September Special! (Sedona Arts Center - Jan. 9-13)

This September marks four years since I began making paintings for this blog. In honor of this special month for me, we are offering a September Special for my upcoming January Workshop at the fabulous Sedona Arts Center.

Click here to view discount and workshop info

Note: the September Special will only run from now thru the end of September!

If you're considering it, click here to read comments by workshop participants, read more about Sedona in wintertime, as well as view photos and my recap of my August 2011 workshop.

Handmade Vase with Garlic

6 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
Private Collection, Tucson, AZ

This painting was another one of my five demo paintings from my recent Sedona Arts Center Workshop. Read more about the workshop in my blog post here.

To the right is a snapshot of this painting in progress; to view more photos (and my photo commentaries!) from the workshop, click here.
[Photo credit: Phoebe Dylan]

Also, in this painting is a beautiful handmade 'beaker' vase as part of my "Paintings of Handmade Pottery" project.

Comments are welcomed. If you'd like to comment on this painting, please click here.

August 2011 - Sedona Arts Center Workshop

I recently got back from my workshop at Sedona Arts Center, and it was absolutely fantastic. Not only was my group of students fabulous, and the Sedona Arts Center was wonderful, but I now (unabashedly) count myself as one of the many who are convinced that Sedona is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. (If you see my photos on Facebook, you'll know what I mean...) I had heard about Sedona in August, and now I get it -- summer is actually a great time to visit Sedona because the weather is warm but not nearly as hot as Phoenix, Scottsdale and the rest of the Valley of the Sun.

I can't say enough great things about Sedona Arts Center. Their facilities, staff, gallery, and location: all amazing. My workshop group was great: inspiring, hard-working, talented, fun, and I had a blast working with them for five days. I'm already looking forward to going back to teach there again in January.

[Note: Keep an eye out this Monday for an exciting announcement regarding my January 9-13, 2012 workshop at Sedona Arts Center.]

If you're considering it, I can tell you what I've been told about Sedona in the winter -- that it is wonderful. No crowds and temperatures still hit relatively warm highs in the mid-50s and 60s with cool evenings perfect for sitting at a fireplace.

Anyway, here are a few snapshots of my fabulous students and some other painting shots. You can view more photos from the August 2011 workshop here.

Photos courtesy of artist and workshop participant, Phoebe Dylan.

Finally, here's just a few of the comments from workshop participants:

• "A quick note to say thanks for the great class. You are a terrific teacher. Your students are lucky."
• "You are a great teacher and a good person to boot! I really enjoyed your philosophy of art and feel I learned enormously from you. I am happy with my paintings and my progress..."
• "I loved our time together. Really learned a lot and looking forward in applying it to my work. Kinda missing it too."
  

Reminder:
Keep an eye out this Monday for an announcement regarding my January 9-13, 2012 workshop at Sedona Arts Center.

Still Life with Black Grapes, Strawberry, & Tall Bottle

7 x 6 in., oil on linen on panel
Private Collection, Sedona, AZ

This painting was one of my demo paintings from my recent Sedona Arts Center Workshop. Read more about the workshop in my blog post here.

Also, keep an eye out this Monday for an exciting announcement regarding my January 2012 workshop at Sedona Arts Center.


View more photos from the August 2011 workshop here.

Comments are welcomed. If you'd like to comment on this painting, please click here.

Here's what this painting would look like framed:

New Workshop - Yardley, PA - 17 Sept 2011

Click here to view all my upcoming workshops.

I'm excited to announce that I will be teaching a one-day workshop at Artists of Yardley (Yardley, PA) on Saturday, September 17th, and the workshop is now open for registration. Click here to register (space is limited).



Please direct any questions about the workshop, payment, or historic Yardley's B&B's to Susie (sbmorrell@me.com). (Susie is the wonderful workshop coordinator at Artists of Yardley.)

To read about Artists of Yardley, visit their web site here.

Artists of Yardley
Patterson Farm
949 Mirror Lake Road, Yardley PA 19067-5514
Phone: 215-493-1205

Click here to view all my upcoming workshops.

Summer Blueberries

4 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
sold

Here's what this painting would look like framed:

Beaker Vase with Two Cherries at Sunset

4 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
Click to view auction

Here's what this painting would look like framed:

John F. Peto Studio Museum

I've been doing a lot of traveling this summer (Upstate NY, Westchester County NY, NYC, Eastern Long Island, Maine, the Jersey Shore), and I am getting ready to leave for my workshop in Arizona at Sedona Arts Center (which begins on Monday!). With all my travels (and no laptop), I've got many paintings ready to be posted to my blog -- and I have lots of experiences to share.

Last week, I visited the remarkable John F. Peto Studio Museum in Island Heights, NJ. This year, I've been doing some reading about American painting, and earlier this year became re-acquainted with John Frederick Peto (1854-1907), "an important late nineteenth-century figure in the trompe l’oeil school of American still life painting," who also happened to be born in Philadelphia. (!) The John F. Peto Studio Museum features the home and studio of Peto.

Coincidentally, this summer I was lucky enough to get to know a fellow Art in the Open artist, who just happens to be one of the amazing folks taking care of restoring Peto's Studio in nearby New Jersey. So, along with the generosity of one of my amazing high school art teachers, I was fortunate to be taken on a private tour of Peto's studio and home.

It was incredible, to say the least! I got to walk through Peto's home, see much of his original furniture, spend time in his studio, study the light cascading through his north-facing windows, and see his brushes and still life objects up close! I don't even know which was my favorite part because it was all so memorable.

The Island Heights community is doing a phenomenal job with the Museum, and if you are looking to make any donations this year, I highly recommend you consider giving to the Peto Studio Museum (it's a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization - all donations are tax deductible). Anyway, I was lucky enough to see the actual objects pictured in the painting to the right -- and they were set up just as they are in the painting. I can't wait to go back and visit!

Red Pear with Handmade Cup

3.5 x 4 in., oil on linen on panel
sold

In this painting is a beautiful handmade cup as part of my ongoing "Paintings of Handmade Pottery" project.

Here's what this painting would look like framed:

Summer Watermelon Slice

4 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
Click to view auction

Here's what this painting would look like framed: