June Exhibtion, Workshops and Events

Spring is over and it's time to share the upcoming summer events. The Arizona desert is heating up and today is supposed to be 100 degrees and it is only May 15th!!! My recovery from knee surgery mentioned in my last newsletter is coming along great, although I am still limited to no hiking or sports for another 4 months or more. The timing of it all wasn't too bad, because I am now up and about and ready for a summer season full of travel. After 4 weeks of crutches and 2 months of rehab I am just happy to be walking.

The first week of June seems to be the kick off date to my summer. On Friday, June 6th I have a 2 man exhibit at Art on the Boulevard in Vancouver, WA along with teaching a weekend workshop in conjuction with the show. The 2 man show will be with my good friend Mike Rangner, and should be a great one with more than 35 paintings exhibited between the 2 of us.

The exhibition details, postcard, plus a few image 'teasers' are as follows:

June 6th - July 31st, Opening Reception on June 6th from 5-9pm at 

Art on the Boulevard

210 W Evergreen Blvd. Suite #300

Vancouver, WA 98660

(360) - 750 - 4499

www.artontheboulevard.org

Beach Play
Oil
20x14

Sierra Stone
Oil
16x20

The 2 day plein air workshop held in conjuction with the show will be on June 7th & 8th on beautiful Sauvie Island and will include access to private properties.  If you have never been to Sauvie Island, it is full of wildlife preserves and pristine farms surrounded by and infused with waterways.  The workshop will be limited to 15 students to ensure individual attention and is $250 for both days.  I have a few slots still open.  If you are interested in securing a slot or have any questions, please see my website workshop link at www.mitchbaird.com or contact me at mitch@mitchbaird.com.

June 6th will also mark the opening date of the Oil Painters of America's National Exhibit at the world class Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington, VT. My painting 'Sketching in the Boatyard' was juried in and I am honored to be part of the show. It is a painting of my good friend, Eric Jacobsen, who was a great subject in a fantastic setting. The sailing crafts alone, in any old boatyard, are usually eye candy enough for me but I couldn't resist capturing the light on my friend as well as him capturing the scene. 

Sketching in the Boatyard
Oil
20x30

For more information on the exhibition and works you can go to:

www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/events/exhibitions/2014/national/index.cfm

I will also be teaching a few workshops in August through the Scottsdale Arists' School in Scottsdale, AZ. The first will be a weekly class for 3 weeks starting August 8th through August 21st. It will be held each Thursday from 9am - 12pm and will be on 'Design Concepts'. You can find the details at:

www.scottsdaleartschool.org/course/design-concepts/

I will also be offering a 3 day intensive from August 26th through the 28th from 9am - 4pm on 'Learning to See Your Subject'. You can find the details at:

www.scottsdaleartschool.org/course/learning-to-see-your-subject/

Other events that I will be participating in this summer include:

• Weekend in the West Exhibition with Quickdraw & Auction at Evergreen Fine Art in Evergreen, CO on June 20th & 21st. This is always a top notch event with amazing people. I will be exhibiting 2 of my recent evening light themed desert scenes.
  
  

Opalescent Evening
Oil
15x30

Evening Transition
Oil
11x14

You can find more details on Evergreen Fine Art's website at:

www.evergreenfineart.com/#!weekend-in-the-west/cumx

• Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters Exhbition from July 11th - 19th in beautiful Teton National Park near Jackson Hole, WY. It will be a full week of painting and then exhibiting the paintings along with a quickdraw. I try to make a trek every year to the Tetons as it is such an inspirational place with the landscape, National Wildlife Museum, and galleries. Here are a few of my plein air works from last years event. 

Taggart Shoreline

Oil

8x10

Avalanche Canyon

Oil

10x8

You can find more details about the event at:

www.rmpap.org

• I will be flying immediately from Jackson Hole to Green Bay, WI for the Door County Plein Air Festival. The event will be from July 20th - 26th with the Reception on July 25th and the quickdraw and auction on July 26th. 
  
  
  For more details check this website as it is updated: 
  
  
  www.doorcountypleinair.com

I will keep you informed of the other events on the horizon as the details are comfirmed. I hope you are looking forward to a great summer and hopefully we can catch up if we meet at any of these events. All the best from the studio.

Spring has Sprung

The desert is heating up and the longer days are keeping it hot!  I wonder if I will ever become acclimated to this environment?  Fortunately I will be traveling out of state to escape some of the temperatures, starting off with my attendance to the Oil Painters of America exhibition in a few days.  My painting “Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose” was accepted into the show and shipped out this week.

'Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose'  Oil  24x30

 The event is held in Fredericksburg, TX at the acclaimed InSight Gallery.  For more information on the exhibition and works you can go to:

http://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/events/exhibitions/2013/national/associatesignature.cfm 

 

or visit 

 http://www.insightgallery.com/artistlist.php?OPA=Y

Following this exhibition I will be traveling to my Solo exhibition at Art on the Boulevard and teaching my Oregon workshop the first week of June.  The 2 day plein air workshop will be held June 8^th & 9^th on beautiful Sauvie Island and will include access to private lands.  If you have never been to Sauvie Island, it is full of wildlife preserves and pristine farms surrounded by and infused with waterways.  The workshop will be limited to 15 students to ensure individual attention and is $250 for both days.  I have a few slots still open.  If you are interested in securing a slot or have any questions, please contact me at mitch@mitchbaird.com.

The Solo exhibition will be held on June 6^th at Art on the Boulevard in Vancouver, WA.  I will have 33 paintings on display.  The title of the show is “A Sense of Place” and includes a wide range of subject matter.  Here is the postcard and a sneak peak of some of the work.

'Gondolier'  Oil  30x15

 'Oregon Surfer'  Oil  14x18

 I look forward to seeing you if you are able to attend any of these events.  I hope your spring has started out great and that life is good.

The new year's 'news'

     A new year is here and it is time to catch up with you on the upcoming events and news.  The previous year seemed to fly by, particularly the last few holiday months.  January is nearly over and there seems to be no slowing down with 'Father Time' in the upcoming year.  With this in mind, I thought I would share a new tiding before it becomes 'old news'.  I was honored and humbled to have a feature articletitled 'Engaging the Senses' in the January issue of Southwest Art Magazine.  The publication is top notch and is one that I subscribe to and always look forward to receiving.  The interview was quite interesting with the well known freelance writer Norman Kolpas from Los Angeles.  His calm demeanor yet searching questions meandered through our conversation while he clacked away with a shorthand form of typing which you could audibly hear.  You would have thought it was morse code he was transcribing in an emergency situation!  He was kind to make sure I felt comfortable and at ease with every response, and I appreciated that.  My thanks go out to the him, and especially the editors and friends at the magazine for this opportunity.

The online version of the article can be found at this link:

http://www.southwestart.com/featured/baird-m-jan2013

     For those in the 'Centennial State' I am preparing for a two man show with my good friend Eric Jacobsen at the Cogswell Gallery in Vail, Colorado.  We will be in attendance for the opening nights on March 15th & 16th and would love to see you if you are in the area.  I will be sure to send out another follow up newsletter in March regarding the shows invitation and opening.  Here are a few of the paintings that will be on exhibit in the show and are of the local Vail scenery.

Winter Pines

Above Piney Lake

     I am also preparing for my Solo show at the Art on the Boulevard Gallery in Vancouver, WA on June 7th.  In conjunction with the show I will be holding a 2 day intensive Oregon plein air painting workshop on June 8th & 9th.  The weather is always beautiful during this time with the skies finally opening up to be blue and the blooming flowers in full array.  The workshop is limited to 15 students to ensure individual attention and is $250 for both days.  If you are interested in securing a registered slot, please contact me at mitch@mitchbaird.com.  I will send out another newsletter announcement as we draw closer to the dates with more details.

     I hope the New Year will bring you success, as well as perseverance in keeping those New Year's resolutions!!   I hope to cross paths with you again and this year and all the best from the studio.

Update From A New Horizon

Raising kids and moving to a new state really makes the time fly!  Especially when you have to move again 5 months later when purchasing a home!!!  We moved to Arizona and it has been quite a change from the wet Northwest.  Obviously, a lot has happened since my last posting, but I will save the details and only comment on a few recent awards along with current exhibitions I am involved in. 

A surprising piece of news since the last time I blogged, was that I received Signature Status to the Oil Painters of America.  I have exhibited with them in the last 2 Annual Western Regional shows.  The most recent was just a month ago at the prestigious 1261 Gallery in Denver, CO and the work that was accepted was titled 'Wet Clay'.

'Wet Clay'

Oil

16x20

           

I decided to enter two online competitions this year.  The first was Plein Air Magazine's Salon competition. They award an artist bimonthly and later that painting goes into an annual competition to win the year's grand prize.  I entered the November/December contest and won First Prize with my painting 'A Guiding Nudge' along with an Honorable Mention with another work.  'A Guiding Nudge went on to win an Honorable Mention in the year end annual competition with it being published in the magazine.

'A Guiding Nudge'

Oil

24x12

The second was the SourceTek sponsored online competition.  SourceTek artist canvas panels are some of the best made.  I have not only found them to be the best quality gator board mounted panels but have since learned they ARE -  due to their special mounting process and highest quality support that can be used.  Great people who really care about the customer.  I received 2nd Prize for a painting I did of my good friend Eric Jacobsen.   I wanted to be sure that the painting had a real sense of immediacy.  I even titled the painting 'Sketching in the Boatyard' to indicate that feeling.  I also received an Honorable Mention with another piece titled 'Fish Market Patron'.

'Sketching in the Boatyard'

Oil

20x30

'Fish Market Patron'

Oil

24x16

You can view the competition results at:  http://www.canvaspanels.com/OC-Gallery.html

I recently returned from Tulsa, Oklahoma where I attended the Gilcrease Museum's Collectors Reserve exhibition.  It was a stellar event as always and I was honored to receive an 'Honorable Mention' for one of my paintings.  I was also able to meet some fabulous new collectors and catch up with old friends.  The Gilcrease's collection is of course one of the best in the country and is always fun to walk through.

I am also currently exhibiting in the American Impressionist Society's National Exhibit.  It is being held at Eckert & Ross Fine Art in Indianapolis, IN.  It was an honor to also be awarded an 'Honorable Mention' in such a renowned exhibition for my piece titled 'A Parisian Conversation'.

'Parisian Conversation'

Oil

14x18

You can view the full exhibit by going to www.americanimpressionistsociety.org.

Currently, I am showing in several miniature shows.  Evergreen Fine Art in Evergreen, Colorado opened their miniature show this last week.  One of my pieces titled 'Desert Moon' was chosen to be used in the event write up in the Denver Post.

'Desert Moon'

Oil

9x12

You can visit the online exhibit at http://evergreenfineart.com/miniature2012.html.

The Abend Gallery in Denver will be opening their miniature show on December 7th.  I submitted a plein air piece titled 'Stream Song' that I painted along Bear Creek in Colorado.

You can visit the online exhibit at http://www.abendgallery.com.

I am also exhibiting in the prestigious American Art Invitational at the Saks Gallery in Denver, Colorado.  The show runs through the end of December and can be viewed online at http://www.americanartinvitational.com.

Along with these exhibits,  I will have a feature article coming out in the January issue of Southwest Art Magazine.  I believe it will hit the news stands in a couple weeks.  I will update this blog with the news once I get my own personal issue.

Best wishes to all and hope you have a Merry Christmas.

Life only gets busier!!!!

It has been awhile since I have posted and for good reason. Life has been full of projects and 'nesting' preparations for our new little boy Spencer, born on November 23rd at 8 lbs 7 oz and 21 3/4 inches long. He is keeping us sleep deprived but he is worth it!!! I call him 'Mr Magoo' because that is who he looked like coming into this world. :)

Along with that big news I recently received an Honorable Mention in the 21 over 31 Emerging Artist Competition with publication in the November 2010 Southwest Art Magazine. There were over 3,ooo entrants so it was a honor to be selected as one of the 21. The interview for the article was fun but next time I will be sure to choose my words carefully, as my comment on the dogs in the painting not having a place to pee was published! Funny but maybe it didn't come off too professional. The link here will take you directly to the write up on Southwest Art's website:

http://www.southwestart.com/articles-interviews/emerging-artists/21-over-31-mitch-baird

This month I am also part of a miniature show with 6 other artists at the River Bend Gallery in Bend, Oregon. The show consists of 30 paintings by each artist, which are hung unframed with frames available for the collector to choose from and take part in framing the piece. The artist was asked to choose a format size to work in and I decided on 6x12 inches. There are a few pieces listed on my website and a few listed here below to view. If you would like to view more you can click on this link:

River Bend Fine Art - Mitch Baird

I also have a miniature piece in a show in Colorado at the Evergreen Gallery and can be view here:

Evergreen Fine Art - Miniature Show

High Noon Oil 6x12

Columbia Gorge Grandure Oil 6x12

Beartooth Canyon Oil 6x12

Autumn Color Oil 6x12

Alma Mater Alumni Show

This last month I was honored to take part in the show '30 Years of Illustration Excellence' in the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU in Provo, Utah, my alma mater. I unfortunately could not make it to the show and see my old classmates but I heard it was great. The show covered all aspects of the art and artists that came out of the department. It was fun to see how diverse the work was and the industries that have been influenced by the schools graduates. I put in a Venetian market scene entitled 'Reflected Red', which is of the bright light bouncing off the typical red awnings in the market. I also attached a short video representing a small portion of the show that is posted on Youtube. I hope you enjoy.

'Reflective Red' Oil 18x14

Solo Show at Art on the Boulevard

On June 4th, Art on the Boulevard in Vancouver, Washington hosted my 2010 solo show. I must thank the Director, Kevin Weaver for a wonderful hanging and event - He is a 'class act' and always puts on top notch exhibitions. It was great to catch up with artists, friends, and collectors, though I felt like I didn't have the time to catch up with everyone nor catch my own breath!! Some really funny moments, of course, came from my good friends Eric Jacobsen and Mike Rangner who always pull out the stops to get a laugh.

For example, here they are relaxing by (on) my painting enjoying the atmosphere!!

Eric always seems to help my work out and this time he drew a seagull (that was poorly needed I might add) on my work with permanent marker. Doesn't it look great? What do you think?

As of opening night 8 paintings have sold and a few of them are posted here below. To see more works in the show visit the gallery website at www.artontheboulevard.org or my website at www.mitchbaird.com.

Fish Patron Oil 16x24

Walking The Dogs, Duomo de Santa Maria Oil 24x20

Gathering Geese Oil 16x16

Laundry Lines, Siena Oil 20x30

Cloaked Vessel Oil 16x12

Beach Walkers Oil 9x12