The Art of Tea

The Art of Tea
cast resin, cotton string, paper
2.5" x 1.5" x .5" plus 6" string
$20.00 each with free shipping

Catch and Release my exhibition at Project Space DE opens in a week and a half and it is exciting to watch everything come together.

Every morning I make my husband a cup of tea and over the years I have drawn them, hung them, printed with them and incorporated them into my sculptures. I love the daily ritual, the simplicity of the design, the sepia tones from a used bag, and how the gesture of preparing tea for some one you love marks time.

These tea bags are cast resin with red cotton thread and the labels are the page numbers from an old book from a series that was a childhood favorite which I am not going to reveal just yet.
Everything I put in my work has a purpose, a memory and link to something else.

Please join me on February 7, 2014 for the Artist Reception and see what else has woven its way into my work.

 

To the Touch- Artist as Collector

Arizona based artist Becky Joy is this week's guest blogger for the Artist as Collector Series.

Spirit of the Senses
33"H
©Vala Ola

I LOVE sculpture. This is a favorite piece of sculpture by a friend, sculptor and painter, Vala Ola that I acquired through a trade, with me paying for the casting cost. Vala is a master with design. 

I had been admiring this as she was sculpting it and was overwhelmed when she said she wanted to trade for one of my sunset paintings.

I love to touch sculpture and feel where the artist moved the clay and how the fingers and hands fit into the piece. I can tell that Vala's hands are close to the same size as mine by the feel. To me that is a real connection with the work.

When we made the trade, I cried I was so happy with it. Later Vala was admiring a small plein air painting of mine and I gave that to her. I felt the sculpture deserved another painting and besides, she's a good friend.

Becky Joy is a painter known for her glowing light and colors in her work. A teacher and a traveler she leads painting workshops all over the world.

Fountain of Youth

Today my Aunt Muriel is 90. Pretty amazing. She is one vibrant youthful woman for any age. What's her secret? I would guess that she stays active, has lots of interests and keeps busy with family and friends.

Aunt Muriel 

Earlier this week I went to visit an artist friend of mine who is a resident at a senior group home. It had been a couple of months since I had spoken to Ruth- who I think is somewhere in her 80's. I was surprised and saddened to find Ruth laying very still on her back in a sparse new room. Due to a fall she was moved from her regular room which was covered with her charming ink and watercolor drawings and paintings, photos and doll collection.

There she was with only Raymond- her stuffed animal draped around her neck and the window shades drawn in a darkened room. I saw that she had some sheets of loose paper next to her bed with drawings of black birds sitting and flying among intricate designs of tree branches.  I opened her curtains, watered her plant and we chatted about her work and I asked her if she needed anything. She said no, that'll she'll be fine- and told me that her mother, who was also an artist- lived to be 100 and something and painted well into her 90's.   

One of my Forks (Wire, pulp, encaustic)
with one of my new tea bags (resin, cotton thread, book pg.)
Marking Time, Timeless 

Then the nurse came into to wash her and I had to leave, but not before Ruth left me with -

"Isn't art wonderful? It keeps you young."

What's your fountain of youth?

A shot of our frozen pond with only the slightest crescent of water thanks to our new pond pump.

and Happy Birthday Aunt Muriel! 

The Wild Adventurer in us all- Artist as Collector

Based in Vermont and New Mexico, Liza Myers is this week's guest blogger for the Artist as Collector Series.

Fran Bull, "The Leap"
ink on paper
20" x 16"
©FranBull
collection of Liza Myers

Fran Bull is a painter, a sculptor, a printmaker, an opera singer, a performance artist. She creates large mixed-media installations and lately, immense, three-dimensional wall works of plaster. Her work is technically fabulous and wildly (and successfully) experimental. Even more importantly, her work exudes her inner passion for art and for humanity.

This sweet ink drawing was a gift from Fran following an exhibition we had of her ink drawings at our gallery in Vermont. Every one of them was dynamic and emotive and I feel lucky to have this particular piece in my collection.

I feel as if I am the girl in the drawing, hurtling through life, full tilt, reaching out, somewhat dangerously, for the next opportunity- the wild adventurer in all of us. For that reason I call this "The Leap."

To read a review I wrote about an astonishing exhibition of Fran’s at the Christine Price Gallery in Castleton, Vermont click here.

Liza Myers is a painter, sculptor, educator and world traveler. The entangled intricacy of the natural world fascinates her which can be seen in her intricate paintings of nests and the variety of materials from which they are woven.

What's Your Story?

What's Your Story? 

I want to know what makes you tick, your heart sing or stop, to catch your breath.

For me, it's all about the story- and how we are connected. 

That's the premise behind Catch and Release my Solo Exhibition opening February 2, 2014 at Project Space Gallery in Wilmington, DE. 
Catch- What we find  and Release - what we leave behind.

Like objects that wash ashore and become entangled or the scope of fibers one may find in a nest; once castaways, remnants of past lives and experiences become transformed into something altogether new and unique unto itself.

Net, detail
wire, pulp, encaustic, dried orchid, page of book
©NanciHersh
Photo: Amy Tucker Photography

“Seemingly unexpected connections emerge to reveal the fragility, beauty, and grace of our lives.”

Net, detail
wire, pulp, encaustic, dried orchid, collage
©NanciHersh
Photo: Amy Tucker Photography

My work is an ongoing exploration of what sustains us when adversity challenges us. What moves us forward-
and binds us to the past. What we find and what we leave behind. Our stories, our stuff- and how we hold them in our bodies, our hearts, our minds.

So, tell me - What have you inherited or found that you'd like to release?  why?

Trusting Instincts - Artist as Collector

New York based artist Beth Vendryes Williams is this week's guest blogger for the Artist as Collector Series.

Cardinal Point #46
©Ben Frank Moss

I first met Ben Frank Moss when I took a drawing class from him at the University of Iowa. Iowa City.

It was in speaking with him about my work that I found validation for my need to create visual meditations. He understood my marks and helped me to trust my inner understanding of image making as my vocation.

Later on after, after seeing his work, I felt drawn to his mythical landscapes , poignant still lives and confidence in creating work based on his memories and senses. I remember when my husband and I bought our first little piece, totally in awe of his vision.

This piece is more recent. It reminds me in a visceral way to allow my life to frame the light within, yet to pay special attention to the energy of the shapes textures and lines that create  physical evidence of our existence. 

It brings hope into my line of vision each time I see it and reminds me to trust my instincts in my own work. 

Beth Vendryes Williams is a painter and mixed media artist who strives to reveal the inner, unseen spirit of the ordinary. To read more about Beth's thoughts about Ben Frank Moss' work click here.

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Your Brain on Art

Remembers those advertisements from the Ad Council stating that "this is your brain on drugs"?

Well this, is my brain on ART... all lit up! (and, without any assistance from the other shrooms)

Yes that's me all bundled up... it was cold, but festive!

Taken at the First Annual Mushroom Drop at Kennett Square, PA bringing in 2014, this 8' x 8' stainless steel mushshroom wrapped with hundreds of LED lights presented a photo op I couldn't pass up.

January just seems to be blowing open the doors- of my mind. Lots on my plate, besides eggs.

1. Catch & Release a solo exhibition at Project Space Gallery in Wilmington, DE Opening February 2, with artist reception on Friday February 7, 2014. The past few days in the midst of finishing up new work for the exhibition at Project Space I have been busy working on the invites for the Project Space exhibition titled Catch & Release designed by Caryl Felicetta of Think Plan C. In fact, building your mailing list IS an art, and maintaining and regular updates are a good practice. ArtBiz Coach Alyson B. Stanfield offers up lots of suggestions and systems to get your mailing up to date and keep your fans and friends in the Loop.

2. My Painting Studio Class begins tomorrow Wed. January 15 at The Center for Creative Arts in Yorklyn, DE. Registration is still open. You can sign up online.

3. Prepping to begin a collaborative sculpture project about women with YoungMoms of Kennett Square made possible by a Leeway Foundation Art & Change Grant.

Want to be in the Loop? Sign up here to get my monthly news updates and emails.

Loop, welded steel, 25" x 56" x 41.5"
©NanciHersh
Photo: Christian Kaye

Thoughtful Simplicity for the New Year- Artist as Collector

New Year- May it be Happy Healthy Creative Prosperous and Joyfully- Simple.

Rhythm and Hues
Cotton fabric (hand-dyed), flannel,
embroidery thread
©Kathleen Probst

Starting off on the right track, painter Amantha Tsaros is our guest blogger for the Artist as Collector Series where each week a new artist who opens her/his doors and shares with us a piece of art that they have in their collection by another artist. It's a great way to see how we find and create space in our lives for inspiration.

Textile Artist, Kathleen Probst, lives across the country from me in Meridian, Idaho - but I have got two of her artworks are right here with me in Lexington, MA. Kathleen is my art business accountability partner – we keep each other in line when it comes to business and marketing. I am also an ardent fan of her work.

Kathleen makes minimalist-modern textile art quilts which reference natural elements. She hand-dyes her fabrics and uses machine-stitching in her work.

Rhythm and Hues was a piece that she had just posted on Facebook and I fell in love with it right away. I could imagine it in my home and had a spot for it. Lucky for me I acted fast as she had a number of people vying for the work. 

The colors are wonderful – the leaf shapes are bouncy yet soothy and the autumn colors reference my favorite season.  It is the first thing visitors see when they walk in my home and I love walking past the happy yet soothing shapes.  Her ability to evoke emotion with minimalism is something I admire and hope to emulate. 

Kathleen’s work is a daily reminder to strive for thoughtful simplicity.

Amantha Tsaros lives and works in Massachusetts. Through her paintings and monotypes, she gives form to the internal life in paint, bringing emotional and spiritual states to light.