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!

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

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

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.

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.

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]

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.

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.