Halifax Visit and Exhibitions

Please note that I was not able to copy photos from the exhibitions mentioned in this post, but I have included links to the artists' web sites.

I was happy to be able to see several exhibitions, attend an opening and visit another grad student last weekend in Halifax while also meeting with my mentor, Suzanne Gauthier.

I returned to see "Canadian Pioneers: Tom Thomson, Emily Carr, J.W. Morrice and the Group of Seven, Masterworks from the Sobey Collections." The works in this exhibition are on public display for the first time. The list of prominent Canadian artists is much longer than the title of the show implies. The painting that impressed me the most is a large oil study of a grey rock outcrop, with several brilliant red maple saplings in front of it and mist blue hills barely visible in the background. Almost the entire composition is in shadow, with subtle gradations and variations of grey modelling the rock face in large brushstrokes. The color relationships are outstanding, The red is brilliant, but judiciously used against the nuances of the stone. I sat in front of this work for at least twenty minutes absorbing it as there are no reproductions of it available.

There were other fantastic paintings as well. High Water by A. J. Casson is very memorable also. I always enjoy seeing work by Emily Carr. I think I have adopted some of the greens she used in her paintings of the forests of British Columbia.

Canadian Pioners Exhibition

After Suzanne and I discussed my current work, we headed downtown to NSCAD to visit another grad student in his studio. Conor Fagan was working on a new canvas and a small study in preparation. He uses man-made and organic small objects under spotlights and creates whimsical scenes where ceramic boiled egg-holders become floating ducks or laughing monks. It was interesting to talk to him about his work and then show him my blog.

The gallery, Studio 21, has moved to a new and much larger location. The opening on Friday night was very well-attended, even crowded and I ran into two friends from my undergrad years whom I hadn't seen for a very long time. One was Susan Wood, one of the featured artists in the new Studio 21 exhibition. Her drawings are sensitive, beautiful and restrained. Susan has developed her own way of using collage under her drawings, which seems to convey a sense of timelessness and nostalgia.

Susan Wood

Another show I was fortunate to see is "Synchronicity" at the Secord Gallery. I particularly responded to Leya Evelyn's abstract paintings. Suzanne had recommended that I look at her work online, which I had done during the summer. It is never the same, however, as seeing the actual artwork. Leya creates textures on her canvases with what seem to be sand and fibrous materials as well as rectangles of canvas. Over this surface, she adds small accents of collaged patterned fabric and paper and rich, textural colors in oil paint. 

I wanted to rush home and take out my oil paints right away. Never mind the odor or the slow drying time! I will put up with it. I haven't been able to duplicate the subtlety of oils using acrylic paints. Hopefully I will be able to work in oils without aggravating my asthma.

Leya Evelyn

Sculpture by Brad Hall was also interesting. Brad combines several elements together with ease, such as wood, copper, steel, and aluminum, utilizing their individual textures.

View the show online at:

Synchronicity at the Secord Gallery

On the way back home, I stopped at a metal recycling establishment, otherwise known as a junkyard! My next painting may have bits of discarded machinery amongst the lush undergrowth of my imaginary back yard. Suzanne sent me there and along with directions from the gas station attendant and my GPS, I arrived at the right place. The yard is open on weekdays only, so I took a few photos. Maybe next time I am passing by, I will stop in and pick up some rusty treasures for my studio. I find having a few concrete objects in front of me while I am painting to be extremely useful. There are also the junkyards of Moncton to explore, a little closer to home.

Jones & Son Metal, Truro, NS

This place has a huge metal crusher. I was kind of glad it wasn't in operation while I was there! It does create some interesting folds and permutations in the metal, however.

Harmony Acrylic on Canvas 8" x 10"

I stained the canvas with acrylic inks, and then interrupted the strokes with black paint. I like the contrast between the watery pigments and the thick paint.

Aqua Dream  and Pink Flow Acrylic on Canvas 8" x 8"

Here I was trying out several ways of applying opaque acrylics over a medium grey. I probably need to work on these more. Perhaps I will experiment with oil glazes over the acrylic.

Today I began working on my 72" x 40" canvas, applying modelling paste in some areas and texturing its surface by patting it with a large palette knife. I am planning to sand down the spiny points a bit before washing pools of paint over the canvas. 

Symposium d' Art Nature 2012

Michael Belmore with "Residual."

"Residual" seems to glow and flicker in between the stones.

"Pawakan" by Ned Bear.

Paul Griffin discussing "Sarcophagus for an Elm."

The third Symposium d'Art Nature took place in Moncton September 28 - October 7, 2012 at the Parc écologique du Millénaire, adjacent to the Université de Moncton campus. Although I was not able to take in all of the lectures and activities offered during the week, I attended the artist talk given by Rose-Marie Goulet who works in conjunction with architects in designing large public art works. Her most well-known piece is "Nef pour quatorze reines," the memorial to the fourteen women killed by an armed man in their classroom at the École polytechnique in Montréal, December sixth 1989. Another notable work was installed in the Palais Montcalm and Salle Raoul-Jobin, featuring lettering and musical scores. It was interesting to hear the process of planning at the initial stages, when the architects are developing plans for the project. This way, the cost of materials, production and installation are included in the overall budget for construction. It seems that many of Ms. Goulet's projects are funded through the 1% regulation for public buildings in Québec.

Following the lecture, I visited the nine sites outdoors where nature art projects were underway. On Saturday, I returned to see them finished. I was very impressed with the subtlety of Michael Belmore's "Residual." On an overcast day, the effect is more pronounced, as if the stones are glowing with magma inside. Michael creates this with copper leaf, a material he has used on at least 19 other previous projects.

Ned Bear has carved directly into the living tree, which has become somewhat controversial. he has been making these carvings for some time in different locations, presumably the trees are not harmed as long as he doesn't carve too deeply. I am interested to return after the winter to see the effect of weathering on the exposed wood.

Paul Griffin's elm tree trunk is encased in roofing nails, totally changing its appearance. The plan was to set it up vertically once the nails are complete. I fund it more interesting when part of the trunk was exposed without nails. The bark of the tree had been removed prior to hammering in nails. Paul described how his studio had burned down and the wood he salvaged actually led to a new body of work.

Gilbert LeBlanc created a labyrinth based on the maze in Chartres Cathedral, using straw found on site and clipped grass. The idea is to follow the maze while contemplating or meditating. It is fascinating because you cannot see where each path will lead you, although there is a concentric symmetry to teh whole.

The permanent installation by Bob Verschueren is also very captivating. The official unveiling of "Renaître" was taking place with a crowd, so I plan to return to take photos. White stone os various dimensions has been carefully arranged in a low hollow with a pathway through it. When you descend the path, you are enclosed in this mini-environment.

Other installations from previous years encourage contemplation and meditation within the park.

EXPERIMENTING with my NEW CAMERA 

I have also been trying out my new camera at the nature park and in my back yard. I must read the detailed manual before going out again with it, but I am pleased with the results so far! In my studio work I am finding that I am more successful if I use my sketches and drawings as sources. However, I enjoy photography, and sometimes it serves to bring ideas to the fore which I later pursue in drawings and sketches.

Wood has been rotting away in my back yard, becoming an art material!

Peeling paint creates interesting shadows.
Next summer we will have to have this part of the exterior basement wall re-painted!

I've always been fascinated with horse chestnuts and their strange casings.
This one looks like an alien being springing from its interstellar pod.

Butternut trees are a protected species in New Brunswick, Canada.
If only I'd known when I pulled a few out of our lawn!
The neighbourhood squirrel has been busy planting nuts.

Ivy again and peeling paint.

Frostbite?

"Abundance" changes

Abundance Stage 5 Acrylic on canvas 36" x 48"

This painting has gone through some radical changes! The work I am most satisfied with this term was created using chance effects of my materials. Stage 4 of this painting was still very controlled, with the flower shapes very predictable. Suzanne, my mentor, had suggested using splatters to break up the even pattern of the drips. I decided to drop paint onto the canvas off brushes, a strategy I used with drips on a canvas last year. I used a large paintbrush over some of the drops to join them. Thinking of creating some light within the painting, I used transparent white to suggest mist and space behind the main shapes. I can add to the light source with a few more glazes and I may work on a few of the "petal" shapes. Two in particular seem to lack interest. They are not amorphous enough nor are they defined enough; I must emphasize one or the other.

The painting was still wet when I photographed it. I may have a different idea in mind when I look at it dry! This painting can be viewed upside down also. It reminds me of underwater scenes.

Upside Down - Under the Sea!

Stay tuned for the next version of this project!

Ehryn Torrell - Self-Similar

Ehryn Torrell- I Florence Trust, Summer exhibition July 2011. London, England

Ehryn Torrell - In amongst the ruins (detail). 2005. Acrylic on canvas.
19' x 5'6" Photo by Guy L'Heureureux

Ehryn Torrell - Atfernoon Old Town. 2009. Acrylic on canvas. 58" x 68"

Ehryn Torrell - I installation view, Self-similar. February 17 to April 26 2011.
Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, Guelph, Canada

This week I was fortunate to attend Ehryn Torrell's artist talk about her work and then see her series "Self-Similar" at the opening at St. Mary's University Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ehryn visited China five months after the earthquake of 2008. The devastation and resilience of the Chinese people became her subject. However, she views these works as reflective of her inner states of mind.

Her work is impressive and large, painted loosely, but includes interesting details. Each work encompasses its own world of debris, which Ehryn described as composed of various elements derived from multiple sketches and photos.

Ehryn Torrell writes about her series "Self-Similar":
Using the lens of the built environment to explore personal and universal conditions of human experience, my paintings examine empathy, contingency, loss and vulnerability. The title of this body of work, Self-similar, borrows in equal part from mathematics and film. In mathematics, an object or thing is described as self-similar when one or all parts are smaller copies of a larger shape. In Jean-Luc Goddards 1967 film "Two or three things I know about her," protagonist Juliette Janson describes feelings of alienation from the city and longs to re-experience a moment when she felt connected.

http://www.ehryntorrell.com/artwork.php?di=1iselfsim&fi=1mongkokm


While in Halifax, I visited the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. I particularly enjoyed Elizabeth Enders exhibition "Painting...Place." These works were painted and drawn while Enders traveled and while she resided in her cottage on the Nova Scotia coast. I appreciate the simplicity of her landscape work and its evocative power. Perhaps I will be able to tame the "baroque" tendency in my work so that it can exist alongside such simplicity in the same work. 

My mentor, Suzanne Gauthier, suggested I inquire about the Art Sales and Rental Gallery in the AGNS. I plan to submit a few pieces when I am back in Halifax in October.

My visit also included visits to commercial galleries Studio 21 and Page and Strange Gallery. I dropped into the faculty exhibit of NASCAD next door to P & S. Three artists in the show used plywood in three different ways - food for thought! Suzanne gave me a tour of the new NASCAD campus by the waterfront near Pier 21. It is huge with great facilities for ceramics, metal work and sculpture.

I am anxious to get back to work on my canvas and bring it to some sort of resolution and I am looking forward to working on plywood again. 

New Horizons Opening

'Night Tree' on display.

One corner of the gallery during the opening.

Catering by Dolma Food. Yum!

The opening for my show 'New Horizons' was well-attended and there was much enthusiasm for the work. I was interviewed for the local newspaper and the article generated interest among all of our acquaintances. Three pieces were spoken for within the first half hour! It is always instructive to see which artwork receives the most attention from viewers.

This show includes 10 plywood projects (from Residencies 1 and 2) as well as one diptych on canvas. It is great to see all of the work together and to see it under gallery lighting. I was able to leave enough space between the pieces to dramatize their individual qualities. I pan to return this week to take more photos.

I will be working on plywood again this week as I have a plan for using small pieces assembled with bolts, which will fit into a small box for shipping. Painting continues on canvas and paper as well.

NEW YORK, NY!

Times Square

Crowds in Times Square - we don't usually see this many people at once in Moncton, N.B. Canada!

Ellsworth Kelly's 'Sculpture for a Large Wall', MoMA.

Ellsworth Kelly's 'Colors for a Large Wall', MoMA with yours truly.

Tomás Saraceno's 'Cloud City' Installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

'Gibraltar' 1936. Calder's sculpture seems ready to move!

Inside the Lego Store at Rockefeller Center

Archived Sea Shells and Creatures at the American Museum of Natural History

Roy Lichtenstein's large painting 'Stepping Out' 1978.
 I used a poster of this work often in my art classes with second grade children.

'Morning Glories' by Suzuki Kiitsu (Japanese 1796-1858)
'Designing Nature' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Here a few photos and thoughts from my recent visit to New York City. My daughter and I had a whirlwind trip for four and a half days. We saw the exhibit of works by Picasso and Françoise Gilot at the Madison Ave Gagosian. Gilot seemed very influenced by Picasso's style, but her work appeared to be lyrical and positive where Picasso's seemed to be more brooding and anxious. 


At the MoMA, we also saw the extensive show of Cindy Sherman's photography. It was great to see the real thing after looking at so many of the portraits on the web or in print. I can relate to playing with 'dress-ups' and costumes as a child, but I have never pursued it beyond that. Sherman's "Film Stills" were much smaller than I imagined them. An image can be "epic" and influential regardless of its size. The life-size portraits are very impressive, however.

Also saw Taryn Simon's "A Living Man Declared Dead" and "Ecstatic Alphabets/ Heaps of Language." The readings I have been doing for Crit Theory II about archives are related to both exhibits. 


Simon's work showed the descendants of certain individuals whose families had undergone extreme upheaval and social change. Some family members were represented by blank rectangles because they were unavailable to have their photograph taken or they were no longer living. Each person was photographed in the same lighting and with the same background. An enormous tome formed the complete catalog. I was hoping for an abridged version, but there isn't one! 


The "EcstaticAlphabets" offered many iconic contemporary works involving patterns with words and letters. Many pieces were arranged in grids. The archival influence was very present.

Tomás Saraceno's "Cloud City" fascinates with its multiple reflections and transparent panels. It is disorienting to climb through it, but exciting at the same time. I didn't feel as if I was in the clouds or hovering in outer space, but I did feel like I was in a totally new environment. The view of the NY skyline from the rooftop garden is something to see as well.


We also went to see "The Lion King" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" on Broadway. A project like "The Lion King" would be the ultimate experience as a theater designer and puppet creator. I enjoyed making puppets, costumes and sets for our school productions while I was teaching art, but never envisioned anything as fantastic as the "Lion King!" The original recordings on LP of "Superstar" were part of my adolescence, with the music playing non-stop at my friend's house for months. Both shows were engaging and dramatic in different ways.


I was also able to connect with some of my cousins in nearby White Plains, NY. We hadn't seen each other in decades!


These are just a few of my immediate impressions from our trip. I will be digesting the rest for a while!

Walking through Central Park

Monument to John Lennon in Central Park near 'Strawberry Fields.'

Fern Porthole, Finishing Touches

New Fern Porthole 7  12 ½" x 15 ½"

In many ways, this project has been the most challenging of the digital image projects I have been working on. When I wanted to have it printed to the 12 ½" x 15½"size, I could see that the fern in the foreground was blurred. It had been copied from a file with lower resolution (ppi) than the ferns in the porthole. The edges of the porthole ferns were sharp and crisp, which can be interesting, but was too harsh in this case. After this, I have been careful to standardize all the files before I cut and paste from them!


With this image, I began to experiment with blurring some edges and outlining others. Then I lightened and brightened certain leaves to create more interest. Tracing around fern leaves with a computer mouse involves a fair amount of trial and error. One false move and you have to start over again! However, the mouse works better than the touch pad in terms of control. 


This project is the result of 13 stages of development! 

Maquette for a Wall Mural

Vision 9 - Maquette for Wall Mural 

I received several announcements on my e-mail recently for a competition to develop a relief sculpture or painting to be hung on a concrete wall in the new wing of the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau Brunswick (at the Université de Moncton) and I decided to try developing a concept piece for it. I quickly discovered that I would need to acquire further skills in working with heavy materials on a large scale! While looking at this piece, try to imagine it about 15 feet wide instead of its miniature 24 inches! You can see my reflection in the Plexi as I snapped the photo.


Each panel is set apart from the next one by about ½ inch. I used plastic pieces for attaching mirrors to walls and small pieces of wood with wood screws to secure the layers. I learned about assembling them as I went. It took me longer than I expected to work this out, so I did not submit the design. However, it has been a learning experience and has led me to new ideas.


I am planning to use a similar arrangement on my next project, which will involve two trapezoidal wood panels and one rhombus-shaped plexiglass panel. Each panel will project a slightly different distance from the level of the wall. I will be carving and texturing each panel before adding paint in varying amounts.


The Plexiglass catches the light in the carved lines on its surface. As the light changes, so does the effect. The Dremel tool creates a burr, which is read as white dots in the light. Some of this burr detaches easily from the surface, while the rest remains fused by the heat generated with the rotation of the cutting tool. As the viewer moves position, the interaction between the Plexi and the plywood panel underneath also changes. This interaction is only possible when the panels are spaced apart. 

Culture and the Critic's Role / Frye Festival

  

Northrup Frye (July 14, 1912 - January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. 

For an overview of his career, go to:

http://www.frye.ca/content/eng/northrop-frye  

The Frye Festival is Canada's only bilingual international literary festival and the largest literary event in Atlantic Canada.

Last Friday evening my husband and I attended a reception for U of Toronto graduates followed by a panel discussion during the Frye Festival of the role of the literary critic in contemporary culture. The discussion was titled "Culture and the Critic: How the age of media affects the role of the critic today."

Participants were John Doyle, writer for the Globe and Mail, author Terry Fallis, CBC host, producer and author Nora Young, along with novelist and television journalist David Gilmour. The discussion was lively and entertaining as well as insightful.

The panel has recognized a shift in the way cultural criticism is delivered and received in the digital age. Critics may not be totally enthusiastic about a literary, musical or artistic production, but they attempt to express a reasoned opinion. They have plenty of feedback from their audiences via the internet from those who agree and those who disagree with them.

Some of the comments were as follows:

Should the critic be expected to act as a publicist? Generally, no.The critic's loyalty is to the readership of his/her publication. Will they benefit from or enjoy the offering under consideration? (John Doyle)

The danger in being a critic for too long is that one has an uncontested arena for his/her opinions and the critic can become lost in self-importance. (David Gilmour contributed these thoughts.)

Critics are often phrase-makers, where exaggeration sounds good in the text, but the comments may be hurtful to the author/ artist / creator.

The digital age has allowed for immediate dialog with a critic's readers. It is easier to stay in touch and write criticism where the audience is engaged in collaborative filtering. (I have paraphrased John Doyle's comments here.)

The critic's role is to curate, to inform and to influence, to teach us how to assess so that we may make informed choices. (Terry Fallis added this.)

The critic's role is to articulate what is good and what is important, rather than to negate and suppress.

Northrup Frye said this, although I have paraphrased it somewhat. David contributed this quotation.

John added that the digital age creates a broad band of criticism.

Nora Young described her reticence to read the reviews and the criticism of her recently published book The Virtual Self: How Our Lives are Altering the World Around Us. 

I bought a copy of Nora's book and she kindly autographed it for me. We had a conversation about distance education and particularly the AIB Low Residency MFA program. I have been reading her book and it is very interesting how people become caught up in tracking the details of their lives on-line and playing with the data. Nora explores the implications of all of this data being deposited in cyberspace. There are ways we can utilize it to better our lives, or we can overlook the ways that other people can exploit it. I haven't finished it yet, but it is well worth a careful read!

Plexi Project

Vision 9  Hardboard and carved Plexiglass 12" x 24".

One of the suggestions from my critiques during the January Residency at AIB was to experiment with Plexiglass. I picked up a few scraps last week and began to try painting and carving them. The Dremel tool with a cutting bit creates etched lines without too much difficulty. I like the way the light catches the grooves and casts some interesting shadows. I'm not sure about the subject matter. The waterfall could be simplified further. The two panels are not attached together yet, so I can make a few changes if I want to.

Vision 9 - Stage 1 Hardboard panel in progress.

I began with the idea of creating a design for a wall mural. Early on, I realized that I don't have the technical skills necessary to create a 3-D wall relief more than 25' wide. However, it is an interesting exercise and I am glad that I tried it. The transition from Photoshop design to a physical work was challenging. I found that I fell back on my past painting approaches when faced with a frustrating problem. I had to put the Photoshop enlargement away in order to simplify the image further. Originally I had planned for three panels. I had cut out and painted a partial panel of plants for the foreground which just did not add anything to the piece in the final analysis.


The Plexiglass needs a space between it and the hardboard, so I picked up some mirror fasteners at the hardware store. I think I can create a space by screwing them two-deep to the hardboard. I plan to drill holes in the Plexiglass for the screws so I can install it and remove it later to clean it. The Plexi picks up all kinds of fluff and dust once it is charged with static electricity. This is a disadvantage. The plus side is that it is readily available, lightweight and easy to use.


My next project may be an abstract design using a board and a carved Plexi panel. I have to do some serious thinking about the direction I want to take with my work. There are a number of contemporary artists who work with abstraction and representation, so it is not an impossible idea. I want to find some way to reference nature in a contemporary way which will seem relevant and not be seen as a throwback to past ideas of romanticism and the sublime. The waterfall in Vision 9 is verging on this, so I think the piece needs more development.

Ellsworth Kelly's Works at the MFA Boston

Ellsworth Kelly, Curve XXI (1978-80) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
The New York Times. November 27, 2011

Ellsworth Kelly’s wood sculptures, recently on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts[1], seem exceptional in their elegance and simplicity. The subtle curves, the patterns in natural wood grains and the transparency of cast shadows evoke calm contemplation in the viewer. It seems as if one is being drawn towards an ideal monolith or relief, where the interplay of shadow and shape creates a refined and aesthetic ambiguity. Visiting this extraordinary exhibition of nineteen of Kelly’s thirty wood sculptures is like finding « . . .some profound silence amid the hubbub of daily urban life. . .”[2]

Although the wood sculptures have impressed me as the highlight of Ellsworth Kelly’s artistic range, he is known primarily for his other works. Sebastian Smee comments,” Most people associate his mature work with flat, carefully shaped planes of rich, unmodulated color, each plane placed subtly in relation to another. His “Blue Green Orange Yellow Red” was recently acquired by the MFA and now graces a handsome gallery in the Linde Family Wing.”[3] 

What interests me about this painting is Kelly’s use of panels and his skillful handling of pure color. From my own experience as an artist, I know how challenging it can be to work with vivid hues placed side by side, where they can vie for the viewer’s attention in an unpleasant visual cacophony of intensity. Kelly’s huge piece is refreshing to look at, showing us the joyful expanse of a simplified spectrum.

Ellsworth Kelly, Blue Green Yellow Orange Red, 1968.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Personal Photo.

After contemplating Kelly's works, I feel the need to simplify and streamline the shapes I am working with. The last few panels I have been working on have become very busy, with layers of dripping paint and curling lines, almost 'baroque' as my mentor has commented.

---

[1]      Ellsworth Kelly: Wood Sculpture. Foster Gallery 158. Boston Museum of Fine

           Arts, September 18, 2011- March 4, 2012

[2]      Plagens, Peter. “Beautiful, Quiet and Spare.” The Wall Street Journal: Arts and

           Entertainment. October 6, 2011. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.

[3]      Smee, Sebastian. “Ellsworth Kelly on Boston.” Culture Desk. Boston Globe.

          September 23, 2010. Web. 1 March 2012. <http://www.boston.com/>

          Five Panels: Blue Green Yellow Orange Red, gift from the Bank of America,

          September, 2010.

Les Richesses des Terres Humides / Riches of the Wetlands, watercolors

Le coucher du soleil, Memramcook Sunset watercolor 22" x 40" 2011

Guests at the opening.

"I know where this is!"

Saturday, February 4 was the last opening for Les Richesses des Terres Humides, my series of watercolors of waterways and marshes in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. The show has travelled to three other venues in New Brunswick since July, 2011, in conjunction with the Regard Parallèle program of the Conseil provincial des sociétés culturelles. The project began with the controversial Restoration Project of the Petitcodiac River and expanded to include other wetlands. Painted on location and in the studio between July 2009 and February 2011, the series has been well-received by the local media and the public around the province. The exhibition is open until March 14 at the Salon Hélène Grant-Guerrette gallery in the Centre Communautaire Samuel de Champlain, Saint John, New Brunswick.

When the weather improves I plan to return to sketching outdoors. However, the focus of my work has changed from depicting a specific scene to more simplified and evocative forms. Perhaps I will develop new ways to combine watercolor, acrylic, and textural materials while sketching.

Visit to Providence, RI

Felice and I in front of  'Homage to Mexican Folk Art' by Francisco Moreno, RISD.

Following our first intensive residency, I was fortunate to visit my friend, Felice, in Providence, RI. We visited two mansions in Newport and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. There is no substitute for seeing works of art directly. Often the format and scale of certain pieces turns out to be very different from the way I have imagined them. The content of a work can be so compelling that I visualize it in large dimensions, even though the original may be quite the reverse.

I was impressed with the Contemporary Art Collection in the museum. Each piece seems to represent an important body of work of its creator. I was quite fascinated to see one of Anselm Kiefer's large, heavy books and also one of Vija Celmins' ocean drawings as a print. This particular work was small and intimate, with ripples and waves lovingly shaded. Celmins' ocean series relates to my interest in water as a subject. However, I am more interested in creating the suggestion of water, rather than portraying each individual wavelet as it is captured in a photograph. 

Nancy Chunn's show 'Chicken Little and the Culture of Fear' seems to take a humorous look at the absurdities and fears inherent in North American life. Chunn's 'Front Pages' project was pithy and incisive. A copy of the bound book of these New York Times front pages transformed into drawings, paintings and graphics was available for perusal. 

Go to:
http://www.risdmuseum.org/exhibition.aspx?type=current&id=2147490644

There is a link to an image sheet with selections from the Chicken Little series.

We found time to view the graduate exhibition of Master of Fine Arts RISD students. There were some intriguing pieces which create sound as the visitor interacts with them. However, one was too delicate to touch in spite of the card inviting us to try it. 'Whole' by Astrid Toha combines abstract painting on the wall with projected images, suggesting an ambiguity which I aim for in my own work. Astrid was in the gallery at the time and gave me permission to photograph her work:

'Whole' by Astrid Toha, RISD MFA Thesis Graduate Show

The Breakers Newport

The Elms and the Breakers mansions were interesting to walk through. The owners impressed their guests with elaborate decor and huge proportions in the rooms used for entertaining, which seemed too busy to our more minimalist eyes. The private bedrooms showed more elegant restraint, with muted colors and pale furniture. I actually found the enormous and exotic trees in the gardens to be more captivating than the houses.