stephanies-art-blog

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.

The Joy of Connecting Through Art

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:47:43 +0100

December is such a busy time of year for so many reasons - family, school activities, getting ready for the holidays - then add to that for me, holiday craft fairs. There is so much preparation, packing, setting up and taking down to fit into my already busy schedule. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by it all until I actually sit down and remember why I like doing the fairs in the first place - connecting with people around my art. Once I am all set up, I have a chance to talk to people, which I really enjoy.

I especially like when people stop at my table and look though my book of commissions. For me there are so many stories and memories for each painting. It’s nice when someone asks questions or comments on a particular painting and I have a chance to share the story behind it. It is also fun to hear stories that people tell me about memories they have when they look at one of my paintings that reminds them of something in their life. With all the rushing around we do these days, connecting with strangers in this way feels really meaningful.

This year at the Orchard School Craft Fair in Walpole, NH, an older man and his wife stopped at my table. She glanced through my card stands and looked at the bookmarks and magnets, but then looked impatient to move on. The man had been looking through the commission book. He started on the very first page and lingered on each one, quietly commenting that I had a “gift” and that I was “blessed”. I smiled and thanked him. He asked his wife to come over and look, but she was ready to move on to the table of beautiful alpaca wool products. He reluctantly started to follow his wife then stopped and said, “I would really like to finish looking through this book of paintings. You go ahead and I will catch up.” So, he stayed and I shared stories of the various paintings.

At one point I asked, “were you in the service, by chance?” He stood up, looked proud, and said that he was. I suggested he might enjoy this painting I had done of my father and his Navy buddies. He looked at it for a long time, counting the number of gold hash marks on my father’s friend Paul’s uniform sleeve, and commenting on his years of service. Knowing that Paul had passed away several years ago made it a very emotional moment for me. When the man reached the end of the book, he took one of my business cards, looked at me and again said I was “blessed”. I thanked him sincerely as he left to catch up with his wife.

I indeed feel blessed to have made the connection I did that day. It is another special story to add to the many that give such meaning to my art.

Dad, Mouse and Paul

It's Holiday Craft Fair Season!

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:45:20 +0100

Even though the weather of late fall has felt more like September than December, it is that time of year again...the season of holiday craft fairs in New Hampshire. Churches, schools, non profit organizations and clubs work hard to bring together local crafters and artists to sell their products, and in turn, help with fundraising for the various organizations. The fairs are a wonderful way to support local crafters and artists by buying creative and unique gifts for family and friends, and to help organizations that are important in our lives.

Each year I participate in three fairs. The first, called Christmas on the Pond is in late November in the village of Marlow, where I live. Funds raised support the activities of the Women's' Fellowship of Christian Service, which works to serve those in need in Marlow. It is a wonderful event set up in the historic buildings that make up the often photographed “Marlow scene”. A highlight of the day is when a very talented Marlow teen plays Christmas songs on the old piano on the second floor of Jones Hall. It really adds to the festive feeling of the day. A delicious lunch of a variety of soups and breads is available in the chapel.

The second fair I join is at the Winterfest Craft Fair at Antioch University New England, in Keene where I work. It is organized by the Student Alliance, which “aims to increase student participation in decision making processes, community service, and social events to build a strong and diverse learning community within the Department of Environmental Studies, Antioch University New England and beyond”. Artisans from the Monadnock region, as well as many creative Antioch staff sell home baked goods, art prints and cards, paintings, local honey, jam and maple syrup, beaded jewelry, pottery, hand knits, hand made clothes, and much more.

Then, coming up this Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10 is The Orchard School Craft Fair, which will take place in the historic town hall in Walpole, NH. My family has been closely connected to the Orchard School in the neighboring town of East Alstead since my daughter started preschool there in 2001. My two children have grown up there, attending preschool, kindergarten, summer camps and now and after school program called Farmers and Foragers. Supporting their fundraising efforts by being in the craft fair is really important to me. I always enjoy seeing many old friends there, and noticing how much my children’s former classmates have grown over the last year!

During this busy season of visiting with family and friends and shopping for holiday gifts, I hope you can find time to shop local and support your neighborhood craft fairs. There are so many talented artisans all around us, and you will be able to find all kinds of beautiful gifts, all while supporting organizations that have meaning for you.

Artist Spotlight: Stephanie Tickner - Antioch University New England Community Bulletin

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:41:58 +0100

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by the publications office where I work at Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire. As part of the regular Community Bulletin, they are doing an occasional staff artist spotlights, and I was excited to have this chance to share my artistic side at work. The interview, from Issue #22, November 16, 2011 is below.

Issue #22, November 16, 2011

Many of AUNE’s staff hide their artistic talents under a bushel. We shine a little light on some of these artists in our occasional Artist Spotlight:

Stephanie Tickner loved to draw as a child. But it wasn’t until she was sixteen and her grandparents gave her a drawing class as a gift that she began to understand art. “It made me see things, not as outlines, but as light and color and shadows,” said Stephanie, administrative assistant in the Department of Management. At first she worked in pencil and in charcoal. Then, about ten years ago, she joined the Marlow Art Colony, where she learned from other members about the tools of her craft—paper, paint and brushes—and began to paint in watercolor, her
chosen medium.

She also joined the Monadnock Area Artists Association, which gave her the confidence to show her artwork in public. Since then, she has exhibited at local venues, shows and craft fairs, including AUNE’s Winterfest Craft Fair (this year December 1), Monadnock Area Artists Association’s Art in the Park and the Orchard School Craft Fair. You can also buy her artwork over her new website: www.stephanieticknerwatercolors.com.

If you stop by the Marlow Elementary School’s multipurpose room, you’ll see a mural that Stephanie painted. She’s frequently commissioned to do paintings from photographs—in fact, photography is one of her other passions, and she usually paints from her own photographs. “I don’t do much plein air because I’m a slow and meticulous painter,” she said.
It was at Art in the Park that Stephanie noticed smaller pieces selling well, and she has since created greeting cards, magnets and bookmarks with her art. “I get positive feedback on having art that is affordable,” she said.

“I’m inspired by the natural environment for my ideas,” she said. ”I grew up on Cape Cod so I have a passion for the ocean and for my new home in the woods of New Hampshire. I love painting people doing what they do – the everyday life kind of stuff.”