Opening and Closing in NJ

I am excited to have two pieces in an exhibition opening tomorrow at the The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie just as my exhibition Catching Up with Catherine Hartigan closes.

Paper Work: 

Exploring the Many Ways Artists Use Paper in their Work

Saturday November 16, 2013- The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie 

My love of paper began when I was a drawing major at Pratt Institute. Working with charcoal, graphite, pastel on paper is a visceral, direct and sensual experience that is something I continue to record and explore life experiences and new ideas.

Immersed, 2012
acrylic, spray paint, graphite acquarelle, pastel, collage on paper
36" x 40" unframed
©NanciHersh

My time as a graduate student at the University of Hawaii was spent either in the printmaking or paper making studios. Initially, I learned to pull sheets of paper from plant fibers like cotton, abaca- a hemp fiber made taken from the plant stalks, or linen which you can see are formed around these net-like vessels I make from wire.

Hanging by a Thread, 2012
wire, pulp, encaustic, collage
©NanciHersh

In addition, many of my nets are dipped into the pulp which dries like a skin.  And as with all my work, collage and found objects add layers of textures and meaning to these forms. Shadows in both my two and three dimensional work are an integral part of the viewing experience.

If you would like to hear more about my work and the work of other artists in the exhibition there is an Artist/Curator Talk on Sunday, December 15, 2013 at 2 pm.

I will be there... Hope to see you on December 15th... I will be in NJ on November 16th, but at a wedding!

Catching Up and Out from Under

The Artist Talk and Learn to Transfer Art Workshop at Transformations Gallery was part of the Catching Up weekend with photographer Catherine Hartigan.

photo by Alexandra Chalker

What was listed as an Artist Talk was really an engaging conversation in a warm salon setting. Cathie and I took a seat and invited people to talk to us- rather than us talk at them.  We encouraged and invited questions and observations about our work.

photo by Alexandra Chalker

I am looking forward to seeing the video that Cathie's niece Alexandra Chalker shot along with these photos so I can remember the insightful comments that participants offered up.

photo by Alexandra Chalker

The Workshop portion of the session was a short demo with some handouts  (posted as a page on this blog) and then everyone went to work.

photo by Alexandra Chalker

The weekend was an opportunity to share, create and do some Catching Up for us all.

and it's always great when you get an unsolicited testimonial!

Nanci and Cathie,

It was a pleasure meeting both of you at this afternoon's workshop. I especially want to thank both of you for re-awakening the artist in me that has been buried for so long under piles of diapers and Gerber baby food jars! I am ready to start creating again and you have equipped me with a new technique that I will be using for years to come!

Best,

Michelle Daino 

Doing it Right with Think Plan C

Catching Up, my exhibition at Transformations Gallery in Metuchen, NJ with Catherine Hartigan is less than two weeks away.

Fleeting, 2013
acrylic on canvas
30" x 30"
©2013NanciHersh
photo by Dain Simons

Cathie and I check in regularly to update each other on our progress and ideas for our exhibition, Artist Talk and Workshop. There is something wonderful about the process of working with another artist whose work you respect and whose friendship you value.

There is another collaborator, friend, and Edison, NJ girl- Caryl Felicetta of Think Plan C  who is helping us "do it right."

I went through school with Caryl's sister Diane and had vague memories of Caryl as a cherubic little sister.  Cathie, however, became friends with Caryl outside of school and stayed friends through the years. She also brought Caryl to an art show of mine last year and sang praises of Caryl as a designer and marketing guru.

And that she is... from our card to our Press Release  she is the one making it happen and doing it right.

Whatever you got going on... Think Plan C.  Thankfully for Cathie and Caryl, I do now.

What's in a Name

A prince name George.

A Fish Called Wanda.

A Rottweiler named Sheila.

For now: Summer Koi #4
Acrylic on canvas
10" x 10"
©2013NanciHersh

I am working on new koi paintings for my upcoming exhibition in September at the Transformations Gallery in NJ with photographer and friend Cathie Hartigan and I seem to be at a loss for some memorable titles. Titles help me identify and often remember works of art when I get ready for cataloguing and labeling them. Right now they are named and numbered such as Summer Koi #1, Summer Koi #2, etc. Confusing and not too interesting.

Naming something or someone gives it an identity and can set a trajectory.  Because of this power, it's not always easy finding the perfect name for your child, a pet, or in this case a painting. Often, I know the perfect title for a piece, be it the painting's or sculpture's composition or the narrative behind it.  

Recently, my son Nate was telling me about a Rottweiler, a large gentle giant he met at a friend's house named Sheila. Nothing butch like King, or Queen or Diva, but Sheila. It makes me smile, having never even met her. 

Then there's the film from the late 80's with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline, a quirky comedy called A Fish Called Wanda.  I sort of remember the story, but I'll never forget the movie's title. 

I have decided to give my paintings, or more specifically the koi in my paintings names- so I can identify and remember them. I will be posting my Summer Koi paintings on this blog and my FB page and I will be taking suggestions for names. 

This is where you come in. I'd like your help... any suggestions for this fish?  
(FYI- Whitey, Gefilte or Pike are not what I am looking for)

Please click on the word comments below and help me give my new paintings their rightful appellation. 

Coast to Coast Connection- Artist as Collector

Connecticut based artist Catherine Hartigan is this week's guest blogger for our Artist as Collector Series.

 Glenna Hartmann, Canyon Sycamores 

18" x 24" 

Pastel 

©Glenna Hartmann

collection of Catherine Hartigan

Having spent many vacations in California, I always felt the need to take something back to the east coast with me.  

While visiting there in 1994, I became interested in Glenna Hartmann’s  pastel work represented by the Easton Gallery in Santa Barbara. We had to catch an early flight back home and disappointingly never got to the gallery. I stayed in contact with the owner, Ellen Easton with the hope of finding the right piece. In 2007, I found myself back in LA, and on my birthday we took a beautiful drive north to finally see her work. 

Glenna Hartmann’s pastel“Canyon Sycamores” reminds me what I love most about California… the landscape. The earthy canyon tones are a subtle contrast to the blue in the mountains and ocean.  What really drew me in was the “orange glow “of the sycamores.  As a photographer, I’m always looking for that color burst or subtle shift of light that provides a connection.

“Canyon Sycamores” hangs over the fireplace in a room where we spend most of our family time.   It is a reminder that there are all types of landscapes out there waiting to be seen.  

Some days it inspires me to just pick up my camera and go.

Catherine Hartigan is a photographer capturing images that are vivid with simple, bold color. Truly passionate about travel, she explores wherever her lens will take her.  

April Fool

Sent out my first group email this morning using MailChimp for my upcoming art exhibition at the Siegel JCC ArtSpace titled Beneath the Surface.

Koi #2 and Koi #4
acrylic on cradled board
11" x 14", 14" x 11"
ready to packed up for
Beneath the Surface
©2013NanciHersh

Fortunately, I sent a test email out to my friend, photographer and fellow participant in Alyson B. Stanfield's Art Biz Boot Camp,  Catherine Hartigan yesterday, because she emails me first this this am, after receiving the email and writes...

The correct info here!

Exhibition card for
Beneath the Surface 

"isn't the opening April 11, not April 1?" (how did that other little 1 get left out?!)

April Fool... hey it can happen. Like backing out of my garage this am and not noticing that the garage door was not all the way up. Bam!  My Thule hits the bottom of the garage door.
Good news is, while we had the repair man out he also fixed the door on the other side and now we have a new working key pad on the outside.  (Maybe I have to reconsider the affirmation Money flows to me and through me... hmmm)

Such is life. The real lesson brought home today is what Andrew Simonet, dancer, choreographer and co-creator of Artist U. calls-  having an Advisory Board. People who are on your "team"- who get your work, who you can run things by, share things with, be accountable to.  These can be fellow artists, peers, experts in their fields.

Andrew reminds us that there are people who want to help us. We are not alone. Thankfully.

Who's on your board?

My Neu Calendar
which is new for me-
recently ordered it and am just starting to fill it in...
another suggestion from Andrew Simonet
from the Artist U workshops at Leeway Foundation..
"Get a big wall calendar, so you can see "weather patterns"