NEWS

2025 has been a busy and productive year so far. Being (mostly) retired from teaching in-person workshops means I've had much more time to devote to my own work and my active gallery connections. Along with exploring some new directions in painting with oil and cold wax, I've continued to work in mixed media on paper, and most recently, in printmaking. 

Another change in my life is that my son Ross and I are no longer producing episodes of The Messy Studio Podcast, which I know many of you have enjoyed. Circumstances have changed for Ross , who has gotten very busy with family life and his job as a realtor. We both miss our joint project but we're pleased that we kept it going for 270 episodes over a span of five and a half years. All of these episodes remain available and are worth revisiting or discovering--I sometimes listen to an episode myself to re-connect with the ideas involved. 

For more news see my most recent newsletter, published in October, 2025.

Dixon Studio Tour 2025

The annual Dixon Studio Tour is coming up on November 1-2, 2025 (Dixon, New Mexico) and I'm taking part once again with oil and cold wax paintings and works on paper in a range of sizes. It's always an exciting weekend, with hundreds of visitors from all over New Mexico and beyond who come to experience the diverse creative output of the artists who live here. If you are close enough to come to the Tour, I hope to see you in my studio (Stop #42) that weekend. 

www.dixonarts.org

This past June, I took part in an etching workshop at Crown Point Press in San Francisco, where many well-known artists including Richard Diebenkorn and Agnes Martin have worked with the master printers. It was my first opportunity in years to be a student rather than an instructor, and I found it both challenging and exciting to revisit techniques I had learned years ago when I was in college. I especially liked the rich dark tones I achieved with aquatint, including organic, washy textures with soap ground. And experiencing the intense, all-day focus that was required gave me new appreciation for what it is like for students in my own classes--rewarding but exhausting! Inspired by my late friend Allison B. Cooke's dedication to lifelong learning, I'm considering more workshops in the future. 

Recent Exhibit in Santa Fe: 2023

I continue to enjoy my representation at Winterowd Fine Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and had a solo exhibit there in August of 2023, called Contemplative Spaces. These paintings reflect both the quiet majesty of the surroundings and the subtle nuances in nature experienced when walking alone in the landscape.

In October 2022, I was an artist in residence at Foundation Obras near Estremoz, Portugal, a spectacular region of cork trees and marble quarries. There, I focused on works on paper that referenced the human figure and involved much experimentation with the media. I continued to explore works on paper with mixed media during my 12th residency at The Ballinglen Arts Foundation in May, 2024, incorporating shreds of my old writings as collage elements. This work eventually evolved into the Memoir Series which has now also includes work with cold wax and oil on panel. 

As I reflect on the many artist residencies I've had--the first was in 2001--I see that each time, the focused time and interaction with new locations has led to important growth in my work. I'm very grateful for all of these opportunities, and I'm thinking about what might be the next residency to consider. 

http://www.obras-art.org/

https://www.ballinglenartsfoundation.org/

Jerry McLaughlin and I are pleased to be entering our fifth year of online instruction as Cold Wax Academy. Our focus has shifted in the past year to one of increased member interaction with a focus on developing strong compositions. Going forward, our program will emphasize structured self-study with access to our over 150 recorded sessions and 7-hour video workshop. Most of what we offer is not strictly tied to painting with cold wax--painters in any media are welcome to join. Please visit our website for complete information, to order our custom tools, and once it becomes available, to order the second edition of our book, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations.