Dear Friends & Collectors:
Continuing to see the beauty in all that surrounds me, I strive to express a sense of joyful optimism in my oil paintings. My small flower garden has become a constant source of inspiration. It proves that it doesn’t take a lot to find the majesty and grace in something small like a flower. Most of my landscape,
seascape, still life and floral paintings were sold through outdoor
art exhibitions, juried competitions, gallery and open studio
events, direct mailings and my web site. As a result of the growing
demand for my work, my prices will once again increase the end
of January, 2005. GALLERY & EXHIBITION
HIGHLIGHTS These are some of the invitational exhibitions
I had the pleasure to participate in last year:
JURIED COMPETITIONS I'm pleased to announce that my paintings were included in several prestigious national juried competitions. The following paintings were not only critically reviewed by well-respected artists and art associations, but were also singled out and selected for display.
NEWSWORTHY & NOTABLE
THE BALLOON FESTIVAL I was approached to paint the official image, “A Perfect Summer Day," for the 2004 NJ Festival of Ballooning, the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America. I was pleased and honored to be considered for the project. The project resulted in several amazing opportunities… first of all… “A Perfect Summer Day” was showcased all over New Jersey on billboards, storefronts, newspapers and television. The poster was a vehicle to raise money for Children's Miracle Network (CMN), since a portion of every ticket sold at Quick Check Food Stores benefits both the Specialized Hospital and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. Another exciting part of the project was that AriZona Ice Tea sold limited edition commemorative cans of ice tea featuring “A Perfect Summer Day” in Quick Check stores. "When we saw the piece, it was an easy decision," said Richard Parano, Director of Convenience and Petroleum, AriZona Iced Tea. "This can will be an immediate collectors item and its distinct look will help sales."
I also met the official Village People at the Balloon Festival in July. They performed at the event and were amazing! Yes, the Indian is the original guy.
I was asked to write a small essay on my thoughts behind creating this image…for all of you interested in my creative process... "A Perfect Summer Day" What at a wonderful
way to spend the winter …painting breathtaking hot air balloons
floating in warm summer skies. After researching all kinds of
hot air balloons, I sketched out a few compositions that showed
a variety of color, patterns and sizes. I wanted to show as many
balloons in the sky as possible - sort of a traffic jam in the
sky. I also knew I wanted the painting to be somewhat romanticized,
timeless and inviting to the viewer. The goal was to convey that
awe-inspiring feeling you have when you actually experience the
ascension of many hot air balloons at the same time. I later
showed some of the more developed drawings to the Balloon Festival
team. They liked the sketches and were graciously willing to
give me the freedom to move forward with the painting. OPEN STUDIO EVENTS We had two Open Studio Events in 2004. Our annual Spring Open Studio took place the first weekend in May and our annual Holiday Open Studio took place the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year, we had no worries about snow since we moved up the Holiday show to November. Both shows were a huge success and we always enjoy seeing old and new friends. If you’ve been unable to attend one of our openings, mark your calendar now for our 2005 events. It’s a great excuse to relax and enjoy good conversation, light refreshments and fine art. Also, individual studio visits are always welcome throughout the year and can be arranged by appointment.
LOOKING AHEAD I’m looking forward to several major projects we have planned for 2005. I’m excited to launch my first ever national advertising campaign. We have just committed to a full year advertising effort in American Art Review. If you're not familiar with this magazine, it is one of the premier, most well respected fine art magazines in the country. It is full of gorgeous fine art -- contemporary and historic. It is certainly worth picking up a copy at your local bookstores. In
closing, I’m thankful that my path has always been clear
– to create beautiful paintings that are close to my heart
and touch people’s lives in some way. Thank you for supporting
my creative expressions.
As the year progresses, I will be adding more shows to my exhibition schedule. If you’re on my email list, you will be notified of any additions or changes to this show schedule through my quarterly email updates. If you’re not receiving our quarterly email updates odds are we do not have your current email address. If you would like to receive brief updates, please email us and we’ll gladly add you to our list. We can also remove you from our email list at any time upon request. |
"Pink
and Orange Mums,"oil on linen, 14"x11"
“Wildflowers
and Hydrangea” 24" x 20 " oil on linen
