February Fun

Travel to Texas, New Mexico, and offering another painting later in the month

Dear Friends,

I had a really wonderful hour long conversation with Aaron Schuerr on Wednesday for the REASONABLY FINE ART TALK. One of the things I absolutely love about doing these talks is that I learn so much from the conversation as it is ongoing. I can be looking at a painting as I’m assembling the slideshow and it may or may not grab me, but as we talk, I start to understand the profoundly exciting connection the artist feels at the time they’re creating the piece, and it is absolutely revelatory. Click on the image below if you’d like to watch the conversation on UteOob.

Charlie and Aaron discussing painting outdoors in Montana in January.

I head down to Texas on the train Sunday, arriving in Austin Tuesday evening, and it sounds like we will have quite busy evenings (BettySoo sitting in with James McMurtry at the Continental Club on Tuesday, and the upstairs Continental Gallery on Wednesday; then special guesting at the Casper Rawls’ happy hour show at the Continental downstairs on Thursday), but I am hoping, during the days, to do a little video editing, and start to learn how to make short clips from full-length REASONABLY FINE ART TALKS (here’s a link to subscribe to them if you want). Apparently, people really prefer short videos (according to UteOob, my average viewer watches for 18 minutes; I want to make these 5-10 minutes) and so I’m going to try to excerpt particularly pithy exchanges from various conversations, and make some reasonably-easily-consumable snack-bites. We will see how it goes!

SAFE ENOUGH FOR NOW, 12x24, oil on muslin, mounted on panel

Towards the end of the month I will once again, as a special thanks and charitable fundraiser, be offering a painting to the folks who are paying members of this newsletter (100% of the funds raised, and $400 of the $450 price of the painting goes to various charities - the other $50 goes toward packing and domestic shipping, and maybe a cheeseburger). The painting I will be offering is SAFE ENOUGH FOR NOW, a 12x24 piece painted at a nature refuge outside Jupiter, Florida a few years ago. Toward the end of the month paying members will receive a special emailer with a link; the person who purchases it gets it. It’s that simple; paid memberships start at $7/month, with all money going to charity. The gallery price, for comparison’s sake, would be $2,400 plus frame (it is sold unframed; a simple wood frame is an optional $100 additional).

From Austin, I’ll be renting a vehicle and driving to Terlingua to paint with The Rattlesnake Gang in the Big Bend region, then on to New Mexico, dropping off paintings in Santa Fe for my June show at McLarry Fine Art. Then I head home on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and the Late-For-Sure Limited.

I’ll drop another line in early March. You take good care, and pray that our democracy holds.

Your pal,
~ Charlie