I will have two of my paintings, both winter scenes, hanging for the season at Prairie Blue Studio.  Prairie Blue will host several concerts in the newly remodeled space, and art work by several artists will be featured.  My paintings, "Deer in a Snowy Woods" and "Silent Retreat", were painted a few years ago, when we had some snow.  There's no sign of snow yet, so I don't need to get out my cross-country skis, I'll just paint snowy scenes instead.

Thanks to Art on the Prairie committee for asking me to provide a couple of new pieces and my business cards to be on display in the DMAC building.  Even though I can't be there, I will have representation.

Due to health problems, I will not be hanging work at Art on the Prairie this year.  Anyone wishing to see my new work or take another look at work they have previously seen, please contact me at my home.  I welcome visits to my studio.

I am back into wax work with one new mixed media encaustic almost complete.  A mixed media oil and wax painting with collage subject of jazz, is now being framed.  I'm hoping to get more new work ready for the Art on the Prairie show in Perry, Iowa, November 9-11.  Every year artists are assigned new spaces for this show, with my last year's space in the Hotel Pattee, perfect, I am waiting to pass judgement on this year's space in the DMAC building, just south of the Old Carnegie Library.  Hopefully, everyone will make there way to this building.  Music, poetry, and art will be the focus for the entire weekend.  It's really a great time for artists and art lovers.

We are heading home from the beautiful upstate New York show at Bolton Landing, Lake George area.  What a great time, going to the property of the late sculptor, David Smith, where a few of his hundreds of abstract sculptures were displayed.  I spent time with our host whose family knew Smith, so there was "inside information".   Many other famous artists visited David Smith here where he had his welding studio (which I saw), including Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland and others.   Another artist who lived near Bolton Landing, Weber Fulton, was instrumental in bringing David Smith to the area.  Her work is considered among the earliest Abstract Expressionists.  I saw some of her work and it appears to be a transition between Abstract Expressionism and Impressionism.  This is the place where Georgia O'Keefe spent summers at the Stieglitz compound, the property of her husband New York photographer, Alfred Stieglitz.  I did a few on-site watercolors and a few sketches of Lake George, but really enjoyed kayaking on Lake George, the largest body of water I've kayaked.   Des Moines show comes down as soon as I get home.  What a summer.

Encaustic paintings can be manipulated in so many ways, reheating and scraping out areas that aren't working uncovers some wonderful results.  One of my small encaustics just wasn't working, until I reheated and scraped.  Wow, now I love it.

The reception for the St. Mark's Lutheran Gallery show was last night, and it looked wonderful.  Tim Florer and Tim Reese, son of famous wildlife painter Maynard Reese, did a fantastic job of hanging the show, the guitarist played beautiful music, the crowd was large during the entire evening.  I enjoyed meeting so many new people, and visiting with old friends who follow my work, including two of my biggest collectors.  It was a great night in a perfect gallery space.  The show continues M-F from 8-4 through September 20 at 1105 Grand Ave., West Des Moines.

We spent a beautiful week in Door County, Wisconsin, hanging a show at Chez
Cheryl, the gallery/studio of Cheryl Stidwell Parker, in Baileys Harbor.   It was a wonderful week to show art, enjoy time with friends, and relax in a very peaceful environment.  A great party was held at the gallery on Thursday night to showcase the art, eat delicious food, and meet new people.  Art has provided some great times for me, going places and meeting people I might never had the chance to meet if I was not an artist.

The new week will be another big adventure with the opening of the show at St. Mark's Lutheran gallery Friday night, August 24, in Des Moines.  The reception begins at 6:30 until 8.  I hope the predicted rain holds off, and not greet guests with a downpour as it did in Door County.  With that said, of course, we still need more rain to end the drought.

The threshing bee provided beautiful views with three steam engines plowing, pulling vintage plows, steam  belching from their engines.  Clouds began to build in the sky, lightning and thunder moved over the scene providing material for a great painting, if I could paint mechanical objects and storm clouds.  It would have been a perfect setting for Thomas Hart Benton.

The mixed media piece with kayaks, from my experience paddling on Goose Lake, is now finished and in the frame.  All pieces are ready to go to Door County, Wisconsin, at Chez Cheryl Artspace.  Postcards are addressed and stamped and ready for mailing.  The poster is designed and printed for the Des Moines show at St. Mark's Discipleship Gallery, postcards are ready for addressing.  Granddaughter Olivia will be arriving from Chicago on Saturday to stay the rest of the month, and the twins will arrive soon.  Life is good.

We had a great weekend in Davenport at the Mississippi River Blues Fest, with music, visits to artists' studios, The Figge Art Museum, and great food.  It was hot, but so was the music.  I visited with a photographer who has wonderful photos from around the world.  His specialty is bicycles, vintage and unusual.  We bought two prints with old bikes in interesting settings.  I told him about our Bike Festival and art shows in Jefferson.  In the same complex, I viewed some very nice encaustic paintings, which encourages me to get to work in that medium again, if only it were a few degrees cooler in my outdoor studio.  I will melt as fast as the wax.  The Figge featured a show of photos by David Plowdon who hung some of his work with us during a Bell Tower Art show a few years ago.  Local images included interiors of John Beltz's home, The Greene County Court House, and West Central Coop.  Also at the Figge was an exhibit called Wax Poetic, which I thought might be encaustic paintings with a lyrical look.  Actually, the gallery had prints to which poets (or any viewers) were to respond with poems about the art.  So, of course, I wrote a few on the spot, added them to the rings under each print. A professor from a nearby college which sponsored the show, came over with his clip board and interviewed me about my thoughts.  I told him about our PoeArtry show which we had at the Milwaukee Depot a few Bell Tower Art shows ago.  We are so in the groove her in Jefferson, IA.

Woman With Hat I

Busy Day in Fostrart Studio

The final mixed media piece #20 is now underway.  When this is complete and the blue jazz piece is finished, I will be free to create more encaustic paintings.  I can't wait to get back to that medium.  My encaustic painting, Art by Fire, sold at the Bell Tower Fesitval, and there is interest in a couple more.  It was a great show, and we all had a good time.  We were pleased to have Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Christie Vilsack, who is running for the House of Representatives stop by.  Now I'm thinking Door County, Wisconsin, the next stop on this show tour.  We will open the show on August 5 with a reception on Thursday night, August 9.  It is a beautiful area, and I can't wait to have a show at Chez Cheryl Artspace.

The Bell Tower Art Show is hung at All Ability Cycles in Jefferson.  It looks great with some of the best work Greene County artists have ever shown.  We will be open until 9 p.m. Friday, noon until 9 Saturday, and 1to 4 p.m. on Sunday.  I changed my mind about what to show and now have three more new encaustics displayed.

Time is running out to finish paintings for upcoming shows, with Bell Tower Art Show this weekend.  I will hang five mixed media pieces on canvas with acrylic, fabric, string, and bee's wax on the surface.  The last of the cow paintings is finished and ready to frame.  After kayaking this afternoon, I have images in mind for the final piece in this mixed media series.  I was told at a painting workshop in Taos, that artists must do at least 20 pieces in a series to see where it takes them.  Well, 20 it is, and now I will get back to encaustics.

What a day for art!  Today was the Bike Festival in Jefferson, and I won first place with my encaustic painting, "Taking the High Road", $500 prize.  Then a call from my gallery, Crafted, that my print "Woman With Hat I" was sold to a couple from Michigan.  Nothing like encouragement to get me enthused to work harder, or play harder.

After Zumba and Tai Chi today, it was an afternoon in the studio working on the jazz painting and the last painting with cows.  After this, I am finished with cows and leaning more towards images viewed while kayaking among the reeds.

The Stomping Grounds show comes down on Saturday, May 19.  Next is the Bike Festival Art Show, May 26, in Jefferson, followed a few weeks later with the Bell Tower Fesitval Show, June 8-10.  New work from new and returning artists.  I have no shows after June until Chez Cheryl, Door County, Wisconsin, August 5 -12.  There are three new mixed media pieces coming along nicely in the studio.

May is a creative month, new life everywhere, in the garden, in the animal world, and hopefully in the studio.  Many friends have visited my new show at The Stomping Grounds, and I hope they enjoy what they see.  More work is going on in the studio for upcoming shows.  I am back to working with oils on the new piece which revisits the jazz theme, but find it less inspiring than the original series.

A new oil on canvas is in the works.  It has elements of the successful jazz series, but more of the blues.  Actucally, there is a lot of thalo blue on the surface already.

This Week at Fostrart

The cards for the Door County show are printed, and I'm very excited to get them, so I can start sending them out.  Two paintings are ready for the Bike Festival Show Memorial weekend, and Bell Tower show, June 8-10 is in the planning stages.  A new work is completed another is just started.  The studio could stand some straightening, but maybe that will happen in December at the end of the show season.

The Stomping Grounds show

We hung the show at the Stomping Grounds this morning, and it really livened up the place.  It is a fun place to hang art and to have lunch, dinner or coffee.  The address is:  The Stomping Grounds, 303 Welch Ave. #101, Ames, IA  50014.  All work is for sale.  Enjoy a visit with friends.

New encaustic painting

Friday was great for painting outside, avoiding fumes from wax, but today is rainy and cold, so back to the studio.  One new encaustic is complete (I think), but I'll take some time before saying the work is done.  Now I'm back to a new mixed media piece on 300 lb. archival paper.  Textures were added with gesso this time, not modeling compound.  This piece will reflect my month and a half in Florida, so I'm excited about getting started on it.

Mixed media morning, encaustic afternoon

In the studio, the next mixed media on paper is underway this morning.  Afternoon will involve working on an encaustic image on waxed birch panel.  I will work outside if the weather cooperates.  It should be a fun day.

Upcoming Shows

I have designed this blog to inform viewers of my upcoming show season for 2012.  The first show will be at The Stomping Grounds, ISU campus town, Ames, Iowa, from April 15 to May 19.  I hope everyone stops in to see the new work, including mixed media, encaustic, and acrylic paintings.