment, that will be opening December 1 at the Just Looking Gallery in San Luis Obispo in California.
Owner Ralph Gorton and Gallery Director Ken McGavin first contacted me earlier this year and began showing my work at the gallery, which opened in 1984, in April. They have done a fabulous job highlighting my work and it has done very well in their gallery, to the point where we agreed that a show was in order.
I wasn’t sure about it at first. I was fairly new to their market and I was also thinking that I wouldn’t be able to build a show for them. But they have introduced me thoroughly to their clients and the pace of this year in the studio has had me immersed in a deep groove which made it possible for me to work at a high level without much of a period of buildup. As a result, I find myself pretty excited about the work I am producing at this time , which includes the piece shown above, The Prospering Light, a 16″ by 26″ painting on paper.
I am nearly finished with the last few pieces for the show which will soon be on their way to the California coast. Then I will step back for a moment or two. At least, I think I will. This rhythm I have in the studio at this time feels so right that I am a little hesitant to step away for more than a moment, knowing how difficult it can be to recapture that feeling. But for now, I am riding this wave in the studio and am excited by each new rush that comes in the work. I will be showing more of this new work in the coming weeks as the Just Looking Gallery show approaches.
Redtree Times 