We liked the old one, we really did but we needed something new. Everyone loved our blogs we did last year that got emailed to our subscribers, so we have added that feature here. We will also show you some special art and artists in our featured artist section. This will keep you up to date on awards and special events in the lives of our artists. You will be able to better see the samples of our artists work and enjoy getting to know them better through our upcoming enews letter. If you haven’t done it already, you can sign up for the newsletter at a link on the home page. Don’t be afraid, we won’t sell, give away or loan this list out. It’s just between you and us.

The idea began with a photograph that was taken at an informal dinner among a few of our artists and seeing the possibilities we ran with it!

 From Sarah Webber:

 ”I have two pieces juried into the American Women Artist’s Master Signature and Signature Member Show view the work at http://www.americanwomenartists.org/ . This show is held every two years and is very prestigious.  There were 1300 submissions from all over the country (world, I heard) and they chose 101 paintings from 70 artists.”

From Brian Sturges:

“Debbie (Edgers Sturges) and I went up to Bozeman Montana this weekend and took some shots of a wonderful red fox. You can bet to see some paintings of this fellow this winter.”

From Douglas Tharalson:

Dear Friends,

I am not exactly sure how this happened, but to put it in a nutshell, a guy named Tim came along and leased the big two story barn out on Mulholland Hwy. just a few minutes walk from my studio. Over the past few months he has transformed it into THE CORNELL WINERY AND TASTING ROOM, go to http://www.cornellwinery.com/

Tim and I have struck up the perfect relationship. He loves my artwork and I love his wine. I have been put in charge of the walls of the winery and currently have forty original paintings on exhibit there.

From Roberto Gutierrez:

I would like to advise you that I was chosen as the 2008 Art Walk Featured Artist In San Diego ” Little Italy” California. As a Featured Artist, I will appear in different local news stations and other personal community events, as always my work will be featured in the ArtWalk Magazine. The show will be at April 26 and 27, 2008.

From Curt Mattson:

“Just wanted to let you know about an award Curt just won. The piece that won is “The Hoolihan Man”.

The award is the top award for sculpture at the American Artists Professional Leagues 79th Grand National Exhibition, New York, NY.

The name of the award is “Frank C. Wright Jr. Medal of Honor”.

From J.R. Eason:

I recently installed a four-foot “Damn Rain”, placed on a large boulder, at Shadow Ridge Country Club in Omaha, Nebraska.

This piece was purchased the last day of our show, 07, by President-owner of the golf course, Steve Shanahan and his wife Linda.  The placement of the piece is awesome!  This piece will also be available at six-foot this coming season.

Also, this past week, my four-foot “To Know Joy” was selected for installation in a public park in Stevensville, MT.

Martha and I, Graydon and Jeanne Foulger, just returned from a great two weeks in San Miguel de Allende. Ours was a painting trip, so I am attaching some photos of the trip.  Other news, Martha has received a commission from the City of Irving, Texas, to create a life-and-one-quarter size rearing horse for the entryway to the City. The horse, created in bronze, will be nearly 10 foot tall, and will be installed in the fall of 2008.Here are photos of a new monumental piece just installed in the new Yanney Park, Kearney, Nebraska. It was dedicated July 28th, 2007. The Yanney Family Foundation has funded the new project.  Michael Yanney, CEO of America First, of Omaha.  Now called the Burlington Investment Trust.

Ken Newman’s “Tale of Respect”, a bronze pheasant was chosen for the 75th Annual National Sculpture Society Exhibition in New York. The exhibition opens on Monday, February 18, 2008 and runs through May 30 at the Park Avenue Atrium at 237 Park Avenue/466 Lexington Ave (mid-Manhattan between 45th & 46th Streets) in NYC. The exhibition moves onto Brookgreen Gardens on Pawleys Island, South Carolina and opens on June 28 and runs through August 24, 2008. The NYC venue is open to the public free of charge in a 25 story, sky-lit lobby. At Brookgreen Gardens there is an admission fee, but if you love sculpture, the gardens created by the Hyatt/Huntington marriage is a wonderful place to spend the day viewing monumental sculpture in its gardens as well as in the museum in South Carolina. www.brookgreen.org “Tale of Respect” was one of 57 sculptures chosen from 685 works created by 286 sculptors. Each sculptor is either a NSS Fellow, an Elected Sculptor Member or an Associate of the National Sculpture Society. Ken has been an Associate member for 6 years. www.nationalsculpture.org

Ken Newman wins many awards for his spectacular wildlife sculpture but he also does some very emotional and award winning figurative bronzes.

His bronze titled, “Well Worn”recently won the Founder’s Award at the Wallowa Valley Art show in Joseph, Oregon. Here is a comment from the Wallowa Valley newspaper describing his most recent award:

“Ironically, the one-time Founders’ Award, which was selected as the piece of art which ‘best fits Wallowa County’ went to a sculpture titled Well Worn, 7-22 by Ken Newman, an artist from Cambridge, Idaho. His prize, $1,000, was sponsored by Sterling Bank.

The three founders of the Wallowa Valley Arts Council, Don Green, Eve Slinker and Rich Wandschneider – their names were on the organization of the nonprofit papers in 1982 – gathered around Newman’s bronze to explain why they thought it deserved the award.

‘It’s a tired working man at the end of the day. He’s wearing working boots, and could be a logger or a rancher in Wallowa County,’ pointed out Green.”

“Well Worn”was sculpted to reflect exhaustion and its presence in our lives. What fascinates and inspires me is the individual who possesses this strength of character. When completely exhausted, what enables one to continue, Responsibility? Dependability? Commitment? Each are components to the foundation for success, and these are characteristics that I have the utmost respect for. Sacrifice, another critical element, is subtly suggested by the missing digit and it is often this unspoken sacrifice that grounds and creates a strong individual.”, says Newman

Fine Woodworking magazine featured Ken’s wood sculpture “Tale of Attitude” in their Reader’s Gallery Page along with beautiful furniture, page 88, May/June issue.
Sculptural Pursuits included a photo of Ken’s “Uncalculated Exposure”in an article on Sculpture Walks featuring Grand Junction, CO and Sioux Falls, SD shows where he claimed second place in bronze sculpture. If you are in Sioux Falls SD before the end of April 2008, make sure you walk their downtown to see over 50 sculptures, including “Uncalculated Exposure”. If you can’t make it to South Dakota, check out their website at www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com

Wildlife Art moved Ken’s Editor’s Choice to their Annual Sculpture Issue (July/August). “Precipitous Drop”(Coyote and Chukar) is featured in the Sculpture issue. “Precipitous Drop”was finished at the Celebration of Fine Art last year. It gave visitors great insight into how this talented artist imagines his creations in a block of wood, then brings them to life as award winning sculpture. This sculpture is now exhibiting in the Society of Animal Artists 47th Annual Art and the Animal Exhibition at the Wildlife Experience in Parker, CO through February 16, 2008.