Black Dirt - and 'Rough at Hand'

Black Dirt

Oil on canvas, 10x20

Please contact me for price and shipping/delivery information 

Above, a happy corner of the Wallkill River School, with paintings from "Rough at Hand," my show that is there through February. You can see "Black Dirt" on the left-hand wall.

Early buyers bought three of the four small paintings I had hanging on the left-hand wall. Luckily, I had more paintings with me than I could easily hang, so three new ones took the place of the three that sold. There are joys great and small to productivity, and this is one of them! 

Top, "Christmas Eve." Bottom, "Tuscany."

My friend Michael Piotrowski, a wonderful painter, who will be showing at the gallery in April.

From left, Gittel Evangelist, me, Gene Bove (fabulous artist, showing in March) and Ellen Levine. Gittel and Ellen, bless them, braved the awful weather to come to the opening reception.

From left, Michael Piotrowski, Gene Bove, Ellen Levine and Gittel Evangelist. Jane and John Pette, readers of this blog, also braved the weather. The Pettes and I were strangers before the show opened, and friends by the time they left.
I was sad for a while that so few people came, but the weather was truly horrible, and I'd have been bereft if someone had gotten hurt, coming to my reception. The slight attendance (the gang pictured here, and the Pettes) meant I did have time to talk with everyone who attended - a rarity at openings, usually! 

Here's what you see when you enter the gallery showing my work in "Rough at Hand." On the mantle is "Scottish Highlanders," 48x60. Bottom is "The Watcher," which is 30x40, I believe.
You can just see the framed photo of my mother on the mantle. Whenever possible, I bring her photo to the shows and leave her to watch over things while I am gone. 

Upper, facing, is "Rusty Refrigerator." Lower, "Into the Sunset." 

"On the Way to Warwick." 

Celebrating 'Celebrations'

 




The opening reception of "Celebrations," the show that Shawn Dell Joyce and I have at the Wallkill River School Gallery drew a lovely crowd, in spite of truly torrential rain. Many folks I'd hoped would attend didn't make it, but many I hadn't expected to see came out and enjoyed themselves.

When you're at my level, there is a tremendous range of work involved when it comes to mounting a show and hosting a reception. Some galleries do all the work, though those are few and far between. At other galleries (Wallkill River School among them), the artist does all the work.
We pay to design, print and mail the postcards, addressing and stamping them ourselves; we make and hang posters; deliver and hang the art; make the title and price tags for the show; make, buy and present the food and drink - and do the clean-up afterwards.
 
It's like putting on a big party and inviting all my friends. It's fun, it's exhausting, it can be expensive - but it's a joy to create an atmosphere of warmth and welcome, where people can meet and talk and relax, and look at the art that I've put heart and soul into creating.

So those of you who come to openings, who brave weather and traffic and all the million things of your lives to attend, thank you. I truly appreciate your presence and the effort that it takes. This most recent opening took more effort than usual, I know, because of the rain. Those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you - and you missed a fun time!

The show is up at the gallery (232 Ward St./Route 17K, Montgomery, N.Y.) until the end of the month. See the Wallkill River School website for directions and information.

In photo at top, Jim Douglas and David Munford are facing the camera. Jim is a gifted framer and artist, who works in Montgomery. David is a wonderful painter who has contributed to the Art for Shelter Animals Project.

 Left, the crowd at our opening. Usually, the two artists mingle their work; Shawn and I decided to hang our art in separate rooms. That worked well, and didn't seem 

to cut down on the viewing. 

Some of my paintings hanging together. This little grouping really worked well, I think. I like the way the colors complement each other.

That's me on the right, with my old friend Taryn Clark. 

We worked together at the Times Herald-Record, and we sure had fun. I miss her every day. 

Here is Shawn Dell Joyce, demonstrating her pastel technique. We each did a demonstration, and it was fun! 

Here's the crowd, watching Shawn.