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.

North and South, Yin and Yang

In my last post, I showed 2 paintings of the Black Bass Hotel - one view looking north, the other looking south. It seems I've done the same thing again, this time with the Lambertville Station. Here's a late October scene, looking north and directly at the spot where the 2nd painting is done from:

"Lambertville Station"
8x10 oil on panel

And here's the view from late November looking south, directly at the spot the 1st painting was done from:

"Lambertville Station, November"
11x14 oil on panel

So what's that have to do with yin and yang? Not a whole lot. But I was looking up the definition of yin and yang and it mentions that yin literally means 'the shady place', yang literally means 'the sunny place', and that sounds fairly artistic. So much for my ventures into Chinese philosophy, I think I'll stick with painting!

The Black Bass Hotel

"Black Bass Hotel Looking North"
14x11 oil on canvas

The Black Bass Hotel is a Bucks County, Pa landmark that every local artist seems to paint eventually. I finally took my stab at it and did a view of the building from both directions. Up until now, I've only painted the back of the building from across the Delaware River at Bull's Island. So now I've got it covered from all angles!

"Black Bass Hotel Looking South"
11x14 oil on canvas

Gray Day Paintings

"Rockafellows Mill Bridge"
8x10 oil on canvas panel

The last couple of times I got out to paint on location, it was pretty gray and overcast, but what the heck - I paint far too many bright, sunny day paintings. These 2 were done a couple of miles apart on the South Branch of the Raritan River near Three Bridges, NJ.

"November On The South Branch"
8x10 oil on linen panel

Images of the Mills 2008

"Behind the Prallsville Mill"
10x8 oil on canvas on panel

I've posted this painting a couple of times already but here it is again - it's my entry into this year's "Images of the Mills" show at Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ. The theme of this show is, of course, images of the Prallsville Mills complex or the the immediate surrounding area. I paint near the Mill quite a bit but this is my only recent painting of the mill itself.

The show runs from Wednesday, Nov 12 to Wednesday, Nov 19 and is open daily from 12 noon to 5 pm.

Opening reception if this Friday, Nov 14, 6 to 9 pm.

Backyard Paintings

A couple of weeks ago, we had some nice weather but I didn't have enough time to drive somewhere to paint. I really wanted to get out, paint some autumn scenes, and enjoy the nice day, so I took my paintbox out in my back yard and did this one - the back of my yard is wooded and the property behind me is all woods:

"October Woods"
10x8 oil on canvas on panel

The following day I had the same dilemma so it was out into my back yard again. This is my garage (which is nearly big enough to fit one car into):

"Late October"
8x10 oil on canvas on panel

I hardly ever think of painting in my own yard, but I realize I have some good scenery a few minutes from my back door so I'm hoping to do some snow scenes back here this winter. It'll be nice to know that a cup of hot chocolate won't be very far away.