First prize

This painting won a first prize (cash award) yesterday in the People's Choice awards at Bishop Hills Retirement Community. Our Rivertown Artist Guild has a show there every fall and the staff and residents vote on their favorites. I won 3rd last year and 2nd the year before that! I saved this particular painting for that show because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. I like it too. Next stop for it is the lobby of St Mary's Health Care in January.

Those folks have pretty good taste! It means a lot to me. This painting didn't make it into the 2007 Festival show in GR so you just never know!

tweaks

I tweaked the painting somewhat and I think it's stronger.

Closeups

A couple of closeups to
show the brushwork.
I was trying not to get
too lost in the details.

FIELD OF POPPIES

I've been painting on this for a few weeks. I think it's finished, but it will have to sit in the living room for a few days before I sign it. It's based on a scene we saw along a roadside in West Virginia a few years back.