Plein Air Easton 2015

 Point Pleasant Poem (16x16) oil on linen SOLD

Had a wonderful time returning to Plein Air Easton last month (my 4th time) and the beautiful landscape there. Surprisingly this was NOT the hottest week of the year as is usually the case; still there were plenty of bug bites and lots of humidity, but that gets forgotten in the midst of all the camaraderie and great events the PAE organizers put on...

Made in July (9x12) oil SOLD

I was able to stay with a painter friend afterwards for a few days and tour the Smithsonian Museum of American Art where they have several Thayers, Benson's and Tanner's that were all amazing to see in person (especially the Thayers)! We even stumbled upon a William Wendt that was being cleaned in their restoration room. Good times again in Maryland -- hope to return next year!

There Was a Crooked Man...

"There Was a Crooked Man..." (16x20) o/l

This is a recent plein air painting done in Yamhill County, Oregon... Nice old lady was out tending her garden and gave me permission to paint her dilapidated barns. Everything looked old there -- might have been a "century farm" but before I finished my painting and could inquire about it, the old lady disappeared! 

Sometimes it's that way out in the country you know; folks are a little skittish (and indeed it was a 'crooked' mile to get there)...

Fall Workshop Announcement:

 

Registration is now open for a Studio Landscape Painting Workshop this November  (2015) at Sequoia Gallery in Hillsboro, Oregon. 

I will be teaching an in-door 2-day class, sharing what I know via demo and lecture regarding painting the landscape in oil from photo reference, while exploring and developing your own style... Class size is limited to ten -- hope you can make it!

Please visit the link and scroll down to Event #134 for more details:

http://sequoiagallerystudios.org/classes/

Ready for My Close-Up, Mr. DeMille...

Country Barn (9x12) o/l

Just finished participating in the "Where in the World Is" live, online plein air event! For 3 days each artist painted one painting a day and video recorded their work, posting the videos on the WITWI web site -- you can view the videos and paintings here:

 http://www.whereintheworldispleinair.com/2015-artist/eric-bowman/

Jubilee 53 Ford Tractor (8x10) o/l

It was rather distracting and a bit of a hassle to video record myself (especially when I just bought a smartphone the week before specifically for this event)...no one told me the the phone is actually smarter than you are, and I still have yet to figure out how to use it correctly.

Under the Hydrangea (12x16) o/c SOLD

 At least the weather was nice each day, and I felt like I did some decent work, despite my awkward on-camera appearances... (Spielberg himself couldn't have made me look good). All-in-all it was a fun experience, and I hope it will be successful at the gallery... Oh, and did I mention the gallery hosting this event, the Illume Gallery has invited me on board as their newest artist? Not bad for a Hollywood has-been that never was!

Where??

Super Moon (6x8) o/p

Tomorrow (Wednesday) June 10th thru Friday the 12th I am participating in the "Where In The World Is" three-day live plein air video event! Each day 3 videos will be posted of me painting (one at the beginning,  one half-way through and one of the finished painting) then posted on the gallery's web site for viewing and purchasing. Over 100 artists are participating in this event, some as far away as Australia!
 

 http://www.whereintheworldispleinair.com/ 

Please tune in via the link above starting tomorrow and see where in the world I am painting!

Day Dream Believer

The Fairy Dress (16x12) oil

We have a large backyard on a slopping hill where our daughter often plays, and every so often I'll catch a glimpse of her through our window entertaining herself, unaware of my presence.  Of course playing alone can be boring at times, but it can also yield important life benefits; the old adage, "Necessity is the mother of invention" was never more true than when a young child is left to her own devices and must reinvent her world through imagination... 

I watched as she danced and pranced around the yard in her fairy dress imagining only who-knows-what in that special place where grownups can never go. I can remember having to entertain myself on lonely summer afternoons too when friends were not available, but I never knew just how important those moments of creativity were, or how they would enrich the rest of my life.

With a painter for a father and a musician for a mother there's no telling how far our creative girl will go, but beginning at the boundless universe of imagination is for sure the very best place to start...never stop dreaming my sweet little fairy!

Girl Crazy.

 Summer Time is Near (12x12) oil

I've been sketching my daughter lately, and wondering why I've waited so long to do so. Of course when she was a little younger, she had neither the interest nor the discipline to hold a pose for me, but we could have been collaborating sooner that now had I been paying attention.... Remember John Lennon singing, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"? Well, that's a truism for sure! 
 

The Asian Parasol (12x12) oil

I am very observant when it comes to our daughter and how fast she is growing and changing, but my notion to paint her was somehow subliminally shelved until just the other day....sure glad I woke up in time! I have 2 more of these in progress on easels right now with more ideas to come; I just have to negotiate compensation with my entrepreneurial mini-model (and of course my wife's opinion on which ones are not for sale)...

Batter up...

 Mixing (12x12)

I've been doing some small baker/chef paintings lately...haven't settled on titles for them yet, but they are heading to the Howard/Mandville Anniversary Show opening May 16th in Kirkland, WA.

 Chopping (12x12) SOLD

The gentleman above is a student at the Oregon Culinary Institute, and the girl is from the Gluten-Free Gem Bakery, both located in Portland, Oregon.

Many thanks to these folk for allowing me the privilege of photographing them as they worked. I hope to do more of these culinary pieces -- lots of fun and of course something everyone can relate to!