Evening Glow Rooster

This watercolor was done a few weeks ago and I am really pleased with it.  Every once in awhile an artist nails one that is a real zinger and this one does it for me. It's light and airy and simple and just has a good feel to it. Enjoy and keep painting!

NEW WORK

This is one of my newest semi abstract acrylic pieces. It has been getting a lot of attention, very dramatic coloring, highlights to the fish make them really pop off the canvas.

finally a new post

Since we're finally settled in our new abode and studio my rep said it's time for a blog again. So I guess it is.
We're out near Montana City now and are really liking it . My studio is big enough now and we're seeing all kinds of birds and animals so it should be inspirational for some new paintings. At least one would think so.
Actually I do have some new ones done and they will be up on my web site shortly. Take a peek.
I'm also wanting to do another watercolor workshop but need to find the right place to do it. Hopefully I'll find one soon.
Some good news too. I just found out that my painting "Kingfisher" won the "President's Award" at this years MTWS show. So that's cool.
Keep painting!

Loren

NEW STUDIO

Expanding into a bigger studio and moving into a new residence as well. My studio will be a large loft area on the top floor of a neat log home that we found in the Montana City area just outside of Helena. Great light to work in with decks all round with great views. I will really be able to go wild with my semi abstract  acrylic work now. Yes I am letting my Aussie rep come with me, actually she has it planned out that I can live completely on the top level as it also has it's own bathroom/bedroom area as well as studio space. She states that the only time she will need to see me is when I want to eat. So bear with us as we will be in the throws of moving for the next three weeks and still doing art shows in between. PHEW! tired just thinking of it.

keep painting,

Loren

Shows and more shows

My rep is getting after me to do a new blog since I haven't done one for a month.  So I guess it's time.  We're in the middle of a string of shows that have us crisscrossing the state and boy is this a big state.  This weekend we're back in Big Sky, then back to the Flathead for the Polson show, then down to Virginia City for their show, then two weeks off and down to Ennis, then up to Red Lodge for their Labor Day show.  I,m worn out just thinking about it.

Needless to say I'm not getting much painting done.  I am thinking about some new ideas though.  Possibly some realistic acrylics along the lines of "This Bull's Mine".  We'll see how it plays out. In the meantime keep painting.

Loren

Acceptance into MtWS exhibit

I just found out that I've had "Kingfisher" accepted into the Montana Watercolor Society National exhibition in September, so that's cool. I think it's a really good painting so I'll probably enter it in other shows as well. It is a good composition and has great value ranges which is VERY important for strong paintings. Keep that in mind when you are submitting work into juried shows.

We have lots of shows coming up so I'm busy at the drawing board getting more paintings done.

Some of our glass products(tables, window glass) are starting to sell so that is way cool. Hopefully we will get them up on the website in the future.

Happy painting.

Loren

G'day from Montana's outback

G'day everyone, the artists Australian rep here. I have been keeping him busy painting and doing shows so we must apologies for missing a couple of weeks of blogging. (Actually the dinky die story is that I threatened him with "if you do not do your weekly blog post then I will do it for you") which he sternly told me he would not allow to happen for he is the artist. Well as I said G'day everyone!

So what shall I have a good old yarn about..........

well, we have been doing more shows and will get even busier with that over the next couple of months. The next two up are a painting demonstration here in Helena at Capital Sports and then the 17,18,19th we will be in Missoula, doing the Under the Big Sky Festival. Outside show, but don't let the non stop rain and flooding rivers stop you from coming to say G'day, after all this is Montana where nothing is daunting. Loren has been painting a lot of masterpieces (I told him as a big hot shot AWS signature member now he can not paint anything else but masterpieces) to which he gave me the "LOOK". The "Kovich look" as I call it, but all you ladies will understand that whatever man you have in your life will give you the "LOOK" at some point. We were in the very small but quaint town of Ovando just recently and stopped in at the local fly fishing shop. To our surprise we learnt that the owners have had a print of Loren's hanging in their home for about 11 years, painting of the Blackfoot River, so they were thrilled to have the artist himself standing in their shop. (sorry no image of the piece, but a brief description of it...fly-fisherman casting on the river on a misty day) (psst! if you might like a print of this Blackfoot River painting just give us a shout,)

Going to sign off now.......my artist will tell me I am talking to much......now do you understand why he said I could not do this?

This watercolor piece is titled "Canadian Neighbors"
not a new piece but one of my favorites. Very vibrant colors then most of his watercolor scenes. (yes it is for sale)

Ta Ta Mates!

Art Shows

Don't forget-two things; The Art Walk this Friday from 5 to 9. We'll be at Signs Now with new acrylics and new watercolors and new products that Signs Now are helping us with.

Then on Saturday the 21st we'll be up in Craig Montana (weather permitting) at Headhunters Fly Shop for the Caddis Fest. I'll be working on a new acrylic painting and we'll also have all the paintings and products there. Hope you can make it to one of these venues.

Another of my new skinny paintings.
"Middle Fork of the Flathead"

Loren

Crow Creek Falls

Here is one of my new paintings in a skinny format that I talked about on my last post. I think it turned out rather good. Still, composition is a bit of a challenge in this format. But it makes it more fun to try something new.

New paintings and shows

I've done about 5 new paintings in a different format for me. Tall skinny rectangles mainly of streams. A bit of a challenge for composition but fun to do. It will be interesting to see them framed up.

Lots of shows coming up this summer because my "Rep" wants to get out and sell the new products (magnets, decals, notecards, glass, etc.) with my images on them. The first one is a gift show in Great Falls on May 7th. Then the Art Walk in Helena on May 20th. We'll be at Signs Now on Last Chance Gulch for that and then the next day May 21st we'll be in Craig for the Caddis Festival.  We'll be set up in front of our friends at Headhunters Flyshop for that. Weather permitting I'll be demonstrating with acrylics on a new fish painting. Maybe we'll see you there.

Loren

AWS Show

    The 144th international American Watercolor Society show opens April 5th at the Salmagundi Club in New York City.  Yours truly has a painting (First Light Gathering-check my watercolor gallery) in the show.  This painting gave me signature membership in the AWS. Quite an honor and a privilege to belong to the most prestigious watercolor society in the world.  I can check that off my bucket list now and aim for the next one.

Loren

MADE IN MONTANA TRADE SHOW

We will be doing the Made in MT Trade Show in Great Falls this weekend, 25th and 26th. It is at the Civic Center. If you are in the area come and see myself and Susan the rep, we would love to see you. Friday is wholesale day 9am to 5pm, for retail business and Saturday 9am to 4pm is open for the public to come shop. We will have some of my Semi Abstract Acrylic originals and some of my small Watercolor originals. The rep has now got my Semi Abstract work on products. We will be selling notecards, magnets, decals, glass window hangings, glass top wood tables, to name a few. (we can take images of my originals and transpose to glass, really cool.

Hope to see you there,
Loren

new painting water

I've started a new painting that is a scene of the west fork of Rock Creek heading over Skalkaho Pass. If you've never done the drive you should. It's beautiful. The water and rocks in the stream are perfect for a great painting. We'll see what happens with this one. So far so good.

Water is great subject matter and fun and difficult to render. Which brings to mind a workshop I taught in the Scapegoat Wilderness quite a few years ago. Because there wasn't much in the way of subject matter at the elk camp where we were staying we hiked back to the Landers Fork of the Blackfoot River to do some painting. After giving my students various pointers and instructions on how I painted water(reflections, movement, color of rocks and sand beneath the water etc. and emphasizing that water has no color, we were right on the bank of the Landers Fork and you could see perfectly clearly the rocks and sand about six feet down) I was about to turn them loose when one of the students turned to me and said as seriously as could be "I believe everything you said except that water is BLUE" Needless to say his water turned out to be blue. Go figure.

Loren

new paintings

Have recently finished two new paintings that are markedly different in style and medium.

The first one "This is my bull" is a huge 30"x40" acrylic of a wolverine on a bull elk kill with very dramatic lighting-totally dark background.  I've never done such a big tight acrylic and it was quite a challenge. Pretty pleased with the results though.

The other painting is a small watercolor of an old barn with a rooster pheasant in the foreground. Again dramatic lighting-late afternoon kind of light. I am a big fan of dramatic light. Good darks and lights-great contrasts are a must for strong dramatic paintings.

Here's a quote from my rep Susan after she watched me paint over several of my abstract acrylics.

"One can tell an artist not from what he paints but from what he repaints." Hmmmm!