"Water and Light" show in Eugene on May 30, one evening only

"Sunny Field" / pastel / 7x9

My friend Will Dixon invited me to show some of my work at his office, Willard C. Dixon, Architect,  during Eugene's Last Friday Artwalk on Friday, May 30. The address is 300 Blair Blvd. My work will be on display for that evening only between 5:00 and 9:00 PM. Please stop by to see what I've been doing lately, learn more about the amazing medium of soft pastel, and enjoy some refreshments. The show's theme is "Water and Light." Will is a talented architect and all-around great guy and you can meet him and learn about his projects, too.

The two paintings shown here will be on display. Although both are painted with pastels, they have very different moods. "Sunny Field" with its bold, bright colors and assertive mark-making was painted on location in Portugal's Peneda-Geres National Park, with final touches added after I returned home. "Fall Fantasy" depicts a scene in Shelton, Washington, and has a kind of shimmering mysticism conveyed by lighter strokes and a softer palette.  I hope to see you on May 30.

"Fall Fantasy" / pastel / 9x7

What is it about chickens?

"Comb Over" / pastel / 9.5x7

Whenever I go to the fair I love to visit the chickens with all their color combinations and feather styles, bright floppy combs, and non-stop chicken chatter. Raising chickens in your backyard has become a popular urban activity and in Portland you can have up to three in your yard without a permit. The neighbors behind us have chickens and I enjoy hearing them cluck around doing their chickenly business. I eat an egg almost every day for breakfast so maybe I should get a chicken. But I travel a lot and then I'd have to get a chicken-sitter so I guess that's out. The models for today's paintings come from my daughter and her family's farm in Shelton, Washington. Although they seem a little curious about my motives, I have nothing but admiration for my fine feathered friends.

"The Line Up" / pastel / 7x9.5

"Me and My Shadow" / pastel / 7x9.5

Painting on the Road: The long way home

After a ten-hour flight from Santiago we had a ten-hour layover at the Dallas Fort Worth airport before we could board yet another plane for the remaining 3.5 hr. flight home to Portland.  To make our layover at DFW as painless as possible we decided to buy one-day pass to the American Airlines Admirals Club but they were having a special and for the same price ($50 per person) we got a one-month pass. We don't have any plans to fly anywhere else in the coming month but you never know. DFW is such a big airport that American actually has three Admirals Clubs there. What's an Admirals Club, you might wonder? It's a set of clean, comfortable, lounging rooms with free wi-fi, food, beverages, showers and other amenities; some even have kids' playrooms. We didn't need that particular amenity this trip but I thought some of you might find it useful information. The Admirals Club is also a good spot to sketch fellow travelers, or even your own hand if you get desperate. The squiggly thing on my wrist is my hair scrunchy. And yes, my hands really do look that gnarly.