'I live on a rural road named "Dawnwood." And yesterday I posted a photo of what is a common occurrence early in the morning as I reach for that first cup of coffee and look out the window. So this afternoon in getting ready for the Philomath Open Studio Tour, I painted a small 7x7 memory of yesterday's sunrise. Makes me smile, and hope you are smiling, as well. Isn't nature amazing?

This time of year I tend to go into a tailspin as I watch the days fly by and the calendar between now and Philomath Open Studio Tour shortens. I have started a to do list which seems to be never ending.

• Inventory new work.
• Inventory available frames on hand.
• Paint what I call my little gems, 6 x 8 studies that everyone seems to love. They fly out the door  during the Tour. And this year my stash is pretty low. Probably need to be more specific and paint a dozen of them. I do these small originals instead of making prints of popular paintings. I guess since I'm not a big fan of prints myself, I only own one (thats a signed Dali print!!!) I'd rather walk away with a unique original and the story behind its inspiration.
• Do publicity ads for the Tour. Every artist on the Tour has some sort of assignment and this is the last of my part. Theater ad, local print media and and then this:
• Every artist was tasked with creating a short, 30 sec video for Facebook and Instagram. Just finished mine, so I guess I can check this off my list. You can view it here:

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It is amazing the behind the scenes work that each participating artist accomplishes not only in prep for their opening their studio, but assuring that each studio on the Tour is a unique experience for visitors.

Each year I have a guest artist and this year, Jennifer Lommers, will be here to share her work, her process and the story behind her amazing mixed media work.
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Over 40 artists are participating in the 2018 Tour and you can get a preview of what you'll see along the backroads in and around Philomath, OR. Jennifer and I invite you to visit the Philomath Open Studio website. 
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​Hope to see you on the Tour!