9" x 12", Oil on Mounted Canvas
Dear Collectors and Art Enthusiasts~
I hope this finds you all well. I’m just back from teaching once again in Louisiana, this time in Baton Rouge proper. It was a wonderful trip, filled with the increasingly familiar sights, smells, sounds, and faces of Louisiana. The weather held nicely, save for one afternoon of hard rain. Fortunately, we knew it was coming and had planned to be at the Rural Life Museum which has a sheltered place where we could work.
It was at the Rural Life Museum, on a drizzling and threatening morning, that I took the opportunity to paint “Surrender”, this month’s featured painting. The house in the painting was home to the owner of this estate just thirty-five years ago, and now is barely visible through the encroaching trees, vines, and shrubs which are already sending limbs and roots through the old walls and floorboards. It is the combination of water and heat which makes the plants grow so fast there, and on this morning we had plenty of both.
As I had a late flight home after the workshop, I did have a day to go and see the Atchafalaya, the world’s largest swampland. It was truly amazing. I climbed aboard a steel boat with a man who grew up in the area and now gives swamp tours, and we set off to see the trees, water plants, and abundant bird life of the Atchafalaya Swamp. As he cruised through even the most densely wooded areas, bumping from tree to tree and plowing fearlessly over floating logs I was able to get a beautiful view of the swamp, including at least a dozen alligators- some which were close enough to touch. I’ve been invited back to Louisiana next spring to teach again, and this time I want to take time to spend a day painting the swamps which have a haunting beauty all their own. I’ve created a page to show my recent paintings of Louisiana, click here to see them. I’ve got a couple that were too wet to fly with that will be shipped to me in a week (thanks, Jodi!) and those will be posted when they arrive.
I’ll be heading back to the islands later this month to explore and paint the sea caves which riddle the coasts of the Channel Islands. One of the park’s greatest draws is the opportunity to explore these caves by kayak, and I’ll be bringing a small easel with me as I go to paint what can be painted along the way. Being November, we’re sure to see lots of whales on the trip as well, which is always a pleasure. I have just a couple of important dates I wanted to leave you with, as I do hope you can attend at least one of these events. It would be my pleasure to see you there.
Best Regards,
David
DATES TO REMEMBER & UPCOMING EVENTS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 FROM 1-3 P.M.:
Whether you’ve been following the development of my solo museum exhibition of paintings of the Channel Islands or you’re not sure what it’s all about and would like to learn more, you may enjoy the opportunity to come to this public introduction to the project, and see the exhibition as it currently stands. I’ll be talking about the islands and marine sanctuary and the adventures I’ve had there, the process of distilling my adventures into a cohesive series of paintings, and what it’s like to be on the other side of the lens as the subject of a documentary film. In addition to a power-point presentation of nearly every painting I’ll have in the show, I’ll be bringing a number of the on-location studies with me. We’ll also have a few words from my sailing captain, Cap’n Dan of Sail Channel Islands. He’s logged more hours sailing these islands than anyone you’re ever likely to meet, and has become an authority on these waters. He will say a few words about the layman’s observations of watching me work, and will be available to help me answer your questions about visiting the islands. If I don’t know the answer, chances are he will. To RSVP to the event, and for driving directions and further information, click here.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 from 12-4 P.M.:
As I’ve all but left the gallery world entirely for the past few years, my studio is always open by appointment. Once each year, however, I open the doors for a public viewing of my work. In recent years, I’ve had to limit the attendees to 50 guests so that I might be able to at least say hello to each visitor. In keeping with that tradition, I’ve already started the RSVP list. While invitations will be mailed to selected members of my snail-mail list, I encourage you to RSVP for your party early to ensure your place. Directions are given to those who confirm.
