YEAR OF THE WOMAN Group Show

I have three new pieces in an exciting group show opening this weekend in Philadelphia:

"Painting Girl"  oil on canvas 24 x 20 inches  2013

"Hijab Me"  oil on canvas on board 16 x 12 inches  2013

"Young painter" oil on canvas on board  11 x 14 inches  2013

YEAR OF THE WOMAN Paintings and Sculpture of Women by Women     April 2013 at Artists' House Gallery April 3 to 28, 2013  First Friday: April 5, 5 to 8:30 PM Sunday Reception: April 7, 1 to 4 PM     The year 2013 seems to be the pinnacle of events in recent years that have culminated in special recognition of the contributions of women in many activities:  politics ,science and medicine, management, visual arts, theater and film, sports, etc.     We three women managers of Artists' House Gallery have designated 2013 as a special year to recognize the "Year of the Woman" in the visual arts.  We present an exhibit of twenty extraordinary women artists, each exhibiting paintings or sculptures of women.   Please join us at Artists' House for our two receptions: First Friday, April 5, from 5 to 8:30 PM and our Sunday reception on April 7, from 1 to 4 PM.     The following artists are exhibiting in "The Year of the Woman" exhibit. Works by these artists are displayed below.  Julie Bell  Kate Brockman Rachel Constantine Saskia Ozols Eubanks Diane Feissel Renee Foulks Katherine Fraser Frances Galante  Leigh Gustafson Hilarie Hawley Rita Klinger Julia Levitina  Amber Lia-Kloppel Jafang Lu Sydney McGinley Nancy Bea Miller   Elena Peteva Carolyn Pyfrom Lauren Tilden  Lea Colie Wight ABOUT ARTISTS' HOUSE GALLERY Artists' House Gallery, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, features the work of outstanding emerging and established artists, frequently from the greater Philadelphia area. Artists' House offers art lovers and collectors the opportunity to purchase excellent affordable works of art.  Artists' House Gallery   57 N. Second Street   Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 923-8440  Email: artistshouse@aol.com Gallery hours:  Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM, or by appointment.      Click to visit the Artists' House website

Day Trip to NYC...short but sweet

Went with a couple of friends to see the Mary Cassatt Print show at the NYC Public Library...wonderful!

My scholarly side...!

The Library building is breathtaking!

Jennifer and Eliza with one of the iconic NYC Library lions

Then we hit the Frick to see the Piero della Francesca show..superb!

We went indie with our coffee break...this tiny little Mexican Coffee shop featured coffee-n-empanadas!

Displayed prominently...not very confidence inspiring!

Great light on the drive home!

Home sweet home! A great day!

Lotsa Art Openings!

Wow, there were a lot of art openings last weekend! This is typical for Philadelphia which has a tradition of "First Fridays", the first Friday of every month being when most galleries tend to open their exhibitions. It can be a lot of fun, and it's a handy way to take in a lot of openings in one evening, but First Friday is not really the best day for the serious viewing of art. There's an almost carnivale flavor to FF, crowds of good times or bust people swarming in and out of the galleries and up and down the streets...it's more  party than arty. Fortunately some galleries, including my own, have an additional reception on that first Sunday which is still festive but less frenetic. You can actually see the art instead of peering around clumps of determined celebrators, and talk with the artists instead of shouting banal congratulations to them over the roar of the crowd. Anyway...

Me in front of my four pieces in the Still Life Invitational at Artists' House Gallery

I ran into a whole bunch of other artists also showing

Yet more artist friends hanging out in the great art-filled atmosphere

Richard Rosenfeld stopped by, and he gave my work the thumbs up..woo hoo!

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Actually at The Rosenfeld Gallery around the corner my friend Tremain Smith was showing her work

More friends in a gallery clinch

My young friend Hazel was inspired by all the art she was seeing

Ken Hamilton and Fred Danziger are showing together at Rodger LaPelle Galleries

I also went to a thought-provoking  multi-media exhibit called It's Your Funeral at Pterodactyl

                                          
                         
     This is artist and co-curator Dr. K. Malcolm Richards introducing the work at the reception on Saturday. There's something for every taste in Philly, from the mundane to the macabre!

First Race of the Season!

Belmont Plateau was looking its best!

That's my guy! (I'm holding his glasses.)

Coming up the hill...

Dramatic skies as they cross the ridge...

Spreading out

The Hay Bale at the finish...H's long legs made it no obstacle

A good start and a strong finish! Well done!

The entire team did well overall...a happy day!

Goodbye Henry

Yesterday Paul, Henry and I took a quick trip downtown. Henry really enjoys the city, walking around, taking in the scene. Today he has gone back to his school deep in the country. I miss him already!

Earth-Shaking!

Evacuees from the PAFA Hamilton Building await the All-Clear

So, wow, this was an eventful day! I went to school to discuss my semester's critic choices and turn in that form. While I was there I dropped a few things off in my new studio too and then wandered around the studio floor a little, trying to get more acclimated. I was standing in my studio chatting with another first year mfa student (we were having an animated discussion on the work of Judith Schaecter) when the floor started vibrating and the lights started swinging gently. I assumed it was just some construction work and kept talking but the other student at once said "What is that? Is this an earthquake? I think this is an earthquake." I replied somewhat lamely, "Oh, don't you think somebody is just using power tools?" but yeah...turned out to be an earthquake. Totally bizarre! We so rarely get earthquakes in Philadelphia. 5.8!

People swarmed out into the corridors and there was a lot of nervous laughter and many expressions of astonishment.  Then we all calmed down and went back to what we'd been doing.  About a half hour later though the alarm system sounded and we were told to evacuate the building! All very weird and exciting.  People hung out on the street (some of the students started a game of kickball) and talked and stared up at the tall buildings and felt very keenly the bizarreness of the whole situation! It was a gorgeous day, with bright sunshine and refreshing breezes, while overhead News choppers hovered and police and fire sirens wailed in the distance. At one point I happened to be standing next to a school administrator  who wise-cracked that they had arranged this specially to make it an unforgettable Orientation Week! Aw, what a school! Seems like nothing is too much trouble for us MFAs. ;-)

Took me a while to get home. Turns out that SEPTA's schedule was temporarily halted and long delays were forecast so I walked back to the school and put in a little library time (even found another image for my Women in the Act of Painting project: yay!) I waited an hour or so and then tried again. Much the best idea: as I walked onto the platform a train scheduled for an hour previously was just drawing up.  What a day! Home a couple of hours later than expected but still in good time to make dinner.

THANKS GIVING

I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks...

--Sebastian, Twelfth Night, Act 3, scene 3

William Shakespeare

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

July Fourth Fireworks!

Jellyfish of fire
swims briefly in an inky sea...
Independence Day!

Incandescent

the author's voice
reading from her new novel-
incandescent calm

(Went to hear friend Elizabeth Kostova reading from her new novel, The Swan Thieves, last night. Absolutely wonderful!!!)

Street Scene

cheerful, drunk, beggar
lifts his hat to all, uncaring
who gives or doesn't

**********************************

I took this shot yesterday in Philadelphia (I was parked across the street from him, waiting for someone.) This fellow was doing a roaring trade: seemed like every fifth person stopped and handed him something. I think his cheerful insouciance added to his appeal. Made me think of that great Sherlock Holmes story about the beggar The Man with the Twisted Lip.

Submitted to Sepia Scenes and also One Single Impression

Signage Galore

Multiple Messages
I think whoever runs this business should write a novel or start a blog. They have obviously have a lot of thoughts they are burning to express.

I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.
~Joan Didion

That Family Glow

After Dinner
my lovely mother-in-law Darian and my son H on the nineteenth floor of the old Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia. H in a button-down shirt and dress slacks, a rare and beautiful sight indeed!

City Life
The Philadelphia Museum of Art as seen from the Philadelphia Museum of Art! While strolling through the European wing of the main building I glanced out a window and saw this lovely view of the new wing, the Perelman Building, across the street.

ATHLETIC!
Taken two weekends ago at the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Festival. This was the winning boat in the first race: they were simply amazing and beat their competition handily, but I don't know the name of their team. The Super Uber Dragon Slayers or something like that I suppose.

My team was less about winning and more about the pleasure of being on the river, being together and raising a little money for charity (Ronald McDonald House): in other words, we lost every heat we paddled in. It was totally fun anyway! I think we are partly handicapped by our name which is The Dragon Ladies. A coach who once came out to watch a practice and advise us urged us to stop being so lady-like and really get down into it but I am afraid that is simply not the team zeitgeist. (At one meeting I jokingly suggested that we change our name to The Dragon Bitches, but only one person laughed, so you get the idea!)

Still, winning the races or not is almost beside the point on a morning as beautiful as this one was. It felt like a crown of laurels, just being there on the river in the glorious glow of morning light.

P.S. Sorry for the lag in posting. The whole family has been sick with a terrible cold virus (possible even an early flu) going down with it at staggered intervals, toppling into illness like feverish dominoes, one after another. My cold then evolved into bronchitis, just for a little extra fun and variety. On the mend now (knock on wood!)

WHAT ON EARTH
am I doing to these paintings? I am placing them in the sun to speed up the drying process a little. Not really the greatest technique in the world but needs must when the devil drives. Or in other words...I have two imminent show deadlines and simply no time to waste sitting about watching paint dry! How do I get myself into these deadline crunches I have no idea but thank goodness for sunny weather!

The two deadlines are for a small one-person show in Philadelphia:

New Work
September 3 to September 28, 2008
Artists' House Gallery
57 North Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 923-8440
http://www.artistshouse.com

and a group show in New York City:

Mainly Maine
September 3rd thru 27th, 2008
Sherry French Gallery
601 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10001-1101
212-647-8867
http://www.sherryfrenchgallery.com

GREEN
My friend Carla Tudor in front of my favorite painting from her recent show at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Something about the delicate semi-transparent veils of intense color of this piece really spoke to my heart.

CITY RIVER
You'd never know you were in the heart of my adopted city, Philadelphia, standing by the Schuylkill River enjoying the feel of the autumn sunshine and the plashy sound of oars as scullers row by. At moments like this I feel immensely grateful that I ended up in this beautiful place. At other times (fighting our suburb's notoriously adversarial school board for services for my special needs child) I feel less happy. However, a bike ride by the river has an amazingly soothing and refreshing effect on one's tired spirits.