Third place win at Willamette Lavender festival !

While I was  teaching a private workshop in Cle Elum - I received a terrific news .. I was awarded a third place cash prize at Willamette Lavender festival !!!  Feeling very lucky to win, as I was competing with 100 artists! Thank you Aimee Erickson for judging the competition! Special thanks to organizers and personally to Kathy Johnson, chair WV Lavender Paint Out !!!
Here is a group of paintings from the festival, and more from later....All of 'em are for sale.

My winning piece from Willamette Lavender Festival
"Deep Purple" oil on linen, 9x12 - $ 300.00

"Lavender path" oil on linen, 11x14 - $ 300.00 

"Lavender and Roses" $100.00

"Purple Miles" oil on linen $ 300.00

"Discovery II"

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” said Cezanne, and I agreed :) Try to express your deepest thoughts, incentives through your art ...Leave the fear, shame and insecurity at the door of your studio - paint, sing, be wild and messy ..get yourself a permission feel vulnerable...cry ..laugh ..BUT paint...create ..keep mastering your own voice ..
The energy will flow into your work with confidence,  and confidence can be build up with time and perseverance... so paint every day ....Here is my plein air painting from yesterday..
"Discovery II" painted in Discovery Park.

"Santa Fe"

I stumbled upon an incredible blog ..Guys, whoever you are: my student, follower, or a friend interested in art, that is a must read material, if you want to get deeper into world of color, design and creative spirit !!!
It's long article but worth to read every word of it...
http://paintingperceptions.com/great-reads/ken-kewley-writings-on-color

In a meanwhile , here is my latest demo painting for the Thursday class at Arts Umbrella

"Santa Fe' oil on board , 11x14 

"In the Shadow of Chapel "

ANOTHER LIFE

…as if, all along, you had thought the end point
might be a city with golden towers, and cheering crowds,
and turning the corner at what you thought was the end 
of the road, you found just a simple reflection,
and a clear revelation beneath the face looking back
and beneath it another invitation, all in one glimpse:
like a person or a place you had sought forever,
like a bold field of freedom that beckoned you beyond;
like another life, and the road - the road still stretching on.

David Whyte .......

"In the Shadow of Chapel" oil on linen, 10x10 

"First Mums"

Im pretty happy with this painting ..it's been awhile for me to experience a satisfaction about my own painting..I know what they say ; "If you feel like you are in some kind of stagnation despite painting every day like mad, it's mean you are about to undergo a  breakthrough" Well, I hope so :)
But it did feel like I'm on something in this still life ..The main sensation I was experiencing and eventually what gave me  the result, was the urge to let go ANY control over your painting ...letting go any pressure about creating a Masterpiece..The whole time I was painting I felt so liberated feeling the desire to mess this painting up and just have fun with brush strokes applications. And then, at the highest point  of fearlessness , miracle happened ...I DIDN'T CARE ..I was free ...Limitations left me ..So  what I want to say in this post- try to exercise your right for creative freedom every time you are in front of a blank canvas... Forget about other artists,  forget to compare yourself with Masters, forget  juries, committees,  critics ....Paint like you DON'T CARE about selling this piece ..and paint every single freaking piece exactly like this ....You will unleash your creative genius..it's there inside of you..it's always been there, just buried under heavy rocks of  pressure of the society, pressure of being SUCCESSFUL  and ACCEPTED by social network......
So here it is ..."First Mums" oil on canvas , 18x24

Recent plein air paintings

Yes, it's been a month since I posted in here. Busy creative and personal  life take its toll. Since the last piece form Arboretum uploaded on here and counted as # 60  , I travelled quite a few great places in pursuit of perfect light, color, space, and painted at least 20 paintings. There is no possible way for me to go back and systematize  them all  now..;)
So uploading about 6 plein air paintings in one post will somehow solve the problem :)
Here we are!

"Morning haze" ...

"Azalea Lane"  oil on linen, 9x12

"Palouse Sky" oil on linen , 11x14

"In the NOW" oil on canvas9x24

"Kenmore Air" oil on linen, 12x12

"Meadow" oil on canvas 12x16

Painting#60 "Arboretum II"

I lost a sequence and an order of my paintings...No wonder :) So many beautiful things to paint and learn , so many interesting functions, meetings, concerts, art exhibits, home based business challenges, so many fantastic books to read ... so little time...:)))
One things is inviolable ... I still paint every day ...I'm almost done with small size paintings, and that's why I don't post daily anymore. However there is a bunch of great artists, face book friends, who posted often and sometimes come up with invaluable information. One of them is Thomas  J. Kitts. He actually wrote the whole esse about Sargent painting approach
I would highly recommend this, loaded  with a great information, art research. Read here :
Thomas Kitts
Ohh yes, and the painting # 60 - "Arboretum" plein air demo for my Monday class.Oil on linen, 12

" Arboretum II" oil on linen, 12x11 

x 11