Have Brush Will Work for Art

It's been an intense past couple of weeks as I've been on the road going from paintout to paintout. I've met some wonderful people, artists and country. The weather has been spectacular and I've found homes for quite a few paintings.

The end of August saw me in Hood River which is an amazing location. 10 minutes in any direction and you can be a different landscape. East to the desert and steppe, South to Mt. Hood, North to Mt. Adams both dormant volcanoes and West towards Portland and what is know as The Gorge.

Everyone I met is there because of the wind. Windsurfers and kiters. I've never seen so many skinny people. Winter it is skiing. A lot of good energy and I look forward to going back.

Check out the event blog at http://pleinairhoodriver.blogspot.com// They even had a pleinair writing event. We'll have to wait a bit to see the results but it should be interesting.

Cathleen Rehfeld was our coordinator. She had pre-arranged sites such as the Whitehouse Bed and Breakfast where I painted this painting I call Madame Pear Bottom. I hadn't notice the figure until Joe Howard took a peak over my shoulder and said, "Looks like you've been away from home to long." I didn't get it until he pointed out the nice female anatomy of my pear tree. I honestly didn't paint that on purpose but now that's all I see. Sheesh!

Cathleen not only guided us around but is an awesome painter. The sale of that weeks efforts was awesome and couldn't have happened without the support of Rich Kruger a true patron of the arts that Hood River is fortunate to have. We painted at the Cathedral of the Airplane otherwise known as the Airplane and Auto Museum, http://www.waaamuseum.org/, every plane flies and there are over 100 planes. An amazing place if you ever get the chance to visit. One of my favorite highlights was the Maryhill Museum and a painting, "Solitude", by Lord Alfred Leighton. It is an awesome technically accomplished painting, done in the pre-Raphaelite manner. The painting itself is over 100 years old and there is not a crack in it although it is highly glazed. The work reminds me of opera and what it is possible for the human hand or voice in the case of opera, to achieve. It is also curious to find such a treasure, as well as many more, to be found on the arid steppes of the columbia river.

I then went to Coupeville, WA. I made it in time to get my canvases stamped and painted into the night doing my first 'nocturne', wearing my LED hat to see by. The painting was of the Dog House Tavern in Langley and came out well although I didn't get a photo of it before it found a home.

I was home a couple days to check on the horses and chickens. All was fine so I took off for Coeur d'alene, Idaho where the Oil Painters of America were holding there western region show at the Devin Gallery. They also held a paintout in which I participated and found a home for another painting. Each time I sell a painting I meet another great person with an interesting life to learn about. An emissary of art, my paintings are my calling card. OPA was well attended but the real show for me was at Stephen Gibbs, Art Spirit Gallery which was showing works by George Carlson, one of the geniuses of the today's art world. He had a series of oil paintings which were highly inspired. Reflecting "Big Ideas" as Bill Reese would say. He is the one that considers Carlson a genius which made me look even more closely at Carlsons paintings and sculptures. Carlson's work shows me what is possible if one commits to the highest levels of reflection.

I'm off to Wenatchee to paint with William F. Reese, one of the patriarchs of oil painting in the Pacific NW and the nation. I hope a little of his knoweledge rubs off on me, then I am off to Ellensburg for a paintout and N. Idaho for a paintout and benefit for creating a wilderness area of Scothman Peaks.

Stay Tuned

Up Coming Art Shows and Paint Outs

May-July, I have a piece in the Coos Bay Museum, Expressions West Show, have to try their marine exhibit and paintout next year.
June 6, Kress Gallery, Riverpark Square, Spokane, WA. Opening One Man Show, "Fresh Air, The Plein Air Paintings of Gregg Caudell. Reception, with poet, Slatz, reading from his series, "Seasons". I'll have my easle out getting paint on my good cloths. I should have called the show "Seasons" as I have a Season Series myself and many of my subjects are the same in different seasons, such as the "Willow" Series. I have a large sculptured willow tree outside my house that I paint in every season and time of day. It has great sweeping branches that are gold against a cerulean sky. The horses have stripped the bark off the lower branches making for interesting lines. It sits in a slough and must drink hundreds of gallons of water a day. A solar water pump that sleeps in the winter. It is just waking up now and is completely golden flowers.
Slatz, a.k.a. Dick Bresgal, and I used to go around with a group of other inspired types giving poetry recitals in the Spokane region. Dick still writes and keep his hand in such creative endeavors. It will be like old times, coming full circle. He's quite a character, about 6'3", long mane of silver hair, voice like a gentle giant and writes with the moon in the corner of his eye. Should be a great time. Come on down!

June, 2-8, Wallowa Arts Festival, Joseph, Oregon. I'll be visiting the area to paint and show. There will be an auction of plein air work on Saturday night at the Civic Center. Never been to Joseph but it looks stunning. Little Town by a lake surrounded by mountains. Sounds like home. The date runs concurrently with Spokane so it will be a shuffle for me to hot foot it back up to Spokane for the opening reception of my show and then back down to paint on Saturday.

August 1-8, not for sure but I've been invited to Cheyenne, WY, to a paintout. A bit far to go but I should be done putting up hay in time to make that one too. Like to think I could go down through Yellowstone but that is the hieght of tourist season and I've never been down the back roads of Idaho.