Dear readers,

September brings some wistfulness for me, since the autumn equinox will be here soon and the warm summer days are waning. However, fall is always a busy season for shows, and this year more so than usual! This Artzine is mostly about the shows, and my new work at each (with some fun fieldwork thrown in) - read on!

SPECIAL NOTE: thank you to Cheryl V. and Judy J., two artists who recently visited me for mentoring - it's a huge honor to be asked for advice to help another artist's career.

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

Newsbytes / calendar CORSICANA, TEXAS - Sept. 6-Oct. 18 Pearce Museum "A New Look at the West" I am STOKED that a painting of mine has been juried into the inaugural "A New Look at the West" show and sale. Opening events take place Sept 6. - 8; there is a nifty online catalog now available for the show. My painting in the exhibition, "Freedom" (24x24 oil) is shown right. For an artist who loves horses (namely me), broncs that are blasting around the arena after having shed their cowboy are a thrill to watch. This blood bay bronc inspired red and black as dominant colors in the background, and that warm gold in the lower half reminds me of the dry, sunlit dust of a summer rodeo arena. This painting has a lot of presence! If you're in the Dallas neighborhood in the next month or so, please be sure to visit the show.	"Freedom", 24x24 oil on gallery-wrap canvas
JACKSON, WYOMING - Sept 12-13 National Museum of Wildlife Art Western Visions I'm honored to be part of the Western Visions show and sale at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. My miniature and my sketch in Western Visions are shown below - please contact Jennifer Lee at the museum (800-313-9553) to inquire about purchase.
"Op Art", 11 x 14 - scratchboard	"Lion Dreams", 12 x 16 - conte on panel
DENVER, COLORADO - Sept. 28-Jan. 5 The Wildlife Experience museum, "Wildlife Art & Wine" The Wildlife Experience museum in Parker, CO has teamed with the Society of Animal Artists to jury a new show and sale featuring Rocky Mountain members of the SAA (which includes yours truly). I have two scratchboards in this new "Wildlife Art & Wine" event (see below) and I will be attending the opening and demoing a scratchboard. (Whoohoo!!) For more information, please visit the museum's "Wildlife Art & Wine" website.
(Above) "African Elegance" 12x12 - scratchboard (Right) "Too Sexy" 16x12 - scratchboard Both of these scratchboards will be for sale in the "Wildlife Art & Wine" show at The Wildlife Experience museum (which, by the way, has a painting of mine in its permanent collection!).
DELAWARE, OHIO - Aug. 26-Oct. 23 The Arts Castle, "Equine Jubilee" I grew up in central Ohio, but until now have never been part of a show in my old stomping grounds, so I'm delighted (and bemused) to be in this one. The Equine Jubilee is timed to coincide with a number of equine events in the area, including The Little Brown Jug race and AQHA Congress. I have 3 pieces in the show (see below), including a diptych of some new monochrome paintings. For more information about the show or to inquire about purchase, please visit the show website. NOTE to all local Ohio friends and family members: there will be a People's Choice Award - so please visit the show and vote early and often (I'm sure I don't need to tell you for which artist to vote!).
	(Above) "Shadow Bronc" diptych Acrylic - each panel 14x11 These two paintings are framed separately, so can be hung in any arrangement you desire. They represent the beginning of a series in which I'm seeking the drama of my scratchboards, but in a looser and brushier fashion. They're great fun and quite affordable. (Left) "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" 20x16 oil on cradled panel Many multi-day western rodeos have a "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" day to help fund breast cancer research - very cool and commendable.
Tidbits - on ambition "I got serious about painting at 12, when most people give up." (Robert Bateman) "Aim high, and you won't shoot your foot off." (Phyllis Diller) "When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get them, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either." (Leo Burnett) "At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since." (Salvador Dali)
Fieldwork anecdotes Those who have been regular readers of this newsletter know how much I propound the necessity of fieldwork for animal artists. Getting out in the field for reference material is a hugely enjoyable - and essential - part of my work. Doing it regularly enough pretty much guarantees seeing things that are funny, unexpected, or just plain cool.
On a recent trip to the Bison Range, I came across a blue grouse whose natural habitat apparently included noisy black diesel trucks as perches. Go figure. This goof didn't leave the roof of the cab until after I'd driven a hundred yards or more. You can't make this stuff up.	During our visit to Africa, we were amused by this wildebeest calf flinging himself about with abandon next to his sedate elder. We called this the "yay, lions haven't eaten me yet!" frolic.
In the "holy CRAP!" category (and still in Africa): we were idly watching a group of impala make their way down to a waterhole one hot afternoon, wondering why they seemed so nervous at the water's edge...then BAM, this monster croc just exploded out of nowhere! A National Geographic moment, for sure! (No impala were harmed in the making of this photograph.)	...and in the "wow, life is good" category, while noted artist Andrew Denman was visiting us in July we spent a morning at the Bison Range and caught the herd at sunrise - one of my more successful photo shoots.
READERS RESPOND - footnotes to the August Artzine: "Thanks from me too for the monthly Artzine….so I get to hear your voice every month. You really are so special - you take this medium and you excite, you educate and you inspire." (Jean N.) Jean, thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a lovely note. "In addition to the 'talent' and 'looks like a photo' comments, I also get the 'I looked at your website and you really are an artist' comment a lot. When people ask what I do and I tell them I'm an artist, I guess they think I am knitting doilies or making grandma style watercolors. It's nice they compliment me but no one thinks much of the 'artist' title when self proclaimed. What they don't know is that it took years of improving my work until I felt comfortable calling myself an artist." (Julie H.) Indeed. I totally relate. "Great news letter. Your consistency with producing it is so impressive. Not to mention the work contained therein." (Ernest F.) Ernie, that's a helluva compliment coming from you - thank you.

That's it for September. 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