As of this posting, Lumina is now in my current inventory and available for purchase. This original painting of red trees on red fields backed by a golden horizon features my signature impasto brushwork and minimalist composition to balance and calm the energetic hues. For more information on this work, send email to jo@texasgalgallery.com

Callas on Red
Triptych

Using my signature impasto brushwork, the red background is a perfect setting for the white callas.  Painting these is so much fun because it allows me to use every color on the wheel to indicate light and shadow while the flower still says "white".
A triptych can be displayed side by side, touching or with a slight space in between or with a larger space to create the feeling of a much larger piece. 
As of this posting, this piece is available.  For more information, contact me at jo@texasgalgallery.com

Driving to Austin to visit Positive Images Gallery, I always stop in the tiny town of Ellinger at Hruska's for a poppy seed kolache.  Yummo!!  Anyway, there is a vacant lot next to where I park with an enormous ancient oak tree that stands all alone.  Every time I see it I am amazed at the majesty of it.  That tree was the inspiration for Solitary.    For more information about this work, click on Works.

I'm still at the hotel but getting ready to leave for Quakertown Park to set up.  The festival opens this afternoon at 3pm and winds up on Sunday.  It's raining now but I'm sure it's going to clear up for a sunny crisp weekend.  If you're in the area, come by.  Great art, great food, amazing fun music.  You'll have a really good time.  See ya!

The Rio Grande Show ended on a high note when friends Lewis and Debbie Williams showed up on Sunday, just in time to help me break down and load up and then take me to a wonderful dinner in Old Town, Albuquerque.  Made many new friends in the Abq area and many paintings went home with new collectors.  My favorite Aspens went home with a Colorado artist.
Drive home was quite an event.  Just a short distance south of Abq I ran into a snow storm and it continued for the better part of 100 miles.  Since driving in snow isn't anything I'm used to, it was white knuckle driving until I got behind an 18 wheeler and stayed in his tracks as best I could.  It was breathtakingly beautiful and, in spite of nerves, I loved every minute of it.
Next was a stop in San Antonio to leave work at Artistic Endeavors.  If you're ever in SA, take a walk around La Villita by the River Walk.  This charming gallery is full of a wonderful mix of all sorts of colorful art. 
Commissions to start now and then prepare for April events.  If you haven't already, go back to the home page and click on Email Newsletter and enter your email address.  My April newsletter will be sent out in a few days.

Setup yesterday in the snow was a first for me but great fun.  This is a huge show and I've yet to see all of the work being shown but I can say that there are some amazing artists set up around me.
Today was busy and new collector Patricia took home the largest of the Desert Spirit series.  I've met many people with connections to Houston and Dallas area and expect to see some at next month's Denton Jazz and Arts Fest but more about that later.  If you haven't already signed up for my monthly art newsletter, click on Newsletter and put in your email address and I'll add you to the list.
Two more days of art here in Albuquerque and then back to the studio to start preparing for April shows.  Here is a shot of part of my booth at Rio Grande.

For those of you who live up north or on the east coast, snow this time of year may not be very exciting but for a girl who grew up in Venezuela and now lives on the gulf coast, snow is always a thrill.  I am in Albuquerque for the Rio Grande Arts Festival which starts tomorrow, Friday, March 12th and continues thru Sunday.  I drove to El Paso on Tuesday and was a little worried driving thru the mountains yesterday because snow showers had been predicted for then.  But God is so good and held them off until I was safely here and settled into a wonderful hotel room. 
I love my drives.  I have 5 different novels on cd this trip that I listened to and the miles just seem to fly.  My only regret was that because I was driving, I couldn't photo the scenery I passed thru.  I am of the era that grew up on western movies and the sage covered flatlands, mesas, and snowcovered mountains in the distance brought back so many memories.  I felt like at any time I might see a wagon train or a herd of cattle being  moved thru the valleys.  It's beautiful. 
Checkin later this morning at the festival and then setup after that.  I'm expecting a wonderful show and happy about being in the Land of Enchantment.

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged.  Winter shows ended with a great show in Covington, LA, in November and then spent most of the rest of November and up until Christmas painting commissions.  I happily took the rest of December off and now I'm back to painting getting ready for the start of Spring shows.  My first is Rio Grande in Albuquerque, NM., and I'm excited!  I love New Mexico and am looking forward to the show - the two day drive getting there not so much.  The upside is it is a drive I've never made before so it'll be fun.  Jewelry artist friend Darlene Santopolo is going to meet me there to help, then we're planning a short trip to Santa Fe and Taos where Darlene shows in Walden Fine Arts.  Then back home to see my boys, Chipper(Golden) and Rocky(Chow). 
I'm working to get a newsletter set up to go out monthly so if you would like to receive one, please register for it on this site.

I met Nancy Pinkerton at the Arts Festival Oklahoma in OK City earlier this month.  As with many of my new collectors, Nancy also loves trees.  We visited and she confided in me that she wrote a poem for herself and trees.  She agreed to share that personal poem with me and with all of you and I am grateful.

I Wish to Rest Within the Arms of a Tree
When I am worn and tired
no longer a physical being
taking up space,
Please place what is left of me in the arms of a tree
so that I might feel the sun and the rain,
dance naked without disapproving eyes.
I can think of no other place to rest my soul,
only that I am worthy of such a peaceful eternity.

As of this posting, I'm in Oklahoma City taking part in their 31st annual art festival on the campus of Oklahoma City Community College.  My first sale yesterday was to the College for art to hang in their new building.  I was truly honored to have one of my works be a part of their permanent collection.
The festival continues today and tomorrow.  On Tuesday I plan to visit the Murrah Building Memorial and the Oklahoma City Art Museum before heading over to Arkansas for a two day visit with precious relatives I haven't seen in a while.  After that it's back home to start painting again for next shows.