It's Show Time

     It all began in January with the Putney Painters' week at the Scottsdale Artists’ School and exhibit at The Legacy Gallery.  Since then my show attendance and collecting have escalated.  After I won the silent auction dual painting by Kathy Anderson and Stephanie Birdsall , Stephanie invited me to Tucson for pot luck before the Settler’s West Gallery annual miniature show in February.

     I arrived and unacquainted with most of Stephanie’s artist guests switched into artist-speak for some intense hob nobbing. I met many brand new seemingly “old friends”, among them Tim Newton of the Salmagundi Club, Albert Handell with his signature tomato soup colored suspenders and Stephen C. Datz, stellar landscape artist from Colorado.  Chatting it up with Anita Mosher and Carol Swinney I realized I need to be with artists to fuel my energy and passion. Back at my hotel I felt like a “born again artist”.

     The 30^th annual Settler’s West Gallery miniature show was a big hit. Gallery director Stuart Johnson indicated it’s the gallery’s most successful show.  This year 322 pieces from 220 artists were exhibited.  I tried to resist slipping my name into the little white numbered boxes but to no avail. My name was announced for my two favorite paintings. Eureka!

      Next up was last Thursday's opening reception at the Legacy Gallery for Robert Coombs, who was our first grand prize winner in 2005.  I also met with Kate Sammons who encouraged me to set up my studio, Romel De La Torre, who was a contest finalist numerous times and Mary Qian, the OPA top prize winner in 2010, who planned a career in animation but changed to fine art.  We’re glad she did.

    General Manager Scott Jones is thrilled with the entries for Legacy’s 2nd Annual Salon in April.  It will be preceded by their auction on March 31^st.  It will be my first auction and I look forward to viewing originals by Charles Russell, Howard Terpning and Oscar Berninghaus.

     RayMar has some upcoming shows too:  The 1^st Annual Plein Air Convention in Las Vegas in April where we have been designated The Official Panel of the Convention and our third Weekend with the Masters, this year in San Diego in September.

     We look forward to meeting you, viewing your wonderful work and discovering the supplies you want us to create to enhance your painting experience.

Happy Painting, Cathy 

Putney Painters Paint Scottsdale

We heard they were coming!  Scottsdale Artists’ School hosted Putney Painter workshop week January 16-20. And nearby in the arts district the Legacy Gallery advertised a Putney Painters and Friends exhibit with several ticketed events. Emily and I were intrigued and signed up.

For some background; nine years ago when Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik relocated to New England they invited artists to paint and learn from them at the Village Art Center in Putney, Vermont. Thus the Putney Painters formed and later expanded to include artists from other areas of the country.

Emily met Casey Baugh at WWM in Monterey and invited him to enter our contest. He entered in the last month and was a prize winner!  She also met Kathy Anderson at the New York Intensive hosted by American Artist last June. So we signed up for Casey Baugh’s demo at the School, Stephanie Birdsall and Kathy Anderson’s swinging brushes dual demo and Nancy Guzik’s slide presentation at the gallery.

Casey painted Stephanie Birdsall’s daughter Marion in an all day demo at the school and mesmerized us. Then at the gallery Nancy shared paintings from the past that inspire her and showed some special works she and Richard created over the years. I had never seen two artists paint on the same painting and it was a thrill to watch Stephanie and Kathy create one.

Bids seemed stalled in the silent auction for their dual painting. When Scott Jones, the General Manager of the Legacy Gallery, announced bidding would close soon I put my name down a few times and overheard someone say “that painting is mine”. I got caught up in other conversations, then got a surprise tap on my shoulder and was shown the clipboard with congratulations written next to my name. The painting was mine!

I couldn’t imagine how the evening could have been more perfect, until Daniel Keys invited us to go to dinner with all the Putney painters.  As I chatted with Michelle Dunaway and Kathy Anderson, I looked over the table of more than twenty top professional artists including Nancy Guzik and felt so proud of our products and contest that brought us into this world of artists!  

Cathy Dietrich  

Kathy Anderson (left) and Stephanie Birdsall (middle) and the painting the artists created with Cathy Dietrich (right) who won the painting in the silent auction. 

Absolutely the Best and the Brightest

The Scottsdale Artists’ School in Arizona presented their annual juried student show, the Best and the Brightest, now in its twentieth consecutive year.  The show had the look and feel of a prestigious gallery opening.  And for artists hoping to be a professional, inclusion in The Best and the Brightest increases their cachet significantly.

Elizabeth and I attended the show on January 5th and were impressed with the level and diversity of talent. One hundred fifty two works were juried into the show from three hundred and fifty entries. Anticipation filled the air as awards were presented for exceptional work in oils, water media, Drawing/Pastel and Sculpture.

RayMar sponsored the Best Oil Painting Award.  We presented a $250 merchandise certificate to Brenda Lee Gibson for her sensitive portrait, “Instinct” of a young girl cradling her doll.  Brenda was visibly thrilled as we gathered around her painting for a photograph. After the photo when Brenda turned to me and said “My painting is on one of your RayMar panels and I just love them”, we felt like winners, too. – Cathy Dietrich

The Road to Distraction

It’s been said “if you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there”. I like Toby Keith’s version from his Somewhere Else lyrics…. “If you don’t know where you’re going you might end up somewhere else.”

Getting somewhere without delay is the ultimate goal for some. But for an artist, “distractions” can be the ticket to create something new.

I filled in today for my office manager and while taking orders couldn’t help chatting. It was a thrill to hear what you’re doing. One beginning artist was excited to take a workshop with master artist Kevin Macpherson. I suggested he become a sponge, have fun and never compare his work with anyone. Another artist told me in her Scott Christensen workshop two years ago Scott showed the class one of his first paintings. Impressive! We all start somewhere…it’s the side trips that determine where we ultimately arrive.

Then between calls I read the article about Clyde Aspevig in American Artist’s special publication Plein Air painting. It was a perfect summation of my idea of an artist’s journey. Clyde coined the term “land snorkeling”. It means taking time to immerse yourself in nature and explore the beauty and wonder of the world around you.

Aspevig suggests, “Land snorkelers wander through nature with no intention of hiking to a destination. The distractions of the modern world so often pull us away from nature”. But if we could allow nature to be the distraction we might reconnect with our world. We could then “create art to change a person’s normal perceptions of something and get them to look at things in a different way to have more content and relevance to other things in life.” Excellent artist’s job description, Clyde. I invite artists to explore www.landsnorkel.com …my discovery while being distracted today.

Cathy Dietrich
artist/owner

About Face

Last August I waited in queue at the Scottsdale Artist’s School to register for Aaron Westerberg’s portrait and figure painting workshop Feb 28-Mar 4th. I got in. Hooray! But when the time arrived my recent rotator cuff surgery derailed me. Bummer!

But much like a painting gone awry, a new solution appeared. The school suggested I donate my spot to a scholarship student. Much to my surprise I saved face and became an instant benefactor. Then for another plus…Aaron learned I could not attend as a student and invited Emily and I to visit his class.

Aaron introduced us and let fly with rave reviews of our products and art competition. Then a student snapped a photo of the three of us posing with the panels we brought for the class. It gets better. Aaron signed and gave us his new book The Art of Aaron Westerberg available at www.blurb.com.

But the best was still to come. The students seemed excited to meet us and one said “It is so important to me that I meet the people who supply my products to put a face with a company name.” We feel the same way. Let’s face it. Meeting you, our customers, face to face inspires us to produce the painting supports and contest venues so you can put your best face forward. It is our delight to meet you and view your stunning artwork!

Aaron Westerberg will select and write critiques for twelve finalist paintings in our June contest at www.raymarartcontest.com


Cathy Dietrich Artist/Owner

“Here Come ‘Da Judge”

Long long ago in the last century (but still in this galaxy) I attended a prestigious juried art show in Scottsdale with my art buddies. The paintings were stellar except for one and we wondered how it was juried into the show.

Oh well, maybe it was a quirk we thought. Oh were we ever wrong!! We gasped as it was awarded Best of Show. Completely stunned we knew would never have a clue why the judge arrived at this choice. It became a pivotal moment for me and I vowed if I sponsored a competition I would request critiques from the judge. So the RayMar judge’s selections may be final but why a painting is chosen will not be a mystery.

I’ve always wondered how a judge determines winning paintings. Recently Fine Art Studio Online published an essay by Stephen Doherty, editor of American Artist magazine, about the judging process. It is an in depth essay - an everything you’ve ever wanted to know about judging but could never ask the judge. It appears HERE.

I congratulate the artists who believe in their work and submit entries to our contest. Your artwork is the star and your participation allows us to show off your art and refine our contest to bring your work to the attention of galleries and collectors. The 2009/2010 contest ends the last day of July and judge Randall Sexton will announce the monthly finalists by mid August. Then finalist judge Scott Jennings will award cash prizes of $26,500 including the grand prize of $10,000 in September. Good luck and happy painting!

-Cathy

Don’t Think It…Just Do It

In my recent three-day Scottsdale Artist’s School workshop “Still Life From Start to Finish” with Susan Diehl, I became the still life. Then my brushes played dead. I toyed with brush burial ideas (a fireplace match box?) along with my aspirations of becoming a painter. But I returned the second day to be with the fun friends I’d made and enjoy the excellent instructor.

I searched for quotes to inspire me for that second day but the best and simplest was Nike’s “Just Do It.” So I threw out all my expectations for a masterpiece and just had fun smearing paint. With the pressure off some of the lessons “osmosed” in and by the third and final day I felt I could achieve any painting goal I set for myself. Amazing turn around!

Painting is not like riding a bicycle. Mastery is a mindset, requires I paint acres and acres of canvas and going in I know I will never know everything…. fortunately. And on this note I did find a quote, “Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” Edgar Degas.

-Cathy