artist exchange/winter travel

With the Spanish vocabulary of a toddler who knows a little about food and backed by my 9-percent fluency ranking with the app DuoLingo, I'm heading south for an artist exchange and reprieve from winter. Thanks to Judith Anthony Johnston and Katrina Methot Swanson, fellow members of the  Artists' Cooperative Gallery, and their multiple conversations with Costa Rican artist Elisa Morera, I get to participate in a program to show work in the Sophia Wanamaker Gallery, which is part of cultural center that links North America with Costa Rica. In June, our gallery will host several artists from Costa Rica.

I'm counting on the good will garnered with good manners -- I can easily say 'hello,' 'please' and 'thank-you' -- and the reports of numerous bilingual natives and U.S. expatriates. I expect to have at least occasional Internet access and plan to share a few photos on social media, but I'm really looking forward to sketching and writing as a way to journal about my adventures. My bags are packed, I've got colons in my wallet, and I'm hoping for a "bueno viaje" (good journey). Cheers!

making a cut

I'm excited about being one of six finalists for a yearlong residency at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel and the only artist from Omaha in the mix. The artist-in-residence will spend about four days a week working in a hotel studio, engaging with visitors and displaying work. Several public events will occur through the year and the artist will create a legacy piece that will remain at the hotel. Visitors to the hotel lobby can cast a ballot for their favorite artist through Jan. 25; finalists will interview with a committee in January and the name of the resident artist will be announced Feb. 1. 

Hotel owner Marcus Corporation has run an artist-in-residence, as well as a writer-in-residence, at its flagship hotel in Milwaukee, the Pfizer Hotel, for several years. Expanding the program to Lincoln has the potential to add a vibrant dimension to Nebraska's art community and I'm eager to see how it develops. 

conceal and reveal

The open house was intense -- many visitors, many engaging conversations and sales, too! Returning the studio to its working mode, I've been finishing up several small paintings. I'll choose from among the paintings on paper to take with me to display in Costa Rica early next year. The image above is of one in a small series that I completed this week. Earlier layers looked like this:

early layers of several paintings on paper

and then like this:

adding texture, pattern and color

concealing and revealing underlying layers

Preparing for open studios!

I've been rearranging artwork and cleaning up a bit to get the studio in shape for the Hot Shops open house Dec. 5 & 6. I'll be in Studio #311 from noon to 8 p.m. or so on Saturday and noon to 5 or 6 p.m. Sunday. I have some new pieces, including a trio of small paintings on paper inspired by Omaha's beautiful old buildings. They are a whimsical take on the ways this architecture adds character to our city that is worth preserving. 

A small painting on paper made with oil colors and cold wax. It's about 7x7.5"

It's always a little less crowded up on the third floor, so I recommend starting up on top and working your way down through the building. There are shows in all the first-floor galleries and about 80 resident artists opening their studios.  Guest artists are in studios, stairwells and hallways, so you're sure to see something that interests you.