Ahhhh, Summer!
To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie -
True Poems flee.
~Emily Dickinson
There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter
In June, as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them. ~Aldo Leopold
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker
Early summer rains on our Hatchet Ranch Gardens
Summer: green fields, sunshine (and sun worshippers) children laughing & playing (without their coats on!) and the sweet, fresh sounds & feels of life all around! And in early summer, you’d never know that it wouldn’t last forever! I spent a good part of yesterday filling hummer-feeders both on the front porch and in all my trees, bird & chipmunk feeders, transplanting roma tomato, strawberry and day-lily plants, and in general just having more fun than should be legal. Today, time to tend the studio and its satellite ventures, such as this blog.
At this writing, I take a short breath from recent busy-ness and look ahead at a bit more. Usually things don’t heat up in the studio as they have until now, but this year, it’s been hopping around here since early spring. We enjoyed the opening reception of “Synergy,” my solo show at Nemick & Thompson on Friday the 2nd, and on Saturday the 3rd, I began the realization of another of my year’s goals (as posted earlier): I hosted a group of about 10 plein air painters for the prestigious “Art in the Aspens” workshops. Marty Brens, workshop host, brought her instructor Jean LeGassick and a group of about 7 students out for a Saturday morning coffee jump-start, followed by morning sessions on composition followed by a paint-out and critique. We broke for a good old fashioned Mexican Fiesta with green pork chile, chicken mole, and all the fixins for any kind of taco you could crave. Next, Jean gave a 30-minute talk, followed by more painting on the grounds with Jean’s expert coaching. Doug chose our paint gelding “Pete” as a subject, while others selected quiet spots up behind the yard. A number of students chose a space just west of the house, which I realized later, is perfectly framed by our dining room window from the inside. (So what I’m saying is that I look at lovely live paintings in my windows every day. And some say God ain’t good? lol.) We ended our day with a huge slice of homemade deep-dish cherry pie a la mode and a few laughs about my cat Charlie jumping up on someone’s palette. It was amazing and we hope to do it again soon.
Instructor Jean LeGassick Works With Student at Hatchet Ranch Workshop 5/3/2008
Other happenings? Just delivered two pieces to Gallery 821 in Denver for an upcoming exhibit, Arts Colorado’s 5th Annual Colorado Drawing Exhibition: The Figure. This show should be a nice one, with long-time Art Students League of Denver instructor John Lencicki as the juror. Rob Foster, gallery owner (a soul generous with both introspect and honest advice, something rare in this gig these days -or any gig these days) speaks with excitement about the exhibit and the fine works already brought in to the space. He likes the variety: everything from more loosely interpreted works to those more crafted more literally, and states that it should have something to enjoy for everyone. Ron & I plan to make a fun night of it, and look forward to a little jazz and dinner along with a stay at a downtown hi-rise.
Hey, us country folk gotta get out once in a while…
So I breathe for now; tend the yard, blog and such. The next round of fun comes in early June with another (tentatively) visit from Art in the Aspens, and I hope to have a few painter friends come out just for the fun of it (imagine!) to unwind and enjoy a nice paint-out and lunch at the ranch. Will update you on that later.
Speaking of painting together, please visit my new website page promoting my new oil painting classes. These will be for anyone at any level, with no huge commitment required. Have a look! To sign up, just email me with the link at page bottom.
Well, that’s your latest update in a nutshell. Time to get back to the easel. (Tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.) Many blessings on you and your family today. Remember to go by and check out “Synergy” at Nemick & Thompson before we take down at the end of the month. Have a great summer, remain grateful and worship-ful, and we’ll see you out there somewhere!
k
