Hopewell Shadows

Here's one of my latest works:

"3pm, Hopewell"
16x20 oil on canvas

I was visiting the Hopewell Frame Shop (Hopewell, NJ) where my solo show is still in progress, and this was the scene that presented its self when I walked back out the front door. It's directly across the street, and with the barn just at the point of transitioning from sun to shadow... I ran back to my car to get the camera and did this painting a few days later. As much as I like painting on the spot, this was one where the camera was essential because the shadows were changing even as you watched them.

I'd love to put this painting in the show, but it'll be a while before it's dry enough to leave my house. Maybe Abby will have me back for another show sometime...

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Do Sparrows Dream...

"Do Sparrows Dream of Oceans Deep"
acrylic on wood

At the Lambertville Artists' Gallery, we're participating as a group in "Bucks County Birdhouse Style" - a Birdhouse Auction for New Hope Arts, where artist-created birdhouses will be auctioned off to benefit the New Hope Arts Building Project. New Hope Arts, Inc is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the rich cultural heritage of the area.

So I put my birdhouse kit together and thought this would be such a fun project to work on. And there my freshly primed and gessoed birdhouse sat for weeks. Waiting for inspiration. I just couldn't think of what to do with it! My plan was to paint some sort of landscape on it - rolling hills, puffy white clouds... but that idea just wasn't working and there the birdhouse sat. I thought about cows. I like painting cows and envisioned whimsical cow faces peering out from each side of the birdhouse. But that idea wasn't working either. Finally, I thought of fish - I doodle cartoonish fish all of the time (I have no idea why) and thought that a 'birdhouse as aquarium' would be funny. Once I had this idea, the rest was easy, and I like how it turned out. The fish theme also appeared on my artcards, and I used to build ceramic fish in what seems like a previous lifetime.

My next hurdle was titling it. We were asked to provide a title for our birdhouses, and titles aren't always easy for me. But this one came quickly: "Do Sparrows Dream of Oceans Deep?". With apologies to Philip K. Dick, author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (the novel which inspired Blade Runner). And although the 1 1/4" diameter hole on my birdhouse might be a little too small for a sparrow, I'm sticking with this title!

The Gallery:
My birdhouse will be on display at the Artists' Gallery during the month of March, along with all of the other gallery artists' birdhouses. It's an amazing collection of birdhouse art, so I hope you can visit and have a look. We're at 32 Coryell Street, Lambertville, NJ. Towards the end of the month, the houses will all be taken away to auction.

The Auction:
The benefit party and auction will be held on April 1, 2007, 6:30 pm preview, 7-9pm auction held in cooperation with 5thseasongifts.com, 215-862-2780

New Hope Arts Center
2 Stockton Ave . New Hope. PA

$15/person 215.862.9606
Tickets: 5th Season . 30 W. Bridge Street

Thank you!

My opening reception at the Hopewell Frame Shop Gallery on Saturday went really well, and I think everyone there had a lot of fun. It was the best opening I've had so far! Thanks to everyone who came out that night, it was a really good crowd. Thanks to Abby, the owner, for having me there and for hosting the evening. And thanks to Brothers Moon Restaurant, across the street for catering - the hors dourves were great.

Note: the Frame Shop won't be open this Saturday, March 10, so if you were planning a weekend visit, you'll have to wait until March 17.

Walnford House
one of my limited edition giclee prints available at the Frame Shop

Solo Show in Hopewell

"D&R Canal at Griggstown"
18x24 oil on canvas

I have a solo show at the Hopewell Frame Shop coming up very soon. This is my first big show of 2007 and I'll be showing many of my local landscapes, some of which were done very close to the town of Hopewell so I'm excited to be having the show here. I'm not sure yet, but I should have at least 15 paintings on display. Besides paintings, I'll have some limited edition prints on hand and Abby, the owner, would be glad to handle your framing needs.

Hopewell Frame Shop and Gallery
24 W. Broad Street (route 518)
Hopewell, NJ 08525
[map & directions]

Hours: Tues-Friday, 10 am - 5 pm and Saturday 9 am - 3 pm.

Opening reception is Saturday March 3 from 6pm to 8pm and the show runs through April 28. Hopewell has some good restaurants, so if you come to the opening, you can make an evening out of it. If you visit during the daytime, I highly recommend lunch at the Soupe Du Jour, just around the corner at 10 Blackwell Ave. It'll be the best bowl of soup and grilled cheese sandwich you ever had. I promise!

"Wertsville"
20x16 oil on board

Ending and Beginning

Ending: My gallery in Frenchtown, NJ, the Harrison Street Gallery artists cooperative, is closing it's doors at the end of this month. The owner is moving and hasn't been able to find a buyer who wants to keep the gallery going. So, it was a lot of fun and a great opportunity for me when I needed it last year, but all good things must end. And hopefully lead to other good beginnings.

Beginning: I've joined a new gallery in Lambertville, NJ: the des Champs Gallery, run by Lise des Champs. It's a really nice space and she has a lot of really great artists onboard so far, so it's quite an honor for me to be a part of this. The gallery is in a great location at 7 Lambert Lane, right in the heart of town, and just a stone's throw from the bridge. Lise ran the Gallery at the Frame Shop on Main Street last year, and just started up the des Champs Gallery in mid-January. I think she's off to a terrific start with this venture.

I'll still be a member of the Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, just a few blocks from the des Champs Gallery. So my personal challenge will be to find a way of balancing the 2 - maybe showing one body of work in one gallery but not the other, or... I don't know but I really have to think about this!

The 1st Prallsville Mills Invitational Show

I'll be participating in the first ever Prallsville Mills Invitational Show, Artists of the Mills, at the Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ. Opening reception is Friday, Feb 16, from 6 to 9 pm and is open to the public. Other than that, the show is open Saturday and Sunday, Feb 17 and 18, from noon to 5 pm. It's only a 1 weekend show, because the Mill is booked for a lot of events, but I'm glad to be in this one. It's the first invitational that I've been invited to, and the mill is a cool space to show one's art. It reeks with history and the old mill works are still visible inside.

Here are the paintings I'll have hanging (click each for a larger view):

Cider Mill Farm	Amwell Afternoon
Prallsville, July Afternoon	Lower Creek Road Bridge II

The show is run by the Delaware River Mill Society (DRMS),a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic Prallsville Mills industrial complex. They've been running annual juried shows called "Images of the Mills" for a few years, where, as you can guess, each work must be an image of the Mills. They invited 22 award winners from these past shows to be honored in this Invitational Show - we're to be known as the Artists of the Mills.

This was my award winning painting at the 2005 Images of the Mills show:

"Prallsville Mills Spillway"
16x20 oil on canvas

Several building make up the mill complex, but the main building is the large one in this painting - and it's 2 floors of this building where the art exhibitions are held.

I hope you can make it out to Stockton this weekend.

Artsbridge Board of Trustees

I've been invited to join the Board of Trustees at Artsbridge, the premier arts organization in the Lambertville / New Hope area. I was honored when the president, Ty Hodanish, asked me to join, but I have to admit that I also had some reservations. Being on the board of a non-profit organization basically means that you're volunteering your time to help run the thing. My main concern was how much time it would involve. Being a member of 2 co-op art galleries already takes up a fair amount of my time but there's a lot of good that I get back from being in those co-ops. So what would the return be for being on the Board? I'm sure it will be interesting to see how an organization like this works. They put on 1 big juried show every year plus some smaller shows. Some of the other board members are artists who I really admire, and maybe working with them will be as rewarding as I've found the co-ops to be. So I've joined the Board and I'm sure it'll be an interesting experience.