My HALLOWEEN week mis-adventure

A lovely crisp fall day brought all 5 of the Tuesday Painters out of their warm studios to paint some sheep and cows at the farm of The Putney School. Two of us were just finishing up our paintings. As I started to carry mine to my car a short way down the farm road, a goblin snagged my toe causing me to plant my face rather abruptly into the gravel and freshly applied pastel. As I dragged myself to my feet, checking to make sure all body parts appeared to be in working order, my friend turned to see me staggering toward her with blood pouring from my two sand and gravel filled lips and the rest of my face wearing 'grass green', 'sky blue' and 'barn pink'. OWWW that hurt!

So this is what it looked like moments before that happened.

Many Thanks to my level headed fellow artist, Basha Freudenberg, who was not the least bit fazed by all the blood, for her assistance and kindness! Later my husband encouraged me to let him drive me to the ER for a professional exam. Spooky.Hours later the understated Dr Terwilliger looked at my lip and inquired, "bleed much?" A right hand X-ray showed that to be wounded but not broken. Tetanus shot...always a good idea when you eat dirt next to the manure pile.

As for the painting??? just a little blood on the margin, but my carefully selected and applied colors, have been 'bewitched'. When I get my glasses fixed I'll see what can be done. Beware...evil lurks.

Many Moons

Eight of the small square pastel series, Many Moons, hanging on the studio wall. I've decided to frame them separately in a shadowbox style of wood frame. This will happen a little later as I want to continue making them as they occur to me. I intend them to be ready for the Butternut Gallery in early 2014.

The motivation behind the Many Moons series is my habitual interest in stepping outside last thing at night and first thing in the morning to look at the sky...and sniff the air. I am fortunate to live under relatively dark night skies here in rural Vermont...not perfect, but pretty good. At those times I can regain touch with the universe as well as my own neighborhood. By sketching in the dark at that time and then translating to a little painting later that day I capture and preserve those moments. I have been relying on drawing, notations and memory rather than a camera. Sometimes the moon is New and then it does not appear at all. There are still owls to hear, dogs who howl, stars and planets and, with luck, the milky way ...and frogs croaking. The moon is a powerful symbol of mystery and I like to know that it is predictable and scientific as well as beautiful, even while it appears altered each time I see it.

Connecticut River at RT 9

One chilly morning, Charlotte Fischer and I set up our easels on the old bridge (retired from vehicular service when a new one was built) to Chesterfield NH from North Brattleboro, VT. After 2 and a half hours on the bridge....not getting much warmer...we gave up...not entirely happy with our results, but at least glad we'd risen to the challenge. We both agreed that we had watched one of nature's magical miracles - foliage turning color before our very eyes! Really. There was much more yellow and gold along the banks when we packed it up than when we started.

This 12 x 12 will be for sale soon. It may need a few small finishing touches, but it is almost ready for framing. It is not one of those who hangs around the studio torturing me for months.