Ratindra Das Workshop and Brush Strokes Exhibit

Last week I attended a 3-day watercolor workshop in Hot Springs Village taught by Ratindra Das and sponsored by Brush Strokes.  I learned some important things about managing paint on wet paper, and I painted four paintings wet on wet on a vertical easel.  However,  I don't favor Ratindra's "flat shapes" painting style, and was unsuccessful replicating it in my paintings.  I've attached a painting of sailboats in a harbor on Maui that I did in the workshop, but it looks a lot like my usual style.

Ratindra also judged the annual Brush Strokes exhibit hanging in the Woodlands auditorium lobby in Hot Springs Village, and I was awarded second place for my painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn.  This is a rather old painting.  I had planned to exhibit a different painting, but it sold from my This Fair Land exhibit at the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs in March.

Second Prize in Richard Stephens Students Watercolor Exhibit

Richard Stephens sponsored an exhibit for everyone who took his beginners watercolor course at the Garland County Library.  Richard has been teaching this six-week course for about eight years.  I took his course in the summer of 2004 - it was just about the first watercolor course I attended.  I entered the painting Lazy Afternoon into Richard's exhibit, the same painting juried into the 2008 MSW Annual Exhibit (see 2nd previous post).  At the library reception on March 5, I was awarded second prize.  Gary Simmons was the exhibit judge.  Richard has been a very positive influence - both in training and encouragement - during my four-year watercolor journey.

First Place in Diamond Exhibit

Yesterday evening I was awarded the First Place Purchase Award in the Watercolor category of the Diamond National Juried Exhibit for my painting Lake House. I was surprised and honored, as the quality of the paintings in this exhibition is very high. Thanks to everyone who worked to make the exhibition a success, and especially to judge Marlene Gremillion, president of Mid-Southern Watercolorists and an accomplished artist and art teacher.

The award was $750, with my painting going into the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs. I'm very excited about having one of my paintings on continual exhibition at the Fine Arts Center.

Arkansas Artist Calendar Competition

The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion Association is planning to publish an arts calendar to introduce the work of Arkansas artists. A panel of jurors chose 88 works for inclusion in the first annual calendar, and from those entries, several will be purchased for the Mansion’s private collection. I am happy to report that my painting Mountain View Arkansas Barn has been chosen for inclusion in the calendar.

Mid-Southern Watercolorists Gold Award

This year the 37th Annual Mid-Southern Watercolorists Juried Exhibition included 38 paintings selected from 172 entries submitted by members from 9 states, and I felt fortunate to have my painting Biker juried into the exhibit. The exhibit is ongoing until May 19 at the Cox Creative Center, 2nd floor, 120 Commerce Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. It is a terrific venue... one can stand in the center of the exhibit area and see almost all of the paintings without having to walk from room to room.

Last night awards were announced, and I was extremely pleased to receive the Gold Award, the top award, for my painting. It was a real honor to be highly placed among so many excellent watercolor artists, and an experience that I won't forget for a long time.

Biker was also selected by the Arkansas Art Center as part of an 18-painting traveling exhibit that will be shown in vairous venues around Arkansas during the rest of 2007.