Winter on the Towpath

"Winter on the Towpath"
12x24" oil on canvas

This scene is on the D&R Canal towpath at Washington Crossing Park, NJ.   I love snow scenes but don't paint very many because we usually don't get much snow around here.   Some winters, we get no snow at all, or else it melts soon after it falls.  Last weekend we had almost 12 inches of snow here but today, six days later, there's barely a trace of it left on the ground.  At least the snow lasted until Christmas, and that was nice.  Oh well, I did get a lot of photos after last weekend's snowstorm and I can work from those for a while.   I love painting outdoors in the summer, but in the middle of winter when it's 20°F outside... photographs can be very useful!

Ellarslie 2010 Calendar

"Hopewell, 3pm"
16x20" oil on canvas

My painting "Hopewell, 3pm" was selected as one of the images for the Ellarslie 2010 Calendar, published by the Trenton City Museum.  My painting is Mr. July.

Images were chosen from paintings which were juried into this spring's Ellarslie Open XXVII.    My painting is a scene on Broad Street (rt 518) in the heart of Hopewell, NJ, across the street from where the Hopewell Frame Shop used to be.

The 2010 calendar is available at the Museum Store and other area shops listed on the store's web page.

Holiday Gems at Riverrun

"Winter on the Sourland"
8x10" oil on board

Riverrun Gallery is celebrating the holiday season with a double-header exhibit including the watercolors of Steve Zazenski and a collection of small paintings by some of the areas best known artists.  I have a few small landscapes in this show along with a couple of my newer flower paintings.

The exhibit runs December 4th to December 31st at:

Riverrun Gallery at Laceworks
287 South Main Street (Rt 29)
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-3349
[map & directions]
Gallery hours:11am - 5pm daily (closed Tuesdays)

"Day Lilly"
5x7" oil on board

The Gift of Nature

"The 1869 House"

8x10" oil on linen

I have a few paintings in "Season’s Greetings: The Gift of Nature", a year-end show at the D&R Greenway headquarters in Princeton, NJ. This is a group show of smaller-scale works, inspired by nature, and just in time for the Holiday season.

The painting above is The 1860 House, which used to be the Montgomery Center for the Arts in Skillman, NJ.    Unfortunately, the art center closed a couple of years ago and the house is now up for sale.   (I wonder if the new owners will let me paint there again?)   The other paintings I have in this show are scenes of land preserved by the D&R Greenway Land Trust.

The show runs Nov 9, 2009 to Jan 8, 2010. at:

D&R Greenway's Marie L. Matthews Gallery
at Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-924-4646
(map)

The show is free and open to the public, but please note that the gallery is only open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, and it's best to call the Greenway at 609-924-4646 first to confirm that the facility is not being used for other purposes.

First Place Award at Images of the Mills

I'm pleased to announce that my painting in this year's Images of the Mills show was given the First Place Award at the opening reception last night.

The show runs now through Sunday, Nov 29 and is open daily from 1 to 4 pm except:   Sunday, Nov 15 (due to some other function at the Mill) and Thursday, Nov 26 (Thanksgiving Day of course!).

The show is at:

Prallsville Mills
Rt 29 (just north of town)
Stockton, NJ
(map & directions)

Images of the Mills 2009

"Almost Spring"
12x24" oil on canvas

"Almost Spring" is my entry in this year's Images of the Mills show at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ, an annual juried art exhibition featuring... you guessed it - images of the Prallsville Mills Complex and the immediate surrounding area.

Opening reception is Friday, Nov 13, 6 to 9 pm.
The show runs through Sunday, Nov 29, open daily 1 to 4 pm (closed Thanksgiving Day).
(map & directions)

29th Annual Mountain Art Show

"Solebury Farm"
8x10 oil on canvas on board

My painting "Solebury Farm" was juried into the 29th Annual Mountain Art Show.  The scene is a farm on Mechanicsville Rd in Bucks County, PA that I painted this summer.

Artists Reception and Awards Presentation:

Sunday, Oct 25, 6pm - 8pm ($25 per person)

Exhibit dates:

Saturday, Oct 24, 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, Oct 25, 12 - 4 pm
Mon-Thurs, Oct 26–29, 12 – 6 pm
Friday, Oct 30, 12 – 8 pm
Saturday, Oct 31, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, Nov 1, 12 – 3 pm

at:

St. John on the Mountain
379 Mt. Harmony Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924

Paintings from the Gardens

For the third year in a row, Artists' Gallery teamed up with the Kalmia Club. Back in the spring, we painted on the annual "Hidden Gardens of Lambertville" tour. This coming weekend we're having a special exhibit of our paintings from the gardens. A portion of the sales is being donated to the Kalmia Club in support of the Club's community efforts.

You can see the show Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Oct 16-18 during normal gallery hours of 11am - 6pm. Or join us for the Gala Reception on Saturday, Oct 17, 4:00 to 7:00 pm
at:

Artists' Gallery
32 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ
map & directions

I did something a little bit different this year - instead of painting vistas of the gardens, I did a series of small 5x7" flower portraits:

I hope you can make it to the show. If you need some additional incentive, the Kalmia Club always puts on a very nice reception at our gallery and I'm sure that this year will be no exception.

Color My World

"Color My World" is the 20th Anniversary Annual Art Show presented by the Tewksbury Historical Society. The show only runs 5 days but I'll have 3 pieces on display, including this one:

"Winter Sunset, Amwell Valley"
8x10 oil on panel

This is the first year I've entered this show but I'll have to keep it on my list for next year. And I'll have to explore Tewksbury Township better so I can do some paintings up there - it's a beautiful area that I'm not very familiar with.

Reception:

Tuesday Oct 6, 6pm - 8pm
Ticket cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Exhibit dates:

Wednesday, Oct 7, 10am - 6pm
Thursday, Oct 8, 10am - 8pm
Friday, Oct 9, 10am - 8pm
Saturday, Oct 10, 10am - 4pm
(Show Admission: $3 per person)

at:

Zion Lutheran Church Christian Education Building
corner of Church St & Miller Ave
Oldwick, NJ 08858

Creative Flow

My painting of the Lambertville Boat Club was accepted into "Creative Flow" - a juried exhibition to benefit the Friends of the Delaware Canal, an organization which works hard to restore, preserve and improve the Delaware Canal and its surroundings. The theme of this show is artwork related to life along the Delaware River corridor.

"The Boat Club"
11x14 oil on panel

When I did this painting last year, I had forgotten to bring along the tripod which I need to mount my paintbox on. That really limited the choices of where I could setup to paint because without the tripod, I needed to find something the right height to rest the paintbox on. I was ready to admit defeat and head back home when I spotted a picnic table in a nice shady spot... it made a good place to work from, and that's how I ended up painting the boat club clubhouse.

The show runs Oct 4 - 31
Opening reception: Sunday, Oct 4, 1pm - 4pm
at:

Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery
1093 General Greene Rd.
Washington Crossing, Pa 18977

gallery hours: Tues. thru Sat. 10-5; Thurs. 10-7

Present In Nature

"Plum Brook"
near Sergeantsville, NJ
11x14 oil on panel

As part of their 20th Anniversary celebration, the D&R Greenway Land Trust has organized an exhibition entitled "Present In Nature" featuring the work of 18 artists who paint outdoors on location, and I am proud to be included in this group of artists. All of the work I have in this show was painted this summer on land preserved by the D&R Greenway Land Trust.

Opening Reception is Friday, Sept 25, from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at:

D&R Greenway's Marie L. Matthews Gallery
at Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-924-4646
[map & directions] (please note the detour mentioned below!)

The show runs Sept 14 - Oct 30, 2009.

The gallery is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, but it's best to call the Greenway at 609-924-4646 first to confirm that the facility is not being used for other purposes.

"Cornfield Trail"
at The Institute Woods, Princeton, NJ
11x14 oil on panel

Please note: a bridge is being replaced on Rosedale Road and you cannot reach the Johnson Education Center by driving east on Rosedale from Carter Rd. You must take Rosedale west from Elm Road / Great Road.

D&R Greenway Land Trust Anniversary and Silent Auction

"Cedar Ridge Woods"
11x14 oil on panel

As I reported back in May, the D&R Greenway Land Trust invited a group of artists including myself to paint on some of the properties they've preserved and our work would be shown in September. Well, that time is approaching! In addition to a group show of our work, each of the artists is donating 1 piece to the Land Trust for a silent auction. "Cedar Ridge Woods", shown above, is my donation.

The silent auction is just part of the D&R Greenway's 20th Anniversary, Celebrating 20 Years of Land Preservation & Stewardship which will be held:

Sunday, Sept 13, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609.924.4646
[map & directions] (please note the detour mentioned below!)

Reception - 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres prepared by The Ferry House (where I have an ongoing exhibition of my work), an auction of specially commissioned D&R Greenway landscapes followed by an Award Presentation at 6:30 p.m. where Representative Rush Holt will be presented with the 2009 Donald B. Jones Conservation Award.

Tickets for this event are $100 per person, RSVP by September 8 - you can reach them at 609.924.4646.

To preview the paintings which will be auctioned, visit the Johnson Education Center or visit www.drgreenway.org - an Auction Gallery link should appear there sometime this week.

A separate reception for the group show of our work will be held on Friday, September 25, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, and I'll post more about that later. (This event will be free of charge).

Please note: a bridge is being replaced on Rosedale Road and you cannot reach the Johnson Education Center by driving east on Rosedale from Carter Rd. You must take Rosedale west from Elm Road / Great Road.

Art on the Move

Ribbon of Life, part II

The "Ribbon of Life" exhibition, celebrating 175 years of the D&R Canal, is moving from Princeton to Stockton. The painting I had in this show in Princeton is now in the possession of it's new owner, so I'm moving my painting "D&R Canal Bridge" from the plein air show at Riverrun Gallery to the "Ribbon of Life" exhibit in Stockton - it just seemed a really good fit for this show. Art is on the move!

"D&R Canal Bridge at Holcombe Farm"
11x14 oil on panel

The opening in Stockton will be at, and coincide with, the Grand Opening of the Sawmill at Prallsville Mills. Renovation of the sawmill building was recently completed and this will be the first public event held here. I had a peek inside the sawmill and it's a really nice space - very open, airy and rustic, with nice views out onto the rest of the Prallsville Mills complex of historical buildings. I didn't know that the mill race still ran under the sawmill but you can hear it clearly from inside the building.

The Grand Opening will be on Sunday, Aug 30 from 1 to 4 pm at Prallsville Mills Sawmill, Stockton, NJ. For more information, visit the Delaware River Mill Society website.

The festivities also include a Family Fun Day Picnic,$5 per adult - it should be a fun day at the Mill! (Admission to the art exhibition is free).

Behind the Barns

"Behind the Barns"
11x14 oil on canvas on panel

Wow, was it hot when I painted this one! I had a nice shady spot to work from, but it was still pretty brutal. This is at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association Nature Preserve off Titus Mill Road near Pennington, NJ. I've painted this group of barns many times before but I never get tired of painting here.

Keeping Things Whole

And now for something completely different...
I'm not a big poetry reader but this one really strikes me and I wanted to share it:


Keeping Things Whole
by Mark Strand

In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.

When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body's been.

We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.

Kaz and Katzenbach

I'm showing my work along with Charles Katzenback all of August and September at:

Bell's Tavern
183 North Union Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530

Chuck creates multi-layered assemblages of painted glass and mirrors that are quite fascinating to see, and quite a contrast to the landscapes that I'm showing. The work went up today so stop in and have a look (and a beer or a bite to eat too).

As always, I want to put in a plug for Bell's - the food is always great, the prices low, the staff friendly, a good selection of beers on tap, it's one of my favorite places to eat. If you've never been there, you're missing one of the best neighborhood restaurants around. And if that isn't enough, they've always been big supporters of local artists. How can you top that?! I hope you get a chance to stop in.

First Annual Plein Air Invitational at Riverrun Gallery

"D&R Canal Bridge at Holcombe Farm"
11x14 oil on panel

Riverrun Gallery in Lambertville is hosting it's First Annual Plein Air Invitational, where 18 of the region's finest plein air painters were invited to show their work and I'll be one of the exhibiting artists.

The above painting is one that I'll have in the show. It was done earlier this summer at the Holcombe-Jimison Farm near Lambertville, NJ.

Truth be told, I had a small part in planning this show with gallery owner Ty Hodanish. Ty is a strong advocate of plein air painting and he thought it would be great to have a show where all of the work exhibited was painted on location. Plein Air simply means that the work was painted outdoors, on location, as opposed to being painted in the studio from photographs. At it's best, plein air paintings have a freshness and spontaneity that's hard to achieve in studio paintings.

Opening Reception is Saturday, Aug 8 from 7pm to 9pm.
The show runs August 8 through August 30 at:

Riverrun Gallery at Laceworks
287 South Main Street (Rt 29)
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-3349
[map & directions]
Gallery hours: noon - 5pm daily, closed Tuesdays

Each artist will have 5 or so pieces in the show and with 18 artists, there should be a good variety of work to be seen: oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, with scenery ranging from Bucks County to New Mexico to NYC. It should be a good show, I hope you can make it!

Solebury Farm

"Solebury Farm"
8x10 oil on canvas on board

For this scene, I went to Carousel Lavender Farm in Bucks County, Pa to paint the lavender fields in bloom, but I ended up painting the view looking across the road at a different farm. You just never know what's going to inspire you until you get there.

Stony Brook Boulders

This painting was done at a place I discovered while exploring D&R Greenway properties for their upcoming plein air show. It's at the Northern Stony Brook Preserve, deep in the woods between Featherbed Lane and Mountain Church Road in East Amwell, NJ. I've walked the trails here before but never this section and WOW what a nice surprise it was when I reached this spot! It was such an incredibly peaceful place to spend a few hours painting (even though the mosquitoes were brutal). Stony Brook really lives up to it's name here.

"Stony Brook Boulders"
11x14 oil on panel

It's interesting how different my painting is from the photograph I took at the exact same spot. This illustrates one of the key ideas about painting on location: that it's not about copying what's in front of you, it's about capturing the artist's vision and feelings. When I look at my painting, it really is the place I remember being at. When I look at my photograph, I hardly recognize the place. It is the same place, I guess I just see it differently than my camera does:


People often tell me that my paintings are so good that they look like photographs. I know that's meant as the highest compliment but I hope people can appreciate that a good painting is much more than a photographic representation. Ideally it shows the artist's very personal way of looking at the world, and it gives you some sense of what inspired them enough to stop and paint.

Distant Pines

"Distant Pines"
8x10 oil on panel

This scene is on a D&R Greenway preserved farm near Lawrenceville, NJ. It's in a little valley very close to some major highways, but felt so isolated there that I may as well have been in Maine.

Palisades Highway Art Gallery

"Round Valley Dam Triptych"
16x60 acrylic on canvas
(3 * 16x20 canvases)

Palisades car insurance company will be exhibiting original works by area artists on some of the largest and most-viewed canvases in the state – New Jersey highway billboards! Artists are submitting work in an online contest where works will selected for the Highway Art Gallery. Visit their website and vote for your favorite submissions - I've submitted 10 paintings for consideration, which you can find by looking for my full name, Joe Kazimierczyk. Voters are also entered into a contest where you can win a 'New Jersey driving destination prize' (but just cancel out of that box if you don't want to enter your contact information your vote will still count).

The painting above is one of my entries. It's an older painting of the roadway atop one of the dams at Round Valley Reservoir near Lebanon, NJ. Looking out over the reservoir is beautiful, but I just love the patterns of drainage channels and access roads on the side of the dam.

On the contest website, all of my entries were cropped to a format required for the billboards. So what you'll see isn't the entire painting but I tried to pick some that worked well in that format.

Dusk, Amwell Valley

"Dusk, Amwell Valley"
11x14 oil on panel

It's hard to believe that today is the first day of summer - it's cold outside and seem like it's been raining nonstop for a month or more. So it's the summer solstice and I'm in the studio painting snowy winter paintings. I'd rather be outdoors, but rainy days are a good time to sort through my photographs and I found this one, which really wanted to be painted. This scene is overlooking some farm fields on Wertsville Road, near Ringoes, NJ.