stephanies-art-blog

The Reluctant Spring

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:42:48 +0100

Once again I am amazed how much time has passed since I last sat down to gather my thoughts around my art and what has been filling my time. I have been meaning to get to this for a few weeks now, but something else always seems to come up and I don't get to it. I decided that today, before I head outside to remove leaves from the perennial beds on what is supposed to be a beautiful and warm spring day (finally!), that I would share some of my art stories from late winter, and this spring that has been very reluctant to arrive.

Back in February, I started to feel the motivation for painting again, after the busyness of the holidays and painting commissions. So, I finally finished two LONG overdue paintings for my aunt. The first was of one of her granddaughters from when she was younger. I love the sun hat and cute dress. My aunt gave me oval frames for this painting and the one of two of her grandsons below.

This painting is of two of my aunt's grandsons at Old Sturbridge Village when they were younger. Those two have great hair to paint! I loved painting all the dark wood in this old schoolhouse too.

Also in February I learned about two juried art competitions. One I did last year - Glamour in Mud Season - which is the exhibit to support the Wolfeboro, NH Players Theater. The other I learned about via New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. It was for an exhibit called "Nature" through an online gallery called Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery.

I was very glad to have two paintings juried in to the Glamour in Mud Season exhibit, "Somewhere Along the Kancamagus" and "Summer Rocks". I always enjoy participating in exhibits that support non-profit organizations.

Somewhere Along the Kancamagus

Summer Rocks

Having my paintings juried into this Wolfeboro exhibit gave me a reason to return to the beautiful New Hampshire Lakes Region to deliver them to the exhibitor. Like last year, I was happy to have some quiet time to take a solo trip back to Wolfeboro. Unlike last March when I delivered a painting for this exhibit on a day the temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees, this year the winter held on a lot longer. It was chilly and there was still plenty of snow around. I followed my footsteps from last March, starting with delivering the paintings to the exhibitor's farm high above the center of Wolfeboro. It was delightful to meet the newest members of the farm as well.

Then I headed into the town center and walked to the town piers and the nearby Cate Park. What a difference from 2012! In 2012 I sat at the end of the pier in capri pants and dangled my bare feet over the end. This year the piers were still covered in snow.

That was some really thin ice in 2012! ;)

The thin ice sign had much more meaning in 2013.
They hadn't even removed the Christmas wreath yet.

No bare feet on the pier this year!

2012

2013

The park was still buried in snow this year.

2012

2013...not much of a day for short sleeves and ice cream cones!

I also enjoyed another delicious lunch at the Downtown Grille Cafe...this time, inside the dining room, rather than on the outside deck that had yet to open.

2012 out on the deck

2013...lunch indoors with a view of the snowy deck

Home from Wolfeboro, I was thrilled to learn I had been named a Special Recognition Artist in the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery "Nature" March 2013 Art Exhibition for my painting "January Wind at Town Neck". They wrote, "We received 672 entries from 20 different countries from around the world, including the Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. In addition, we received entries from 33 different states as well as the District of Columbia." I am so honored to have been recognized among so many entries. You can see my painting in the Slide Show for the Special Recognition Artists. It is alphabetical and I am #85.

January Wind at Town Neck

It is exciting that the exhibitors also sent me a certificate of recognition for my painting.

Most recently, in April, I created this painting of the parents of our dear friend who teaches the Farmers and Foragers program that my kids attend at The Orc hard School. He delivered it to his parents on Easter weekend. It was a gift from all their children for their mother's 80th birthday. I feel so happy to have met their mother at the Orchard School holiday craft fair in December. I love these connections!

As April draws to a close, I am glad spring seems like it is really here...although in northern New England you never know! Today is supposed to reach the low 60s and tomorrow the low 70s. I look forward to my garden time before the dreaded black flies come out. So, my plans are for yard work by day, and by night, as energy allows, I have the following art projects on deck:

I plan to submit, hopefully, three paintings to the Historical Society of Cheshire County juried exhibit, 64 Miles, The Ashuelot River. The Ashuelot River travels 64 miles in southwest New Hampshire from Pillsbury State Park in Washington, NH to the Connecticut River in Hinsdale, NH. The goal of the exhibition is to pay "homage to the largely over looked Ashuelot River as the great natural resource that it is to this area. Rich in history and natural beauty, the river offers extensive artistic opportunities for the visual artist." The exhibit will be in July.

I also plan to submit two already completed paintings for consideration for the Monadnock Area Artists Association 2013 Juried Fine Art Show that will be at the Jaffrey Civic Center's Cunningham Gallery in June and July.

Wish me luck. Now, out to the gardens!

Turning the page...saying goodbye to 2012

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:14:08 +0100

December was truly a blur of work, school events, craft fairs, maintaining inventory for craft fairs, painting...oh...and of course...the holidays! As much as I enjoyed the various events, staying prepared and organized in such a busy season can be really exhausting. 2012 was an amazing year for my family and me. After the chaos of December though, I am grateful to have turned the page to 2013 and what it will bring.

I participated in three local craft fairs over the holiday season. I always enjoy connecting with people, sharing stories, and doing some of my own holiday shopping as well. It is easy to do when you are surrounded by so many talented artisans and crafters.

Christmas on the Pond in Marlow was held in the historic buildings in the village, and was part of the Route 10 Holiday Hop, promoting craft fairs in several small towns along that road. It was wonderful to have members of my family travel all the way from Massachusetts to attend this fair, as they do each year. They enjoy the delicious lunch in the chapel, the piano music by Marlow's very talented, Tristan Smith, and of course the shopping.

The second fair I participate in was the Antioch University New England Student Alliance Winterfest in Keene. I work at Antioch and have done this fair for many years. It grew from one room when it started to three rooms in 2012. It's nice to have built in support from students, staff and faculty who can get some shopping done while they are already on campus.

The PR office took this photo of me and a coworker to celebrate the event.

My final fair of each holiday season is The Orchard School’s annual Crafts Fair and Cafe at The Walpole Town Hall on the Common in Walpole, NH. The fair includes a raffle, dinner or lunch in their café, including delicious bread Orchard Hill Bakery, and local musicians playing throughout the day. All proceeds from the raffle and cafe directly benefit The Orchard School’s programs, which have been a part of my family's lives for almost 12 years. The fair raised $6,770 for the school!

After the craft fairs were finished, I spent all of my free time working on a commission of a house in West Chesterfield, NH. It was supposed to be finished in time for Christmas, but it's for an 18x24 frame and took much longer than I anticipated. I delivered it on January 11. The person was very happy and said it will have a prominent place in his dining room. I am so glad he likes it.

Throughout the busy holiday months, I was still reminded of those who were affected by Hurricane Sandy, including some of my New York and New Jersey friends who I have met through our musical festival and creative connections. I decided to donate all the proceeds from my online sales to funds set up to support these friends. I am so grateful to everyone who made online purchases in December. So far I have sent $155. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected by this horrible storm and hope we can continue to support rebuilding efforts. I will continue to donate proceeds of sales from online store. Thank you to everyone who has helped.

2012 ended with time in the Adirondacks with my in-laws. For the first time in many years there was fluffy snow that stayed on the trees and made everything look so magical. We took a walk with the dogs one afternoon, and it was beautiful with the sun, shadows and glittery snow. It was the perfect way to finish 2012, a year that was full of many adventures. I wish you all a 2013 full of your own adventures, creativity, and plenty of time being with the important people in your lives, doing what you love.

My Collection of 2012 Paintings

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:39:33 +0100

2012 was an interesting painting year for me. I started early by creating a painting for a juried art exhibit that was very well received and won first prize! In the spring I finished two paintings I had started in the summer of 2011 for that year's Art in the Park, but hadn't had a chance to complete. Then I went quite some time not feeling a sense of creativity or the urge to paint. Thankfully in the summer a friend requested a commission of her family, renewing my motivation. Finally, to be sure I would have new pieces for the holiday craft fair season, I cleaned my art room, scrolled through my iPhoto collection, found inspiration, and painted whenever I had free time. My first holiday craft fair is this weekend, so it seemed like a great time to share my 2012 paintings. I hope you enjoy them.

There It Goes

My first painting of 2012! I finished it in just three days of painting time. It is of my children in March 2001, a year we had snow that never seemed to stop and that was WAY over their heads by spring! Cassidy was 3 and Jeremiah 18 months old. They were so thrilled when there was finally some mud and melt-off puddles to play in. This painting was inspired by and juried into the "Glamour in Mud Season" juried art competition in Wolfeboro, NH. It was also awarded Best in Show by the jury and received the People's Choice award. Such an honor!

Somewhere Along the Kancamagus

This was one of the paintings I had started in the summer of 2011 but didn't finish. I found the photo I used 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!

Flanders Bay Morning

This is the second of the paintings I started in summer 2011. 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. I took so many photos, like the one I used to create this painting. We loved this campground and the Schoodic Peninsula so much, we returned again in August 2011. I highly recommend a visit!

Bethany, Silas and Ken

For many years I been part of an online community that started as a message board for a music festival we attended each summer. Over the years, I met many "boardies" in person and we have become good friends. Others I have yet to meet in person, but we have followed each others' stories over the years and it feels as if I met them long ago. I am grateful to this community for supporting my art from when I first started sharing it. I have painted many commissions for boardies, and these opportunities have help my painting grow and improve. Bethany is someone I have yet to meet in person, but I have come to feel very close to her through the commission she asked me to paint of her and her family this summer. This was an artistically challenging painting for me in the sense that she had a collection of photos to paint from, and I worked hard to create the composition before I even began to paint. As with any commission, hearing from Bethany that she loved the painting made me feel so happy. Best of all, Bethany has an amazing talent of giving new life to worn out jewelry. We have worked out a trade and she has been repairing and recreating many of my beloved but tired pieces of jewelry. You can see her beautiful work at her website Bethkaya Design and Consulting.

Summer Rocks

This painting was also inspired by a boardie friend, and it was the first in my fall painting spree to have new pieces for the craft fairs. I love heart shaped rocks, and also very rounded circular and oval shaped rocks. I photograph them whenever I find them, and collect them when it's appropriate. I recently learned that an Oregon boardie friend has similar feelings. Her name is Summer, and she shared this photo from one of her visits to a west coast beach. It immediately caught my attention, and I was so grateful when she said I could use her photo for inspiration. This is the painting that resulted. Thank you, Summer!

Foggy Pillsbury Loons

The next fall painting was inspired from a beautiful weekend of camping. In September my family and I went on a canoe camping trip at Pillsbury State Park in nearby Washington, NH. We woke to incredible fog one morning, and these two loons were coming in and out of the fog just off the shore of our site. I love how they came together like this. I took a photo that I painted from later. It was so amazing listening to loons call throughout the weekend.

Foggy Pillsbury Islands

This painting was also from a photo I took during our Pillsbury camping weekend. It was such a lovely time of year to camp. It was chilly and rained some on Saturday night, but the air was free of pesky bugs. On Saturday morning I loved watching the rocks and islands come and go in the fog until the sun had a chance to burn it away. It was magical and mysterious, especially with loons calling in the distance.

Dandelion Puffs

After painting the two foggy paintings from Pillsbury State Park, I was in the mood for a colorful painting, full of movement. I came across an old photo of my daughter twirling, which gave me the inspiration I was looking for. I found other old photos, including the field of dandelion puffs from my daughter's 3rd grade field trip to the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vermont. The students ran through the tall grass collecting insects by dragging pillowcases. It seemed like the perfect field for my painting of celebration and color.

Now that I have a new collection of paintings, it is time to shift gears and get ready for my first holiday craft fair of the 2012 season.This Saturday Marlow's Christmas on the Pond will take place from 9-3 in the historic buildings of Marlow village. I always enjoy this event and seeing so many familiar faces. Time to print, fold, package, frame and get organized! I hope you will support your local artisans in this holiday season.

Reflecting on a Summer of Art and Beauty

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:50:03 +0100

Where does the time go? It seems like summer started just yesterday, and now we have already passed into fall. As the days get shorter and the trees burst with color, I have been reflecting back on the wonderful summer that just passed. I didn’t have much time for painting, but I experienced a great variety of man made and natural art that filled my days with wonder and awe.

The summer began just two days after the kids finished school in June. The company my husband works for is based in Annecy, France and they wanted him to work for a week at the France office. It was the perfect opportunity for a trip of a lifetime. Annecy is a beautiful city in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. We rented a tiny apartment in Le Vieil Annecy (the old part of town) in a building built in 1650! With high walls, arches, cobblestone streets, cafes and small shops, I felt I had gone back in time. We spent a week there touring churches, museums, and a castle, as well as admiring the beauty of Lake Annecy and the towering mountains. We fell in love with this gem of a city.

Le Thiou River and Pont Morens, built in the 13^th century!

Statue in front of Notre Dame de Liesse Church. This is a "new" church was built in the middle of the 19th century on the site of a 13th century sanctuary.

Beautiful sunny day on Lake Annecy.

Stained glass inside St. Pierre's Cathedral built in the 16th century

Front of the Basilica of the Visitation. Started in the beginning of the 17th century and finished in 1930

View of le Vieil Annecy's red roofs, Lake Annecy and the mountains from the courtyard of Le Chateau. It was once home to the Barons of Geneva. Construction started in the 12 century and lasted over 4 centuries! It is now a culture and history museum.

After our incredible week exploring the historic city of Annecy, we hopped on a train to Lyon, then Paris for the second week of our French vacation. In the City of Light we rented a ground floor apartment off a courtyard between tall buildings in the 18th arrondissement. One of the first things we noticed was the difference in pace between Annecy and Paris. In Annecy we walked everywhere and things were pretty close together. In Paris there were people rushing around to catch the metro and crowding into famous landmarks. Our metro ride was was about 12 stops from the apartment to the center of the city, and sometime the cars were so full we couldn't get on. Despite the pace change, there were so many well known sites in Paris that I felt like I had stepped into a book or a movie. History and art surrounded us everywhere we looked, from bridges over the Seine, to churches, and of course the museums. At times, the building themselves were so stunning and detailed they became part of the exhibit in their own right.

We visited Notre Dame, the Archaeological Cryp t, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe, the Maritime Museum, the Louvre, the Orsay and the Orangerie museums, and Versailles, Louis XIV's palace an hour train ride from Paris. I took hundreds of photos. Part of me wishes I had endless time to paint and try to capture some of my favorite memories. We walked miles and saw so much. It was incredible.

Pont des Invalides over the Seine

Statues on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral

Ancient ruins in the Archeological Crypt under the courtyard of Notre Dame. The buildings were discovered during excavations from 1965 to 1972.

Arches of the first floor of Sainte-Chapelle, where the common folk attended Mass.

More arches. These are in the Hall of the Guards in the Conciergerie. It was first was first a royal palace, then a prison during the French Revolution where victims were held before heading to the guillotine, including Marie-Antoinette.

Sacre Coeur Basilica was a short walk from our apartment up many flights of stairs. It was built over 44 years from 1875-1919.

The distant Eiffel Tower as a thunderstorm rolled in behind it. Stunning!

Figurehead of Amphitrite, daughter of Triton, seduced by Neptune, from the frigate Amphitrite, 1810 in the Maritime Museum

Le Grande Odalisque by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1814. Just one of the beautiful paintings we saw at the Louvre. I could have spent months here and not seen everything. It was not just the curated art either. The fact that the building was once a palace kept capturing my attention. The rooms were stunning all on their own!

This clock in the Orsay Museum was the inspiration for the clock in the train station depicted in the movie Hugo. You can see Sacre Coeur and the ferris wheel near the Louvre in the distance.

This is the ceiling of the Venus Room at Versailles.. The painting is called "The Goddess Of Love Subjugating The Gods And Powers” by Houasse, and it represents Venus being crowned by the Three Graces. Light meals were served in this room. I wish Versailles hadn't been so crowded. There was so much detail in every room, and I would have enjoyed having more time to linger and look. It was so beautiful and opulent.

We were sad to have to leave after two glorious weeks in Annecy and Paris, but we realized upon returning home that just a week later we would be heading to the Hudson Valley region of New York for our annual trek to the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. We have been attending Grey Fox since 1996, and we love having the chance to relax at the beautiful farm surrounded by mountains while incredibly talented musicians share their art with us. I am not a musician, and I am always amazed by their ability to play such intricate music. And of course, there are all the stunning sunsets there.

View of the main stage field with the camping area in the distance.

Tribute to Scruggs, Watson, Dillard & Lilly Hosted by Tim O’Brien. We lost so many amazing bluegrass stars this year. So many banjos!

View of the mountain from the top of the hill.

Sleepy Man Banjo Boys on the main stage. These kids were so incredibly talented! They are just 10, 13 and 14.

Old-Tyme Kozmik Trio. I so enjoyed Rushad Eggleston's antics on stage. Apparently the other band members did too!

Another beautiful Grey Fox sunset.

The rest of the summer flew by in the blink of an eye. We marked the end of summer and the beginning of fall with a canoe camping trip to nearby Pillsbury State Park in Washington, New Hampshire. From our beautiful and secluded site on May Pond we were able to see some of the most stunning art of all...the natural world around us. We woke on Saturday morning to the call of loons and some very dense fog. We loved seeing the loons emerge from the fog, just off the shore of our site, and to observe a rocky island appear and disappear again in the fog. When the sun finally came out and we could see the early fall colors in the trees, we took turns in the kayak and canoe, paddling alongside loons and watching great blue herons in the shallows. It made me realize how lucky I am to live in such an undeveloped area where I am able to see these gifts of nature.

Now that fall has really settled in and the leaves are dropping steadily, I feel the urge to head back into my basement art room to start painting again. As I look through the trees from my west facing windows, I can watch the weather change over the course of a day, and see the leaves fall and swirl in the wind. I look forward to creating my own new works of art as I remember a summer that was full of so much inspiring beauty.

Arts bringing the community together

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:16:21 +0100

One of the really fun parts of being an artist in the Monadnock region is when the community comes together around art. When I participate in art events, exhibits and fairs, I meet so many new people, connect with friends, and others I haven’t seen in awhile, and really feel I am part of an amazing place.

The annual Keene Art Walk is a great example of art bringing the community together. I was juried into the Art Walk and assigned a window in Clark Mortenson Insurance on Main Street. On Thursday, May 31, when I had to set up my paintings in Keene, I had a crazy day of moving my art around in town! First I had to get to Keene. We had terrible storms on Tuesday, May 29, complete with two tornado warnings in Marlow and surrounding towns! The incredible amounts of rain that fell in a very short time completely washed out many area roads, both dirt and paved! Thankfully, unlike some, I was not stranded and was able to find a round about route from Marlow to Keene.

This is the route my daughter’s school bus took to get from Marlow to Keene on Wednesday, May 30. It was only one lane in places!

Once in Keene I took down my two month exhibit from the 3^rd floor of Keene City Hall in the City Manager’s suite. Then, I carried my laundry basket full of paintings wrapped in tapestries and pillowcases down to the 1^st floor Revenue Office of City Hall to hang a different two month exhibit there. I noticed people look at you funny when you walk around City Hall with a laundry basket!

My exhibit on the 1st floor of City Hall

After finishing at City Hall I drove down to the other end of Main Street to Clark Mortenson. It can be a bit nerve wracking hanging an exhibit in a new space, but Dolly, the receptionist, was incredibly friendly and helpful from the moment I arrived. She moved items that are usually in their lobby to accommodate my paintings. I feel an immediate connection to the various businesses and organizations that open up their spaces to support the Art Walk and other art exhibits. It’s a wonderful example of art bringing the community together. If I hadn’t done Art Walk, I probably would not have met Dolly. We had a bit of a challenge with the business name on the windows, but I think the exhibit came out very nicely. Dolly was such a great help throughout the Art Walk week.

Friday, June 1 was the official kick off of Art Walk. There was an artist reception at The Colonial Corner next to the Colonial Theater where artists could meet each other and enjoy light refreshments and live music. I am always a little nervous before events like this, but I met many nice people with interesting stories of art and other things. After the reception artists were to stand in front of their windows and chat with people who stopped by. I was amazed by how many people were out on this lovely Friday evening looking at the art, asking questions, and pointing out favorite pieces. It felt like a festival with various musicians set up playing on the sidewalks as well. The two hours flew by! I felt I had been a part of a very special community event.

On Friday, June 9, I participated in the Paint Out day of Art Walk. We had had lots of rain all week, and I was grateful to wake to sun and comfortable temperatures. The state road crews had been working hard since the storms and I was able to take my regular route to Keene, even though parts were still temporarily repaired with gravel. I set up my table, chair, paints, water, paper and brushes in front of Clark Mortenson, and sat down to work on a painting I had started many years, ago but never finished, of my niece when she was about 2. It turned out to be a very fun day. Staff from Clark Mortenson came out on breaks and checked out my painting progress. School groups from Keene walked with their teachers, stopping to talk to each artist and ask questions. The students were so attentive and complimentary and polite. Their questions were interesting, and I enjoyed explaining my process to them. I also talked to many other people, some running errands, some specifically enjoying the Art Walk, and some visiting from out of town. Some asked for information about commissions, and many took my business cards. Along with sharing my painting process with those who asked about it, I heard all kinds of stories from others about family, pets, art, travel plans, and interests. Just like the two hours during the opening night, the almost six hours of the Paint Out passed very quickly. I decided to take down my set up a bit early when the clouds started to darken in the west. I didn’t want to risk being caught out in a storm like the ones that had popped up each afternoon that week.

My set up in front of Clark Mortenson

Working on the painting of my niece from a favorite photo

My view towards the Colonial Theater and Brewbakers

Dark clouds starting to grow in the northwest towards Margaritas

These dark clouds over Ted's Shoe and Sport, a gusty wind, and a rumble of thunder were enough for me to pack up for the afternoon!

Participating in the Paint Out day of Art Walk in Keene was very fun, but then there was an added benefit of a gift bag from local businesses for artists who participated in the Paint Out. When I was done painting I drove down to the circle on Main Street and stopped by Creative Encounters, which was distributing the bags. In the gift bag there was an 8x10 mounted canvas from Creative Encounters, a cd of local musicians compiled by The Starving Artist, a Brewbakers coffee mug, a giant pink magnet clip (I don't know who provided it to artists, but it's great for me since I have reminder notes everywhere!), gummy butterflies from Life is Sweet and an artist's apron! I love being part of such a supportive local community where artists, citizens and businesses can come together and celebrate the joyful events in our area!

A Spring of Art Exhibits

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:09:50 +0100

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.

An upcoming exhibit I have been juried into is the 2012 Keene Art Walk. My paintings will be displayed in the windows of Clark Mortenson Insurance on Main Street. Art Walk is a great community event. Along with being able to view a wonderful variety of art at your leisure in downtown Keene, this year’s schedule includes:

June 1st

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!

Well in to April, Reflecting on a March Full of Art

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:47:27 +0100

March turned into a month so very full of art for me. It started in a very emotional way on March 3 when my family and I attended a benefit or the family of a single dad who passed away in a tragic accident just before Christmas. The people of our small town of Marlow, and the surrounding towns, who knew and loved this man and his three children, pulled together amazing amounts of food and auction items and raised over $6000 for this family. I came away feeling grateful for the goodness in people, and I am glad I was able to help by donating a painting commission to help raise money. I look forward to creating something beautiful for the person I will be working with.

Then on March 7, my 14 year old daughter Cassidy and I started teaching watercolor painting after school at the John D. Perkins, Sr. Elementary School in Marlow. Each year the PTA sponsors March Mini Classes and students can sign up for different “classes” to have something fun to look forward to in the often dreary and muddy afternoons in March. This year classes included wooden chair painting, fiber arts, yoga, map and compass reading and watercolor painting. Cass and I met for four Wednesdays with a group of five students, three in kindergarten, one in 2nd grade and one in 5th grade. Since we had some very young students, we changed our ideas to better match their abilities and patience, and came up with some great activities such as working with paint and soap bubbles, collages, salt in wet paint, and resist with cray-pas. The students seemed to have a lot of fun with the activities, especially blowing the colorful soap bubbles into towering mounds with straws. That was more fun than putting paint on paper! These are some of my favorites paintings:

Day 1 - Soap bubble sea serpent collage

Day 2 - Salt texture fruit bowl

Day 3 - Cray-Pas and watercolor fish

On the last class, my daughter had the idea that the students could paint white party bags so they could bring their masterpieces home. The PTA also had enough funds so that we sent each child home with a small watercolor pad, a set of paints, and a brush. The classes were a lot of fun, but we were so tired after each hour class that we realized what amazing people our teachers are to spend six hours each day with these wonderful and energetic students!

On March 9 I received an exciting email. I learned that this painting of my kids playing in the mud was juried in to the Glamour in Mud Season Art Competition and show. I call it "There It Goes". I also learned that the accepted pieces will also be juried to select the prize winner. This is a new market for me up in Wolfeboro, NH!

On March 19, just before the vernal equinox, we were in the midst of incredible, but somewhat unsettling, summer-like weather in the 80 degree temperature range. That afternoon I headed from work in Keene to Peterborough to hang an exhibit. One of the exhibit sites for the Monadnock Area Artists Association is the Bagel Mill in Peterborough, NH. My husband works in Peterborough and buys our bagels there all the time, but this is the first time I have exhibited in this town. It is great to have my paintings seen by a new audience. That said, I nearly melted in the heat hanging my paintings that day!

On March 22 I took a road trip to Wolfeboro, NH to deliver the painting I did of the kids playing in the mud that got juried in to the Glamour in Mud Season art exhibit. It was a record breaking warm day, perfect for a road trip to a place I hadn't been to as an adult. Besides seeing some beautiful sites, I also made an old painting connection.

This is the 200+ year old house of the woman who was collecting the paintings for the Glamour in Mud Season exhibit. Her barn was on the left side of the road. She had beautiful distant views of mountains, Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Wentworth.

View from the front of the house.

There were several sheep and alpacas at the farm.

The first crocuses I had seen this spring.

I drove north a bit on Route 28 and stopped along this bay in Tuftonboro. There was still some ice here. I wasn't sure what ski hill that is in the distance, but after researching online, I am pretty sure it is Gunstock.

Docks at the harbor in downtown Wolfeboro.

Back in 2003 I did tiny paintings for a municipal leadership program brochure. The woman who wanted the paintings gave me photos to paint from. One was of the Wolfeboro Town Hall, which I hadn't seen in person until this day. It was weird to see it for real! Here is my photo:

And here's my 2003 painting:

I ended my tourist afternoon in Wolfeboro eating a delicious lunch on the outdoor deck of the Downtown Grille Cafe. The weather was so amazing and summery, that after lunch, before my two hour drive home, I sat barefoot at the end of one of the harbor docks. It was perfectly relaxing and a great way to finish my day in Wolfeboro.

March finished on an exciting art note when on March 29 I received an email from the art committee in Wolfeboro about my mud painting. It said, "We have finished the judging for the Glamour in Mud Season art show. Your piece, “There it Goes”, is the winner! We had many wonderful entries and thank you for sharing your art with us and providing a great piece for our art show. In fact, one of the jurors is opening a new gallery in Wolfeboro and was very interested in your paintings. She wondered if I could give her your contact information. Would that be all right?" I am so excited! This is such an incredible honor, both being selected best in show and getting further attention from the gallery owner.

Now almost in the middle of April, I have still been artistically busy and am looking forward to attending the Glamour in Mud Season exhibit this Friday evening with my mother. It looks to be a fun event. Onward!

Leap Day 2012

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:51:32 +0100

February has felt like a weird month. It hasn’t felt like February. It hasn’t really felt like winter. It has felt more like March with crusty old snow and ice and lots of mud on the dirt roads. It’s hard to believe we have already landed on Leap Day, but here we are.

I didn’t paint in February, but I did some art related things. On Friday, February 2 I hung some of my paintings in the cafeteria at Markem-Imaje in Keene. Markem is a manufacturer of product identification and traceability solutions. The exhibit ends tomorrow. This is a new word-of-mouth exhibit space for me. It’s great to have more exposure!

I knew of the company Markem, but I had never been to their facilities. I was very intrigued by the old parts of the building. After some research, I have learned that the oldest parts were built in 1902 and were former sites for J. A. Wright Co., Hubbard Machine Shop, F. A., and Putnam Mfg. Co. (original name of Markem Corp), who moved to this site in 1950. It was such a dark and dreary day when I hung my paintings there, but I took these pictures of the old parts of the building anyway.

Most of my time in February was spent on an artistic endeavor of sorts, building a new website for the town of Marlow, where I live. The original webmaster had stepped down from that role, so I volunteered to create a new site. It was a slow and tedious process, but I’m happy with how it came out. It feels good knowing I’m helping the Marlow community stay connected and informed.

Last week I emailed my application and a .jpg of my first painting of 2012 to the Glamour in Mud Season Juried Art Competition. It’s a fundraiser for The Village Players Theater in Wolfeboro, NH. The paintings are supposed to represent how New Englanders can be glamorous and have fun even during mud season. I call the painting “There It Goes”. It is of my kids in March 2001, a year we had snow that never seemed to stop and that was WAY over their heads by spring! Cass was 3 and Jeremiah 18 months old. They were so thrilled when there was finally some mud and melt off puddles to play in. I love the painting and the memory of that day. Now I wait to hear if it gets into the exhibit.

A sad note from February was that our neighbor of almost 22 years, Moose, passed away on February 15 after a long battle with cancer. Moose loved the outdoors, gardening, hunting, and maple sugaring. He built a sugar shack behind his cabin to boil the maple sap, much of which he collected in old fashioned metal buckets. I will always think of him when I see the two paintings I named after him, “Moose’s Sap Bucket” and “Moose’s Sugar Shack.” He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

On to March!

December furries, beautiful places, and meaningful stories

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:16:29 +0100

December was a very busy painting month for me. I am grateful to a friend, a coworker, and a new word-of-mouth customer who asked me to paint Christmas gifts for them to give to family and friends. As with each commission I paint, these three paintings have meaningful stories behind them. Over the years, I have heard many emotional and beautiful stories from the people who ask me to paint. It adds so much more meaning to my work.

Libby was the first commission that I did for someone who had learned of my paintings through a friend of hers who had received one of my paintings as a gift (I love word of mouth referrals!). I learned that this beautiful dog, Libby, had sadly passed away earlier in 2011, and that this woman planned to give the painting to Libby's owners as a way to remember her. It was fun to create the composition for this painting. The photograph I used was of Libby in the back of her car. I learned from talking to the woman how much Libby loved taking walks in her rural surroundings, so we decided it would be nice to have her be in the kind of place she enjoyed on a dirt road surrounded by woods. I love Libby's great ears and her expression. She must have been a very sweet girl.

The second painting I finished in December was for a coworker of mine. She had been looking through my commission book at the Antioch Winterfest craft fair and stopped on a painting I did of a dog named Toby. She asked if I would have time to do a painting of her daughter's two dogs who had also passed on in 2011. They were her grand-dogs, Lucky and Vincent, and losing them had been very hard on the whole family. She thought a painting would be a heartfelt way to remember them. I created this painting from two photos, one of Lucky (the white dog) outside in the sand, and one of Vincent inside the house. My coworker suggested the grassy surroundings. I learned that these two were best buddies, having grown up together since they were puppies. After Christmas my coworker told me that the painting cause lots of tears, but they were tears of happiness and love. It means so much to me to hear that my paintings touch people that way.

The last painting I did in December was for my friend who lives up the hill from me. We were both excited that I managed to finish it and get it framed as a gift for her husband just in time on Christmas eve day! The scene is of First Connecticut Lake in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire. Her family co-owned a camp way up north in Pittsburgh, and this year she took over the ownership of the small cabin. To celebrate, she and her family drove up for Columbus Day weekend. She told me that when they were almost there, they saw this amazing sunset with the full moon rising out of the lake. She stopped to take some photos with her film camera. When she got the pictures back, she was disappointed that the camera did not capture what she had seen with her eyes. After playing with iPhoto a bit, I asked if these were the colors she saw, and she said they were. So, another painting came to life capturing a moment that was very special to her and her family.

I look forward to seeing what stories and images come about in 2012. Onward!

Post Holiday Ponderings

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:34:43 +0100

With the holidays behind us, I find myself enjoying a bit of free time and a chance to slow down. Without having to prepare for craft fairs, meet deadlines, shop, or wrap presents, I have had time to finally do my Christmas cards, read, and even create a Twitter account for my art. I really enjoy this time to recover and regroup, but I know that soon I will get that urge to be creative again.

Yesterday I went down to my art room in the basement to put away some stuff. That room is my very own space, and the only finished part of our basement. I love it down there. Unfortunately, it is a mess from the chaos of November and December! There are baskets of craft fair supplies on my table and chair, framed paintings on floor that need to be put away now that craft fair season is over, and gift bags around from hiding Christmas gifts in there. Needless to say, the mess squashes creativity! I wasn’t yet in the mood for cleaning it up though. It did make me think about what I might start after I do clean my room.

Looking around I saw this painting I started in the summer of a fishing boat in Acadia, Maine. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to finish it before Art in the Park in September. I also saw a sketch I did at the same time hoping to have more new pieces for Art in the Park. I drew it from a photo I took one fall on the Kancamagus Highway, but haven’t even started painting. I could easily get going on those two paintings when my motivation returns.

On the other hand, I also saw a call to artists for this juried art competition by Glamour in Mud Season in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The guidelines say, “We are eager to receive original works that depict how New Englanders can be glamorous even during mud season…Entries might emphasize the fun and playful style of theater or show the New Hampshire environment during that season (sap buckets, melting snow...).” I found some great photos in my albums of the kids playing in the March mud when they younger that I could use to create a new painting. The deadline for the competition is March 1. Maybe that is what I will work on first. I’d have to get going on that soon though!

One nice thing about down time is that I had a chance to drive to New York state today to visit with a friend. The time alone in the car, traveling on the rural roads of New Hampshire, Vermont and New York, gave me plenty of time to think and ponder a huge variety of creative ideas. The views of mountains in the haze of wood smoke, rivers with rocks covered in ice, historic villages, barns, cows, and even rusted old pick ups made we wish I had an eye camera so I could capture the scenes I drove by that so made me want to paint.

Perhaps it’s just as well I don’t have the eye cam. I already have more ideas in my head than I have time to paint! And there is still that problem of the mess in my room. I’ll just think about that another time! Here’s to a bit more relaxation.