Watercolors by Stephanie Tickner

Spring has turned into a very busy time for me, as it always is. One of the greatest demands on my time is getting last fall’s leaves out of the perennial gardens that line the stone walls around my yard. It is a slow and tedious process that gives me little time for much else, including painting. However, even though I haven’t created new paintings in April and May, I have been showing my finished paintings in several exhibits.

On April 6 I hung an exhibit on the 3^rd floor of Keene City Hall in the City Manager’s suite. As part of my volunteer hours for the Monadnock Area Artists Association I keep the calendar for the art exhibits on the 1st and 3rd floors of City Hall in Keene. For the months of April and May it is my turn to hang an exhibit on the 3rd floor, including my two just finished paintings from Acadia and the Kancamagus.

On April 13 my mother and I traveled up to Wolfeboro, NH to attend the Glamour in Mud Season art exhibit and reception, part of the spring fundraiser for The Village Players Theater in Wolfeboro. As I mentioned before, I was thrilled to have been (I've since learned, unanimously!) chosen for Best in Show by the jury. Then on April 25 I heard I also won the People's Choice award! I am so grateful. It was fun to see my painting at the exhibit with its big blue ribbon! Unfortunately the painting did not sell during the exhibit, so I headed back up to Wolfeboro to retrieve it. I do hope their fundraising was successful. I appreciate the new exposure.

On May 4 I brought my small “Sunset Trees” painting to The Works Bakery in downtown Keene. I am exhibiting in the Monadnock Area Artists Association members Small Works Show from May 4 - 31. No painting is larger than 10x13 inches framed. The Works food is delicious, so if you are local, I highly recommend stopping by during the month of May to see the art and enjoy the food.

5 - 7pm - ART WALK OPENING
7:30pm - The Mabel Story: a theatre, dance, acrobatic, musical performance at Heberton Hall

June 8th - PAINT OUT DAY 9am-3pm

Featuring Community Mosaic Project and Hands On Kids Activities
Artists will be set up in front of their display windows creating art for the public to see. Several schools will be bringing their classes down to participate.

 June 9th - PAINT OUT DAY 9am-3pm (same as above)

Featuring Community Mosaic Project and Hands On Kids Activities

Finally, I did finish two paintings at the end of March. I had started them both in the summer hoping to have them ready for Art in the Park over Labor Day weekend. I only ended up being 7 months late!

The first one is called “Flanders Bay Morning.” In August of 2009 my family and I headed north for two weeks starting on the New Hampshire coast, then traveling up into Maine and Acadia. We found a beautiful campground along the Schoodic Scenic Byway called Flanders Bay Campground. This campground is surrounded on three sides by the stunning Flanders Bay. The weather was perfect, and the mornings were so still, allowing views like this of lobster boats, islands and distant mountains.

The second painting is called “Somewhere Along the Kancamagus.” I found the photo I used for this painting in my box of "photos to use for paintings someday". I took the photo on my film camera probably in the early 1990s when my husband, dogs and I took a road trip to see the foliage along the Kancamagus Highway. I always loved the curve of the road and the angle of the mountains. My mother remarked when she saw this painting, "How did you ever get a picture there that time of year without a line of cars all along the road?!?" I guess I just got lucky!