More dust...

After spending a few days in Joseph, OR for their Festival of Arts, I thought anyone following this blog should be able to enjoy some of the scenery from there as well.  This is a beautiful, lush valley next to the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon.  It is rich in color and beauty.  Early June seems to bring the rains and the colors of green are endless.  It's a little early for much of the wild flowers to be blooming, but there is a hint of color out in the prairies to the north and east.  Joseph is a destination with a history of fine bronze foundries, art galleries and recreation for many with a beautiful lake snuggled up against the mountains, lots of trails to bike and hike and ride.  This has been an "art town" for quite a while.  There are fabulous artists living and working there.  The arts council is an active one and they sponsor an annual festival of the arts that draws artists from across the US and some international artists as well.
I started attending the event 5 years ago and look forward to it every year.  I look forward to seeing friends there and participating in the events offered by the festival such as the plein air and quick draw events.
The scene of the tepee was one of the sites of the plein air paintings.  The town of Joseph is relatively small, but there are good places to have a meal, some great shopping and wonderful to just walk around in.  On many of the street corners there are life sized bronzes of a variety of subject - from a pioneer woman to some wolves to a bronc rider on a bucking horse, to a mare and foal and more...So if one is looking for something to do the first weekend of June...check out Joseph.  The festival has a Facebook page "Wallows Valley Festival of the Arts"; the town has a website that lists the events of the year.  It's a great destination! Some of my favorite spots to go...BeeCrowBee - Will makes his own lotions, oils, soaps etc.  Fabulous product.  Will is an artist as well and does some amazing work.  The shop is great and must stop.  To Zion is another fun store for clothing and great, really great jewelry.  Wolf Fleece is a great store for fleece vests, shirts and more.  And they have some of the nicest lines of women's wear, shoes, handbags and jewelry.  Kelly's Gallery on Main is a fun gallery with tons of art and jewelry.  Kelly hangs my work and has lots of great things from bronze to oil paintings to pottery to paintings of feathers.

This week I will take art to Sandpoint, Idaho for their summer artwalk.  This is a long standing art show that hangs for a month in venues throughout the town.  Sandpoint is another wonderful place to visit in the northern "panhandle" of Idaho.  I was happy to have been accepted as one of the artists this year to participate.  My work will be at the Panhandle State Bank and Tango Cafe'...I am looking forward to seeing my friend Sheila who is a fellow artist who does amazing art quilts and lives in Sandpoint area. Look forward to also seeing Al and Sharon, friends who moves to Idaho a few years ago.

PastelNews.com is my favorite site to find out information on almost anything related to pastels.  Mario hosts that site from Croatia and it is a wealth of information for artists ans art lover.  He just included a collage of the Series of 100 in it and he did a great job of putting somewhere around 50 of the the images together!  Check it out.  And if  you haven't subscribed to that page on FaceBook, do.  It's great info.

In the next blog I will talk about competitions and shows.  And I am working on a couple of new pieces which might have images by then! 

On a final note I must say good bye to a venue that has treated me very well and has produced good sales.  Raphaels in Pendleton, OR is closing at the end of the month, sadly after 25 years.  Raphael's is a restaurant of excellent means and have used some of their walls as sales gallery for artists.  I was honored to be asked to hand work there.  Rob and Raphael are entering a new chapter of their lives and seeking out adventure in a different area.  There is a promise of returning in 3-5 years and re-opening one of the best restaurants.  In the meantime I am honored to have one of my mono prints hanging on their walls with some of the most important Native American artists like James Lavadour.  My best to Raphael and Rob and a huge thank you!
Happy painting...