Favorite Museums: Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

One of my favorite local museums is the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Located about 30 minutes west of Raleigh, on the Duke University campus, the museum opened in 2005 and has produced some outstanding exhibitions since then.

This year I have visited twice, both times to see a show on the Bloomsbury Group entitled "A Room of Their Own." While the museum's collection concentrates on contemporary art, its exhibition schedule has included shows beyond that range, including a landmark exhibit for our area that featured the art of El Greco. Later this summer the Nasher will feature a Picasso exhibition entitled "Picasso and the Allure of Language.

For more information on the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, visit http://www.nasher.duke.edu/.

Cary Farmhouse Series: Fifth Post

Nine of the 20 paintings I have currently on display in the Burke Arts Council's Jailhouse Gallery are from my 2008 Cary Farmhouse Series. One of them is the painting seen above, "Farmhouse Study at Night." Recently purchased by a Raleigh collector prior to the opening of the exhibit, this canvas will be delivered to its new owner upon its return from Morganton, NC in early June.

Using source images taken at the farmhouse site during the day, I improvised a night scene for this painting in the series. The actual farmhouse is uninhabited, so I had to create the illusion of the porch light using my imagination. I also created the dusk-like sky from memory as well.

"Farmhouse Study at Night." Oil on stretched canvas, 12 x 16 inches. Completed in July 2008.

Leaving Las Vegas

I've just returned home from my first trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. While I expected to find "Sin City" over hyped and empty, I actually enjoyed my time there (and didn't spend a dime inside the casinos). In addition to the attractions along the famous Strip, I took day trip diversions to the Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and Valley of Fire State Park. Another highlight was visiting the art collection and gallery of fine arts at the Bellaggio. Their current exhibit, on loan from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, is "Lichtenstein, Warhol & Friends." The exhibit included pieces by those artists as well as Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly and Ed Ruscha.

Upon returning from Las Vegas, I learned that one of my paintings had sold in the Burke Arts Council show. The work, "House on Holly Springs Road," is the same piece featured in the exhibit invitation. Needless to say this was very exciting news, and totally unexpected. My thanks go out again to Ann DiSanto and the Burke Arts Council for their wonderful support of my efforts.

Burke Arts Council Exhibit Opens Tonight

My new solo exhibition, featuring 20 recent paintings, opens tonight (6:30-8:30 PM) at the Burke Arts Council in Morganton, North Carolina. The council's Jailhouse Gallery (so named because it is inside the former Burke County Jail) is located at 115 East Meeting Street. Due to the gallery's distance from Raleigh, and work/personal commitments, I will be unable to attend myself. The exhibit runs until May 29 and is open Tuesdays-Thursdays, 9 AM to 5 PM and Fridays 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

Burke Arts Council Show

Yesterday I delivered 20 paintings to the Burke Arts Council in Morganton, North Carolina for the solo show I will have in its Jailhouse Gallery during May. The exhibit will open on Friday, May 8 and run until May 29. The council's executive director, Ann DiSanto, was wonderfully accommodating and supportive, and I want to thank her and the Burke Arts Council for this great opportunity.

Tomorrow I will be delivering the painting "Fourth and Montgomery" to the Rocky Mount (NC) Arts Center for the show I was juried into this summer. Then, it's back inside the studio to begin the next series of canvases.