Steve loves the mountains, and May 29-June 2 he'll be deep within the Wallowa Moutains of Oregon, judging the 31st annual Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts.

More than 90 Northwest artists have entered 214 two- and three-dimensional art pieces in various media -- oil, acrylic, mixed, watercolor, wood, bronze, fabric -- and Steve will spend Thursday reviewing and judging the work.

Friday, May 31, Steve will speak in the afternoon at the Joseph Community Center, where the show is held, concerning the work and how he chose the pieces receiving awards. Saturday, June 1, Steve will talk about his own art journey, and how he approaches what he does.

In the in between times, Steve plans to grab camera and wife Carolyn and hike. Although he doesn't fully realize this, Carolyn has plans to spend several hours in the local quilt shop, Cattle Country Quilts, planning her next full-sized quilt.

Ellensburg, WA is a quaint little town, complete with brick sidewalks and the requisite number of superb restaurants. It is also home to the Western Art Association, which for the last 41 years has been holding a national art auction in the middle of May.

This year, the 41st annual Western Art Association Auction takes place at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds, just below the giant water tower that everyone likes to write their names on, in Ellensburg. The event runs May 17-19, Friday through Sunday, and Steve Henderson Fine Art has four paintings in the auction -- Stonework, Ladycamp, and the two miniature studies of Eyrie and Spirit of the Canyon.

Drop in, drop by, make a bid, walk through the streets of Ellensburg and enjoy the small town friendly atmosphere where a suprising number of people wear cowboy hats and boots, and look like they belong in them.

Accepted to the 17th Annual Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction in Fort Collins, CO, September 2, 2012. Online bidding is available through this link -- http://www.richardschmidauction.com/Steve%20Henderson.html