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.

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.

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).

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.

The First 40...

"Wertsville Road"
24x30" acrylic on canvas

In 2005, I entered my first juried art exhibition, my entry in that exhibition won an award and was purchased by the Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission.  I consider that a pivotal point in my journey from a hobbyist to a serious artist, and that painting of Wertsville Road will now be on display in:

"The First Forty..."

an exhibition of work from 

the Mercer County Art Collection 

celebrating the 40th Anniversary of 

Mercer County's Cultural & Heritage Commission

The show runs July 9 - July 31
and is taking place at:

Artworks
19 Everett Alley
Trenton, NJ 08611
(map & directions)

The County's art collection has more than 350 works of art, so not all pieces will be on display in this show.   The Commission selected a representative sampling of the work they've collected over the past 40 years, and I'm happy that my painting is one of the pieces selected for this show.

Solo Show at Bell's Tavern

I'm happy to say that once again, I'm having a solo show of my work at Bell's Tavern in Lambertville, NJ.  Bell's has a long tradition of exhibiting artwork by local artists and this is my 3rd solo show there.   It's a great little restaurant, Italian cuisine, with a nice bar, and some good beers on tap.  They've recently made some renovations so it's worth checking out if you haven't been there lately.

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

The show runs June 30th through August 31st, 2010 at:

Bell's Tavern
183 North Union Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
[map & directions]

Dinner and evening hours only:
Mon-Thurs 6pm-9:30pm, Fri & Sat 5pm-10pm, Sun 5pm-9pm

I'll have about 15 paintings on display in the dining room - some of the smaller works that I paint on location, as well as some of my larger studio pieces.

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

St. Michael's Farm Preservation Celebration and Art Exhibit

"St. Alphonsus From St. Michael's"
6x8 oil on canvas

"St Michael's Creek"
6x8 oil on board

The D&R Greenway Land Trust recently preserved the 340 acre Saint Michael property just outside of Hopewell Borough and this weekend they're having a celebration to mark the occasion, featuring:

• live music
• food and beverage vendors
• the First Annual Hopewell Valley Trail Run
• information about the Preserve
• an exhibition & sale of plein-air art of the St. Michaels Farm Preserve (which is how I fit in)

"Hopewell Valley"
8x10 oil on board

The Land Trust invited artists to paint and photograph the Preserve last weekend. It was my first visit to the property, and I was amazed at what an absolutely gorgeous piece of land it is - 200 acres of farmland, 140 acres of mature forest, creeks and streams, views overlooking Hopewell and Hopewell Valley. I am so thankful that this was preserved! If it were developed, it could have been covered with up to 1,020 homes plus commercial space.

Last weekend I did the 4 small paintings shown here and they'll all be exhibited at the celebration being held this Saturday, June 12 from 11:30 to 2:30. (Rain date June 13.) Park at the Hopewell Elementary School on Princeton Ave, and shuttles will be taking people to the park entrance on Aunt Molly Road. It's recommended to bring a blanket or lawn chair with you. Visit the D&R Greenway website for more information.

35% of the proceeds from all artwork sold will go to the D&R Greenway, so your purchases will help support a good cause!

"St Michael's Barn"
8x10 oil on linen

The Preserve takes it's name from the St. Michael's Orphanage and Industrial School built there in 1896 by the Diocese of Trenton. The orphanage closed in 1973 and the land remained undeveloped until the Diocese approached the Greenway in 2004 and set the wheels in motion for preserving the property. Fortunately for us, that came to pass, and the land was officially preserved as of Jan 19, 2010. I hope you can attend the celebration and see St. Michael's for yourself.

By the way, I painted inside the barn one day because it was so hot and windy outside. The barn provided some nice relief, and a group of barn swallows provided some nice entertainment while I painted.

Artsbridge 16

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

My painting "On Cider Mill Road" was accepted into the Artsbridge 16th Annual Juried Show.  Artsbridge is the area's premier arts organization and this annual show always includes some of the region's finest artists.  The show opens June 5 and runs through June 27, 2009 at:

Riverrun Gallery
287 South Main Street (Rt 29)
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-3349

Opening reception is Saturday June 5, from 6 to 9 pm.

Cider Mill Road is on one of my regular cycling routes and I go by this farm often.  I'm always intrigued by the little group of farm building surrounded by wide open fields and not much else in sight.   But on this day it was they sky that really grabbed my attention.   The sky was was doing that a lot to me last year.   Lately my attention is shifting to something else, but more on that later.   I hope you get a chance to see the show.