Seattle Update

Fellow Travelers,

This is a time of dynamic, accelerated change in my art practice, my art, my life.

One journey flows into another, the adventures overlap, and friends and allies emerge.  Dreams turn into drawings turn into climbs toward the new.  I might be being dramatic, or I might just be trying to describe and share experiences that go beyond my previous experience.

As you may know if you’ve followed along the narratives so far, ArtX Flagstaff 2024 was the first “art opportunity” in which I had been granted permission to participate.  Everything about the festival, 10 days long in Flagstaff, AZ, was wonderful, challenging, and developing, thanks to the people I met there, who showed me grace, kindness, and new perspectives.  Following the three weeks total I spent in Arizona, the last week was spent with artist and colleague Max Roath in Denver.  The several portraits made of him during our time together are my personal favorite works so far this year; they were a long time coming since we met in 2021 in Santa Fe.

Now, I spend a brief time period in Seattle.  I flew here two weeks ago, leaving my car in Denver for strategic purposes.

From Seattle, I’ll fly back in a week to drive from Denver to the East Coast for July, including, unless a certain alternate opportunity comes to fruition, my invitation to Plein Air Easton, the world’s largest (and self-billed) most prestigious plein air painting competition. 

I am attending Plein Air Easton not because I believe art is a competition - it’s not - but because I am keen to introduce what I do in my plein air work to a prospective audience of collectors who attend Easton specifically to buy paintings made outside, from life.

Some other news: recently four pieces sold, all to the same client who is outfitting the walls of their home in Seattle, having just moved back into town.  I am always grateful for sales, especially sales coming from old contacts, but I would like to do more to offer the audiences of my work chances to participate in art.  Be on the lookout for a series of questions asking you how you engage with art, mine or otherwise.

Also on the horizon - a coming show, or really, series of shows, starting at the end of this summer, and continuing throughout the year.  The larger watercolor pieces I’ve been producing, up to 40 x 60 inches, deserve a better showcase than the 1 x 2 inch representation which has likely been your only interaction with them.  Finally, I believe I’ve found a venue to accommodate.

Cheers,

David