I traveled back to my hometown (Mankato) in southern Minnesota last week and presented a slide show that was an overview of my 32 years as an artist.  I also did a portrait demo at the Twin Rivers Center for the Arts facility.  Thanks to my sister in law who was a willing model.  Both events were well attended, and as a "native son" of this model "all American town", I hope that my family and old friends enjoyed the show.  I will finish the portrait in the near future and will eventually post a pic of the final version.  See below for how far I got on day one.....My brother Stephan was also in town (a world class virtuoso violinist and fiddler - go to www.stephandudash.com), and together we sat in with old musician friends for a couple of nights and "rocked the house"!  This will hopefully turn into an annual event......Thanks to all who came to all of the events, to the Twin River Ctr for the Arts and to Jerry Schaefer (www.schaeferstudiosltd.com) for his kindness.  Please post a comment!  CMD.   

The workshop that was conducted at a building at the Dallas Christian College in Oct was well attended and by all accounts enjoyed by all.  I was able to do several demos, and we were able to have a cowboy come in on Saturday to model for the group (Thanks Tony!).  Posted below is the 2 hour portrait demo that I did.....If you attended, feel free to post a comment or two.  My hope is to get back to Dallas in the future with another workshop.  Keep an eye on my workshop page next year to see what transpires.  Below are some shots of the group painting.  I especially liked Charlotte's interpretation of Tony (see her painting in progress below) - it's a unique "distortion" and design.....

The Workshop at my studio in August was alot of fun (and hard work!), and great fellowship with artists coming in from Tuscon, Seattle, Canada, New York and Pittsburgh, PA.  Because the numbers were small, everyone received alot of personal attention, and I was able to do alot of "demo-ing".  The cook (Valerie my wife) overdid it at each lunch, and we were crawling from the back yard into the studio too full to paint!  The students got a real sense of how quiet it is in Crawford County, and I hope they enjoyed the surroundings.  On Saturday we had a real Amish friend (of a new order who enjoyed the opportunity to help) come and pose.  There were a few illustrators in the mix, and we spent time talking about the state of the industry, and I turned them loose on my collection of old illustrations (Probably in the neighborhood of 400-500 paintings, and drawers full of sketches and tearsheets.  See below for two of the demos and the group painting from a model.  I hope those who attended will write some of your own posts......Check out my workshop page for more workshops that are scheduled.  Cheers, CMD

Here are 2 photos from the Workshop in Ashland, OR in May - Photos courtesy of Debbie Chiecchi Jackson - Thanks Debbie!

   Below is the final finished painting of Sparro that was begun as a demo at the Box R Ranch in May (See the small pic on the right and the earlier blog below).  The final version became more of a completed edge to edge painting, mostly for the purpose of showing it in one of my western galleries.  I added the wall in the background to give you the impression of an actual place, and to make you feel closer to the character.  I also worked on the scarf, and tweeked the hair and shirt a bit.  I also expanded the title; after all, he is a cowboy singer!  It is always difficult to know when you are finished with a painting and this one has been no exception....What do you think?!  CMD