Thursday, December 09, 2010

Home for the Holidays at Artists' Gallery

"East Amwell Winter"
5x7" oil on board

At the 18 member Artists' Gallery artists' cooperative, we're having our annual holiday group show.  This year it's titled "Home for the Holidays" and runs from December 10, 2010 through February 6, 2011 at:

Artists' Gallery
18 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
map & directions

This year's theme is especially meaningful to us as this is our first Christmas at our new location on Bridge Street.  If you haven't seen our new home yet, please visit us and help us celebrate.

Opening reception is Saturday, Dec 11, from 2-5pm.

"Prallsville Winter"
6x8" oil on board

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Celebrating the Seasons at desChamps Gallery

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

DesChamps Gallery, one of the galleries I regularly show at, is having it's annual holiday exhibit from December 1, 2010 to January 9, 2011.  The exhibit is called "Celebrating the Seasons" and I have 8 paintings on display there.

"Lambertville Station"
8x10" oil on board

Open House is Saturday, December 4, 3-6pm, and features a painting demonstration by gallery artist Phillip Carroll.

desChamps Gallery
7 Lambert Lane
Lambertville, NJ 08530
(map)

Gallery hours: Wed-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat & Sunday 11am-6pm

"Wickecheoke July"
8x10" oil on board

Friday, November 19, 2010

Sunflowers, Agriculture and Audubon

"The Derwood Farm"
6x8" oil on canvas
 

It's hard to tell from the point of view of this painting, but the yellow on the left of this farm lane is a huge field of sunflowers.  It was such a beautiful sight driving down the road this past summer, and there's an interesting story behind it too:


The New Jersey Audubon Society (NJAS) has a program where NJ farmers grow sunflower seeds in support of the society's program called "Support Agricultural Viability and the Environment", or S.A.V.E.  - the Derwood Farm is one of nine farms in the state growing sunflowers for S.A.V.E.

The S.A.V.E. initiative promotes the production of agricultural products that are economically and ecologically sustainable. Revenue from the birdseed benefits New Jersey farmers and directly supports NJAS's conservation mission. For every 5 acres planted for birdseed, NJAS manages and maintains 1 acre of grassland habitat for threatened and endangered birds.

Farmers participating in the project not only grow the seeds, they also process and package them, cutting out the middleman which of course helps the farmers even more.

S.A.V.E. birdseed is available for sale at many locations throughout the state including Sergeantsville Grain & Feed.  Check the NJAS's website for a full list of retailers and more information about the program.

And now go feed some birds!

Friday, November 05, 2010

12th Annual Holiday Small Works Show

"Ottos Farm, First Day of Spring"
5x7 oil on board


These 2 paintings will be on display at the 2010 Holiday Exhibit, a group show at Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery, running Nov 7 - Dec 31, 2010. Reception: Sunday, Nov 7, 1-4pm

at:
Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery
1093 General Greene Rd.
Washington Crossing, Pa 18977
(map)

"Dory Dilt's Barns"
6x8 oil on canvas

Monday, October 25, 2010

Wildness in Out Midst - The Greater Sourlands Eco-Region

I have 3 paintings in a show entitled "Wildness in Out Midst - The Greater Sourlands Eco-Region" running Oct 25 - Nov 26 at the D&R Greenway headquarters in Princeton, NJ. This show celebrates the Sourland Mountain, a truly unique region covering about 90 square miles and including the largest contiguous forest remaining in central NJ.  It also includes my home, so I know the area very well and paint on the mountain often.

"Rock Brook"
8x6" oil on board

The waterfall in my painting "Rock Brook" is really an old mill dam, and you can see many old stone foundations in the woods nearby.  According the book "New Jersey's Sourland Mountain", there were 5 mills operating on this small creek in the late 1700's.   And the artist George Bellows sent a summer living nearby and did a number of paintings within a mile of this spot.


"Amwell Valley Clouds"
11x14" oil on canvas on board

My painting "Amwell Valley Clouds" was done just across the street from my house.  I can only see woods out of my windows, but this is the view from my mailbox, looking northeast across the valley towards the Watchung Mountains.


The show runs Oct 25 - Nov 26 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]


Artists Reception: Friday Evening, November 5, from 5:30 - 7:00

Friday, October 22, 2010

30th Annual Mountain Art Show

I have 2 paintings juried into this year's Mountain Art Show, which runs Oct 22 - Oct 31, 2010 at St. John on the Mountain in Bernardsville, NJ.   St John is a really charming, rambling stone church perched high in the Watchung Mountains, and the surrounding area feels more like Vermont than New Jersey to me. Also, the fall foliage is really spectacular around there right now.

"Montgomery Winter Sunset"
18x24" oil on canvas

"On Cider Mill Road"
18x24"  oil on canvas


Artists Reception and Awards Presentation:
Sunday, Oct 24, 6pm - 8pm ($30 per person)

Exhibit dates:
Saturday, Oct 23 from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 24 from 12:00-4:00 pm
Mon-Thurs, Oct 25 – 28 from 10:00 – 6:00 pm
Friday, Oct 29 from 10:00 – 7:00 pm
Saturday, Oct 30 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 31 from 12:00 – 3:00 pm

at:
St. John on the Mountain
379 Mt. Harmony Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
[map & directions]

In addition to the 2 large paintings, I'll have a number of small 5x7" paintings in the show's "Small Treasures" section of smaller, lower-priced works.  Proceeds from the Mountain Art Show directly benefit the church and its outreach programs.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Gallery 24/7

The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission initiated a new Public Arts project this year called "Gallery 24/7" where New Jersey resident artists were invited to submit artwork for display on traffic control boxes (TCBs) throughout Somerset County. The intent of the project is to promote the arts in non-traditional venues and this certainly is non-traditional!  TCBs are those large steel boxes you see along the roads near traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

The Commission received 72 submissions from 40 artists, and my painting "On Cider Mill Road" was one of the 10 pieces chosen:

"On Cider Mill Road"
18x24" oil on canvas

Of course the painting isn't actually hanging outdoors, the selected artworks were reproduced on a vinyl film and then applied to the TCBs. The work is expected to remain in place for at least 3 years.

My painting is installed at the intersection of Skillman Road and County Rt 601 in Montgomery Township, next to the Skillman post office. It's funny that from some angles, my painting really blends in with the surrounding farmland:







You can read more about "Gallery 24/7" at the Somerset County Public Art Project webpage.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Country Roads - Cityscapes

"Hill and Dale Farm"
12x24 oil on canvas

"Country Roads - Cityscapes" is the name of Tewksbury Historical Society's 21st Annual Art Show, running Oct 5 - Oct 9. I have 3 paintings in this show and ironically, not one of my paintings has a road in it, in spite of the show's title and the fact that I seem to be known for painting country roads.  I'm not sure how that happened. But I did include some local scenery and 2 of my paintings are Tewksbury Township scenes like this farm at the corner of Hill and Dale Road and Rockaway Road.

Reception:
Tuesday Oct 5, 6pm - 8pm
Ticket cost, $ 20 in advance, $ 25 at the door

Exhibit dates:
Wednesday, Oct 6, 10am - 6pm
Thursday, Oct 7, 10am - 8pm
Friday, Oct 8, 10am - 8pm
Saturday, Oct 9, 10am - 3pm
(Show Admission: $3 per person) 
at:
Zion Lutheran Church Christian Education Building
corner of Church St & Miller Ave
Oldwick, NJ 08858
[map & directions]

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Phillips Mill 81st Annual Art Exhibition

"Rainbow Run Farm in Winter"
12x24" oil on canvas


My painting of Rainbow Run Farm was juried into the 81st Annual Art Exhibition at Phillips' Mill, 2619 River Rd, 1 1/2 miles north of New Hope, PA. [map & directions]   The farm is named Rainbow Run Farm after the little creek you see in the foreground, and it's on Rainbow Hill Road near Clover Hill, NJ, just a few miles from my house.

The show runs Sept 25 through Oct 30.
Phillips Mill is open daily from 1-5pm. Adults - $4, Seniors - $3, Students - $2.

For information call 215-862-0582.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Where Farmland and Conservation Meet

I have 3 paintings in a group show called "Preservation of an Integrated Landscape: Where Farmland and Conservation Meet" running Sept 12 - Oct 15 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]

Opening Reception: October 1, 5:30 - 7:30


"Sunflower Patch"
8x10" oil on board

The D&R Greenway has been very active in preserving land in Central New Jersey, and has recently extended it reach into South Jersey.  In 2008, the Greenway worked in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to preserve the 1,900-acre Seabrook Farm in Salem County. In 2009, two more farms around the Mannington Meadows were preserved resulting in over 2,729 acres of preserved land surrounding the 18,593-acre Mannington Meadows.

"The Updike Barns"
18x24" oil on canvas

The purpose of this exhibit is to showcase the fertile farmland and the magnificent marshes of the Mannington Meadow in Salem County.  Some of the artwork in this group show will be of Mannington Meadows and Salem County, but the general theme is farmland preservation.   The 3 paintings I have in this show are on preserved farmland in Mercer County.

"Oliver's Barn"
11x14" oil on canvas

Please note that there are no weekend hours for this gallery.  The Marie L. Matthews 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.

Monday, August 16, 2010

August Sky / The Visitation

"August Sky"
11x14" oil on linen on board

I painted this one recently at a farm near Skillman, NJ.   It's township-owned land that someone still farms, but no one lives here anymore.   I almost never see another soul at this farm and there's a very lonely feeling to the place.  The day I painted this was hot, the sun was brutal, and a strong wind was picking up.

So there I was, painting, and I see a figure way in the distance on the other side of the field - a long way off but it seems to be walking towards me.   I keep painting, watching this figure approach, and holding my easel with one hand to keep it steady in the wind.  It seemed to take forever for that person to reach me - it's a pretty big hay field, but eventually I could make out some details:  a tall, thin, older fellow.   Long gray hair flowing down his back.  Blue jeans, no shirt, great tan.   Standing there in that big open space, hot wind a-blowin', being approached by this stranger, I felt like I was in a scene from High Plains Drifter.

Fortunately he was no outlaw or gunfighter, he just wanted to see what I was up to and he sat down on the ground to chat for a while.  His son used to paint.  We talked about the hot, dry summer we've been having and he said that the spring on the farm has dried up and that that almost never happens.  He told me about the farmer who used to live there - after being seriously gored by one of his bulls, the farmer gave up farming and sold the land to the township - that's how it became Montgomery Township Open Space.  After some more chit chat, he said farewell and walked back across the field.    I was alone again under that hot August sky, listening to the music of rusty sheet metal roofing flapping in the wind, and thinking of High Plains Drifter and the mysterious stranger.  And moments like that, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Visions of Summer

This month at the Artists' Gallery, we're celebrating summer by having a group show with work from all 18 gallery artists. I'll have 8 paintings on display, including these:

"Adirondack Chairs"
11x14" oil on board

These chairs were beside a big old hedge at the Woolverton Inn in Stockton, NJ, and I thought that made the perfect backdrop for this painting.


"Stockton Bridge"
24x30" oil on canvas

This painting is looking south on the Delaware River from behind Prallsville Mills.  The bridge connects Stockton, NJ (on the left) with Center Bridge, PA (on the right).


"Along the Raritan"
8x10" oil on board

To be perfectly honest, this painting was done in the spring but I think it looks summery enough to fit the Visions of Summer theme.   This is the Black River and Western railroad bridge over the South Branch of the Raritan River about midway between Flemington and Three Bridges, NJ.

"Visions of Summer" runs Aug 8 - Sept 5, 2010 at:
Artists' Gallery
18 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
map & directions

Opening reception is Sunday, August 8, 2pm to 5pm.


(Note that we're not doing our usual Saturday evening reception this month).

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Images of the Mills 2010

"Prallsville Winter"
8x10" oil on board

My painting of Prallsville Mills in winter will be part of this year's "Images of the Mills" annual juried show at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ, just north of town on Rt 29 (map & directions).  As always, this show features images of the Prallsville Mills complex and the immediate surrounding area.  This year it's being held in the newly renovated Sawmill Gallery.

Opening reception is this Friday, Aug 6, from 5-8pm.

Show dates:  Friday, August 6, 2010 from 5 to 8pm;  Saturday, August 7, 2010 to Sunday August 29, 2010: open Fridays to Sundays, noon to 5pm; also available to be seen during docent tours, Mondays to Thursdays, 1 to 4pm.