Lambertville Historical Society Show

"Lambertville Station, November"
11x14 oil on canvas

My painting "Lambertville Station, November" was accepted into this year's Lambertville Historical Society Juried Show at the Coryell Gallery and was awarded an Honorable Mention.

This is the 29th year that this show has been held - the theme is always 'scenes of Lambertville and the surrounding area'. Lucky for me I have a lot of paintings fitting that description, but this has always been a difficult show to get into. So I'm especially thrilled to have won an award this year. I hope you can stop by and see the show:

Coryell Gallery at the Porkyard
8 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
[map & directions]

Opening Reception is Sunday, Feb 1, from 3 to 6pm. The show runs until March 15.

Small Worlds at The Plastic Club

Today I got a taste of what it's like to be on the other end of a juried show, and I was juror for the Small Worlds Show at The Plastic Club in Philadelphia. Being a juror is a tough job! It's tough because there were so many good entries and only a small number of awards to give out. The only criteria for the show was that each piece not exceed 16" in any dimension. Work included oils, watercolors, pastels, photography, mixed media, wall pieces and sculpture, which added to the challenge. But the main thing was that I wish I had a few more awards to give out.

I suppose I shouldn't say anything more than that I highly recommend that you see this show if you're in the area. Opening reception is Sunday, Feb 1 from 2 to 5pm and the show runs until Feb 22.

The Plastic Club
247 South Camac Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
215-545-9324

The Plastic Club is just a few doors down Camac Street from the well known Philadelphia Sketch Club. The Plastic Club began as a woman-only art club in 1897, in response to the Philadelphia Sketch Club's policy of only admitting men. Now both clubs allow men and women as members, and the tiny street was formally designated "Avenue of the Artists" by the City of Philadelphia.

And in case you're wondering, The Plastic Club's name "refers to any work of art unfinished, in a plastic state. The term also refers to the changing and tactile sense of painting and sculpture".

Wertsville Sunset

"Wertsville Sunset"
11x14 oil on canvas

This is one of my first paintings of the new year, and I think it's the first sunset paintings that I've ever done. Wertsville Road is the route I take to the art towns of Lambertville, Stockton and New Hope. It's a pleasant drive, and I know I shouldn't, but I sometimes take photos out the front window while driving. But only on the straight stretches of road!

I think I've avoided painting sunsets because if not done with right touch, they could turn out to be pretty tacky. Although it's a very dramatic subject, there are a lot of subtleties to deal with. This was a real challenge to paint but I think I'll be doing some more sunsets soon.

Prallsville Winter

"Prallsville Winter"
6x8 oil on panel

This is one of my last paintings from 2008, looking down the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ. I paint a lot of small ones, but this one is a bit smaller than usual for me at 6x8 inches.

I was also trying something a bit different: instead of toning the panel lightly with yellow ocher as I usually do, this one was toned pretty darkly with a grayed down burnt sienna. It was the perfect base for the background trees, and I also liked how it worked for me in the sky, which was a pleasant surprise. The bits of gray/brown peeking through in the sky were good for suggesting small branches of the foreground trees against the sky. It's good to break your old habits and try something new once in a while.