April is ending on a high note!

My new art studio is getting organized, and today I put two paintings on my new drying rack (a re-purposed picture ledge from IKEA). These paintings are from my day being a painter in one of the gardens on the annual Outdoor Art Club tour in Mill Valley, California. I was stationed at a house with a wonderfully shady woodland creek where I found Calla Lilies in bloom. The finished painting will be a gift to the homeowner. She also had wonderful succulent plants, so I also painted a close-up of this Agave to add to my growing "Landscape Reductions" studies.

Our local Mill Valley Patch online newspaper ran a really nice story called "Artists Flourish in Gardens of Delight" that featured the event and my participation in it. This is a really fun event for me -- besides getting to paint, I have a chance to visit with many local friends that are either volunteering or taking the tour. 

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Another editorial feature this month was the inclusion of my painting "Geraniums" in Marin Magazine, leading off the Arts and Events Calendar.  I entered their cover contest this year with another painting, but I didn't get accepted. Seeing this made everything feel just fine!

So many wonderful things are happening, I'm going to celebrate by giving away a piece of art in May. If you aren't on my email list, sign up today, and you will get an email with all the details.

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