What I Did On My Summer Vacation Blogfest

Usually my vacation trips are all about writing. This summer was no exception.

With camera in hand and a notebook at the ready, we explored Lake Tahoe in early June. How strange to see the snow-covered mountain tops soon after leaving the heat and humidity of Virginia. The lovely crystal clear lake forms an unforgettable scene. I learned from several people that it's not always so lovely. The lake can have high winds and waves that once fooled early explorers into thinking they had reached the ocean.

Our next summer trip was to Las Vegas. No, this was not a journey to visit the casinos or the shows, although I spent a lot of time parading among the slot machines to get to meeting rooms in the sprawling hotel. Instead, it was a trip to the Public Safety Writers conference where I appeared on several panels. I loved meeting with my publisher, Billie Johnson of Oak Tree Press, and other writers I knew or had wanted to see in person.

Between those two trips, I set up an artist show of my "Monti Just for Fun" loose little acrylic paintings of various glasses, bottles, and more in the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center in Richmond, VA. These paintings feature the joyfulness of pattern and color and created a happy Slantwall display at the Center for the month of July.

In August we headed to Wisconsin where our daughter drove us over much of the eastern section of the state along Lake Michigan into the Upper Peninsula. There, at the tip of the land projection into Lake Superior, we learned a lot about the old copper mines that once brought great wealth into the area. We had dinner with Mary Ann Beckwith, one of my favorite artists, during a stay in Hancock. Later, we headed to Milwaukee for three days at the Pfister Hotel, visits to the art museum on the waterfront, and much more. Along the way, we discovered the Fonz statue by the river side, and I was happy to have my camera.

This sounds like the summer of the lakes! I'll be posting more about these trips as I find time.

Please visit Michael Di Gesu's blog and find the names of others participating in this blogfest.

On Saturday,  September 24, I'll be in Williamsburg as one of the En Plein Air artists. This sounds like a fun event if only the rain will stay away.

Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel

Artist in Residence Shelby Keefe - MM Sikes Photo

What fun to be the artist-in-residence! Especially at the historic Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shelby Keefe was named the hotel's third artist-in-residence last February. A contemporary impressionistic painter and performance artist, Shelby follows a portrait painter in the residency program.

During her year at the Pfister, Shelby is occupying a large studio and gallery space right off the lobby. She keeps regular hours in the hotel, painting on her easel and chatting with visitors about her art. She also maintains a studio in the city at Hide House where quite a few artists create their work.

Besides maintaining her studios, Shelby also paints to music, performing in front of an audience where she creates 20-minute paintings. Since 2002, she has worked on 30 by 30 inch canvasses in front of viewers, often painting to music that she herself has created.

"The work is much quicker and intuitive," she says because she's performing under the pressure of time, audience, and loud music.

Because of its extensive Victorian art collection that is the "largest of its kind in any hotel in the world," the Pfister Hotel has a special relationship to the arts. As a painter, I am thrilled to walk into the Pfister and view all the special and wonderful art on view there.