Preparing

FRAMING
is not a favorite task for most artists, but it is necessary. Oddly, people have very strong and conflicting opinions about frames, all people with good taste even, so you just never know.

When I started showing in New York my gallery director came on very strong for her preference for a slim, plain wood, surround...what's known sometimes as a Chelsea frame: shadowbox sleek and contemporary. I strove to come up to specs (this was New York after all!) but due to some time pressures I had to send in a few pieces in my husband Paul's handmade and hand-gilded frames. The gallery director grudgingly allowed a couple of those frames in the mix but let me know it was on sufferance. Then a well-known collector bought one of my pieces in a Chelsea frame but requested that it be re-framed in a gilded frame like another of my pieces he'd seen in the show! After that my gallery director eased up on the Chelsea frame requirements. In fact, she eventually began praising and requesting the simple gilded frames!

On the other hand, I recently sold a piece in a gilt frame but only closed the sale after I promised to re-frame it, this time in basic black (a hot trend in the Philly art world.) So, think before you sneer: when it comes to framing all bets are off! :-)

These paintings are being prepped for various small works exhibits: the three smallest pieces will be at Artists' House Gallery (57 N 2nd Street,Philadelphia) and the reception is this Sunday, Dec 6, 1-4. Hope to see you there!

Aftermath

Recovering from the Seizure
My poor baby. In fact, we are all of us recovering from Henry's latest seizure.

Had not realized how shaky I was feeling till I saw this shot. Straight out of the camera!

Thanksgiving Day Drama!

OH DEAR
Early this morning I was doing a little last-minute cooking prior to driving (several hours) to my brother Jim's house for Thanksgiving. I'd just finished the sweet potato casserole and was starting in on the icing for my sister-in-law's birthday cake WHEN Henry came into the kitchen and started to shake, stumble and fall. Paul and I instantly recognized this as a grand mal seizure (he had one in September) and we were able to catch him before he hit the ground. He turned blue for a moment so I called 911, but as soon as we turned him on his side, cleared his airways his color came back but by then the ambulance etc was on its way. So, lots of big, eye-catching drama on our street this morning!

A few hours were spent in the hospital, and now we are home again and Henry is taking a nap. Apparently seizures really knock the stuffing out of you. They certainly do out of the sufferer's parents...Paul went and took a nap himself. No traveling to family today (they live several states away!) I feel particularly bad about my sister-in-law's birthday cake lusciously sitting on my kitchen counter, far from the birthday girl!




We'd hoped his first seizure, back in September, was a one-off. But now it seems that's not the case. Thinking ahead to all the doctors and specialists we will be seeing, yet again, makes me feel pretty tired myself. Apparently autism goes very often with seizures, and the teen years are a key period when they might manifest. Never a dull moment with Henry! ;-)

November Table

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Creative

the loom sits waiting-
Does it long for the weaver's hands
to throw the shuttle?

The Weavery at Camphill Special School, a magical place.

Morning Roses

Glass of pink roses
sit on a white table cloth-
kissing the coffee pot

BALLOON LOVE

BIRTHDAY BALLOONS

Someone takes the time
to wrap their breath in bright colors-
how beloved you are

(From young H's birthday last month.)

A Little Forest Whimsy

Whimsical
is today's theme at Moody Monday and it made me think of my recent trip to Monhegan Island. In lovely Cathedral Woods, at the center of the island, people of all ages delight in building fairy houses. This was a particularly good one! An acorn cup of green moss tea anyone?

Autumn Meadow

Autumn meadow
with painter and sheep (it's Beaver Farm a few weeks ago, of course!) That's Dianne Morrow painting the old ram, Elvis.

To Autumn
by William Blake

O Autumn, Laden with fruit, and stain’d
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

The narrow bud opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;
Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and
Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,
Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.

The spirits of the air live in the smells
Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.’
Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

Friend Friday

FRIEND FRIDAY
is here again, because I have a number of friends doing some pretty big things! All art things this time. Above is Fred Danziger, taken at the opening of his current show Near and Distant at Rodger LaPelle Galleries in Old City, Philadelphia. Fred and I met when we both started showing at Sherry French Gallery in NYC at about the same time. We've spent many hours in each other's company at Chelsea openings for the past several years! Fred's striking show, based on different textures found in nature, is up in Philly for the next several weeks and I highly recommend a visit:
Near and Distant: Paintings by Fred Danziger
November 6 thru December 31, 2009
Rodger Lapelle Galleries
122 N. Third Street Philadelphia, PA 19125
215.592.0232 Wed ~ Sunday 12pm to 6pm


Crowded Beach, Giovanni Casadei, 10 x 11.5 inches

Old friend Giovanni Casadei (we went to art school together) is currently exhibiting at Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia. His beach scenes are delicious, as refreshing as a scoop of rainbow sorbet, which they somewhat resemble at a distance! He is also exhibiting his well-known interiors and other landscape paintings.
Light and Space
Gross McCleaf Gallery
Nov 6-28. 2009
127 S Sixteenth Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
215-665-8138


10:02 am, Sarah Barr, C-Print

Pal Sarah Barr is exhibiting two fantastic domestic-themed photos in the Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, a juried group show at the Main Line Art Center. It's only up for a couple more days so catch it while you can! I have several acquaintances in the show too including Ruth Wolf, Tilda Mann, Nancy Halpert and Kari Souders. It's really a fascinating show!
Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition
October 16 - November 16, 2009
Main Line Arts Center
746 Panmure Road, Haverford, PA
(610) 525-0272

MANY HANDS

Many YOUNG Hands
Taken at Colonial Day, an all day re-enactment staged by my son H's history class. The printing activity was extremely popular (and crowded!) I climbed on top of the table to get the shot and was made very aware of my middle-agedness when I needed a strong young arm to help me get down! ;-)

Catching up!

Ani and Guy Alma and me at the Plein Air at Beaver Farm exhibit. We are standing in front of paintings by Lynne Campbell and Stuart Shils.
Photo: Alexandra Tyng.

CATCHING UP

I was leading a blogging class two days ago which really brought home the fact that I have been blogging less and less these days! Ironic. It was especially embarrassing to be showing my students how to utilize a blog to update the news section on a website and have to explain that actually, gosh, I haven't updated my own in several months. Blush! I still love the medium, but I think that Facebook has tapped into my available balance of web energy, at times depleting it entirely. I still have a real-time life to live so any more time spent doing something else on-line means less time spent blogging. Oh well!

Also, I have been unusually busy with various projects. The most exciting one took place last Tuesday, November 3rd at Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia where the Plein Air at Beaver Farm exhibit took place to benefit Camphill Special School. I am still coming down from the rush of organizing this event, staging it and experiencing it. It was incredible! The attendance was more than twice than anticipated, we ran out of wine three times and half the work was sold in two and a half hours. I'm still a bit knocked back by all this, and so grateful to the many people who helped make this such a big success! Now I am caught up dealing with aftermath (ongoing!) All positive, I should add. To see an excellent, pithy, recap of the event with a few choice photos, head over to my friend Alex Tyng's blog. I thought she did a great job describing the evening.

Here are some shots of the evening, all taken by Courtney Coffman.