Blue crab claws

 

In a perfect world I could walk the beach every morning and pick up treasures like these to paint. 

Living for the weekend

I had a good weekend, the kind where I think, if only I could continue on this way, maybe I could actually be an artist.

Friday I went to the opening of the 2010 RISCA fellowship recipients exhibition at Imago Gallery. It was packed, so much so that it was hard to actually see who beat me out for the grant. From what I could see, it looked pretty interesting, although nothing made me stop in my tracks. Some good people there to talk to though, and the glass of white wine in the little plastic cup hit the spot after a full day of work and pilates class.

Saturday it felt really good to get back into my studio, despite the fact that my tubes of paint were icy cold and it never warmed up to more than 50 degrees, even with the propane stove running full blast.

I'm reworking the big (almost 4x5 feet) painting that I had envisioned as the finale to my Shoemaker series. Even though I had already exhibited it, I was never really satisfied that I had pushed it as far as I could have. So I'm going at it again by changing some large areas and ramping up the color. The only problem is that when I finally get a chance to heat up the studio and spend a few hours working on it, it's a bit hard to connect back to it. But it might help that now I have a deadline that will force me to make it more of a priority. I have to deliver a painting by June 9 for the Art League of RI's members show at the RISD Museum and I'd like to submit it, being a big museum show and all. It's the first, and probably only, time my work will grace those hallowed halls, so I hope I can pull this painting together.

Sunday I took a break to spend with my valentine. We went on a snowy winter hike in Borderland State Park. I had never been to the 1700 acre park before, which is just north of Mansfield MA, but it's a beautiful spot.

We started out the hike by heading towards the mansion. I wasn't especially interested in it, until I found out that the couple who built it were a botanist (Oakes Ames) and a painter (Blanche Ames). Born in 1878, Blanche actually designed the mansion after firing the architects who were making it too ostentatious. From the distance it looked pretty square and unremarkable, but closer up was full of surprising patterns of granite, a huge bell imported from Cuba on the roof and stained glass windows. Unfortunately the mansion wasn't open, but I looked up Blanche online when I got home and found she was a really neat person. She illustrated her husband's book of orchid research, painted in oils, and worked hard for womens rights, especially for access to birth control, all her life. She engineered the dams that created the lakes in the park, and received a patent for inventing an antipollution toilet at the age of 90. All this while raising 4 children.

After peeking in the mansion's windows, we walked around the ponds and over the earthen dams. The biggest pond was frozen over and people were walking across it inspecting several ice fishing holes. We skirted it instead, to avoid a cold wind. Otherwise I was perfectly comfortable in the mid-30's temperature. We walked for about 4 miles, but only explored a small part of the park. I'll have to return to see how it looks in the spring or summer.

• • •

A good article in the NY Times on Sunday. Enough with Minimalism, how about some Maximalism for a change? (my headline)

Biking the Providence river

A while ago I went on a walk along the river and wrote this.

"I crossed the river and walked along the east bank, it was low tide so I could see the bottom of the river, soft with silt and pollution, like the paint that settles at the bottom of my solvent jars. In shallow relief was a bicycle, probably stolen years ago and tossed in the river, now thickly coated in algae, mud and rust. It looked beautiful and mysterious through the 2 feet of river water and I wished I had my camera so I could post a picture."

Well it took awhile for the confluence of low tide, camera, and lunchtime walk, but here is what the river revealed.


I'm gearing up for riding my bike into work soon, now that the Washington Bridge is open to bike traffic again. I'll pack my watercolors into my bike pack for the way home, the view across the river to the industrial waterfront is beautiful, and Queen Ann's Lace and beach roses bloom along the bike path. If I'm lucky they'll be a family of white egrets in the cove....

Doors and windows that used to be...

I've been busy these last two weeks with trying to better my 40 hour 9-5 gig. I'd rather spend that time in my studio, but since I can't, maybe I can make the time I spend elsewhere work out better for me. Worth a try anyway...

So not much art has been going on, or blogging for that matter....
I did get out at lunch on this beautiful April day, a day more like spring than Providence usually serves up this time of year. There were no roses to stop and smell, but there was a fabulous wall at the corner of Weybosset and Eddy St.


Unfortunately this photo of a part of it doesn't do it justice, but every time I go by it's like a visit to a museum. It's amazing the history that's written on the surface, uncovered when the building attached to it burned down. They're doing some sort of construction on the building behind it, so I'm sure it will be covered up at some point. I'll miss it when it is.

I just receive an email from the other residency I had applied for this summer, a rejection this time. That's almost good though, I really couldn't have done Great Dunes and San Juan National Forest in the same year. This way I don't have to say no, but I will probably try again, the terrain around the San Juan Mountains is magical.

Stinky signs of spring

Even though it's only mid February, we've had unseasonably warm temperatures for the last two days, melting the thick snow cover. I took advantage of it by taking a walk through the Warren salt marshes in search of a sign of spring. The marshes were monocromatic brownish-grey, wet and icy. I did not doubt I would find a glimpse of green though, because I know where to find the skunk cabbage. Sure enough, it was spiraling up through the frozen ground and cold ice water.

When we were children all we appreciated about the plant was the fun it was daring each other to kick one open and release the stink, but Craig Holdrege has written an excellent exploration of the noble qualities of the skunk cabbage. I don't know if it's especially early this year, but I'm afraid my anticipation of spring may be...I have to remind myself that we still can have plenty of snow, ice and freezing temperatures ahead. But I don't think it's my imagination that the birds are beginning to sing more cheerfully, and I heard the Mourning Doves cooing...

Nightlife

Here's my final drawing from my drawing class at the Natural History Museum. This is a Great Horned Owl. It's really fun drawing them, I'll have to see if the RISD nature lab has any and try to get over there to draw them on my lunch break. I'm also going on an Owl Prowl at the Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge to try to see the non-taxidermied versions.

I have a vague idea of a possible series....wildlife at night, what's moving about when we're asleep. After all, bats would be pretty cool to paint too.

Lunch break

Today at lunch I went for a walk. Just a walk, no destination. It seems a simple concept, but I haven't done that in ages. I always feel I have to "accomplish something" on my precious hour break from my day job. But Providence was looking enchanting on this clear August day that felt more like September. I walked down Weybosset Street and felt as if I hadn't walked that street in years. It's amazing how you can miss changes that happen only a block from your usual path. There were a few new lunch places (One with free wi-fi) and a new hotel going up where St. Francis Chapel used to be. I crossed the river and walked along the east bank, it was low tide so I could see the bottom of the river, soft with silt and pollution, like the paint that settles at the bottom of my solvent jars. In shallow relief was a bicycle, probably stolen years ago and tossed in the river, now thickly coated in algae, mud and rust. It looked beautiful and mysterious through the 2 feet of river water and I wished I had my camera so I could post a picture. I may check for the next low tide and go back to take one. I continued down to Wickenden Street to poke around in the antique stores. Some of them have really interesting paintings on their walls, and Adam Tamsky Fine Art at 395 is a gallery that has some really cool paintings from the 30's through the 70's, a great collection of old frames too. I've really got to get out more....

I'm going to occasionally post an ad from some of the vintage art magazines I've collected. I love reading commentary on artists, who are now either famous or forgotten, from 50 or so years ago. I find the ads almost more fascinating, often humorous in retrospect and sometimes beautiful. This one, from ARTnews Annual of 1957 I'll file under beautiful.