We’re getting ready to hit the road for this weekend’s Wells Street Art Festival. 18 fun-filled hours in the truck – can’t wait! On a more upbeat note, I think Chicago is finally supposed to have a beautiful weekend. 73 degrees and no rain, so it should be a fantastic show. Hope you can stop by and see all of my new creations. I’ve got so many new pieces that I’m excited about, including this pastel inspired by the rich fall colors I miss in the midwest combined with the tranquility I am drawn to from water.

After Switzerland, we journeyed across the border to the Alsace region on France. It felt like we’d stepped back in time – from cross timbered houses, to gorgeous prolific flower boxes to traditional farming and grape growing. And, of course we had to sample a few of the wines just to make sure they lived up to their reputation. Delicious! I wish we could have fit more than four bottles in our suitcases.

Next, we took a long day to reach the Loire Valley and castle hop. The chateaus and gardens were amazing, but fitting 4 into one day may have been a bit too ambitious. Next, we traveled to Giverny to visit Monet’s garden. What can I say but wow! If my garden looked anything like his I’d never have to leave home. Lastly, we visited the Palace of Versailles and ended in Paris, which was truly inspirational but 5 days was only enough to scratch the surface.

Having completed our Venetian workshop, we are now traveling solo. We stopped at Lake Garda, Italy for a couple of days, which was very pretty. After that we embarked on our 8 hour driving odyssey through the perilous switchbacks of the Alps. We have been going back and forth between lake Geneva and lake Thun in Switzerland, and the views have been amazing! Also, a day of relaxation in Luzern.

Our diet has been suffering somewhat due to the local fare. It seems that since cheese is their specialty, they serve it at every meal. Breakfast consists of bread and cheese, lunch is cheese and meats and dinner is potatoes and cheese. Did I mention that they eat a lot of cheese?

More to come from France…

This was the kick off of the first Venice painting workshop which ended up as a complete success. It was five days of amazing settings for inspiration, along with fantastic weather and camaraderie. The students’ enthusiasm and intensity was bolstered by the atmosphere of Venice and with the occasional serenade from the passing gondoliers. I think that the food, wine and Gelato may have also played a part in energizing everyone. Here are 2 pictures of our group painting in Burano, a colorful island off of Venice known for lace-making, and the second one as everyone intensely paints a quiet typical Venetian canal.

I can’t believe we’re only 2 days away from our painting / photography workshop in Venice! In a couple of days, our group will be experiencing the sights, sounds and passion of Venice as we are immersed in Italian culture. From the bell tower at St. Mark’s, to the vibrant hues of the homes on Burano, to the romantic Grand Canal, we’ll be capturing all of those moments and more on canvas and film.

Here is our 2 minute video on YouTube with highlights from Venice, so that you can experience some of the magic with us! Check back over the next couple of weeks, as I hope to update my blog as we travel.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Southlake Art Show last weekend. I really appreciate your support! I hope if you couldn’t make it, you can stop by to see me at the Cottonwood Art Festival this weekend in Richardson, Texas, which will be my last art show in Texas until the fall.

My new oil painting, “Road to Enlightenment” (pictured below) attracted a lot of attention and positive feedback at the Southlake show, and I’ll make sure to hang it at Cottonwood for the rest of you guys to see. I look forward to visiting with you this weekend!

I’ll be at Southlake’s Art in the Square this weekend, where I’ll be presenting a few of my most recent paintings. I’ll be showcasing some of my new thick, chunky oil paintings, along with several new bluebonnet and poppy fields. Pictured above is one of my favorites – inspired by a copious crop of wildflowers from last year. I love how families and photographers have beat down a path leading you into the scene and towards the home in the background. I hope you can stop by the show to see more!

We’re headed to Atlanta, GA for the Dogwood Art Festival this weekend. It will be my first time at the show, but it’s been around for over 70 years and has a fantastic reputation, so I can’t wait! Again, the weather gods are smiling on us and it’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend. Hope you can stop by if you’re in the area! http://dogwood.org

I’ve finally gotten a chance to start on some pieces from our Asia trip. Here is the first one – it’s from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. As you can see, we lucked out and had beautiful blue skies even in the middle of winter. I love the strength of the vivid blues contrasted against the delicate Japanese architecture and wispy willow branches.

Nothing says spring in Texas like the first sign of bluebonnets. They are truly amazing to see when they form an ocean of blue! I’d heard that they weren’t going to be very prolific this year in the Texas’ Hill Country, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well they were doing on a recent trip to Houston. Here is one of my snapshots, and a couple of small paintings I’ve completed.