Vermont Pastel Society Exhibit November

This month the Vermont Pastel Society is exhibiting some of their members work at Hooker Dunham Theater in Brattleboro. A blog post gives you a nice glimpse of the show including my painting, Dahlia Season (above) as well as details and links.

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.

Far Flung Sketchers

This week found only two of us to sketch together at Southern Vermont Natural History Museum at Hogback Mountain on RT9. We had so much fun we hardly missed our friend who is in Italy for three weeks, and another who is cruising on the Danube, and a third who could not leave home for fear of missing the internet repairman's call. Such is life... ups and downs, isn't it. 

There are many stuffed creatures in display cases at the museum; collected at a time when that was fashionable, even legal. The live birds are there for educational purposes because they are unable to live in the wild. The bald eagle was hit by a truck in Wyoming and subsequently guarded by the truck driver until the wildlife rehabilitator could get there. The kestrel had been hand-raised by a human and preferred visitors to her "mate". I picked the saw-whet owl to sketch because she was just about the cutest thing I ever saw. She was trying to sleep in the darkest corner of her large, woodsy cage. So I missed a few fascinating details, I'm sure. It was a special hour spent face to face with her. She had a calm attitude and knew she was cool.

My friend and I were pleasantly distracted from our sketching by the assistant director who was training and feeding the birds and there were many things to learn from him.

What's going on here?

Hint: Only 7! states left in my 50 State Plein Air Painting Project. I'm not quite ready to book that Alaska trip, but getting close. Read all the exciting Michigan details there.

Plus; the moon has briefly re-appeared...and I did some sketching in the dark last night....much closer to home...outside my front door...coming soon...more moon mini pastels.

Tuesday Painters Exhibit at Latchis 4 Gallery

For the month of September the Tuesday Painters are exhibiting their recent oils and pastel paintings at Latchis 4 Gallery. All 5 of us will be at the artists' reception First Friday Gallery Walk...5-8:30...September 6. At other times the gallery will be open whenever the Latchis Movie Theater is open; enter the theater lobby and turn left through the first door. It's all on Main Street, downtown Brattleboro, VT.

Tuesday Painters is a group of 5 women who like to hang out together while painting outdoors. Charlotte Fischer, Basha Freudenberg, Cicely Carroll, Deedee Jones and Rodrica Tilley all work independently, but the experience of painting together at one location can be creatively inspiring....and Eye Opening! It has been a joy for me to get to know these artists in my new community...as well as the places they have taken me to. 

My painting above, upper left, Boxwoods and Bench was inspired by a friend's lovely garden in fall.

So hoof it on down to Latchis 4 --- meet me and my friends --- check out our awesome paintings.

Then, just around the corner on Flat St. at Vermont Center for Photography, my husband, Michael Poster has an exhibit: Dreamland - pictures about the effects of natural gas development and production on a small rural community in northeast Pennsylvania, that used to be our home. 

That same Friday night, our daughter, Zoe Tilley Poster,  is part of the Enormous Tiny Art Show in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at Nahcotta 110 Congress St. Three simultaneous openings! You can purchase Zoe's framed original drawings online....or you can go in and have a look now. 603.433.1705