FRACTURED

The Butternut Gallery in Montrose, PA hosted a well-attended opening reception for an exhibit on a controversial subject; Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale and the influences the natural gas industry has inflicted on the rural, agricultural communities of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Michael Poster's photographs and Melissa Whalen Haertsch's intriguing essay shared the walls with my prints and assorted ephemera relating to the gas boom. The exhibit is the personal expressions of three people, two of whom have fled the region...of their own choice. Both Zoe Poster and Pete Comly have written work on display, also. It is a good setting to talk/think about your reactions, too.

The land and landscape are very important to me. It is crucial to my work and life. I could no longer find solace, inspiration or peace in my Pennsylvania home of 35 years. Maybe my new-found happiness in Vermont explains the jubilant expression on my face in this photograph of me. Or maybe it was the wine or the delightful photographer. You can see more of Richard Karp's photos and a summary of Melissa's essay at www.rikkisan.com

The exhibit is open through the end of the year thanks to Betty Bryden and Tom Canouse, owners of the Butternut Gallery and Second Story Books. 570-278-4011. There is a great deal of beauty and happiness and holiday cheer there. Be sure to stop in.

Phyllis' Garden

On July 10th my friend invited a few plein air painters to her new home. It is an airy Pennsylvania hill-top site wedged between two defunct dairy farms. Being a sucker for garden views, I chose this veggie garden as seen from one of several elevated porches and balconies. I was attracted to the linear elements and the protective presence of the large maple tree. In my crazy season of packing and moving I forgot to post this. Now it is a nice reminder of a midsummer's afternoon painting with friends....and another of the Transitions series.

The Pond on Rice Farm Road

It was an exquisite fall day in my neighborhood two weeks ago...and the days here have been mostly soggy for months. I spent the afternoon painting this Vermont scene amidst the birds (?) rustling in the cattails next to me and quite a few leaf peepers driving by on the dirt road.

That was two weeks ago and Black Mountain, where I live, has turned into winter rather suddenly. This is another of the Transitions series. 12 x 16 pastels.

My new studio is growing on me. And some days I can actually find what I am looking for. (Yes, I did put the pliers in that drawer, but why?) It is quiet and warm and bright and near home....and thanks to the local Tru-Value housewares guy, it smells good now. So, I am settling in for a long winter's work.

Later this month I am showing some of my new work at the Butternut Gallery and Second Story Books, in Montrose, PA as part of a show called FRACTURED; an exhibit of photographs, pastel paintings and writing that explores the social ramifications of gas drilling in Susquehanna County, curated by Michael Poster and Melissa Whalen Haertsch. FRACTURED will be on display from November 25 - with an opening from 6-8pm, Friday - through December 31, closing at 3pm. Zoe Poster and Pete Comly, among others, will have work in the show, too.

Sally Strand Workshop

Last week I was among the lucky 18 to spend the week with Sally Strand exploring her style of painting. The 5-day course was named The Color of Light and it was held at the beautiful and well-appointed Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester. There was a lovely display of color and light on the Green (looked purple-blue to me) Mountains touched with warm autumn foliage and sun. But this was not a landscape class.

We worked from still life and live costumed models all week. Sally made sure we left our comfort zones, so we could learn something new or at least re-enforce solid principles of value and the ways light affects and changes colors. It was a wake-up call for me; easy to fall back on one's old ways of working and not SEE the subtleties and beauty in familiar scenes. Sally's instruction will prod me to practice and increase my skills and abilities. Yes, I felt like going home at some point on Tuesday, but the week ended on a brighter note.

Thank you to gifted teachers, wherever you are. Thank you for forcing us to step outside our comfort zones.

I did a Marathon!

OK, stop laughing, it was a 12 hour life drawing marathon at the River Gallery School of Art in Brattleboro VT. I can't believe I finished it...totally surprised myself. At the end of the 12th hour there were only a handful still standing (slumping over my easel trying not to fall off my stool and fearing I wouldn't walk the next day) just me and some cute boys about one third my age, who must have shared some of their youthful energy.

Matt Peake, one of the instructors from the school, facilitated the event; coordinating models and setting up lights, backdrops, poses. There was no official instruction, but Matt was generous in helping participants achieve success with their drawings and paintings. I usually sketch in ink and I think I was the only one using it. Others used charcoal, pencil, conte, watercolor, acrylic and pastel. It was a great chance to experiment with medium or just to stick with one thing and really explore that for all poses....about 35, counting some very short warm-up poses. I hope they do it again so I can finally say at the end of a life drawing session, "I'm ready to stop drawing and go home." I am usually the one who does not want it to end. Apparently I am not alone. Why else would someone even think up a life drawing marathon?

BTW, if you are not a committed sketcher of the human figure, you may not understand the purpose life drawing has traditionally and still fulfills for an artist. Since the human form is complex and difficult to draw accurately it hones the observation skills of artists who practice it regularly, often frustrating and infuriating them, too. It is undertaken for the practice, not for the end product. That is why my life drawings can most often be viewed at Recycling.

Irene Storms by Us

Our home and two studios are safe and dry here in Brattleboro, VT. Others in our community have not been so fortunate. We are saddened by the loss of homes, gardens and livelihoods.

Let me know how Irene found you, your family and trees.

We are still in the midst of sorting out our possessions from the move from PA but I am drawing and planning new work and will post some soon.

In the meantime the Butternut Gallery in Montrose is exhibiting some of my paintings. Stop in to see Betty and Tom. They always have interesting shows and often Sunday events.

Fireflies

It still seems magical to me when the fireflies first appear. The other night on a late stroll around my dark garden I was surprised by bright lights - close. It was a real "what the heck ? kind off moment" until I realized what was happening; a lightning bug had gotten caught in my bangs. In trying to free itself it kept flashing and reflecting off my glasses. It was quite disorienting until I realized what it was....not a psychedelic flashback after all.

This painting is a scene I caught out of my side window driving back from town just past dusk; the neighbors' pond turned into a mirror and the fireflies are still low, in the grass.

12 x 16 - latest in the Transitions Series. This nocturne was painted on a red sheet of Art Spectrum pastel paper, using a surprisingly small number of soft pastels; some Giraults, Nupastels and Unison mostly - probably less than 15 colors total, plus the red of the paper. So few colors, but a precision choice nevertheless. To pick the right dozen colors all pastel artists know you need a thousand or so to choose from!