A Major Art World Event coming - up in Santa Fe, NM!!

I am going to Santa Fe, NM for the 7th Annual PACE Convention (Plein Air Convention & Expo), starting next Monday, April 16, organized by B. Eric Rhoads, publisher of both Plein Air Magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.

There are nearly 1,100 artists registered to attend this big annual 5 day convention, which features many art events, workshops and live demos with masters from the art world, plein air painting sites in and around Santa Fe like Chimayo, Taos, The Ghost Ranch and others. I will be out there every day painting on-site with literally hundreds of other artists! It will be the largest single gathering of plein air artists in the world, and underscores what has become the largest movement in art history.

One of the big events is a 4 day Art Show with framed works on easels by many of the artist attendees and I will have two easels with original works for sale during the exhibit. Three of those are pictured here: �Pelinadaba Lavender Farm Path I & II, and �Malecon Tempo, Havana� from my recent plein air trip to Cuba. I plan to also exhibit at least one of the paintings I�ll be doing around Santa Fe during the big event and will post it on Face Book and Instagram from Santa Fe.

The art exhibit is at The Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Hotel, from 4/16-4/19 only (and closes at 3 p.m. on the 19th).

I am also in the process of remodeling my own web-site to make a more active gallery, periodic art newsletter, update my gallery pages and post new work as it is done, so watch for that transition in the very near future!

I am very excited to be featured artist at Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA for the month of February and just delivered 15 new paintings to the gallery today for the opening reception this Friday, February 2 from 6-9 p.m.

Fourteen of these are plein air landscapes in pastel, from Cuba, Croatia, Belgium, Idaho (river paintings) and of course the San Juan Islands and the Skagit Valley.

One of my new pieces is a 37� diameter canvas (2� depth) that looks as much like a wall sculpture as a painting. It can be easily rotated 360 degrees to change orientation � there� s no reference to horizontal, like looking down into a watery rhythm of shape, form and color. It is titled �Perpetual Motion�, oil paint on linen canvas and priced at $7000.

I am working on 3 more of these canvases at present, both 37� and 48� diameters) which are Belgian Linen stretched on custom laminated cabinet grade plywood armatures that are @ 2� in depth and that form a perfect circular �frame� without using molding. They are lightweight and incredibly strong construction to be able to hang on a traditional gallery picture hanger - the kind you can buy at any hardware store and easily mount into a sheet rock or plaster wall.

I did a series of circular canvases back in my Graduate School Days at WSU and decided to re-visit the concept with this new series. I now have a better construction method (a cabinet maker friend who can cut perfect circles) and better materials to seal, paint and varnish the finished piece (Gamblin products).

My Complete 2018 Workshop calendar is now posted:
www.windsweptstudios.com/classes/

I am limiting my workshop teaching to 3 total this year, to give more time to my painting and gallery activities.

Update - the beginning level pastel workshop at Dakota in March already has 11 sign-ups, unadvertised, and the 3 day workshop in July is also starting to fill. Both are limited to 14 students total. To register and reserve the last spots. 1-888-345-0067 or www.dakotaartcenter.com

IT'S OFFICIAL!!
The September 2018 Croatia Art and Travel Experience is a GO!!

We have eleven registered now, with room for only 3 more. People are making firm plans for this trip, with airline reservations and extra travel days around that beautiful part of the world . . . which, by the way, includes all of Europe. Don't miss this one!! Details at www.slikamilina.ca

My solo show at Worthington Gallery in Springdale, Utah continues through this month with 23 new paintings from Zion, Arches, Moab and Deadhorse National Parks. My paintings are priced from $500 to $1800 plus one major international award winner �Metallic Sunrise, Narrows Canyon� featured as a Collector�s Choice at $5000. It was selected by the Artists� Magazine as a top 50 finalist for their 2018 annual competition out of thousands of artist entries from 25 countries and is my third consecutive year to get a recognition from The Artists� Magazine.

My sales have been excellent at Worthington this year and for this show. If you are anywhere near Zion National Park during the next few days, I hope you will be able to stop-in to see my Featured Show on display in the front room of Worthington Gallery, 789 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, Utah. Open daily 9-8:30.

I am excited and honored to be invited as a featured artist at the Town of La Conner, Washington's 33rd annual "ARTS ALIVE" Festival of Visual, Literary, Music & Culinary Arts this coming weekend, November 3, 4 &-5.

I will have 16 original paintings in a special exhibit at Maple Hall, 104 Commercial Street, La Conner, with an opening artists reception Friday, November 3, from 5-9. The opening reception will feature live music, wine and hors d'oeuvres and is open to the public.


Don't miss my two live painting demos during the 3 day festivities. The first is from 1-3 p.m. at Maple Hall on Saturday, Nov. 4 and the second is from 10-12 on Sunday. I will be doing simulated, narrated "plein air" pastel paintings with subjects from both Cuba and Croatia, while working from reference sketches, photos (and my memory) of recent painting trips to both countries. My demos are engaging, fast-paced and spiked with a little art history . . . always give the audience a sense of "being there" as I complete a painting from start-to-finish, in less than two hours.

These are two of the paintings I'll have on display - "Valley Layers" and Skagit Spring", both done on-site near La Conner in the past two years. Hope to see you there!

"Kolob Canyon Kaleidoscope" pictured here was painted en Plein air this week and will be one of over a dozen new southwest Utah Canyon land paintings featured at my show opening and reception Saturday, October 21 at Worthington Gallery, 789 Zion Boulevard, Springdale, Utah. Other works from Zion, Moab, Arches National Parks and Deadhorse Point near Canyonlands National Park will also be showcased at the gallery for this special opening. I will also be doing a live painting demo in front of the gallery between 12-6 pm during the reception.

This painting, "November Sunrise, Flower Island", just went home with Leslie, from Dana Point, California, the first original sold in our annual "Preview Week Sale" at Windswept Fine Art Gallery. Come see over 200 originals from 11 European Countries, Cuba, North America and of course, the San Juan Islands and enjoy a 15% discount through Friday, 9/1 on any gallery purchase. Free insured shipping on any purchase anywhere in the continental U.S!

"93% Solar Eclipse, Thatcher Pass" is our Collector's Choice Painting done completely on-site during the 8/21 eclipse right in front of the house. I've never had the opportunity to paint one of these and was happy to catch the ethereal light and colors made out there, somewhere between the sun and the moon!

Two of my plein air paintings done at Pelindaba Lavender Farm this week, in full sun and full bloom...summer is definitely here! It�s good practice for painting around the Columbia River Gorge next week where it�s just as sunny and even hotter.

I am excited to be among the 40 artists from around the U.S. invited to the 13TH Annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event, July 31-August 4, with an opening public reception and exhibit, Friday August 4, 5-8 p.m. at the beautiful Maryhill Mueseum near Goldendale, Wa.

I plan to exhibit several paintings from the rivers, plateaus and peaks of the Columbia River Gorge for the reception. Hope to see you there!
www.maryhillmuseum.org/pleinair

I was so pleased to receive this ad, featuring my original pastel, from Melanie Thompson, who is an incredible plein air painter, (from Kennewick, Washington) for the Plein Air Painters of Washington "Little Gems" show opening this Friday, June 2nd in Anacortes.

Titled "Afternoon Delight", it is available for purchase through the gallery at $1000, beautifully framed and ready for installation in someone's permanent art collection.

Judy and I look forward to seeing some of you at the opening next Friday!

Please come to the opening reception of my solo exhibit of my latest works from around the world, Friday, February 3, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at The Gathering Place, in the Lopez Island Hamlet. I will have 40 plein air paintings done over the past year from Cuba, Europe, the U.S., and the San Juan Islands.




I was invited to go to Cuba with 78 other artists from the U.S., one year ago to paint and record our impressions of a country locked in time for 60 years and will be giving a special �Paint Cuba� slide show presentation from that historic trip, during the reception.

There will be a 10% Discount on all sales during the reception, February 3rd only. The exhibit hangs through April 5th. Hope to see you there!

Come paint, sketch and tour the Italian Countryside with me (May 19-26) and Winslow Art Centers acclaimed "Arte Umbria" plein air painting adventures, near Orvietto, Italy. This is a limited enrollment workshop (14 maximum) that already has sign-ups for an unforgettable cultural art adventure, which will also include hands-on Italian Cooking classes with the chef/owners of a 300 acre farm and villa, just a few kilometers from Orvietto, where we will all live for 7 nights and 8 days!

The farm has olive oil and vineyards, plus fields with sheep and spectacular views of the Italian countryside in all directions. You will stay in old stone buildings remodeled to modern standards for your complete comfort and privacy, plus hands-on art instruction daily, including live demos at all sites with me.

www.winslowartcenter.com for full details, prices, accommodations, travel itinerary and to register - or call Martha Jordan, owner of Winslow Art center, 206-715-6663 to learn more about this fabulous trip to Italy!

Our trip starts and ends in Rome, just 1 1/2 hours south of the Provence of Terni, and also includes our ground transportation from Rome and back, as well as daily transport to the villages and painting sites. Fabulous daily meals, wines, all accommodations and small private tours are all in the package!

A $200 early sign-up discount off the art instruction fee is offered for registration before January 31st! Non-painter spouses/friends welcome at a reduced rate, on limited space available basis.

View the list of workshops and schedule of my other workshops this coming year. May peace prevail and Happy New Year to all of my blog subscribers. I do hope to see you all in 2017!

These are two of my old favorite plein air paintings that sold at the live auction in "The Oldfield Show", last weekend at the Expo Hall of the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington, October 7-9. One was done in Tuscany (that storm almost got me!) and the other at Mazama Valley, in Washington State, both from 2008.

I am indebted to Joella Oldfield for my first invitation to exhibit and sell at this prestigious event, while I was off gallivanting and painting in Moab, Arches and Zion National Parks the same week. Also, many thanks to artist, Mary Wolfe, who set-up and watched over my exhibit booth during my absence!

I will definitely be going back again in October, 2017, to hang more work, do live painting demos and participate in the quick draw events in their 20,000 square foot space, with over 70 artists from around the U.S.

By the way, Fred Oldfield, namesake for this show and western artist emeritus, is 98 � years into his storied and successful art career that started at his birth place in Weiser, Idaho (my home state) to Washington State . . . and he is still painting! I know a handful of artists out west, who have travelled by horse-back or Model - T Fords in their own lifetimes, but precious few who have ridden in covered wagons, as Mr. Oldfield has done.