Sidewalk Art

On Saturday while the Woodstock Arts Festival on the green was going on, three Artwise Women, Barbara, Anne and I,  took up chalk and created a flower and butterfly sidewalk mural in our assigned spot in front of the Woodstock Pharmacy.  The event was sponsored by the Change the World Kids.  Here are a few photos of the work we did that morning....

Barbara is working on her first block here.  Sidewalk art is a bit hard on the knees and the back so knee pads were the order of the day.

We checked out some books from the Norman Williams Library and used them as reference for our butterflies.

Anne's beautiful monarch butterfly.

And this is the butterfly that flew to the middle of the sidewalk....

An interested spectator, who asked if he could take a picture, came back after we finished and took this panoramic photo which he emailed to Barbara.  Though it's a bit hard to see, the caption reads:  "with love from Artwise Women"....

After the Storm

It has been a long week, this week.  When hurricane Irene came through this state she did lots of damage.  We were fortunate to come through unscathed.  But lots of time was spent taking care of people whose lives were turned upside down by the flooding of virtually every brook, stream and river.  So many roads and bridges washed out.  So many houses damaged and lost.  So many lives altered dramatically.  Every morning folks met at the elementary school here in Woodstock to volunteer in whatever way they could.  What a fine community of generous, involved, caring people we have in Vermont.  I am so grateful to be part of that community.
And, finally, despite the storm, my floral print calendar is complete--here is the final print intended for November....

"Rose and Holly"

9"x12" -  soft cut linoleum print

"Rose and Holly"

9"x12" - hand colored linoleum print

At the moment, all twelve prints are being scanned and turned into a proof calendar.  I'm excited to see what it looks like!  I still need to make some decisions about typeface, binding, etc. after I see it.  But I'm almost there.
And then the question becomes what to do next?

One More to Go!

It has taken me much longer than I thought it would to create twelve finished prints for my floral calendar.  Buying one house, selling another, moving from place to place and then painting and renovating is very time and energy intensive!  

But I am now working on the last month of the calendar, involving roses, and here is the latest print, for the month of January. 

"Amaryllis and Paper White"

linoleum print - 9"x12"

"Amaryllis and Paper White"

hand colored linoleum print - 9"x12"

It is just wonderful to have time to work in my studio today and I look forward to more of it in the days ahead.... 

A Spring Floral Print

It's been a busy summer with not much studio time.  We've had a great vacation on the Cape, a wonderful visit from our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, lots of work on the house and normal, fun, summer activities.
Here is a spring flower print, perhaps March....  I think the little bee in looks suspiciously like "Flying Piglet" and that entertains me!

"Daffodil and Crocus"

linoleum print - 9"x12"

"Daffodil and Crocus"

hand colored linoleum print - 9"x12"

Plein Aire Paintings at the Chandler in Randolph

Here is an excerpt from Dian Parker's review of the current Area Artists Exhibit at the Chandler Gallery in Randolph, VT where I am exhibiting plein aire paintings.  I am pleased that my painting, "Swimming Hole on Locust Creek" was singled out by her for favorable comment...


"Saturday, June 11, 2011
REVIEW: 50 Area Artists on Display at the Chandler Gallery in Randolph

Every spring the Chandler Gallery offers an opportunity for area artists to exhibit their work. This year 50 artists display more than 140 pieces of their art in the expanded gallery. You’d think it would be impossible to show that many pieces without the gallery feeling crowded, a mish-mash of art. Instead the show is a wonderful surprise. Not only is the show pleasing as a whole, there are also many different genres of art displayed. To consider each of the artists is not possible so I have selected only a few.

"Swimming Hole on Locust Creek"

12" x 16" - oil

Two landscape artists, Kathleen Fiske and Katherine Ravenhorst-Adams, have 3 paintings each in the show and they alone would be worth the visit. Fiske’s Swimming Hole on Locust Creek, oil, is striking with its meandering stream with sunlight splashing across the water, and when seen from a distance takes on new dimension."

This review first appeared in the Randolph Herald on June 9, 2011.

Here is the link to the complete article.... http://vermontartzine.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-50-area-artists-on-display-at.html

"Trillium and Bloodroot"

Two weeks ago I was sitting in my chair in the garden contemplating--an assignment given to me at Shambhala as part of my "Wisdom in Everyday Life" class.  "Find a meaningful place outdoors and sit and contemplate there for ten to twenty minutes every day."  During that week, each day was different in the garden.  The birds sang, the sun shone (or didn't), the hawks soared around high above, the little brook burbled along.
And as the week went on, the bloodroot came and went and the trillium came and stayed.  Beautifully.  Not often have I just sat.  No weeding,  No drawing. Just contemplating.  I highly recommend it, because I fell in love with the trillium and bloodroot during those contemplations, and they became my latest prints....

"Trillium and Bloodroot"

9" x 12" - linoleum print

"Trillium and Bloodroot"

9" x 12" - hand colored linoleum print

I discovered that wild flowers are more about the leaves and less about the flowers.  The wild trillium leaves feel like they could fly and the quiet bloodroot leaves are like little fans of joy.

Cyclamen and Snow Drop

Just finished are the latest prints in the flower series.  "Cyclamen and Snow Drop" will be January in the calendar.  Here is the black and white original....

"Cyclamen and Snow Drop"

linoleum print - 9" x 12"

And the hand colored version....

"Cyclamen and Snow Drop"

hand colored linoleum print - 9" x 12"

The cyclamen plant itself will grace our dining room table now that its work in the studio is complete.