This is the invitation for the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts PREVIEW EXHIBITION, showcasing 23 Orange County artists who have recently been juried into the Festival of Arts for the first time. I'm so delighted to be one of them!

Every artist in Southern California knows that the place to be in the summer months is the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. This has been a dream of mine for many years and it's finally coming true.

I can't tell you how honored I am to have been invited to this "world-renown cultural institution famous for its juried fine art exhibition and the Pageant of the Masters".

This is a two month affair, running from July 1st to August 31st. If you are planning to visit beautiful Laguna Beach during that time, please stop by and look for me!

July 1st - July 4th     10:00 am - 6:00 pm
July 5th - Aug 31st   10:00 am - 11:30 pm

For directions and parking, click here.

I'm happy to announce that my artwork "Social Network" received the 2nd Place Award (Professional Division) at the 2012 Pencil Painting Exhibition presented by the Los Angeles District Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America. The Cypress Community Gallery, located at 5700 Orange Avenue in Cypress, is hosting the show until April 19 (Mon-Fri, 9-5).

I'm thrilled to announce that my artwork River Odyssey received the The CPSA District Chapters Award for Outstanding Recognition in "Explore This! 8", the Colored Pencil Society of America's online exhibition. Please visit the exhibition to view all the outstanding art selected by juror Jane Allen Nodine to be on display for a full year on the CPSA website. Click here to see the award winners.

This is my third acceptance into a CPSA "Explore This!" exhibition which qualified me to receive my CPX Signature Membership. I'm very honored to have earned my second signature status from the Colored Pencil Society of America.

I'm thrilled to announce that my artwork Symbiosis won First Place in the San Clemente Art Gallery Winter Judged Show, Mixed Media category.

I'm also very happy that River Odyssey was juried into "Explore This! 8", the Colored Pencil Society of America's online exhibition. This annual exhibition, which opens on February 1st and runs until January 31st, 2013, is for colored pencil artwork that includes some element or technique that is unacceptable for the International Exhibition. This permits artists to experiment with various mediums and surfaces as well as three-dimensional, collage and relief artworks.

I have just uploaded a slide show of River Pebbles, No. 1 to Icarus Art's YouTube Channel. You can view it below.

Last night I had the pleasure to attend the artist reception at the San Diego Art Institute, Museum of the Living Artist in Balboa Park. The San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society, along with other local artist groups and associations, was invited to take part in the exhibit.

Following is the list of the CPSA artists who's work is on display: John Waldrop, Deb Gargula, Katherine Miller, Kathy Lally, Bobbie Bradford, Rhonda Anderson, Carolyn Kenny, Blade Villegas, and myself.

The SDAI-Museum of the Living Artist is located at 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA.

(619) 236-0011

Hours: Tues-Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun 12 noon to 4 p.m.

The exhibit's last day is November 20, 2011.

The best way to describe my experience at the 19th Annual CPSA Convention and Exhibition in Dallas, Texas, is by sharing some of the special moments that I was able to capture with my camera. Enjoy!

This year the exhibition was held at the beautiful Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. It will be showing until July 31st.

This is a close-up of the area where "Social Network" is displayed in the gallery. I'm thrilled to report that my artwork received "The Seattle Washington District Chapter Award for Exceptional Merit" from Juror Bob Malenfant, director of the South West Gallery in Dallas. For a list of all awards please visit the CPSA website at this link.

Debbi Friedman and Kendra Ferreira are two of my favorite artists who like to draw stones and rocks as I do. You can see how uniquely beautiful their interpretations of the same subject are.

CJ Worlein's portrait "The Sisters" won the Cippy Best of Show Award. Barbara Rogers' beautiful "Misty" was one of my favorite landscapes in the show.

The most touching moment at the artist reception was when I was introduced to Nathan, a 10 year old boy who liked my artwork and wanted to meet me. He was there with his mom, artist Christi Tompkins.  There's nothing more rewarding as an artist than to be able to inspire somebody, especially a young person. It was great meeting you, Nathan!

Here is a group of us, all dressed up at the Award Banquet. From left: Dianna Soisson, Debbi Friedman, Lynda Schumacher, Elizabeth Patterson, Kendra Ferreira and moi.

The Convention Trade Show was a great success. I enjoyed demonstrating the Icarus Drawing Board and chatting with many artists who were curious about it or wanted to try it.

The list of invited artists to the Colored Pencil Society of America 19th Annual Exhibition is finally out! I'm thrilled that my piece "Social Network" has been juried into the show by juror Bob Malenfant, director of South West Gallery in Dallas. The exhibition will be at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas, from June 29 to July 31.

On Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, I will have a booth at the Convention Trade Show, where representatives from many companies will be showing off new products and old favorites. I will be working with the Icarus Drawing Board to demonstrate how to use it and be available to answer all your questions. Please stop by to say hi and to play with the Icarus board.

The 2011 Pencil Painting Exhibition, presented by the Los Angeles Colored Pencil Society Chapter 214, is in full swing at the Cypress Community Gallery, 5700 Orange Avenue, Cypress, California. This is an outstanding exhibition of colored pencil paintings and drawings that represent the diversity of techniques that can be obtained by using colored pencils as a fine art medium. The gallery will be open until April 14 - Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

My artwork "River Odyssey" received an Honorable Mention.

22" x 28" - Wax-based Media (Colored Pencil and Artist Crayon)
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board.

I finished this piece just in time to enter it into the 19th Annual CPSA Juried Exhibition. There's something about this group of pebbles, linked together by water, that reminded me how we are all connected, socially and otherwise.

This year the Colored Pencil Society Convention will be in Dallas, Texas. I will be demonstrating the Icarus board at the CPSA trade show Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 to 2:00.

I have a short demonstration coming up on Saturday, April 30th, in conjunction with the Los Angeles CPSA district chapter meeting. Click this link for directions.