Oils and Pastels by Margaret Dyer

The current issue (February 2011) of The Pastel Journal has a 6 page article on my workshop in France last summer! It's on the stands now at Borders and Barnes and Noble. If you can't find it, you can purchase it directly from the publisher's web site. Click on the title above to go to the site. We're going again in June. The classes are filling (they'll be small classes, so it doesn't take long). If you're toying with the idea of coming, this blog post by Warren Mannix, a student from last June, may help quiet some of your anxieties: http://labonneetoile.com/b/ Come. We'll have a wonderful time.

This framed piece would retail at my galleries for $1500.00. Right now it's going for about $500. All the money goes to accident victim, Cherie, a 42-year old woman who was paralyzed in an auto accident on September 30. She has no insurance and her brother and sister have committed to her care and safe keeping. They have to modify her sister's home to accommodate a wheelchair and other adaptive equipment. Cherie is paralyzed from the shoulders down. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1828783?ce=blurb_ew&utm_source=widget You can also help this family by buying a copy of "Art With Heart" (click link above), an art book (with a piece of mine in it) produced by Cherie's best friend Elizabeth Nelson (http://elizabethsthilairenelson.blogspot.com), also an artist. $12 (the entire profit) from each sale goes to Cherie's family. Thanks for helping.

Barge Trip on the Seine is a 7x5 pastel on PastelBord. Bidding begins at $100. Can't think of a Christmas gift for that special someone? You'll have this before Christmas.

"Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at the Louvre" is a 7x5 pastel on PastelBord. Bidding begins at $100.

I have several pieces in this show in costa Mesa, CA. It looks like it'll be a beautiful show. All work is 6"x6", from some of the finest artists in the country. I'd love to be there. If any of you are in that area and get a chance to see it, I'd love to know how it looks. Randy Higbee Gallery 102 Kalmus Costa Mesa, CA www.randyhigbeegallery.com Opening reception Saturday, Dec. 4, 12-5 and Sunday, Dec. 5, 12-5.

In early October, near her home in Florida, Cherie was injured in an automobile accident, in which she rolled her jeep and broke her neck. She is now in Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, paralyzed, where they are easing her off the ventilator. Needless to say, her family's expenses have been overwhelming. Her best friend, Elizabeth Nelson, is an artist friend of mine. Elizabeth is trying to help Cherie's family by getting her artist friends to contribute in some way. This is my effort to help. All the money for this sale will go to Cherie's family. This framed pastel is 16x12, and would retail at my galleries for $1500.00. If you're bidding, please be generous. Thanks in advance for your generosity. To read the entire story on Elizabeth's blog, go here: http://elizabethsthilairenelson.blogspot.com. The first entry about Cherie begins on October 5. http://elizabethsthilairenelson.blogspot.com

COCKTAILS IN PARIS is a 7x5 pastel on PastelBord. Bidding begins at $100.