AAPL 85th Grand National Exhibit

"Daybreak on the Inlet" 20x16 oil on panel

       I am happy to say that for the third year in a row I have had a painting included in this annual exhibit, the American Artist Professional League's Grand National.  This year marks the 85th year of this show.  You can view the show online from Saturday, October 5th through Monday, October 30th  just go to the following linkwww.americanartistsprofessionalleague.org. If it doesn't work then leave the s off artists but I am pretty sure I have it right.  Use the menu bar at the top of the opening page to view the award winners and all the accepted work which is listed alphabetically.  I think this year's show is a strong one, the figurative work in particular.  Some of the images are not easy ones to view but they are powerful!  I think it is time I join this organization as I appreciate the range of work they select.

       My painting was inspired by a predawn excursion on the coaches launch for the annual fall crew regatta at Cornell University.  The light was really striking and that day yielded three paintings when I returned home.  We were just there for the same regatta last weekend and once again we were on the inlet to Lake Cayuga before dawn.  However, this year we had unseasonably warm weather and were socked in by dense fog.  The fall colors were near peak but on this morning they were glazed with the gray of the low hanging clouds.  Mysterious and beautiful as well.
        What I am currently working on are lots of small 6x8 and 8x10 inch paintings for the upcoming small works shows I will be participating in next month.  I love doing these!  One of the reasons is I find I loosen up and experiment more.  I should take a lesson from this and do the same with my larger works as I can always gesso over the failures.  I am not going to use my farmhouse series paintings for these shows as I want to exhibit the group as a whole before I start selling them off.  I haven't made a final decision as to which paintings are going to which show but I think the one below will be one of my submissions to the Salmagundi Thumb Box Show.
         The painting is 8x10 inches and is of a sailing class taking place off Daingerfield Island where the Washington Sailing Marina is located.  The boats are called Solings.  As you can see the sky was amazing that afternoon.  I had painted another painting earlier that morning before the sky put on this show and since nothing much was happening off the point I painted the boats moored at the marina.  I didn't have time to stay and paint this one on site but I created it as soon as I could after returning home and used my photos as reference.