The weather in the north east US has been historically mild. It gave us time to get out and paint. I understand our buddies in the UK have been experiencing this phenomenon as well. I am sure we are in for some nasty retaliation, soon.

Remember to send your input and submissions of your articles regarding travel locations, art, and artists and experiences. Even photos of your area would be nice. We would love to hear from you!

Sincerely, Theresa Quirk

Welcome, GA Sheller
Western New York State

g.a. Sheller is recognized as one of the country's leading artists in the synthesis of watercolor and photography, and is a renowned colorist whose paintings highlight landscapes and plant forms.

She teaches painting workshops in the US and in the UK and Ireland, as well as in France and Italy. I am presently on the faculty of the Memorial Art Gallery, adult classes, of the University of Rochester. I have organized painting workshops for over 15 years. I am a member of Who's Who in American Art and have been named One of 2000 Outstanding Artists of the Twentieth Century by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle.

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Mary Erickson has been painting since she can remember. She grew up sketching the beaches of Long Island Sound in Connecticut and has always been able to find beauty in her surroundings, whether it be along a southern shore or in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. She sold her first painting to Gulf+Western Industries in Stamford, Connecticut at 13.

Since 1998 Mary has divided her time between Marshville, N.C. and Venice, Fla. Plein air painting tours have taken her to Spain, Montana, California, Oregon, Arizona, the Florida Panhandle, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Smoky Mountains, and Hilton Head, S.C. She travels extensively, either with her husband, John Edmondson, or with other artists. Mary's day begins before sunrise, and ends after the last sunset painting. A week long painting tour will end in exhaustion, and the unique accomplishment of creating anywhere from 10 to 20 paintings for each artist!

Mary lives such an exciting and rewarding career as an artist and we're excited to have her abroad!

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PAINTING TRIPS

Join us at the Paint Out in Old Lyme CT
May 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th 2007

Come and join us in Old Lyme, where the character that drew painters to the area over a century ago remains today.

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Artist-in-residence programs

Artist-in-residence programs are not the only way to be able to work abroad. Did you ever consider a temporary international studio swap? Check out the Offered & Wanted Section and see what destinations trigger your imagination. Trans Artists is an independent foundation that informs artists of any discipline about international artist-in-residence programs and other opportunities for artists to stay and work elsewhere 'for art's sake'.

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"Arte Natura" call for entries
Online -- SlowArt Productions announces a call to artists for the "Arte Natura" exhibition, May 10 - June 2, 2007 at the Limner Gallery in Hudson, NY. Open to all artists 18 or older. Artwork must be inspired by the natural world. Awards: Publication in Direct Art Magazine. Deadline: Feb 28, 2007. Entry Fee: $30 for four images, $5 each additional. Prospectus and entry form: http://www.slowart.com/prospectus/nature.htm. Or artists can send a SASE to: Limner Gallery, 123 Warren St, Hudson, NY 12534. Questions? Contact Tim Slowinski at slowart@aol.com or call 518-828-2343
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Art League of Hilton Head 2007 National Juried Art Exhibition
Hilton Head, SC
Sponsor: The Art League of Hilton Head
Venue: Walter Greer Gallery, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina
Awards: $10,000, including $2,500 Best of Show
Juror: Dean Mitchell
Eligibility: Media Categories: Mixed media, Oil or Acrylic on canvas or board, pastel, 3 dimensional art, Watermedia on paper under plexi, all other (excluding all prints and computer art). All entries will be juried from Slides. Artwork must not have been exhibited in any other juried show. All entries must be priced with intent to sell. Maximum size 48"x48" including frame. Sculptures not to exceed 60" vertical and 30" horizontal or weigh over 50 lbs.
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WORKSHOP: Craig Srebnik
Hilton Head, SC
February 12-16, 2007
Secrets from the Masters: Painting Flesh Tones and the Figure
Medium: Oil
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Fee: $500
"Secrets" used by Classical through Contemporary Masters will be introduced and demonstrated: the proportions and structure of the figure; establishing the composition; light and dark masses; selecting and mixing colors on the palette; layering and blending naturalistic skin tones on the canvas; capturing the warm, cool and neutral variations and the transparency of the flesh; modeling the forms of the figure; alla prima brush and palette knife techniques; interpreting the effect of light and atmosphere; and helpful studio tips. He will also show you how to work effectively from photographs to express your artistic vision.
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It seems we can sometimes understand ourselves or find inner experience articulated through the language of the landscape - and in that connection recognize something within both landscape and self that is deeper and bigger than either.. –Jim Mott.

Ever wish you could just take off? With brushes and backpack and really see the country? Well, for those of you who don't know Jim Mott, he's a guy who did just that.

The Itinerant Artist Project, that Jim created, is a painting-based project with strong public outreach and performance dimensions. It involves locating (by various means) a series of voluntary "hosts" around the USA, touring by car from host to host, and at each stop painting several small location paintings, offering one in exchange for the hospitality provided (room, board and occasional conversation for 2-5 days).

Among other things, the project explores the function of art as gift and the effect of a gift economy on productivity. The first phase was done in five main installments, covering six months during the years 2000-2004. He returned to the project in October 2006 with a New England tour and will continue with occasional trips in 2007 and 2008

"The IAP has been pivotal for my development as an artist. Besides giving me new ways to think about my role as a painter, and as a mediator between art and place and public, the touring has stimulated unexpected productivity, and the resulting artwork has drawn local and national attention through a number of articles, exhibits and presentations."

In a recent comment Jim added, "freedom is over-rated! at least, I know from experience that it is possible to have too much". I guess you realize that I don't have a home life to give up, so that does make it easier.  When I did my first  cross-country tour, I wanted nothing more than a home life,  so I  figured I should make the most of  an unfortunate situation. Of course, a lot  of people with home and family commitments wish they had the freedom to do what i did.  ah well!"

It tends to be most gratifying staying with non-artists as hosts, because they're so pleased to  have art in their lives. That's very different from the camaraderie  of a plein air paint out...but it can be unusually fulfilling.

Read more about Jim, his IAP program, gallery and his vast social and educational background. by visiting his web site below.

[ CLICK HERE ]

Best Kept Secret

The Highlands is one of New Jerseys best kept secrets. Nestled in the northern-most portion of New Jersey along the Orange County, NY border is a watershed area compromising over 1,250 square miles! It provides drinking water for over 5 million people, contains exceptional natural resources such as clean air, contiguous forest lands, wetlands, pristine watersheds and plant and wildlife species habitats. Located just 50 minutes from Midtown Manhattan, a short drive, most people aren't even aware this area exists. When most think of NJ, they think of the Turnpike, but there is more to NJ than the highways and jug-handles we are famous for. [ MAP ]

View from Ringwood NJ