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Feast Your Eyes on This

For April and June, I will have a solo show of work surrounding the acquisition, preparation, consumption and disposal of food.

The work captures those brief moments that often slip past unnoticed in our fast food lives, illuminating the things we have seen a thousand times, while cleaning the kitchen, preparing dinner or taking out the trash.

Thirty drawings and prints will be on display in the Madison Gallery of Morristown Memorial Hospital - the main corridor leading to the cafeteria. I wonder if my pictures will change the choices people make once they get there!

April 1 – June 3, 2012

Madison Gallery : Morristown Memorial Hospital 100 Madison Ave Morristown, NJ

www.atlantichealth.org/morristown

Picnic by the Brook

Summer

It's nearly here....

apparently

In the mean time, here is a lovely memory of a picnic by the brook last summer. Just to remind me that I will soon be complaining that it is way too hot to think straight

Come for a Squelch at the Mayapple Festival

Spring Forest : hand embellished giclee print

The Weather Channel promises me that there will only be a 30% chance of scattered showers this Saturday. That's better than the 100% chance of rain forecast for the next 3 days. So if you have raging cabin fever by Saturday, then pull on your wellies and come out for a squelch through the woods to see what has sprung up - I'd hazard a guess at some wicked mushrooms.

I am going to try sacrificing a tomato again, as it worked so well last weekend, but I would grab an umbrella just in case!

Saturday May 21st Art Fair 10 - 4 pm

Guided Hikes Hike to Washington Rock 10am Stroll to Hemlock Falls 1pm Wildflower and Forest Preserve 3 pm

Live Music Millburn’s Dean Russo, acoustic guitar, 1 - 1:30 pm West Orange’s Dean Shot, blues combo, 1:30 - 2:30pm Headliner: Livingston Leo, 2:30 - 4pm

Location:

Essex County South Mountain Reservation

Summit Field (across from the dog park)

Crest Drive

South Orange, NJ

(map)

Making an Effort

Making and Effort : charcoal and pastel still life drawing

It seems it is time to reacquaint myself with my hairdresser to get the annual hairdo, for the artist's reception for "Carbon Footprints" is fast approaching

I hope you can suspend your New Year's resolution on Sunday 16th 11-1pm, to stop by and share in the celebratory pie, cookies and other naughty nibblies. (the celery, cottage cheese and cardboard diet will resume on Monday)

If distance and weather prevents you from enjoying a slice of frozen New Jersey, then kick back with a tub of ice cream and sample the show from your sofa at Carbon Footprints

Sweet and Sour : charcoal and pastel still life drawing

Artist Reception : January 16 11-1pm December 14 - February 10 2011 SOLO SHOW : Carbon Footprints Gaelen Gallery West Lautenberg Family JCC Rt 10 East Whippany, NJ www.jccmetrowest.org

Sweet and Sour : Carbon Footprint #41

It is a well tested phenomenon that 20 minutes after eating a Chinese meal, you want another one Seems it goes for drawing them too

During the last large still life drawing, I discovered that splendid orange shadow cast on the noodle box and knew it needed a picture of its own - more space to breath

I am loving this paper too - Johannot by Canson - it gives a very soft, velvety finish to the drawing that I really like. I am keeping working notes on all the papers I try in an online scrapbook. So if you are another weirdo who loves paper a little too much, then leave me a recommendation for your favorite at The Paperphiles

Hey, for some women it's shoes - me, I go weak at the knees in a paper store. I remember the day I found Kate's Paperie in New York - boy that was a good day!

(Actually, I quite like shoes too)

Description : Large charcoal and pastel still life drawing of left over sweet and sour sauce and Chinese noodle box

More Magical Woodland Drawings

Well the new shelves are really paying off - I have 4 new oil paintings drying, as well as the promised second Chinese Take Out drawing And whilst they were drying, I found time to finish the second embellished giclee print. This one is in Red Oxide, Violet, Oxide Green Tint and a few smudges of White

I think I shall treat myself to another charcoal forest drawing soon, just because they are so much fun to draw And now I just need to organize some more drying space

Hmmmm - more shelves?

Chinese Shadow Play : Carbon Footprint #40

Sweet and Sour : charcoal and pastel still life drawing 30" x 22"

As I was setting up the still life, I fell in love with that shadow looming on the back wall. Such drama! But as I continued to draw and took the time to look closer, other quieter elements of the arrangement started to quicken my heart

So, in order to share what I see, my fortune cookie predicts there will be another chinese take out in my future Hey ho - such are the sacrifices for art

Description : a dark dramatic shadow looms in the background of this large charcoal and pastel still life drawing of chinese take out - noodle box, crumpled paper bag and broken fortune cookie

22″ x 30″, charcoal and pastel still life drawing

This charcoal and pastel still life drawing is part of the “Carbon Footprints” series

Pastel Palette - choose your combo

OK, as requested, here are the Pan Pastel colors I currently have, although you don't have to limit yourself to this small selection

TIP : click on the image to enlarge it and read the color names.

As a guide, for the first embellished woodland print, I used Magenta, Turqouise and Green Oxide Tint.

So which colors would you choose?

Seafoam Pastel Ripples Through the Enchanted Forest

Hoorah! I am very pleased with my first embellished giclee print

Back in May, I was pondering whether to add color to the charcoal drawing of a forest. I was yearning to add magical color, but reluctant to give up the elegant black and white drawing... when it occurred to me that I could have both.

After scanning the original drawing at a high resolution (600dpi), I ordered large prints from Imagekind. Two types of paper looked like they might have enough texture to take the Pan Pastels I wanted to use. This one is my favorite, Somerset Velvet, with enough tooth to hold the pastel, with the luxurious feeling of working with a quality watercolor paper - yummy

(I am still working on the second print: too much texture for my taste, and less fun to work with)

Both the paper and ink are archival quality, and these guys could get really big! Up to 58 x 44 inches, although I'm not sure my easel would manage that, I'd have to work on the floor. That's it, Lulu is banished from the studio - doggie paws were not the kind of embellished prints I had in mind

I have a notion to do a set of 4 prints to represent the seasons at some point, but I am also taking requests. So please help me out and leave a comment with your favorite color scheme to inspire a creation - one dark color, one mid range and one highlight should be all I need

Description: Burgundy red and seafoam green pastel ripple through the woodland, adding enchanting mystery to forest shadows.

Black and White Charcoal forest art print from Imagekind

Burgundy and Seafoam Pastel Forest art print from Imagekind

Chocolate Cupcakes in the Big Apple

Chocolate Chocolate Chip - charcoal and pastel drawing : at HVAA Show in Gramercy Park NY

I am very excited that The Hudson Valley Arts Assocoiation accepted my large charcoal and pastel drawing "Chocolate Chocolate Chip" (30" x 22") for their annual juried show at The National Arts Club in Gramercy Park.

Celebratory Pie ocurred shortly afterwards at Blue Smoke : Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae to share scrumptious!

You can see the show until the end of July, so stop by if you're in the city : address below

Here's a selection of my favorite pieces - they're all drawings what a surprise!

Take a closer look at Anne Schlomer's Award winning charcoal and graphite drawing "437, 13th Street" on her website. And also Mary Felton's exquisite charcoal portraits of horses, birds and some humans too!

July 2 - July 30 2010 79th Annual Exhibition Hudson Valley Art Association The National Arts Club 15 Gramercy Park South New York, NY