Award Winners National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society

NOAPS Presiden Ken Gerardy and me with Elizabeth Robbins' Best of Show winner.

The awards I selected in the Best of America 2010 Extraordinary Painting in Oil and Acrylic show sponsored by The National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (www.noaps.com) were announced this weekend at the Ella Carouthers Dunnegan Gallery of Art in Bolivar, Missouri (on view through October 10). The show will travel to the Katy Depot Historic Site in Sedalia, Missouri (October 11-30), the Etta and Joseph Miller Performing Arts Center in Jefferson City, Missouri (November 2-13), and the Stone Creek Mall in Osage Beach, Missouri (November 15-30).

NOAPS Founders' Endowment Fund "Best of Show" Award: Elizabeth Robbins for "Hydrangeas, Copper and Cantaloupe."

Platinum Palette Award to Rulei Bu for "Annapolis Spring."

The Gustafson Art and Education Fund "Best of Light and Color" Award to Charles Harrington for "Path to Pavillion #6."

The Janet Ross Commemorative Fund "Most Realistic Landscape" Award to Cecy Turner for "Late Afternoon Solace."

Lake Arts Council "Trendsetter" Award to Ron Ferkol for "After Work."

"Best Portrait" Award to Jian Wu for "Asami in a Blue Kimono."

"Best Still Life" Award to Ann Hardy for "Samovar and Cup."

Bank Star One Galaxy Club "Rising Star of the Galaxy" Award to Esperanza Chavez for "Out to Pasture."

Monteverde Memorial Fund "Best Impressionist Painting" Award to Paula Holtzclaw for "Evening Shadows."

The Ragar Award for Creativity to Sharon Warren for "Earth and Water."

The Narrative Excellence Award to Del-Bouree Bach for "Working the Tides."

The Best Landscape Award to Barbara Nuss for "Shawnee Valley."

Congratulations to all the exhibiting artists and winners!

Sherrie McGraw in her New Mexico Studio

In developing articles for American Artist Studios magazine, I interviewed Sherrie McGraw in her spacious studio outside Taos, New Mexico. The magazine is now available in bookstores. Many of the great still photographs of the studio were taken by David Huff, a wonderful professional photographer from the Phoenix area.

Interview with Joan Potter in her Santa Fe Studio

Joan Potter is a fascinating artist who built a studio as an extension of an historic building in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She talks about Gerald Cassidy (who build the compound of adobe structures in the 1920's), her extensive art collection, and her paintings in this interview. The studio is featured in American Artist Studios magazine that is on sale now in bookstores.

Interview with Michael Van Zeyl in his Chicago Studio

An interview with Michael Van Zeyl in his Chicago studio that he built as a second floor addition to his suburban home. The studio is featured in American Artist Studios magazine that is available at local bookstores. It turns out this will be the very last magazine I edited for American Artist because my position was abruptly terminated last Friday.

Michael is a gifted painter who is also an astute business person and loving family man. Check out his website after you watch the video: www.michaelvanzeyl.com.

Sam Knecht's Studio and Painting Commission

Sam Knecht's Hillsdale, Michigan studio will be featured in the new issue of American Artist Studios magazine. The publication won't be available in bookstores or inteweavestore.com for a few more weeks, but I want to post this interview now because Sam Knecht's large painting of the signing of the U.S. Constitution will be unveiled in Washington D.C. on September 17, 2010.

American Artist Studios will also feature the workspaces of David A. Leffel and Sherrie McGraw, Nelson Shanks, Carl Samson, Joan Potter, P.A. Nisbet, Arthur Egeli, Heidi Presse, and many other professional artists.

Interview With David A. Leffel About His Art Studios

I interviewed David A. Leffel for American Artist Studios magazine in his Des Montes,New Mexico studio. He talked about the various studios he rented or owned over the years, from the early workspace with no heat in the winter and too much heat in the summer, to the later studios with plenty of room for painting and teaching.

For a copy of American Artist Studios (available in September, 2010), visit www.interweavestore.com.

Plein Air Painting Video Demonstration: Rockwood Hall

Here's a video I made while working on the painting described in the last blog. I'm still learning to smooth things out in iMovie, but I like the ease with which I can edit and add content to videos.