The beginning of my art show season for 2008 starts this Mothers Day weekend at the 46th annual ” Meet The Artists and Artisans” in Milford, CT. Rated as one of the top 10 (#8) fine art shows in the Northeast by Sunshine Artist, America’s premier art show and festival magazine, I’m looking forward to being an exhibitor for the first time.

The first art show of the year is always somewhat hectic as I try to make sure everything is packed and ready to go. I have a new 5 x 8 trailer which should make getting all of the equipment and artwork to and from the shows much easier than before. Once the trailer is stocked with the usual items I need at each show, I won’t have to worry as much about having left something behind (a common occurrence last year I’m afraid). I also have more space now, so in addition to what will be on display, I’ll have a separate stack of prints from my catalog that I can mat or frame on demand for any interested customer. A laptop will allow anyone to preview the catalog (which eliminates initial handling of the the actual prints), and it will contain thumbnails and full screen previews. This will give visitors a broader selection to choose from, and help them find that special print they have in mind.

I’ll also be debuting a few new items this weekend, including the canvas Gallery Wrap that is quite popular these days. This is basically a canvas print that is then mounted onto a wood frame similar to a traditional painting. Though initially I wasn’t too keen on the canvas look, it has grown on me each day every time I look at one hanging in my living room. While there is a slight loss of detail, the wonderful texture and color is truly amazing, as well as the non-glare aspect I have always loved about the ColorBox mounting.

I’ll have more info on the show and post photos on my return Monday. Happy Mothers Day to all of the moms out there!

I have updated the homepage on the website with the May 2008 Print of the Month, titled “Sunrise on Sugar Loaf”. Located less than 2 miles from where I live, Sugar Loaf Mountain sits at the northern most entrance to the Hudson Highlands, and has a very distinctive profile.

Though I thought there might be lots of clouds on this particular morning, I quickly realized they were not going to make an appearance, so I decided to work with a lone pine tree that has an interesting westward tilt. As the morning light made its way across the landscape, I was tempted to abandon the tree and move to some other positions that already looked really interesting. However, I decided to stay where I was and really work with my wide angle lens to find a composition that was as simple as possible, yet still contained all of the important elements I wanted, including the Hudson, and Storm King mountain in the distance. The benefit of being intimately familiar with this location helped me immensely, and allowed me to really focus on what I had been visualizing for several months prior to this day. I will definitely be returning here again as often as possible!

Each month, the Print of the Month is available at 15% off regular prices. Purchase here.