At long last, Kevin Neal came by today. Finally, he caught a lucky break in his hectic life and we got to meet in-person before our spring time move.
Kevin with "My Old Flight Boots". I wasn't trying to upstage him with the painting, rather there was too much superfluous condo on his left which needed to be cropped. Honest.
Kevin is a tremendously talented artist working in watercolors, oils and pencil. In addition to his artistic gifts, he is a nice person, intelligent, politically astute and has a wonderful family. You could say I'm a fan.
Kevin with some old guy who happened to stumble into the photograph. Shameful self-promotion!
He brought along some samples of work I'd seen on his blog, too. It's always great to see artwork in- person previously seen only on a computer screen. We all know the challenges of capturing decent images of our art for the virtual world, so it was really special to view Kevin's "real" work today.
Over coffee, we discussed art techniques, galleries, our respective personal histories and even a little politics for spice. After a photo session, he had to head home and either take a nap or watch college football. Since he'd been awake since three AM, my guess is he'll do both--at the same time!
Thanks for stopping by, Kevin, and rest well, my friend!
Once again, thank you Gary for having me over to see your work and talk face to face. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Gary, he is as interesting and intelligent as you would think, and his work is even more impressive up close. He gave me some great tips. And a great opportunity to feature a talented artist on my own blog.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm so jealous - 2 of my favorite Portlander artists in one room? I bet it was a fun and interesting time!
ReplyDeleteAnd I got to see the painting Gary did of you. You would be even more impressed if you could see his paintings up close. Thanks for the nice compliment' I found Gary's blog through yours if I remember correctly.
DeleteHey Kevin,
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure to finally meet you in person, especially as our time in Portland grows short. Thanks for taking time from your weekend to come over and thanks also, for bringing your work.
I look forward to seeing your work in coming years, when you're able to pursue your art full-time. Kevin, you have a bright future without limits.
Sincerely,
Gary.
Good Evening Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteIt was fun, indeed! Wish you could've been here, too. You would really like Kevin, but then, you already do!
Have a nice Sunday, Rhonda.
Sincerely,
Gary.
Its great to meet with other artists, especially after you 'meet'them through their blogs initially. The translation of art in person from what is seen on a small screen always amazes me.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that you could meet up with Kevin before you go off on your adventures in the spring. (Still envious...) :)
Hi Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about art in-person versus a computer screen. Likewise, it was nice to get together with so little time remaining.
I see you've been one busy lady lately! You make me feel so lazy by doing all you do, but then, I've always believed I'm cursed with a "lazy gene".
And speaking of our spring adventure- Portland has had about a week of below-normal temperatures and lots of rain. I can hardly express how desperately we hope the next few months fly by. It must make me sound like quite a sissy, but these old bones have gotten really sensitive to even moderately cold weather. Eighty to eighty-five degrees and sunshine is the only medicine.
Thanks for stopping by Jeanette. I really enjoyed your tribute to the family members who served Canada so well.
Sincerely,
Gary.