The Art of Getting Lost

"Blue Highways" mixed media by Richard Fudge 8"x8"

Artist Statement:

I am currently developing a new series. "The Art of Getting Lost" was inspired by the writings of Rebecca Solnit and William Least Heat-Moon. In this series, I am exploring the themes about being lost, getting lost, losing yourself, losing a loved one, finding yourself, and finding hope. So often we are afraid of "getting lost." We avoid this by never stepping out of our comfort zone and having an adventure. But it's through our journey of exploration, trials, and even suffering that we are transformed. I want these paintings to be a guide for the viewer. I want the viewer to get lost in the painting as they find connections and explore the layers of meaning. For the painting to be a sign post, encouraging the viewer who is going through hell to keep going. You will make it out the other side.

I am using collage materials such as dress patterns, road maps, and medical illustrations. By placing these together the view can see similarities between the network of roads on a map and arteries in the body. I am working on some larger pieces that include my character Chester and other pieces will include hand lettering. 

Art Opening - To be determined - Venue needed:

Since I am still working on the paintings, I do not have a gallery space lined up. My goal is to have the series completed by February 2016. If you think this would be a good fit for your gallery or coffee shop etc., please contact me. 

Follow the progress:
I actively post pictures of the process on my instagram page.
You can also check out my pinterest board the artwork styles and quotes that are influencing my work.

                Follow Richard's board The Art of Getting Lost on Pinterest.   

Chester travels to Bolivia

I've been a sponsor of a child in Bolivia through World Vision since November 2009. Denilson was 4 when they first sent his photo along with some other information about his community. Over the past 5 years, it's been heartwarming to watch him grow up. Often times the updates from World Vision would arrive at a time that I needed a little pick-me-up. It's uplifting to know that you are making a difference in a child's life for just a about a dollar a day.

I have been in a pen pal and letter writing mood lately. So when I got this recent package about Danilson and his community, I finally got around to writing him back. I know. I feel like a terrible person for not doing it sooner, but what do you even say to a kid in some poverty stricken country half a world away? I've always been concerned that my letters would fail to be uplifting. Or worse, my letter would be full of platitudes or just sound like a bunch of "first world problems".

But lately I've been doing some little things like buying and reading The Bridge. I also try to keep a simple Care Pack to give out when I see a homeless person. I've never see a person so grateful for new pair of socks. Maybe something as mundane as sending a letter will brighten a kid's day.

So I made up a little packet and included a pencil, a little notebook, a pencil sharpener, a photo of my family, a Chester drawing, and watercolor pencils. Hopefully, it gets through customs and arrives whole and undamaged. It's unimaginable to me how this letter is going to make such a long journey. What an adventure it must go on. Planes, trains, automobiles. Maybe the final leg by bicycle or packed on a llama. I really wish I could see the letter's journey like this interesting mail project by Matthew McVickar.

But since I can't accurately picture it's journey, I'll just imagine this instead. Chester boldly sailing an ocean of letters on his valiant quest to meet Danilson. Smooth sailing, my friend.

 

An unexpected curly commission

I believe one of the best complements an artist can received is to be remembered. Even if she'd been following my blog or Facebook page, I had hardly posted any art last year. I basically took the year off. So when Jodi contacted me out of the blue to create a custom piece for her, I was rather surprised. It's been a 3-4 years since she contacted me for some art. Then I learned that she was expecting a little girl and wanted a Chester style piece for the nursery. Now that's an honor. As an artist, it's always fulfilling to know that your art is being displayed and treasured in someone's home, but it feels extra special that this piece will be in a nursery. I hope its cherished like a favorite children's book.

I haven't been asked to draw a girl with curls before and I think it turned out very sweet. What a great way to start off the new year.

Current Reading List

Here's what's stacked up on the bedside table:
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
Here, There, Elsewhere by William Least Heat-Moon
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
Manage Your Day-to-Day edited by Jocelyn K. Glei
Pursuing Christ. Creating Art. by Gary A. Molander
Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson Marie Miller

Now I'm not reading all of these at the same time or just one at a time. I just finished two of them. Manage Your Day-To-Day is a collection of essays on routine, focus, and creativity. Again and again the book promoted harnessing the power of frequency and routine. Even something as small as 15 minutes everyday will add up. So every morning beginning January 1st, I'm reading a book instead of watching the news while I drink my first cup of coffee. I've polished off two books this month so far doing this.

A Field Guide to Getting Lost is hard to describe and flat out amazing. I enjoyed the themes and concepts that she explores. So much so that I'm considering exploring them in a few paintings. More on this later. 

I do have this tendency to read more than one book at a time. Instead of reading one at a time, stack of books will tempt me into trying just a few pages. Just to see what it's like and if I'm going to really like it. And then I can't stop and I'm reading three books at once.

I'm currently these three:
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Here, There, Elsewhere by William Least Heat-Moon
Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson Marie Miller

Permission to Speak Freely is one that I started and then probably put down because I started reading some addictive novel. It's a collection of essays. So it's easy to read a short essay and then switch to another book and switch back later. I am impressed with Anne's honesty and openness throughout the book. I find her whole concept of "gift of going second." By sharing your brokenness, your imperfectness, and your story first, it makes it a little easier for other person to share their brokenness.

I'm re-reading The War of Art because its been awhile and I'm feeling extremely stuck. I've become a professional time killer and I'm not making any art. I hate it and me for not getting back to painting.

Here, There, Elsewhere is another example of unfinished reading. I started this on vacation in October. I really enjoyed William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways and was hoping this would be similar. It's good but since it's a collection of travel stories, it's not as captivating as one epic road trip.

As you can see, I'm not reading any fiction at this time. I have a hard time finishing non-fiction books unless that's all that I'm reading. I've tried having one fiction book on the night stand and one non-fiction book, but the non-fiction book usually turns into a dust collector/coaster.

Nature Imitating Art

I have this wild climbing rose that I've threaded down the chain link fence. It's over 20 ft wide and requires weekly pruning to stay in check. So I'm out in my back yard yesterday just doing a little pruning when bird startles me by flying out of the bush just a foot or two from me. This sparks my curiosity. I look closer and part a few leaves to reveal a little nest with two eggs. You have got to be kidding me. How cool is this! I start snapping some photos on my phone and rush inside to bring Katie out to see this. 

You would think I'd never seen a bird's nest before. Or that I'm just excited to see a bird's nest in my favorite rose bush. But that's not the point. I DREW this exact thing THREE years ago because I was inspired by the kudzu like growth of this rose bush.  

So here's the side by side comparison for you. How crazy is that! Life imitating art. Art imitating life. Crazy coincidence or copyright infringement? I'll have to stop cutting the bush and disturbing the momma redbird. I can't wait to see some little baby birds!

My sketch "Overly Protective Heart" from 2010

The Cardinal nest I found in 2013

Chester Gets Married

Well, actually I got married but I did this series of Chester drawings for the announcements and invites (it was Katie's idea and I'm so glad we did it). I haven't had the time for any other art making  between all the wedding planning, honeymoon, wedding celebration, merging of households, and getting ready to sell a house. 

It was a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge to "Chester-ize" Katie and me for this series. Each illustration contains details from the real event. For example when I proposed, I hid the engagement ring box in the top of my cowboy boot. Since the wedding reception/celebration was small group of friends and family, I wanted to post the finished set for all of you that we couldn't invite.

The save the date

The invite to the post-wedding celebration

The thank you cards

Also I can't recommend Memories 'n More Photography enough. Teresa was incredibly helpful with the elopement planning and the images are more perfect than I have imagined. 

A new chapter at The Stirring Arts Ministry

 

 

 

Dear Stirring community, 

 

It has been a great honor, blessing, and pleasure to serve the past 9 years as the Art Director at the Stirring. As I start a new chapter in my life (I am getting married in March), I knew that I would be distracted with planning and therefore need to take an extended break from my responsibilities at the Stirring. I didn't feel that it would be fair to the Stirring for me to temporarily hand over my role to another artist. With the Stirring experiencing such obvious growth and energy since the move to the big sanctuary, I felt that a leave of absence would likely create stagnation and a loss of momentum in our arts ministry. I felt that a new leader could better serve the Stirring and keep things moving with new ideas and a fresh passion. 

 

Eli and I have asked Steven Smith to be the new Art Director at the Stirring. Although I will be taking a break, I'll still be around and available to help Steven in anyway that I can. I am extremely thankful to God for using me in ways I never would have imagined and for all the friends that I have made. You guys are like family.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Richard Fudge

 

PS: Please give Steven a warm welcome, pray for him, and give him plenty of support. Thanks. 

 

PSS: Special thanks to the following artists who have already signed up for painting at the Stirring for this year. It's going to be a huge help to Steven that the next six months are covered as he settles into the role.  

 

February  :  Alberto Cabrera  

 

March  :  Jayde Darnell  

Mar 28 MTh: Steven Smith  

April  :  Gail Wilkins  

 

May : Steven Smith 

 

June : Rhonda Test  

 

July :  Alstone Caillier

Make your own Chester card

"Chester Speaks" ©2012 Richard Fudge

So in addition to all the other Chester cards you can order, I've created a DIY Chester card. You just fill in the the speech bubble with your own note. I'm having a lot of fun with them and I hope you will too.

If you'd like to order a pack of five cards and envelopes, shoot me an email. I'm selling them for $10 a pack. Cards are 4.25"x5.5" when folded.

To kick things off, I'm offering a free pack of Chester Speaks. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post and leave your email address. The winner will be randomly selected on Wednesday, September 12th at 8 am.

AND THE WINNER IS..... comment #6 CcBuck

Writing 'I Love You' in 2.5ft tall letters

“Love Is a Journey” takes shape after one night at The Stirring

Inspiration:

This painting is based on a the sketch I gave to Katie. I'd post a photo of it, but Katie won't loan it back to me (lesson #1: always photograph your work). We just celebrated two years of dating and feels awesome to paint what is basically a huge "I Love You" sign on stage at The Stirring in front of a 1000 people. Also, I can't help but be reminded of my good friends Cheryl and Smith when reflecting on the message of this painting. They are an inspiring portrait of love to me.    
 
Artist Statement for “Love Is a Journey”

I grew up on a hilltop in the Ozarks. You could see downtown Fort Smith, Ark. from my house. When I was a Boy Scout, I loved to hike in the mountains. Now my favorite vacation trips are to the Great Smoky National Park. My heart and soul seem to breathe fresh life whenever I am there. The mountains in this painting are based on the view that I photographed from Newfound Gap. Mountains hold a very spiritual connection as well since it is here that God’s work as creator and master artist is lavishly on display.

In this painting, the mountain view is more than just a beautiful backdrop. The mountains are a metaphor for the journey of life with all of its ups and downs. In Boy Scouts, you are taught the importance of the buddy system. The buddy system is a way for scouts to look out for one another. If one person gets hurt, the other can provide first aid or go for help. Also, it is more difficult to get lost since two heads are better than one. Life is like that. It’s also better when you have a buddy to help you along the way and to share those mountain top moments with. Lastly, here are a couple of quotes I was reflecting on when creating this piece:

“Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” – Psalm 23
 
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone. It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
 
“Give us this day our daily bread” – Matthew 6:11





Going BIG:

This is my first time painting at The Stirring since we moved to the new sanctuary. I wanted to paint something BIG, but I also wanted to paint something for me. I don't get commissioned to do large works often nor I do sell large ones often. It feels like a fluke when one sells. They can end up at your house for a long, long time (I'm looking at you, Mary and Christ). So instead of crossing my fingers and hoping someone will buy it, this one is mine. I'm commissioning myself for a piece to go in my living room over my massive sofa. The wall space over my sofa has been a problem for the past 3 years. Art comes and goes as it displays at galleries. Half the time it's blank - which is a good thing for the art but a bad thing for my house.
 
When this is completed, it will be second largest Chester-themed painting I've ever done. And because I like to make lists...

Top 5 biggest paintings by Fudge:

1. "Not Alone" 2010 - 8ft x 6ft (two 4ft x 6ft panels) - 48 sq ft 
2. “The Light Shines in the Darkness” 2009 - 3ft x 9ft
   (three 3ft x 3ft panels) - 27 sq ft
3. "Silent Night" 2010 - 3.5ft x 5ft - 17.5 sq ft
4. “Love Is a Journey” 2012 - 2.5ft x 6.7ft (two 30"x40" panels) - 16.7 sq ft
5. “Virgin Mary and Christ” 2009 - 3ft x 4ft - 12 sq ft

I'm very excited. The subject excites me. Painting in the Big house excites me. Big paintings of Chester excite me. This painting almost fills my little 10'x10' studio. Look at that photo. It's nearly wall to wall. I had to stand in the doorway to photograph it. I also had to buy a bunch of paint (lesson #2: always restock before you paint on stage).

Steven Smith - Guest Artist for August

Guest artists Steven Smith and Ally Guscette

I've got a couple of announcements about the Stirring, our guest artist for August is Steven Smith. I'm really digging this photo that Katie took. A poignant moment was captured as Steven kneeled before Jesus, The Creator, while painting last Sunday. Steven is very talented and I know he's got some special artwork planned. You won't want to miss him.

Also, The Stirring will be making the move from the South Hall (our home for all these years) to the big sanctuary on Aug 19th. Here's a nice clip about the move by Eli Morris.



We'll reconfigure the stage, turn down the lights, turn up the sound, and hang a gigantic Stirring banner to make this new space our own on Sunday nights. We need your help. We need your prayers. We need your enthusiasm. We need you to join us on Aug. 19 and bring a friend. You don't want to miss what God's gonna do next.

Oh, baby. Let's make beautiful art together.

Now that I've found you, I can't let you go.

I don't normally post product reviews but I bought this marker yesterday and it was love at first doodle. I was just in awe. And what has taken my breath away?

The Montana Acrylic Paint Marker - Extra Fine. 

Expect pictures of our beautiful art babies very soon.

Throwing clay in church

For most churches having an artist paint on stage during a service is a special and unusual event. But at The Stirring, it's just a typical Sunday night.

In the nine years that I have attended The Stirring, we have never had a ceramic artist throwing on stage. To be honest, I didn't think it could be done. There's the potter's wheel to lug up onto the stage. How could you see anything? Wouldn't it be messy and noisy? Years ago, I had even consulted with a couple friends who are potters and they agreed that it was not practical. 

Then along came Ally Guscette. She asked me if we'd ever do pottery on stage. I told her all the reasons we couldn't. She kept insisting that she could. So a little dumbstruck and amazed, I found myself scheduling The Stirring's first guest ceramic artist.


I still had my doubts as I stepped into the sanctuary last Sunday. But as you can see everything worked out perfectly. 

My beautiful artist's assistant, Katie, took a few shots for me (in addition to helping me carry in my supplies and set up). I chose to have a painter on stage in addition to a ceramic artist because I wasn't sure that we could get a camera angle on her. Again, things worked out better than I thought and we could have probably just had Ally up there working. But it is kinda neat to have two artists on stage.

Please come join us Sunday July 29th and/or Aug 5th at 5:30p as we throw some paint and clay at The Stirring.

I am an Artful Mess

So we do these creative exercises at work occasionally. Recently we were challenged to create a label for our personal brand. Something that embodied our personality, traits, and style.

Here's my quick creation. I'm pretty happy with it. It's a combination of doodles and paintings that I have saved on my computer. If you've been to my house, neat and orderly is not my thing. I am an artist and since I'm not married, no room or table is off limits to art making. Every so often the art studio erupts in a fury of creation. It pours out of its confined space and every room has an easel or table full of art. I feel creation needs a little chaos to grow.

Even when the house is in order, there are corners of clutter - little collections of art supplies, mail, or receipts. Stuff I need to get around to going through, filing or trashing.

So that's why I feel like an artful mess. I'm a little messy and a bit of a mess. I don't have a neat and orderly plan for my life. I've had some troubled times. Some spills and tears. But like a good painting, it's all coming together into something beautiful. I'm a messy work in progress. And I'm totally happy with that.  

Yearning for the Open Road

Here's a picture of my summer reading list: "Blue Highways" by William Least-Moon, "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson, "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams, "In Patagonia" by Bruce Chatwin, and "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Truthfully, there's no way that I'm reading all this by the end of the summer.

For me, summer is for road trips. For the past two years, I have gone on a 2,000+ mile roadtrip around Memorial Day weekend. So as Memorial Day came and went this summer with no roadtrip plans and no vacation plans finalized, the travel bug bit me hard. Now I've got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell the open road.

The second best cure is a good travel memoir (or five apparently). I'm currently reading "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat-Moon. And it's been great.

In 1978, after separating from his wife and losing his job as a teacher, Moon, 38 at the time, decided to take an extended road trip around the United States, sticking to only the "Blue Highways." Heat-Moon had coined the term to refer to small, forgotten, out of the way roads connecting rural America (which were drawn in blue on the old style road atlas).

At first, a good story satisfies the travel craving. It's that little taste I needed. I get lost in the narrative and ride shotgun with the author through his journey. But after a while it starts to inspire. It starts to stir up that yearning for adventure. And that's when I relapse. The fever grips me and I get these really crazy ideas. I get to thinking, "well, if he can do a 13,000 mile road trip, why can't I do short one." Why can't I pull out the road map and plot some 3-4 week, 6,000 mile, cross country adventure?

So what would this crazy cross country trip look like? Roughly speaking it'd go something like this: I'd rent a car and drive west. I want to see Austin, TX. Maybe catch one of my favorite bands along the way to New Mexico. I'd stop and say hi to my brother at the Philmont Scout Ranch. Then visit a few national parks like Mt. Zion and the Grand Canyon. Eventally I'd make my way to California to visit my friend Susan Issacs. Here's where I'd return the rental car and switch to the train. I'd take the Coastal Starlight route from Los Angeles to Portland. After such a long train ride, i might rent another car and make my way to Glacier National Park. Once there, I might shift back to another scenic rail route called the Empire Builder and ride to Chicago. Then I'd hop on a MegaBus for the return trip to Memphis with a short stop in St. Louis, MO. I like the idea of mixed transportation. Taking a little bit of everything across country. I think i'd do this trip European style and travel very light. Everything would have to fit in a big internal frame backpack. The kind you'd go trekking across the mountains with. That way I could easily make the switch between car, rail, bus, or plane.

Could I realistically do this? Probably not. I cannot take off more than 2 weeks in a row at my current job. So I'd have to do half the trip at a time. But now I've run off into a tangent. This post was suppose to just be a short list. I really only meant to share with you my summer reading and now I'm outlining my great American road trip.

Recommend listening: David Ramierz "Carry Me Like The Wind"
For every line on my body I want a thousand stories
And for my heart to hold the great American novel 

Open Studios at Marshall Arts

Marshall Arts

639 Marshall Ave. Memphis, TN 38103

Saturday, May 19 

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Marshall Arts is having an open studios night this Saturday. If you can make it, you should stop by to visit Ally Guscette. She's a regular at The Stirring and she'll have some beautiful, functional pottery for sale. So get out and support local artists. Here's some samples of her work:

I bought the smaller one already. You snooze you loose.

One of these is mine too. Hands off. (This means you, Katie.)

 You can see more of her work at allynguscette.com

Why you should buy some handmade pottery

Dear Handmade Pottery,
This is my love letter to you. Enjoy.

I think everyone should own some handmade local pottery. Functional stuff that you can use every day. I'm not going to preach about buzz topic things like buy local, sustainability, green, or even supporting small business, local farmers, artists, etc.

I love my little collection because it reminds me of my friends. I'm reminded of whoever made the mug. I have three mugs by Melissa Bridgman and every time I use them I think of her. I think. I wonder how Melissa is doing. What new pottery has she done? Has she solved that clay and glazing issue that's been driving her crazy? How are those chickens? Boy, she did the perfect job shaping this mug. I hope she's doing well and making perfect little mugs with perfect little imperfections. And in that moment, its like I say a little prayer for my friend and share my morning coffee with her.

My handmade pottery pieces seem warmer. Its like they have a warmth leftover from being made by hand. Like how a mug stays warm after the coffee is finished. They are all individual with their irregularities and it seems to give them a personality. I like to run my fingers over the glaze and texture. I sit and ponder them - their individual shapes, textures, colors, how they were made. My other mugs seem as cold, dull, and lifeless as the steel machines that made them.

There's something meditative about the mugs. I love using these mugs. They bring me joy. They give me comfort. They make me smile. I can't imagine my mornings without them.

Thank you. And I'll see you in the morning,
Richard

Art Opening at The Chair Den

Just wanted to share with you some exciting news. My art is being featured in a new local store in Cordova. I think it's great that a locally owned store is so supportive of local artists. If you're a local artist looking for a place to display your work, you should definitely contact Michael Harvey. He's planning to make these art openings a regular event at The Chair Den.

Grand Opening and Art Show

Thursday, May 3 • 5-8 pm

The Chair Den by Babytime

7760 Trinity Rd., Cordova, TN

Featured local artists include:

Kristi Hall, Richard Fudge, Darlene Newman, Joyce Petrina,
Terence Washington Sr., and Gail Wilkins 

Come check out the new space and enjoy refreshments and local art.

Downtown Presbyterian - Show Pics

For those of you who couldn't make it out to the opening, here are a couple of images from my Love: Lost & Found show.  I have to give a special thanks to all of you who came out and made the opening reception so amazing. The attendance was great. It was packed for most of the show. So crowded in fact, that I couldn't make it around to say hello to everyone (a belated "hello and thanks for coming" to those I missed). I thought it was rather amazing for a South Main Art Walk especially one in February. 

The show was very successful not only in terms of attendance. The opening was listed on ilovememphisblog.com calendar and the Memphis Flyer listed it in the We Recommend section with a picture. A special thanks goes to my incredibly supportive girlfriend Katie who was probably responsible for more than half the people that attended and bought my art.

There were some other little things that I've always wanted to do at a show that I finally made happen this time. For example, I dropped a special playlist of songs onto my iPod and played it during the show - here's a Spotify playlist if you're interested Love - lost, broken, found .  I listen to the same playlist when I'm working in my studio and I've always wanted to share it during a show. Also, I finally got my act together and had 5x7 prints, greeting cards, and 8x10 originals all for sale at the show. It was really beneficial to have some 'impulse buy' art options. At one point, I had a line of people waiting in line to buy them. It was really unexpected. This was probably one of my best art shows to date. 


Suggestions for artists interested in showing at Downtown Church (they recently changed their name from Downtown Presbyterian Church).

• Book It Now. Trolly Night openings book fast. I think I had to ask about six months in advance. So get in touch Gretchen Becker Shaw at Downtown Church and get it on the calendar ASAP.

• Lighting is a bit of an issue. You should attend an art walk night and see for yourself. The artist who showed before me chose to bring his own extra lighting. I worked around it by just displaying work on the best lit walls.

• You will need power tools. The first wall on the right as you enter the space is concrete. You will need a drill and special screws to get new wholes in that wall. Thankfully the rest of the gallery space is drywall.

Save the Date for My Opening Reception

Friday, February 24, 6pm-9pm
South Main Art Trolley Tour 

Downtown Presbyterian

502 South Main St., Memphis, Tennessee

Love: Lost & Found 
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues” – Duke Ellington

Love, both the good side and bad, is great source of inspiration. A musician turns to his guitar, an artist turns to his canvas. For this February show, I thought it would be an appropriate time to pull together all of my work that resulted of the ups and downs of love. In addition to expressing the different emotions and states of love, the four mini-series showcase a variety of my artistic styles and a range of mediums from collage, acrylic, mixed media, illustration, and watercolor.

It’s very personal collection of paintings created over the last eight years, but I feel that everyone can find a connection to at least one painting since they address a universal experience.

Richard Fudge:
Richard Fudge received his BFA from the University of Memphis in 2003. He pursues his passion for painting by creating works in his studio and live on-stage during The Stirring. As the senior artist and gallery manager at The Stirring, Fudge promotes the enrichment of the worship experience through visual art.

Print Sale and Give Away

So I just learned about this C3 conference ( Christ : Church : Culture ) in Nashville in March. This year they are also having a juried art show. I've submitted some of my work and I'm hoping I'll get chosen. You can help send me to the conference by buying a print. The conference isn't that expensive but I had a $700 car repair bill last month. It would be great if I could raise some of the money I need for the conference through some art sales. So any little extra bit will help.

5"x7" photo print, signed - $8.00
8"x10" photo print, signed - $16.00  
First 25 orders get free shipping. To order, email me at richard.fudge@gmail.com 

To kick things off, I'm offering a free 5"x7" - print of your choice. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post, say which is your favorite of the designs pictured above, and leave your email address. The winner will be randomly selected on Monday Jan. 16 at 8am.

UPDATE: The randomly selected number was 7, and the 7th comment is Pattie VZ. Congrats