Verle Mickish - honoring lifetime work in the arts.

One of my personal favorites - done recently when the artist was forced to "reinvent himself"

This past Sunday I attended an artist's reception for Verle Mickish at the Sautee-Nacoochee Center Galleries.  Verle is a featured artist for the first show of 2015. I'd seen the exhibit the day before as it was my regular volunteer day - and the best part of being there the day before was meeting Verle and his charming wife of 69 years, Ginny.  They came by to see how the show had been hung and to take a few photographs.  I was able to spend a hour chatting about life, art, and being an aging artist who is losing his sight.  Sadly Verle has lost most of his vision to macular degeneration.  But as you will see, he's still painting!  And his humor and zest for life remain intact.


The first ones are earlier works (I think) and I'll follow up with what he's been doing recently.

An early oil.

A delicate winter landscape

Selected works

This was done about 10 years ago.

one of his magazine covers

Another illustration for a wildlife publication

A fabulous abstract

Verle Mickish with a recent painting.

The show flyer

Verle and Ginny

Another recent painting - completed after Verle lost most of his vision.

Ginny and Verle are obviously devoted to one another.  They are vibrant and funny and a joy to hand out with.  Ginny and I are now FB friends so I'll sharing this post to her and all of their friends. 

I'd never heard of Verle Mickish - and it's likely you haven't either, but there are literally thousand and thousands of incredible artists out there who just keep making great art so whenever there's an opportunity to see works from 50+ years as a painter, illustrator and educator, I don't think one should pass! Over 90 works are exhibited.

Ch- ch - ch - ch - changes... And an Altar that is a series within a series...

Recently I posted this 24 x 24 landscape that I had finished quickly for an event.  Bringing it home and living with it a bit, I found it lacked something.   A friend suggested horses, and at first I couldn't see them.  But like the figures in a Harry Potter photograph or painting, they entered the frame and moved across the surface until I found them lolling there.  There was a Dylan song with the line: All the tired horses in the sun, how'm I s'posed to get any riding done...   Yes, these could be Dylan's horses, basking in the sunny golden grasses.

Fields of Gold - 24 x 24 acrylic on deep cradle panel - now at Sautee Gallery for the Fall show.. 

I also softened the tree's foliage.  It looks complete to me now.  I do love those "empty" spaces in landscape, though.  I'll prolly be doing another version of this - sans equine - until I get it right, or the horses move in again.

Original version. 

March Roars In Gently

It was such a fine, fine, fine day.  Temps in the 70's, sun shining, daffodils blooming all around the yard - I even had a fab lunch of fresh sliced chicken breast on 9 grain bread and strawberry-rhubarb (my favorite) pie for a mid afternoon snack.  I worked hard in the shop with my friend Carol, clearing out in order to make changes for re-opening.

That's a lot of good stuff in one day!  And it got even better tonight, when I got a call from the director of the Sautee-Nacoochee Gallery to let me know my altar piece So Fragile A Fire is the first purchase of a special exhibit at Yonah Mountain Vineyards! 

So Fragile A Fire - Mixed media: acrylic paint, poplar, Crepe Myrtle wood, feathers, pearl grapevine  tendrils.  Approx. 28 x 14 x 3.

The irony is that this piece had been at another gallery for over two years at a lower price.  When I picked it up, I determined not to undersell these pieces any more.  I spend so much time on them compared to a "normal" painting, and I hate to let them go.  I raised the price considerably, rather hoping this one would not sell so I might keep it.  Lord knows, I need the money, but I think it's important to keep the ones that are most meaningful to me.

Detail of the medallion - feathers, leather, mother of pearl and pearl. 

Detail of painting