"L.I.Changing" at Art-O-Mat

Show reception Thursday, December 4th, 6-9pm


Packing up the paintings today. Glassine, plastic and cardboard. Although this work doesn't have far to travel - a mere 3 blocks - I've learned that it is very important to pack the artwork well. I spend a lot of time working on these paintings and it's heartbreaking when they are delivered back from a show poorly packed and damaged.

Monday they head to the gallery and by Thursday evening, all will be hung, lit and ready for an audience. The folks at Art-O-Mat are as excited about this show as I am and have decided to extend the run through February 8th, so the work will have a nice long stretch.

I've also been busy printing, matting and framing prints of the paintings to sell. I try to have work available in a variety of price ranges so that people who like my work but might not be able to afford a painting, can have a nice print. I needed more frames so last Tuesday a friend and I decided to take the B61 bus that stops by my studio to Ikea in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We boarded the bus around 4 pm and didn't arrive until 5:25 pm! I had no idea that this bus was a real local and the route meandered though Greenpoint, downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Boro Park, and finally Red Hook. The new Google Maps feature on the iPhone showed us exactly where we were and the route really did not travel in a straight line. An adventure in travel.

Another project has come to fruition as well, the Artists of L.I.C. 2009 Calendar, sponsored by Art-O-Mat. They were delivered yesterday and I helped deliver batches of the calendars to some of the restaurants that contributed toward the production costs. It turned out nicely and the work is very varied, showing artists perceptions of the community in different media. I'm "Miss September" and was happy to be a part of the project. The calendars will be on sale during my show and I expect to see them scattered throughout the neighborhood.



For a link to Art-O-Mat and the press release click here

LIC show fast approaching

2 weeks to go and counting...

"LIC/Mario's"
Oil on canvas
8 x 10 inches

This painting depicts a stretch of stores and restaurants on Vernon Blvd., a street having an old time feel to it. I stop by Mario's Deli every so often for a sandwich and the place is bustling with neighborhood denizens and workers, many speaking with a pretty heavy Queens accent that makes me smile.

Very busy with all of the last minute details of getting my show ready for the opening on December 4th at Art-O-Mat. I'm very excited about exhibiting this past years body of work and I've been doing a lot of legwork too, handing out my brochures to neighborhood restaurants and businesses, getting the word out. One sale so far, so some of the hard work is starting to show results. An LIC-calendar project sponsored through Art-O-Mat is also in the works and will be going to the printer next week. The calendar will feature 13 LIC artists and my painting, "LIC/Meeting at Brooks" will be featured in September.

Yet another project I've been working on in conjunction with this exhibit is compiling two books of my entire LIC-themed body of work, featuring paintings dating from the early 1980's to the present. "L.I.Changing" Volumes I and II are done. They are being printed through the magic of iPhoto and will be offered for sale at Art-O-Mat in December. I will also have the books available for sale online, just have to work out the details, more to come on that soon.

I think that for an artist, the few weeks before a show opening is an incredibly exciting, if sometimes overwhelming time, and I'm enjoying every minute.

Simon Says

Paul Simon at Barnes & Noble


Went to hear Paul Simon at the Union Square Barne's and Noble last night. It was a standing room only crowd and I spent time craning my neck to get a glimpse of this legendary musician. I attended a bunch of Simon and Garfunkel concerts in my younger years. An interesting hour spent listening to this songwriter speak about his craft and share a few anecdotes on his early days. The hour ended with Simon singing "The Only Living Boy in New York" to rousing applause.

Got me thinking about my early days and I remembered that I had done a painting from the cover of the "Bookends" album when it was released back in 1968. I was a very young artist, just learning my craft, and I remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom with my canvas and paints, trying to copy the portrait on the album cover while listening to the record on my little record player, getting up to turn the disc over and play it again once it had finished. Here is a very, very early painting, that I thought would be fun to share. I realized early on that I was not meant to be a portrait painter and luckily I found my niche painting the urban landscape instead.


"Untitled"
Oil on canvas
24 x 18
circa 1968

Veterans Day 2008

Remembering those who fought

"9:40 P.M."
Oil on ca nvas
24 x 18 inches
Sold

A sunny and crisp fall day in NYC and the parade is gearing up to march down Fifth Avenue. I always think about my Dad on Veteran's Day - he was one of the thousands fighting in WWII in Europe. With much prodding he told a tale or two but was pretty tight-lipped about his experiences during the war. I can't imagine what this shy, young kid from Brooklyn faced in the early 40's.

This painting, done several years ago, has the Metropolitan Life Tower patriotically lit up in the old red, white and blue, with the Empire State building in the background. Just love the city at night.

A favorite singer/songwriter of mine, Tom Russell, wrote "Veteran's Day", a moving song about the VFW hall up the block, according to the liner notes. Well worth checking out this guy, click here for his website

The Greenwich Workshop Gallery SmallWorks™North America

2008 Exhibition and Sale

"Madison Reflections II"
Oil on canvas
12x9 inches

I was delighted to have this painting accepted into this small works exhibition at the Greenwich Workshop Gallery in Fairfield, CT. It is a large show of small works with an emphasis on realism. This reflection painting is realistic yet...

The exhibit begins on November 21. You are invited to view the art online now and vote for a favorite - click here

NYC Marathon

Here they come...

"LIC Marathon"
Oil on canvas
8 x 10 inches
Sold

The NYC Marathon is set for tomorrow, the weather forecast is good and thousands of runner's will be traversing the boroughs and bridges, pushing past "the wall" to reach the finish line. My studio is located at the exact halfway point in the race - 13 miles. It's pretty exciting waiting for the first marathoner's to appear over the crest of the Pulaski Bridge, leaving Brooklyn and entering Queens. The disabled participants are first to be seen, to great cheering, and then the front runners fly by. After that they just keep coming and coming and coming...thousands of runners from all over the world. I did this painting several years ago and have seen the race many times.

A great event for this great city. Enjoy!