25 days until opening at Piante! About press releases, and painting in Iceland.

Just sent in my stories and images about the Glacier Art Project & At Waters' Edge, to the Journal, and asked the Times Standard life style editor when to send it to her, in time for the August 6 opening.

We artists here in Humboldt County are really quite spoiled with the amount of free publicity we get in the local papers. Big colorful and beautifully composed spreads in the Style section of the Times Standard are common and appreciated. The new monthly Muse insert of the Journal, focused on the arts, promises even more arts coverage. The Arcata Eye and the McKinleyville Press also give space to the visual arts.

When it comes to the actual writing of a press release I take the time to review Kevin Hoover's, editor and founder of The Arcata Eye, "How to get a press release published in the Arcata Eye" each time I need to write one. Not only is it succinct and practical, it is also very entertaining in the inimitable Kevin Hoover way. I recommend it highly. Bob Doran, listed as staff writer, arts & entertainment editor at the Journal (you know him, he is the tall, cuddly guy with the camera who is everywhere and knows everyone - he now has 1, 574 friends on facebook) Recently, Bob, kindly took the time to give advice to Open Studio participants on how to submit press releases. He said to send it as an open text in an email. (not as an attachment) indicate what it is about, in the topic line, and be sure the images are of a size that is printable. And, he pointed out, that unless the story has a byline it is written by the person who submitted it.

So if your art looks good in print, your story is interesting, and you follow the guidelines by Kevin and Bob, you have a pretty good change to get featured in the local papers. If you have a photo of yourself painting, or falling into a crevasse, you just painted, then email it too.

I'd like to add to this: send it in on time, be grateful for any press you get and thank the editors.

And don't complain - ever.

Here's a photo taken by my great travel companion and sister Susanna, while I was sketching the Snaefellsjoekull in Iceland. This glacier sits on top of the extinct volcano, which is the setting of Jules Verne's famous book "A Journey to the Center of the Earth." I am also posting one of the sketches made on location of the mountain with its melting ice cap.