Summer here is moving so fast that even news items break a bit late. Proof below.

Sanctuary, 12 x 16, oil on linen

Sanctuary (above) was featured a few months ago in Through Forests of Every Color, an exhibition at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel, California. The painting was on loan from Winfield Gallery.

The Intimate Landscape, my recent book of gouaches from 2006-2024, was reviewed by Fred Shaw in the literary journal Pittsburgh Quarterly. Fred is a trenchant Pittsburgh poet, reviewer, and college lecturer who also serves on the Advisory Board for the International Poetry Forum.

On exhibition, opening soon:

Crary Art Gallery

Though planned years ago by Thomas Annear, Visions of the National Parks and Beyond comes at an unexpectedly crucial moment in the history of the parks, when - like so many other crucial governmental entities - the National Park Service is being defunded and some magnificent public lands are being auctioned off for parts. This exhibition reminds us of the beauty and importance of our deep connection to the natural world. As a country, we honor this connection through our National Park System, "the best idea we ever had" as writer Wallace Stegner claimed.

Fifteen of my paintings are part of Visions of the National Parks and Beyond, on display at Crary Art Gallery in Warren, Pennsylvania. A similar number of works come from the five other regional artists (Thomas Annear, Wendy Bale, Angela Caley, James Hoggard, and Tom Janik) who are included in this exhibition, opening 5 - 7 PM, Saturday, August 2 and continuing through September 7.

Most of my works in the exhibition were painted (or at least begun) on-site during my appointments as Artist-in-Residence at Yosemite, Acadia, and Rocky Mountain national parks. Two works were created specifically for the exhibition. One of those is a medium-sized oil from Grand Teton National Park (unfortunately for museum visitors, it was purchased before it could be exhibited).

Above: Carriage Road in Early Spring, Acadia National Park, 50 x 66 inches (detail, below)

The other is a large oil painting from Acadia National Park (above) begun in about 1999, and finished just two weeks ago. It sat for almost all that time in a raw underpainting state while it "matured" (i.e., while I pondered how, or if, I would finish it). Time is often as important a component in my process as paint, but I'll admit that even for me 26 years was on the long side.

Exhibition catalogs are available for purchase at the Crary, or can be ordered in print or digital formats from MagCloud.

Paintings are available for sale - contact me if you are interested.

Exhibition works and statement

Here's to a slower summer!

-- Thomas