Tranquility

Here is a photo which I took of a koi pond in Muenster, Germany last summer. Isn't it peaceful yet flowing with life?
I think that these fish are one of the most tranquil beings on earth. What brings you to tranquility?
...

This and that

One more of Marshall's pastel paintings... or two... aren't they lovely? From the 33 series.The one below is perhaps my favorite. He starts these deep lush pastels on colored paper which give such a great depth to the work. Something about tree bark! Perhaps that is what draws me in to Ashley G's work so much... (yes i have four now of her originals) and Lisa at Bird in the Hand's work too... come to think of it, we also have four of Lena Corwin's plates, two of the Springtime limited editions with a tree on it. Yes, I am a tree hugger!



Smile! Marshall and ... like a bear loves honey ...


Pat and her selfportrait ... I adore her style!


Here is Tom with something completely different from him... wonder where those poppies came from...

Busy teaching and packing here for a road trip to Montreal this long weekend - visiting dear friends there and McGill University for daughter number one. And to celebrate DH's birthday too... how about a boost of culture as well. I promise to take a lot of photos to share. Will be on an art hunt for public art and lots of design goodies for Tuesday.

The word for the day is ... twist ... as a peel in your gimlet, a nice bending exercise and that ever popular peppermint twist of a dance.

Marshall Carbee

For the past couple of months or so I have been in touch with Marshall Carbee after meeting him via the lovely Albina Colden at her opening this past spring at artstream. He invited me over to his studio (as seen in the photos) in the Button Factory in Portsmouth on Saturday for lunch and a chat about his upcoming exhibition with us next year at the gallery. I took a ton of photos and well, this is all I could come up with for you! (sorry Marshall, our hammy ones by the window just didn't make the cut!)

He has lived the life of an artist sincerely since he was a small child. At age 10 he began working half of his school days at the Derryfield School and the other half at the Currier art school. I saw a woodcut which he did at age 10. It was beautiful. There is little he has not tried in media from working on films - (one of my favorites Basquiat, he painted all of the paintings in that film!) to pen and ink,marble sculpture, constructions to welded sculpture and jewelry to paintings with pastel, oil or acrylic. Mixed media, large scale photo montage, you name it he
has tried it. And has done it very well. My kind of artist. We had a nice lunch together chatting about and viewing a ton of his work, it just went on forever. I heard a lot of interesting stories too of his life in Paris and New York, as well as the work he did for PeeWee's Playhouse and the mutant toy animals... (think Toy Story and Sid) Just so wonderful Creepy! There is just too much to go into here so ...
You have to read his bio. You must visit his website to view more of his work. Here's the bio:
American artist Marshall Carbee has exhibited his painting, sculpture, and works on paper in one-man shows in cities around the world, including New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Caracas and Tokyo. In May of 2004 over 100 of Carbee's works were displayed in a one -man show at Tuft's University. A prolific and gifted artist, Carbee's work hangs in galleries and private collections in Europe and North and South America. He was twice nominated to Esquire's prestigious annual register of Americans Under Forty, a list of young people who have made significant contributions in their fields.

Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, Carbee graduated from University of New Hampshire, where he participated in the school's first fine arts program. His studies there resulted in the formulation of his own curricular innovation, a degree awarded in the discipline of drawing. Shortly after graduating, he illustrated a children's book, The Magic Board, which was a gift from his alma mater to the regional public school system. In conjunction with the Portsmouth Community Action Program, he also founded an art school for underprivileged children.

In the 1980's, Carbee founded the Pine Family, Inc., a production company that worked extensively with NHK, the Japanese public broadcasting network to produce twenty-two documentaries focusing on international economic and environmental concerns and ongoing status of U.S.-Japan relations.

A succession of multimedia projects led Carbee to participate in music videos and movies, and his work can be seen in films by Robert Altman, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Julian Schnabel, Richard Donner, and Ang Lee, among others. His film credits include Men in Black, Eraser, Donnie Brasco, Conspiracy Theory, The Ice Storm, and Basquiat.

Carbee worked on several television projects in New York including Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, Sesame Street, Regis and Kathy Lee, All My Children, and One Life to Live. Among his television credits, Carbee's work provided the prototype for the original Mutant Toyland of Pee Wee's Playhouse. His production design for the music video of Michael Jackson's Grammy Award-winning single "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" features Carbee's miniature set design and original animation. He has created artwork for special events and industrial shows for such recording artists as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Joe Cocker, Cheap Trick, Meatloaf, Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand, and the Rolling Stones.

In 1996, Carbee turned his hand to filmmaking. He wrote, produced, and directed the short film I'll Be Yours Forever, for which he was honored with a nomination for the Discovery Award, presented by the New Hampshire Humanities Council to an artist working in a new medium.

In 2004, Carbee's bio-crystalline conceptual art project, "Minor to Major, DC", created on September 7, 2001 for the White House in Washington, DC, became part of the private art collection of Mrs.Laura Bush. On September 7, 2001, four days before the attacks, Carbee photographed major league baseball bases filled with Herkimer diamonds placed around the White House. Included in the piece is a sculpture of a white marble "First Base", images of the four bases surrounding the White House, and a nameless street map of the neighborhood.

Resident in Paris and New York, Carbee also maintains a studio near his home on the New England coast. Carbee's visual column 1502GDD is published weekly in The Wire, an arts and public affairs newspaper. On his beach property stand four cement blocks, the last remains of Marconi's antenna tower for the first wireless transmission across the Atlantic. Carbee hosts a community radio program called Culture Waves on WSCA-LP 106.1 FM, Portsmouth Community Radio. The program can be heard Thursdays 6:00 to 7:00 PM streaming over the web at www.wirenh.com.

What more can I say? His work just speaks to me. Keep watching this space. More of Marshall to come.
The word for the day is ... prolific ... as in more and more and more, someone who can produce the goods and the steady stream of rain we keep seeming to attract in New England this June.

Shiny Moments - Art Shoes

Hello again... busy week here with children hopping off to camp, garden tending time and some days to kick back and enjoy the beach with family. Feels good to me and I can say my garden is a wee bit happier too! Today after the camp excursion, I had some painting time in the studio too. So nice. Will share later this week when they are done.

Besides being a full time artist for the past 20 years, I have been teaching art for the past 15 years in my own little school - first called Academy Artworks and for the past four years, artstream. I really love teaching art. On my own turf. In addition to this I have been fortunate enough to work with children and adults in artist in residence positions in many area private and public schools, libraries and community organizations. It has been very rewarding and I really enjoy seeing some of the children (and a few adults!) grow up and go to art school too! I have been Art Director for two major projects both at the Community Campus in Portsmouth and in Rochester at the Public Library. The links show a little bit about each process. What am I leading up to? I have decided to add a feature here at the blog, which shares methods and ideas which I have used over the past years to instruct both children and adults in fine art.
One Shiny Moment a week and they will be archived in my Books, Art and Images storehouse area. For now. Some are my own concoctions, others are modified from a variety of inspirations. I will do my best to remember who inspired what and share that too!
So we will start off with something simple. Something which you can do with your family, by yourself or a group. Hey, here is our new mahogany steps to our soon to be patio which dear Adam finished yesterday. No beer on the back steps has been sweeter. Thanks Adam!

Art Shoes
Get some old shoes. One will do. Clean them off properly and relace them (when finished painting) with flashy ribbons or cords, glitter trim or seam binding.
Whatever floats your boat and inspires your shoe!
Pull out some acrylic paint and small brushes. Redo masterpieces, get bold and create a wild graphic design, use your imagination and follow the shoes inherent pattern and style to create something new and yours alone. Let your inner child painter flow.
When the shoe is dry, coat it with a gloss acrylic medium to keep those colors bright.
Fill it with dirt and plant an annual, a small ivy or posie of your liking. The one I am showing here is four years old and stays in the garden all summer long.
It has housed impatients, marigolds and cockscomb... I have had over 200 students make these shoes *and boots!* and they are all different. This art project was inspired by a woman at a craft fair in Northern NH who planted flowers in discarded boots and shoes.
I hope you will enjoy trying this little Shiny Moment.
The word for the evening is ... Margarita ... as in one great cocktail.

More cats, designer style

Check out this high designin' kitty at Bruce Andrew McKay's site! He is totally in the pink...
bigcatheads ~ the blog: Karim Rashid's Cat - 36" x 48".

From Davis Studio: Diana Fayt

I had to post this via Davistudios find in Diana Fayt. Truly beautiful truly everything I like about pottery from the graphics to the forms and the colors. Her story is terrific too, make sure you click away to see this work from a talented potter. davistudio: Modern Table Art: Diana Fayt - Another Blogging Potter!
If you haven't seen Davistudio yet, on the way, you must! Tell Mary Ann I sent you.
Davistudio work is available at artstream as well!
Oh yes, by the way, the beach was so incredibly beautiful yesterday, I can not begin to explain it in mere words. BLISS!
The word for the day is ... yes ... as in Yoko Ono's early work, the right answer to many questions, and a band from the 60's ...

Treasure Boxes

click to enlarge

Here is a box of trinkets - the pendants sans neck pieces which I have not put together yet. I am not a collector of things, however ... I adore containers. A nod to usefulness, tidyness, and a general sense of place for everything-ness I guess. I like cigar boxes, altoids tins, containers of every kind. Boxes, tins, containers, glass jars, vessels of all sorts ... Ask Cilla! We spent yesterday at IKEA- below Boston, getting containers for daughter Chloe's built in closet which Rainer made for her. It was Cilla's first trip to IKEA.
It was mind bending for her. I am always amazed when I go to IKEA because they are the same worldwide. It is a fun trip, for vessel shopping. I am not overly interested in the furniture, but I am interested in the textiles, the vessels, the lighting, and sometimes the frames. We dawdled and poked around as one does on the first trip. DH, Rainer had quite a time with me in Germany at his local IKEA and my "first visit". He soon after sent me a link to a funny funny article/spoof game here.
We go about oncea year, and this year's trip was fun with Cilla along, finishing up the closet portion of Chloe's bedroom. It is almost complete! Her curtains are finished, thanks to Cynthia's Designs and ReproDepot fabric - found through a tip from the best design blog out there - design*sponge - [thanks Grace!] and after today's trip to the beach, we should be very close to assembling the room to shoot some photos of the finished masterpiece. I am so proud of DH's handywork from laying a floor, creating a built in closet to general painting, wallpaper removal (including Cilla here on the wallpaper removal ... thanks again!) and window rebuilding. What a handyman! Here is one sneak shot of the almost finished built ins! The baskets fit perfectly. A place for everything and everything in it's place!

What's in your treasure box? Tell me!

The word for the day is ... sand ... as in finish work for the carpenter, the stuff at the beach between your toes and a yummy cake from Germany!

Dance

"tree " ink and Caran D'ache 28 x 28

Sometimes you just have to dance, move, stretch. Illustration Friday, reminded me of that. My daughters are dancers and I have yet to draw or paint them dancing... maybe that will be next? I move to yoga. Yoga is something which I adore and have been away from for awhile. Let's not say how long. I am committing to go back this summer. Infact I will be taking my daughter Grace along with me. We are excited!
This piece is a work done directly in ink, colored with Caran D'ache. I am making more of these as they are challenging and fun to make marks directly, no pencils no erasers. Sort of "just do it mode" and "go for it mode"
What do you think? Stick figure yes, but does it "dance" for you?

The word for the day is ... plant ... as in your garden, your ideas to sprout and your feet firmly on the sillouette of the shoe prints , 1,2,3, cha - cha - cha!

bigcatheads ~ the blog: Artstream Show

mj and tom

Bruce McKay and Rainer did have a shoot out with their cameras ... read all about it below at Bruce's blog. The opening was delightful, followed by a second event on Saturday night, Moonlight Madness hosted by CORE. Art Esprit the group had their first ever fundraiser: Art and Book sale. It was a huge success! To say the very least I am rather pooped out and going back to enjoying my Sunday afternoon in the garden... enjoy the photos! And a huge huge thanks for Bruce and Nora driving down from Toronto and Mitchell driving up from New Mexico! The show is just shimmering with color and life. You must come see it!
There are no words for today as it all is just too beautiful for words!

ashely bullard

mitchell and marshall

mitchell

judith and david
bigcatheads ~ the blog: Artstream Show

Thinking about art

Here is the painting from Bruce Andrew McKay entitled Fatherhood, which is hanging in the front window of artstream. It is a great show and we had a lovely time meeting everyone last night. I am pretty knackered from the events and so will keep this short now.
During the blur of yesterday ...Thinking about art with J.T. Kirkland posted my interview yesterday. In the rush of the show, I didn't get a chance to share it so here it is. He has a great site and very cool art projects - as well as being a very accomplished artist.Lots of photos to download from last night and another busy day so ... will leave you with this one for now of Bruce, his lovely wife Nora and Adam at the start of the opening.

The word for the day is ... complete ... as in all the right elements!

Almost there...

Last night, late night layout, layout, move it around. again. again. again.

ah yes, let's use the electric screw driver... it is so much quieter than the hammer...

voila! in the morning light...

More rearranging after a second look this morning... dear Adam worked very hard as you can see above. Joanna was still smiling for a photo after a very long week with me.
She transcends superlatives. brilliance. stick-to-it-ness. patience. (ya have to have a lot of that with me) neatness. attention to details. Ditto for Adam. They are wonderful as in completely.
Here is a shot into the front left bay window. Pretty neat. Bruce Andrew McKays Cats! Mary Ann Davis's pottery, confetti colored miso bowls and juice cups next to Jane Kaufmann's Iris Orb and Jerry Glynn's new sculpture. There are the poppies, Mitchell's small works and the new case. How exciting!
Claudine Hellmuth's wall in the main gallery...

Click here for a quicky slide show of some of the hoopla in hanging this exhibition. Tomorrow we will show action shots and final layouts and more importantly, the actual artists and our guests!
Gonna ask DH if we can do a live remote for the evening... oh joy!
One more metal sculpture of Ron Fountains
"Silver Leaves" Go over here to see more with prices.

eQuinox show was set up too... Angela Gwinner's lovely summer photos and
One of the two walls of Michelle Caplans fabulous collages!
... and for those who wish to see pendants without the Australian Medallion feel to them!
on waxed linen and rolled leather cord. Thanks for the input and for asking...

The word for the day is ... bliss ... (doesn't that just have a lovely ring to it?) a state of mind, body and soul.

Sidetracked

click on the image to enlarge photo

Phew... 10 p.m. and we finally finished hanging the show. hooray for Adam, for without Adam there would be no show. Hooray for Joanna or I would have gone nuts this week! More on this tomorrow...
And now for something completely different.


I have this preoccupation during the winter to do things out of my comfort zone. This winter was the same as four winters ago - make jewelry. Four winters ago I made about 100 tiny white fimo doves. Maybe, I will snap a shot of them tomorrow, just forgot about it today with all the activity here. I had this idea to make them into earrings and necklaces and who knows what. With the help of Rhonda, I did get a (0ne) pair made. The rest are still a restless flock waiting for inspiration to move them forward.

This winter I choose white stoneware clay, which I am much more familiar with. I decided to make pendants from a small circle pressed from a little amber jar (which would fit about two tablespoons of something in it) and experiment with the little circle by carving and mark making.

Again, focusing on the actual pendant and not the assemblage of said necklaces, I forged ahead.
I made about 50 of the circle pendants, each with different marks and ideas. I enjoy pushing myself into making multiples of "things" (but each different still) sometimes and this was no exception. I keep the extras in a cigar box as well, how many of these "things" do I really need to "have on hand"? I knew I wanted to use acrylic paints, shoepolish and ink to color the marks and pendants themselves, as well I wanted to use satin ribbon for a bit of a conflict/tension in the final look. Rough meets smooth. But how to put them together?

It took awhile but with the help and ideas of Amy Oullette and a couple of other lampworkers and beaders, it all came together. Here are a few of the final pieces resting on top of one of my gelatin monotypes. I am MUCH more comfortable working with printmaking. So there you have it.
Clay pendants - my latest crafty bit. Nothing overly special, but man the process was just so much fun! So it is perhaps my best crafting effort in the past six months. Tiny scultpures in a way to me!

Inspire me Thursdays!
had a little hand in this too! Go see some more inspired work there ...

The word for the day is ... puzzle ... as in many aspects of life, how to fit four artists work together in one space, and what the heck was THAT about?

Some of today, in photos

She vowed by Claudine Hellmuth - wow!

orb jars and split jars by Sarah Burns ... vessels with entirely new scuptural meanings!

Shuffling art around, there are some main stays in the gallery at all times! As we hang the show, we reorder works from artists and here are some of the items coming through and moving around today...

Mary Ann Davis Pottery ...more on the way!

Egg-a-go-go! Handpainted pillows ... lovely!

the giant iris raku orb by the incomparable Jane Kaufmann!

Tomorrow, we hang the exhibition. It takes a few days before to let everything sink in to where you feel good about what the sum of the parts will be. And the spackling and painting and hole removal ... the cooking, the wine lugging, the ideas of music and having everything in place. Of course nothing at this point in the year would be possible without the lovely intern, Joanna. More on her later as she deserves it! How did we do it without her before?

Large Celestial by Ron Fountain



small circles by Ron Fountain



a long story by Ron Fountain

So show and tell a bit for now of parts and pieces, more of Ron's work for all that asked and well, whatever I find as remains of the day which was more than hectic, June 13th ... here's a snippet - click on images for larger views.

Metal Man

I posted early this year about Ron Fountain. He is a local sculptor we represent and adore his work, as do our clientel. He is most affordable with his wall pieces and small free standing pieces ranging from $35 to $375. Here are a couple we have which will be up for our "The Color of Summer" exhibition. We see Ron about once a month with new pieces, so just give us a shout if you see something you like. No two are alike, but do come in genres. Oh yeah and for Cally, who admired his work from Scotland, a photo of our dear friend, Ron.

The word for the day is .... BIRTHDAY GIRL ... as in dear dear 12 yr old Chloe!