Friday, June 26, 2009

On music, painting and makeovers

It’s been a busy week!

It started with a hot, sunny weekend at Apple River Country Splash, a three-day country music festival that featured Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and others. We enjoyed the music, a few brews, and some great people-watching! Especially cool? The tickets were free; my wife won them on K102 radio!

Then a week off work, allowing me to listen to the daytime radio programs that I seldom get to hear. As much as I enjoy country music, I am a greater fan of talk radio, with the information it offers and the dialogue it generates. I come away from it at once more educated, more indoctrinated and more frustrated. Enough said.

I put the final brush strokes on an oil painting that I will talk more about in a couple of weeks. A print of it is being given as a wedding gift.

I started a new, large oil painting that is planned to hang above our fireplace mantle. This one is of the golden autumn hills of South Dakota. With the necessary drying periods, it may take a month or two to complete. More to come on this one, too.

Two years ago, I started an acrylic painting while sitting at a campsite at Willow River State Park near Hudson, WI. (It's number three on my Unfinished 16 11. By the way, the list has been whittled down to five.) I am working on it this week, which also includes a little cleanup of the tree sap that fell on it during the initial sitting.

A photographer friend has given me permission to use her shot of a foggy Duluth harbor scene for a future painting. I’m really excited about this one, and anxious to get started!

I’ve been photographing the studio and contemplating my personal statement in preparation to enter Art Calendar's Studio Makeover Contest, sponsored by Blick Art Materials. Grand, Second and Third prizes include items to upgrade artist studio space with supplies, furniture, and services, and include more than $10,000 in prizes. It would be amazing and mega-energizing if I would win one of the prizes!

Cutting grass, reading, enjoying the pool, running errands, paying bills (yuk!) – all part of the week. But, ahhh, our hot Minnesota summer has finally arrived and I love it. What a great place to live!

2 comments:

Dana said...

Sounds like you've had a great week. I'm curious as to what talk radio programs you listen to.

Ca_Gary said...

Ahh !
Minnesota summers. Where the women and beaches are always so beautiful, the kids smart and strong and swimming with ice bergs and two stinger mosquitos for picnics is the norm.

Sign me up!