Blue Horse Arts

REMINDER! Plight of the Pollinator's Kick off Lecure Tonight at Flanders

2012-03-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

Jay Foster

The public is invited to the “Plight of the Pollinators” lecture and spring art challenge kick off at Flanders Studio Welcome Center on the corner of Flanders and Church Hill Road in Woodbury on March 9^th, to hear about global honey bee disorders and threats to insect pollinators.

Guest speaker Dr. Susan Cusato is the Chairperson of the Science Education and Environmental Studies at Southern Connecticut State University. Her academic background includes degrees in plant science, biochemistry, and environmental studies. She is currently teaching a course entitled “Pollinators: a Case Study in Sustainability”. She and her husband live in Woodbury and are beginner beekeepers learning first hand the challenge of keeping bees while struggling against environmental and disease related threats that regularly take their toll on the hives.

Guest Artist Randy Orzano will also present his artwork to view and talk about the creative process of creating with bees.

(a $5 donation is requested for the lecture to benefit Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust)

Area artists who work in a variety of media, are encouraged to attend for more information on the Plight of the Pollinators: Call to Artists Juried Exhibition. For a prospectus click HERE!

Bee Spotting!

2012-03-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

First Pollinator- Heidrun Morgan

Jay Foster

Newtown, Connecticut artist Heidrun Morgan, sent in a pic today of the first pollinator sighting of the season.YAY!
Awareness is building!
Looking forward to a fused glass entry to

Plight
of the Pollinators!

Reminder! The lecture/presentation with Dr. Susan Cusato and artist Randy Orzano is tomorrow night at Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust starting at 7PM.

"Let there be Light" Workshop Pics!

2012-03-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Photo shoot in the Painting studio

The "Let There be Light" workshop, conducted this past weekend by master photographer Georgia Sheron, was a great success! Here are some images from the variety of shoots that took place through out the Blue Horse Arts and JFoster Music Studios Complex. Many of the images give a glimpse of our new space that is currently under construction. The "Plight of the Pollinator" exhibit will be held in the 2400 square foot renovated studio this June.

Portrait Lighting

Georgia has plans for a couple of new workshops in the near future. For more info on this contact Georgia Sheron at 860-274-7823.

Industrial Space Lighting

Working!

Participants Hard at Work

A Shoot in the New Space, Our Cultural Supporter Steve Shappy in the Background

Jay Foster

Photographers are highly encouraged to enter our call for art.
Click on Plight of the Pollinator for a prospectus and a direct link to the call.

Deer Party!

2012-03-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

This morning we were visited by a family of deer browsing in our backyard.This is the second time in a month that a mother and her two kids have graced our yard, and that of our neighbors. After they moved on we had a herd of about seven in total run through,flags up.(Of course the good shots are were as blurry as I before a substantial intake of coffee)!

Just a Reminder ! Photography Workshop with Georgia Sheron

2012-03-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

Georgia Sheron

Just a Reminder!!

Guest Artist and Master Photographer Georgia Sheron will be holding a one day workshop at Blue Horse Arts Studio on March 3rd, 2012 from 12PM- 5PM. Check out the info on our Events Page!

Inter-Species Collaboration

2012-02-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Aganetha Dyck

Life on earth is its own Inter-species Collaboration. Gaining awareness of our inter-dependence with all living things non-human,in my humble opinion, is the first step in recognizing that we as a species are a part of Nature. No more, no less. The attitude of Us vs.Them is in need of dis-solution, for our survival and their survival are intertwined.

Contemporary artists working in the domain of inter-species collaboration attempt to communicate this concept through creating aesthetic experiences that investigate an awareness of what we perceive as other.

Bee prepared :), in the coming months for displays of contemporary works that express the spirit of Plight of the Pollinators call for art in various artistic forms.Collaborative works, dance, human and non human, installation, performance, sculpture, animations, drawing, music, painting, photography.....Bee Inspired:)

We are open to exploring any expressive communication that can bring into focus the critical environmental issue of pollination.

Aganetha Dyck is Canandian artist that has been working for sometime in collaboration with bees.

Aganetha Dyck

Aganetha Dyck - Bee Drawing Collaboration

Hilary Berseth is an American artist works collaboratively both as a bee keeper and a sculptor.

Hilary Berseth

Hubert Duprat is a French artist whose work with caddis fly larva enters the realm of collaboration by working with the instinct driven sheltering behavior of this particular Tricoptera.

Hubert Duprat

Hubert Duprat Photo Credit- Delpech& Fournier

For more information on these artists check out theses links below

Aganetha Dyck

Hilary Berseth

Hubert Duprat

Jeweled Caddis fly video

Sites on Inter-Species Collaboration

http://www.interspecies.com/pages/ic_is.html

http://canononline.org/archives/spring-2011/the-animal-aesthete-the-ethics-of-interspecies-encounters-in-contemporary-art/

Another Kind Of Bee Girl

2012-02-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

A little sketchbook musing.

Bee Girl-Graphite on Paper- B. Grady

For a little inspiration check out

Louie Schwartzberg: The hidden beauty of pollination

Wings of Life

And of course a little music:)

Participate!!! Plight Of The Pollinators

Plight of the Pollinators

Who's At Heminway Pond/Blue Horse Arts Studio Today?

2012-02-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Some friends browsing the offerings at Hemingway Pond.Good day for a Paint Out!

View from the Window of the Studio, February, 26th, 2012 -B.Grady

In The Bee- ginning

2012-02-25T12:13:00.004-08:00

Dianne Parmelee with her performance art creation

There was Dianne:)

Dianne Parmelee that is, who is the real instigator behind this Art of the Earth series of artist challenges that we will be exhibiting at Blue Horse Arts in June. Dianne is the Education Coordinator and Farm manager at the Flanders Nature Center. Dianne, herself a true creative, is one who naturally combines seemingly unrelated events into invitations for creative expressions with an eye on nature. Wearing her Farm manager hat, it was on a sheep buying excursion to Orzano’s Farm that she first spied Randy’s artwork and on the wall of his home. The kernel of an idea was planted, inspired by an interspecies collaborative drawing of a bee.(More on interspecies collaboration a little later:).

Dianne’s artists sensibility was triggered and from there ”The Plight of the Pollinators” Call to Artists was born. Kicking off this first challenge is a lecture by Dr. Susan Cusato on global pollinator disorders and the effects of this on the food supply and presentation by Randy Orzano of his artwork. This lecture presentation will be held at Flanders Nature Center on Friday, March 9^th at 7PM.

(see details on this event below the post)

Dianne reading at Flanders

Science Art Project

By day, through the busy hours of spring, summer, and fall,

Dianne creates and manages the

educational farm program at the Flanders.

Her arts based children’s learning programs

have been the inspiration for many a child’s

initial exploration of the natural world

and their own creative potential.

It is during the gray days of winter and quiet evening hours she translates her day lit experiences with nature and children into dreamy, colorful compositions of words and brush.

Sarafina Mudpie Oinker

These animal based orchestrations speak to the imaginations of children. Cheerful and charming characters such as “Sarafina Mudpie Oinker”, a porcine painter who discovers her inner calling as an artist, is the first in a series of stories that Dianne has penned in a book by the same name.

The seeds Dianne plants, through image and story, cultivate an awareness of both nature and the potential of art in the child mind.

Dianne Parmelee - Author /Illustrator

The importance of this cultivated awareness cannot be under estimated. Eminent biologist E.O. Wilson has put out a call to the artists, poets, musicians, filmmakers and the humanities in general, to communicate the concerns of conservation science to the public. Wilson also advocates early, direct experiences with nature for children to stimulate an attitude of scientific inquisitiveness and Biophilia. Personally I can attest to the influence of children’s literature both for my interest in environment and animals but also as an early awareness of art experienced through the imagery on the printed page.It was my father who inspired my love for reading through a steady diet of nature based children’s literature.

“Bambi “by Felix Salten, “Never Cry Wolf” by “Farley Mowat”, “Call of the Wild” by Jack London, and the works of Ernest Thompson Seton fostered an early sensitivity to the natural world. As I grew older authors such as Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Barry Lopez, continued to expand on my interest in this subject. It was literature such as this that began to shape an environmental consciousness in the American public.

Randy Orzano - Bee Mixed Media

Randy Orzano and Dr.Susan Cusato Presentation and Lecture at Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust.

Friday,March 9th,at 7PM.

$5.00 donation suggested.

5 Church Hill Road, Woodbury, Connecticut

Plight of the Pollinators

To PARTICIPATE in artfully supporting awareness on critical environmental issues, please submit your artwork,visual poetry,sound art,music, or interpretive dance:) the Plight of the Pollinators call to artists through this link here. https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=949

The manifold ways by which human beings are tied to the remainder of life are very poorly understood, crying for new scientific enquiry and a boldness of aesthetic interpretation.
excerpted from Edward Wilson, "Biophilia and the Conservation Ethic"

For more information on Biophilia, Arts and Environmental Education, E.O. Wilson Check the Links Below.

Biophilia and Design

Teachingthe Human Habitat: Environmental Education Down on the Farm
by David Moon

E.O.Wilson Biodiversity Foundation

E.O. Wilson on Humanities

2012-02-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a trailer to an interesting documentary on the plight of our pollinators.

For more information on this documentary and other ways you can become informed or take action on this critical issue please visit www.vanishingbees.com .
We are planning a screening in the coming weeks. Stay tuned:)!

Plight of the Pollinators!!!!! Call to Artists!!!

2012-02-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that our call for art, in conjunction with Flanders Nature Center, is now open. Finalists who participate in this event will be exhibited at the new "Field Projects" exhibition space located at the Blue Horse Arts and Jay Foster Music studio complex. This call has been created in an effort to raise awareness on the "Plight of the Pollinators" so critical to the health of an ecosystem and our food supply and to support the environmental education programs at Flanders .
Read the Prospectus below for information on how you can participate in this event!!
or click here to apply. Applicants must register to apply. Registration is FREE.

Jay Foster, Dianne Parmalee, Bridget Grady

Art of the Earth

Art and Environment Series

First Challenge

“Plight of the Pollinators”

PROSPECTUS

Plight of the Pollinators: A Call to Artists

Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust, in conjunction with Blue Horse Arts Studio, located in Watertown, Connecticut, seeks artwork for an upcoming exhibition in June, 2012. Artists will be challenged to create works of art inspired by nature and/or critical environmental issues. This “Art of the Earth” series of events will encompass seasonal group exhibitions starting this spring with an initial call for art and multimedia creations for a “Plight of the Pollinators” exhibition. This exhibition will be open to the local and online community in an effort to raise awareness of the vital importance of the role of pollinators in maintaining the health of our food and eco-systems. Partial proceeds from the sale of work from the exhibition and entry fees will be donated to Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust’s environmental educational programming.

“One third of the food we eat is directly the result of the habits of pollinators within our ecosystems. These creatures, winged and scaled, are on the decline due to habitat loss, chemical use, invasive species, and disease. We ask that artists working in variety of media submit work that creatively interprets this issue or visually celebrates pollinators”.

This call for entry is open to all artists working in a variety of media, professionals and students who wish to contribute their vision or voice to raising awareness on the “Plight of the Pollinator”. A panel of jurors from both the disciplines of art and science will select works for the “Field Projects” exhibition space. All artists, who contribute to this event through participation, will have the opportunity to be exhibited online through “Flickr” if they so choose. This online exhibition will be accessible through the Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust website for a six month viewing period. Awards for adult artists and professionals will be announced. A Natalie Van Vleck Student Award will be offered in honor of Natalie Van Vleck, artist and founder of Flanders Nature Center, for an outstanding piece that reflects the spirit of this spring’s “Plight of the Pollinator” challenge. Entry fees and partial proceeds from the sale of work at the exhibition will benefit the Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust’s environmental education programs.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: May 4^th, 2012

Exhibition of Finalists opening will be held on Saturday June, 2nd, 2012.

The exhibition will run from June2, 2012 - June 22, 2012

ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE ONLINE
THROUGH WWW.CALLFORENTRY.ORG
Click HERE to apply
Applicants must register with CaFe. Registration is FREE.

Finalists will be notified by email on MAY, 15th, 2012

ELIGIBILTY

This event is open to all artists both professionals and students, whose work reflects the topic of pollination. The artwork selected by the jury for exhibition at “Field Projects” exhibition space must meet the space criterion of the gallery. Works that are site specific or oversized will be included in the online exhibition.

More information is on our Plight of the Pollinators Call for Art page.

Our Jury Panel and Process

The jury panel for “Plight of the Pollinators” was assembled to represent a diverse combination of arts professionals and representation from the science community who are supportive to the theme of promoting awareness of this critical environmental issue. The process is two-fold ensuring a variety of inputs into the selection of artworks in order to enhance the quality and transparency of the jury process .All artworks submitted will be available for viewing on an online platform, in this case Flickr . Artists will have the option to opt in or out of this opportunity when they apply to the call. This ensures that all artists who support this theme are represented and their participation is acknowledged. Selections from those submissions are first filtered through the curators of the show. Works from that first selection process are then passed on to the blind jury panel for an objective selection of work that reflects a high level of artistic quality.

Meet the Jurors!

Donald Taglialatella

Donald Taglialatella is an expert in post-war and contemporary art and entered the international art world in June of 1990. Since 1998 he has owned and operated World House Editions and World House Gallery, which is based privately in Middlebury, Connecticut since 2006. He is a member of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) as well as the Confédération Internationale de Négociants en Oeuvres d’Art (CINOA) and has written on artists and movements such as Antony Gormley, Arman, Reinhoud and The Cobra group, his historical expertise. Presently he is compiling and editing the catalogue raisonné of the prints of Robert Cottingham, which will be published by Lund Humphries, London in late 2013. Under World House Editions, he has published prints, multiples and photographic projects that are in the permanent collections of such institutions as The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Louisiana Museum for Moderne Kunst, Humlebaek, Denmark; The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati; The British Museum, London; The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The William Benton Museum of Art, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, and The Cabinet des Estampes, Geneva, Switzerland. Donald has a B.A. in Art History from the University of Delaware and was a curatorial apprentice during his four years at the University of Delaware’s Museum of Art. www.worldhouseeditions.com

Marjorie Frankel Nathanson

Marjorie Frankel Nathanson has been the Executive Director of the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey since 1996. She holds an M. A. in Art History from Columbia University and a B.A. in Art History from Simmons College. Prior to her current position, she was on the curatorial staffs of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, New Jersey, the University Museum and Art Galleries of Southern Illinois University and the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson College. She has also held positions at Sotheby’s, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and was the owner and director of Frankel Nathanson Gallery. As a member of the staff of The Museum of Modern Art, Marjorie worked on major exhibitions including Andy Warhol: A Retrospective, Henri Rousseau, Louise Bourgeois, Frank Stella, and Berlinart and was the curator of the Projects Exhibition Joel Otterson. She is a member of ArtTable and is on the Boards of ArtPride New Jersey and the Clinton Guild. www.hunterdonartmuseum.org

Douglas Hyland

Douglas Hyland has been Director of the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, Connecticut since 1999. Under his tenure, the New Britain Museum has seen the renovation of the Landers House and the construction of the Chase Family Building, while at the same time the museum increased its operating endowment by one hundred percent. Prior to the New Britain Museum of American Art, Douglas was director of the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas (1992-98) the Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama (1984-91) and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee (1982-1984). He is an expert in American and European painting and sculpture, particularly from the period 1800-1950 and has himself organized major exhibitions on artists from Antonio Guadi, Charles Burchfield, Reginald Marsh, to Antoni Tapies and Adolph Gottlieb, as well as important shows such as, Age of Innocence: American Impressionism and Its Influence, Five Hundred Years of French Art, and The Body Revealed, 200 Years of the American Nude. He is the author of over a dozen scholarly articles and books, has lectured at the American Association of Museums Annual Conference, the College Art Association Conference, the SEMC Conference and is an Institute of Museum Services Assessment Panelist as well as an American Association of Museums Accreditation Visiting Committee member. Douglas has a B.A. in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. as well as a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Delaware. www.nbmaa.org

Marjorie Portnow

Marjorie Portnow is an American painter rooted in the tradition of the observed landscape. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Design. Her work appears in many of the major museum exhibitions of American landscape painting including: The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art (Selections From The Metropolitan Museum of Art); Landscape Painting (1960-1990) (The Italian Tradition in American Art). She is featured in important books and catalogues of contemporary American landscape painting such as John Arthur's The American Landscape Tradition Since 1950 and Spirit of Place: Contemporary Landscape Painting and the American Tradition and Alan Gussow’s publication, The Artist as Native (Reinventing Regionalism). Marjorie is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including; Yaddo and the Mac Dowell Colony, The Hassan Purchase Prize from the American Institute Academy of Arts and Letters, two National Endowment of the Arts grants, two Ingram Merrill Grants, two Tiffany Foundation Grants and two Bunting (Radcliff Institute) Institute Grants. Her work is held in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC; Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Sheldon Art Museum, the Gibbs Museum of Art, The National Academy of Design, Middlebury College Museum, Albany Museum of Art, and Middlebury College Museum, The Graham Gund Collection, The Jacob Kaplan Collection Citibank Corporation of North America, and The AT&T Collection. She has taught at many prestigious institutions throughout the U.S., including the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, New York Studio School, Brooklyn College, The National Academy of Design, The Skowhegan School, the University of Pennsylvania, The University of California, Virginia Tech, and Hollins University. She is currently a full-time professor at Western Connecticut State University.

Susan Cusato

Dr. Susan Cusato is the Chairperson of the Science Education and Environmental Studies at Southern Connecticut State University. Her academic background includes degrees in plant science, biochemistry, and environmental studies. She is currently teaching a course entitled “Pollinators: a Case Study in Sustainability”. She and her husband live in Woodbury and are beginner beekeepers learning first - hand the challenge of keeping bees while struggling against environmental and disease related threats that regularly take their toll on the hives.

Jay Foster

Jay Foster is a working musician, composer, audio production consultant, and owner of J. Foster Music Studios in Connecticut, where he teaches music, theory, performance, and technology. His past teaching credits include the National Guitar Institute, Nanyang Technological University’s Guitar Ensemble in Singapore, and other private studios. While in Singapore he was a consultant for sound technology training (Pro-tools) for the animation/film department at the school of Art, Design, and Media where he also composed music for film, animation, and games. In 2010 Jay Foster was nominated for Best Sound for the Singapore Short Films Award. He studied classical Indian Music under international performing and recording artist Ustad Sharafat Khan, and recorded and post-produced a live performance of this classical sitarist. Jay Foster is a frequent contributor to the Propellerhead’s forum and a beta tester for a number of their audio production softwares.

W.I.P Portrait

2012-02-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

WIP -B.Grady

What I'm working on the side.

Here is recent commission that I'm working still very much in process. I'm only on the beginning of a second pass on the face. The facial side planes are still being turned and the hair is in block in stage. I thought it would good time to address some frequent questions I get on working from photographs while I am waiting for the paint to dry.

I prefer to work from life mostly or at least at some stage of my work depending on what it is I'm involved with.I'm not a purist but I do believe that a firm grounding in working from life will better prepare one to translate information from a photograph.

Sometimes it is inevitable for a myriad of reasons, that a photo must be used.One is, I find for some strange reason people don't often like to be scrutinized like a bug under a microscope for hours on end. It seems, in our hectic society, as though there is not enough time in the day for the average person to schedule the five or more 3 hour sittings required for a work with a high level of finish. Perhaps the commission is surprise gift or the person lives out of the country. Kids and animals are rarely cooperative for sustained poses. My cat can stay immobile for hours on end until I pick up a pencil. Ever notice that lady on the train that has been sound asleep slowly opens one eye when you break out the sketchbook? Maybe stuffed animals are a possible exception:). They are reference for many wildlife painters. Tickle Me Elmo isn't what I'm referring to here. I thought I'd show this work in progress to point out some issues an artist who works from a photo reference must consider. It is not uncommon for people to ask me to paint from photos. The photos that are often given may not contain the necessary information that a painter needs to make good piece. Most people accept a photograph as a correct representation of reality. That same image, copied exactly in paint, is hardly ever satisfactory.

The particular photo reference I had to work off of has all the things in it that will usually make me not want to use it for a painting reference. But partially because of that I took it on as a challenge anyway.

It made me think of the hints I usually give my students for selecting a photo to work from so I listed them below.

1. When possible work off of your own photograph. This way you can control the composition and most importantly the lighting. This wasn't my own photo but provided by the client. It had multi-directional lighting which usually flattens out an image which created a challenge in that I had to invent a primary light source in order to emphasize form. The over all light, while providing good visual information on the the sub forms(a nice way of saying wrinkles), did little to show the 3-d quality of the the head. For that one has to invent the lighting in order to create believable form(Think Spheres and Eggs). Otherwise it becomes a case of copying values and mechanically reproduced color which tends to flatten the image subtly or not so subtly.Form and Color are the main elements of design that are usually lacking in photo-based painting.The reference for this painting had multiple light sources creating a bleached out or in this case yellowed skin tone.The photo itself was yellowed.That is where having a background in painting from life helps one create believable color or at least recognize that the color is off.

2. Try to avoid photo references with toothy smiles. This form of picture reference provides the usual dead give away that it's a painting from a photograph because of the presence of teeth.(This may or may not be an issue for some people).

3. Don't paint in the company of cats.Make them get their own studio. Linseed or walnut oil have special electromagnetic properties that can suck the hair off of a feline from 20 yards. This tends to impart an interesting texture into your painting surface which may or may not work with your subject.Good for beards though!

And yes, I am taking commissions:)

For more info on painting with cats click on the link below.
http://www.monpa.com/wcp/documentry.html
http://whereareyougogogoingto.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-have-never-been-biggest-fan-of-cats.html

Cajori at David Findlay Jr. Gallery NYC!

2012-02-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

A Great Show to Catch!! FEB 1stThru the 25th

For RS 1978-80,69" x 61", Oil on Linen

We are very fortunate here in Watertown to have amongst us a number of interesting residents, both past and present, who have contributed greatly to the evolution of American culture. Notably among them, are important painters such as Charles Cajori and Barbara Grossman. Last Saturday I had the privilege of hitching a ride with these two artists to attend Cajori’s opening at the David Findley Jr. Gallery in NYC.

The ride was peppered with bits of 20th century art history of the both the west and east coast avant garde art scene of the late 50's and 60's. Cajori was full of anecdotal musings about his fellow painters and the contemporary jazz musicians of his time, such as Diebenkorn, de Kooning, and jazz great, Sonny Rollins. Music has always been a deep passion of Cajori's. Interwoven into his canvases is the influence of jazz. His color and compositional structures reverberate with such visual translations and improvisations on his perceptual experience.

Landscape 1956 50" x 42", O/C

The opening was well attended by many artists,(I was lucky enough to meet Richard Haas in person!)friends and a myriad former students.Reportedly Will Barnet had a sneak peak the night before! The Findlay gallery's gorgeous new space, in 724 building on 5th Avenue, was a perfect setting for Cajori's work.

Cajori, is considered a member of the second generation of AbEx artists, whose influence spurred the avant garde practices that defined the New York School and still continues to influence subsequent generations of American painters. He has had a rich history of contribution to American painting through the platforms of exhibition, teaching and involvement with the early artist cooperatives of E. Tenth Street in NYC.

The “Tenth Street” gallery environment fostered the experimental leanings of the second generation AbEx artists.Though not all strictly abstract expressionistic painters, these artists explored the conceptual confluences of painting, music, and poetry. Conceived in this artists neighborhood, were new art forms that pushed the boundaries of what could be accepted art practice.The Tenth Street studio neighborhood provided an environment conducive to impromptu jazz performances and forum discussions on contemporary art philosophy.

Lois Dodd's Apartment, Cajori back row 3rd to the left

The Tanager, in particular, of which Cajori was a co-founder, held an important place of the “Tenth Street” gallery scene in the late 1950’s.Artists who showed at that gallery included Franz Kline, Rudy Burkhardt, Phillip Guston, Al Held, and de Kooning, who lived right next door to the Tanager.

Cajori's career as an educator spans both coasts and many decades. He is an original founding instructor of the New York Studio School. The NYSS, was founded by a group of artists including Cajori, Mercedes Matter, Sidney Giest, George Spaventa, and Nicholas Carone in revolt of the art school system of the time.Mercedes Matter wrote in an article in ArtNews that they sought to create a space that was devoted to "the painfully slow education of the senses." The vision for the school was a perceptually oriented and studio intensive experience. Unlike the academies of the past the this perceptual study involved the infusion of contemporary thought and music leading to an open ended exploration of the visual world.Teaching along side Cajori were Philip Guston, Louis Finklestein, Alex Katz, Earl Kerkam, George McNeil, and Esteban Vicente. Art historians Meyer Shapiro and Leo Steinberg also taught there. Musician and contemporary composer equally Morton Feldman served as the Dean of the school for a period of time.

"3", 1951, 32" x 36", O/C

A complete raisonne' on this artist would be far too extensive for this post and outside my purview of expertise. Provided below is an excerpt from the Lohin Geduld Gallery’s short biography. Sprinkled through out this post and below are a collection of links for your own exploration.

Charles Cajori has held a revered position as an extraordinary artist and influential teacher since the 1950s. His interaction and friendship with defining New York artists of the time such as Willem De Kooning, Franz Kline, and James Brooks helped shape the bedrock of his artistic and philosophic concerns. Through exposure to leading Jazz musicians such as Lester Young and Charlie Parker, Cajori drew parallels between the rhythms, harmonics, and abstractions found in music and painting. These parallels along with an intense observation of the world are the cornerstones of Cajori’s methodology.

Charcoal on Paper

Cajori draws incessantly from life looking for possibilities and truths that only perception can bring.

By the Sea 65" x 70" Oil on Linen

It is that matrix which leads to the paintings which are done entirely from imagination, involving memory, desire, anxiety, and a certain celebration. Through these visual meditations Cajori informs us about the shifting nature of reality. As one savors the specific complexities to be found in Cajori’s work, an overriding sense of flux and potential movement dominates.

These are paintings for both the eye and the intellect. Beauty and sensual pleasure coexist with the hard-won understanding of the nature of optical phenomena and its effects on perception. This exhibition reveals a master who continues to find great joy and revelation in the process of painting...

Seated Figure 1961 56" x 60",O/C

...Cajori’s work is represented in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, Walker Art Center, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the National Academy of Design. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Grant, a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, and a Fulbright Grant, among others. ...... His work has been reviewed in publications such as the New York Times, Art in America, Art News, Arts Magazine, The New York Observer, and Art New England.

Bigtown Bathers with Tree,1987

The Gallery: David Findlay Jr. 724 5th Ave. (8fl) New York

Show Dates Feb. 1 - 25th

For further information on this artist

Visit

David Findlay Jr. Gallery

Lohin Geduld Gallery
Article on Cajori

The New York Studio School

Tenth Street Gallery History
Barbara Grossman Art Critical Article
Barbara Grossman

Lois Dodd
Lois Dodd Video

Irving Sandler
Harold Rosenberg

CONGRATULATIONS MAGGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Maggie Di Matteo!!!!!!! Maggie is a 16 yr old art student from Oxford, CT. Maggie’s recent graphite drawing has been selected to be exhibited in the New Hampshire Institute of Art’s National High School Art Competition. Her classical cast drawing of the ear, (that she has put in 7 weeks of patient observation into), has landed her a place in this competitive exhibition.

My feeling is talent is great and Maggie’s got plenty of it, but its hard work, diligence, and a great attitude that are the keys to success in all endeavors. Maggie’s got that combination of qualities. It is how she came so far so quickly. Maggie’s been coming to the studio for about ten weeks now for the portfolio development class.

Her drawing will be on view March 17^th, 2012 at the campus of the New Hampshire Institute of Art. The awards ceremony will take place at 2pm that day. Finalists in this competition are eligible for awards and scholarships totaling 10,000 dollars. Good luck Maggie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For more information you can visit the New Hampshire Institute of Art’s website www.nhia.edu

New to the class is Toni Risucci. She is also coming along really nicely. Toni is just getting started on her observational skills by exploring insects and flowers through the process of contour line.

The insect she is visually analyzing was a gift from my studio wall when we first moved in this particular space in 2004.Though I like to think I’m nature girl, I have to confess it took me a week to get up the nerve to touch this creature.(Shreaking would have been the inevitable consequence had he moved!) Wasn’t quite sure he was dead or playing possum!Now I like to think he is a gift from one of my favorite artists, Albrecht Durer.

... But life in nature manifests the truth of these things.... Therefore observe it diligently, go by it and do not depart from nature arbitrarily, imagining to find the better by thyself, for thou wouldst be misled. For, verily, "art" is embedded in nature; he who can extract it has it. -- Albrecht Durer

While searching for an image of Durer's "Stag Beetle" watercolor, I came across this great site of Dr.Jessica Palmer, artist and micro-biologist. Bioephemera.

It is her research into the integration of art and science.Check it out!

On the Wall

2012-02-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Soon to be off the wall! January 2012, plein air oil sketches. Hemingway Pond.

Hemingway Pond- B.Grady Oil Sketches

Swamp Groundhog!

2012-02-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well Kinda :)!Though the national rodent didn't see his shadow around here today, there were some subtle harbingers of spring noted in the Hemingway Pond behind our studios.
The Turkey Vultures showed up today! It's been a couple of months since I've seen them roosting and playing out in the pond.The pair of Merganzers I saw last summer were also out fishing, and our resident beavers have a new project going! Happy Groundhog Day!!!!

Turkey Vultures on Ground Hog Day- Photo B.Grady


The Merganzer's are back- Photo by B.Grady


New Beaver lodge in the making?- photo by B.Grady

Thank You Everyone!

2012-01-30T05:15:00.000-08:00

January 28th Portrait Demo-Photo by Jay Foster

A Big Thank You! to the folks that turned out to Sam's Portrait workshop this past Saturday!
Mother Nature was unusually compliant for our event this time around.(Our Blogging workshop and Hemingway Pond Paint Out was visited by snow last weekend)!
Sam D'Ambruoso got a good start on the Alla Prima portrait while delivering useful information on technique and materials. The class was chock full of tips and entertaining stories from our guest artist. Sam is also offering a 2 day Portrait workshop on February 4th and 5th so contact him through www.dambruosostudios.com

Jay Foster's Free Blogging Workshop will be rescheduled due to the inclement weather of last week. We'll keep you posted on that. Jay is also holding a "Music Theory Workshop for Song Writers" on Saturday, February 11th. There will be more information on registration and tuition for that workshop shortly.You can contact Jay through his website (www.jfostermusic.com) or by calling 860-417-3243.

January 28th Portrait Demo-Photo by Jay Foster

The Few,The Brave...

2012-01-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

And probably half crazy to come out in this weather!!!! But it sure beat staying in!

Determinedly negotiating 4- wheel driving conditions, and thirsty for hot chocolate with marshmallows, they came to work in the studios today.
Mark Wells from Northfield, got a fairly good sized piece worked up before the low light changed to bright.

Brendan Jayne trudged through drifting snow to work on his tilts and block-ins on a still life before he progresses to drawing the cast.

Thanks for the painting company:)! on this wintery day!

THE PAINT OUT IS ON!

2012-01-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

The "Hemingway Pond Paint Out or In" is on! Feeling like braving the weather? We can still paint the snow from the window,(my preferred method of winter Plein Air), while sipping some hot chocolate(also my preferred method of painting):). Jay Foster's Free Blogging workshop is still on also. Give a call or email if you are coming or need directions!
860-417-3243
or
info@bluehorsearts.com

Same Place Same Time!

2012-01-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Jan 19th, Through the Window - B.Grady

Same Place, Same Time! January 19th view through the window. Reminding everyone that the "Hemingway Pond Paint Out or In" is this Saturday. Also Same Time, Same Place, the free Blogging workshop by Jay Foster will be going on in his Studio right next door. Bring your laptop and get the basics of getting started in blogging. See the Workshop/Classes page for details.

Open Figure Drawing

2012-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Night Open Sketch at Artwell

Just a reminder that there is an Open Sketch at Blue Horse Arts this Sunday from 1PM-4PM .Also for those looking for other opportunities for open figure drawing here's a list.

Artwell Inc in Torrington - Tuesday evenings 7PM-10PM. Whiting Mill artist spaces in Winsted -Thursday evenings 7PM -10PM.
I'll get around to adding a few more in the near future. Feel free to let me know if there are other opportunities available in the vicinity.

"Let there be Light"

2012-01-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

Photo by Georgia Sheron

A new photography workshop, “Let There be Light”, by Georgia Sheron, scheduled for March, will be added to the roster of classes and workshops at Blue Horse Arts Studio. The “High School Portfolio Preparation” course is designed for high school students who are interested in developing a portfolio for college entrance. It is also open to developing artists who desire instruction in drawing and painting. This class will be held on Wednesday evenings, 6PM-8PM, on an on-going basis.

The public is also reminded of the free “Blogging Workshop”,1PM-3PM, and “Hemingway Pond Paint Out or In”, 1PM-4PM, held this coming Saturday, January 21^st at both the Studios of JFoster Music and Blue Horse Arts which are adjacently located at 250 Porter, Watertown CT. Spaces are also open for the “Landscape Painting” and “Figure Drawing” Short courses.

Georgia Sheron by Jack Holowitz

See the events and workshop /classes pages

Guest Artist and Master Photographer Georgia Sheron will be holding a one day workshop at Blue Horse Arts Studio on March 3^rd, 2012 from 12PM- 5PM. The workshop, “Let There Be Light” will incorporate the use of the model while working in a variety of lighting situations. Topics covered will be working with day and window lighting, studio lighting techniques, working with difficult lighting conditions, and shooting on location. The workshop is all open to all participants who possess a working knowledge of their camera. This short course is also great for artists and figurative painters who sometime need to work with photo reference. Photographers are encouraged to bring 5 pieces of work for a wine and cheese group critique at 5pm.

Photo by Georgia Sheron

Georgia Sheron is currently in the midst of working on a new book based on the stories she transcribed from her 16 year experience of photo-documenting and taping the oral history of Southbury farmer John Ludorf.

The Connecticut Commission of the arts awarded Georgia a grant for these taped memories in 1978. Yankee magazine first published the photographs in 1988 and most recently a selection of these works were part of the “Crop Circle” show ,the “Field Projects” exhibition space, held at the studios of JFoster Music and Blue Horse Arts.

Photo by Georgia Sheron

The oral transcriptions were considered lost for the past 30 years due to several relocations of the artist. Georgia came across them last year, hidden in a black garbage bag she almost discarded. Georgia is now putting together those stories and printing some of her favorite images from that experience. Georgia was struck by the words of John Ludorf that floated from the cassette speakers,crossing time and invoking memory.He talked frequently about how difficult the life of a farmer was in New England.

According to Georgia, “What he had to say about farm preservation and the country being in debt, are even more important today than they were thirty years ago”.

The workshop tuition is 80.00 plus a 20 dollar model fee. Refreshments will be provided. A 25.00 deposit is required to hold your spot in the workshop.

To register for this class with Georgia Sheron please contact the photographer at georgiasheron@gmail.com or call 860-274-7823. To view more of Georgia Sheron’s work please visit her website www.georgiasheron.com.

Additionally you can email info@bluehorsearts.com

Photo by Georgia Sheron

Excerpted From Georgia’s Website

Georgia Sheron is the two-time recipient of the Connecticut Master Photographer of the Year Award (1999 and 2001), a distinction given by the Connecticut Professional Photographers Association, a professional group with over 350 members. This award is given for the highest cumulative print competition scores acquired in four quarterly competitions sponsored annually by the CPPA.

Ms. Sheron is the recipient of four Kodak Gallery of Excellence Awards. Her Kodak award-winning photographs were exhibited with other national award winners at the Kodak Pavilion at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida.

Photo by Georgia Sheron

She is a four-time winner of Fuji Masterpiece Awards and has won several Courts of Honor Awards (Best of Show) from her state and from the Professional Photographers of New England. An article on Ms. Sheron's new 3,000 square foot studio in a factory built in 1851 appeared in the April 2003 issue of Professional Photographers Magazine.

In 1996, Georgia Sheron earned a Master’s Certificate from the Professional Photographers of America. In 1998, she received her Craftsman Certificate. She is a member of the American Society of Photographers.

“Tulips for Emily,” a photograph by Ms. Sheron, was featured on the cover of Professional Photographer’s Magazine. Her work was the subject of a profile article in the Rangefinder Magazine. A Sheron ballet image was purchased by Kodak for use in advertising in Canada and the U.S.

Photo by Georgia Sheron

As a photojournalist and writer in the 1980s, Ms. Sheron has been published in Yankee Magazine, The Sunday New York Times, Connecticut Magazine, Vermont Life Magazine, Country Life Magazine, and The Hartford Sunday Courant. Her photographs have appeared on several Random House book covers. Ms. Sheron does CD cover portraits for many professional musicians.

As a photojournalist, she has photographed President George Bush (senior), actress Linda Hunt, writer Ann Beattie, and printmaker Sabra Fields. Ms. Sheron is the recipient of an Artist’s Grant from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and a study grant from the Vermont Studio School in Johnson, Vermont. In 2000, she did a series of photographs in Tuscany.

Photo by Georgia Sheron

Her Polaroid transfers are in the collection of Whoopee Goldberg and some of her black & white pieces are collected by actress Christine Boranski.

In addition to her studio work, for the past four years Ms. Sheron has been presenting seminars and programs to professional photographers throughout New England under the sponsorship of FUJIFILM, USA.

Reminder Open Sketch

2012-01-15T06:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday Night Sketch Winsted - B.Grady

Reminding those interested,
and in the neighborhood,
that we have a open sketch session
today from 1PM-4PM.
Their are a couple of spaces left.
Give a call or email,
if you are interested in attending.
info@bluehorsearts.com
or 860-417-3243.

Same Place Same Time

2012-01-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hemingway Pond Oil Sketches-B.Grady

Just a couple of about an hour and a half, loose, oil sketches from the window at the studio.It's freezing out there!Winter is great for limited palette work. No muss, no,fuss; Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber and Titanium.

New! Portfolio Preparation Course Offered at Blue Horse Arts

2012-01-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

First Cast Drawing ,Work in Progress- Student age 16

For some Serious Fun we are offering a new Portfolio Preparation Course for High School Students.

This course is geared towards high school artists who are considering applying to art school. It is also open to those who, in general, wish to improve their drawing and painting skills. Getting an application portfolio prepared is a critical step in securing a position in the college of your choice. Application committees look not only at grades but also the quality of the students work both in terms of skill and critical thinking. Students who are well prepared with both compositional theory and observational skills have a better chance in the competition for school placement. The instructor is Connecticut State Certified (Professional Level Art 042), who has also taught at the University level with experience in the admission portfolio review process.

Wednesday Evenings 6PM- 8PM On- Going

see our Workshops/Classes page for more details!

2012-01-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook Drawing - B.Grady

We have been busy as bees (bee prepared for some chronic bee reference!) at Blue Horse Arts and Jay Foster Music Studios putting together our Winter and Spring Schedules. We will bee offering a few free events and new courses in January and February.


Image Design by Jay Foster

JFosterMusic will be offering a Free Blogging Workshop on Saturday, January 21^st 1 PM - 4 PM. This workshop is for artists, musicians, small business people, or anyone who is interested in getting started in blogging. Blogging is an easy and economical alternative to having a website. It is also an important component to an already existing site. Instructor Jay Foster will demonstrate how to set up a free blog to promote the participants creative endeavors. The workshop will cover how to choose and set up templates, prepare images, and explore the world of gadgets and widgets! Some laptops will be available but participants are encouraged to bring their own. More information will be available by visiting instructor Jay Foster’s website JFostermusic.com

Resident Geese at Hemingway Pond

Blue Horse Arts Studio will be holding another “Paint Out or IN at Hemingway Pond!”! Landscape artists are invited to paint the winter wetlands outside the studios or stay warmly inside and paint through the large window views. Working with a winter palette is a great way to expand ones painting skills. The “Paint Out or In” is open to anyone interested in landscape painting, whether they are a beginner or a experienced painter looking for new vistas. Blue Horse Arts Instructor, Bridget Grady will be on hand to give beginners a hand or a hot chocolate! Participants should bring their own paints and easels. There will be a limited number of easels available for use at the studio.

Guest Artist Sam D’ Ambruoso will also be giving a free portrait painting demonstration on Saturday, January 28^th, 1PM-4PM, at Blue Horse Arts Studio. This is a great opportunity to pick up some pointers in the Alla Prima technique of portrait painting with this popular workshop artist. For more information contact the artist at www.dambruosostudios.com or visit the Blue Horse Arts website www.bluehorsearts.com.

"MONK"- Graphite on Paper- B.Grady

Along with the Free events we have added a one day Pet Portrait Workshop, and two short courses will be held. A four week figure drawing workshop and a four week Landscape workshop will be added to the day time course schedule. More classes will be added in the near future including an evening portfolio preparation course for high school artists.

Guest Artist teachers Sam D’Ambruoso and Photographer Georgia Sheron will be holding some weekend workshops in the coming weeks and months.

Our Open Life drawing sessions will resume on a more frequently scheduled basis. Check out the workshop/classes page for dates and info.

Our Field projects exhibition space will be holding two shows in Spring. We’ll keep you posted on the details on as those events as they unfold.

O-possum!

2012-01-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

A little reluctant possum posing in the backyard on this Cold January day. The photo is a little blurry since the two of us were shivering!

The Sun Sets on 2011

2011-12-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Bee-Cause

2011-12-30T07:17:00.001-08:00

The View From Randy Orzano’s Studio

Traveling northwest to the foothills of the Berkshires in Sharon Connecticut last week with fellow artists Dianne Parmalee and Marc Chabot, we went in search of the farm inhabited by artist Randy Orzano. The goal of our expedition was a studio visit to the upcoming featured artist in the Flanders artist lecture series and “ Art of the Earth” challenge.This art and environmental education outreach initiative, conceived by education coordinator and farm manager, Dianne Parmalee, will focus on raising an awareness to specific issues concerning the environment. The first such challenge will center on the plight of our pollinators who are critical to both maintaining biological diversity and our food supply.

Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust. Flanders has always had an strong connection in the arts with an active committee of art professionals. Art has now been formally included in its official mission statement. This is much in keeping with the vision of its founder, artist Natalie Von Vleck and opens the doors to an expanded program for adults in the coming year. This will include events that highlight the connection between art and the environment. (I'll be posting more on that in the future).Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

The work of Randy Orzano reflects the vision of this conversation with nature through art- making. Both a beekeeper and an artist, Randy works in the true spirit of collaboration with nature. His studio, where he prepares his mixed-media pieces, is located at the base of what once was an ancient mountain. It is a sentinel presence guarding the edge of a patchwork of tawny fields. These most ancient geological formations make up the character of Northwestern Connecticut. Worn down through the ages from majestic peaks formed by the crashing of continents a half a billion years ago, into the gentle hills we find today. It is a reminder of the passage of time. Such is the vista from the window of Randy’s post and beam studio. The cool light of the December sun is warmed in a space that is lightly fragrant with honey and wax that is produced on the Sharon Valley Shepherds Farm. Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

Randy works in tandem with the some of the residents on the Orzano’s farm creating delicately, poetic mixed -media drawings. He described, in our studio conversation, how this way of working evolved. Previous to this series he was involved in portraiture. Working from predominately photographic reference he said, “I just hit a wall” and needed a new direction that would more authentically address the things in his life that he held as meaningful. Randy Orzano and Marc Chabot (Curator for Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust)

This new direction emerged when he was working on some drawings of his children and let them make their own drawings on the pieces.

This playful collaborative evolved and continued over a period of time. Eventually he was able to synthesize his concern with the state of nature and the process work with his children into his current insect collaboration. Randy Orzano’s Studio

Initially He experimented with placing drawings in the hive and let nature take its course. He says he actually forgot about those first drawings and that it was his wife, Gretchen, who was the one to first retrieve them after being in the hive for several months. From there a new process and way of conceptualizing his work was born.

Randy Orzano’s Studio

The process entails creating perceptual drawings of the creatures he works with, in this case the bees.

Randy then places these drawings directly into the hive. The bees “work” the paper through chewing and leaving their “mark” whether that is wax deposits or propolis.

(Propolis is is a botanical resin used for sealing small areas in the hive for protection. It comes in a variety of colors depending on the region where the honey bee is collecting and the plants it collects from).

Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

Randy will be presenting at Flanders in late spring He is in a group show at the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, Connecticut in April. The show opens on April 7th. For information on hours and directions please visit the library's website. Hotchkiss Library

Randy Orzano can be reached at: rorzano@comcast.net or 860-364-0592

For more information on Sharon Valley Shepherds Farm and to get some really gorgeous honey, adorned with Randy's drawings visit Gretchen Orzano's beautiful blog.

For information about Marc Chabot please visit his website www.mcfinearts.com.

Mixed Media Drawing by Randy Orzano

For more information on the state of the honey bee please visit the links below.

Connecticut Beekeepers Association

Bee article and about the effects of pesticides from the Natural Resource Defence Council

Randy recommends the a good read and some additional links

Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture by Ross Conrad
http://www.wicwas.com/
http://www.pfeiffercenter.org/index.aspx
http://www.anarchyapiaries.org/

Partridge in a Pear Tree?

2011-12-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

How about Mourning Doves in a Maple?About 14 of these creatures were having a roost at sunset tonight.

Mourning Doves in the Maples- Bridget Grady

Feed the Animals!!

2011-12-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

Graphite Drawing by Bridget Grady

Here is a sneak peek of the forth-coming holiday card I was commissioned to illustrate by Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust.

The proceeds from the sales of the cards will go toward the feeding the animals who reside at Flanders.

The card's design incorporates some of the resident Shetland sheep and an invented likeness of artist Natalie Van Vleck as their shepherdess.

Natalie Van Vleck was an artist, farmer, and an environmentalist.She had the vision and foresight to preserve the property that gave her such creative inspiration from the impact of a beginning trend of suburban sprawl developing in the 1960's. Her vision remains an enduring gift to residents and visitors to the town of Woodbury.

For information for where, when, and how one can purchase these cards in the very near future!:
Contact Dianne Parmalee, (who herself is both an artist and current shepherdess to the flock), at Flanders.
http://www.flandersnaturecenter.org/ or visit
Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust
5 Church Hill Road
Woodbury, CT 06798
Telephone: 203-263-3711
Fax: 203-263-2214

Matang Gonzales ! ! New Website!!

2011-11-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

"Sea Turtle", 48" x 48",Acrylic on Canvas Matang Gonzales

Matang's new website by Jay Foster is up and running. Yay!!!!
Check it out at www.matang.net

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook Randomness

2011-11-21T21:46:00.000-08:00

Graphite on Paper-Bridget Grady

A couple of random pics from the sketchbook.Purely from invention.One never really knows where they come from or where they will end up:)!

Graphite on Paper-Bridget Grady

Graphite on Paper-Bridget G

International Painting Annual !

2011-11-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

Painting by Elsa Munoz

The Manifest International Painting Annual, Volume I publication has finally arrived this week!!!!! I am so excited to be included in this peer reviewed catalog and feel privileged to be in the company of some really fine painters!

"Conversation with Pieter and Paul" by Bridget Grady

The book is beautifully designed and printed and contains images from the finalists as well as texts on the topic of painting.

According to the preface page in the publication, "Manifest received over 1200 submissions from 430 artists in 46 states and 26 countries." The works were selected by an anonymous blind jury of arts professionals in the fields of art, design,criticism, and art history.

Manifest Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center is an arts organization that continually hosts high quality exhibitions of artworks from a variety of studio-based disciplines.

Paintings by Cole Carothers

Here are some pics from the catalog.The photos do not do the publication or works justice.

Paintings by Dana Saulnier

Manifest's bookstore contains some great publications on contemporary art that are beautifully produced and well worth the modest purchase price.

To obtain a copy of the International Painting Annual click below

http://www.manifestgallery.org/inpa/inpa1/index.html

For more information on this exhibition or the Manifest Creative Research Center please visit their website.

http://www.manifestgallery.org/

To obtain a copy of the International Painting Annual click below

http://www.manifestgallery.org/inpa/inpa1/index.html

Crop Circle Show Pic's

2011-11-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

Tina,Hugh,Anne,Mat,Billy,Kristie,and Jay setting up

Artists-Janice Bielowa,Hugh O'Donnell,Bud,Eileen,Dad,and Ritchie

Milo, Joyce, and Dad

A little belated but after Alfred, a week without power, and a complete computer meltdown here is some pics from the show.We are slowly collecting more pictures and video but here it is for now.Apologies for the blur! The evening itself was a blur with over 200 hundred stopping by and staying for some art, food, wine and song! We were so happy with the turn out and support from our friends,family, the artists and musicians, and new friends we made!! THANK YOU you all!!!!! and Thank You Nancy!!!

Blue Horse Arts Studio
Installation View

Billy Cactus and Jay Foster on Mandolin

Image Right
Billy Cactus,
Dan Sharkey's knee,
and Jay Foster on Mandolin

ImageBelow

"Sea Turtle"
Mantang Gonzales

Sea Turtle - Matang Gonzales

Artists- Moniera Stotz,Lee Cordon, Hugh O'Donnell

Artist Barbara Grossman and Guests

Watching The Electric Bakery

Cupcake - Haute - Couture Anne Flynn

Visiting Witches Brenda and Robin

                                                              Image Left

                                    Artists
     Kristie O' Donnell,
    Matang Gonzales,
        and Carol MacDonald

Kevin,Alex,Jay, and Dan

Image Right
Electric Bakery
Kevin,Alex,Jay, and Dan

Gabby,Kristie,Billy,Jay,and Dave

Image Right

Between Sets
Gabby,Kristie,Billy,Jay,and Dave


Georgia, Ginny, and Eileen Coladarci

            JFoster Music Studio
                             Gallery Room View
   Georgia Sheron Photographer
                             (Sorry for the blurry pic:)!)

                             Guests,
                             Ginny, and the fabulous
                             Eileen Coladarci

Image Right Top
Mosaic Artist
Heiu Morgan

Image Right
" Family Portrait
A Piece from Georgia Sheron's
Documentary Series

A very special thanks to our "Lord of the Land" Steve Shappy!!

A major supporter of the arts unbeknownst to the area and probably even himself!!!!!!!

Thank You ! Steve from Jay and Bridget!!!!!!

A Blurry End ! Sometime Around Midnight!

Dad, Steve, and Fran

ANNE FLYNN in CROP CIRCLE!

2011-10-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Image detail- Anne Flynn

Anne Flynn takes the cake (or the cupcake :)! in this case, when it comes to delving into the deeper meaning of a simple object.The recipe for her confectionery exploration, start with a rich imagination, infused with metaphor, fold in a poetic sensibility blended with sweet and evocative color, add a heaping tablespoon of humor, and bake over time. Savor the experience. I'll let Anne take it from here:)!

I am interested in the relationship between image and meaning, especially images that arise in dreams, imagination and fantasy. As a product of psyche, these images have multiple valences that arise both from personal history and from the collective through culture. My painting is about my process as these images arise and engage me. I do not start with a specific intention. Instead I allow the unconscious meaning to meet me in the work and express itself. It is often many months before the meaning of the piece becomes clear.

For the Crop Circle project, I was given cupcakes from the local market as a focal point . As I began engaging the image of the cupcake I found myself thinking about what a cupcake might represent apart from its literal existence as a confection. What might cupcake conjure up in the poetic world of our psyche?

Marcel Proust very famously used the idea of the taste of a small cake in evoking the themes of of memory and nostalgia in his extended reverie "Remembrance of Things Past" when he wrote:

"Many years had elapsed during which nothing of Combray, save what was comprised in the theatre and the drama of my going to bed there, had any existence for me, when one day in winter, on my return home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at first, and then, for no particular reason, changed my mind. She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called "petites madeleines", which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell. And soon, mechanically, dispirited after a dreary day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could, no, indeed, be of the same nature. Whence did it come? What did it mean How could I seize and apprehend it?

For Proust, the madeleine was an image invoking involuntary memory. How would I apprehend the cupcake?

Gone But Not Forgotten- Cupcake Parchment,Plexi, and Wood- Anne Flynn

The first painting that came out of this process was a straight image of the objects, or was it? Perhaps it was the sheer giddy indulgence I felt when I ate one that prompted me to think of the analogy to the feeling of first love. The second painting was "The Garden of Eden", in which the cupcake started to represent something about temptation, and at the same time the regressive pull into the blissful state of merger before consciousness. Next, the cupcake dress appeared, which seemed to be addressing ideas about femininity. This lead to the series of ufo cupcakes, at which point I found myself thinking about the wonder of looking at such a familiar object anew, without any preconceived ideas. Next came the monoprints with the biological forms drawn into the paper cups, and finally the piece entitled "Gone But Not Forgotten" in which many brown empty cupcake cups are coiled into a pine box encased with a transparent lid.

For the nine weeks since inception of this project, the cupcake was alive and generative as an image, rich in potential meanings for me. As with any other process, it had a life of its own that is reflected in the progression of the work. Engaging with it expanded my understanding not only of cupcakes but of the unfolding creative process itself.

CROP CIRCLE SHOW REMINDER!!

2011-10-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Image by Jay Foster

It's almost here!!! The opening of the show is this Friday from 7-9PM.Fine Artists,Fine Farmers, Fine Musicians, and Fine Food! So come on down and support our local farmers and other artisans!!!

I've been slacking on the posts and the painting as of late because I've been scurrying around getting the spaces ready and attending to the last minute details. Some of the work is still coming in! And its looking like over 90 works for this event!!!! (A word of warning, if one is expecting to view 90 still life paintings you will be in for a surprise!). Lee Cordon, a late comer to the event (but definitely worth the wait!), delivered four gorgeous paintings today. Her piece on Gustafson's Farm is stunning.Anne Flynn's interpreted works inspired by the cupcakes of La Palette have to be seen to be believed.

I regret I haven't had a chance to represent all of our local farmers or those participating in the Farmer's Market but that work will continue for me through out the year!I would like to say a special thanks to Steve Shappy, the owner of the building, for being so supportive of this show, and the one's in the past, as the Porter Street Artist's Collective. Doreen Breen, the force behind the Farmer's market and promoting the artisan's in the area, is especially deserving of our thanks! And Eileen Coladarci ROCKS!!!!!!

CROP CIRCLE OPENING

FRIDAY,OCTOBER 28th, 2011

7PM-9PM

Exhibition Hours

12PM-5PM

Saturday,October 29th thru Sunday,November 5th

or by appointment

860-417-3243

Bill Gusky in Crop Circle!

2011-10-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Saint of Suburbia- Bill Gusky

I think Bill Gusky's, (a multi- talented, multi-media artist, and author), words speak more clearly to the motivating spirit instigating this project than I can express,so I gladly hand the keyboard over to him! Thanks Bill!

My take on Crop Circles -- Bill Gusky

My family moved to Watertown well after regulations and costs and a host of other factors had begun to do in the local farmers. It was my distinct pleasure to experience these rural spaces as a teen-ager for hours at a time, as the sometimes tacit guest of farmers who had little reason to be so generous.

Drink in a New Century- Bill Gusky

Henry Church very graciously allowed me to roam his fields as I learned to make art from the landscape. His children Henry and Maria were also very accommodating. I recall watching Maria dive into the partly frozen pond one late-winter afternoon. I spent hours drawing the buildings and animals, sitting in the shack down by the pond watching the sun move window light across the old wood floor. I remember the amazing smell that lifted off the wild plants when the sun hit them in late October.

I recall a first snow, fat white tufts that made the huge volume of air over the fields visible. I recall a watercolor painted at 1 a.m. in early November, steam lifting off the pond in full moonlight. The washes kept freezing into crystalline patterns and I had to breathe on them to get them to settle into the paper. I learned a lot about drawing and painting on that farm. I owe the Churches a lot for that.

Peter Plungis spoke to me at length when he found me sitting outside his house one evening, drawing an outbuilding the open door of which revealed a large tool with a long bent wood handle. His hands were big as frying pans and they swallowed mine up when he shook it. I courted my wife out on the other side of his property, in winter wheat grown tall and heather green, her pink sun dress echoing the flecks of cloud in the peach-colored twilight sky. You get a few perfect visions in life that you want never to let go of; for me that's one.

Feed the Beast- Bill Gusky

Further down route 63 I sometimes diverted onto a dirt road that coursed up a tall hill between corn fields, studying the great murders of crows that congregated after the harvest. I was amazed by their social structure, the way they'd post sentinels who always announced my entry into their boundary, the way one crow would make a distinct call and pause, waiting until another made the exact same call a few moments later. The blue jay they'd slaughtered for whatever reason, laying in the road, the back of its head pecked out.

I became lost for a time after my first year of college. Almost as a reflection of that I began walking out among the farms late at night. I usually walked down Linkfield Road past Gustafson's farm, where the road seems to ride the crest of a hill and the apple trees plunge to either side, into rolling waves of land. A giant tree, maybe an elm, had died some years back, all its limbs had been hacked off and this massive peeling trunk seemed to stand guard outside the always-immaculate white buildings. Linkfield wound around into Basset, and with no street lights and no flashlight it was often pitch black, with a pale sifting of starlight or the merest hint of a moon that sometimes rose as I walked. Someone owned fields down that way as Basset turned toward Northfield Road, and I still don't know whose fields they were. But one night in May, probably 2 a.m., a full moon gleamed on long silver grass that blew in the waves of unseasonably warm breezes. I crossed the barbed wire and flopped down in that grass, becoming one with that perfect place and time.

Headlock-Chumley-Startled Stewardess-Orgasmic Cat-Bill Gusky

So the farms around here have affected me greatly. These experiences are built into who I am, even if I don't generally paint landscapes anymore. My painting for Crop Circles, Just a Local Sheep, is just a goofy celebration of the growing popular realization that local farms and farming are very valuable resources. It's exciting to think that we may be teetering on the cusp of an American rebirth in which small farms find new life. Imagine kids today in greater numbers than since the 1950's, being allowed again to live out full lives and careers in a tight relationship with the land, with crops and animals. It's a sweet vision.

-Bill Gusky

Bill Gusky-Digital Stereo-Scopic Image

Image Left
The Inertia Garden (Meditation Availed Deeper Insights, image 9 of 21) -- 2011 -- right-side image of digital stereoscopic pair-Bill Gusky

Bill Gusky's Statement

My work brings together visual data from a variety of cultural sources: old TV cartoons, lottery tickets, internet memes, old candy wrappers, packaging, family photographs, decorative patches and print ads, to name just a few.

I paint elements from these disparate sources, as well as original elements, using a range of styles, from expressionistic to hard-edge, abstract to realistic, or in imitation of a specific industrial arts, graphic arts or international style.

The result of all this is that each of my paintings is a kind of knot in a massive multicultural multi-temporal tapestry. My process enacts the hyper-connectedness of this era in which everyone is a cultural processor. We're forced by circumstance to gather from the elements that constantly stream in from around the world, to break them down and use them to build memories and lives and art and, to the degree that it's possible, a useful understanding of our place in the world.

To see more of Bill's work go to www.billgusky.com

Matang Gonzales in Crop Circle!

2011-10-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Matang Gonzales

Matang Gonzales, feeling the need to create and become more involved in the local art scene, enthusiastically signed on when he was asked to participate in the Crop Circle Show and we are excited to have him!
One never knows what will manifest from this artist's mind and hand whether it be drawing painting,sculpture or animatronics! One thing is for sure, there will be a completely different take on his foray into the Farmer's Market than one would expect and I personally can't wait to see what becomes of it!

Matang Gonzales

After several shows in NYC, with favorable reviews from the New York Times, Matang Gonzales stepped away from the world of fine arts, and focused on commercial illustration and product design. Working and studying under many talented conceptual artists and designers, he sharpened his knowledge and skills and eventually became the Design Director of ToyBiz, the Toy Division at Marvel Entertainment, a position he held for four years. He has since returned to rural Bethlehem CT, where he continues to illustrate and design toys for various clientele and license holders, including Marvel, Mattel, Disney and Nickelodeon.

Matang Gonzales

For more information on Matang or to contact this artist see the links below.

Matang’s link and corporate resume

http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullProfile.asp&indID=26775

For more in -depth biographical info check out Eileen Coladarci’s blog

http://westconnartviews.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

For a variety of projects he has worked on see this one.

http://www.wcsu.edu/artalumni/80s/gonzales.asp

Kathy Good in Crop Circle!

2011-10-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Kathy Good

Kathy Good has shown her paintings professionally since 1996 throughout New England.

Kathleen, as I call her, and I first met at 70 Bank Street artists in Waterbury, Connecticut. 70 Bank Street, was a collective of artists of which Georgia Sheron, also in “Crop Circle”, was a co- founder in the early '90's. Kathleen’s earlier work embraced seductive surfaces of refined wax and subtle pigments integrated with delicate layers of embedded text. These mysterious pieces denoted a slow evolving personal history assimilated into her Berkshire Hills subject.

Kathy Good

Her recent works are raw perceptual translations of the coastal landscape she currently inhabits in Providence, Rhode Island. Her freshly, vigorous paint handling, provokes transcendental sensory after-images of ocean atmosphere and long low horizons, far different than the close and ethereal woodlands she formally portrayed. These current works indicate an intensity of emotional response to place and the particular poetic nature of its forms.

Kathy Good has been the recipient of several grants and awards from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and has been included in multiple exhibitions in association with the commission.

She has been a visiting Artist and grant recipient at Weir Farm, Ridgefield Ct. She has been selected for a number of notable exhibitions such as; the “Connecticut Visions” biennial at the Mattatuck Museum of Art, Waterbury CT., Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI., Art of the Northeast, Silvermine Art Gallery, New Canaan, CT., The Bowery Gallery, NYC., and an exhibition of Landscape at The Washington Art Association, Washington Depot, CT, curated by Elizabeth MacDonald and Liz Dexheimer.

Kathy Good

Along with interacting visually with the landscape Kathleen is also a master gardener. Kathy writes;

“By observing the continuous transformations of the natural world, as well as the physical act of toiling over perennial beds - life becomes lighter,and sensible”.

Ruth Miller at Lohin Geduld Gallery NYC This Thursday!

2011-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ruth Miller

Ruth Miller will be having an exhibition of her work at the Lohin Geduld Gallery in New York from October 12th- November 12th,2011. The Artist's reception is this Thursday October 13th from 5PM-7PM.

Ruth Miller lives and works in Litchfield County, Connecticut.She is a member of the National Academy of Design and the still life association "Zeuxis".

Ruth Miller

Ruth's still life works are not about the faithful representation of the observed, but a visual portrayal of an underlying geometry sensed in her tabletop orchestrations and translated in paint. Time is required in both the making of her work and the appreciation of these paintings. Subtle color transitions, edges both veiled and crisp, and the breathing shapes in between, quietly unfold a moving space of push and pull that lingers in the memory.One experiences the pleasure of seeing and the mystery of the everyday,when time is taken to thoughtfully consider these pieces.

American Artist Magazine featured Ruth in an article on the Zeuxis group, by Michael Gormley (February 2011). The Zeuxis association, founded by Phyllis Floyd in 1994, takes its name from the legendary Greek tale of a painting competition between Zeuxis and Parrhasius.

Ruth Miller

(The Story of Zeuxis and Parrhasius)

Ruth Millers works can be found in the public collections of the Delaware Art Museum,University of Delaware,Corcoran Gallery,Bryn Mawr College,National Academy of Design, Hood Museum, Dartmouth College,Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University.

Ruth Miller

She has also been the recipient of a number of important awards and grants such as;
The Oscar Williams and Gene Derwood Award, The New York Community Trust, 2003
Henry Ward Ranger Purchase Award, National Academy’s 175th Annual Exhibition, 2000,
Benjamin Altman Landscape Prize,
Emil and Dines Carlsen Still Life Award,
Ingram Merrill Foundation Grant, 1995, 81,
Academician, National Academy of Design, 1994,
Associate, National Academy of Design, 1994,
Hirshberg Company Award, Maryland Regional Exhibition, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1961.

Ruth Miller is currently represented by the Lohin Geduld Gallery in New York.

For more information on Ruth Miller and Zeuxis click on the links below.

American Artist Article by Michael Gormley February 2011.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/46595145/Zeuxis-and-the-Art-of-the-Everyday

http://www.zeuxis.us/art-miller.php

The Story of Zeuxis and Parrhasius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeuxis

Ruth Miller Drawings:A Retrospective

John b. Hurford’60 Humanties Center, Haverford College

http://www.haverford.edu/HHC/story.php?id=28491&u=11

www.DrawingAtlas.com

Brooklyn Rail Article by Deborah Everette

http://www.brooklynrail.org/2002/03/artseen/ruth-miller

Lohin Geduld Gallery

http://www.artnet.com/galleries/Home.asp?gid=423885474&rta=http://www.artnet.com

New Short Course Offered!

2011-10-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook Drawings Bridget Grady

I'll be offering a short course on figure drawing strategies for those who would like to improve their results from their self study at open life drawing sessions. The purpose of the class is to assist artists in creating a organized approach to learning figure drawing at there own pace.This class is also a good introduction to figure drawing before actually working on the model or for those interested in working from invention. Currently the course is held on Friday mornings but will also be available at other times in the future.Class size is limited to 4.

See the Workshops/Classes page for more information.
For Registration call 860-417-3243 or email info@bluehorsearts.com

Artist Ginger Hanrahan in Crop Circle!

2011-10-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ethel,the Angel,and a Chorus by Ginger Hanrahan

Ginger Hanrahan will be one of our participating artists in the “Crop Circle” exhibition. Ginger’s artwork has graced the walls of the Blue Horse Arts studio before when she presented some of her graduate work in our former incarnation as the Porter Street Artist’s Collective.

Ginger brings to her work a rich background in anthropology and sociology. These field experiences inform her painterly excavations with a personally charged symbolic narrative.Her works are vibrantly interwoven layers of stories and visions. Ginger currently maintains her studio in Newtown, Connecticut and is an adjunct professor in art and anthropology at Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Rabbit Seer by Ginger Hanrahan

Ginger writes;

"The nature of my work is to capture random moments when time feels frozen and the conscious mind feels most alive. Inherent in the moment is the need to tell a story and fill it with a collection of culture based symbols that describe very personal experiences.

In my current series child-like seemingly unrelated objects point toward a deeper analysis of our current patterns of living.

In these works I focus on the ecstasy of food, sexuality, physical movement and the need to sustain physical strength and energy in order to energetically engage in life".