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      After so many years of working in one style, oil pastel, which gives me great lattitude to create anything I want, I was confronted with a challenge from my wife. She asked, "Isn't there another kind of art you want to do?"
      It took me 2 years to come up with an answer. I found that working with acrylics in a very unusual way peeked my interest. I filled little plastic bottles with acrylics and drew with them. They were all different colors and so I was "drawing with color". Most of the early ones were very linear color works but as I got more involved, I branched out and found how to do larger areas with the same technique. I showed them at some shows but only a few sold. I tend to sell more prints anyway so I figured originals are too expensive for most people, so be it.
     But then as I applied to my usual list of TX art festivals, I got back in to possibly the best and certainly the biggest show in the country, Main St. Fort Worth, TX. And I got in with all this mixed media (acrylic and oil pastel) drawing with color work. Well I only had 7-8 finished pieces so my wife said, "You'd better have at least 30 pieces or you could sell out!
     So now I am on it. I have about 18 done now and am working almost 6 days/wk on new ones. Years ago my wife, Elaine, took up painting/pastel and with lots of workshops and some help from her sleep in instructor (Me) she is now the monster I created. She gives critiques: some kind, some not so kind but always believing that I still have not done my best work yet. She believes in me but she pushes also.  

So off I go doing more of these works. For just one huge show. I could be a turning point in my art career if these pieces

are well received. Do you like them? Feel free to let me know. All for now, Jeff Leedy