The One With Wolf Kahn

So I thought I'd dust off this here old blog and tell any of my remaining readers about the exhibit with Wolf Kahn.

I know it's been ages since I wrote about this, so here is a quick description of the building and how the shows are usually organized within it:

"The Smithy is the oldest building in Cooperstown. It has three floors, each with varying kinds of gallery space. The first floor is at street level and is the original part of the building, it's very rustic; stone walls, forges, anvils, and tools remain from its original use as a blacksmith shop. The second floor is where the member group show is held each summer, in addition to a small room that features a solo show each month. I had a solo there in the summer of 2008. And the third floor is a large open space, which usually features one or two artists and often has a particular theme, often historical. This is the space I will be sharing with Nancy Samstein. The member group show and solo show by Michael Whaling will be on the second floor and Wolf Kahn will be showing on the first floor."

You can read my initial post about all this here.

I was a bit worried about showing in such close proximity to an artist who A. I admire, especially for his amazing longevity and productivity and B. my work has so often been compared to, mostly because of the whole brightly colored landscape barn thing, I think. I was worried about looking like a copy cat I guess;)

I decided to work around B. a little bit, by doing some new work which would include humans and farm animals, though not together, which would put me in an entirely different genre. heh. I was also reading the recent biography of Grant Wood at the time and decided it was time to put some figures and barns together and just so you know for sure, yes, I was COMPLETELY thinking about "American Gothic" when I did this painting:

Sunday, 2011, 60"x40" Oil on Panel

And since the one and only sheep painting I have ever done was the very first piece to sell in a show last spring, I decided to do some more sheep, and go larger too. So I did three that were meant to be together always:


Then I did a large red barn just for old time's sake.....

The rest of the paintings in the show were older paintings that I had on hand, ones that have not sold found their people yet. I spent quite a bit of time choosing pieces that worked together and that also looked right with the new paintings. Doug helped me a lot with this since I tend to want to include everything I have ever done and he tends towards sparse.

I had two walls of a HUGE room, the whole third floor actually. The light was a bit funky, there is an unfortunately placed stairway, and a lot of windows. Although I specifically requested the walls with the windows because I wanted to make groupings on the smaller wall sections.

So here are images of the exhibit. You can see a bit of Nancy's work in the last picture.





Now about Wolf Kahn. I learned a few days before the opening reception that he would not be able to attend. I was disappointed but I immediately understood that the bright side was that I wouldn't have to worry about prattling on and on in front of him or doing something dorky, like spray cracker crumbs on his shirt while prattling. Despite missing Doug, (he was out of town) I was very pleased that so many of my friends came to the opening and I had a lovely time chatting with everyone, not to mention getting my ego inflated a bit. The farm couple and the sheep received a LOT of positive feedback, yayy!!

However, the ego part didn't really last long enough for me to become unbearable. A few days later when Doug was back home, we went to take pictures of the exhibit and while we were doing that two guys were looking at the show. They were wandering around the room while we were taking pictures and finally stood in front of "Sunday." One of them said, and I quote: "the only thing that missing from this one is a pitchfork" Cue their hysterical laughter. Then he turned and they both spent about 5 minutes checking out every. single. detail. of the really "well built! nice color! sturdy! and it has a drawer!" table sitting near the stairwell.


Doug and I had a good laugh about it after they left and I am quite glad he got a few pictures of them which will serve as a reminder to me that not everyone loves my paintings. Sob.....

Anyway, Wolf Kahn's work was displayed on the first floor. Danielle (the Smithy's gallery director) was the curator and she did a wonderful job of that. The pieces were all pastels and were priced in the 3-5k range. I think Doug was tempted to buy one, but unfortunately those prices are not in any part whatsoever of our budget lately; our income is at the mercy of the current economy, alas. Maybe I should have suggested a trade? bwahahaahaaaaa!!!!!

So of course, it was wonderful to see his pastels in person, to see the marks, the colors, it all has a random and expressive quality yet the space and structure is so descriptive. Also these pastels were far more subdued that the pieces I have seen in the past, probably due to the changes in his eyesight (he has macular degeneration) and that accounted for just a little bit more of a difference in our work. Phew!





So all in all, this was a very exciting event to participate in, especially since it was actually IN our little town here. I am very grateful to Danielle for thinking about me when she got the yes from Wolf Kahn, and I am also extremely impressed that she was able to get that yes! Not sure yet if anything will come of this show for me, however I do have a pile of cards for the show with both our names on it which is pretty dang awesome and constitutes actual proof that I once had an exhibit with Wolf Kahn.....

Visit US on Black Friday

Landscape Study #300, 5"x7", Oil on Cradled Panel, 2010

I am an equal opportunity shopper so I am not going to tell anyone here not to spend your money during this shopping season at a mall or at a big box store because sometimes ya just need a big bag of socks and there is nowhere else to find one, even though I am currently boycotting Target, hate Walmart and only go there if I am ABSOLUTELY desperate and there is not even a Kmart within an hour of here either.

Oops, I digress.

But I do hope that you will at least spread your money around and help support artists and craftspeople who pour their hearts into making things while often barely making a living wage at it. Electronics are nice, and I like a good new gizmo almost as much as the next person, but ultimately my most cherished gifts have been the crazy little ceramic pots/sculptures/collages/picture frames/other not quite identifiable objects that my kids have made for me, the earrings that a friend made for me, a necklace made by another friend. My husband has given me wonderful gifts over the years such as a beautiful woodcut by an artist friend of ours from Utah, a painting by an illustrator that I idolized when I was in college. Even though the computer Doug gave me one year was awesome! amazing! useful! and crashed within 2 years! I would ultimately prefer my art collection if I had to choose between the two.

So please visit my little gathering of artist friends at The Fine Art Department and also at the Small Art Showcase; between the two collections you are bound to find something beautiful and creative to give your loved ones, your friends, coworkers, and/or yourself!

I would also like to pass along more links to some other sites:

My old friend (and I mean that literally, we were co-barflies back in Philly in the late 80's, which now makes us old friends) Charlie has gained quite a following on Facebook and Twitter with his unique observations on life and has now put them on shirts, bags, etc at Shot of Wry.

I have never met Sarah in person, but she is a very good friend of Charlie and his wife Cecily who was also my co-barfly and best friend back in the 80's. One of Sarah's photographs hangs in my living room and I often spend some time with it, soaking in the sadness and beauty.

Lately I have been wearing more wood shavings from the hen house than jewelry and in fact I went so long without even putting on a pair of earrings that I had to recently "re pierce" the holes in my ears that I have had since I was thirteen, but that hasn't stopped me from drooling over quite a few items on this Etsy page. I may just have to forward this page to my husband so that he will be able to more easily do HIS holiday shopping this year, heh.

Two of my very good friends in real life make wonderful one of kind, "upcycled" jewelry and clothing, although lately I am seeing way more jewelry at Quirky Works than clothing. If you come to visit our town, you will see that EVERYONE is wearing their creations! Oh and you can like them on Facebook to receive updates.

Julie worked at the gallery in NYC that represented me for about a year and a half before they closed (STILL devastated about that, btw) however I was lucky enough to have made two lasting friendships (the other being the gallery owner) during that time and Julie might currently be my leading collector of small format paintings. Anyway, she has an Etsy page and makes the most wonderful cross stitched ornaments. Go see.....

And the other day I asked for links on my public facebook page and believe you me, there is a TON of shopping to do in the comments section of that post!

Ok, that should be enough to get you started. And please, PLEASE, if you make handmade arts/crafts and have a sales site or know someone who does, post the link in the comment section here. Now don't be shy about it, I WANT you to be able to show your work and now's the time to be flaunting it posting it......

So have a good turkey day in between all this shopping! I will be taking a vacation form my blog, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I'll Miss You, Tom Butter;)

Magenta Pool, 18"x18" Oil on Wood Panel, 2010

Sadly, I have finally decided that I just really can't go to the Vermont Studio Center this January. It truly pains me because one of the visiting artists that month is Tom Butter, who was also one of my teachers about 25 years ago at the Philadelphia College of Art. I was thrilled when I noticed that he was scheduled to be at VSC during January which is about the only month out of the whole year that I can actually get away from here to go there and was SO looking forward to seeing him and also getting his feedback on my work these days. He was one of my favorite teachers mostly because even though I was an interloper in the painting department (an illustrator crossing over) he took me seriously unlike some of the other painting instructors who shall remain nameless. Well, mostly because I can't recall their names anymore, but whatever. However, at least Tom and I can be Facebook friends, there is always Facebook, I guess.......

Anyway, besides Tom being there, I also wanted to go because I have some plans for some new work in mind and being at a residency is such a good place to focus on new ideas. Or get really confused about what to do. Either is fine; as both are valuable processes. I will just have to settle for trying to get started on those new things here at home and hopefully will have made some progress before January 2012 which is when I have rescheduled my residency.

So I will stay home and paint. I will also prove how grown up I have become by using my residency funds for upcoming expenses, including two crowns I need and that our dental insurance probably won't pay for, and also by staying home with the kids while Doug does some traveling for his business. Evidently. we aren't supposed to leave kids home alone even if two of them would really enjoy that, heh.

And the sliver of the bright side here (besides new crowns) is that it may be better for me to skip a year anyway. As much as I enjoy those residencies, they are also kind of intense, and so I think I should take a bit more time in between.

But still, bleh. I am kinda bummed out about this today......

Hurry!!!!

I should have posted this before, but well, I have had that whole burned-out-on-my-blog-thing going on so I just didn't get to it.

Anyway, my internet/blogger/facebook/fellow artist friend, Paula, is about to embark on a new adventure and is having a moving sale in order to lighten her load when she goes. Her work is wonderful, I promise you. I bought one of her clocks a while back and I love it.

So go visit her Etsy store, but don't dilly dally, the sale ends tomorrow, September 30!

Visiting the Pollock Krasner House

Doug and I arrived in the Hamptons on Wednesday. We first stopped in Southampton so I could meet the gallery owner that is trying out my work. She shows some very nice work, mostly pretty realistic imagery. My paintings (she has two) looked good and she said they have received a lot of attention, however neither have sold yet. Of course it is a slow summer for sales (stupid economy) and I think they will do better if she decides to take a few more paintings, so that they will make more sense.

Anyway, we had some extra time before dinner and even though our reservation was for the next day, we decided to drive out the Pollock Krasner House. We found it easily, it is very close to the road and I have to say that we both were a bit overwhelmed to see it in real life. I guess that sounds silly, but we have both read the books about their life there and have seen the movie, so we feel close to it all somehow. And knowing that the art that was created there had a profound effect on the course of American art, well that was just amazing.

Turns out we brought the cold rainy weather with us to the Hamptons so my pictures look a bit dreary but I am putting up the photos that I took of the house and yard. No cameras are allowed inside the studio, so Doug and I posed for cheesy tourist photos outside the studio building:



Images of the interior of the studio can be seen here.

So, like I said the house is pretty close to the road; there is a hedge in front and I was standing right at the end of the driveway when I took this one:

To the left of the driveway are several outbuildings (including the outhouse that they used for several years-the house had no plumbing or electric when they moved in). The studio is the wood shingled building:


This is the view from the back of the house:

The boulders are the same ones where the photograph was taken of Jackson Pollock (with Ruth Kligman) on the last day of his life. Beyond the boulders you can see the previous foundation of the barn/studio, which was moved because it was blocking the view of the bay from the house. The foundation is also where Jackson was filmed while painting on glass so that his face could be seen while he worked; the event that set him off on a brutal drinking binge.

The back door of the house opens right into the kitchen:


The kitchen table:

Evidently the house has been preserved pretty much as Lee Krasner left it. She lived and worked there until her death in 1984. She also worked in Pollock's studio after his death and bits of her colors and marks can be seen on the walls where she painted. Seeing that was awesome! As much as I appreciate Pollock's work, I actually like Lee Krasner's work better.

Anyway, the kitchen is open to the dining room where there is a huge round table (they had many guests out in the Springs):
and to the left hangs the anchor they found on the beach. This is the spot where an iconic photo of Jackson and Lee was taken:


And beyond the dining room is a small living room. There are shelves filled with books and and Jackson's extensive jazz record collection. Unfortunately, I got rushed through that room, I would have liked to have spent more time looking at the books and records.....


Upstairs are two bedrooms. This is the one that Jackson and Lee shared (they had twin beds!):


And Doug was intrigued by the old suitcases:

and when he looked closer, he insisted I photograph this:

The other bedroom was initially Jackson's studio when they first moved into the house (Lee worked in the kitchen) and after he began working in the barn, Lee moved into the room. I wish I had gotten better photograph of this room. It looked as if it had been used as an office space later on by Lee, and was pretty basic.



I liked the house quite a bit. The rooms are all open and it feels very spacious. It is very simple and spare and I envy that. I tend to want a lot of things around me, plus we have four kids so there is a natural clutter that follows us around. But someday I swear I will live in a clean, white sparse space. Well, maybe.

Our little tour group spent quite a bit of time in the studio. We all put on super fashionable foam slippers and walked on the actual floor that Pollock painted on. There was a written and pictorial history of both the working habits of Jackson and Lee. The light was amazing and the space really had a good feel to it. I wanted to stay and paint!!!

Seeing this house and property in person had a profound effect on both Doug and I. I wrote about the connection I felt to their move out to the country here. So funny to read this old post now but actually I still feel the same way about creating art on the beautiful farm where I live. Unfortunately, Doug has neglected his art in the years since we moved here and so we spent some time on the drive home making some plans concerning OUR barn for his use (seems like the separation is on hold, more on that another time).

Our day was not over but I think I will save the rest for another post. Must. Paint. Now.

A Quiet Day

Well, pretty quiet around here today. Ginger, who keeps us all either hopping or needing a nap (the above photo is what she looked like all day yesterday:)) is at a friend's house. The rest of us are at computers or reading or playing with our new toys.

Doug gave me a small book of figurative paintings by Egon Schiele and I have spent a lot of time going through it today. The book has many images that are not included in my other book of his work and many of them are very suggestive. Um, which I like. Not what I like to paint particularly, but I usually appreciate it in the work of others, nonetheless.

If I can manage to get myself up out of my chair (you can't believe how many cookies I ate yesterday and they are affecting my ability to to walk around without bumping into stuff today, heh) I hope to at least tidy up my studio after the whirlwind of gift wrapping swept through it in the last few days. Mentally at least, I am feeling like getting back to making some art and if I can get my body to cooperate it would be great to have a relatively clean studio. Maybe I'll turn up the volume on the stereo, that always helps me feel motivated.

Oh, and someone asked me awhile back about my underpainting process (sorry can't recall who right now, and I blame the cookies for that too). I came across this post written a few years ago (what? I have been writing this blog that long?) and thought it was a good and still relevant explanation of how I begin my paintings.

I Heart Zoe Strauss

2 Ladies, 11x14

Even though I have been on a budget lately, I admit that all that tends to go out the window when it comes to things like books and art. Well, and music, yarn, shoes and clothes that I like, oh and art supplies too. But I digress.

When a good art book comes along, I usually buy it whether I can afford it or not. I put my advance order in at Amazon months ago for Zoe Strauss's book, America, and finally! it came yesterday.

I have been a fan of Zoe's ever since I came across her blog a few years ago. Zoe lives and works in Philadelphia, not far from where I lived once in South Philly (I lived in an icky, but cheap second floor apartment in a rowhouse at 8th and McKean-THAT is certainly a good story for another post:)) and looking at her work is like being transported back in time for me. I love her blog too-her enthusiasm is infectious!

I spent some time looking through America last night and it is an amazing collection of photos. To me they feel familiar, like someplace I have been before; a place I might have enjoyed while I was there, but am glad to not be there anymore. Her portraits are disturbing, but are also oddly inspiring and hopeful. Zoe clearly has respect for her subjects, which is evident in her words and images. I am especially interested in the portraits as I recently read several books about Diane Arbus (whose work I am reminded of when I see Zoe's), and of course am trying to find my own way with painting the figure. Anyway, I hope you'll go check out Zoe's blog, she has had some awesome things happen lately, and definitely check out her book if you can.

I am posting the portrait of the two ladies that I recently finished. Unfortunately, these portraits seem to be incredibly difficult to photograph, they look SO much better in person, and I haven't titled any of them yet either. However I am quite pleased with the direction they are taking. and I will put the others up soon.

Forget the Economy, Go Shopping!

Curved Line, 2008, Oil on Panel, 6x12

Even though I have had an increase in hits lately (not sure why) today I am going to send you all away to go look at other artist's blogs, specifically ones who sell their work directly to their visitors. These are the blogs I regularly check in on and have even bought a few things here and there.

So here we go:

I have been watching Karin Jurik blog almost since I began mine. I love her work and am in awe of how she works. She has also very gracefully integrated selling her own work with selling her work through the galleries that exhibit her paintings.

I recently purchased one of Carol Marine's paintings. I like how Carol has such a distinctive style but still pushes herself to try different subject matter and compositions. And her palette floors me.

Robert Chunn does wonderful still lifes of some of my favorite objects, boxes and containers. I have tried to paint these sorts of things myself but couldn't get them to click the way Robert does. I love his use of color, it feels almost vintage 70's to me somehow.

I recently added M.Collier to my bloglines and I guess I should know whether M is a male or female but frankly I haven't gotten past admiring the work in order to do any detective work. Anyone know? Wait, don't tell me, maybe the mystery is good....

One of the few artists here that I have met in person is Neil Hollingsworth and as always his work is stellar. He also successfully shows in galleries and his smaller works do really well on ebay. I really need to get me one of Neil's paintings someday.

I found Randel Plowman a few months back and I admit to obsessively collecting his small collages. I think I have at least six of them, maybe more. I have lost count because they are still tucked away so that Doug doesn't know just how crazy I am. Heh. Anyway, Randel's prices are incredible but you have to be fast if you want to buy anything. Someone out there (besides me) is snapping up those bird collages.

Steven Goodman is a recent find and I am so happy to have one of his paintings of a barn. He was also very helpful to me concerning selling my small pieces and I greatly appreciate his help and encouragement with that. Check out his digital prints, they are awesome!

Last July, Melody and her family visited our home last summer and we had a wonderful, but too short evening. I was also lucky enough to see her work in person and I can assure everyone that it is amazing. The jpegs are fine, but they really miss the details and subtleties of how her embroidery harmonizes with the painting.

Diane Hoeptner is rather new to the blog scene, and the first thing I do when I visit her blog is smile. I love her paintings of toys, they have a wonderful personality about them and they all seem to be smiling too. I like her flowers too; they are very bold and colorful.

And if you'd like the opportunity to get a free piece of art, go visit Ellen Sereda. She has a good promo going on right now to introduce her new blog and etsy store. Ellen is wickedly funny and I think she and I have the same life; art, kids and never enough time.

Obviously there are at least a million more that I wish I could follow but there is only so much time in the day and I already spend too much of it in front of my computer screen. And I have surely left some of you guys out so sorry about that. Please leave a comment with your blog links and include etsy and ebay links too, 'k?

New Art Always Makes Me Feel Better

Unreal, 2008, Oil on Panel, 20x40

I am not exactly in a funk, but things are definitely not going smoothly here on the farm. Doug has been out of town a lot lately, my career and work are in a state of flux, and while my daughter is doing great, we are still adjusting to a change in our lifestyle and trying to prepare ourselves at least a little bit for what could happen in the future. And a few extended family issues round out the package.

Historically, any kind of shopping (or alcohol, in the very distant past) always made me feel better, but since I have mostly ironed out my emotional and addiction issues buying stuff isn't what I yearn to do anymore. Well, with a few exceptions, that is. I will always want to buy art, books, and music. Oh and art supplies too, and maybe furniture once in awhile too. That's it. Heh. At least I am over the yarn thing. Anyway lately, I have been squeaking out a few bucks here and there to buy art and along with a few gifts I think I will get though all this other stuff just fine.

Last spring Doug and I made a great trade with a friend of ours from Utah, who now lives in Madison WI. We have always admired Greg's work and I can't wait to hang his painting in our new living room/old studio. You can see it here, scroll down, it's called After the Harvest.

Next, Melody and her family visited us and art was exchanged. I love the piece she gave me and still can't fathom how much work must go into her embroidered paintings each time I look at it. I don't have a picture of the piece but you can see her work on her blog.

Then I bought this piece from Steven LaRose. I have been watching his work develop over the last few years (yikes, has it really been that long?), not sure if I was "getting" it and then I saw this piece and I sure got that one! I loved it immediately and then even more when I saw Zaum in person. It is amazing. AND I got the added bonus of a personalized shipping box:
Too bad it got a bit dinged up in transit but at least the painting wasn't damaged.

Periodically over the summer, I have been occasionally been buying collages from Randel Plowman. I love them and they are criminally affordable. I can't even link to all the ones I bought, six in all, but most of them include birds and one has a chicken. Still hope to get one that has a rooster, he does them once in awhile, but they go fast.

I have been trying to buy one of Carol Marine's daily paintings for awhile. I fell in love with this one but just when I was preparing to bid on it, in the last few minutes of the auction, our power went out during a lightening storm. Ugh! I was heartbroken. Finally though, another one came up which I also loved and this time the power stayed on when I entered my bid. It was meant to be, Mother Nature said so.

And today when I returned from town after shipping a package to Chris, I found a package on our porch from him. I swear this was coincidental. Clearly he and I are on the same wavelength. heh. He sent me two drawings which you can see here and here. I am excited about this new direction of his and am very happy to be a small part of it (I suggested he do one in purple).

So I am feeling better now and all this art will surely help me get back on an even keel. Well, that and the kids going back to school next week. Sorry, I know it's wrong to say that but god help me, it's true.

Chuck Connelly (Edited 7/18/08)

Dandelions Forever, 2008, Oil on Panel, 9x9

Last night Doug and I watched this documentary about Chuck Connelly. I had learned about it a few weeks ago from a post at Edward Winkleman's blog and also Doug knew Chuck Connelly in college, they were at Tyler at the same time. So we were really looking forward to seeing it.

While nearly all the criticism I have read about the actual documentary was valid, we were engrossed by it and stayed up talking about Chuck, his art and art in general until midnight. It was sad to see a man so messed up, but yet, even though his career has been in the toilet for almost 20 years (it has been revived lately) what I found to be so awesome is that despite his alcoholism, anger, hatred towards the art world/dealers/other artists and well just about everyone and everything, he kept painting. It didn't matter that he wasn't selling them, or that he had lost all of the momentum he had had, or that he was a wreck, poor and destitute, he still painted. He made thousands of paintings because he wanted to, or maybe it's all he could do. But whatever the reason I admire him for continuing on. I am not so sure I would have had the same resolve and probably would have moved on to something else.

And while he clearly did not handle his gallery relations well at all, I have to say that I don't exactly disagree with many of his opinions about the NY art scene. I would not be happy with a dealer buying a painting of mine for $500 and then turning around and selling it for $10,000 and keeping the profit either. Not that I am even close to THAT art world though.

Anyway, I totally loved seeing a profile on a true painter and even though Chuck Connelly is NOT a person I would like to be around, I truly respect his work and his determination.

Since we do like to buy art now and then, and after seeing the show I rally liked his work even more, I visited DFN Gallery's website to see what was available. He currently has a solo show on display, which just so happens to coincide with the documentary. I emailed to ask the prices on the three paintings that we liked and they were all in the $35,000 dollar range. Oops! Not good for us, quite a bit out of our range, but good for Chuck Connelly. That is, if they sell more than just a few....

What I Learned This Weekend

City Street at Dusk, 2006, Oil on Panel

Ok. These are things I have learned since last Friday.

1. Always make a back up plan when planning to travel. Especially when traveling from upstate NY anytime between October and April. Kids at home on a snow day can really mess things up!

2. I am more ambitious than I thought. I stopped in to visit with my gallery in Hudson (on the way to the train station) and we were talking about their experiences at the art fairs. The Affordable Art Fair came up (they are going this year) and I took the opportunity to brag mention that I did really well there last year. She added me to the roster and it looks like I am going!

3. I may be losing my mind. At the train station I spent about four minutes reading a newspaper while waiting for the train, during which time I evidently set down my bifocals on the bench. By the time I realized that I didn't have them, I was on the train and it was moving. The thing is I don't remember actually putting them down, usually I slip them into my bag if I take them off.

4. I really need those glasses, especially while at Penn Station. I was to meet Doug by the board, but somehow I ended up on different level, next to the LIE board. We talked on our cell phones to each until he saw me. I couldn't see him until he was right in front of me.

5. After looking at the above painting, which has been tucked away at Doug's store, I realized that I should do some more city scene paintings. I enjoyed doing them a few years back, before the landscapes and barns entirely took over my life.

6. Ed Winkleman is very nice. Doug and I headed to the Pulse show first thing and went to say hi to Ed before the "show daze" set in, which can make conversation nearly impossible. I chatted with Ed about blogs, art and he gave me some very helpful advice about pursuing new gallery representation. Oh and we especially liked the black licorice pipe, although I was nervous that I would bump into it and knock the whole thing off the pedestal.

7. Not having my glasses at an art fair is actually a good thing. Not being able to see clearly from a distance allowed for a lot of filtering and I was thankful for that, especially after the first half hour.

8. There is not a chance in hell that my current work would EVER be shown at Pulse. I am ok with that.

9. I MAY have a shot at someday showing at the Red Dot Art Fair. There were a few galleries there that I thought might be the place for me. And in fact, I even did that thing you're not supposed to do-I told one exhibitor that I was a painter and that I wanted to give them my info. I couldn't help it, the words just flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. Anyway, he was very nice about it and suggested I email him this week. He very smartly did not take my name. Heh.

10. It is very disconcerting to see expensive, fine art in mediocre hotel rooms and bathrooms. I am used to seeing the other kind of art in hotel rooms (the last hotel room I stayed in actually had two copies of the same print on the wall). But it was less tiring than going through booths in the larger show environments.

11. The Armory Show is very popular! I had no idea. It's like I have been living under a rock or something. The line was probably a mile long outside and it was packed inside. We walked the entire show, although after awhile everything looked the same and I didn't see much that I could connect to. There were a few things I did like, however I didn't have the energy to take any photos and was in such a daze that I can't remember anything now anyway. Sorry.

12. And why, for the love of god, did no one tell me that if one plans to walk through three art fairs they should train as if they were going to participate in a marathon? My feet still hurt today, even though I wore my most comfortable shoes, (which are coincidentally my most unfashionable shoes). And the shin splints! Bah!

13. My 51 year old husband is in better shape than I. After the Armory Show, I went back to the hotel and took a nap. He went to see one more show, The Dark Fair. He said it wasn't as good as he thought it would be.

14. Eating an amazing, candlelit dinner at 11pm, surrounded by beautiful, fashionable, and seemingly very happy people at a crowded restaurant in Soho, makes life seem totally fabulous.

15. All of this activity can have the same effect as an evening of a weekend drinking binge. Instead of leaving the city by 9am, as planned, it was more like 11:30 before we got it together and bedtime on Sunday night was very early.

16. And some kind citizen was kind enough to turn in my glasses to the Amtrak office at the train station. I picked them up on the way home on Sunday.

17. I think that looking at art in this context is not for me. At dinner on Saturday night, Doug tried to discuss what we had seen and all I could do was look at him blankly. We did find that we had very different opinions about the shows though. He didn't like Pulse; I thought it was ok. He didn't like Red Dot; I liked it more, mostly because there were so many paintings, which is more my thing. He was totally into The Armory and I couldn't think clearly after about ten minutes there.

But it was a great weekend. I did retain a few memories of art that I liked, most notably paintings by Ben Aronson. I got to spend a few days alone with my honey and I got to feel like a city girl, however briefly.

PS. If you want a good rundown on the art fairs, go look at these blogs over the next few days. They are clearly much better at writing about art and art fairs than I.

Art Vent
C-Monster
Art Fag City
Two Coats of Paint
Joanne Mattera
Edward Winkleman

These bloggers did a panel discussion on Sunday morning at the Red Dot Art Fair, that I forgot about in our hungover haze.

Re-Entry, Sort Of

Self-Portrait, in progress, 2008, 8x10

I am surprised at how strange it still is to be back in my real life. At home things are fine but I feel very odd while out in public. Like I still have those exposed organs. I haven't really seen anyone I know yet, and I haven't even called any of my friends. At first I couldn't imagine why I was feeling like that but today it hit me-I am trying to hold onto my experiences at VSC. When I begin socializing here again, the conversations and new friendships I had there will begin to fade, just a bit and I am not quite ready yet to let that happen. I think that explains why I have been so slow to unpack as well. I still haven't entirely unpacked my suitcases or supplies, although I did take all of my paint tubes and brushes out of the box and set them out on my work table. Baby steps, I guess. I will try to do more tomorrow.

I was planning to take a few weeks off from painting, but it may not last that long. Last night, while surfing the net on my BRAND NEW COMPUTER, I came across the work of Stuart Shils and I also noticed that he is to be a visiting artist this November at VSC. Hmmm.....might have to apply for another residency. Anyway, I am quite familiar with his paintings already but for some reason they really struck a chord with me last night and the urge to get back to work just swept over me. Not that I did anything about it, of course, heh, but I am glad to have that old familiar feeling back again, which is probably why I took the step of unpacking my paints today.

Anyway, enough about my mental status. I am putting up a quick self-portrait that I did on the last day in my studio in Vermont. Actually, I may work into it a bit more, but basically I am pleased with it. It also marks the first time in twenty plus years that I have done a self-portrait. They were never my favorite thing to do, because despite being a pretty self-involved person, actually looking at myself for so long was a bit much. This time it seemed ok, though and besides this one is all about the hair. Not much introspection necessary. Heh. And in keeping with that piece, I am also including my "official" studio shot as well as a group shot of the residents. Kind of a motley crew, eh?

New Books

Wrap Around, 2007, Oil on Panel, 18x24

Today I am basking in the glow of a very lovely last few days with my family. Our time was spent finishing the stupid Christmas puzzle, watching silly movies, wrapping gifts, baking (I ate way too many frosted sugar cookies, bad girl!) and just hanging out.

My studio was quiet and nearly forgotten, poor thing. But my fabulous husband gave me two books which will ease me back into work over the next few days. One was a book about Monet, which is quite different than the other book of his work that I have. This one shows the details of his business-sales records, receipts, influences, travels, personal papers like letters and photographs, it is so amazing to see those items and it's good to be reminded that even artists like Monet had to deal the with the more humdrum things like paperwork.

The other is a wonderful book about Richard Diebenkorn. I have been a fan of his work and am now especially interested in his figurative work as I am thinking that I will be focusing on that while I am at the Vermont Studio Center in February. Anyway, this book describes his background and the images of his work are just amazing.

And for my birthday a few weeks ago, Doug gave me a book of etchings, mostly portraits, by Lucian Freud. It too has been very inspiring, if a bit disturbing. Which I love, by the way.

I have another laid back day ahead of me, although I do plan to putter around in the studio a bit. Even though I am finished painting, I do need to paint the panel cradles and put hangers on about ten pieces. And as I have now learned from Monet, there is always the paperwork to do.

Atlanta

Early Red, 2007, Oil on Panel, 24x36

So the trip to Atlanta was great! Well, except for the traveling part. I had to meet Doug in NYC so after the kids got onto the school bus, I drove 2 hours to Hudson, and took the train into Penn station. Doug was waiting for me there and since we were running late we decided to take a taxi to the airport. It wasn't the worst cab ride I have ever had, but it was close and I kept my eyes closed during most of it! We got on the plane, which then sat on the runway for over an hour. Arrgh! The flight attendant gave everyone extra peanuts at snack time and so we all felt better after that. Heh. But the actual flight was fine, as was the next cab ride to the hotel. I didn't have to close my eyes during that one. And the trip back home was nearly the same, but in reverse. Instead of the cab ride in NYC city though, we took an air train to another train in order to get back to Penn Station. And from there we had a few hours until we had to catch the train to Hudson, so we took the subway down to Soho, where we checked in on Doug's showroom, visited Multiple Impressions and then we walked over to Arcadia to check out the paintings there. I believe that the only mode of transportation we missed in those three days was a boat and the space shuttle.

Anyway.

We arrived in Atlanta kind of late on Thursday and so we had room service and went to bed early. The next day we got up and walked to the nearby mall. Doug needed a few things and so we wandered around, had lunch, shopped and looked at some paintings in a mall gallery by Paul Stanley from the band KISS. We didn't like them but the girl working there assured us that his work was very sought after. Hmmmm. Okay.

We then walked down to Twinhouse Gallery so that I could say hi before the actual opening. Our hotel was only a bit over a mile down the street, however it turns out that Atlanta is not exactly conducive to walking. Plus it was hot and very muggy and so we were pretty icky by the time we got there. What a first impression I must have made!

Later on we arrived at the opening around 7pm and it was in full swing. In fact it was packed. The show looked awesome and it was pretty cool to see one of my paintings (Early Red, above) hanging in the front window! We wandered around a bit and then Neil and Karen came up and introduced themselves. We all immediately hit it off I'd say, and Doug and I spent most of the evening talking to them, in addition to several of the other artists and other visitors. I spoke with a woman who wanted to buy one of my paintings for her husband, plus I met a number of others who admired my work. So that was nice. After the opening ended at 9pm, we went to the pizza place next door with Karen and Neil to chat some more. We all have so much in common and I can't believe how wonderful it was to talk with people who do what I do, paint, and try to navigate through the business side of art as well. I miss that in my real life at home. We finally left at 1:30am! I can't even remember the last time I was out that late. They gave us a ride back to the hotel (thanks again!) and collapsed. I think we are getting old.

The next morning we met with Susan, the gallery owner and she took us to breakfast where we had a classic southern meal, eggs with cheese, grits, hash browns, toast, and lots of fat and grease. She gave us a quick tour of Atlanta that left us wishing that we had could have at least another day there, and then took us to the airport in plenty of time for us to make our flight. It was nice to get to know her better though and I really have to thank both Susan and the director, Tiffany, for their hospitality.

I am so glad that we went on this trip. It was important for me to attend this show, meet everyone and become familiar with this particular gallery's dynamic. And getting to know Neil and Karen was just the best. Since Neil has now admitted his part publicly in getting me into this gallery, I want to sincerely thank him for that. Thank you Neil! I have met such lovely people here in art blogland.

We are home now, and getting back into the swing of things. Thanks to our good friend and super nanny, Mary Jo, our kids had a great time while we were gone and probably didn't even miss us.

Oh yeah, I forgot to take my camera to the opening so I have exactly zero pictures of the event, the art or my painting in the front window. Typical.

New (to me) Gallery

Crowded Garden II, 2007, Oil on Panel, 9x18

Now that it's official, I can say out loud that I am being represented by Twinhouse Gallery in Atlanta, GA.

I was previously represented by another gallery in Atlanta, and while they were just great to work with, unfortunately my sales never really took off there. I decided to leave them and literally within a few days, a friend of mine let me know that he had shown his gallery my website and that they were interested in talking to me. I waited until the loose ends were tied up with the previous gallery and then sent some work down to Twinhouse so they could "try me out." They all seem excited about my work and feedback from customers has been good. So we signed contracts (always sign a contract!) and I have sent them a few more pieces. You can see my artist page here.

I am looking forward to this opportunity to try Atlanta again. And I am also in very good company as Twinhouse also represents Neil Hollingsworth, Jeff Cohen and Karin Jurnik, several artists and bloggers whose work I respect.

About New York City Part 2

Gordan Matta Clark, Splitting, 1974

On Saturday, I took the subway up to the Whitney. I had read a few articles here and there about the Gordon Matta-Clark retrospective and so I was very excited to have the opportunity to see it.

As other have written far better than I could about his life and work, go read this, this, and then this, and then come back. And then google him later if you still want to know more.

I loved this show. Somehow I felt an affinity towards the artist and his involvement with creating an art community in Soho, his quirky projects such as growing his hair out, cutting it off and then sewing the cuttings back into a wig for himself (an unfinished project, but still, an interesting concept), collecting bottles and melting them down into glass bricks to use in building projects, and his experiments with agar. His energy must have been endless and his interests were varied. His work was well documented with drawings, cibachromes and film, which become the art he made as well, especially valuable since so many of the original works no longer exist.

There were several films continuously running and they were all fascinating. I watched the artist and his friends and assistants split a house down the middle with chainsaws, cut down the foundation on one end and I had goosebumps when the house shifted and daylight spilled out from one side of the structure to the other. (Splitting, shown above)

Another film that I really enjoyed was a documentation of a day in the life of the restaurant, called Food, 1972, that Matta-Clark and several other artists and performers founded and operated. It was a pretty low-key and rather mundane film but I loved seeing a real representation of that particular time and place. It began with a trip to the fish market, then showed the all day preparations for the day's menu, including gutting and preparing the fish, cutting and chopping vegetables and the cooking of some very suspicious gruel like substances. Before the dinner rush, the employees stand around and smoke a joint, then later the customers are shown eating. At the end of the day the employees congregate for their meal at one long table in a flush of community spirit and friendship. The film ends in the small and silent kitchen while the baker prepares loaves of bread for the next day.

Food was located at 127 Prince Street, just a few blocks from where we were staying. On my way back home, I stopped in. Although it is now a kid's clothing store I could get a good sense of the space I had just become so familiar with on film. Ok, a little weird but I love spaces with history and I enjoyed going there. The nice thing about NYC is that you can go into a store, stand around looking at the walls like a dork and no one pays any attention. Especially if you are a middle aged woman. Heh.

I have always been intrigued by structures, old houses and dwellings where people live and spend time in. I think this is because I have lived in such a wide variety of homes over the years, including numerous apartments, old and new houses, mobile homes (yep, it's true, I spent my early teenage years living in a trailer park), lofts, row houses and even in a high rise. Perhaps my brief time in so many different environments that either don't exist anymore or are now significantly changed helped me to connect with Matta-Clark's alterations, most of which have been destroyed.

Anyway, I was so invigorated after seeing all of that. I did go through the rest of the Whitney, but it felt cursory, though it was nice to see two beautiful paintings by Willem de Kooning, and I ended up going back to the Matta-Clark floor again and spent another hour or so there.

Finally I left and since I haven't been to the Guggenheim in about 20 years I decided to go there. Alas, when I walked into the lobby, there were about nine million people waiting in line. Since I was still on an Matta-Clark high and didn't want to lose it, I decided to skip it and so I headed back to Soho. I went to Doug's store but he was busy with customers and so I walked around and looked into a few more galleries. Ordinarily I would have been interested in seeing some paintings, but I couldn't get into it. I just kept thinking of the work of Gordon Matta-Clark.

And now it's still on my mind. I don't know if it will really affect my own work, but since I am already heading towards more structure oriented imagery, who knows? I have spent some time reading more about him on the internet and each evening I have been poring over the exhibition book that I bought at the Whitney.

So I am certainly obsessing about a kind of art that I am usually not so interested in. Sounds silly and melodramatic but I feel as if I have been changed a bit.

How Pollock Made Me Paint Again

Hillside Trees, 2006, Oil on Panel, 12x12

Unfortunately, I didn't get much done yesterday either. I had just gotten into the painting zone with a little help from Mary Gauthier, when it was time to clean up and go to a valentine lunch with my husband, Doug. We had a nice time and I always a enjoy a good salad, especially one that someone else has to prepare and clean up after. By the time we got home, it was time for me to run back into town to pick up the kids from their after school stuff. Hopefully, I will get more done today and tomorrow.

So I have a lot going on this year and I am still kind of in awe about it. I have an art education, I went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia from 1985-1988. My major was illustration and with the usual youthful optimism, I was certain that I'd be a very successful illustrator. Then real life stepped in. I had to get a full time job after college and I tried for awhile to do illustration on the side. I did a few jobs here and there and then I met my husband (ok, he was my boss, so sue me!) and had less time to pursue my personal work. We started a family and I felt strongly about devoting my time to raising the babies so the art took a back seat. I did have a few creative outlets during this time, I learned how to knit and sew, I attended weekly figure drawing sessions and I became involved with a local arts organization. In 2003, our family plunked down on a farm in upstate NY after having lived in Utah for ten years. My youngest daughter began school and at the same time I was reading Pollock, An American Saga. While Pollock seemed to be a bit of a mess, (that may be an understatement) I was so inspired by their move to the Springs on Long Island and his subsequent breakthroughs. I also admired Lee Krasner's tenacity in keeping him on track and continuing to pursue her own work at the same time. So I thought that since I had more time during the days, I'd give it another shot. Despite not ever having done a landscape, I started painting landscapes. How could I not? The land surrounding us is beautiful! The first pieces I did were dark and moody and kind of depressing, but obviously I have moved into a different direction at this point. And hopefully I and my work will keep evolving.

So that's why at age 41, I am considered an emerging artist and why everything that's going on seems so surprising and, well, cool.

This is a painting I did in early 2004.



Window View#28, 2004, Oil on Panel, 12x12

Love Day

Pink Poppies, 2005, Oil on Panel, 5x7


I am not a big fan of holidays and the rampant commercialism that surrounds them, but I do find some enjoyment of them through my kids. I have spent the last few days helping my girls make handmade valentines for their classmates. We did decoupage on heart shaped wood cut outs. They turned out beautifully and I have a newfound respect for collage and especially for Modge Podge. You can put down just about anything, slop some Modge Podge over it and when it dries, everything is all sparkly and shiny, with layers, yet it's solid. I should put collage on my list of new things to try when I have some time to experiment. I love Lee Krasner's collages, particularly the ones where she used the cut pieces of her own figurative drawings.

Yesterday, I managed to fritter away most of the morning on the computer. I should be getting to work in the studio right away in the mornings but my husband got me a new computer with a big monitor and I can't seem to take my eyes off of it. Anyway, I did work for about two hours or so. I applied glazes to several paintings so that I can start with the color on them today (more on my process some other time) and also finished up a flower garden image. I had to finish up by 2pm so I could do my daily 3 mile walk (stupid new year's resolution), then the kids get home and studio time is definitely over at that point.