R. Dale McElwee - Artist

Again, so sorry for the lack of posts! Life has been crazy lately. Since my last post, I've been hard at work at the salon and painting. But we've also traveled to Peru and the Grand Canyon in the last few months. Got lotsa inspiration from both of those beautiful places! I have also submitted a piece to the Fairgrounds Race track here in NOLA to their yearly Louisiana Derby poster contest--we'll see how that goes. Now it's Mardi Gras season so it's go go go. There'll be more to show when I get a chance to slow down.


Hey friends,  as is typical in Louisiana at this time of year, it's damn hot, humid and rainy most afternoons. So I've been lucky enough to have a few weekday afternoons that I've been able to get off work early and get into the studio and create lots of new pieces.
  Due to COVID-19 my husband and I haven't been on ANY vacation trips for over 18 months.  We've been vaccinated since 3/19 hoping to get freed to get somewhere, to no avail.  That's also let me spend more time in the studio. Recently, I've been lucky enough to have been commissioned to do 4 paintings--everything from a portrait of someone's house to a rhinoceros! Enjoy some of them in my most recent gallery addition. As usual, I'll try to post more often. Thanks for reading!


 Hello my artistic followers! It's been quite a while since I've posted anything--seems like I say that each time 

I write a post!!  It's always one of those things that "I'll do it later, I swear." But for now, the world is so crazy with this pandemic that I'm not sure whether I should even get outta bed most days. I've just posted a few of my newest pieces that I sure hope you'll like. Due to the lockdown from mid-March till mid-May I have been busy in the studio and have turned out a few great pieces.  I have added several more to my ongoing nest series called "Promise of Spring" And have sold some of them already. I hope you enjoy these till the next season when I post again!! As always, if interested in any of the art work posted here, please contact me.


  For anyone who may take a look at this site you'll already know how lax I am in updating it!!!  LOL!!  Anyway, since my last blog post, my husband and I have been traveling everwhere.  Last March we visited Egypt, from Cairo down to Aswan and then cruised up the Nile back to Cairo.  You never forget when you stand in front of the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx!!  Then we flew to Prague and cruised up the Elbe through some beautifil German countryside.  Now so far this year 2019, we have been to the Netherlands and Belgium in Apr., then last month we went to Russia--from Moscow we cruised up to St Petersburg visiting many charming towns and villages.  One of my favorite sights as an artist was to behold the interior of the church called Church of the Spilled Blood.  The entire interior is made of tiny tesserae of glass mosaics.  Some 70K feet of it!!!  Just breathtaking!!!

  Ive had a chance to take many many photos for use of joy and sketching for future pieces of watercolor.  The pieces that Ive posted today are just a few sketches that Iv done over the past few months.  Some of them were done as commissions adn some were just to see if I could !!!!!!

  Hope you enjoy and I'll do my best to follow up with better and more frequent posts.  Have a great cool summer.


Hello all,

  Hope this finds you not dealing with the heat that we are down here in Louisiana!! Whew! Its hot and, luckliy, we are in the time of year that we get afternoon rain showers that cool things of . . . but only a bit, though!

  If you are following my blog entries(I know few and far between) you may know that I sometimes get a chance to let on to what Ive been crfeating over a few weeks or months.  Take a look at the most recent entries and see what you think.

  BTW, I"ve once again had a chance to display and sell my art at a local restaurant called Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, located on S. Carrollton Ave. in the Riverbend area of New Orleans.  Its right on the streetcar line so its easy to get to from downtown.  I have 19 pieces there on display and all are for sale!!  There is something for most all folks to look at, appreciate and buy!!  Thanks for taking a look!


Hello again!!!

 

 So sorry for the distance between my blog entries!  Since the late fall when I sent the last blog message

 I have been very busy with life and in my studio creating art.  There will be more images soon, I promise!!!!

 But I have also been traveling a bit.  In May, my husband amd I went on a Viking River Cruise from Paris, France.  It began there and cuised up river towards Normandy.  We were able to take in the beauty of Monet's gardens and home in Giverny, the incredible cathedral of Rouen and the history of the life of Jeanne D'Arc, the awe of the beaches at Normandy where so many lost they're lives, the chateaus at Chenonceau, Chambord, and Amboise(where da Vinci spent the last 2 years of his life and is buried) and through some small villages that make that region of France so incredible.

 I feel sure that many of the photos that we took are ripe for paintings to come.

  More later . . . happy Summer!


  To all of you folks that just might keep up with my blogs--NOT!  I am not good, at all, at keeping up wtih this blog.  As you may have been able to tell, I spend much more time in the studio in my home than writing up-to-date musings about my art. 

  But please enjoy some of the most recent paintings that I've posted today.  They are the newest things that I have created.  I was asked to participate in the most recent art show at the Poydras Home here in NOLA and had some success!  I sold one of my three entered pieces there.  And coming up this Thursday, I have been asked to show at  an annual Wine and Cheese tasting to benefit the Lords of Leather, a local  Louisiana gay Mardi Gras krewe. The funds raised will help fund their annual " bal masque" during the Mardi Gras season in February.  I always do well when I show with the other artists at these parties--once I sold 13 pieces!!  So I am really excited about this event  Wish me luck!


  I believe that I have not posted anything for several months.  And I'm sorry for not keeping up with this task.  With a full time job and not much free time it becomes and afterthought most of the time.  I will post several new paintings that I've done over the summer today.  And in the near future, I be painting from some of the photos that I took while on vacation on a river cruise up the Danube river.  Great architecture in Budpest and great churches in all of the cities that we visited caused me to take 400+ photos.  Many of the images I wanted to inspire paintings from.


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