ahead in 2012

Starting next week, my summer of travel, teaching and exhibiting takes off, and it seems a good time now to post updates and information. (Basic information about workshops can be seen here—please email me at crowellart@yahoo.com with any questions or interest in classes. )

First stop, northern California. There are still openings in the Oil and Wax Workshop I am teaching at Yreka, near Mt. Shasta, June 8-10, and a special offer is now available for college students or mature high school students to attend at reduced cost. I’m looking forward to my time in California. I have an enthusiastic group of students, one of whom has done a wonderful job of organizing things in advance. (I am always so grateful to the people who take this on and make it possible for me to arrive in a strange town and jump into teaching.) It will be a fun trip overall--I’ll be seeing several friends as I drive up from the San Francisco airport, and I'm teaching a private class in Davis on my way back.

In July I'm teaching an intensive, weeklong Oil and Wax Workshop at Cullowhee Mountain Arts near Asheville, North Carolina. The class for the week of July 16-20 is full, but I was recently invited to add a class for the previous week--July 9-13—so there are available spots. Cullowhee Mountain Arts is in its first year and has attracted an exciting lineup of professional artists to teach.

The classes at CMA are special in that the length (5 days) allows time for the full range of information that I offer. In this sense, they will combine the material of my Intro and Level 2 instruction. Attendance at these workshops will include use of the Western Carolina University campus facilities, evening lectures, and a wine reception on Sunday evening before each session, so it should be an enjoyable time with a sense of community among the participants.

After the North Carolina classes, I’ll be home for only a few days before taking off on a long road trip west in August with a car full of art and class supplies. First on the agenda, a workshop in Dallas (which filled in the first 48 hours after it was announced—I feel very welcomed by Texans!) Again, I appreciate the well-done organizing on my behalf by one of the class members. I am hoping to arrive a few days early to have time to check out the art and gallery scene in Dallas. Following that workshop, I'll drive on to New Mexico—I have a solo exhibit opening at Darnell Fine Art on August 10. The last leg of the trip is to Telluride, Colorado, where I will be teaching a Level Two Workshop, August 13-16, at the Ah Haa School for the Arts (I have taught there for the past two years .) I love seeing the students who have taken my Intro classes come together at these Level Two events, and I know it will be a great four days. Being in Telluride is always special. It's a friendly, easygoing place with the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen from the main street of a town, with views of mountain peaks and a distant waterfall. There are still a few openings left in this class (a cold wax intro class is a prerequisite) so please let me know if you'd like to join us.

I’ll also be checking in with the gallery that handles my work there, Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, and plans are underway for an evening talk about my work. Finally, I’ll be home the third week in August.

In late October, I will be leaving for Ireland, a country I found so inspiring for my work in 2011 that I applied for and was awarded another residency, this one at Cill Rialaig, on the seacoast of County Kerry. I was able to visit this gorgeous, remote, restored stone village (see photo below) last year, and ever since have pictured being there, painting and walking the rocks on the shore. My friend Janice Mason Steeves and I managed to book coordinating dates at Cill Rialaig, so we’ll rent a car together (which is advised, given its location, miles from where one can buy food and other necessities) and enjoy the shared experience --as we did last year at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in County Monaghan. We are expecting wild, stormy weather at that time of year (we’ll be there through mid-November) and we’ll be packing the warm clothes and wellies.



I’ve held off scheduling any workshops for Fall as I waited for confirmation on acceptance and dates from Cill Rialaig, but now I think I may hold a class or two in September or early October at my studio. I will send an announcement to my mailing list if that happens. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the list by emailing me or clicking through the link on my website.

Certainly there is a lot of work, planning and logistical juggling involved in making all of this happen. But it has been the case for the past few years, and as time goes on I have more and more confidence that it will all work out. I look forward with pleasure to the inspiration of travel and to many new connections with other artists. Maybe I will meet some of you along the way!

(The painting at the beginning of the post is as yet untitled, 20”x16” oil, cold wax and mixed media on panel.)  ¶ 9:45 PM