Artist Receptions last weekend, new photos

** Note, new photos added March 21

About my show/reception at Daddy's Grille on St. Patrick's Day


This was a super day. The art looks very nice and the food was good. It was a great turnout.

I gave two of my tote bags from the cafepress.com store as door prizes. They were won by Darlene Page and Mark Ballejos.

The raffle benefits the Family Crisis Center and will continue through April 16. Tickets are on sale at Daddy's Grille for $1.00 each and 6 for $5.00. You don't have to be present to win so stop by Daddy's Grille, have a bite to eat and buy some tickets. We all win by helping the Family Crisis Center.

Photos were by Joanna Castillo and Larry Burchett. I'm using them with their permission.

This is Daddy's Grille with my sign up for the reception.



This is Charlotte Pietsch (on the right) and I visiting with Karen Jensen and Susan Carlin from San Antonio. Charlotte is the Event Coordinator at the Family Crisis Center and works with the volunteers. She keeps things running smoothly and gently cajoles people into volunteering. :) I sent this photo to the paper with a story about the show, we shall see if it is printed on Thursday. :)



Jo and Ruth Ortiz. Ruth was instrumental in founding the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild. We were both on the steering committee and on the first Board, officers of the club. She paints in oils and acrylics. It looks like someone said, "Smile" and we grimaced. :)



Here is Gene, my better half, checking that all is going well and having a good time. The waitress is Inga, I wonder if it was her first artist's reception? She does have a "What is this?" look on her face.


A look at the south wall and Jennie by the table. Thanks, Jennie.


Part of the crowd.


Jo and Lea Cundy. She and I shared a studio in the the building where the Guild Art Gallery is for two years. She is so talented, working on clay now. She is a foster mother of teenage girls in her spare time. :) She has a lovely family. We have a great time together, Joanna says she is my "artistic" daughter. :) She is a great friend.


Here is Lea, Jennie and Ruth. Look like they are having fun.



Mike Henderson (to the right) and Janice Senkosky with her back to us. The place was full of artists showing their support for my work and the Family Crisis Center. Very nice.


Thanks to all of those that attended, it warms the heart. Special thanks to Jennie, Joanna and Gene. Yahoooooooo.

As usual the show was lots of work. Gene takes care of all the heavy work, thank you Gene. We did not have to worry about food and serving it for a change. That was a big relief and made life much easier. Gene and I did go an hour before to set up the tables. One for the wine and green beer, one for the food, and one for my propaganda, items from my cafepress.com store, raffle tickets and door prize tickets. Joanna and Jennie arrived a little early to help as well. Jennie manned the tickets and Joanna took photos. I just had to circulate. :) I was sure I had printed everything and when we were setting up the table, I could not find the signs for the raffle and door prize. Gene had to go back to the house to get an extension cord, so he looked there. No signs. I had showed them to him just before I packed them, I recalled. Well, when we were packing up to leave they were there between some 11 x 14 prints I had for sale. I guess I was keeping them from bending. Ah, me. The next time, I will not put the raffle and door prize tickets near my things for sale, they were buying and filling in tickets and not looking at my "stuff". I did sell a painting and some of my cafepress.com merchandise.

As the old saying goes, "A good time was had by all!"

**** **** ****

Austin Pastel Society Sixth Annual Juried Members Exhibition

Here I am with my entry, "Waitin' for Rain on the Flats", during the reception.



This exhibit is at the Corridor of Art in the Chase Bank at Seventh and Lavaca, in downtown Austin, Texas. There were about 140 entries and 55 paintings on display and judged for the final awards. The APS artists are so talented, it is an honor to be selected in the show. As a group they are sharing and supportive. Richard McKinley was the juror. The art will be up until May 5 if you get a chance to go see it.

The reception was on Sunday, March 18. Susan Carlin won First Place in Portrait/Figure with "Caldo". Congratulations! She came to stay with us in Bastrop and go to my show on Saturday. Karen Jensen came with her. We had a great time in the company of this "famous" painter. :) Susan in the middle.



Regina Burchett, friend, pastelist, painting buddy, has a painting, Pear A'Trois, on exhibit and was there to visit with. More fun. (When you check out Regina's page, she has paintings to be shown in the Texas Capitol later this month with a couple of prizes garnered from this exhibit with the Creative Arts Society. Congratulations, Regina! Another famous painter.)


Jason Hannusch, First State Bank in Bastrop, and a friend attended. The Bank here in Bastrop has had several displays of my work and it was great that he came to support me and see the show. Sadly, my photo of Jason did not turn out. Joanna, Jennie and Gene were there to be with me as well. How great is that? This is Char Eppright receiving her award and there is Jason in the white shirt!


Jeannette Cuevas does great pastels, here receiving her award.



One of our baseball friends, Ellie, also stopped by last week to see the exhibit. Thanks, Ellie!

Time to rest now, and get back to sketching and painting.