Painting, some travel, a very interesting mentoring opportunity, professional recognition, and more painting made for a very active year.
Master Artist for the Gettysburg (PA) Art Colony. It was an honor to be invited to be the Master Artist for the 2011 Gettysburg Art Colony in June. This two-and-a-half-day plein air workshop consisted of lecture/demonstrations on how I produce paintings but, more importantly, working with the 11 artists juried into the Colony on how they could improve their work. All were highly talented artists and all had distinctive styles. We painted outdoors - in rain and sun - at several lovely spots in and around Gettysburg scouted on an earlier trip to the area with the Arts Coordinator. My approach was to work with each artist on the scene he or she had selected, suggesting ways they could make THEIR painting better but not imposing my style on their work. It was a challenging and rewarding experience, and the artists appreciated the one-on-one critiques and comments.
BTW, this is the method I use in all my workshops, single and multi-days, indoors and outdoors. Contact me at 301-460-3530 or pleinairbill@aol.com for more informatiion
Juried and Invitational Shows.
Salmagundi Club, New York City. One of my paintings, "Winter in Annapolis," was selected for the ARTI ET AMICITIAE Exhibition of American landscape paintings in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, this fall. The exhibition is now back in the United States and is on display through January 20, 2012, at the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, New York City; 212-255-7740. I also had paintings accepted for two additional shows at the Club: "Sunday Morning at the Village Store" for the 128th ANNUAL MEMBERS EXHIBITION, and "Winter Morning, Lakeside" and "Town in Winter" for the HOLIDAY EXHIBIT. The Salmagundi Club was founded in 1871 and its members over the years have included many of the most prominent American landscape painters such as William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, N.C. Wyeth, and others.
the Village Store |  | 
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Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, Vermont. I am very pleased to continue my relationship with this lovely gallery in New England. This year I had paintings juried into the LAND AND LIGHT - NEW ENGLAND PAINTINGS and TREES shows as well as the TODAY'S LEGACY invitational winter show. Another painting, "River Ferry," was juried into the THINGS THAT MOVE exhibit that opens January 21.
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79th Annual Cumberland Valley Juried Exhibition, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, Maryland. Two paintings were accepted for this prestigious show at this lovely museum that is always worth a visit: "Cook's Lobster House, Maine" and "Mt. Mansfied, Vermont."
Bailey Island, Maine |  Vermont |
McBride Gallery, Annapolis, Maryland. I participated in two invitational shows this fall, with multiple paintings on exhibit in the BEST OF THE CHESAPEAKE and AUTUMN CELEBRATION OF ART. Additional paintings are always on display at this Main Street gallery.
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American Painting Fine Art, Washington, D.C. I participated, along with other members of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, in the summer WASHINGTON SCENES show and the end-of-year SMALL TREASURES show that continues to January 23, 2012.
Scenes from my travels.
Although time was limited in both places, I was captivated by the lovely beaches and shoreline in Sarasota, Florida, and managed to capture this charming street scene in New York City near Lincoln Center.
Sarasota, Florida |  Near Lincoln Center |
More locally, I enjoyed spending several days in the Fells Point area of Baltimore, wandering around Washington County, Maryland, scouting the numerous stone bridges in the area, and discovering new vistas close to home.
Washington County, Maryland |  Fells Point, Baltimore | 
Montgomery County, Maryland |
Note: Paintings are always on exhibit at the galleries listed in About the Artist. I have recently added the Antreasian Gallery in Baltimore to those showing my paintings; call for hours and drop by: 1111 West 36th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211; 410-235-4420.
BILL SCHMIDT, AIS*
* Indicates Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society.