I'm pleased to announce that Juror Marilyn Laufer, Director Emerita at the Julie Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, has selected my oil painting Holly Beach, 24 x 48, to be a part of the 32nd September Competition at Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria, LA. The opening is July 12th. The show will run through October 24, 2019.
This will be the second time I have participated in The Alexandria Museum of Art’s annual September Competition. Last year I was honored that my painting Sands Motel was awarded the Third Place prize by Juror William U. Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art at The University of Georgia.
This painting of Holly Beach, a.k.a. The Cajun Riviera, came about because of my visit to Louisiana to attend the opening reception for the aforementioned show. Whenever I travel for business or pleasure I try to take time to discover local culture and find inspiration for my artwork. On this trip last July I was hoping to combine my exploration with a relaxing day at the beach. I headed south to Holly Beach, a place I knew of only from the name on the map. With onshore thunderstorms, the weather did not allow for a beach day, however I was rewarded with the extraordinary light shining on this little town clinging precariously to a thin strip of sand on the Gulf Coast. The ominous clouds looming over the houses, R.V.s, and campers created the perfect narrative of climate change and of Vanishing America.
Most of my photos from my travels never get translated into paint. As I shot the reference photos from that beach, I knew that this scene was going to become a painting.