EVENTS / NEWS

I was invited to hang a solo show at B.Anthony Jewelers in downtown SLO for the month of June, 2019.  I titled the show "Horizontally Yours."  Many thanks to B.Anthony Jewelers for this opportunity!

 

Cover image for AcrylicWorks 5:  Bold Values   (Note:  This is not my painting)

My painting "Flame Dancer" is one of the paintings featured in Acrylic Works 5: Bold Values (2018).
The physical book can be ordered from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/AcrylicWorks-Bold-Value…/…/1440352399

The e-book can be ordered from:
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/store/acrylicworks-5-ebook

Here is the book description you will find on Amazon:

"The unparalleled competition showcase for outstanding acrylic artists!
There's an old saying among artists that "value does all the work, while color gets all the credit." AcrylicWorks 5 gives value its due, showing how--in the hands of today's top artists--it brings drama to everyday subjects, conveys emotion and commands the eye.

The 5th competition book in the AcrylicWorks series, this volume delivers another bold and breathtaking show of the best in contemporary acrylic painting, selected from an international call for entries. A rousing blend of instruction and inspiration, these pages feature:

  • 127 stunning acrylic and mixed-media paintings by 100+ accomplished artists
  • Fascinating insights from the artists themselves, revealing the hows and whys behind each piece
  • Focus on the power of value--creative solutions, effective approaches and bold techniques
  • A rich variety of subjects--from still life and abstracts to people, animals and landscapes--portrayed in an equally glorious range of styles

A treat for artists and art lovers alike, AcrylicWorks 5 invites you to study these modern-day masterpieces, analyze them...or simply sit back and wonder at their incredible skill and artistry."

I was excited and honored to learn this morning that my painting "Ragged Landscape" has been accepted by juror Michael Reardon as part of the Central Coast Watercolor Society's Aquarius 2018 exhibition.

The Aquarius 2018 California Open Watermedia Exhibition will happen Feb 23 - April 15 at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. The opening reception and awards presentation is scheduled for Friday March 2, 2018 during Art after Dark, 6-9 pm.

I will have two pieces in the next gallery exhibition, "Social Justice," at Art Center Morro Bay, sponsored by the Morro Bay Art Association. Here is some info about the exhibit:

Social Justice
Sept 21 thru Oct 30, 12-4 pm at Art Center Morro Bay
835 Main St, Morro Bay, CA
Free and open to the public
RECEPTION: Sunday, September 24, 2pm–4pm

Art Center Morro Bay presents an undefined exhibition on “Social Justice.” In this remarkable exhibit, artists express their own concepts of human rights, inequality and betrayal.

Throughout history, art has provided a glimpse into social circumstances surrounding daily life. Today’s climate of shifting world powers make social justice a fertile subject for artist and viewer alike. For this exhibit, artists were invited to define social justice by confronting issues of income disparity, homelessness, health and environmental concerns, immigration, racism and gun violence, to name a few. Its beauty lies in its ability to throw light on our own ignorance.




Acrylic and oil pastel on watercolor board, 25" x 28" in framed

I painted this in a fit of fury and outrage, in three hours, after reading a gun-glorifying Sarah Palin piece that depended on
the rhetoric of violence to try to make its point.
"We Are All Colored People" Acrylic and pastel on watercolor paper
23" x 30" framed. 
A statement about the beauty of diversity, but also about the similarities that bind all human beings. We are  all many-colored people

Exciting news to share!

After five tries, I finally had a piece accepted into the International Society of Experimental Artists open, international (physical) juried show, the 26th Annual ISEA International Art Exhibition!!!!! The show happens October - November, 2017, at Big Arts, Sanibel Island, Florida. I'm so grateful to the juror, Jade Dellinger, and the ISEA for this honor!!!

The piece is "Rough Music," what I call a "digital collage," made in PhotoShop from an early phase of one of my paintings, now painted over entirely into something else. I'll send a framed, limited edition print, probably 20" x 20" (26"x26: framed)

I am honored that "Ragged Landscape" (acrylic and collage on gold-gessoed Rives BFK printmaking paper, 15"x15") was juried into the "Pushing Boundaries" Open Juried Exhibition, presented by Morro Bay Art Association.

The exhibit opens August 3 and continues through September 18, 2017, at Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St, Morro Bay, CA. The opening reception and awards presentation will take place on Sunday, August 6, 2-4 pm.

I was thrilled to learn that "Flame Dancer" is one of 110 winning paintings selected for  North Light Books’ 2017 international acrylics competition AcrylicWorks 5: Bold Values, to be published in May, 2018.  I am so honored!!!

The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media has just published Merge IV  to commemorate their national membership exhibition held in Albuquerque in April 2017 at the African American Performing Arts Center, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the association.  I am honored to have been chosen as one of the 60 artists featured in the book for my painting "Man Gazing at Two Goddesses."


Man Gazing at Two Goddesses, Acrylic on watercolor paper, ll"x14"


The Central Coast Watercolor Society's newsletter editor Dail Schroeder recently interviewed me for the spring 2017 newsletter.  I am so honored to have this interview included in the newsletter! 

mho interview for CCWS newsletter spr 2017.pdf mho interview for CCWS newsletter spr 2017.pdf
Size : 296.579 Kb
Type : pdf

I'm thrilled to report that "Flame Dancer" has received another award!  The International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA) 8th Annual All-Member Show's jurors--Kathleen Conover, Carol Frye, and Carol Staub--selected "Flame Dancer" as the 1st Place winner!  In addition, this painting will be the advertising image for next year's show.   I'm so grateful to ISEA and the jurors for this honor. You can view the  show gallery here .t

San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Curator Ruta Saliklis has selected  "Techno Heart on My Sleeve" for inclusion in "On and Off the Wall," an exhibition presented jointly by The Painter's Group and the Central Coast Sculptors Group, June 15 - July 30, 2017, to be held at Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St, Morro Bay, CA.  The opening reception and awards presentation is Sunday, June 18, 2-4 pm.  Stop by if you are in the area;  in addition to wonderful art, there will be many tasty treats!

I had two paintings in the "Sense of Identity" show at Art Center Morro Bay, March 23rd through May 1st, 2017.

"Requiem for an Ovary" Acrylic & resin paint on cradled wood panel, 24"x24"x.75"  
                                                                                                                                           "Ghosts in My Machine"  Acrylic on watercolor paper, 11"x14"

I'm thrilled to report that "Flame Dancer" was awarded 2nd Place in the International Society of Acrylic Painters 8th Annual International Online Open Exhibition!  You can view the entire show and see all the award winners in the ISAP web site gallery

My painting "Man Gazing at Two Goddesses" was juried into the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media's National Exhibition Merge IV,  held at the African American Performing Arts Center in Albuquerque in April 2017!  

UPDATE:  The SLMM has just published "Merge IV."  This book was produced to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM), a national art organization founded in 1982 by educator, artist, and resident of Albuquerque, NM, Mary Carroll Nelson. It is a very diverse group of artists in style and medium, whose members reside across the US and Canada.

'Merge IV' was a national membership exhibition held in Albuquerque in April 2017 at the African American Performing Arts Center, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the association.

The book contains images chosen from the 124 pieces of work that were included in the show. Each of the 60 artists who were featured in the exhibit have a separate page with an image of their work along with their artistic statement.

I am honored to have been chosen as one of the 60 featured artists for my painting "Man Gazing at Two Goddesses." This is the first time one of my pieces has been published in a book.

To learn more about SLMM members, organization history, events, etc. visit online at www.slmm.org

"Man Gazing at Two Goddesses"
acrylic on watercolor paper, 11"x14" (20" x 23" framed).

This year's Beacon Art Show, sponsored by the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church is titled "Windows to the Soul."  My painting "Dreaming of a Good Drenching" was selected by jurors for this exhibition.  The opening reception will take place during Art after Dark on Friday, March 3, 2017, 6-9 pm.  Awards will be announced at 7:15 and refreshments will be served.  This is always a wonderful show in a wonderful venue!

Dreaming of a Good Drenching
Acrylic and ink on gallery-wrapped canvas 30" x 40'

 

The Central Coast Watercolor Society's Aquarius 2017 Pacific Regional Watermedia Exhibition is currently at Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St, Morro Bay, CA.  My painting "Flame Dancer" was awarded Best of Show by juror Keiko Tanabe.  It's a great show with paintings from both local and regional artists and will be up through March 20, 2017.  Come check it out!

Flame Dancer
Acrylic and inks on Terraskin
Framed  35" by 26"

2017 OPEN STUDIOS
ART TOUR

Weekends of October 14-15 and 21-22
10am to 5pm each day

ARTS Obispo's Open Studios Art Tour is FREE to the public and one of the largest tours in the country. Approximately 200 artists participate throughout San Luis Obispo County by opening their studios for visitors to tour two weekends in October, 10am-5pm each day. Art in a variety of media and styles—from abstract and representational painting to wood, glass, metal and ceramic—is displayed and sold by artists directly in their working studios. Many artists have live demonstrations and works in progress so visitors can see art being created and get a feel for the process from concept to completion.

Tour visitors plan self-guided routes by looking through the printed full-color catalog, the online catalog or the mobile-friendly map. The catalog features images of participating artists' work, their contact information and maps to their studios. Printed catalogs, found at various locations throughout San Luis Obispo County, and the online catalog will be available in mid-September, 2016. Check this page in September to find a catalog location near you.

As one Open Studios visitor remarked, "The art means more when one talks directly to the artist.”

"Rough Music"  Digital collage print, limited edition.  Created using an image of an early phase of one of my paintings (now painted over into something else entirely!) and digitally enhanced with Adobe Photoshop.  I will have matted prints available for purchase at this year's Open Studios Art Tour

For Open Studios 2015, I demonstrated how to paint with alcohol inks  -- and I was very privileged (and grateful!)  to have my sister, Kate O'Brien-Meyer -- a wonderful artist in her own right-- here to help me out with these demos.  Many visitors to my studio, including several children, gave it a try and were pleased to have their own painting to take home with them!  Folks had so much fun with this last time that I plan to do another participatory activity again this year.  I'm not sure what it will be at this point, but I can promise it will be fun!