Dear readers,

As we wind down the year, this Thanksgiving weekend, I am giving thanks for the many ways in which so many of you touch me, support my work, and share your thoughts with me. My wish for each of you, as we enter the holiday season, is that it be a time of reconnecting with your joy - friends, family, laughter, home...

For those who are not connected to me on Facebook, I've been doing "small works" auctions 2 to 3 times each week: offering prints, sketches, and drawings perfect for gift-giving (or for yourself!). I'm enjoying the enthusiasm of the buyers; one drawing was even purchased by a collector in Kenya! Come join the fun!

In this issue:

Newsbytes and calendar
Tidbits
New Works at my Galleries
Readers Respond

* Does this email look wonky? See the issue online.

Newsbytes / calendar -- WORKSHOPS IN 2014 and 2015 -- I have retitled my workshops to "The Art of Seeing Animals" - a better description of our focus in these events. KALISPELL, MT (Triple D Game Farm) - Sept. 26-29, 2014: As usual, we'll be photographing the gorgeous Triple D animals each morning, along with our art exercises and discussions the rest of each day. Triple D has Birds of Prey and Horse Roundup photo shoots scheduled just prior to our workshop, for those who would like to add these events beforehand. Please call Kathleen at Triple D, 406-755-9653 to sign up. WIMBERLEY, TX (Creekhaven Inn) - Feb. 2-5, 2014: Join me in the lovely Creekhaven B&B in the heart of Texas hill country for four intensive days of art exercises, discussions, and life sketching. The workshop fee includes accommodations and meals. Please contact Bill Appleman - 512-757-9040 or bill@wimberleyartistworkshops.com - to sign up. In this issue New at my galleries	Longhorn life sketches Conte pencil on gray paper (From my Texas workshop a month ago)... One of the hardest things we do in my workshops is sketch animals from life; we've never been able to persuade our subjects to hold a pose, so the artist is forced to observe carefully and draw quickly. It's excellent for learning proportion, gesture, behavior...
Tidbits - on gratitude (apropos to the season) "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder "I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don't care if it's a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music. Anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. This world would be unlivable without art. Thank you for inspiring me." - Steven Soderbergh "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward
NEW at Dick Idol Gallery - Whitefish, Montana In time for their holiday miniatures show, I'm sending these two small wolf paintings - each is 14x11, and they're framed identically to show well as a pair.
"White Wolf" 14x11 oil on panel	"Out of the Shadows #3" 14x11 oil on panel
NEW at Mountain Trails Gallery - Jackson Hole, Wyoming Mountain Trails has been selling scratchboards about as fast as I can send them (always exciting for an artist!). Below are several that are new at the gallery, and I have more on the way!
"Enduring #3" 12 x 12 scratchboard (right) "Mountain Light" 12 x 9 scratchboard (THANKS to Anna Sullivan for the reference!)
READERS RESPOND - footnotes to the November Artzine: "Fun Artzine this month! The peek into Mr. Holms' home was fascinating." (Ellen C.) "Thanks for sharing your photos from the collector Ken Holm in Denver, his place is like a gallery or museum to say the least, very astute collector having your pieces displayed." (Marjie F.) - LOL! thanks, Marjie! "And thank you for sharing the wonderful peek at the collection of Ken Holm. He certainly does love art." (Mary L.) "Thanks for yet another great newsletter! I get inspired every time I read one and I admit that I re-read them often." (Cheryl H.) - Awesome!! thank you, Cheryl! "Congrats on going 'international'! As usual, your scratchboards are stunning..... And thanks for the collector insight! I don't know how you make time to do it, but I always look forward to your monthly email.." (Kitty W.) - thank you for the lovely note, Kitty!

That's it for December (wow...the year is coming to a close). I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter (and thank you to the many readers who respond after each Artzine, thus giving me good material for the "Footnotes" section :-) - if so, I encourage you to share it with anyone and everyone. I appreciate your help in building a bigger audience for my work!

Warmest regards,
Julie T. Chapman

Painting Today’s Wild West (and Africa!) with Contemporary Flair
(406) 546-2636
20900 Whitetail Ridge Road * Huson, MT 59846
Artsite: www.JulieTChapman.com
Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JulieTChapmanArtist