On Exhibit

"Morning at River Bend" 11x14 oil on panel

     As many of my artist friends know, exhibiting ones work can be a feast or famine.  Like it says in my blog title, the highs and lows of being an artist.  Well this month is a feast month.  Believe me I can use the boost! 
     The image on the left is the painting that was accepted for the Audubon Artists 2012 Annual Show.  It is a small plein air painting that I did last August while painting with friends at River Bend Park on the Potomac in Great Falls.  Yes, the Potomac River is my favorite subject! That shadow on the right is being cast by the frame and I didn't want to crop the image to remove it as it would have cut off some of the rock formation.  This is one of my personal favorites among my plein air paintings.  I hope it will find a loving home:)
      The Audubon Artists are not, as you might expect, a group of artists exclusively involved in creating paintings concerning conservation or birds.  In fact the only connection to Audubon is that he was one of the founding members and they used to meet at his home.  This is another group that usually has its show at the Salmagundi Club in NYC but for the same reasons (renovations) that I mentioned in my last post concerning the AAPL, this show will also be held online this year.  The show will run from October 9th until December 31st.  You can read about the organization (I love their mission statement) on their website
www.audubonartists.org  and that is where you should go to see the show when it opens on the 9th.  I have also accepted their generous offer of membership and I am now an Audubon artist!

"May Morning Above the Potomac", 24x30 oil on linen

 ON EXHIBIT AT THE ART LEAGUE GALLERY:  I have just returned from hanging the monthly show at the Art League Gallery.  I have enjoyed chairing the hanging committee for over seven years now and I must confess I enjoy it more when I am part of the show:)  My committe likes it better too because they don't have to hear the gnashing of teeth or my mutterings.  So what I am saying is my painting, pictured above, is part of this month's show.  The title of the show is "Color Sphere" and as the theme suggests the gallery is bursting with it!  I am also happy to say that my painting received an Honorable Mention.  As my fellow Art Leaguer's know it is good to savor the moment because you never know what will happen the next month.  That famine I mentioned earlier is not unknown to me. There are so many entries each month and even though the gallery is a large one it is not large enough for all of us.  I pity the jurors.
ALSO ON EXHIBIT AT THE ART LEAGUE BIN GALLERY:

"Fast Moving Clouds", 9x12 oil on gessoboard

        This painting was painted last April from the deck of our house in Duck, North Carolina.  I am painting from the west deck which overlooks Currituck Sound and I am looking North with the bulk of the Sound off to my left.  Currituck Sound is another favorite subject of mine, particulary in the evening. The sunsets are incredible!
     I know I said yesterday that today I was going to write about my thoughts concerning online exhibits but I am running out of steam.  That will be a good subject for tomorrow.  It is time for me to call it a day!

The American Artists Professional League 84th Grand National Exhibit

"Camelot on the Potomac" 30x24 oil on linen

     I mentioned yesterday that I have paintings juried in  both the Audubon Artists Annual show and the AAPL 84th Grand National.  The latter opens first so I will start with that.
      On the left is the painting that will be in that show.  The starting point for the view is looking up river (the Potomac) from the Chain Bridge. For those of you unfamiliar with this area the Chain Bridge crosses the Potomac between Virginia (on the left here) and Washington DC (on the right side). I have painted this view many times but this time I took some liberties with it.  In reality there is an arm of land that runs into the river from the right and from the bridge you get the impression that it extends all the way across.  It would come across just about at the point where you see the castle but I wanted the river to flow uninterrupted to the horizon. The view beyond that point is true to the site.  The castle.....it doesn't exist there.  However, it does exist further down the river at the Georgetown Reservoir.  I just decided to move it up river because the painting was begging for a castle.  Ah, artists license!

      About the show and the AAPL.  Usually this organization holds this show at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.  I had a painting exhibited in last year's show and we went up for the opening reception.  It was a wonderful show and therefore I was eager to enter again this year.  I am really happy to be included again!  What will be different this year is the show will be held online.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts the Club has been experiencing some renovations and it was supposed to be closed at this time to restore the ceiling in the main gallery to its original state as a huge skylight.  Because of that the AALP was going to have to find another location.  They were not able to find one that offered the space that the Salmagundi has and decided to take the bold step of holding the show online instead. When the Club announced that the skylight plan had been decided against and the regular show schedule could resume it was a little late for the AALP to reverse its plan.  So, this will be interesting.
       The show will open on Saturday, October 6th and will run until Sunday, December 30th.  All paintings on exhibit will be for sale and instructions for purchase will be posted online. There will be a catalogue of the exhibit for sale.  You can read about the American Artists Professional League by visiting their website
www.americanartistsprofessionalleague.org.   That is also the link you will need to view the show starting on Saturday.  I will keep listing it in future posts.
       I have some thoughts, both plus and minus, on the subject of online exhibits.  There are more and more of them and I would like to talk about that in my next post. Check back tomorrow for the Audubon painting!

Everything Going on at Once!

"September Afternoon at the Barn", 9x12 oil on gessoboard

      I have been away.  Just for a long weekend and I will talk about that in a moment but first I wanted to show you the finished painting that you could see on my plein air easel in the last post.  As I walked into the studio this morning and saw it sitting there along with the other paintings I did this summer I was struck by how bright, happy and up beat they all were.  You would think I had the most pleasant summer enjoying beautiful weather without a care in the world.  If you have been reading this blog then you know quite the opposite is true.  I shed a lot of tears this summer. 
     A comment was left on my last post questioning why art was so important to some of us. He asked for enlightenment from anyone out there.  I often wonder the same.  I sometimes get glimpses of why it is so for me.  I just made the observation that my paintings this summer were so different from my experience.  Clearly, for me, art does not always express what I am feeling but rather what I want to feel.  It was an escape for me this summer.  I missed painting so much.  I did what I could and when I did I wanted to be outdoors revelling in the light, colors and peace around me. I was not feeling peaceful but I found it in those moments.
       I have had two life long passions.  Horses and art.  My family and I have no idea why I have always adored horses and have needed to be near them.  I certainly wasn't surrounded by them in my childhood.  I lived just outside NYC in a suburban community and my mother had to drive me 45 minutes for a once a week riding lesson.  When I couldn't be near horses I painted and drew them.  I think I learned to draw because of horses. Owning a horse was out of the question. Again, it was something I didn't have but wanted and the drawings helped.  I could create whatever horse I desired.
      My mother had an easier time fanning the fire where my passion for art was concerned.  I had plenty of art supplies, art books and many trips to NYC to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Throughout my life my two passions have given me much.  They are somehow linked.  Sometimes more time is spent on the one rather than the other which was the case this summer.  However, I wonder how much the success of the summer paintings and the joy I had painting them was because of the troubles in the equine part of my life.

ON EXHIBIT:  A very busy fall is ahead.  I will give more information on these exhibits in separate posts but will mention here that I have been juried into the AUDUBON ARTISTS 70th ANNUAL SHOW and the AMERICAN ARTISTS PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE 84th GRAND NATIONAL.  Both shows open the end of this week and I will post the paintings and give you the information tomorrow.
     
SUNRISE, SUNSET, at the Salmagundi Club, NYC is in its last week and the final day for placing a bid on the paintings I showed you in the earlier posts will be Friday the 5th. 

COMING UP:  THE ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW at the Salmagundi which will open in November and
THE ANNUAL THUMB BOX SHOW at the Salmagundi which will open in December

      I mentioned I was away.....Thursday through Saturday we were in Ithaca New York which is one of my favorite places on earth.  Driving north was like driving through the seasons.  We left home in 80+ degree weather with green leaves on the trees.  By the time we were in Pennsylvania the temperature had dropped considerably and the fall colors were well underway. By the time we reached Ithaca it was 54 degrees and the leaves were almost at peak color!
      We were there both to see our granddaughter who is at Ithaca College and also to attend an event we sponsor each year at Cornell University.  I took so many photos with both my i phone and Nikon!  Everywhere I looked I could see a painting.  I have so many ideas in my head that I will have to start painting like crazy.  I will share below just two of the hundreds of images I took.  The two I show you here were taken on the inlet near the Cornell Boat House and we were heading out to the open water on Lake Cayuga.  Cayuga is one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.  All are very beautiful and deep glacial lakes. I hope you enjoy these photos.

Early morning, the launches heading out to view the crew races. I am taking this photo from the third launch

Two of the crews rowing for home

Gypsy Update

Painting in Progress, 9x12 oil on gessoboard

      Back in July I posted images of my mare Gypsy in the isolation unit at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center where she had colic surgery and was hospitalized for 19 days.  She came home the first week of August and everything was progressing nicely...until it wasn't.  She ended up back in the hospital last week heading back down the colic trail but happily we nipped this one in the bud.  Both episodes occurred after severe storms that brought a dramatic change in climate.  We are quite certain there is a connection.  Anyway, she is back home and we are picking up where we left off.  I am able to ride her at the walk now and since the property she lives on is very hilly we go hill climbing.  Needless to say my commitment to her has really had an impact on my plein air painting this summer.  The current weather is entirely too good to miss so today I packed my gear and after our ride, with Gypsy happily back in  her stall munching hay, I set up under a large shade tree and started this painting of the barn.
     The broad path you see runs all through the various fields and that is what Gypsy and I go walking on every morning.  Over hill and dale you could say:)  The barn is a perfect subject to paint with its white walls and bright red roof contrasting with the greens and golds of the trees and grass and the brilliant blue sky.  This little painting is off to a good start and I plan to finish it tomorrow.  There is a lot to paint here so I think my Jeep will stay packed with my gear.  I miss painting with my plein air group but at least I am out painting!  Most of my friends prefer to paint in the morning but since it is now cooler maybe I can convince some of them to join me here.

     ON EXHIBIT:  "Sunrise, Sunset" opened Monday at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.  As explained in my last post this is a silent auction.  Bidding started on Wednesday the 19th and will continue until the exhibit closes on Friday, October 5th.  Go to www.salmagundi.org to read more.  You can call to place a bid (212-255-7740)
     There will be a lot on the schedule this fall so be sure to check back to see what will be where!

Show Opens at the Salmagundi Club

Summer Evening, Millwood Pond, 8x10 oil on linen panel

     Today the exhibit "Sunrise, Sunset" opened at the Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Ave. NY, NY.  As I talked about in my last post I have three paintings in this show and all are sunset views of Millwood Pond in Great Falls, VA.   The show is a fundraiser for the Club building fund and sales will be by silent auction.  In the spirit of the event I have made the amount for my opening bid on each painting very low, just $160 each.  I must say my hope is that all three will be purchased as a set.  I became quite used to looking at them in that way while they resided in my studio. However, what will be will be.  All three are framed as you see here.
     This year the Salmagundi is making sure our 1852, historic club house remains structurally and aesthetically sound.  It is the last remaining brownstone mansion on lower 5th Avenue and if you care to take the virtual tour at www.salmagundi.org you will see it is a stunning building.  Recently the television show "Law and Order" used the two parlors on the main floor to shoot one of their episodes.  It was sort of fun to see it in a different context.  Anyway, part of the plan was to return the large tray ceiling in the main gallery back to its original state which was a huge glass and iron skylight.  We were all excited about the prospect of all that natural light!  There aren't many galleries that could boast a ceiling like that.  However, further studies made it clear that the huge expense would have required taking out a loan and there would also be maintenance expenses after completion.  The Board voted to retain the existing ceiling (which is already incredibly nice) and just improve the gallery lighting.  I was a little disappointed but I have to say they made the right decision.  It is wiser to spend the money on less sexy but vital improvements.  Also wiser not to be in debt!  Hence the additional fundraiser.  I say additional because traditionally there is a live auction every fall and spring.  The fall auction will be coming up in October.  The other advantage is that we are back on the annual show schedule which was going to be disrupted because of the construction.  So, I had better get cracking and decide what I am entering and get the pieces framed!

"Sunrise, Sunset"

"Summer Evening, Millwood Pond", 8x10 oil on linen panel

      "Sunrise, Sunset" is the theme of the upcoming exhibit in the main gallery at the Salmagundi Club in New York City.  All three of the paintings shown on this page have been juried into this show.  I have changed the titles from when I showed them in earlier posts because I didn't want to just go with the same title and then #1,2,3.  All were paintings done as studies for the large painting I did on commission in July 2011.  The commissioned painting is titled "Erik's Pond" as it is Erik who owns the beatiful Millwood Pond.  You can go back to my posts from July 2011 to see that painting in progress.  You will quickly see that it was study #3 which was the one Erik chose as the model for the final painting.

"Afterglow on Millwood Pond", 8x10 oil on linen panel

     The exhibit will run from Monday, September 17 through Friday, October 5, 2012.  What is interesting is that the paintings will be sold via silent auction and 50% of the sale will go to the Club BuildingFund.  (More about that in another post) Rather than price the paintings we have been asked to put a minimum bid amount for each painting.  We have also been asked to keep the minimum bid low to encourage bidding and sales.  I have done that.  The opening bid for each of these works will be only $160!  So, if any of you out there have been thinking you would like to own one of my paintings this is a great opportunity to get one at a very good price. 
     The auction will begin on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH.  So, mark  you calendars!

"Millwood Pond, Sunset" 8x10 oil on panel

     If  you want to place a bid you should contact the Salmagundi Club starting on that date.  The address is 47 5th Ave., NY, NY 10003.  The phone number is 202-255-7740.
I will post more information as I receive it and there may be a way to place a bid online.  I will find out.  Meanwhile, I have to hustle and get these packed and shipped in time for receiving up there. 
     I think this will be a beautiful exhibit.  I can only imagine the impact of color upon entering the gallery! www.salmagundi.org

Sunfish Off Daingerfield Island

"Sunfish Off Daingerfield Island", 12x24 oil on gessoboard

     As anticipated it didn't take long to finish this painting today.  I have renamed it preferring this title to the title in my last post.  At the end I found it tricky to indicate the figures on the boats but felt they were necessary.  It was important that they just be tiny gestures.  I also questioned the wisdom of the brightly colored sail on the boat in the foreground and briefly turned it to white but I didn't like it so I went back to the colors.  I started with them more muted but one of the last things I did was amp up the color because I just plain liked it that way.  To support the stronger color I made sure I put more warm tones in the water beneath the boat. I added a pronounced, orangey shadow and allowed more of the orange underpainting show through the blue paint in that part of the painting. Without those additions the boat would have look tacked on.  So, now I need to put it out of harms way.  That is to say I need to put it in the closet so I don't fiddle with it.  This is a happy, spontaneous painting and I want to keep it that way:)

     I received a shipment of frames today so tomorrow I will unpack them and frame some pieces to take to the Art League on Monday.  I enjoy framing my paintings.  I like to put on an old movie when I frame and just relax.  I can't decide what I want to start next but I have a number of paintings in mind and will start sketching them out.  I do need to have a black and white in play because so much of my work time is stretching into the evening. I can work on the black and whites in changing light much more easily than works in color.

     GYPSY UPDATE: She is doing really, really well. I spend the mornings with her and usually get home around 1:30.  We have a routine down and she seems to thrive on it.  I hand walk her and graze her everyday and as I look at her it is as though she is slowly being inflated back to her normal self.  The weight is finally starting to come back on.  I have been taking photos and will choose a good one to upload on my next post.
     www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com