Introducing "Flacon de Parfum" (20" x 16" oil on panel) the latest painting to leave my easel.  A couple of weeks before Christmas I was out shopping and decided to  check out a new home decor store that recently opened near where I lived.  The name of the store , Why Hello, caught my attention and drew me in.  As I wandered through the store a display of glass perfume bottles caught my eye.  I kept coming back to look and realized one of them was going to be going home with me to be the star of my next painting.  I immediately began playing with ideas for the setup that would take advantage of all the distortions and reflections that the facets of the bottle would create.  Somehow I ended up back with the red striped ribbons that have starred in so many of my paintings.  I do have a soft spot for red.  I loved the challenge of  capturing all the distortions and bringing this painting to life.  I hope you like the results as much as I do. 

Shortly after receiving notice of being granted signature status with the Oil Painters of America I received an email inviting me to participate in the 2019 Virtuosos of OPA Show.  The Virtuosos of OPA show is a juried exhibition open only to OPA signature and master artists.  Needless to say I am tickled pink to be participating.  My entry, "Pool Shots",  is a 12 x 24x 2 oil on panel painting.  The show will be hosted by Cutter & Cutter Fine Art Gallery in St. Augustine, FL from March 1st through March 31st.  The opening reception will be March 1st from 6 to 10pm.  For those of you living in Florida I invite you to stop by the show and let me know what you think. 

I can't deny it.....2019 is starting out with a bang for me!  Success in being juried into shows, winning a first place award, and now being notified by the Oil Painters of America that I have been granted Signature Artist status!  Wow...I am one happy artist!  To be granted signature status for OPA you must get your artwork juried into either 3 of the annual national shows or two of the annual national shows and 3 regional shows.  Once that is achieved you may apply for consideration by submitting 12 images of your work and a complete resume which addresses your education (formal or informal), any awards received, a short list of published articles, and any galleries which represent you.  A committee reviews the applications once each year in November and makes recommendations to the OPA Board of Directors.  Then sometime in January people like myself begin watching their mailbox hoping for the best.  Thank you OPA!!

I am pleased to announce that "Gumball Fiesta" (16"x20" oil on panel) won first place in the oil division of the Glendale Art Council's 2019 Juried Fine Art Competition.  The show is hanging in the Saguaro Ranch facility at 59th Avenue and Mountainview through January 27th.   A big thank you to the Glendale Arts Council!

One of those exciting emails came today alerting me to the fact that "Chocolate Martini" (20x16 oil) was juried into the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society 2nd Annual Best of America Small Paintings National Juried Exhibition.  The show will be held at RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX from March 1st through April 6th.  The opening reception will be from 5 to 8pm on March 1st.  I am hoping to attend the reception so if you live in the area it would be great to see you there. 

I am pleased to announce that I had two paintings juried into the 52nd Annual Glendale Arts Council Juried Fine arts Competition.  Both "Appletini" (20x16 oil) and "Gumball Fiesta" (16x20 oil) were juried into the show.  The show is held at the Sahuaro Ranch in Glendale, AZ from January 8th through January 27th.  Sahuaro Ranch is a delightful historic facility with the show held in the former fruit packing building and definitely worth a visit along with the chance to view some