Whirlwind Giveaway & 150th Anniversary of Impressionism

Leaving Home

My closest local friend, Leo Pacheco, died last Spring. I’d been living a relatively secluded life anyway— rarely seeing the few people I knew in town—but with his death, I realized I had to branch out for my own sanity.

On the day I had this realization, I went for a walk and found myself reading Leo’s name on a plaque for community service outside the Carlsbad Senior Center. (I’d looked at it countless times while walking our family dog, who also passed away in 2023.) I knew the facility had classrooms, a lunchroom, fitness center, auditorium, and many planned events—but I had never been inside. (Too afraid of being around all those old people!) Nonetheless, I took a tour. I couldn’t see myself playing in a weekly mah-jong game or taking an introduction to watercolor, but I got an idea—complete with a title.

I asked a staff member who was responsible for programing if they’d be interested in a class on “Impressionist Painting for Beginners” that would combine short lectures and hands-on painting. She was enthusiastic, so I showed her a few pics from my website, and she suggested I might also be a featured artist and have an exhibit. This all happened less than a half an hour after leaving home!

I ended up teaching a nine-week course as a volunteer and enjoyed my “older” students—some of whom were younger than me. They were all good natured—often exuberant—and I’d heard more than one person say, “This is so much fun!” The two-month solo exhibit and giveaway was a total success, plus I unexpectedly reconnected with a long-lost friend. The entire staff was friendly and supportive; and they encouraged me to create a 2024 series on the 150th Anniversary of Impressionism.

Whirlwind Giveaway

As I said, I’d previously embraced anonymity and could go weeks without talking to anyone other than a quick hello to neighbors. Suddenly, every time I entered the center I was recognized. My photograph and bio were prominently displayed and 25 paintings were hung in hallways that added up to nearly a football field in length. One weekend, I attended an expo there incognito, wearing a hat and mask. Almost immediately, a man looked at me and said, “Aren’t you the artist?” After that, I gave in and genially greeted everyone I met.

I offered to give away all but two of the pictures (one borrowed from the mayor’s office and another I’m keeping, for now), and there were request forms readily available and also at my website. Eventually, 76 people asked for paintings, usually listing 3-4 choices. The most popular canvas had 32 requests. In fact, people wanted everything I offered, and I ended up having a “2nd Chance Giveaway” with some of my earliest compositions.

About half of the landscapes included the Encina Power Plant, an iconic structure on our coastline that was recently dismantled. I began painting it 25 years ago, and apparently, the locals loved the smokestack just like me. They wrote comments about driving past it every day, receiving a wedding proposal in its shadow, and having an immigrant father who picked weeds on the site before working there for 25 years and raising a family in Carlsbad.

Altogether, I gave away 29 pictures (including two watercolors and two pen & ink drawings). The most nerve-wracking part of the process was deciding who would get which pictures. Most of my 300+ paintings hang far and wide, but this time I mostly distributed them to people who saw the exhibit in person. As a result, I’m gratified knowing that so many are being seen every day by my fellow Carlsbad residents.

Here are the oldest and newest paintings that were given away. I definitely think I’ve grown as an artist over the past 25 years!

The 150th Anniversary of Impressionism Series

I’ve loved Impressionism since I was a teenager going to the Art Institute of Chicago with my older sister. But my career took me in much different directions than art—first, briefly, as as a high school English teacher, and then as a publisher, author, and lecturer in the eating disorders field for 40 years. However, in retirement I discovered that lecturing about Impressionism and teaching its methods was much more fun! Not only did I show masterpieces and explain painting techniques—but I gave examples of how they influenced me, such as Monet’s Venice paintings and Van Gogh’s “Almond Blossoms,” (below):

Since the First Impression Exhibition occurred in 1874, I wanted to somehow celebrate its 150th anniversary this year. Fortunately, the Carlsbad Senior Center community gently persuaded me to put together a series of events celebrating the beginning of the most important art movement in history—certainly as far as I’m concerned.

By popular demand:

• On February 24th, I’ll lead a workshop on “Color Mixing Tips for Painters.” Nearly all of the beginning and hobbyist painters I met last year find working with color to be quite challenging. I love mixing colors and look forward to sharing some insights.
• Later, I will give a lecture, “The Birth of Impressionism” on April 15th, the date that the first exhibition opened in Paris. We plan on streaming this 90-minute presentation and then posting it to my YouTube channel, so anyone can watch regardless of where they live.
• That will be followed by a six-week class, “Let’s Paint Like Impressionists,” running April 30th to May 28th.
• In the Fall will be another lecture, “Claude Monet and the Age of Impressionism” that will also be available online.
• Finally, I’ll teach “Let’s Paint Water Lilies” for painters of every level.

More information will be available through the City of Carlsbad class catalogue and announcements, which I will send prior to the events. Finally, I’ll close with a Carlsbad picture I finished after the hoopla ended. Incidentally, you can see all of my 2023 paintings at the “All Paintings” link.