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This is an important point in my artistic life and career. These brief paragraphs represent a pivotal moment where I, the artiste, took the time to share a few highlights of an amazing Plein Air season that is yet to end, with the greater public.

I am working on a major article for publication in one of the larger Plein air publications on the topic of an almost insane indulgence in painting competitions this year. I am planning an email newsletter with updates and a great blog series  full of insights, observations and emotional perseverance, connections with other artists and oh yes some great paintings.

     So what does this very brief blog post represent that is so critical? It represents me logging on and publishing something TODAY. I am a great fan of the insightful and informative FASO newsletters.  I have learned and grown so much as an art-business person as a result of the tips and discussions shared. Therein is the point, they were-SHARED. 

    I have had great news at almost every turn and have profited from every event I competed and or painted in this year.So much "great news" that I have indeed expired that title for my postings on my facebook page (Kirk Larsen Art). I have won 7 awards in the last few months including the Grand prize at Easels In Frederick 2012,  the Collector's Choice Award at Easels in Frederick 2012,

The Grand Prize in the Cranford, NJ "Paint the Town" QUICK-DRAW,

1st Place at the "Local Color Invitational" QUICK-DRAW IN New Hope, PA  and have been featured or mentioned in over a dozen news articles on those events. I've had interviews videotaped and posted online by several publications and featured in videos at others. I been juried into some of the top painting events and exhibitions in the country including the 33rd annual International Maritime art show at the Gallery at Mystic seaport (my 3rd consecutive year) and the Oil Painters of America Eastern regional show, in Bennigton VT. I have new editions of artwork about to be printed and clients already demanding first dibs! I've had two pieces selected in the Favorite  15% on BoldBrush competition. (current entry link for painting "Crabbing at the Break of Day" in the is here so please click onto the site and vote)

       That's good news for an artist. It is also good for his clients and collectors. The important thing is that while the big article is being written and story developed, the patrons and the public are not always aware of the artist's progress. I was about to head out to paint when a comment from a reader came to my email box, representing accolades over past and current work, condensed into a sentence.  It was clear that he had looked over my website and read a few blog posts. He took the time to contact me and I seized the impulse to post Something right now.  Not tomorrow, not next week. I have stopped apologizing in my email newsletters for it taking a while to post them. I have been busy, very busy, painting and ordering canvas, paints, frames, meeting with new galleries, composing letters of intent for shows, invitationals, modifying resumes, websites, social media outlets...that's a lot for one person to do. The important things they do long to read about, do not include apologies but content.

      I am not always 100% on top of every update. However, every word that is shared is one more than before. This year my recognition has grown exponentially from where it was a year ago.  It is not nearly where it will be in 2 or 3 months or by years end. My obligation is to do something more than yesterday.  I'd like to share an example of how this works in life:

      I have had a perspective which has helped me and likey hundreds and perhaps thousands of people that relates to physical fitness. More than one person reading this has said to themselves over the course of their life "I need to get in-shape". My response to them is usually "do one sit-up." They say "but I can do more than one sit up". Then I ask "how many sit ups did you do last week? The week Before? This Month? The answer is often"None".   By considering what we could do, or wish to do, we sometimes overload ourselves with expectations that stop us from doing anything at all. While writing the last sentence, I stopped, ran into the other room and did one sit up. While I was there, I did nine more, because I could. The truth is that one is still more than I did last week. Now I have done ten. Tomorrow's expectation is only two. The next day is not four but three. keep the obligation low but honor the intent, is the point. What results is often greater than the obligation but only if we remove the pressure to do more.

       My blog post today does not represent all that I have to share but is instead unto itself a sharing of some updates, some links to major events and one step (one sit-up) forward in keeping an open dialog with the public at large. 

        What can you do today that is a tiny step forward? Email one client that purchased a piece and perhaps thank them again or better yet let them know what you have been painting or sketching; Maybe go into the studio and lay out some new paint (even if you do not have a subject selected); Find your sketchbook and a good pencil or pen and set them on the table-OPEN. Open one of those art magazines you've been meaning to read and pick one page of a bigger article to read; assemble one set of the stretcher bars you ordered 3 months ago, even if you do not lay out the canvas; assemble the items needed to mount that linen on those boards and the miracle muck, just gather the items; post one image of art onto your website or webpage and write a an earnest description of the piece; if your images are not ready to post then open photoshop or any image editor program and edit just one, yup one image...

         If you are a writer, how about 10 words on the piece or poem you've had rolling around in your head; if you have not picked up the guitar or played the piano in months or more, what about 30 seconds right now! Yes 30 seconds and see what it that does for your soul.

    I painted in plein air and at live music events from the beginning of the year in nine plein air events from April to July, barely home for a day or two between most. I painted over 110 pieces at these events often in some extreme heat and with little or no sleep.  I painted this year better than I have ever painted before. I have sold more art this year than ever before. however, this past week I have ventured out to paint four times and each day came home  with bare canvas.

"it rained", "It was sweltering", or "I had to take a career critical phone call" or "the clouds were changing too much", were among my excuses. Today I will pick up the brush and make one mark on the canvas and see what comes from making one mark. I will post that image on Kirk Larsen Art, on Facebook, tonight.

       So in closing for this post I implore every artist and everyone else-whatever it is that can move your life forward by even a single step-DO ONE SIT-UP, yes just one or it's equivalent, right now.  Lets see what one step can become.

    Starting on the next paragraph is an almost but not identical version of my latest email newsletter.  There are new photos and some additional reading so its worth looking through. I have not yet fallen into a routine of blogging and email newsletters. A major reason for this is that I have been juried into or invited to participate in no less than eight major Plein Air competitions and paint outs. That mean eight events (with a ninth looming) of  5-12 day runs of painting and framing and showing and selling and repping and prepping and planning and  ordering frames, paints, brushes, canvas, gesso, cards and more in advance and easel repairs and clothing and food and you might get the sense that its a logistics challenge.  IT IS! It would be a breeze by comparison to just go paint. A future blog entry (a more proper one) shall focus on the Plein Air competition planner...

Before you go on to read the rest let me invite you to attend three events:

#1 : This Sunday June 3rd, 2012,  I am exhibiting a variety of works at the Oyster Bay NY "BAY DAY " celebration. On the Audrey Ave extension you will find a fellow artist and a great friend of mine, the incredibly talented Genevieve Jezick watching my display of artwork and tending to sales so I can honor my role as a crew chief on the classic sailboat "'Caper" in the Oyster Bay Spring Classic regatta and tend to sails.

#2: Wayne Air 2012- The exhibition of artwork created during the Wayne Plein Air event is still on view at the Wayne Arts Center, PA. The exhibit is nothing short of breathtaking. Its the first event I've been a part of where you can see all the work created and seeing 310 works by 34 artists created in 4.5 days is something to behold. the caliber of work is great and not to be missed. Its a day trip from NYC or a nice place to spend a couple of days.

#3 -Cranford NJ's "Paint the town" another great event and there are several days to attend the show and Saturday June 9th iis the quick draw. If you've not been to one-this is your chance.

Hello ya'll! (That's lingering from my trip down south..) I write that with the first strong exhale I've had in a while and on the next breath I'll be packing for Plein Air competition number three. For those of you that signed on a while ago, I apologize about the delay with email news-lettering here.

        I was off to Callaway Georgia in mid April for a week long Plein Air competition at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mt, GA. I'd hoped to find that right balance of a smart phone that was still capable of making an audible phone call and a decent speaker for when I paint in studio and yet at the 11th hour, the phone did not work as well for use number one, as my old phone so off to compete in southern Georgia I went. With an unexplained cut out of electric in my car I rented from some very nice people at the local Hertz and had  a great drive south.

I checked in and found out I was sharing a cabin with John Caggiano (A Massachusetts artist that has never lost his Brooklyn roots) and then we were all given a tour of the Gardens culminating with a cocktail reception at the historic house where Bo Callaway shared tales of His father and FDR, (yes that FDR) and more. Day one of the competition brought heavy rain but I'd spotted some overhangs the day before so I had a great time with my first few pieces. I was able to take  video of my paintings in progress. Unfortunately I had technical difficulties. I have  a used mac for a laptop. I borrowed my friends HP laptop to more easily go online and edit photos and video since my mac does not accept any photos due to a program glitch from apple. For some reason, I was unable to get online with HP laptop. 

   So evening went like this:  upload video to  HP. edit video. Download video to external hard-drive. Upload video to mac. Upload video from mac to facebook.  i was then unable to see video on facebook because apple as some of you know, does not support flash.

After two days of this and long days of painting I had to skip the updates to concentrate on task #1 -painting.

Day two we were to be shuttled to surrounding areas for opportunities to paint private gardens and other venues. The last van to leave had key trouble so John and I shared a car to our destination where we met a wonderful woman  who had a wonderful property and diverse taste in art. Here is the first one. The second "East garden" is in the plein air events collection on the website.

Two paintings that day and a bonus : the evenings gathering was at that location so John and I were able to paint just a little bit longer. 

Wednesday was a rainy hazy monkey though I was able to paint under a glass enclosed atrium for a good part of the day.     It was Roger Dale Brown's birthday and I had the pleasure of being on the surprise party planning crew. John C. and I hosted at our Cabin and I cooked for about 16 artists and significant others that evening. Thursday I headed out of Dodge, so to speak to find greater inspiration on one of the grayest days ever. Painted at West Point Lake. Then on a hunch I raced back to Callaway in anticipation of catching a break in the cloud cover. It paid off with a cool 12 x 16 of a stormy sky. As I wrapped that one up I think i heard the painting say it needed a twin. So I painted another into the evening darkness.

 Thursday night was a long framing session with the S & M plein Air group or S.A.M.P.A.G. (the S & M stands for Scotch and Matzoh-long funny story but that will be another newsletter). 

  Friday was the big drop off day and a good time to greet the other artists and get a sense of the work before that evening's reception.

I am pleased to say I sold a piece (East garden) that evening as well as sharing a good time with a great many fine people.

Here is Roger Dale Brown who was not only an award winner but along with Beverly they are very cool people and he ran the workshop following the event 

Saturday I was going to attend the lecture but got a deep passion for painting as the sun came out. I headed out to warm up and also scout a location for the quick-draw. My location turned out to be a good one and in the short time we had to paint I felt I'd done one of my best that week. Quite a few of the top artists there complimented me on the art with several saying "you got this one in the bag!" referring to their feeling that it was the best of the morning.

That meant a lot to me especially coming from artists I admire so much.  I did not get an award but the painting not only sold for the highest amount of the quick-draw sales but there were at least five people vying for it!. The new owner loves it and that also means lot to me. 

       The Callaway family hosted a BBQ for the artists at a secret location and it was the second time that week we were treated to food and drink where FDR had socialized with our hosts. Good folks, good bbq...good times .

An informal  gathering the next morning at the cabin topped off the week on Sunday before we picked up any unsold works and I headed out for a brief 21 hour drive home to NY.

          A 21 hour drive by oneself can lead to interesting thinking. thoughts like" I think it would be interesting to paint in a tan suit! Like the impressionists did! yeah!.... " When I returned to NY I was given a tan suit by someone that heard me talking. It had a couple light stains which took the fear off of ruining it.  One dry cleaning sharpened it up and I had the suit I needed to paint in.  For those of you that have already "liked" Kirk Larsen Art- on facebook... you know what it looks like. the rest of you will have to wait until

"The tale of Wayne Air 2012 or The suit that rocked Philly"  The suit is ten paintings in and still presentable.

    I am pleased to have caught up a bit with this newsletter although there is still the fantastic tale of the car that died before the trip and the great car karma experience. Then there is the incredible tale of Wayne plein Air and a productive week thanks to a great venue and and an impeccable host/artists family. That story will have to wait as the week before Wayne, I shopped again and did not find a phone that had features but also good call sound. In Wayne I had virtually no cell reception, no landline and no wireless. That just meant no working on the computer until late and I would not have traded my host family for anything. That tale will be told soon. now I must prep for this weekends' BAY DAY exhibit Sunday 12-5 in oyster bay. See events page on the website and or facebook too. Then Tuesday i will be in Cranford NJ for "paint the Town" which has its own "app" so i think i gotta get a new phone now...Thanks for reading and subscribe to the blog please. I am only repeating info this time because I'm not up to speed on media while planning all the logistics for the events. Ciao for now, Sincerely-Kirk Larsen

I am posting this Blog in a somewhat patch work manner. I started this a week and a half ago and have been joyfully very busy. I am as I write this introductory paragraph, packing to leave for a drive to Georgia for Callaway plein Air.

      I had some car issues. I had my car checked out for the trip Wednesday and 12 hours after they said everything was great, I pulled into my driveway (coming home from painting at Live Art Fusion IIXX) and the car went completely dead.  Got it back to same mechanic Thursday and they still have it. I decided to rent a car for the trip (as I deserve the comfort, confidence and efficiency).  I have another large vehicle for moving artwork, a station wagon (11 mpg) that I was going to use for errands and it too was dead..a neighbor said "you're having a tough time with cars and I smiled and replied "no not really, the first one went dead AFTER I got home so I went to bed calmly. Then it started in the morning and ran long enough to get it to the mechanic. The Wagon did not start  but today is not my deadline, today is sunny and not raining and so in the universal scheme of things, I'll take that any day! I am giving up a little to have so much... besides the universe was telling to enjoy the ride (the journey!) and with a rental, I will.. "  Jump started the wagon and it ran for errands! The rest of this was blog was loosely assembled at the end of March and I'm posting it basically as it was to get back to packing art supplies. Please forgive any organizational cacophonous.

I am so pleased to share more great and positive news: I have been very busy prepping for upcoming plein air events, painting at LIVE ART FUSION and doing demos. In addition to acting auditions,  work on films, the newest Visigoth Capital one commercial (I'm one of the Viking type guys. left side in the tree) and photo shoots, I've been entering shows, doing new artwork and helping out local charity organizations. 

    It seemed like every time I was about to compose a blog post on the good news, more news came in and I was so overjoyed that i had to rethink the posting. While I find writing a flowing and usually easy experience, gathering my thoughts during such an intense period of "leg work" seemed a little more daunting. Since January, there has been a steady stream of deadlines for me every week for some form of paper work.  I have had a multitude of Plein Air competitions to enter, juried art shows and proposals for art installations and even a grant. In the interest of timeliness and in deference to the time constraints that await me this weekend I think it best to just list the array of events and endeavors that I have been up to and events I have been juried into. I have among many other things done the following:

 *   Submitted  a proposal for "ART UNDER GLASS" for a one year sculptural installation called "WONDER" at the Tilles Center 

      Atrium at CW POST.

*    Entered myself into several of the highest level juried Plein Air art competitions in the country.

*    Painted two paintings at LIVE ART FUSION (LAF) every Wednesday since the first week of 2012

*    Been featured in 3 online news articles about L.A.F.

*    Been featured on 2  separate online video news reports

*    Made the cover of the entertainment section of NEWSDAY (Our local major newspaper) in an article abotu LAF.

*    Fios is doing a two part highlight on me and my artwork, the second part is taping at Live art fusion XXI, May 5, 2012, 7:30-11

*    Donated a painting that raised $3000 for the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center.

I did write at the onset that a lot was happening...there's more

*    I've been selected to compete/paint in Callaway plein Air and Easels in Frederick (as per last blog post)

*    Received notice that I have been juried into Wayne Plein Air, Cranford "paint the town" 2012 Plein air (after last post)

*    invited back to Paint in Curacao Plein Air 2012

*    Today received notice that I am in Plein Air Easton 2012, (the biggest & best Plein Air competition in the country)

       for a second straight year!

*     I have been notified that my proposal for the Tilles center "Art Under Glass" has been chosen to move onto the next round of

       the selection process.

*     I have had the pleasure of Mentoring and tutoring several artists, several college students and one professor in areas of study

       from nursing to fashion design.

*    The March 20th,  plein Air oil painting demo @ Utrecht Art Supplies in Carle Place NY. was standing room only.

*    April 3, 2012 5:30-7:30 demonstrated to a packed housethe incredible potential of acrylics

        @ Utrecht Art Supplies in Carle Place NY.

** April 27th, I will be the lead demonstrator at the Art League of Long island's  (ALLI) "ART AFTER DARK" 

      Where I will be painting to Live Music, showing fusion paintings and demonstrating the fusion painting technique.

 I am taking the next step forward in the coming weeks to the ***smart phone age to make blog entries, tweeting and facebook updates for Kirk Larsen Art,  easier.  While I am competing and painting over the next year I will be posting images, videos and commentary about paintings in progress, awards and finished paintings as well. I invite everyone to share this blog, follow it and subscribe to the email newsletter from kirklarsenfineart.com to be part of the wonderful movement forward.  Art uplifts and inspires. It is with immeasurable gratitude that I embrace the gifts I have and work daily to learn more and refine them.  It look forward to be able to share the moments of creation with a wider audience. I'll be in southern Georgia from April 14-22, and considering the warm spring we've already had, I suspect it might get a bit warm.

{***INSERTED UPDATE AS OF 4/12/12 last night I tested the phone I thought I was going to get. The Droid bionic calls and works well with other smart phones but calling older phones and landlines, my old LG has a much better speaker and call clarity, so I will keep shopping and as of today will be making the Georgia trip on the old phone.  So no GPS but I've traveled for decades with maps and intuition. I will still upload and post progress reports and images. }

      To give you a sense of what a Plein Air competition can be like: Last year at Easton, temperatures were 96-107 degrees, but mostly 98... I stayed hydrated but still lost 11 lbs while painting 22 paintings in 12 days. That's an interesting set of numbers to ponder when you consider that there is no day off to wait for inspiration...It was hot and the amazing group of artists still turned out a few hundred excellent  paintings during the event.

I am so incredibly excited to get painting,  to see my artists friends, meet new artists  and mostly to make great art that brings joy for years to come to the art lovers that buy them! I look forward to hearing all your feedback. Thanks for the support and please share the email newsletter and blog links. -Thanks for reading-sincerely Kirk Larse

I have been extremely busy painting this year.

I have great news to share-I have been selected as one of the 30 top artists to paint at this year's "Easels in Frederick" plein air competition in Frederick Maryland June 20-24th, 2012. (See events on my website for details) This is the third event so far that I've been juried into. The first is Callaway plein Air at Callaway Gardens Georgia April 15-22, 2012. The second is Plein Air Curacao, which I painted in last year and have been asked back. (Details on the dates are still being finalized at the time of this blog entry.  I have also entered others such as Plein Air Easton, (which I was selected for last year) and Cranford and Wayne events all of which are yet to jury their artists. I had so much fun painting, even under pressure and incredible heat last year and love the whole atmosphere of these venues. My friend Stewart White is among the best of the best artists I'll be painting with at Frederick.     

    Followers of Kirk Larsen Art on facebook  ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirk-Larsen-Art/159245994137628 )  know that I have joined the core artists painting at Live Art Fusion, the brain child of Rich Rivkin a drummer/percussionist and art lover.  A band plays LIVE  every Wednesday Night at the 841East lounge, 841 east Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station, NY.  While they play, between 6 & 12 artists paint LIVE as well, with the intent of finishing their painting during the set while the band plays. Playing off of each others inspiration the band plays better and the artists paint faster in what Rich calls "speed painting". I find it to be an incredibly inspiring challenge akin to plein air painting on steroids. The music, played by a rotation of amazing bands and alternate weeks that band is the awesome "Fusion collective" (featuring none other than Rich Rivkin himself) is always fantastic and truly inspiring. Paintings are selling faster than ever and some days they are being snapped up before they are finished. I have created a special painting which i have donated to the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center in Oyster Bay Cove for their annual fundraiser this weekend. Next weekend I will be demonstrating Plein air painting in oils on March 17th, 2012, 1:30-3:00 for the Manhasset art Association at the Quaker Meeting House, 1421 Northern Blvd, across from Lord & Taylor in Manhasset, N.Y.

         I will be working towards more regular blog posting and invite everyone to sign up for the blog and share the blog with friends. Thanks all and see you at the easel.

The whirlwind of travel, painting and competition continues today with The Sagamore Hill Plein Air event at the Oyster Bay White House of Theodore Roosevelt.  last week I painted, taught a workshop and competed just 12 degrees north of the equator on the island of Curacao and now I'm driving an effortless 8 miles north from my house to paint again. The 34 other top artists and myself will paint today and tomorrow and submit our best works for judging, hanging (sounds like a western) and exhibition for a show tomorrow night. I hope everyone that reads this can make it to the Oyster Bay Historical Society's new gallery to see the show and put in some healthy bids for super fresh artwork...I’ve Got to drink my coffee and make some lunch and GO PAINT! See ya’ll there…

link to the events page:

http://www.teachingstudios.com/php/events/tsa-sagamore.php

Just a quick note from the other side of sleepless nights with brushes in hand: Tuesday, July 12th, I Came to Easton from NY after spending the night packing the car with a plethora of art supplies and some clothes too. (In preparation for the biggest Plein air event in the country, Plein Air Easton scheduled a series of pre-event paint outs.)  NO Sleep, just pack and leave at 4 a.m. After a 10 minute safety nap on the Jersey TPK, I proceeded to Easton for the Tuesday morning pre-event paint out with the "Plein air painters of the eastern Shore". A great group with a charismatic and talented leader, the artist Anne Allbeury-Hock. The next  four days held four more paint outs and yielded a total of 11 paintings including  a couple of moonlight works and a sunrise too. Two have already been sold. The competition started with 58 of the world's best artists checking in at the Avalon theatre, getting our canvas and panels stamped as blank, socializing and some orientation. We were fed, watered, enthused and pumped up. As we left the theatre the hot humid air hit us and reminded us of the conditions before us and the intensity of the competition...This is not the "do your best work under ideal conditions of your choosing", its hot, its humid and its now, bring your 'A' game, pump it up a notch and bring more than that! I left the theatre and headed out to paint until 3 a.m. Well, I have much to share but its 12:48 a.m. and I hear a sunrise painting calling in just a couple of hours. I am actually relieved that it’s Hot and sticky out with no breeze. If there were breeze, I’d go to the water and paint the moon again- good night and thank you to everyone at Avalon, at home and here in Easton for helping all this happen....

The Northport Arts Coalition, Plein Air weekend, has just finished. I was able to get in two paintings on Friday. Saturday's piece had to be abandoned due to my commitment as crew chief and jib trimmer on CAPER a 56' 1957 Sloop, racing in the final day of the Oyster Bay spring classic.  I am pelased to say that my piece "Northport, Soft haze" a 12 x 24 oil on canvas SOLD after mulitple bids!

        Then I went sailing and we raced in 20 knot winds and eventually monsoon like rain, but our sparse crew of 8 did a great job and we won the first half of the seven day regatta, with the overall going to NELLIE, a 1903 Herreshoff cutter. 

     Now I prepare for the next crunch-Mystic combined with Hudson Valley and The  Art League of long Island shows. I am going to make this short with just a brief overview: I must pack the car with artwork to be delivered to the Mystic Seaport's 32nd Annual international maritme Art show, the Mystic Seaport's "American Lighthouse show", the Hudson Valley Art asscoiation's 80th annual show (due today) and the ALLI's 35th annual show (tomorrow), each being one piece per show from some very deep jurying pools.  Also into the car, frames, paints, canvas, gesso, brushes, for five days of painting en plein air in Mystic Seaport and Mystic Ct, for a show that opens Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Clothing for the week and some basic foodstuffs, suncreeen and bug repellant, phone and camera chargers, my desktop computer (to be repaired in Gales ferry, CT by my favorite tech-pro Peter "Captain Computer" Wilbanks) and perhpas some sialing gear.,.

Combine traveling with some of my most valuable artworks and a ton of supplies in a small car with a stop in NYC for a quick "Go-See" (an audition for a print ad) and I've had to call in a favor to have that car watched while I go in and audition and then head up to Lyme CT for my first drop off and a trying to get this site up and running... my head is spinning with the pressure while my smile continues to grow. I look forward to a wonderful week of painting and seeing my artists friends.-for now-KL