In and Out

It's been an interesting week! When a backhoe took out our internet last week it meant a bit of withdrawal for me.... Actually I didn't know how dependent I was on checking email, googling, etc. But, a lot of time is freed up when the internet is no longer available--not that I can say I did anything world altering with it.... This afternoon it was restored and we are now connected to the world at large again.

I've been continuing painting outdoor with my friend, Sandy, along Locust Creek. It is a wonderful way to spend a morning, totally concentrated on the changing scene, the moving light, the altering colors and values. Summer camp for artists! There is no time to think in the ordinary sense when your mind is totally taken up with capturing what is seen in the moment. Time telescopes. It is a shock to see two hours have passed and only the aching feet remind you that it's time for a break. Definitely the power of the now moment as Eckhart Tolle would say. So here are today's results....

Last weeks plein air painting looked too much like camouflage clothing. I began with a muddy brownish color which had a negative affect on the whole. So today I underpainted in greenish blue and violet. I think the depth of the shadows and the general tone of the painting benefited.... It still needs some work but I think it is more lively and fun.

And here's the reference photo from this morning. It will be useful when I attempt to finish the painting.

Kirigami at The Art Gallery in Stowe

Cynthia Emerlye:

Here are some photos of my kirigami papercuts in the downstairs entry room of The Art Gallery in Stowe, Vermont.

The Art Gallery has been taken over by Donna Ellery, the daughter of the previous owner. Donna, the new owner, is transitioning from a traditional fine art gallery to one which also carries fine crafts. The gallery is two stories and seven rooms of art! The downstairs will feature crafts and the upstairs will remain a fine art gallery, although now various genres of painting will be hung, not just Vermont landscapes.

Right now eight of my framed kirigami mandalas, several black & white prints, and a few kirigami cards are in the gallery. Donna wants to carry my hats and jackets in the fall. The new Gallery 47 in Woodstock wants to have a fashion show with my work, so let's see how many items I can build between now and then.

"Anything Goes" Day

I'm still really enjoying working small and using lots of found materials. It's very freeing to be less concerned about editing as I decide what to include in each piece. On a particularly "anything goes" day in my studio I created a very silly piece using shells, buttons, wire, old metal. The result is a bit strange but the process was liberating and fun:


Here is another piece that's more restrained, but also taps into working without thinking too much:


There is a rather odd collection hanging on the wall. Once again, I don't know where this is going, but it seems just right for now.

Barbara Bartlett

WOODSTOCK SCULPTUREFEST

An outdoor Sculpture Festival
featuring Sculptors from New England
Opening Reception
September 5, 2009
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Featured artist: Anne Dean
Prosper Road, Woodstock, VT
Open daily from dawn to dusk through November

Fooling Around With Scratchboard

When I was with her last week, Judy Jensen (most creative person I know) showed me her gorgeous scratchboard illustrations for a new book she is creating and encouraged me to try this medium. I haven't used scratchboard since grade school and back then it was a feeble, flimsy medium. Ampersand and others make a beautiful surface, black ink over clay (I suspect several layers of sanded gesso would work) mounted on a solid board. It is fascinating to work with. I love it! Clayboard has enough depth to it that one can create an almost dimensional feel. The solid board makes it easy to work with as well. I'm experimenting with four different kinds of blades right now. So much fun to play around. The above is a two-movie amusement. This will be a wonderful addition to my Black & White repertoire.


Here is the detail of the inner part of my play board, a small sketch I did for a commission I am working on. Simple, I know, but elegant in person.


I am also working on a postcard to advertise my life coaching services* so I thought I might try putting it into a scratchboard border. Here's the top. Eventually this design will become my new promotional postcard. Below you see it in its original black and also inversed.



I was going to go with this black one but, when I posted it on Facebook along with its inverse below, everyone voted for the white one. One friend even said the black one looks like an ad for a haunted house, without the spiders! Oy!So I completely re-designed my promo card, using instead the black and white logo I created a few years ago. It looks much more elegant and professional.


I guess my scratchboard is too funky for this purpose right now. My florals should look good on it, though. Stay tuned.

Painting en plein air

Painting outdoors on location is always an interesting experience. First there is all the stuff that has to come along: paints, medium, brushes, palette knife, easel, canvas, view finder, paper towels, bug spray, visor, water and peanut butter and jelly sandwich are absolutely necessary. Then maybe: pliers (or matches) to open the stuck paint tubes, a chair, a camera, a sketchbook, drawing supplies--it quickly begins to feel like packing for the wagon train to Wyoming....

Still, there's nothing like it. Today on Locust Creek was just beautiful--clear and cool after way too much rain these last several weeks. Sandy and I set up near the bank, the loudly rushing water nearly making conversation impossible.

Toward the end of the session I took a reference photo as always, in case I want to go back in to the painting later or enlarge it into a studio painting. Below is what the creek looked like to the camera late this morning....

It's always a daunting task to choose where to begin and end a composition outdoors and, as usual, I bit off more than I could easily chew. But that's the challenge of working outside! The light changes constantly and you know you only have a couple of hours to work. It's much more exciting than painting from photographs.

While painting, several folks came by. A disappointed woman was first--nothing on the canvas yet! Next, two white bearded men in a red pickup truck came and went twice giving approval to the work each way. A woman stopped to share "how pretty" the painting was. A mom and her baby and dog stopped to chat a bit. Two carloads of "In the Woods Camp" kids arrived to enjoy the swimming hole and share their opinions of the work going on.

And after a morning's work, this is the result. It's loose and free and perhaps, unfinished, and I am happy. Plein air painting is all about the process for me. The finished result is important but less so than the experience of struggling to make sense of the values and colors, what to include and what to leave out and when to say "I'm finished for now".

Hanging out

Today Chris and I hung my show titled Intersections at Umpleby's Bakery Cafe in Hanover. The area was equipped with rods and hooks which made hanging easy although it was hard to get the pieces to sit flat against the wall. Oh well.....it looks pretty good anyway.





It is such a delight to get to see my work exhibited in a public space, as I imagine it is for most artists. For so long it hangs out in the studio, longing for a little good light and attention. I'm happy to think that hundreds of coffee, sandwich and sweets buyers will view the work and perhaps feel some emotion because of their experience. Of course I will never know (unless someone likes a piece so much they decide to buy it!).

I'm planning a reception on August 23 and hope that friends will be interested in seeing what I've been up to recently.

Barbara Bartlett