Two of my pastel pieces were juried into the Iowa State Fair this year (August 7-17).  Be sure to visit the Cultural Building while you are at he Fair.  The fine arts exhibit has been moved to the 3rd floor of the Cultural Building.  If you are trying to find a cool place to hang out at the fair, this building is now air conditioned.  There is also an elevator if you don't want to climb the stairs to see the show.  Enjoy!

I spent a little over a week in the Burgundy region in late June doing "en plein air" painting with 21 other artists from all over the world.  Our instructor for the trip was Costa Vavagiakis from the New York Students' League.

Its always great to make new friends, eat wonderful food, drink excellent wine, learn new things, and paint outside everyday, all day long.  I highly recommend it!!!

I also visited a lot of museums while on this trip.  The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam was the highlight of the museum tours.  I felt this was the most engaging museum I've been in in a long time.  The museum is set up to lead you through Van Gogh's art experiences over the ten years that he painted.  There are a lot of examples of paintings by the artists that influenced him and scientific studies about his work.  The audio tour, which is included in the ticket price,  adds important bits and pieces that make the tour extraordinary.

To see what I worked on this winter, go to the Ankeny Art Center.  You may want to viist their website to see when they are open before you plan your visit.  They are located east of the John Deere plant in Ankeny.

The show ends on July 30, 2014.