Birds In Art 2012

It is with a great deal of anticipation I prepare for my trip to Wausau. Having the good fortune to be selected for the Woodson Art Museum's Birds In Art exhibit is and honor I don't take lightly. There are many old friends I'm looking forward to catching up with and I'm sure I'll make some new ones, too. I'll be rubbing shoulders with my contemporary heroes of wildlife art and hoping some of that brilliance sticks. This will be my 6th BIA opening and the trip has never failed to send my on my way with my head spinning. There is always a flood of new ideas knocking around in my head on the long drive home. I've learned to take a note pad and write things down as they come along.

My 2012 entry "Snow on Willow Bay"

I've always said that my first BIA exhibit was truly the launching pad for my art career. It was a Friday afternoon in early May of 2007 when I got the coveted "big envelope" that changed my world. I was driving to work and, as I always did, stopped at the post office to pick up my mail. I remember sitting in the truck trying to open the letter with my hands shaking. There was a flood of emotion as I saw "Congratulations!" in the first line. I almost didn't go to work that day, but what else was I going to do? I told the good news to a co-worker (and fellow struggling artist) that evening and mentioned how I wasn't sure if I'd go to the opening. She simply replied, "Are you out of your mind?!" Funny how those 6 words changed things for me. That was the moment I decided I had to go... even if it took my very last penny. When I look back on where I was as a painter 5 short years ago, I can't help but be stunned at the progress of my career... due in no small part to the people I met in Wausau. They helped get the ball rolling and I will be forever grateful.