Social studio

It's awfully nice to go into my studio and see evidence of a congenial gathering of artists. I had a nice group from Dartmouth, Warren and Fairbanks over for dessert, coffee and stories last evening. I wish it could happen more, but I guess it's my own fault if I don't invite anyone! It's just that old time thing, time in the studio is so limited, I'm always feeling I need to be putting paint on canvas.

But quiet studios do provide perfect environments for some very interesting critters, I may have to paint this one.

sigh...

My blog still isn't updating on blogger's blog roll. I thought I had it working yesterday, but it didn't update my new post. Curse you blogger! In other words, this is a test.

My art history, Rhode Island Junior College. Reject!

When I wasn't sharing a bottle of Matteus after hours on the ramps, I could be found in the art department

It took me 3 different schools to earn my BFA.  The only college I could afford out of high school was  Rhode Island Junior College, known as Reject (RIJC) in the '70s.  Somehow school authorities didn't take to the nickname, and it was renamed Community College of RI (CCRI), or Cry, sometime after I graduated.  I loved it, it was so-o-o-o much better than high-school, and I immediately gravitated to the art department and became one of the dozen or so students that practically lived in the row of open studios that started with drawing and ended with sculpture. The teachers (Bob Judge, Sherrill Hunnibell and Don Gray) were great, and really went out of their way to help any student serious about their work.

So when I saw the notice that the Knight Campus Art Gallery is looking for art work for a show taking inspiration from the huge concrete monstrosity (and I mean that in a good way) that was the campus, I waxed nostalgic about the place. The ship-like hulk of the building was very intimidating to approach, not the least because access was gained from a long uphill road, or a massive parking lot on another slope. There was always a frigid wind roaring over the summit, but the hill came in handy since my '66 VW's starter was iffy and often I had to roll it and slip the clutch for a jump start.

Inside it was more friendly. We liked the fact that it was ringed with ramps with a big open space in the middle, kind of like the Guggenheim. The cafeteria was at the bottom, and it was fun to spot friends or crushes from our vantage point on the ramp.

Rhode Island Junior college art department, circa 1976

I found a slide of a painting I did while in the art department, back in the days when they actually let painters use oils. Now they're forced to use acrylics, but that's another story. I don't know if I still have this, but I'm tempted to go back to school and try the painting again to see how far I've come. The show's not till the spring, so maybe I'll come up with something by then.

If you're interested in participating, contact VieraLevitt@gmail.com

Technical difficulties

 
Still working on getting my blog feed to behave. I think I've succeeded in getting the date stamp to update from "1 year ago"  to "4 months ago", so I'm making progress. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the lag, I know I'm not the most prolific blogger out there, but do update more often than my blog feed gives me credit for.

It seems to be a known issue with blogger, but last time I can find any promise to fix it was in 2009. If you're not seeing my updates, let me know. I'll figure it out somehow!

Battling Blogger

I'm fooling around with my blog template, as you can see. If you notice anything weird, or slow, or annoying, let me know. About the template I mean, not my posts.

What are YOU looking at?

Nothing says "What the hell are all these people doing?" better than this guy's expression. But all he could do was glower at us since he was tethered to his perch. Even if he wasn't, he can't fly. He was one of a group of birds who had been rescued after having been shot or hit by cars. Their lives were saved, but the vet had to break the news as gently as he could "You will never fly again".  They don't understand English though, so the Red Hawk made a break for it, getting loose from his tether and leading the Audubon handlers on a chase through the bushes.

I had a chance to photograph these birds relatively closely as part of "Raptor Weekend" at the Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge.
I went to get reference photos for my next series of paintings since I'm interested in owls, especially screech owls, which hang around my house. Screech owls always look to me like they just rolled out of bed, and the one they brought out was molting, so was even more disheveled looking than usual.

I somehow knew I'd be out-cameraed by the "real photographers", and I certainly was with my little G9 point and shoot and no tripod. But I got some great photos anyway.

Oil spill, what oil spill?

oil/canvas  24"x30"  copyright 2010 Kathy Hodge

This painting, I swear, was well along BEFORE the BP oil spill, but now that it's done, the associations are inevitable. A premonition? I hope not, or I'm going to have to be careful what I paint. This is actually taken from the beach in Riverside during a blustery bronze sunset, the fish was found on the beach on the cape. It's part of a new series I'm working on placing creatures in uncomfortable environments.

But it raises an interesting question. If an "Artists Respond to the Gulf Oil Spill" exhibit takes place (and they have - here & here) could I enter it? I've already had people assume it's about the oil spill, so they could be right. Time for me to bow out on this one.

BP says the oil's all gone anyway, so nevermind.