Vacationers often wander into shops to pick up a souvenir from their holiday. A T-shirt, a jar of local berry jam, a Christmas tree ornament…or even a painting. Here are some paintings from vacation spots - an ocean beach, a country farm, a mountain trail. I think having a piece of art that reminds you of a special place can trigger lots of positive feelings. So if you see something that tugs at your heart while you are traveling this summer - buy it! You will be supporting a local artist in doing what they love and you will have a memory to take home.

On the subject of shopping, I have linked up with Fine Art America to offer print-on-demand copies of original paintings. These prints are created from photographs of the paintings and are available as stretched canvas, framed paper prints and more. You can choose the size and format that works best for your space, and you have control over pricing based on your choices. While I earn a small royalty from the sale, the transaction is with this well-established company. From what I have seen, the quality of their materials is first-rate, and they offer a money-back guarantee. 

I will continue to offer signed giclee prints and photographic prints directly through the studio, using photographers and printers that I have hand-picked to create reproductions of my work.

Original paintings are available directly through the studio, at shows and at select retailers. Currently, there is work hanging at the Marin Society of Artists Gallery in Ross, CA, and at Weathered Nest in Mill Valley, CA.

A half-acre property on Miller Avenue welcomes people to downtown Mill Valley with redwood groves and a creek running by rustic wooden buildings. Its original purpose was as a lumber yard that supplied the surrounding community for 120 years. When new owners Matt and Jan Mathews purchased the landmark property in 2012, they hoped to attract a building and hardware  tenant, but those efforts were hampered, likely by competition from "big box" stores in the county. They began the task of renovating and retrofitting buildings for a mix of tenant uses, with a goal to preserve the buildings  and keep the spirit of the property alive, even keeping the name - Mill Valley Lumber Yard.

I've enjoyed walking, riding and driving by these great old buildings since I first moved to Mill Valley in 1987.  In more recent years, I have also enjoyed painting them - so it is really a treat to participate with a group of six artists as we transform some of the vacant space and outdoor area at 129 Miller Avenue into studios for Marin Open Studios, the weekend of May 10 & 11.

I'll be there from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day - with my easel  and paints - and a display of framed and unframed paintings, drawings and prints for sale. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, come by and have a look. Directions are on my website.

In November and December, galleries know that people are looking for gifts, and they put out calls for small, affordable paintings.

"Baseball" is headed to the "tiny show" at Studio Gallery in San Francisco. Here are a few more small paintings that will head to shows if not sold before the November 1st submission deadline. If you are interested, get in touch quickly for a good deal! I will discount the price by the equivalent of show entry fee - so we both will save.

Hanging an art show takes time and patience. The opening night of a show over in a flash. Then the show hangs, until it's time to take it down. Pieces that have sold are delivered to new collectors, and the rest is packed up and taken back to the studio. 

My June landscape show opening (at Alain Pinel in Mill Valley, California) had over 100 visitors for art, conversation, and a glass of wine. It was a great opportunity to show my latest work to old and new friends, collectors and interested guests. 

If you weren't able to see the show in person, here's a look at some of the new, and still-available paintings, all beautifully framed.  Click on the image for a larger view, size and price:

Tomorrow it will be time to load boxes, padding and tools into the back of the Prius and unhang it all. Some pieces are headed to new homes, others are headed to photography for prints and notecards. But tonight, I will put away wet paints and clean out the studio to make room for what's coming back. And I pick a winner - not a painting, but a person.  

At every show, I ask people to sign a guest book and one person is randomly selected to win a print. This time, the print was "Mill Valley Depot," and winner is Lydia Maroevich. Congratulations!

Had some fun this week finding things to paint in San Francisco for a show at the STUDIO Gallery. The rules of the show were to paint within the boundaries of the ZIP code 94109 between May 25 and June 1. Here are two paintings of mine that will be in the show. When I dropped them off at the gallery today I saw lots of good, fun work. The opening reception is Sunday, June 2, from 2-6 pm at STUDIO Gallery, 1815 Polk Street (between Washington and Jackson). See a preview here.

Since I returned from Chalk Hill Residency and its fields ablaze with clover, I've had two weekends of Marin Open Studios and now I'm getting ready for a solo show in Mill Valley. Exhilarating. Exhausting. Energizing.

Nice article in "In the Make" about my time at Chalk Hill Residency. 

Open Studios was an interesting learning experience. I've only done it once before and it was very successful. This time, I was coached to not use my in-home studio because of its remote location. Instead, I teamed up with two other artists in a location that was more central, but off the main drag. Traffic was in ebbs and flows, and most of the people who visited and acquired paintings, prints and notecards were people we knew. Does location really matter? I'm beginning to doubt it, since I got several emails and calls from new collectors who made their purchases over the phone and via my website as a result of my listing and advertisement in the Open Studios guide.

JoAnne Berlin of Alain Pinel graciously invited me to be the artist of the month at their Mill Valley location, and is hosting the opening reception on June 4th between 6-8 pm for the monthly Mill Valley First Tuesday Art Walk. It's a fun night where you can walk from venue to venue to see the art, enjoy a glass of wine and appetizers. If you are in town, I hope you can stop by. If you can't make the reception, feel free to drop by 32 Miller Avenue during June to see new California landscape paintings and prints of local favorites, such as Down Blithedale, Mill Valley Depot and Old Mill Creek, pictured at right. 

Thanks for reading! If you aren't on my email list, and want early notice of shows, special events and sales, click here.

In just over two weeks I will be headed off to my first Artist-in-Residence program, the Chalk Hill Residency, in Sonoma County, California.

The concept for the residency is based on the vision of the late John Carl Warnecke, an internationally renowned architect (1919-2010). In 1983 he laid out plans for an artist retreat on his family's 280-acre ranch and vineyard property near the town of Healdsburg, bordering the Russian River. 

 I am one of 11 artists chosen this year, and part of an interesting mix of painters, sculptors, writers, sound artists, musicians who have been awarded the residency since it began in 2011. During my three weeks, I will be living in a farmhouse and spending my days roaming the property painting the landscape. I will also have a studio space on site. It looks like an amazing place. I don't fully know what to expect once I get there, and for someone as organized as me, that is a leap of faith. In the meantime, I'll be making lists and packing paints and building wet canvas carriers. There may be an Open Studio day, and perhaps a show...I'll keep you posted!