A New Beginning

So, I knew it had been a while since I had posted on my blog, but I didn't think it had been over two years. Once I started using Facebook, it became too much to post news everywhere. Facebook, with cc's to twitter, and email newsletters became the primary means of communication. However, my interest in Facebook has waned. It does seem to be a necessary tool in the artist marketing arsenal though, so I will keep posting.

This year, I'm turning my attention back to my blog. My intention for calling this blog "Working Through Art" has been two-fold. To promote my work, but also to share what I have learned as an artist (how to paint and draw) and as a businessperson (how to make a living selling art). I find great joy in teaching classes, private lessons, and workshops. I hope this blog will become a valuable resource for others to learn from my successes and failures.

Going forward, I will share inspirations, tutorials, Q&A's, a look into the stages of creating my paintings, and more. I will try to post at least twice a week, so stay tuned...

Charlotte Artery November Exhibit

I have been invited to exhibit as a guest artist in the Charlotte ARTery's November Exhibit.

Two nights only! Friday, November 13 and Friday, November 20, 6-9 p.m. each night.

Located at 130 W. Bland Street, one block off of Tryon St, in the South End of Charlotte. Please come out to see my new painting:

Burning Leaves
10" x 8"
Oil on Linen

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OTHER EXHIBIT NEWS

Teaching Talents: Instructor and Staff Exhibit
November 9 - December 23

Cornelius Arts Center, 19725 Oak St, Cornelius, NC
(Open M-Th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave, Cornelius, NC
(Open M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

I have three paintings and an etching in this exhibit.

Small Works 2009
November 23 - January 8
Lake Norman Art League Gallery
442 S. Main St, Davidson, NC
Open M-F, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

I have three paintings in this exhibit. Please come out December 3-5th, 6-9 p.m. during Christmas in Davidson. Lake Norman Art League will be hosting a reception each night, taking visitors votes for viewer's choice favorites, and giving free posters away to visitors who come out these nights.

Article in University City Magazine

I just realized I never posted this info back in September. I was featured in the September 2009 issue of 'University City Magazine', published by The Charlotte Observer. The issue was all about the arts with the title, 'The Arts Issue - 7 Artists Shaping Our Community'. The article about my work is on page 30, titled "Capturing Nature". They interviewed me for the article and a photographer came by to take my photo while working in my studio back in early August.

Redesigning my Website

I am currently working on redesigning my website paulkeysar.com and hope to have it up in the next couple of weeks. Until then, I am not updating it with new content. The new website will have a new look and new features. I will no longer have a news page on my website. All news will be posted to my blog.

Work Featured in PAFA Alumni Exhibit

Two of my paintings, Green and Cattle at the Watering Hole, were selected by Juror David R. Brigham, Ph.D., the Edna S. Tuttleman Museum Director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), for exhibit in the PAFA Juried Alumni Exhibition 2008.

The exhibit runs through July 27, 2008, in Gallery 128, 128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, on the first floor of the Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is Free.

This special exhibition features 74 graduates of the Academy, and all artwork is for sale. Twenty-percent of all artwork sold will benefit the Alumni Annual Fund of the Academy.

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe how quickly the last third of 2007 went. Months felt like weeks and weeks, days. I wanted to thank everyone who has supported, encouraged, or shown an interest in my work and my life over the past year.

2007 was a year of many changes for me. I moved from Maryland to Concord, NC, in January, a temporary residence while house hunting. In March, I joined the Lake Norman Art League and started my first "miniature" paintings. In April, I decided to start this blog, and because of a lack of work space, took up the practice of completing several miniature paintings a week (works which are all posted on this blog). In May, I purchased and moved into my first home in Charlotte, NC. June and July were months of transition as I became adjusted to my new work space and for the first time, a somewhat settled life.

During the summer, my wife and I were asked to serve on the Board of Officers for the Lake Norman Art League. As summer drew to a close, I began to focus more on my larger work, phasing out work on miniature paintings. In September, I joined the Mooresville Artist Guild to become more involved in the local art community. I participated in several shows during the fall and received recognition for several different works. Moreover, I started to turn my attention back to figurative study and work, as I intend to incorporate the figure into my landscapes more. Two books that have proved to be a valuable resource are Classical Drawing Atelier - A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice by Juliette Artistides, Watson-Guptill, 2006; and The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition by Anthony Ryder, Watson-Guptill, 1999.

Looking Ahead to 2008: I have thought about getting back to teaching for some time now, and in early January, I will be starting a Long Pose Figure Drawing Class held at the Mooresville Artist Guild. My painting, English Pointer, will appear in the January/February 2008 issue of Garden and Gun Magazine, as part of the feature titled "Good Dog." Look for that to hit newsstands sometime in mid-January 2008. I have many plans and goals for 2008. I hope you will check in from time to time to read more about what's happening in my life as an artist and to view newly completed paintings and other works. If you would like to start receiving my e-Newsletter with information on new works for sale and other news, please send an email to info@paulkeysar.com. I send out newsletters approximately once per month.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and successful 2008! May it be your best year yet.

-Paul