Show Finale!
"The Back 40" 5x7 Oil on Panel - SOLD!
The scene above “The Back 40″ was painted during the Melrose Open Air Arts a few weeks ago. This painting is sold, but there are many more available! Stop by this weekend during their show finale event to visit all three galleries… my paintings are in the Shake Rag. After Sunday what is left will be taken down to make room for the next show - don’t miss it!
Here is the show’s official announcement:
Melrose Open Air Arts concludes it’s final act on the final weekend in April. The closing show is April 28-29th, with a reception on Sunday, April 29th from 1-4pm in the three Melrose galleries.
During ten days in late March over 50 artists worked on site in and around Melrose capturing the beauty and vitality of the area with paint, camera, and a creative variety of mixed media. They created over 200 works of original art that will be on exhibit and available for purchase.
All three Melrose galleries that sponsored Open Air Arts are featuring the artworks: Bellamy Road Fine Arts, Melrose Bay Art Gallery andShake Rag Art & Culture Center. Galleries are open from 10am to 6pm on Saturday and 1 to 5pm on Sunday. The art shows and closing reception are free and open to the public.
Artist Tim Malles, of Plein Air Florida and a member of Melrose Bay Art Gallery says, “You will find the most diverse artworks and styles of any paint out anywhere as this event continues to go out of the box and over the top to include broad interpretations along with more traditional representational works that will please every art lover and buyer’s sensibilities and tastes.”
Melrose Open Air Arts is also a Premier Event for Primavera. Annie Pais, director for Primavera notes about Open Air Arts that, “North central Florida is now the epicenter for contemporary Plein Air painting in the Southeast. During the past decade, artists have congregated at annual plein air events, like Open Air Arts, and established an informal Florida school of contemporary landscape painting. They tell stories about documenting the vanishing Florida landscape. It’s fascinating to be apart of their visual world!”
Melrose Open Air Arts
The Painting portion of the Melrose Open Air Arts event is over – now all the paintings from 51 artists are on display in the 3 Melrose galleries. Stop by and see them before they are all sold! My paintings are in the Shake Rag, but be sure to visit the Melrose Bay Gallery and Bellamy Road Gallery as well. If you’ve never been, the scenery around Melrose is just beautiful. There are lovely old homes and churches, large Pecan Groves, a vast U-pick Strawberry & vegetable farm, some beautiful lakes including Lake Sante Fe and the Greathouse Butterfly Farm. So there is plenty to do on a day trip to town!
This event was both fun and exhausting! Below are 2 of the 8 paintings I managed to create in 4 days….
"Blueberry Lilies" 9x12 Oil on board / Plein air.
This is a plein Air painting of some Cow Lilies (aka Spatterdock) growing along the shore of Blueberry Bay - part of Lake Sante Fe.
"Orange Nouveau" 9x12 oil on board - Plein Air
This was painted at the Greathouse Butterfly Farm near Melrose Fl. The long un-mowed grass just called out to be painted in a "drippy" effect! While painting this one a hummingbird stopped by to visit the blossoms.
The little town with big Art…
Join us this month as artists gather around the small hamlet of Melrose near Gainesville, Fl to paint the lakes and old Florida scenery. There will be live music, dancing and of course wonderfully fresh artwork. Watch artists paint around town throughout the week (free!)- then come to the gallery Friday March 30th for a champagne Opening Reception ($25). For more details view the brochure or the gallery
Opening Reception – The GateHouse Gallery
Hope you can join us this Saturday!
Unknown Artist
Unknown Artist, Plein Air Painting - Dated Jan. 1916
My husband collects vintage fishing lures, so while out shopping around for some old plugs for his Christmas present I came across this great little painting. While I honestly tried to not buy anything for myself while out shopping, this was at a price I couldn’t refuse!
It is an 8×10″ oil on board painting. Obviously done plein air – and from the date on the back of the frame it was done in Jan 1916! The frame has a faded red stamp that reads “Newcomb Macklin Frame Company New York” – a very fine quality gold gilt carved wood frame popular with impressionists of that era. There are small pin holes in each corner where the board was pinned on the easel to paint. It is a simple scene of a house in a field with a distant hill with streaks of snow, the grass is brown & the leaves have fallen. It reminds me of work done by Pennsylvania Impressionists, but unfortunately I can not find a signature anywhere! I think the artist was experienced with bold confident brush work…
What do you think… Any ideas?
Short but Sweet
The Orlando Sentinel published a short but sweet snippet in the paper today about the “Mt Dora in the Fall” plein air event. I am pleased that they featured my painting “Ticket to Ride”. See the article here : Article
Mt. Dora in the Fall Event
This past Friday evening was the opening reception for the Mt. Dora in the Fall Plein Air painting event. I was able to complete 3 paintings, and you can see them on display through December 30th.
This is the best time of the year to visit Mt. Dora – all of the old oaks in the park are lit up and the Marina is a psychedelic mix of colorful light displays. Each weekend there will be some kind of happening such as the Christmas Walk, the Winter art stroll and more. So come on out for dinner & a light show!
"Ticket to Ride" 9x12 oil on panel
"Lakeside Landing" 8x10 oil on panel
"Palm Tree Grill" 9x12 Oil on canvas panel
