Happy 24th of July

Here in Utah is a State Holiday. The 24th of July is the date when the first pioneers entered the Salt Lake valley. It is a big celebration State wide. There are rodeos, parades, festivals, fireworks, and all kinds of stuff. It is also a great time to go see two shows I have hanging. One show is in Salt Lake City at Utah Artists Hands, entitled "Wild about Horses". The other show is in Park City at Gallery Mar entitled "Spirit of the West".

Gallery Stroll

Gallery Stroll was last night and it was the opening night of "Wild about Horses" at Utah Artists Hands. It was an enjoyable evening with goodies, great weather, and fun art. If you get a chance sneak on by and see the show. Carol Wade was there and we chatted quite a while. I found out that she used to teach at BYU in the Design department. I graduated from BYU in the design department with an emphasis in Illustration. One of those small world moments.

Do you only paint North American animals?

I have been asked if I ever paint anything besides North American Animals. The short answer is yup. The long answer is that I paint all kinds of stuff including landscapes, flowers, trucks, elephants, and a personal favorite, Tractors. The list of subject matter is long and varied. Here is a tractor I did that I thought turned out rather nifty.

Horse Show

I just got back from hanging some new work at Utah Artists Hands. The theme for this next show is Horses. It should be fun for the 24th of July celebration here in Utah. If you get a chance sneak on by. It is a group show with Willie Holdman, Willamarie Huelskamp, Carole Wade, and myself.

15 Bytes article

I had the opportunity to be interviewed for the online art magazine 15 Bytes. It was the feature: process points by Sue Martin. The article is entitled "Give a Farmer a Brush". Sue did a great job. It was interesting to try to focus on what I do, and how I do my artwork. Give it a read if you get a chance.

The show still goes on!

Last Saturday night I was at a show opening at Gallery MAR in Park City Utah. I was there with Maura Allen. We have a two person show going on right now. Gallery owner Maren Bargreen Mullin, does such a fantastic job for show openings. It was a great night with a lot of fun for the Fourth of July weekend. Pieces are being purchased so head on up there if you want to see the show before the art is all taken.

Spirit of the West

I am having another show at Gallery Mar in Park City Utah beginning July 2nd. It should be a good one. I am showing with Maura Allen and the show is entitled "Spirit of the West". Stop on by if you have a chance, or take a look during the month of July.

Orange Utahn

I have been asked to paint with the orangutans at Hogle Zoo. The Zoo is located in Salt Lake City Utah. It is called Orange-Utahn. Anyway, I have worked with the orangutans two times so far. They are so interesting to work with. I found out that Eli really likes to eat tempera paint. I will see if I can get a different type of paint for my next painting session.

The show will be this fall. All of the proceeds will go towards habitat for orangutans in Borneo. They raised a lot of money last year and hope to raise a lot this year. It is a great opportunity to own some really unique artwork done by orangutans and collaborative work with artists like myself and the orangutans.

Another gallery stroll

Last night was the second gallery stroll of my show at Utah Artists Hands. It was a great time. We had some good lemon bars and chocolate cup cakes. The lemon bars had eggs from my backyard chickens, and the cup cakes were made with zucchini and apple sauce from my garden. It was a local growers good time. I had a bunch of new work up to replace the ones that were purchased last month. Please take some time if you are in Salt Lake City to stop by and see the show.

Another Show

I have a new show coming to the Utah Artists Hands Gallery. The show is entitled Abstract Thoughts. The show will get hung on Wednesday just in time for gallery stroll Friday Night. Come have a look see.

Interesting blog

Here is a link to an interesting blog. A friend of mine has decided to do a sketchbook online. It is a fun time.

http://colvinsketchbooks.blogspot.com/

Shows Hanging

I have a couple of places to see some artwork around Utah. One is at Utah Artists Hands. This bison above can be seen there.

The other paintings can be seen at Gallery Mar in Park City. If you are out seeing the fall color in the area stop by and see.

Secret

I just finished a secret painting for the Ogden Gallery at the Station. It is a fundraiser for the gallery at the Union Station. I did a show earlier this year there with John Berry and Kate Holland.

This fundraiser is quite an interesting one. The Gallery at the Station ask a few artists to paint on a small canvas they provide and the paintings remained unsigned. All works are priced at $99. It is a great opportunity to get some artwork for a very reasonable price. They have many prominent as well as emerging artists participate. You can get some high quality work for a rather reasonable price.

It is a lot of fun to guess who did what and see what painting you can get before everyone else. The exhibit and sale will be October 2, 2010. All sales support the Union Station Foundation and the Gallery at the Station. Plan a night out and have a great time one night only.

Old Trucks

I love old trucks and tractors and such. Here are two examples that were at an antique tractor show I went to recently. Both are old farm trucks that have seen some hard work. I really like the design and shape of older vehicles. I think perhaps these might be good subjects for future paintings.

Landscape

I have been asked by a few people if I paint landscapes. The quick answer is yup. I have been focusing on wildlife as of late, but I find that doing a variety of subject matter such as floral or landscape helps my creative process. I also love a good tractor still life.