Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras flag seen from my studio window

Every Mardi Gras since I left New Orleans I try to remember to hang my Mardi Gras flag to commemorate the day.  Seeing such an odd and colorful flag suddenly appearing amid the bleak Santa Fe winter is a bit jarring and totally out of place but I like to put it up for the day nonetheless.  I'm sure most people here have no idea what it represents but occasionally someone gets it and it always puts a smile on their face.

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is but one day of Carnival which has been going on in New Orleans since early January.  When you live there you quickly gain an appreciation for the importance of Carnival season to the residents of New Orleans.  This season culminates on Mardi Gras with an extraordinary celebration of life.  It's a bit naughty, a bit spiritual and a whole lot of fun.  I miss it (and New Orleans) at times but for today, this goofy flag will have to be my connection to that place.

My Two Favorite People in Naples!

I'm standing between two wonderful women at my recent opening at Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples Florida.  On the left is gallery owner Nancy Winch and on the right gallery director Pamela Campe.  Thanks ladies for a wonderful opening!

Naples, etc.

Just back from Naples, FL and my opening at Gardner Colby Gallery.  It was a great trip and the show is being received very well and sales are good too!  While there, I was interviewed by Tom Hall, a writer for Examiner.com and he wrote a very nice piece on the show.  Here is a link to the article: Kevin Sloan's "Peaceable Kingdom" Depicts Struggle for Balance in Tenuous World .

Aside from all the gallery related things like the opening reception, a client meeting and just being available I was also able to spend a little time on the beach where this lovely scene was enjoyed...

What's Old is New...

It's a new year and I find myself looking back - way back to paintings I did in the late 1980's and early 1990's.  Some of you will be familiar with the paintings from this time and some of you may be quite surprised to learn that I once worked like this.  It's quite a leap from these paintings to the "Italianate" still lives, etc. that I'm known for now but apparently it's all part of the journey...

The Nearness of Stars, 72"x66", 1990

Self-Portrait as a River, 72"x66", 1991

I"ll keep looking back through my archives and if something interesting pops up I'll share it here.  And, you never know, I may find myself working similar to this again someday!  

Joyful Abundance

The January 2012 issue of American Art Collector magazine has just come out and in it is a feature on my upcoming (February, 2012) show at Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples, FL.  It's a nice article and includes images of 7 paintings, all of which will be in the exhibit.  In total I hope to have 15 in the show but I'm not done painting yet!

I hope to have a link to the article on my website soon but until then if you're interested you'll have to find the actual magazine in a bookstore or magazine stand somewhere.  Kind of old fashioned to actually look at a printed magazine but it's fun - try it if you haven't done it in a while but be sure to recycle it when you're done...  :)

Have a great holiday season!!

Media Week

Lots of interesting media activity this week.  The magazine Art Ltd. has done an article on the Sun Valley art scene which includes a mention of my gallery there, Gilman Contemporary.  I'll be having a show there - it opens November 14 called "Modern Parables".  Here's a link to the article: Sun Valley, A Cultured Holiday Retreat.  They mentioned my upcoming exhibit there and reproduced one of the paintings in the show.  Also, just found out that Gilman has taken out a nice ad in California Home + Design Magazine advertising the show.  Thanks!

Also, I just got off the phone with a writer for American Art Collector magazine.  She interviewed me for an article they'll be doing on my February show at Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples, FL.  This magazine has featured me a number of times so I'm pleased and honored to be featured yet again!  The article will be in the January issue - I'll let you know when it comes out.

As fun as all this has been it's time to get back to painting!  After all, that's why they cover me in the first place...

Chaco

I joined a group of friends and went to some ancient sites in northern New Mexico this past weekend.  We visited El Morro - also known as Inscription Rock and El Malpais - an area to see ancient lava flows from the now extinct volcano we call Mt. Taylor.  But most of all we went to see Chaco Canyon.  It's an area of ancient ruins left by the people we call the Anasazi but are now referred to as the Chacoan people.  It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere - 20+ miles on a bumpy dirt road keeps the faint of heart (or vehicle) away so you really get a sense of isolation and feeling that things are relatively untouched by modern standards.

The building are all stacked stone - astonishing masonry skills which in some cases are still standing and relatively intact after over 1000 years.  A friend calls this place the "Machu Pichu" of the north.  After being there I think he's right.  It's a complex and extensive system of structures and roads which at it's peak they estimate supported 8000 people.

If you've never gone - you should.  It's worth the hassle to get there.  Here is a link to learn more: Chaco Culture.  Also, here are a few pictures I took --