Art That Celebrates Winter

Snow is falling outside my studio window right now, and the media is calling this the Blizzard of 2013.  Having experienced the Blizzard of '78 while living in Massachusetts--four feet of snow and a week of "vacation" afterwards--so far this is disappointing!  Hopefully, before it is over we will have at least the expected 8" to 14" on the ground.

Speaking of snow, yesterday, I completed a painting for the Norman Williams Public Library's next exhibit entitled, "Art That Celebrates Winter".  It is an area group show which will be hung later this week in the Mezzanine Gallery.  The posted land that inspired this painting is on Advent Hill Road in Hartland.  Very seldom have I painted winter landscapes and this was a treat...

"Posted"

acrylic painting - 16" x 20"

  The Opening Reception for "Art That Celebrates Winter" is to be next Saturday from 5:30 to 7 on the mezzanine at the library.  If you're in the neighborhood, please come by!

Message from Down Under

It seems like such a long time since I blogged.....I have gotten out of the habit but hope to remedy that! Now I am settled in Australia, have passed through the holidays and am ready to report on recent work that I've been doing.

Before I left I made a pair of boots out of round tea bags.  For the first time I used an iridescent medium on the bags to give it a bit of silvery shine.  For the form I paper mache seemed the best option and after some experimentation it worked well:

I also worked on a sculpture made of wooden rods, tea sacks, beeswax and red thread.  The rods are flexible so move easily:

Finally I constructed a box made of rolled and waxed tea sacks and the red thread again:

Now that I'm working in my studio here, it will be mostly small pieces.  I brought a great supply of materials along.  More later.

After the Exhibit

Once again, it seems a long time since I've written.  My show, The Art of Tea II, at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH, has finished.  After all the work that went into putting it together, it feels good now to be back in my studio, working on some new pieces.

I reflect back on the highlights of that venture.  It was very satisfying to work with AVA staff to hang the exhibition.  The pieces chosen very well fit in that lovely venue and I was pleased with how it showcased a variety of work created over the past three years.  I also found that giving a gallery talk was an excellent experience.  With Carol's help I learned to use Keynote to prepare a slide show that highlighted the influences in my work, my process of learning to use tea stained paper, and what I have learned.  It was very gratifying to experience the appreciation of many who viewed the show.

Above are a few photos from the exhibition.

"New England Landscapes" at Norman Williams Public Library

My current exhibit, "New England Landscapes" is now showing at the Norman Williams Public Library.  It will hang until December 6th.

Please come to the Opening Reception

this Saturday,

November 10th at 5 pm

The Mezzanine Gallery holds seventeen paintings done in Massachusetts and Vermont.  Several of them are plein aire paintings in oil, some are studio works and there are also two watercolors of barns, one in Rochester and one in Randolph.

I hope that if you can't make it to the Opening on Saturday you can stop by to visit during open library hours: 

Monday through Friday 10 to 6

Saturday 10 to 5

The Art of Tea II

It has been ages since I've blogged.  Somehow life has been too full.....of making art and all the other things that go into daily living.
The big focus has been preparing for my upcoming show at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH.  There was a big push to complete a number of pieces, and then the huge task of organizing and getting the word out.  Most of that seems to be done now.
So yesterday and today the show was hung.  It was a pretty daunting process, but Margaret and Kayla at AVA were terrific, very experienced and professional.  Here are some photos of the process (so glad I wasn't the one balancing on a high ladder!):

Now I look forward, after a bit of a rest, to the opening, which occurs on Friday evening.  I wonder what it will feel like to walk into the gallery and see all those pieces, work that occupied me so fully for almost three years, displayed together.

Custom Wedding Kirigami Papercutting

I've just finished a commissioned papercutting for a couple soon to be married.
The design depicts a long-haired woman and a short haired man with glasses holding a heart. Beneath them is a cameo of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the surrounding border are four scales (lawyer) which also form a kind of compass (stay true, right direction, etc.) There are star-like flowers and leaves and a claddadh.

I left the design un-ironed. That way the dimensionality of the papercut comes through more. This will flatten out when framed between glass, if that is the method desired.

Colored Mandala

Here is the hand colored version of my "Serfs" mandala.  This will likely become the cover to my new set of adult coloring pages with a medieval theme.  What do you think?