This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Hanging Out
watercolor, 13" x 18"
Tom Francesconi

I recall fondly my first encounter with Tom Francesconi. Tom was President of the Midwest Watercolor Society the year I received my signature, and he was the moving force behind the transition of that organization to the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Despite all his responsibilities at the annual meeting, he took the time to chat with my 80-something mom and help her navigate the raffle selections, a kindness that left a lasting impression.

Tom's painting demonstration at a subsequent TWSA gathering showed his passionate approach to watercolor and his mastery of the medium. From what appears at first to be a rather casual application of paint, you are gradually rewarded with a lively image that carries great emotional weight.

Please step over to Brush-Paper-Water for more of Tom's work and the link to his website.

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Getting into Mischief...

Cockamamie Cockatoo, 6" x 6"

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, 6" x 4"

The past week has been good for my spirits -- the six little paintings shown here will be hanging in an upcoming show at Studio Gallery, a San Francisco gallery that features Bay Area artists. A friend who has been included in several recent shows there suggested I contact them and also put in a good word about my work. So after email and phone conversations with the owner, I drove up last Friday with just over a dozen pieces and she chose these six for the "Mischief" show. It runs from July 21 to August 15, with a reception on July 25. The gallery is a good fit for my work and I really like the owner, so I'm hoping that she'll want to show more of my work in future shows.

Watch the Birdie, 8" x 8"

Quackeroonies #2, 6" x 8"

"Quackeroonies #2" will have the additional honor of being included in the 2011 Daniel Smith Catalog. I know very little more than that, but I'll keep you all in the loop if more news comes my way.

Dippy Duck #2, 8" x 8"

Colonel Mustard, 6" x 6"

Otherwise, I've been keeping busy with painting and gardening. Our garden is definitely a case of "bloom where you're planted." We have about an 18-inch strip of workable garden space along a very long driveway -- otherwise the yard is too shady for much in the way of flowering plants. We've packed in perennial morning glory vines, gaillardia, roses, salvia, lavender, shasta daisy, coneflower, and assorted filler flowers as well as numerous hanging geraniums. One of these days, I'll share some of the pix I've taken.

Señor Terremoto and I also took a daytrip last week to the Luther Burbank Gardens, a couple of hours north of us, so I could take more resource photos for cactus paintings. It's not a huge garden, but it has some unusual plants. I'll share some of the photos from that trip in another post.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Riesling
watercolor, 27" x 16"
Cindy Agan

It's with a great deal of relief that I am posting tonight. I've been looking forward to sharing Cindy Agan's work, but a computer malfunction that occurred late yesterday nearly shut me down. Thanks to Señor Terremoto, computer whiz par excellence, all the materials I needed for her feature were retrieved and moved to another computer.

Cindy's work is striking for many reasons -- design, fabulous color, marvelous painting technique -- and she clearly conveys her passion for her subjects. Another one of the wonderful people I've met through Artcolony, she is a dedicated and successful artist -- she has completed over 200 commissioned portraits in her career, as well as producing competitive work for shows and publications.

Please hop over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of her work and hop from there to her website.

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Wherein Nosey explains his absence and invites you to win a mouse...

[Editor's Note: Nosey was quite bereft after hearing that Chubby went home following his little havoc-fest at Jelaine's place -- the full story starts here -- and he moped around for days muttering "but Chubby said we'd be getting the band back together" and "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." He completely refused to work, turning up his nose at every suggestion I had for a challenge painting. I finally coaxed him outside today and he seemed to enjoy romping around on the fence and poking his nose through the vines. I'm hoping he'll be more cooperative now and willing to help me out on this challenge painting.]

Well, hello -- Nosey Mouse here. I see the old lady has filled you in a bit on the past couple of months. So I'm not exactly proud of the way I've been acting, but I'm a sensitive guy -- I don't like getting jerked around -- I thought I had a deal with Chubby, but he just boogied out of there like nobody's business. Not a word of goodbye, nada!!

But enough about me. I'm here to tell you about another fun contest that my buddy Steve has set up. (Hey, Steve -- you probably thought I wasn't paying any attention, but let me tell ya -- that how-long-is-the-snake contest sure got my attention -- like think about it, dude -- what's their favorite food? -- YAH, mousies, that's what!! -- you'd pay attention too!!) Anyway, this new contest is a lot more mouse-friendly. You just have to... well, here, let Steve explain it... (just remember -- you can read about it here, but you have to go to Steve's blog to enter the contest.)

Take it away, Steve!!

---------------------

There you have it, I've been blathering on for 100 posts!
So I thought I'd have another contest and give away a mouse.
But wait, there's more!
I'm going to give away two mice.

So there's 2 ways you can win...
One normal way anyone can try, and another way you can try if you have a blog.
So if you have a blog, you can try both!

First way to win...

I've just had my new mid sized turtles finished and photographed.

But they don't have any names.

So, whoever comes up with the trio of names for these turtles I like best wins a mouse (the winner can pick any mouse from Sprightly, Nosey and Chubby).
You have to post your names as a comment, or email them if you have trouble with the comment thing working (put 'name that turtle' in the subject line).

They can be any kind of names you like. Descriptive names, like my mice, or actual names, like my tiny bunnies.

As you can see, one turtle is minding its own business, one is quite bold, and one a bit shy.

If, by some strange coincidence someone comes up with the same names as someone else, the earlier poster wins.
If I pick 3 names from 2 or more posts, I'll give it to the person with 2 names I picked, or roll a dice for the winner if it's a name each from three posters.
If it's 3 names in one later post, all of which were posted earlier by separate people, the all in one gets it.
You can have 2 tries each, 3 names per try. So you can have an early go, and hold off for a bit for a second go.
If some other permutation of unforseen strangeness prevails requiring a judging decision, I'll decide as fairly as I can and my decision will be final (hey, it's my blog after all!).

So what are you waiting for!
Name that turtle (and that one, and that one...)!
Deadline is my next post, when I'll announce the winners.

Second way to win...
If you have a blog (it must have existed before today!), you can enter by posting an announcement of this contest with a link to this post on your blog. Let me know by commenting on this post, or email me ('blog entry' in the subject line) and you'll be in the blog draw for a mouse of your choice (from Nosey, Sprightly and Chubby).

Any bloggers who enter before the end of this weekend (before June 14) gets a double entry - their name goes in the hat twice!

So there you go!
Have fun and good luck! I'm looking forward to naming my turtles next week (deadline is my next post, when I'll announce the winners).

Click here to go to Steve's blog to enter the contest.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Going Green,
watercolor, 30" x 40"
Paula Fiebich

I had certainly been aware of Paula Fiebich's incredible painting -- "Venetian Gold" -- which won the American Watercolor Society's Gold Medal in 2007, but with my rather poor memory for names, I didn't make the connection immediately when I met her through the Artcolony blog this past year. Needless to say, it was a great delight when I did. Her beautifully designed paintings -- whether her subject is a still-life, a floral, or an architectural detail -- feature wonderful patterns and colors as well as exquisite painting technique. "Going Green" was a finalist in International Artist magazine's recent Floral and Garden competition, and appears in the April/May 2010 issue.

Please pop over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of her work, including "Venetian Gold."

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Blue Door
watercolor, 12" x 12"
David Poxon

Please link over to Brush-Paper-Water to see the work of British artist David Poxon.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Bandits at 3 O'Clock
watercolor, 30" x 22"
Mike Bailey

I knew of Mike Bailey for years by name and reputation, but despite living in the same area, it was only recently that I met him in person. Mike's route to being an artist was not a direct one, but since he found his path, he has been incredibly intense and productive. He has received repeated recognition of his talent, and his high energy and engaging personality -- coupled with his masterful abilities as a painter -- also make him a very popular teacher.

Please jump over to Brush-Paper-Water for more of Mike's work, and link from there to his blog and website.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Mellifera
watercolor, 14" x 21"
Guy Magallanes

Although we initially met through social networking, Guy Magallanes and I met in person shortly afterwards when I went to a reception at the gallery he and Joyce Faulknor owned. His ebullient, larger-than-life personality is clearly expressed in his watercolors -- from the closeups of bees in roses to the swirling colors of koi. I feel so privileged to have him as a friend -- his personal warmth and his passion for his work is wonderfully uplifting and contagious!!

This is a very special week for Guy -- the first episode of the 14-part instructional TV show that he has done with Joyce Faulknor will air on Saturday, May 8 at 9 a.m. on KCSM-TV, a PBS affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area. Art2Art is a fun show, featuring the two artists painting the same images, but using different approaches. They are poised to start filming a second season and the show will go nationwide after that series is completed.

Please hop over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of Guy's work and then link from there to his blog and website.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Generations
watercolor, 17" x 13"
Kaaren Oreck

What started out as a quick second peek at the TWSA show last summer became a wonderful two-hour tour when I met Kaaren Oreck in the gallery. Her warmth and wit, coupled with her experienced artist's eye, made for a very lively conversation about art as we worked our way through the show.

Through her travels, she has found inspiration for her work from many sources -- and her current paintings based on Japanese themes represent both the simplicity and the complexity of traditional Japanese art.

Please jump over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of Kaaren's work.

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This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Celebration
watercolor, 27" x 18"
Verena Heroux

I first "met" Verena Heroux after becoming a member of the Artcolony blog. I was struck immediately by the exquisite beauty of her work. She has a great eye for design and every painting features gorgeous color of incredible clarity. Her love of flowers and gardens comes through in each piece -- I wanted to stroll into those gardens and sit among the flowers, inhaling their perfumes and admiring their showy blooms.

Please run, don't stroll, over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of Verena's work.

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