3rd Session on "Above Cayuga's Waters"

"Above Cayuga's Waters", 24x30 oil on linen

     I have almost finished this one and if I had started earlier today I would have.  I want to work on the shoreline and when you click the image to enlarge it you will see I have scratched in an indication of masts and rigging that will belong to some sail boats docked in front of the central group of trees.  I am sure there will be other minor tweaking before I am finished.

      The scene is on Lake Cayuga in Ithaca New York and viewed on the top of the hill is Cornell University. The title is taken from the first line of the Cornell alma mater, "Far above Cayuga's waters with its waves of blue reared against the arch of heaven looks she proudly down".
      Just indicated in the mist is the Clock Tower on the right and second from the left is the I.M. Pei Johnson Art Museum.  My husband and I were out on a launch on the lake at dawn early this fall.  The mist had already lifted from the surface of the lake and had just made it over the trees.  There were so many beautiful moments that weekend.  I will have to do some paintings from memory and maybe use some photos to use as light references.  This one was a composite of three photos I took from the launch.  I combined the sky as it appeared in one with the view of Cornell in another and the shoreline with sailboats from a photo taken further up the lake.  Together I think they make a good composition.

Gypsy and me enjoying the mist on Sunday here in Mclean

    Speaking of mist.....Yesterday, Sunday, four members of the ALPAP's (Art League Plein Air Painters) were to join me to paint above the Potomac from the property where Gypsy lives.  We were hoping for the promised sun breaking through the fog in the afternoon to provide some beautiful atmospheric affects to paint.  Instead we had a white out.  As the fog thickened the mist became heavier and we decided to try again next week.  Jack Dyer soldiered on and when his paper was too wet to sketch on he reverted to photography.  I know he got some good shots around the stable area.  I took the opportunity to give Gypsy some exercise and Jack took some wonderful photos of us.  It is rare for me to have photos of the two of us together as I am usually behind the camera.  Looking at her here it is hard to imagine I was so close to losing her in July.  She has made an amazing come back!

       The paintings from yesterday's post are on their way to New York.  They will be on exhibit in the Main Gallery at the SALMAGUNDI CLUB www.salmagundi.org from JANUARY 21st to FEBRUARY 8th.

Getting Ready to Ship to the Black and White Exhibit at the Salmagundi



"Snow in the Park", 11x14 oil on gessoboard

 TaaDaa, an image!  This did not get here by the usual means. Actually I found my way to Picasa Images where my blogger images are stored once they are uploaded here from my computer.  Since I was unable to load new photos directly here any longer I tried uploading first to Picasa and then uploading them here from that site.  It takes longer but it works.  I will now try to find out why I have to do it that way but for the moment I would prefer to catch up with my blogging and showing you paintings.  I am holding my breath because I am going to attempt another one and am not sure how to get back.  Here goes....  IT WORKED!


"Starbucks", 11x14 oil on gessoboard

      The upper painting is of Central Park in the Snow and is painted from memory. I spent many a pleasant time trudging through the park in winter when I was in college and for some years afterward.  I loved to take photos there.  "Starbucks" was painted in the early fall and is the Starbucks I frequent when in Old Town Alexandria.  It is at the corner of Union and King and initially that was the title.  Starbucks just seemed a better choice.        The paintings will ship out tomorrow and the show will open Monday, January 21, 2013 and run until Friday, February8, 2013.  If you are in NY I hope you will stop in and also enjoy a wonderful Salmagundi Dinner, Lunch or Sunday Brunch. www.salmagundi.org
       It is now 2:00 in the morning and I will put a comma here.  It was one of those nights when I couldn't sleep because my mind was trying to find solutions to things.  I knew I wouldn't doze off without giving this a try and I am surprised and delighted that it works!

Keep Checking In!

      I continue to work on the image problem and if all fails with Blogger I will look into creating a blog on my website.  Please don't give up on me!  Do check in from time to time because if I do move my blog I can redirect you from here.  I have to believe there is a solution with this site and we just haven't found it yet.  I am not alone reporting this issue but I guess there are not enough of us for Blogger to pay attention to us.  Other problems seem to be more common and they are putting their efforts there.

      Work in the studio continues.  "Above Cayuga's Waters" approaches completion.  My commissioned work "Clouds and Gulls", based on the 8x10 inch plein air painting that sold this month at the Salmagundi Club, is complete and will be delivered to the new owners in North Carolina along with "Blowing" which they have also decided to purchase. 

      We are having quite a warm up here in Virginia and the Art Leage Plein Air Painters (ALPAPs) are springing to life.  There is a paint out this afternoon in Great Falls and we may have another tomorrow.  Today is foggy and gray but that can inspire some interesting painting.
www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

      

What No Image? That's What I Said!

       Well, this is a first.  A post without an image:(  This is not my choice but what Blogger has left me with.  Do I know why?  No!  All I know is that I have wanted to upload images and post for over a week now and I do not have a browser button.  Okay, so things go wrong from time to time. Surely this must be fixable.  Thus far it has not been.  I went immediately to the help section, I obediently followed the suggestions from Blogger and made the appropriate adjustments but NADA!  I am unable to reach a human being.  I have rebooted my computer numerous times and still nothing.  I accessed my blog from my husband's computer and still the same problem.  I tried my laptop that I often post from and there I don't even get to see a tool bar.  I am pretty exasperated as I do enjoy blogging and my blog is about my paintings which I can't show you.  I checked the help forum and I see a number of people have the same complaint but there is nothing said about what is being done.  If anyone out there has gone through this and has some ideas I am all ears!

     So, about the paintings.  I am busy at work on a 24x30 inch painting on linen titled "Above Cayuga's Waters".  The scene is at daybreak with mist rising off the inlet to the lake and the palette is more muted than my recent paintings.  I am enjoying it and wish I could show you!  I would also like to show you the two paintings I am sending off the the Salmagundi Club for the annual Black and White show.  If you go to my website and hit on Black and White on the menu you can see one of the paintings "Starbucks", the second one "Snow in the Park" has not been uploaded yet but I will do so soon.  www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com 
      I will keep trying to work things out on Blogger and perhaps in my next post I will be able to show you the most recent paintings.  As I hope you come to this Blog to see, not just to read about paintings it doesn't make much sense for me to keep blogging without images.

    

Season's Greetings!

Ginger, Twinkle and Lucky

     The year has been a whirlwind!  It has definitely been one of highs and lows.  Although I have much to be thankful for during this holiday season I am very aware of the sadness, despair and pain being suffered by so many others.  It is difficult to feel the joy and peace that the songs of the season extoll.  Somehow we really have to do better.  We have the tools and the intelligence.
       My family (human, canine and equine) is healthy and happy.  I can't ask for more than that!  I hope that many of my readers can say the same.

       My last post was quite some time ago.  I have been busy like the rest of you bustling around getting ready for the holidays.  I have also been busy in the studio with sketching, prepping plein air panels and framing.  I know better than to start anything major until after the first of the year.  I hate working in a stop and go mode and it always shows in the paintings.  I only have a small bit of work to do on the commission I talked about which is a large version of the small plein air painting I showed you "Clouds and Gulls".  As soon as it is finished I will post it.

We are planning to be on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for New Years and if you go back to the posts at the end of December 2011 you can see the plein air work I did there last year.  We had extraordinary weather and I am hoping for the same this year.  I will have plenty to work on in the studio when we come home.
     This will probably be my last post until after Christmas.  I want to wish you all health, happiness, optimism, prosperity, in short...everything good!  We need it.  You deserve it!
www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

Gypsy

Show Time

"Morning, Washington Square Park" 20x16 oil on gessoboard

This is always a busy time of the year because of the holidays but it is also busy because of the number of art exhibits going on.  There have been plenty all fall and I will be hopping  until the end of January. 

The painting on the left, "Morning, Washington Square Park" is currently on exhibit at THE ART LEAGUE GALLERY in Alexandria for this month's juried all media show. The show opened Wednesday, December 5th and will be on display until January 2nd. You can view the entire show by going to the webpage www.theartleague.org and click on the Flkr symbol. The inspiration for the painting was the same August morning I spent in that park (which is located in Greenwich Village, NYC) and was inspired to paint "5th and Waverly".  That painting was on exhibit last month at the Salmagundi Club, NYC.

     THE 104th ANNUAL THUMB BOX SHOW at the SALMAGUNDI CLUB opened last night and will be on exhibit until January 7th 2013.  This show is one of my favorites.  It is a much anticipated show each year for many New Yorkers as it is an opportunity to purchase a small gem of a painting for a small price!  Perfect for finding the perfect gift for the holidays. No image can be larger than 8x10 inches. This year I sent two 8x10 inch plein air paintings from the Outer Banks as well as an 8x6 inch painting of my granddaughter Jesse knitting.  This 2012 show looks especially good and there truly is something there for everyone.  If you go to the Salmagundi Blog, The Salmagundian www.thesalmagundian.com and go to the December 3rd post you can take a virtual tour of the show wall by wall.  My paintings come up towards the end on frame 69.  Below are the three paintings I have in the show.  I should say "had" in the show as "Clouds and Gulls" sold last night at the opening.  Since the show will be running until January I have the option to send another painting up to replace the one that sold.  I plan to do that.

                                                                    

                                                      

                                                                       "Clouds and Gulls" 8x10 oil on linen panel



               "The Knitter" 8x6 oil on linen panel            

"Deer Track on the Dune" 8x10 oil on linen panel

                  

ALSO ON EXHIBIT:  From my last post..."Storm Clouds Over Morven Park" is on exhibit in the lobby of the Marion duPont Scott, Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia

Online through December 30th....THE AMERICAN ARTISTS PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE'S 84th GRAND NATIONAL.  "Camelot on the Potomac" is on exhibit there.
www.americanartistsprofessionalleague.org
Also online through December 30th....THE 77th AUDUBON ARTISTS ANNUAL EXHIBIT. "Morning at River Bend" is on exhibit in that show.
www.audubonartists.org

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

SOLD and off to a wonderful new home "May Morning Above the Potomac" will now be residing above the Potomac down river from where it was painted.  Dick and I had the pleasure of delivering this painting to its new owner and assisting in hanging it.  It is beautifully placed and I am proud to be the new addition to this collectors fine collection of landscape paintings. I have also received an invitation from the owner to come paint from the balcony with a magnificent view of Old Town Alexandria, the Potomac and the Wilson Bridge.  I plan on doing just that this spring!

www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com

A Return to the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center

Dr. James Brown and me with "Storm Clouds Over Morven Park"
(Morven Park is the adjoining property and what I was looking towards)

This time I returned to the Equine Center sans horse but with this painting in tow instead.  Gypsy was back home happily munching hay having made a full recovery from her surgery this summer.  Some of you who are long time readers of this blog are familiar with the saga of Gypsy during July, August and September.  Dr. Brown was her surgeon and he performed emergency colic surgery on her on July 11th.  That was the beginning of a 19 day odyssey. If you go back to my July and August entries you can read the story and see this painting progress from the beginning.

      Regarding the painting....I believe it was July 18th when this massive thunderstorm was rolling in as I was preparing to leave the Center.  I knew I needed to get on the road and beat the storm home but I just had to take some photos first.  As I was doing that words went through my head such as, overwhelming, frightening, threatening, uncertain but beautiful.  I was aware that some of those words described what my experience there at the Equine Center was.  When I got home I printed out some of the photos and got to work on drawings as I knew I wanted to paint this. Working in the studio after my visits really helped me to unwind.  The title ,"Storm Clouds Over Morven Park",was clear from the beginning.  I know it is an obvious metaphor but it certainly was not contrived.  The drawing selected, the canvas prepared and the layout oil sketched in, I started the painting in earnest the day Gypsy came home.  It only took a couple of days to complete as I knew exactly what I wanted.  I also knew that I wanted this painting to help me thank and give support back to the Equine Center.
       The painting will be on display in the lobby of the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Center in Leesburg Virginia.  It is for sale and all the proceeds of the sale will go to the Center as an unrestricted gift. We timed the delivery of it to coincide with the beginning of a series of Tuesday Talks which will take place there in the lobby.  Dr. Brown will be giving the first talk this Tuesday evening, December 4th at 7:00 PM and I look forward to attending.
      Anyone interested in the purchase of this painting should contact Richard Gargagliano rgargagl@vt.edu or Sharon Peart speart@vt.edu. at the Virginia Tech Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.  You might also enjoy an online visit to the Equine Center at www.vetmed.vt.edu/emc/.  You can take a virtual tour and also read about all the state of the art medical assistance available there.

I love this photo of Gypsy taken a couple of days before our discharge.
She looked so wistful, I wonder what she was thinking...