Agnes Bartas

A relative has informed me that my great great grandmother was Hungarian.  Hungarian-ness, in my mind, is embodied best of all by Petőfi Sándor, a great poet and passionate revolutionary with a sword.  I'd always suspected that somewhere in my blood lurked some Magyarsag.  I just didn't expect it to be so recent.  This news is cause for a nice and quiet celebration.  

This party, painted as the demonstration piece for my Wimberley watercolor group, depicts the raving hysteria known only by watercolor enthusiasts.  Those in attendance were, just on the surface, a bit more reserved, oohing and awing at precisely the right time.  I enjoyed it so much that I see a workshop there in the future.  I'll be sure to post the date in advance.

Last week I received an invitation to exhibit some of my newest work in watercolor at Galerie Maurer.  The exhibition has a summer theme and opens July 3 in Frankfurt, Germany.  Houston flies direct.

Sadie Francis

This Monday June 11th at 7 pm I'll be giving my first ever demonstration on how to paint with watercolor.  Because I think of my ways as self-taught, elaborating on the trickery of how to make what I make will be a personal challenge that I welcome.  During last month's studio tour I was fortunate enough to meet the program director for the Wimberley Valley Art League.  Kind of short notice, but there are still spots available.

No.7 issue of The Art of Watercolour is now available, but only at select Barnes and Nobles locations (call first).  Published in France and sold primarily in Europe, the magazine covers the work of watercolor artists from all over the world.  Based on the glances I've gotten of it online, I'd say it appears like a beautiful publication.

George Billis of New York has kindly requested that I send a second painting for his summer group show.  The opening is Thursday June 21 from 6-8pm and the exhibition runs thru July 14.  Let's go.
 

Last, a tender and personal note.  I said goodbye today to my old studio mate, Sadie Francis.  She was an old dog and she was here to greet me (I mean pounce me) when I first arrived in Texas to be with my wife in 2003.  She was a creature of out-of-control love.  This image of Sadie sitting calmly behind the single-pane glass couldn't be more misleading, but it's how I'd like to remember her.