Farewell 2009 and Hello 2010!

Vacation's end-
island of a thousand dreams
dissolving in light

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This was my last shot of Monhegan Island when I left in September. Yesterday, several fellow MLG-ers sat round my kitchen table and we planned next year's visit. The joy of it, on a cold, hard day. I wrote the haiku for Haiku Bones: the prompt this week is regret. Also:

Wistful

dreams and memories
litter that cold rocky shore-
blunt-edge beach glass shards

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I wrote this for the Haiku Bones prompt of wistful. Also:

MLG Holiday shows!

The MLG ride again
Above is a somewhat blurry photo of four of the MLG at receptions for two of their December exhibits. Left to right: Eliza Auth, Alexandra Tyng, Mary Walsh and Nancy Bea Miller.



Here is Eliza at Rosenfeld gallery where she is participating in the annual "Smaller Works in Various Media by Gallery Artists" show. The title is a bit of a mouthful, but it is a very good show! Click here for more information.



Here I am (Nancy Bea) at Artists' House Gallery's "Small Works 2009" exhibit. I guess I still hold the dubious honor of being "...one of Philadelphia's foremost doughnut painters" as a critic once titled me. Maine aficionados, please also note the two small pieces I painted en plein air while on Monhegan Island a few months ago! Click here for more info.

Happy Holidays!

Even more photos. . .

Icouldn't resist this: DIANA in a lighter moment (practicing for milk ad)
Diana painting on the cliffs
Exodus
Mary painting on the porch

More Monhegan 2009 From Alex's camera

Diana painting outside the Red House
Our sunset view
Our morning view
Coffee at the Barnacle
On the ferry

MONHEGAN 2009 with The Maine Landscape Guild

Just some cute photos of our recent 2009 trip to Monhegan

The Maine Landscape Guild stayed at the "Red House"

Nancy Bea having a quiet moment

Alex and Diana with paintings and subjects!!!

Critique

Alex

Eliza

Nancy Bea

Mary

Alex in a light moment

Week-long Workshop

I wanted to share some photos from my workshop on Mount Desert Island, Maine (July 27-31).

This summer in Maine has been WET! It has rained almost continuously since June-- a worrisome sign of climatic change. The ponds and lakes of Mount Desert were full to the brim, so full that the water level is just under the trees, and hardly a rock is visible along the shore from a distance.

Apart from being concerned about the implications of this weather, I had more immediate concerns that the workshop week would be one long rainstorm--but luckily there was enough sun to give some variety to the weather. One completely sunny day allowed us to paint in two prime locations, Ocean Drive and Cadillac Mountain. On cloudy, foggy, damp days we painted at the Beaver Pond across from the north end of Eagle Lake, and Somes Landing. We painted at many of the key locations on MDI.The talented and dedicated participants worked hard and we all had a lot of fun.

I'm so glad I was able to work with my fellow MLG-er, painting partner, and long-time friend Diana Cobb Ansley in planning the workshop.We stayed in her historic home in Somesville, and she provided hospitality and made sure things ran smoothly. Every day for lunch she ordered delicious gourmet sandwiches from Mother's Kitchen which we brought along for picnics on location. She also knew the best restaurants on MDI for dinner. By the time I got home, I actually felt that I had had my fill of popovers!

We're looking forward to doing this again next year. There are so many themes for plein air landscape workshop, and so many more painting locations on MDI.

Maine was the catalyst

...that got me to this "exalted" position as Judson's Art Outfitters Artist of the Month for July 2009. Notice the painting is of Manana, and the artist photograph was taken by Alex on Diana's deck on Long Pond: I surely do get by with a little help from my friends. Thanks guys! If interested, click images below to read in higher resolution.

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Consider the Lobster!

Lobster with Brioche, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, 2009

Alex and I just had a wonderful road trip to our favorite state (that's Maine of course!) dropping work off at three different galleries. It was a long drive but it was lots of fun! The first destination was Portland, where I dropped several pieces off at Susan Maasch Fine Art. She has a lovely new gallery space in the perfect location: right across the street from a coffee shop and within one block of the Portland Art Museum! We had a fun visit with Susan and her gallery assistant and then Alex and I explored Portland a little: what a fascinating city!
The next day we made it up to Stonington, where we were both bringing work to gWatson Gallery. Alex shows there regularly, and I had just been invited to participate in a summer show "Consider the Lobster". I absolutely had a blast painting this lobster: can you tell? (I blogged about it here, if you want the back story on how I rented the lobster in the painting!) I enjoyed meeting Ron Watson who could not have given us a warmer welcome. His gallery is amazing: I feel honored to be included. This was my first time in Stonington and even through the mist of a mizzly day it was utterly gorgeous. Can't wait to get back there and paint!
We headed back down the coast after that, and our last gallery stop was in Rockland, where Alex was dropping off work at Dowling Walsh Gallery (see previous post for show details!) It's a beautiful gallery space with lots of art stars on the walls: including our Alex! In fact, I was chatting to someone when my eye was caught by a gorgeous painting on a far wall in one of the main galleries and I disregarded the rest of the show and went right up to it. I was probably about 5 feet away when I suddenly realized it was one of Alex's paintings: way to go girlfriend!
If you are in Stonington soon I hope you will stop in and see

Consider the Lobster
Consider the Lobster opens on Friday, June 26.
A Celebration of artists and their lobster images will take place on Friday, July 3 from 4 to 7 PM.
gWatson Gallery
68 Main Street
Stonington, Maine 04681
207.367.2900
http://www.gwatsongallery.com/

"Monhegan" show at Dowling Walsh Gallery

For the second year in a row, my work will be included in a summer group show entitled "Monhegan" at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine.

The gallery is located on the main street of Rockland, right across from the Farnsworth Museum.

Please come if you can to the opening reception:

Wednesday, July 15, 5 - 8 p.m.

MORNING GLOW ON MANANA

Manana is creeping into my dreams!! Summer is approaching and I am really looking forward to our return.  Keeping in the Manana frame of mind, this is what I was painting which Alex has now painted in her new painting of that wonderful glow on Manana in the morning.  

painting and model

Painting and Model
meet up at my recent Episcopal Academy show! Eliza stands in front of the painting she posed for on the cliffs on Monhegan Island. Recognize that inimitable Eliza hair? Well, maybe it is imitable...when this painting was first exhibited an acquaintance sought me out to ask if the figure was Eliza Auth? The face is turned away, it is a seated figure wearing baggy clothing...it is amazing how little information our eyes need to make recognition.

To the right is another painting of Monhegan, done from the porch of the Monhegan House hotel one afternoon.

New Monhegan Painting

Though I think about Maine all year, I notice a heightening of excitement in my thoughts as spring moves toward summer. I find myself reliving the outdoor painting experiences of last summer and planning new compositions. Here's one I just recently finished of my MLG friends Diana and Mary painting the orangey glow on the island of Manana from the rocks on Monhegan's western shore in the early morning.

It was composed from a photo I took, and the color information and the feeling of "being there" was inspired by a small oil sketch I had done on two successive mornings at the spot. In my larger painting, I made a direct reference to my process: the third (higher) easel in the painting is mine, with the sketch on it. At the top I've posted my oil sketch so you can see the relationship.

Can't wait for the summer and Maine!

PLEIN AIR PAINTING WORKSHOP on Mount Desert Island, Maine

PLEIN AIR PAINTING WITH ALEXANDRA TYNG
MOUNT DESERT, MAINE July 26-August 1, 2009

Thomas Cole and Frederic Church first popularized Mount Desert Island in the mid- 1800s. Their works inspired families from New York and Philadelphia to make the journey by steamer to "rusticate" and enjoy the untouched beauty of Mount Desert.

Artists will be painting outside in a group for approximately 3-5 hours a day. Sites will vary from the spectacular summit of Cadillac Mountain to the rugged shores and quiet lakes and ponds of Acadia National Park. The group will focus on plein-air painting techniques and strategies. Participants will stay in the Abraham Somes III house built in 1800. Daily critiques, individual instruction, and demonstrations will be provided. Alexandra Tyng and Diana Ansley will lead the group.

Tuition is $500.
Lodging and lunch is $575.

For further information on the lodging, travel arrangements, and daily schedule, or to enroll, contact organizer Diana Ansley at DianaAnsley@aol.com

Three other Maine paintings  donated by MLG members to the Family Support Services auction: Daina's landscape, Nancy Bea's painting of a Maine apple and Eliza's pomegranates (painted on a recent trip to Maine). 

 All of the paintings received multiple bids and the event raised almost $20,000. Yea!

Maine Lighthouse

Alex generously donated this painting to the FSS fundraiser. A beautiful maine scene. Many of the event organizers are already mentally bidding on the paintings.

The Maine Landscape Guild is contributing small works to a fundraising auction for Philadelphia-based Family Support Services. ( www.fssinc.org )

This is Carla's painting and the sharp-eyed observer will note that it is from an unusual part of Maine called Florida. 

Toast to Lobsters

This summer (2009) I'll be participating in a themed group show at the gWatson Gallery entitled "Consider the Lobster." Anything goes as long as the work relates to lobsters. Since the artists at gWatson are a varied and accomplished bunch, the results should be interesting! The show will be up in July, but I will have more specific information as the summer draws near.

Here's my entry, Toast to Lobsters, oil on linen, 22" x 30."

The gWatson Gallery is located on 68 Main Street, Stonington, Maine. Stonington is a small town at the very tip of Deer Isle, Home to many artists and art galleries.

All Together

GROUP SHOT
of the MLG, taken last Friday. We were getting together to plan our annual group painting trip to Maine. Many of the MLG members go to Maine at various other times, but we are trying to keep up the tradition of a yearly group visit, as well. So far so good!

Front Row left to right:
Carla Tudor, Mary Walsh, Diana Ansley
Back Row left to right:
Eliza Auth, Alex Tyng, Nancy Bea Miller