First Annual Artspire La Crosse

I got to go back home to La Crosse last weekend to participate in the first annual ARTSPIRE. The event had a number of artists exhibiting as well as multiple stages, food trucks and they even unveiled a mural by internationally renowned muralist John Pugh. I was very honored to receive the show's top award, the Juror's Choice. The award came with a $1,000 dollar prize. Very generous for a first yeat show! It made the two days of scrambling to buy discount plywood, building a booth from scratch, and framing a tentful of artwork worth it. During the next week, I had the privilege to be asked by Mr. Pugh to help with the final stages of the mural. In all it was a very busy and eventful week, and it was great to be back home with friends and family.

"The Underpainting" Featured in Fine Art Connoisseur

I'm extremely honored to have artwork included in the March/April issue of Fine Art Connoisseur. My painting, "The Underpainting" will be included in a feature called "When Artists Depict Themselves." I'm humbled to be featured alongside some of my heroes and my blogstalkees, including Mia Bergeron, Teresa Oaxaca, Katie O'Hagan, Michelle Dunaway and many others. Julio Reyes and Candice Bohannon have a wonderful feature in there; it's a very inspiring read, and it couldn't have examined two nicer artists. I flew out to New York in 2012 just to catch his show at the Arcadia gallery, and it was quite honestly astounding. It was a whole new level of awareness radiating from his work on the walls. Anyway, check out their article! I finally tracked an issue down at the local Barnes & Noble, so it should be on newsstands near you!