Door County Plein Air Festival

I have recently taken part in the Invitational Door County Plein Air Festival. Congratulations to the Peninsula Art School and it's Board and especially to Cinnamon Rossman for doing such a fine job organizing all of this in their inaugural year.

I will be posting photos and more text about my experience painting in this fabulous competition.

Congratulations to one of Ohio's own, Rick Dziak, OPA, for winning 2nd Place. It was a great painting spot Rick. For sure.

Ohio Supreme Court Permanent Collection

I am delighted to announce that two of my plein air paintings have been selected to kick off the start of the permanent collection of the Ohio Supreme Court. The work will hang in the newly renovated and restored Supreme Court Building in at 65 S. Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215.

Top: “Misty Morning, Wooster” is 10 x 8” and was painted from the deck of the Pine Tree Barn at last year’s Ohio Plein Air Society paintout. This painting was included in my 2006 solo exhibition at The Sharon Weiss Gallery in Columbus.

Below: “Marblehead Wetlands” is 8 x 10” and was painted during the OPAS June 2005 Marblehead Paintout. This painting was accepted into the Oil Painters of America 2006 National Exhibition.

Pigs Triumphant!

Here is last week's 12" x 9" painting of two wonderful swines that I saw in Orchha, India. I just love that mohawk hairdo that this boar is sporting. Still one of my favorite animals.

Not sure this is finished, but if I make changes, will post it again.


Enjoy!

Happy Easter 2007!

A photo and a painting of my Grandson, Tyler. The photo was taken 2 years ago after we dyed Easter eggs. The painting I did last year.

Tyler's a great kid, now 12 years old and growing too quickly. We dyed eggs together again on Thursday afternoon. It was a fun and relaxing time with him. We laughed, chatted about our next creation, and caught up on each others lives. He and I hadn't spent any real time together since before Christmas.

Tyler has been a terrific model for me over the past 3-4 years, and the public seems to enjoy the paintings I have done of him. I will be sorry when he passes through this wonderful stage of his life and gets too big to pose for his Granny any longer.

The painting is titled "On Three!", one of Martin's title's. It was in my solo exhibition at Sharon Weiss Gallery last year. 20" x 16" Oil on Gessoed Masonite.

Love them pigs!

Well, I am hunkered down here at the house painting for my upcoming June exhibition. WOW! is all I can say. Thanks to the help of Martin, Edie, Jon and Ray who have been giving me pep talks & calming me down, things are beginning to happen. I am painting a picture of some pigs I saw in Orccha, India. Pigs seem to evoke a strong reaction in people: they either hate them or love them. I LOVE them. More intelligent than dogs, and so interesting to spend time with. These Indian pigs were roaming free and had a litter. I tried to get up close while they were feeding on Mom, but they got spooked and hid in a bush. I got some great photos of them, and am working on an 9x12" for my show.

First Chai

Here's the love of my life having his first cup of masala chai at our hotel rooftop restaurant in Mumbai (Arabian Sea backdrop). Masala means mixed spices, and the tea is laced with great tasting things like cardomom and ginger, and finished off with hot creamy milk. I've not had a chai in this country to compare. Martin almost choked on his first sip. It was chocked full of sugar Indian style! They love their sugar, but for one who stopped putting sugar in his tea when the prices went up in the 70's, this chai was a bitter pill to swallow indeed. Still, he perservered and quickly learned to order no sugar. I tried it without the sugar (I don't take sugar either), but honestly, it just isn't right without some sugar. The spices make it too bitter. We took to ordering without sugar and adding as we liked.

Spring

It came to Pataskala, OH as a glorious day full of sun. I had to get out and paint. I was so excited by the sun and the spring equinox that I forgot to take much notice of what I wore when I got into the car. All I knew was that Martin said it was going to be warm. I only drove about 2 miles from home and saw something that caught my eye. I had been driving by this place for almost 16 years and never noticed this cluster of barns until today. I quickly turned into a drive on the opposite side of the road. This house does a large pick-your-own vegetable field which I painted in the early 90's. Before I could knock on the door, the owner opened it. I handed him my card, and started to tell him I was an artist and could I leave my car in his drive. He was in agreement and reminded me not to get into the mud. I gathered my supplies, and already I could tell it was colder than I thought. I put on a rain slicker that happened to be in the car, but after two hours, my hands were frozen, as were my feet. Martin forgot to tell me about the windchill index. I came home, hand lunch, put on my silk underwear and some other layers and after talking with Martin, went back out to my new favorite spot about 5 miles from here. There is a complex of structures. My favorite is a white barn with a roof in three colors, green, rusty red and blue. Doors are a viridian green. Just an interesting and colorful object sitting there waiting to be painted. I attempted this barn last week on a sunny day. Not feeling it was quite right, I took that painting back out to see if I could make it better. I think I succeeded, but not quite there. Next time, I'll do a new one. But it was a fabulous day no matter which way you look at it. I'll post a photo when I can.

Checking the Chilly Factor

We arrived in Mumbai at 10:30PM. A car from the hotel was waiting. It took us an hour to reach our destination and another 15 - 20 minutes to check in. After stowing our luggage, we headed for our rooftop restaurant. Here is Ray after a grueling 15+ hours. He's holding up our first Kingfisher Beer. (Click that photo and it enlarges.)

Ray, put it down, you'll destroy the "chilly factor"!

Indians always let you feel the beer bottle to see how "very, very cold" it is. We have affectionately started to call that "checking the chilly factor". Beer is rather chilly in this hotel which caters to Westerners; but in general, we think that the beer you feel is just a decoy, and goes back into the fridge, while you drink one that has a chilly factor of 2 or 3. Although this was not a 10, it wasn't bad for India.

Return from the East

We are back from India and Bhutan for almost a week now. It has been a hard, and at times forced adjustment coming home. While I was gone, I emailed travel logs to a mailing list of about 97 people.

I am going to start posting some text and photos onto the blog, starting tomorrow I hope.

But to wet your appetite, I will start with this photo of our first sunrise on our first morning in India. You are looking out at the Arabian Sea from the rooftop of our Mumbai Hotel, Harbour View.

Ray and I stayed in this hotel two years ago, and painted from this rooftop restaurant at dawn. We liked the view so much that we decided to stay here again. It was marvelous to be back here and looking at what seemed like a homecoming.

Dealer's Choice Exhibition

This painting was done in France, June 2006. I was painting with three other artist friends, Meg, Margie and Susie. We have become affectionately known as "The March Sisters".

We drove from Néons-sur-Cruse to St. Pierre de Maillé with easels in tow. It was a sunny and hot - if one is standing in the sun as I was - day.

Standing on the side of a "ruelle" with the river at my heels, this charming flower covered house called out to me. I was so beguiled by it, that I sat up my stuff in a bunch of nettles and started to work.

As Meg and I painted - she was smart enought to stand in the shade - music came to our ears from the open windows. A cello concert! What a hard, hard job, standing in France, listening to cello music and painting. It's a rough life sometimes.

Nevertheless, we perservered, and this is the result of my effort. The owner of the house, John Cooke, an Englishman, lives part of the year in this house in France and the other part in the Far East. He came to his window, and saw us. What a great site it was, he was gleaming in the sunlight, and I quickly sketched him in. The painting is executed with brush and palette knife is is now on display in the Dealer's Choice exhibition which just opened at the Schumacher Gallery in Bexley, OH - near Columbus. The exhibition features works by artists of seven galleries in the area. First time an exhibition of this nature has taken place in the central Ohio area.

Painting is called At the Window or A la fenetre, but I now think that I should have called it An Englishman in France. It's 8" x 10", oil on a RayMar Panel.

Debbie Does Dehli

We have been on the road for over two weeks in India, Bhutan, and back to India now, and this is the first time I've found a computer fast enough to get onto this blog.

We are in Delhi, arrived two nights ago spent the day yesterday at a huge new temple to Bhagwam Swaminaraya (1781-1830 CE). What a place, if you go to Dehli, you have to visit it.

I wanted to say I have heard that my little tent painting sold. To who? I hope my friend lets me know.

Okay. Will post all of my adventures when I get home.

Full Moon, India

The full moon will be Mar 3; we will be in Bombay. there will also be a lunar eclipse that night. And, most interesting, it will be Holi the Hindu festival where people throw colors at each other. Last time we saw people covered in purple, so awesome, purple people and cows. Should be fun!

A Little Gem

Titled "The Tent" 6x6" oil on streched canvas.
I'm entering this little gem into the Ohio Plein Air Society Winter Juried Exhibition in Columbus, OH.

I painted this in October 2006, on Jon Browning's Henney Farm in New Philadelphia, OH.

The tent made me think back to my daughter's wedding on the front lawn of my parents house in Maryland. We hung white paper Chinese lanterns in the trees and rented a yellow and white tent like this for the outdoor reception. The tent really made for a party feeling. At the paintout, I kept eyeballing the tent all weekend saying, "Someone should paint that tent." Finally, I could stand it no longer, and so I did!

Studio Rendition

Here's the 36" x 48" studio version of the 6" x 8" plein air painting I posted in November along with a photo of me painting in Ireland.

"Hag's Head, Cliffs of Moher" copyright 2006.

India Count Down

I am working on getting together names and addresses of those who wish to receive a weekly update from India and Bhutan while we are away.

Just imagine Hrundi, "Bertie", and myself, crammed into small cubicles, sweating and typing out our adventures to you. If you'd like to receive this updates, you just have to let me know that you want to be included on my list!

Snow today!

We had our first snow today. About an inch. Everything looks quiet under this blanket of new snow.

I am thinking of the day I painted this snowy sunset. At the Indian Mounds in Newark, OH. Part of the largest earthworks in the world. It was February 2003, the day after the Space Shuttle blew up. But it was strangly quiet. It was easy to let your imagination run wild in this setting.

This painting is 16 x 20" oil on canvas. It's the painting that I did to represent Licking County, as part of the Paint Ohio Project. Signed/numbered prints are available of this painting. Contact me: debrajoycedawson@earthlink.net.

Yin & Yang of Life

I woke up this morning, parted the curtains, and there was a full moon, oh so bright looking back at me. I didn't have my glasses on, and thought, "is that really the moon?" My daughter had called a couple of days ago to say there was a full moon, and I was not expecting to see it there this morning. It was 7:30am. I put on my glasses to see if it really was the moon.

The color was magnificent, a warm yellow against a deep blue sky. Nature at her best, and for a few moments I was quite visually excited!

But, just after Christmas, I saw my sister, in ruin. She is the victim of credit card fraud, forgery, and is about to loose her house. She knows who did this to her. Her son, and his new girlfriend. I spent three days helping her uncover and shed light on the truth of what had been happening to her from April until the end of November: $70,000 of credit card debt, a wiped out bank account, and no money left in her IRA. I returned to Ohio a little depressed.

So, right now, the world doesn't shine as brightly as it did. My sister will be 65 on January 5th. She has a long, hard road to walk in trying to salvage some semblance of what her life once was.
And then there was this mornings moon. Calling me back to the beauty of life. It didn't totally succeed, but it did get me dressed and with camera in hand, I drove two miles from my house where there are open fields. I parked the car on the roadside in front of a barn and some cows, and stayed with the moon until it set, taking it's picture.

This is the third January that I have done this. In 2005 there was a frosty, foggy moon - it was a cold winter, there was snow already on the ground, and we'd just had an ice storm; in 2006 the sky was bluer and clear; this year winter has so far been mild, and the sky was filled with pastel shades of pink and yellow. The setting moon was huge. Cows were having their breakfast at a feeder. Curiosity made one turn it's head to look at me.

It was a soft, glorious morning, and I just want to give thanks to Mother Nature for being there.