The Plain Talk published “Outdoor Exhibit Showcases 105 Works of Art From Around the Nation,” and Riva Sharples interviewed me about my curation process along with the unique outdoor installation. The Packard Group National Exhibition 2022 is currently on display outside at No. 7 Center in Vermillion, South Dakota. 

I am excited to announce that September 1st, 2022 is the grand opening of my online art school! I named it the Unaccredited College of Klaire (UCK) because I want to tell people, “Uck… learning about art shouldn’t be expensive!” I love teaching, and I want to share my knowledge and expertise with you. To celebrate the first day of school, I am offering a free 6-part online portrait painting class called “Steal My Art,” which combines portrait painting tutorials with conceptual art.

Through the “Steal My Art” class, you will learn how to create a forgery of one of my Renaissance style portraits, and upon completion you’ll receive a “Certificate of Inauthenticity” in order to prank art historians in the future. I will teach you how to make a copy of my Mona Lisa-style oil painting named Lucrezia Claro with clear step-by-step directions through six online lessons. The videos will break everything down into manageable steps, and you can work at your own pace. All of the videos will be available on patreon.com/klairelockheart and you can follow the page for free. Participants are responsible for acquiring their own materials. 

The UCK curriculum will grow over time to include video tutorials plus supportive critiques, and you can sign up through Patreon, which is a monthly subscription platform. The monthly fee is considerably more affordable than any regular art school tuition, plus you’ll get to work through projects you chose at your own pace. You also have the option of only subscribing to my mailing list to receive occasional postcards of my artwork.

The Packard Group National Exhibition 2022 debuts on Final Friday, August 26th at No. 7 Center Gallery hosted by the Packard Group, LLC. Over 100 works of art by artists from 20 states will be on display at 7 Center Street, Vermillion, SD. Prints of the artwork will be wheat-pasted to the north side of the building, and the reception will be from 5-7 pm on August 26th. A drive-in movie showcasing all the work will play from 8-9 pm, which will be visible from outside only. This is the third annual Packard Group National Exhibition, but it’s the first time the exhibition will be displayed outdoors. Aaron C. Packard, the head honcho of the Packard Group, chose to display the work on the exterior of the building so it will be accessible to the public every day from August 26th through September 23rd. 

The art show was juried by Miss Art World South Dakota, Klaire A. Lockheart, and she installed the exhibition by wheat-pasting it to the building’s exterior. Wheat-pasting is a labor intensive process where the imagery is physically glued to the wall. Aaron Packard printed all the artwork, but Lockheart mixed the paste, planned the display, and climbed a ladder to glue each work of art in place. Prints of the artwork had to be used instead of the originals since wheat-pasting is an ephemeral display, which means that it is temporary and will be destroyed at the end of the exhibition. Lockheart also had a difficult time narrowing down the submissions, but she wanted to showcase as many artists from as many backgrounds as possible. The artists range from emerging artists to established professionals. Artists from all over the county, including California, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, Colorado, and many other locations submitted their artwork to the show. Prints of paintings, photos, drawings, mixed media, and fiber art will be included.

The following artists are featured in the exhibition: Abbie Graham, Alan Kaminsky, Alexis Doerr, Amanda Thomas, Amy Thompson, Andrew Malczewski, Ann Bennett, Ariel Cohen, Barrie Lynn Bryant, Bethany Bash, Brandi Welch, Caitlin Lang, Carl Yonder, Carol Cook Geu, Carrie McDannald, Cheryl Peterson Halsey, Chris Otten, Clark Grinde, Cody Lincoln Barta, Cory Nels Jacobsen, Damy Agboola, Donna Milligan, Erin Kaiser, Francine Fox, Jason Pfitzer, Jenna Robertson, JoAnn Telemdschinow, Joanna Bolsins, Jone Rush MacCulloch, Julie Dent, Kang Xu, Katherine Bennett, Krystl Louwagie, L. Scooter Morris, Lacey Eidem, Lauren Woods, Leona Gamble, Lisa Kastello, Lynn Vidler, Marcie Dodd, Mark Ouska, Mary Catherine Kelly, Michael Lafrentz, Michael Ramey, Michele Rene, Nicole Tobin, Patricia Truitt, Phyllis W. Packard, Rachael-Anne Omps, Renée Ortiz, Sharon Carr, Stargirl Zahra Art, Taji Joseph, Von Dickens Abero Ulsa, and Wendy Wetmore.

The purpose of the Packard Group National Exhibition is to provide American artists nationwide the opportunity to display their work at No. 7 Center in Vermillion, which permits the community the chance to enjoy artwork made by amazing artists from across the country. Juror Klaire Lockheart stated, “I am pleased to bring together so many versatile artists and showcase a wide variety of artwork! Some of the art is serious, some of it is hilarious, but all of it is delightful. I am honored to include all of it in this year’s exhibition!” In addition to the physical show, an online gallery of the artwork will debut on August 26th at packardgroupllc.com.

My Feminine Attempts paintings will be on display at the Te Paske Gallery opening August 22nd, 2022. The closing reception is Friday, October 7th at 6:30 pm. The Te Paske Gallery is located in the Korver Visual Arts Center in Orange City, Iowa, and the gallery is open Monday-Friday from 7:00 am-7:00 pm. 

Why do I  have so many paintings of my ancestors? Are these actually self-portraits? Am I an immortal being who changes my identity every few decades, and these paintings document my disguises through the ages? Could it be that I am just a sarcastic portrait artist making a conceptual art installation? Join Aaron and me as we discuss my Lockheart Legacy oil painting series.

​Aaron C. Packard and I will have one of our Thunderdomesticity collaborative artworks on display at the Sioux City Art Center. Our archival pigment was selected by curator Christopher Atkins as part of the Local Perspectives exhibition. The opening reception is Thursday, July 28th, from 6:00-8:00 pm. This show will be open until November 6th, 2022. 

Several of my brodalisque paintings are currently on display in the All-American exhibition, which is a joint show with Vicente Ortiz Cortez. This show is at the Metropolitan Community College Gallery of Art and Design, 829 N. 204th St., Elkhorn, Nebraska. The exhibition is open through August 10, 2022. The reception is July 20th from 5:30-7:00 pm, with a gallery talk at 6:15 pm.

I avenge the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci on the latest episode of the Klaire & Aaron Show. We discuss and defend the side of the Mona Lisa. Considering the historical context and the concept of perspective, the Mona Lisa painting really isn't that small. 

The Mona Lisa on the Klaire & Aaron Show

Remember to submit photographs of your original 8x10" artwork to the the Packard Group National Exhibition 2022! The deadline is July 15th, 2022. I'm excited to jury this exhibition because we're going to print copies of the selected artwork, and I'll wheat-paste the prints to the exterior of No. 7 Center Gallery in Vermillion, South Dakota. 

I just added my Lockheart Legacy series to the "Artwork" section of my website. I've been working on these oil paintings for the last three years, and I'm happy to finally be able to share them publicly! Four of the paintings in this series were made with support from a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council.