Oils and Pastels by Margaret Dyer

If any of you are in Texas, near Austin, there's still room in my workshop in a couple of weeks. Dena Wenmohs hosts art workshops at her ranch in Cypress Mill. She provides lodging and meals. It's a great environment to immerse yourself in art and comraderie. Feel free to contact Dena at dena@wenmohsranch.com This piece, "Overcast Day at the Market," (9x12 pastel on PastelBord-$1000.00), is a market scene from France. It is on it's way to the River Gallery in Chattanooga.

and I miss blogging. Life has been in turmoil for quite a while--marital woes--but I am ready to try to try to make things normal again, if I can. I've been teaching little classes here in my studio once a month, teaching an occasional workshop around the USA. And lately I've been drawing a lot of kids, something I love to do. I lurk around baseball fields and playgrounds, hoping I don't look like a predator. But what can make a person feel better than to be with children?

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.