Small Works 2014 at Canal Frame

Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery's 16th Annual Holiday Small Works Show begins this weekend with an opening reception on Sunday, Nov 9, 2014 from 1-4 pm.  The show runs through December 31, and is taking place at:

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

Here are a couple of paintings that I have in the show:

"Imagined Sky #10"

6x8" oil on canvas

"Imagined Sky #14"

5x7" oil on linen

Besides these from my Imagined Sky series, I also have a few of my more typical local landscapes at the gallery.

Over 30 artists are exhibiting in the Small Works show, so I hope you get a chance to see it.

"People of Preservation" extended through Nov 8

"Montgomery Winter Sunset"

18x24 oil on canvas

The show "People of Preservation" was originally scheduled to end Nov 5, but has been extended through Nov 8, 2014.  I have 7 paintings in the show, including the one shown above, and a few interesting presentations will be occurring at this venue very soon.

All of these occur at:

D&R Greenway's Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-924-4646
[map & directions]

and they request that you RSVP that you will be attending.

Please visit http://www.drgreenway.org/public_programs.htm for additional information.

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LA Has a River?: Reviving America's Most Famous Forgotten Waterway

Wednesday, Nov 5, 2014
6:30 - 8:30pm

Click here to RSVP

Speaker: Jenny Price, Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Visiting Professor in the Environment and Humanities, Lewis Center for the Arts and PEI

Jenny Price will speak about the ambitious revitalization efforts on the concrete Los Angeles River -- their relevance to the water crisis, their importance for social justice, and the important role that artists are playing to make this huge project happen.

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Sagamore Hill: The Roosevelt Summer White House 

Special Lecture and Closing Reception for our People of Preservation art exhibit

Friday, Nov 7, 2014
Lecture & Reception: 4:30 - 6:00pm

Lecture begins at 4:30pm
Click here to RSVP

Kelly Fuhrmann, the new Superintendent of Sagamore Hill, the "Summer White House" home of our 26th President Teddy Roosevelt, will speak about current renovations and the inspiration of this special place where significant events occurred.

The talk will be followed by a brief reception for our People of Preservation art exhibit that celebrates inspirational preservationists.

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National Wildlife Federation's

World of Birds

Book Reading and Signing
with Author & Illustrator Kim Kurki

Saturday, Nov 8, 2014
2:00 - 4:00pm

Click here to RSVP

Kim Kurki, author of World of Birds, will read from her new book for adults and children. Books will be available for purchase with an opportunity for personalized signing by the author.  Makes a great birthday or holiday gift!


Kirkus Reviews has described World of Birds as a smorgasbord of information about common backyard birds. 

Visit the Johnson Education Center through November 21 to view a special exhibit of book illustrations.

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These presentations all sound interesting so hopefully you can stop by, learn something, and see some art - it's a very nice exhibition!

"People of Preservation" at D&R Greenway in Princeton, NJ

"Stockton Bridge"

24x30 oil on canvas

I am happy to once again be part of a group show curated by the D&R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton, NJ.  I have 7 paintings in this show entitled "People of Preservation" which runs September 12 -  November 5, 2014 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: Friday, Sept 26 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM.

"Rusty Roofs"
8x10" oil on canvas on board

Exhibiting Artists: Anita Bernarde, Rosemary Blair, Murrell Butler, N.J. Devico, James Fiorentino, Lucia Huebner, Grace Previty Johnston, Ruth Jourjine, Joe Kazimierczyk, Joy Kreves, Juliet Martin, Susan MacQueen, Joan Needham, Mary Louise Pierson, Marie Sturken, Ray Yeager

"Farm Lane"
8x10" oil on linen on board

Please note: There are no weekend hours for this gallery. The Marie L. Matthews Gallery is 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.

September at Artists' Gallery

At Artists' Gallery this month, most of my newer cloudscapes are out, but I still hung a very sky-themed wall using some of my older pieces.   At Artists' Gallery this month, I'm showing:

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

"Wertsville Winter"
18x24" oil on canvas

"Cloudscape, Opie Road"
18x24" oil on canvas 

And on another wall in the gallery, one of my newer works is on display:

"Sunrise, Hopewell"
11x14" oil on canvas

This month's featured artists are Beatrice Bork and Jennifer Cadoff in "Flight/Patterns", opening reception is Saturday, September 6, 5-8 pm.   More information at the Artists' Gallery event web page.

August at Artists' Gallery

My big show at Artists' Gallery is over now, but a few of the cloudscape paintings from that show are still hanging elsewhere in the gallery.  Here are a few of them:

The main show at Artists' Gallery this month is "Oil & Water" featuring oil paintings and oil pastels by Charles David Viera and watercolors by Eric Rhinehart, running until Sept 1st.  

Also note that Artists' Gallery is staying open until 9pm every Saturday this month.

My cloudscapes will remain up at the gallery until Sept 1st - after that, I'll probably bring in some of my more typical local landscapes.

Dream in Color - Final Weekend

"Mount Airy Sunset"

12x36" oil on canvas

"Dream in Color"
a 2-person show with Joe Kazimierczyk and Gail Bracegirdle
Final Weekend!

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Closing Reception: Sunday, August 3, 2014, 2-5 pm

All good things must end and "Dream in Color", my show with Gail Bracegirdle at Artists' Gallery, is coming to an end this weekend. I have to say, I think this is one of the best looking shows I've ever done. It's the first time I've had such a strong theme to my work and I think that Gail's floral themed paintings work really well with my sky theme.  Overall, I think the show looks really great.

part of Joe Kazimierczyk's wall at "Dream in Color"

We are having a closing reception on the final day, Sunday, Aug 3, from 2-5 pm. Gail and I will both be at the gallery, and we hope that you can join us for some for some refreshments to close out our show.

The show is running at:

Artists' Gallery
18 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ
[map & directions]
Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday 11am-6pm

"Imagined Sky #17"

8x10" oil on linen

I hope to see you on Sunday, and a big thanks to everyone who helped make this a successful show. After "Dream in Color" I will always have some work on display at Artists' Gallery, but this is the most work I'll have up until my next show here, sometime in 2015.

part of Gail Bracegirdle's wall at "Dream in Color"

Imagine Sky: Dream in Color

Joe Kaz's wall in "Dream in Color"

 "Dream in Color" - a duo show of Joe Kazimierczyk and Gail Bracegirdle running July 10 - August 3, 2014 at:

Artists' Gallery
18 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ
[map & directions]
Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday 11am-6pm

"Imagined Sky #12"

6x8" oil on linen

This the first show where I've ever had such a strong theme - all of my paintings are cloudscapes and skyscapes.   And of the 25 paintings I'm showing, 21 of them were done from memory and imagination - something I've rarely done before.

I hung a sign on the wall explaining a bit about this series, so here it is:

Imagine Sky

I paint on location quite a bit, and when working this way, one has to paint fast because things can change very quickly - the sun moves, shadows shift, and the scene can look very different minute by minute.  This is true when painting landscapes with trees or buildings, but it's especially true when paintings skies.  Clouds can move very fast, and sunsets can change dramatically second by second.  So even when I paint on location, I'm usually painting the skies from how I remember they looked at a certain point in time.   When memory isn't serving me, I imagine what the sky looked like at that certain moment.

With this in mind, I did a series of "Imagined Skies" painted entirely from memory and imagination..  This gave me the freedom to create works with a certain color scheme in mind, a certain mood, a feeling of quiet stillness, or nature at it's most dramatic...  I had the freedom to try anything I could imagine but I always strove for a strong sense of realism, or heightened realism.

Working on this series, I spent every opportunity I had just looking at skies - the artist's life is a tough one!   Some of these paintings were inspired by sky colors or cloud shapes from memory, some were totally imagined.  I suspect that my own memory is half imagined anyway!

Some of the foregrounds are memories of places that I'm very familiar with - a park I visit often, the field across the street from my home.   And when I now compare those paintings to the actual place, it's not the match one would expect.  Yet the painting feels like the place to me, more so than a photograph would, and this is causing me to reexamine how I define realism - a visually accurate rendition of a place verses an artwork that invokes the spirit of a place - which is more 'real'?

I'll probably continue this series for a while, and hope to use some of the lessons learned in exploring other subjects as well.

Thanks for looking,

Joe Kazimierczyk

Gail Bracegirdle also has a strong theme to her half of the show - watercolor florals done on crinkled paper - you have to see them in person to fully appreciate the texture that the paper adds to the work.

Gail Bracegirdle's wall in "Dream in Color"

Dream in Color - July at Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, NJ

"Dream in Color"

a 2-person show with Joe Kazimierczyk and Gail Bracegirdle

at Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, NJ

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July 10 - August 3, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 12, 5-8 pm

Closing Reception: Sunday, August 3, 2-5 pm

 

 left: "Sunflower" by Gail Bracegirdle

right: "Imagined Sky #15" by Joe Kazimierczyk

This July I'm teaming up with Gail Bracegirdle for our first show together at Artists' Gallery. The show entitled "Dream in Color" is my biggest show this year so I hope you get a chance to see it.

The show runs July 10 though August 3, 2014 with an opening reception on Saturday, July 12, 5-8 pm at:

Artists' Gallery
18 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ
[map & directions]
Gallery hours: Thursday through Sunday 11am-6pm

Gail Bracegirdle is an amazing watercolorist who is always exploring media and technique. For this show, Gail is exhibiting a series of florals painted on crinkled paper. The paper adds a wonderful sense of mystery to the work:

Gail Bracegirdle

"Tulip"

watercolor on crinkled paper

Most of what I'm showing is a new body of work - a series of "Imagined Skies". Skies can change so quickly that when I paint on location, I'm usually painting how I remember the sky looking at some earlier point in time. So I took that idea one step further and created this series of paintings done entirely from memory and imagination. It's the biggest series I've ever painted and I don't think I'm finished yet. I'll be showing a good number of imagined skies - all small works. I'll also be showing a few pieces painted more traditionally, but all with a big emphasis on the sky.

Here are a few of the paintings I'll have in the show:

"Imagined Sky #17"

8x10" oil on linen

"Imagined Sky #3"

5x7" oil on canvas

 

"Imagined Sky #11"

5x7" oil on canvas

If you can't make the opening reception, I hope you can see the show sometime during the month. If you can't make it during normal gallery hours, please let me know and I can arrange to open the gallery at a time convenient for you. Finally, we are having a small closing reception on the last day of the show, Sunday August 3, from 2-5pm.

Hope to see you there!

Trenton Then & Now: Contemporary Views

I have 2 pieces in the show "Trenton Then & Now: Contemporary Views" running June 28 - September 14, 2014 at:

Ellarslie, The Trenton City Museum
in Cadwalader Park
Trenton, New Jersey
Phone: (609) 989-3632

[map & directions]

Opening Reception: June 28
Members and Artists only: 6-7pm, General Public 7-8pm

This is one of the shows at the Trenton City Museum to commemorate New Jersey’s 350^th anniversary, and includes work by nineteen regional artists whose work interprets Trenton's history in a variety of ways, depicting people and places both past and present.

My work in this show depicts the D&R Canal and towpath with a railroad bridge crossing overhead - a reference to the transportation and industry which played a big part in Trenton's past and present. The D&R Canal may be unchanged in appearance, but it's usage has changed from industrial to recreational. Railroad lines may not be as heavily used as in the past, but are still active and important.

"Canal Reflections"
8x10" oil on board

"Railroad Reflections"
16x20" oil on canvas

The small 8x10" painting was done on location.  The larger 16x20" version was done in the studio using the plein air piece and photographs for reference - those trains went by too fast for me to get them in the plein air version!

In addition to these pieces, my "Small Works" show at Ellarslie is still running with 10 pieces on display.  (This was originally scheduled to end June 15 but will remain up for a while yet.)

Ellarslie Open XXXI

Joe Kazimierczyk
"I95 Sunset"
12x24" oil on canvas

My painting of this sunset over Interstate 95 is included into this year's Ellarslie Open, taking place May 3 - June 22, 2014 at:

Ellarslie, The Trenton City Museum
in Cadwalader Park
Trenton, New Jersey
Phone: (609) 989-3632

[map & directions]

VIP Night:
Friday, May 2, 2014, 6-8 p.m., Awarding of Prizes
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

General Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 3, 2014, 6-9 p.m
Free and open to the public


Concurrent with the Ellarslie Open, I also have 10 pieces in a "Small Works" exhibit in the McCall Gallery at Ellarslie, downstairs from the Museum Shop.

Small Works at Ellarslie

Ellarslie has been running a series of Small Works shows featuring a diverse group of regional artists. I am part of this series and have 10 small landscapes on display.  The show runs April 17 through June 15, 2014 at:

Ellarslie, The Trenton City Museum
in Cadwalader Park
Trenton, New Jersey
Phone: (609) 989-3632
[map & directions]
(closed Easter Sunday)

The Small Works show is in the McCall Gallery, which is downstairs from the Museum Shop. Also showing with me are Neil Larsen and Ingrid Davis.

Here are a few of the pieces I am showing:

"Sunset on 518"

8x10 oil on canvas

 

"Farm Lane"
5x7" oil on board

 

"Dory Dilts' Barns"
6x8" oil on canvas on board

 

"Amwell Sky"
5x7 oil on canvas on board

 

I'll also have a painting in the Ellarslie Open XXXI, which opens May 2 - I'll post more on that soon.