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Fall Art Shows

October 8th, 2011

For the next couple of weeks the four horses in my life won’t be the only thing I have to fit into an already busy day. I have two art shows that I am preparing for right now. First, I will be hanging two paintings from my new European landscape paintings collection in the Kirkland Town Library in Clinton, New York, as part of the Mad Art Inc. art show. The show will run from Oct. 4 to 29, with a reception on Oct. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The second show is at The Aspen House on Willett Parkway, Radisson in Baldwinsville, New York. My artwork will be on display Oct. 15-16 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. I always look forward to this show which happens twice a year in the spring and in the fall.

Gee…I wonder how the horses are going to get along without all of that primping and fussing with that they have gotten used to on a regular basis.

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New York Artist Coincidences

October 1st, 2011

New York Artist Coincidences

Fall has arrived and still no frost, I can’t remember when we have made it through September without a frost, however, and I also can’t remember a wetter September either. It makes working outside a bit of a challenge, but one learns how to work around the raindrops.

The other day a girlfriend came over to “play” with the horses. She’s a good friend who I have known for years, and coincidentally she is a Central New York artist too. I have always admired and looked up to her somewhat enviously since she and her husband both are successful artists who live and have galleries in New York City with a summer home here in Central New York.

Both of us had painting to do in the afternoon, and neither one of us would be painting in typical artist fashion. Ironically, each of us had trim boards to paint, she on her house, and I on our new garage. We both found that very funny.

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Geese Migration Inspire New Artwork

September 24th, 2011

Geese Migration Inspire New Artwork

There is a sense of urgency in the air. For the past week, the air has been filled with honking, sometimes it sounds like a big old traffic jam, except the noise isn’t coming from cars on our seldom-traveled road, but from the skies above. As anyone can tell you who lives here in upstate New York, our airways are the gateway to the winter vacation grounds not only for us two-legged (snow) birds, but also for the winged ones we call Canadian Geese. They gather in numbers over our waterways (which by the way, after two weeks in a row with as many hurricanes barreling through we most certainly have significant waterways here in Central New York) the geese are now heading south.

Their sense of urgency is rather contagious. I am beginning to do those jobs I have been putting off because I had all summer to get to them-but didn’t! I have been doing a lot of painting this week. I started a couple of weeks ago with my collection of European landscape paintings. The painting is set in gorgeous Bruges, Belgium. I have also been painting outside on my house—a much larger canvas.

Hearing the geese overhead as they fly south, usually is met with a foreboding for winter is surely coming. You get a sense of being left behind, standing there listening and watching them. However, I will make my own escape this winter and I will travel through my paintings to places that I love. I will be thinking of springtime when the whole process starts again, and the geese return bringing wonderful warm breezes and lovely sunshine once again.

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Wishful Traveler Gallery Celebrates 1-Year Anniversary

September 10th, 2011

Wishful Traveler Gallery Celebrates 1-Year Anniversary

This week marks the one year anniversary for Wishful Traveler Gallery! First, I wish to give my daughter, Erin, my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all she has done this past year in regards to launching my art career into the modern day world of technology. Because of Erin, I have a wonderful website: www.WishfulTravelerGallery.com, with an online store where customers can purchase greeting cards, prints and posters with matting and framing. Erin did a marvelous job setting up this site, my Facebook page, Twitter account and the Saatchi Gallery in London, England. Her expertise in public relations and marketing has been enormously helpful. I also wish to thank the rest of my family and many friends for all their encouragement and support.

It’s been a great first year and many doors have opened up for me, some of which I never imagined would have happened, and others I never thought would happen so quickly. I never dreamed that my paintings would end up in a published book--but they did. The book is called, “Horse Sayings: Wit and Wisdom” by Bradford Wheler and can be bought from Barnes and Noble, Amazon and online stores. The book encompasses 60 horse artists from 11 countries, and I was fortunate enough to have three of my paintings chosen for the book.

I had hoped to one day be accepted into the National Association of Women Artist, but I never dreamed I would get in on my first try--but I did! One of my paintings was showcased for a month in the NAWA gallery in Manhattan, NY. I will be featuring more artwork in New York City in 2012.

I never dreamed that my art would find its way into the education system--but it did. First with a 7th grade boy in California doing a 1,000-word descriptive paper on my Colmar in Full Bloom painting, and just recently three of my paintings (Harbor’s Edge in Riomaggiore, The Light after the Storm and Side Streets in Annecy) are being used by a young man working on his Ph.D. project which involves neurological underpinnings of aesthetic experiences at John Moors University in Liverpool, England.

My artwork has been featured in 12 art shows, 3 of which I was the featured artist, a second place and 2 honorable mentions. Although I have painted for my entire life, this first year in business has been a very productive year, especially given today’s economy. I look forward to the second year doing what I love to do, painting and capturing the allure of Europe’s charming and enchanting street scenes.

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Support Your Local Library

September 4th, 2011

Support Your Local Library

Recently I had a very successful run at my local public library in Hamilton, New York. During July and August, I was the featured artist and found it to be my most successful exposure to date.

I was pleasantly surprised by the light and airy space on walls that allowed me to hang 26 of my coveted Italian and French oil paintings. There are thousands of books in this spacious room, but even they lent to the overall ambiance since all of the bookcases are no more than four feet tall, allowing one to see from one side of the room to the other in all directions.

The library is a bustling place full of all sorts of activities and with so much foot traffic flowing through on any given day my paintings enjoyed many onlookers including children. I’d like to think that perhaps my art has done something to inspire the next great artist of tomorrow.

Not only was the day-to-day exposure wonderful, but the publicity generated in local newspapers and word of mouth certainly didn’t hurt. As if all this wasn’t enough, the library held a reception open to the public on my behalf. It was a wonderful experience and my heartfelt thanks goes out to the cheerful and helpful staff of the Hamilton Public Library, most of all to Barb the head Librarian whose bubbly personality exuberates her passion and love for the patrons and library which are in her care.

I look forward to supporting my local library in the years to come.

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Artist Pitfall

July 16th, 2011

Once again, I have forgotten where I put my glasses and this time I really need them. As usual my excuse is, “Hey sorry…but I’m an artist!”

We all make excuses for our mistakes and shortcomings, such as, “I’m sorry I have so much on my mind at the moment,” or, “Sorry I am having a senior moment,” or the all-time favorite which leads to multiple jokes, “Gee..she must be blond,” or, “I’m having a blond moment!”

Since I refuse to believe that I am probably having “Senior moments,” I have gotten into the habit of saying, “I am sorry but I am an artist,” or, “Well that is what happens when you’re working with an artist.” It usually works, I say usually because I find when it doesn’t work is when I am trying it on another artist. First of all, lets face it, I just insulted them and second of all, as a fellow artist they know better.

You may see us as a scatter brained, not totally together bunch of nuts. Well, to some extent you’re right, however; there is a lot more going on in that little brain of ours than you might realize. And since I have mentioned the brain, did you know that it has been said that while painting an artist has to think of much more than a brain surgeon does while doing intricate surgery on his or her patient.

Now before you think I have gone off the deep end, let me explain. I agree that artists should by no means be allowed to perform brain surgery in the operating room. However, the brain surgeon has a specific job to think about and a multitude of technicians to do the other necessary jobs around him. As an artist paints, the artist becomes the surgeon and all of those technicians rolled into one person. Not only are artists formulating what they want their masterpiece to look like, but all the while they have to think of mixing colors, balance, composition, brush stokes, brush size, palette knives, palette knife techniques, and the list goes on and on.

So as you can see, artists really do have a lot on their minds as the creative wheels turn in a multitude of directions, which to the outsider makes us appear as “Scatter brained.”

My daughter thinks I should wear a chain around my neck to hang my glasses from so I can easily find them. Thus far, I refuse to go down that road. Just a minute, hold on, there they are--I just found my glasses. “Well that’s an artist for you!”

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An Artists Day Without Art

July 10th, 2011

An Artists Day Without Art

I wake up every morning with the intent of finding some time during the day to paint, even if it is just for an hour. The next thing I know, I am making dinner and all tuckered out from a day packed with everything but painting. This is summer in Central New York, and if spring is any indication of how much painting I get done, I can expect a very slow go of it over the summer.

I also have to admit that it is rather hard to wish to be somewhere else, say Bruges, Rome, Paris, and all those wonderful little places in-between in Europe when we live in one of the most beautiful places on God’s good Earth. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t jump at the chance to hop a plane and skip across the pond for a few days but…

My time this week was filled up with picking strawberries, 60 pounds of strawberries to be exact (thanks to the helpful hands of my son). He didn’t seem to mind; between us we probably ate five pounds of berries while picking the 60 pounds that found their way to our house. By the way, you haven’t had strawberries until you have tasted our wonderful New York strawberries. Our soil and growing season make for some very sweet and juicy berries. Now I can replenish the freezer and fill all the jam jars I need for the year to come.

Then of course there is the daily chores entailed by owning four horses. The Gypsy Vanners are a great source of country entertainment. For instance, there is Keegan who has fun with the dish rag I have hanging on a hook in the alleyway. He likes to pick it up and drop it just so he can make me pick it up and put it back on the hook, this he repeats over and over again, that is until he got the idea that maybe he would eat it instead and had 3/4ths of it in his mouth before I could get to him and grab it, fearing it would altogether disappear in his mouth and he would attempt to swallow it. Geez, I better find out if there is a Heimlich method for horses? Then there is the van, my husband was unloading bales of shavings into the barn when Pete jumped off the embankment with only a couple of feet to spare from him and the barn, he wanted to see what was going on and took the shortcut (good grief). Tinker, the mischief maker is the only one who didn’t get into some sort of trouble this week. Even April, my Morgan mare, put me through my paces. I took her out riding one day this week, spending the last two hours of a four-hour ride on a very annoyed little mare who was being plagued by deer flies. She went from happy to get out to absolutely miserable toward the end. I can’t say that I blame her, I didn’t enjoy the few biting devils that got me either.

My husband got a nice octagon picnic table for Father’s Day and that has brought us outside more both at lunch and dinner time with summertime barbeques. The fountain gurgling in the background and flowering vines creeping up the trellis with the hummingbirds dive bombing around us has a bit of a, “villa on Lake Como” feel to it.

Last, there was the lightning strike that hit our Locust Tree again--who says that lightning doesn’t hit twice in the same spot? This time I saw the light, a little flash of light in front of my eyes. Too bad I don’t feel any smarter than before.

Anyway, I am not giving up, like Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, “I’ll paint tomorrow!”

Bruges Inspires Artists European Landscape Paintings

June 18th, 2011

Bruges Inspires Artists European Landscape Paintings

As an “armchair traveler” to Italy, having now spent years in Italy painting a vast array of Italian paintings, my cluttered thoughts of Italy are finally giving way to wonderful scenes from another great European destination, Bruges, Belgium, for my new collection of European landscape paintings.

I find it hard to believe how few people actually visit this wonderfully historic and charming city of ancient origins which date back to Julius Caesar’s conquest in the 1st Century BC.

With easy access to the sea, Bruges first bared the name Bryggja, steaming from the Old Norse Bryggja meaning “landing stage” or “port.” Bruges got its city charter in 1128 at which time new walls and canals were built. Fame came to Bruges first in wool which brought trade and shipping from around the Mediterranean Sea, which also linked it to the Spice route. All of this trade brought advanced commercial and financial techniques, and a flood of capital soon took over the banking of Bruges. It is believed that the first stock exchange took place in Bruges.

In the 15th Century, Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, set up court in Bruges and that attracted a number of artists, bankers and other prominent personalities from all over Europe. Incidentally, the weavers and spinners of Bruges were thought to be the best in the world.

However, within a hundred years the channel which connected the city to the sea began silting and Antwerp became the economic flagship of the Low Countries. During the 1700s, Bruges saw a glimmer of hope to become what it once was when its lace industry took off. In the 1650s, the infrastructure to the sea had been modernized but without much success. This was a last-ditch effort to bring Bruges back to its once economic greatness, and thanks to Mother Nature the triumphant city went from a thriving population of 200,000 to an impoverished population of 50,000.

Only in the second half of the 20th Century has the city started to reclaim some of its past glory. Finally, with modern technology a new port was built in 1907 and became one of Europe’s most important and modern ports. The charm of this ancient town has caught up with the world and is fast becoming an international tourist destination.

Bruges has a wonderful collection of Medieval and early modern art, which includes some world-famous Flemish primitives. Speaking of primitives, there is the mile-long religious procession which takes place annually with local inhabitants dressed as Medieval knights and crusaders carrying a relic of the holy blood, said to be the very blood of Jesus Christ brought back from the second crusade by Thierry of Alsace.

For me, the charm of Bruges is along its narrow streets, low archways, towering churches and ancient buildings, of which is reflected in its watery canal routes throughout this charming ancient city. I look forward to painting Bruges and sharing this wonderful European gem with you all.

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The Artist Who Inspires Me

June 12th, 2011

The other night while flipping through TV channels, I stumbled upon a remarkable performance by Jackie Evancho on PBS on Great Performances called “Dream With Me in Concert,” which was filmed on the grounds of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.

As remarkable as this child’s operatic voice is, for me even more remarkable was one of the rooms in the art museum where she performed. This room showcases five large paintings by Peter Paul Rubens—my favorite painter.

Watching that little girl pour her heart--out singing as an angel with these glorious Rubens’ paintings as the backdrop transported me back some 42 years ago when I was 18 and my father and I visited the museum for the first time. I always had an appreciation for the great European masters, but walking into that room with these magnificent paintings seemed to resonate deep within my very soul and I have never forgotten them or the awe I felt while in their presence.

Of all the great masters in the art world, it is Rubens who holds a special place in my heart not only for his masterful brush strokes and brilliant, bright colors which bring life to his paintings, but also for the influence he has held over me in my own work, from my Americana paintings to my recent collection of European landscape paintings, which I strive to come alive in brilliant and bright colors.

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Colorful Venice

June 4th, 2011

Colorful Venice

I recently finished this Italian painting I have labeled, “Colorful Venice.” It has that old Europe feel to it that you get when painting a view of one of the main canals which Venice is famous for.

Painting this was a nice escape from our Upstate New York early spring weather which this year was one of our wettest on record. It was kind of fitting to be painting a scene of a city which is surrounded by water--don’t you think?

I recently watched In Bruges, a 2008 movie starring Colin Farrell that takes place is gorgeous Bruges, Belgium. I am now itching to begin a series of paintings from that charming Medieval town. I am surprised it doesn’t get more recognition than it does by tourists. Perhaps I will have some little influence on changing that issue.

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