The Release of my Book

I had a class today ( 10am - 2pm ), so I returned back home much later this afternoon. I was very pleased to find a package at my door containing two copies of my upcoming book, "WILDLIFE LANDSCAPES YOU CAN PAINT" ( Acrylic medium ).

Although I knew I'd receive advance copies, I didn't know exactly when. It is scheduled for world-wide release on or around April 9th.

It has been nearly two years ( 23 months to be exact ) from the time I first received the offer until this point. It took a lot of work, thought and effort ( as well as anxiety and worry ) but at this moment, it was all well worth it. At times, it seemed it would never get here!

Although I have seen the text and photos during the "author reviews", it is quite different ( and much more exciting ) to see it in it's finished form.

I have been very fortunate to gain this opportunity. It was dumb luck and chance that NorthLight Books ( F + W Publishing ) even stumbled across my website in the first place. For that, and to them, I am deeply grateful, indeed.

Soon, I will be posting details on my site regarding the purchase of the book. It will be available on my site, at my classes and at major bookstore retailers world-wide. Currently it can also be ordered at amazon.com as a "pre-order" at a substantial savings over the bookstore price. It is also available at several other on-line book sources.

To see the details, click on this link: http://www.amazon.com/Wildlife-Landscapes-You-Can-Paint/dp/1600611206/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226536411&sr=1-1

Sunflowers in Watercolor

I have a friend who has been extremely helpful in getting my classes rolling in her area. She has gone "way beyond the call of duty" in this matter and I have tried to pay her back several times and in many different ways for her complete devotion. However, she will hear nothing of the sort and stresses that it is "her pleasure" to help out.

Since I know she loves flowers and is an avid gardener, I have decided to give her this Sunflower painting as a token of appreciation for all she has done. ( and still continues to do )

I have been considering it for quite some time and I awoke this morning with this thought in mind, so I started on it right after breakfast. I have yet to mat and frame it, but will mail it out to her once having done so.

While she has taken many of my Oil classes ( and some of my Watercolor sessions ), I know that her true preference is Watercolor, which dictated the particular use of this medium for this gift.

By the way, for you painters out there,............... this was done on MultiMedia Artboard. If you have never used it, check it out. It is absolutely fantastic stuff. It will take any media, wet or dry. EVERYTHING!! You may not have noticed, but the Sunflower painting started out with some Pen & Ink work, then W/C washes over the top.

The manufacturers of this fine product sent me some samples ( upon my request ) quite some time ago and I have used it for several different projects in every medium. ( including a book cover design in Oils that was recently commissioned by a local authoress )

It is the thickness of heavy paper, but more rigid. It will break if bent too extremely. ( remember it is a "board", not a paper ) But, it is like nothing you have ever used. I love it! It is also available in Black. Check it out at http://www.multimediaartboard.com/

Recent Still Life

I've been very busy as of late, on a lot of different matters, both art-related and not. Therefore, I haven't had an entry here in a couple of weeks.

This is a Still Life ( in Oils ) that I have been working on for a while now, tweaking, glazing and adjusting. It's one I did for my daughter's kitchen, matching some of her decor colors.

She and her husband just purchased their first home last May and did some re-modeling throughout. She mentioned that she needed a painting to complete the kitchen area ( a hint for ol' Dad ), so this is what I came up with. It was done with a "grisaille" underpainting ( in shades of gray ) then glazed with color. Similar to an old Master's approach.

This is a technique that I love to employ when I want a more realistic end result.