The beginning of this year looked bleak for competitions, but I have managed to find my way into three exhibitions this fall; all of which opening within the next couple weeks. I have "Remembering Iwo Jima" in Wisconsin, "Sounds of Earth Single" in North Carolina, and "WWII Rations" in Arkansas. I realize that these locations don't exactly sound like places for art competitions, but they are indeed awarding good prize money. The top prize in Arkansas is $4,000, and there is over $8,500 awarded to artists in the Wisconsin show. Art is everywhere in the U.S., you just have to look for it.

Aside from the competitions, I recently completed a painting - "Twinkie Rescue Circa 2013". It's 21" x 14" and oil on panel. I've been wanting to painting a Twinkie ever since it's near extinction in 2013. This piece reflects that time period when Hostess filed for bankruptcy in 2012. There was a short length of time when Hostess products were no longer available. In March 2013 Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Company purchased the bankrupt company and quickly replenished store shelves with Hostess products.

The Twinkie in the painting hangs on hook from a fraying string as a Lego repairman attempts to fix the damage. On the repairman's shirt there is an abbreviation of Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Company - AGM and M & Co. The upward pointing arrow hook and green background represent future prosperity.

I finally decided to rebuild my painting rack. It's made from 1" by 2" furring strip and 1/4" plywood - not exactly the best quality wood, but it's inexpensive and looks alright with a bit of paint. As you can see, I simply made several frames and attached them to the plywood. It's very repetitive and time consuming work... I'm glad I'm done. 

It came out a bit larger than I imagined and barely made it up the stairs. The rack also doesn't fit well in my studio closet, but this is only temporary. I'll be moving soon to a much larger space where there is a lot more room for my painting stuff.