OK. I'm a feckin eejit. I finally figured out how to create a downloadable file of my how-to video. Oy veh. Only about 15 years late (as usual).

Now I have to wait and see if it works.

https://gumroad.com/l/JvyTM?wanted=true

New work delivered to Allison Sprock Fine Art, Charlotte NC.

I delivered these new paintings to Allison Sprock Fine Art in Charlotte, NC, today. Prices range from $900-4,000.

Allison Sprock Fine Art
705 S. Sharon Amity Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
(404) 274-5829
AllisonSprockFineArt@gmail.com
Open by appointment only, please contact Allison via email or phone call to set up an appointment. 

I apologize.

I need to apologize to the people who subscribe to my blog. It appears there is a delay of several hours from the moment I send a new blog post until the post arrives in your email boxes. Sometimes the post isn't delivered until the next day. That explains why, if you followed my link to my 'cleaning out the studio sale', everything was already sold when you got to view them all.

The only solution I can think to avoid this next time is if I place your email address on my MailChimp mailing list (those guys and my facebook friends were the first to get to my sale). Those recipients receive my posts almost immediately. If you want me to put your name on my mailing list, please email me at margaret.dyer@icloud.com.

I am still cleaning out my studio, uploading work to my web site. There's still more to be had. All pastels and paintings will be priced at $100-$150.

I am cleaning out my studio. Some of this has been around for way too long. So I'm letting it go for almost nothing. I know. Really bad for my reputation as an artist, but it's doing no good sitting here on my walls. I need the space for my newer work. And maybe you have some extra space on yours.

And yes, you can probably tell that I studied at the Francis Bacon school of studio organization.

Follow this link to see what's available. I'm still adding to it, so check back periodically.
http://margaretdyer.com/page/21761/studio-clean-up

So I never did get my cat into the cat carrier. But I can't blame it on her. The fact is I never tried. I got distracted, had to go to lunch to celebrate my sister Catherine's birthday. Then I had to watch 8 episodes of Mindhunter. Molly will go to the vet tomorrow. It's OK, it's not urgent.

New Jersey and Alabama

I have just finished teaching my last workshop of the year. Actually the last two. Several months ago, in some distorted state of mind, I scheduled two workshops back to back. New Jersey and Alabama. What was I thinking?

I wistfully watched the Manhattan skyline grow more and more distant out the back window of my uber ride from Newark airport to the New Jersey home where the workshop would be held. I wished I had planned better...New York City. In November. Glittering and glowing Christmas decorations. Magical store windows. I haven't seen New York at Christmas time since I was 8 years old. I should kick myself.

But it was wonderful getting to know Christina Debarry (President Emeritus of the Pastel Society of America, Vice-President of the Allied Artists of America), at whose home I taught and slept. And I loved spending 3 days with 17 lovely artists from the Pastel Society of New Jersey. We hired beautiful Melina to pose for a day while we painted from life, and we spent the last hour photographing her setting the table and arranging flowers. We painted from our photos the last two days.

Christina made me feel like I'd made a new friend, and told me I was welcome back anytime I wanted to do new York. I'm gunna' take her up on it Keep an eye out for me, Christina!


Early in the morning the day after our class ended, I had to fly back home to Atlanta, gather fresh laundry, pile all my art stuff into my car, and drive two hours to central Alabama for my next 3 day class.

I was annoyed with myself for my insane scheduling and was afraid it would color everything in the upcoming class. But two hours later I found myself enthralled on winding roads in the dense hilly woods around Lake Martin, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the height of autumn. The sunset reflecting on the lake was so brilliant, I thought there must have been a huge fire somewhere on the opposite shore. It all took my breath away.

The Tallapoosa School of Art is a fancy name for the family home of Dorothy and George Littleton, who have transformed what was once a small family lakeside cabin into multiple cabins with multiple stories with charming suites and bedrooms to accommodate artists for workshops and retreats. I spent the next 3 days working with 5 artists (6 if you include Dorothy, who was running back and forth from the kitchen in the big house to prepare meals for us). I slept in a loft overlooking the studio. The other artists would walk the winding pathways downhill and climb up long staircases to their respective cabins on the lake. We gathered in the evenings at Dorothy's and George's home (the big house) for drinks and dinner before a roaring fire.

It was heavenly and I hated to leave it. But I do want my artist friends, particularly Atlanta artists, to be aware of this creative and nurturing place only 2 hours from Atlanta. It's affordable and so worth the drive.

But now I'm home. I'm paying my bills, catching up on my laundry, and wondering how I'm going to get my sick cat into the carrier to get her to the vet tomorrow morning. It is a conundrum. I've tried it before and it didn't happen.

 

Final Call: The Figure in Oils and Pastels Workshop at Tallapoosa School of Art. November 19-21

We have several openings in my November 19-21 workshop at the beautiful Tallapoosa School of Art in central Alabama, a two hour drive from Atlanta. Classes are limited to 10 students.

Located on the shores of Lake Martin in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Tallapoosa School of Art provides fully-furnished suites with private lakefront screened porches, private baths, kitchen or kitchenette, and private entrances. Each room is equipped with WiFi and comfortably sleeps 2 guests.

Contact Dorothy Littleton ( dorothylittleton@gmail.com ) or call (334) 332-8457 now to reserve your space. For more info on the Tallapoosa School of Art: http://www.tallapoosaworkshops.com

Pastel workshop at Dakota Art Center, Mt. Vernon, WA, August 22-24.

There is still room in my Dakota workshop. Join us!

https://www.dakotapastels.com/product/Dyer-2019?cat=272

My next workshop in France, August, 2020.

Now that my Florence workshop is finally complete, I can tell you about my 2020 workshop in Perigord, France, August 9-18, 2020.


Where is Perigord?
Perigord is located in the Dordogne and Lot regions, midway between Bordeaux and Toulouse, only a few miles from the Medieval town of Gourdon.

What is Perigord Retreats?
The sole purpose of Perigord Retreats is to provide enriching, relaxing and artful experiences to art instructors and their students. Owned and operated by Angela and Adrian, they pride themselves in fulfilling your requests to see as many, or as few, sites as possible, while indulging in the French experience. Visit their web site for a 3D tour of their home. https://perigord-retreats.com

How to register for my 2020 workshop at Perigord Retreats:
https://perigord-retreats.com/margaret-dyer-august/ Contact Angela or Adrian with any questions or concerns: info@perigord-retreats.com

Home.

I'm home in Atlanta now with luggage to empty and put away, laundry to wash and weight to lose. I will be drinking smoothies for the next few weeks. But however many pounds I've put on, it was so well worth it--all those fresh Italian meals and desserts, the camaraderie that good wine facilitates...life is too short to deny myself this. And I've returned home with a new appreciation for sandwiches made with focaccia and pesto, rather than the usual sliced bread and mayonnaise. And mascarpone. I have discovered mascarpone.

I returned to my cozy little home, with what, after about 6 years, is beginning to look like a real garden.  The little dogwood tree I planted weeks ago, a leafless sprig of a thing given to me at an art festival by the Arbor Society, has sprouted new green leaves, my gardenias are all in bloom, filling my home with that incredible perfume (which always reminds me of my mother--it takes me back to my 7th grade in Clearwater, Florida--vividly). My tomato plants doubled in size, my sweet potato plants are thriving. I may complain about minutia, but I have been blessed. I am grateful.

Thursday, Fiesole. Friday, departure.

We packed our bags Thursday morning and caught a cab to our new place in Fiesole, a charming hilltop village which overlooks Tuscany. We each had our own room, bathroom and balcony. There was a large patio attached to my room, where we had a new model, Maya, pose for us. We also photographed her in the little village--walking the streets, buying dolci from a vendor, and sipping coffee at an outside bistro. The proprietors of the bistro watched as we all followed Maya around with our cameras, shooting everything she did. They must have assumed she was a celebrity because they got into the act and took selfies with her!

The next day, our last of the workshop, most of us painted in our own rooms, others joined me on my patio, while I went from room to room giving direction if the artist needed it. For dinner, we climbed the steep and winding roads into town for shopping and dinner. There were charming little gift shops full of little decorative things for our homes. I got a tablecloth which I will convert into curtains.

Friday is departure day. It is sad leaving this beautiful place. Debra and Ivano are trying to find a place to buy here; they have been coming here every summer for quite a few years, and the Michigan winters are becoming less bearable for them. They could retire here and continue the workshop business from their hopefully large home in Tuscany. Ivano and one of his 3 sons (you should see these stunning Italian boys) is a builder by profession; they are on the lookout for a derelict villa to renovate. How glorious!!!!!