18. Art Juror for the Community Arts and Activities Center of Jeannette, Pennsylvania

I have been asked to serve as the Juror (or Judge) for the 2009 Community Arts and Activities Center (CAAC) Juried Art Exhibition, November 7-29, 2009 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. The art show will take place at Hanks Hall, 211 Gaskill Avenue, Jeannette, PA (off alley to the back of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity). This is an open, juried competition for works in all media. There is a young adult division for artists in grades 6-12 and the main adult division for artists 18 and older. Awards will be given (some of them for cash) and will include Best of Show, People's Choice Award, First, Second and Third Place, Honorable Mentions and a Purchase Award. More information, including entry deadlines, entry fees and drop-off / pick-up instructions and entry applications can be obtained by contacting in writing: CAAC, 211 Gaskill Avenue, Jeannette, PA 15644 or calling Sheila Defibaugh (724-527-2433) or Chris Mozley (724-527-5683). An entry form is available here. I sincerely appreciate this opportunity and I look forward to seeing and judging some mighty fine art!

Postscript - November 4, 2009: It was a sincere pleasure and honor to be able to judge this art show yesterday. It was very difficult assigning awards due to the large volume of extremely fine pieces which included mixed media sculpture, oil, watercolor, pen and ink, fabric art and other media. The artwork was hung on the wall of the very beautiful main sanctuary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity. Thanks again for allowing me to be apart of this artistic experience. I highly recommend this exhibit and may enter this show myself in the future. --Bob Bickers

17. Toll Road - (photograph)

This photo is based on an image I took a few years ago while traveling on Highway 66 in Westmoreland County, PA, not far from my home in Murrysville. This toll road is an off-shoot of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and shows the winding roads and hills of this part of the state. Click on the image to enlarge.

16. Misdirection - (photograph)

Misdirection, by Bob Bickers, photograph, 2009

Here's another one of my photographs taken in the Allegheny Mountains just west of Altoona, Pennsylvania last month. It was early morning and the fog was only slowly revealing the landscape as the sun climbed into the sky. Broken clouds and rays of sunlight illuminated the road unevenly, creating this mysterious and entrancing scene. Click on the image to enlarge.

15. Apollo 11 - 40 Years a Memory Redux

I have been asked to repeat my presentation of Apollo 11 - 40 Years a Memory, first presented at the Monroeville Public Library on July 20th, before the residents and families of Bayberry Court Retirement Home in Lower Burrell, PA, on October 10, 2009. I will have several of my paintings on display and my collection of newspapers and magazines from that historic mission in 1969. Again, you can see my complete show on display at my website here. At right is Columbia Earthrise, 18 x 24, oil on gessoboard, 2009. Click on image to enlarge.

14. In Murrysville Magazine Article published

The Fall 2009 issue of In Murrysville Magazine is now out and inside on page 6 you will find an article written by Barb Glozik on my art show and presentation on July 20, 2009 at the Monroeville Public Library and the Gallery Space called "Apollo 11 - 40 Years a Memory". The article is similar to one that was published last week by In Monroeville Magazine. Again, many thanks to the publishers of In Murrysville Magazine and to Barb Glozik for writing about this event. Click on the magazine cover to see the full article.

13. A Tale of Two Artists

Convergent evolution is when two different species, sometimes widely separated by time or location, adapt to similar environments by evolving similar characteristics. An example is the streamlined shapes of sharks (a fish), ichthyosaurs (a reptile), and dolphins (a mammal). I think something similar occurs to artists, allowing them to sometimes think very much alike.

In 2006 I visited the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. On my way home, I took a shortcut down a small highway across the great plains of eastern Colorado on to Kansas. I usually keep my eye open for interesting sights along the way that I can photograph and use in my artwork at a later date. We were in a hurry to get home, so I had to be content with taking quick snapshots of buildings and terrain as I sped along in the car. Driving through Matheson, Colorado, my eye spotted a simple, white church that just cried out to be painted. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't ready, I missed the shot and while I should have stopped and gone back to photograph it, I didn't and regretted it almost immediately.

Then in early 2009, I started to explore on the internet the Street View feature of Google Maps that allowed you to view the surrounding landscape from any point along roads that had been photographed by Google. It occurred to me that I might be able to re-capture views from the highway that I had missed before. At right is an image captured from Google Maps Street View of that church that I downloaded in April, 2009.

Great minds must think alike because a couple of weeks ago I opened my September, 2009 issue of Southwest Art magazine and on page 12, to my surprise, was another image of that same church in Matheson, Colorado. It was a watercolor, Church Key, Matheson, by Brian Clifford, 22 x 30, shown at right. Mr. Clifford's painting is too detailed to have been made from Google's crude image, but it does show that he was, as was I, struck by the same simple lines and graceful shapes of this little church, nearly alone out on the plains. I commend Mr. Clifford for following through and creating a fine work of art. I will eventually do the same, probably in oil. You'll see it here first, when I do.

12. In Monroeville Magazine Article published

The Fall 2009 issue of In Monroeville Magazine has been published and inside on page 13 you will find an article written by Barb Glozik on my art show and presentation on July 20, 2009 at the Monroeville Public Library and the Gallery Space called "Apollo 11 - 40 Years a Memory". Many thanks to the publishers of In Monroeville Magazine and to Barb Glozik for writing about this event. Click on the magazine cover to see the full article.

11. Clear Signal - (photograph)

Clear Signal, by Bob Bickers, photograph, 2009

Another photo taken on Highway 22 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is remarkable to me how much cell towers have become a part of the landscape when just a few years ago they didn't even exist. Actually, I would have expected a future with fewer radio towers. Still, with their tall shapes bristling with antennas, I think they have a stark beauty of their own. Click on the photo to enlarge.

10. Open Road - (photograph)

A view of Interstate 99 between State College and Altoona, Pennsylvania one hazy summer afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Click on the image to enlarge.

9. Allegheny Morn - (photograph)

This is one of my latest photographs, taken just last week while driving east along Highway 22 one morning into the hills and mountains just beyond my home in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. The beginning of the Allegheny Mountains can be seen in the distance. Click on the image to enlarge.