I attended the Winter Exhibition for the Allied Artists of Johnstown on Friday, Jan.31, 2013.  The juror had been quite selective, only admitting, if I remember correctly, 17 artists with 36 pieces. There was a variety of media including sculpture, photos, oil paintings and many others.  I was delighted to be showing my latest painting, Plimoth Wife and also a small portrait of our beloved cat, Muffet. Plimoth Wife was awarded second place (The Donna Housel Award) which is a fine companion to her Best of Show from the Mr. Fred Roger’s Regional Juried Exhibition in the fall. I was honored to be in the company of such interesting and talented people.  I enjoyed the exciting spirit of the evening, meeting new artists and visiting with so many who shared their thoughts and encouragement.

Today is Feb. 11 already.  I finished my most recent portrait last week, which I will post soon. It will be entitled THE MOUNTAIN STREAM HIDEOUT. This is the third Mountain Stream title although I have used this setting previously. You will probably notice that for my own work, that is, for the paintings of my grandchildren, I like to place them in elaborate or busy backdrops. I do this for several reasons.  One, I like genre paintings, paintings that tell a story.  But the main reason I paint these tedious landscapes as a back drop though, is in order to practice and learn how to paint landscapes.  It is as simple as that.  Sometimes they work well, sometimes they don’t.  Usually the portraits I’m worried about, others really like.  Whenever I do a commissioned work, I make the background a more simple and classic one.   This brings the price into a moderate range.  Both the background and the price are negotiable as are other aspects of a commission. My goal is to create a work of art for the customer, not a copy of a photograph.  Many artists use photos due to the time constraints of the clients and the tolerance of the sitter.  I love to paint children and they are not often willing to be still for more than a few moments.  Even so, it is essential to get to know the subject of the portrait in order to achieve a believable and impressive painting.  Right now I am beginning work on a very small painting of a family member and also a landscape/still life.  You will have to decide which it is. Also I am preparing the sketches and canvas for a large work that I will show if it is ready in the fall.  In the coming months I hope to post some photos of a work in progress. I will end this for now.  Shalom, Diana