Cedar Ridge

The D&R Greenway Land Trust has been working hard for 20 years to preserve land in central New Jersey. As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, they've invited a group of plein air artists to paint on some select pieces of property that they've preserved, and I am privileged to be included in this group of artists.

The paintings we do will be exhibited this fall in the Marie L. Matthews Gallery at Johnson Education Center, Princeton, NJ. We'll also be donating some of this work to the Land Trust for a silent auction to help raise funds for, and awareness of their land preservation mission. I'll post more about this exhibit and silent auction as the time approaches later this summer.

Here are some of my first paintings related to this project. Both were done at Cedar Ridge Preserve near Hopewell, NJ.

"Cedar Ridge Fields"
8x10 oil on panel

"Cedar Ridge Woods"
11x14 oil on panel

One side benefit of this project is that I'll get to explore some places I've never been to before, and exploration is one of the things I like best about being a plein air painter. Cedar Ridge is not far from where I live but last week my first visit there.

4th Annual Hillsborough Art Show

The Fourth Annual Hillsborough Art Show has just past. Unfortunately it's only a one day event so there's barely time to blog about it before the show is over. This year it was organized by a professional artist, Kevin Murphy, who recently founded the Art Academy of Hillsborough and it sounds like Kevin has some ideas about making this a bigger event next year.

The show has separate categories for students and adults and most of the show is comprised of students' work. You've probably heard the famous Pablo Picasso quote "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child", and it's often said that we are most creative as children but somehow loose that spark when we become adults. I have to say that I was really impressed with the student work at this show! The level of talent was impressive, but what impressed me the most was how imaginative some of the works were. These kids have not yet lost that spark of creativity, and lets hope that they don't.

Being a bit too old to qualify as a student, my entry won First Place in the adult category - I've posted this one before, it's my driveway in winter:

"Winter Drive"
24x18 oil on canvas

Connections - a 2 person show with Beatrice Bork

I've warned you before but now it's time for the official announcement:

"Connections"
A 2-person show with Joe Kazimierczyk and Beatrice Bork
at Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, NJ
May 8 - May 31, 2009
Opening reception: Saturday May 9, 6-9pm

My big show of the year starts later this week and runs the month of May. It's a 2-person show with Beatrice Bork. Bea is a talented watercolorist who specializes in wildlife paintings with a strong emphasis on birds. Her subjects range from the creatures found around her home in New Jersey, to the more exotic species she sees on her trips to the Caribbean.

My own work continues to focus on the New Jersey landscape but this time I'll be showing a lot of my smaller works. It's funny that my intent this winter was to work larger, but then I did a couple of little 5x7" paintings and had so much fun with those that it turned into a whole series. But I'll still be showing a few larger pieces to balance things out. I thought a wall of nothing but 5x7" paintings would look a bit odd!
The show runs May 8 through May 31.
Opening reception is Saturday, May 9 from 6-9pm at:

Artists' Gallery
32 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ
map & directions
Gallery hours: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm

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

"Princeton Battlefield Winter"
12x24" oil on canvas

"Millstone River, Early Spring"
5x7" oil on board

"Canal in Winter"
5x7" oil on panel

If you can't make the opening, please join us for coffee & conversation, a closing reception of sorts on Sunday, May 31 from 2-5pm.

Round Mountain Farm

"Round Mountain Farm"
6x8 oil on canvas on panel

I found this scene while exploring some trails near Stanton, NJ. This trail system connects some otherwise disconnected pieces of parkland, and the trails pass through some active farmland which made for a very pleasant walk. The trails were nicely cut through some grassland, but wow, the ticks are out in full force this spring - just one of the many hazards of plein air painting!

The Salon at Artworks

It's time for Trenton City Museum's the annual Ellarslie Open, one of the best juried shows in the region. This show always attracts artists from a large geographical area and for the past couple of years has been struggling with the problem of not having enough room to show all of the work that they would like to show. This year Ellarslie is partnering with Artworks to present "The Salon Show" - a show of entries that didn't make it into the Ellarslie Open but are too good not to exhibit. My painting "Hopewell, 3pm" will be in the Salon Show at Artworks:

"Hopewell, 3pm"
16x20 oil on canvas

Opening reception: Friday May 8, 6 to 9 pm at:

Artworks
19 Everett Alley at South Stockton Street
Trenton, NJ 08611
In the Mill Hill Historic District
[map & directions]
609-394-9436

The show runs May 8 through June 27, 2009.
Gallery hours are Saturdays: noon to 4:00 pm, and by appointment.

Ellarslie is the Trenton City Museum, downstairs is used for changing art exhibitions, upstairs features exhibits that showcase the city of Trenton's industrial history. Artworks is Trenton's downtown visual arts center, offering classes, exhibits and events to foster an appreciation of the arts.

While you're in the area to visit Artworks, it's well worth your time to stop in the nearby New Jersey State Museum to see the exhibit of Mel Leipzig's work - I'm a big fan of Mel but it's the first time I've seen so much of his work in one place. Mel has a unique way of looking a the world and it's a really amazing exhibit, so go see it!

Artists of Bristol 3rd Annual Open Exhibition

"Six Mile Run Farm"
11x14 oil on panel

The above painting will be in the Artists of Bristol 3rd Annual Open Exhibition being held at:

Lower Bucks Hospital
501 Bath Road
Bristol, PA 19007
(in the Hospital’s original lobby)

The show lasts only this weekend, Friday April 17 through Sunday April 19. There's a reception on Friday April 17 from 6-9 pm.

This exhibition is jointly sponsored by the Artists of Bristol on the Delaware and Lower Bucks Hospital. While I don't live anywhere near Bristol, they were encouraging artists from outside the area to participate and I was glad to oblige.

This painting was done at Six Mile Run Reservoir and I'm not sure if I should have been under water here. The surrounding land was acquired by the state of NJ in 1970 for a reservoir but those plans were eventually scrapped and it's now a park called Six Mile Run Reservoir - even though there is no reservoir and never will be! Six Mile Run is the name of the creek that runs nearby.

Addendum: My painting was award 3rd Place in the show!

Small Oils at the Philadelphia Sketch Club

"Montgomery Barn"
8x10 oil on board

This painting was accepted into the 146th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings at the Philadelphia Sketch Club. The show runs April 10 through May 2, 2009 at:

The Philadelphia Sketch Club
235 S. Camac Street
Philadelphia, Pa

Opening reception is Sunday, April 19 from 2 to 4 pm.

Although this is the 146th year of this annual juried show (isn't that amazing?!), it's the first time that I've entered. Needless to say, I'm very happy to have gotten in. I only recently became acquainted with the Sketch Club when I was invited to judge a show at the neighboring Plastic Club.

The Philly Sketch Club was founded in 1860 and is the oldest continuing artists organization in America. Many of America's great artists have been members or teachers at the club including Thomas Eakins, N.C. Wyeth, Edward Redfield, Maxfield Parrish, Daniel Garber, Ranulph Bye and Alexander Calder.

Normal gallery hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1 pm to 5 pm.

Save the date: May

My next big show is coming up soon at the Artists' Gallery in May. It'll be a 2-person show with Beatrice Bork - a very talented wildlife artist. Between Bea's animal paintings in watercolor and my landscapes in oils, I think it'll be a really good show. Of course I'm a little bit biased, but I really do think so!

Right now I'm busy with all of the little details and odds & ends that go into doing one of these shows. Fortunately, in a 2-person show you have someone to split some of the work with: writing and sending press releases, designing and mailing postcards, selecting which paintings to show, varnishing paintings, ordering frames, framing paintings, telling everyone on the planet about the show... which is exactly what I'm doing right now. I'll post more details in a few weeks, but for now, I just want to let you know that:

The show runs May 8 through May 31 at Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, NJ
Opening Reception is Saturday, May 9 from 6 to 9 pm.

Also, Beatrice has just started a blog of her own, so you may want to keep an eye on that: Beatrice Bork, Artist.