Thursday, February 20, 2014

First Plein Air Painting of 2014!



The first day to paint outdoors is always a joyous occasion for me.  45 degrees is my personal cut off point...and it got to 46 before the sun went behind clouds. It involved a trip to my studio to round up some equipment and supplies, but I actually got out on my deck to do a small pastel painting of our wetland...and one of our fallen pines with it's roots at a 90 degree angle to normal. We have freshly fallen snow and now that I've made something out of it, I can agree with all the Vermonters who are declaring with delight that this is a "real winter".

Friday, February 07, 2014

Favorites at WAM

Under two hours from my home and involving NO Boston-like traffic sits the Worcester Art Museum.  It was a lovely bright frigid day to spend in a warm car and browsing this wonderful museum with my husband.

I love pleasant surprises and there were many;

The architecture dates from 1898...except for the 12th-century French chapter house which was the first medieval building ever transported from Europe to America. It is the second largest art museum in New England and was the first to purchase French Impressionist paintings. Parts of the movie American Hustle were filmed there last year.

Alice Neel, one of my favorite artists, portrayed people in their true colors. She did not glorify or pretty them up. She loved the human condition and expressed it in all it's misery, comedy and character. In Julie and Aristotle (1967) she has painted the plight of many dog owners; the dog has made a mistake and regrettably the girl has stepped in it.
by Alice Neel



This 2003 mixed media painting by Jenny Scobel is titled March. The artist leaves it up to the viewer to interpret. I have no idea what it is about, but I love it...still trying to figure out why...captivating and strangely familiar graphic elements. Beautiful "drawing" of a powerful woman in a strange world. I eventually walked away from her reluctantly. There was a mirror-like pull when standing in front of this work. It is a highly original work. What do you think?
 by Jenny Scobel


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