Holiday Craziness...

We are all a part of the craziness of this time of year whether we want to or not. From decorating my house and gallery, which at some times physically hurts for my great resistance to this commercialized holiday, to having a sale at the gallery where I hope that customers embrace the concept of purchasing handmade, locally created, original artworks for their loved ones, I am taking part in a month of complete craziness. But this craziness and my philosophies on gift giving forces me into a corner where I can jump out of my norm, and create artworks and artful gifts that require originality and at the same time, the pressure of time! Last week only two days before the sale, I made 8 original encaustic paintings in 1 day that pushed me in some new directions - drawings that surfaced encaustics and a small series of paintings titled "Flying Practice." Soon to be posted here.

I am preparing for a new year of shows and sales... the most upcoming exhibit will be the "Teenie Tiny Art Show" at Three Graces Gallery in Portsmouth, NH and followed by the
Cerulean Collective Group Show in March. Stay tuned.

Maybe the grinch in me is starting to dissolve - after my little daughter Olympia begged to sleep under the Christmas Tree, its hard to curl my frown!

Going Organic!

Since my work began with my collection of abandoned old photographs, I have been searching for some new ways of approaching them - and for looking at them for an immediate inspiration and source for new works. This week I started experimenting with making drawings from them, and using frosted vellum, china marker and turpentine. Enjoy! And stay posted for a whole new line of characters to create your own stories with.

Midnight With The Sisters

The Return of the Rust and the Nuns

As the leaves and the vegetation become the color of rust, I find myself reflecting and as always catching my breathe. The gallery and its responsibilities have found me a little too busy, but now I am beginning to have some time to gain some momentum again in the studio. My Italy paintings painted this past summer had sent me back to painting in a more traditional process. Now I find myself playing with some imagery of a pond that I have been visiting on my return trips from teaching at Thomas College in the afternoons.  Once they have evolved a bit more, I'll share them here.

Also moving along is my work with encaustics where I am having a lot of fun letting the wax do its thing but also building up a heavily drawn and layered surface of etched marks, thick wax, and collage elements such as dress patterns, found wood pieces and more.  Here exemplifies one of my newest pieces, yet again the nuns!

Enjoy!

From the Rooftop of Spannochia

Breathe.

Life is busy.  And making art makes me busy. Between late night painting sessions, squeezing in time in-between Olympia's naps, private lessons, meetings and gallery "stuff", I have put together a body of work that reflects our recent trip to Italy.  This will be presented in a solo show at Three Graces Gallery in Portmouth, NH that is set to open next Friday night. Putting final touches on my triptych paintings I have had a chance to catch my breathe and look at the work with some distance.  I am still trying to formulate my reflections though. This will take some time. But please feel free to see what I have been up to and let me know what you think. 

Flying

Wearing her tights, shiny patent leather boots, and onezie all organized in a flat black hue, with left leg turned in just a little, Olympia races down the long hall of our local YMCA. Its Halloween and Olympia is a monarch butterfly. As she turns towards you, you notice the hand-stitched butterfly cutout on her chest, orange and yellow patterns swirling and bringing you to her squishy quilted wings, attached by Velcro straps. She keeps tugging at her black antennae but stops when another trick-or-treaater or guardian notices her. She is eager to wave and “make friends.” While smiling at an older girl in a princess costume, I notice how Olympia’s blonde thin mop and ivory skin glows against this sexy and cute Halloween “get-up” for a one-year-old.

Her nose is running, and I wipe with every turn of her head. She runs across the chaotic gymnasium of screaming kids, of fake witches and white sheets. I chase her through the madness to which she slows for nothing but the little red toddler car. She trips lifting her big feet in – she’s been walking for over three months now but still so easily toppled over.

I push her in the little car. She waves to Grammie, Grandpa & Dada. I worry about her running nose, being too tired, and getting worn out. Worrying doesn’t do you any good, I know. I used to worry, now, not so much. I look ahead. I look at my daughter wearing the black suit waving and smiling at the craziness in this world. I want to be a butterfly too.

First and Last Kicks

The Humble Sheep of Spannochia

Ready, Set, Go!

Although I did not have a chance to work in the studio today, I am still thinking about my new paintings. I have attached here some works in process from inside my studio for you to see what I am up to.  Yes, I am having fun!  After my summer travels to Italy, I am retrieving back with my paintbrush and imagination.  These pieces are part of an upcoming solo show "From Italy To Paint"  at Three Graces Gallery in Portsmouth, NH to open on this October 3rd, 5-8 PM.

I also have some creative writings that I am working on to be released here later in the week. Keep posted.

Where has the summer gone?

The sun was shining for the first time today in a few weeks. We all celebrated, particularly this morning when my 2-year-old daughter and I spent a few quiet moments picking and eating blackberries. These quiet moments I relish as time and the "fruits" of our everyday seems to slip out of my hands. Between email pile-up, marketing and managing the gallery, my own artwork development and production, and keeping our family life in order & happy - my life is just too busy. I need to slow down here and there to breathe...

Have I been swimming enough? Have I painted enough? Have I been out sailing enough? The answer to all three is simply "no." These favorite summer experiences all give me energy - wonderful and engaging zaps of life, and connect me inside and out.

But tomorrow and the next week I will open my arms wide to wading and sailing in Maine water, and the old standby - my paintbrush, some color, and time.

July 31st 2008

We returned from a two week to Italy, one month ago today. In only a month, it is as if I had been "transported", off to a Neverland - so beautiful to the eyes and delicious for all the senses. Italian landscape, language, respect and presence in the moment had caught me off-guard. The "soaking in" period is starting to occur now. Memories and pieces are making their way into my art making, for which I am so delighted. The mixed media work which I had been so engrossed in and had remained my primary subject for over a year had sucked my creative energies a bit dry. I was needing some new approaches. Kate Buehner's exhibition at Cerulean shortly before we left had been a huge inspiration and reminded me to have some fun painting and to stay open in process, loosen up your hand Helene!