my new studio assistants

brenda howell, ma mere, 20x24, brenda howell, magpie on the gallows, 20x24, two paintings by alison gulczynski

well, it's official, things are finally looking up for us artists--at least it appears so from what i've seen posted on facebook and read on some blogs. show opportunities are popping up everywhere, people are making sales-slowly but surely, it seems that we're getting somewhere after a slow couple of years.

things are looking up for me as well and i have many shows and workshops scheduled for the coming months (see schedule in the sidebar). between teaching at tyler, teaching workshops, keeping up my studio practice, promoting my work, blogging and attempting to keep some semblance of a life, i've realized i'm not superwoman and i can't do it all myself. so i broke down and hired two assistants to help me. they have been working about a month and half and have been more than a blessing to me.

brenda howell is a trusted friend and artist who i met many years ago at tyler. she paints with encaustic, makes and sells awesome handmade wares on etsy and patiently listens to me vent about life. see more of her work here.

alison gulczynski is a recent graduate from moore college of art and design. she makes amazing collage drawings and paintings, is very ambitious and wants to learn all she can. see more of her work here.

having brenda and alison in the studio makes me happy and i'm able to breathe and think clearly. thanks to you both for your hard work!

sunday church drawing

danny jauregui

mac's bath, 2010, gouache on canvas over board, 5 x3 ft, basic plumbing, 2010, gouache on canvas, 5x8 ft, untitled, 2007, ash on canvas, mac's bath, 2010, gouache on canvas over board, 5 x3 ft

i'm back in love with the grid...see more here.

andrew moore

lunchroom, detroit, Model T HQ, detroit, cass tech courtyard, detroit

amazing urban images...see more here.

sandra brownlee

if i had seen such exciting woven marks twenty years ago, i may have paid more attention in my weaving classes....see more here.

brian dickerson

Spring Line, oil/wax with mixed media on wood, 12 x 12 x 3, sorry, no info on this one, Settlement #5, oil/wax with mixed media on wood, 30 x 25 x 10

taking urban landscape painting to the next level...see more here.

morris hirshfield

sorry, no info on this one, dog and pups, girl with dog

i love the primitive quality of these paintings along with the unique use of repetitive pattern and form...see more here and here.

sunday church drawing

patricia oblack

world keeps turning, acrylic, 24x32, keep wall at fangorn I, acrylic, 23x29, blurred vision, acrylic, 24x32

i get lost in the depth of this amazing color and texture...see more here.

christof mascher

from the fake empire installation, the ghost yard, 2007, oil on wood, 267x207cm, from the fake empire installation

dark fairy-tale landscapes....see more here and here.

mimi lauter

Buried Sun, detail, 2007, soft pastel, oil pastel, color pencil on paper, 96x80, Sense Three, 2009, soft pastel, oil pastel, color pencil, oil paint on paper, 78x126, Paradise Below Us, 2008, soft pastel, oil pastel, color pencil, oil paint on paper, 78x96

these drawings sparkle and stay with you, like special dreams...see more here and be sure to check out the amazing detail images of each painting.

ian macleod

composition #123, acrylic on canvas, 12x12, composition #132, acrylic on canvas, 48x36, composition #124, acrylic on canvas, 12x12

stunning use of color...see more here.

my recent pieces

rows: shift, 2011, encaustic, mixed media on rusted and branded silk on wood, 16x16x1, falling, fallen, fell, panels 1-4, 2011, encaustic, digital prints, photographs, hair, paper, oil paint on composted and burned silk on wood, 16x16x1 each panel

sunday church drawing

valerie zeman private workshop

valerie diligently working-her t-shirt says 'make art, don't be a chicken'-love it!, just a peak at her immense collection of deconstructed screenprinted fabrics, first painting almost finished, second painting just started with one of her beautiful fabrics covering a board and awaiting paint.

my january private workshop participant was valerie zeman, someone i met in the summer of 2009 while i was the fibers department head at peters valley craft center. the funny part of the story is that we didn't realize we knew each other until she had been here for a few hours!

valerie is an artist who has a passion for color and pattern, especially that associated with fabric and surface design techniques and she was drawn to the work i do in encaustic for those reasons. in our short one day workshop, i loaded her head with the basics of encaustic, showed her how to cover a board with fabric and how to work with a textured vs smooth surface. valerie loves taking workshops and wasn't at all tentative about diving in and making stuff. i love the two little paintings she started during the workshop and look forward to seeing more encaustic work from her!

toby sisson

Timeline of Seemingly Unrelated Events II, 2010, Encaustic, Oil, Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Wood, 24 x 48, Everything Is Happening All The Time, I, 2010, Encaustic and Oil on Wood, 12 x 12, Timeline of Seemingly Unrelated Events I, 2010, Encaustic, Oil, Charcoal, Graphite, Pastel on Wood, 24 x 48

bold, sensitive marks...see more here.

Glen Wolfgramm

show, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 121.5x121.5cm, fish, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 152x152cm, hail, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 121.5x121.5cm

loving the fragmented forms, lines and deep layers-reminds me of driving through the city through a snowstorm the other night...see more here.