The Red Roof

THE RED ROOF

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

There are some great views of Manyunk from the bottom of the Cynwyd Trail.  Here is a close up of the town's roofs making abstract patterns with a little help from the late afternoon sun.

SOLD

$125.00

WINTER PORCH

We don't have to shovel or slosh around in piles of snow to appreciate the beauty of a white Christmas.  Our memories can supply the details without the hassle.  Here is an old favorite painting done from my window on a beautiful day many years ago.  Best wishes for a merry day.

A GLIMPSE OF MANAYUNK

A GLIMPSE OF MANAYUNK

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

As you near the bottom of the Cynwyd Trail civilization begins to appear.  Here is a glimpse of Manyunk through the trees on this golden day in November.

$125.00

HOUSE ON THE CYNWYD TRAIL

HOUSE ON THE CYNWYD TRAIL

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Continuing my stroll on the Cynwyd Heritage Trail I found the way the light caught the foliage on this bend in the trail reminded me of a Constable painting of the English countryside.

$125.00

LAUREL HILL CEMETERY

LAUREL HILL CEMETERY

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

Along the Cynwyd Heritage Trail a lovely allay of trees welcomes all to Laurel Hill Cemetary.  This beautiful spot was"established as a permanent, non-sectarian burial place for the dead, but also as a scenic, riverside sanctuary for the living."*  

Here you can wander for hours in peace and quiet contemplating nature with great views of the river.  Read all about the interesting history of Laurel Hill, begun in 1885 with a new concept in burial grounds which were almost exclusively in crowded church yards at this time. This concept of grand public open space was incorporated into the planning for our great parks, both Central Park in New York City and Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.  

* website

$125.00

UNDER THE BRIDGE

UNDER THE BRIDGE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This week I am continue chronicling my stroll on the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.  I noticed while I was walking that, although I was going through areas that I probably knew well from the street, I was in a completely different world here on the trail with nothing to distract me from the lovely patterns the light made on the surroundings.  I believe from the map (click this link) that this is the Belmont Ave bridge, but as you can tell you certainly would never know it from this position.  How easily our perceptions can be changed if we are able to look at things from a different point of view.

Cynwyd Station

CYNWYD STATION

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

The Bala Cynwyd Train Station originally built in 1886 and restored by a group of institutions in our community under the auspices of the Historical Society is the beginning of the Cynwyd Trail.  On a warm day in late November I took my first stroll down the newly completed trail and will be featuring paintings from that local adventure in the next few days.

$125.00

LIGHT IN THE MORNING FOG

LIGHT IN THE MORNING FOG

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

I love the early morning just as the world is waking up.  The night light is still on and the fog has not lifted on this balmy November day in Merion.

$125.00

Rue Frederic Mistral, Arles

"Rue Frederic Mistral, Arles"

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Another painting from Arles for the Virtual Paintout using Google maps. This very narrow street is intriguing.  What is it like to live here I wonder.  Is it comforting to be in such an inclosed space or stifling?  

$125.00

ARBOR IN THE FOG

ARBOR IN THE FOG

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


$125.00

ARLES FIELDS

ARLES FIELDS

Nancy Herman

12" x 9"

oil on canvas board

For this month's Virtual Paint-out I traveled to Arles France where Van Gogh made so many thick and delicious paintings.  I painted from a borrowed ipad as the printouts from the Google map were very dark and unreadable.  It was very much like being there, as the light through the colors is so good on the computer.  There were many wonderful spots to paint, but this one with it's lonely tree was most reminiscent of Van Gogh for me.

$200.00

Rockland Road

ROCKLAND ROAD

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

What a glorious fall we have had!  Walking through the streets of our neighborhood has been a constant surprise as the trees gradually turn from one color to another.  Only today, after the heavy rain, have the leaves finally begun to abandon the trees in huge numbers.  Now we get to appreciate their structural beauty and, for a short time, the carpet of glorious color they have left behind.

Here is a lovely spot on Rockland Road just as it comes into Wynnewood Ave.  with Merion on one side of the street and Narberth on the other before the rain.

SOLD

$125.00

WHITE HOUSE ON RAYNAM ROAD

WHITE HOUSE ON RAYNAM ROAD

Nancy Herman

8"x 6"

oil on canvas

On these beautiful autumn days it is a good time to observe the way colors are influenced by what is nearby.  Here this lovely old house is many shades of white depending on where the sun is and which tree color is bouncing off its surface.  Color interaction is one parameter that we can observe that gives us hints about a phenomenon that is always going on,  all things are connected and interact in ways that are seen and unseen.

$125.00

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Nancy Herman

12" X 9"

Oil on canvas board

This is a view from my second floor window of my neighbor's front yard in the morning.
Soon all these trees will be bare, but for now it is a glory of warm colors.   This spectacular display comes just before we are confronted by all the whites and blues of winter in the snow and the grays and beiges of winter without snow.  Better store up all this warmth while we still can and get out there.

$200.00

LAST ROSE OF SUMMER

LAST ROSE OF SUMMER

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

This brave climbing rose managed to squeeze out one last bloom before the snow storm.  'Here' is a clip of Deanna Durbin singing the Last Rose of Summer.  There are scads of versions of this on Youtube including one or two by Joan Sutherland, but this one did it for me.  I wish I knew what was happening in this movie.  Is the guy charmed by her singing or is he about to strangle her?

$125.00

SOLD

SHALOM FOR PECO

WHOOPEE!
My animation "Shalom for Peco" will be displayed every Friday night in November in the Crown Lights display for their program Art in the Air.  The pieces must be only 30 seconds and in the format of the display which is very long and thin.  For this one I used as inspiration the old Israeli folk tune Shalom Chaverim.  'Here' is my translation of that to color and 'here' is the piece as it will appear on the crown lights display.  If you are anywhere near the display on Friday night, look up to see this one and several others.
It is an interesting challenge to compose something that seems to have a beginning and an end and only lasts 30 seconds.  (By the way if you are wondering who Illuminata is on the youtube piece it is me.)

The great quirky sound on the round was programmed by Luke Herrine my dear grandson and has gotten 4,247 hits on youtube.  It is only to be surpassed by another that he programmed, Donna Nobis Pacem which has gotten 122,441.  

KID'S NIGHT OUT

KID'S NIGHT OUT

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Didn't get around to painting this year's pumpkins, so I am posting this one from last year.  Here are a couple of interesting videos on YouTube about Halloween, if you can get past the ads.

History of Halloween 

About Pumpkins

UNION AVENUE #2

UNION AVENUE 2#

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

8" x 6"

The leaves are slowly transforming our streets to glowing colors, each year  intoning their own poignant farewell poem to summer.  Here is a link to UNION AVENUE 1# walking in the other direction in August.

$125.00

SARDINIA #2

SARDINIA #2

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

9" x 12"

I am still wandering in Sardinia and found this, to me, very interesting spot where I invite you to travel for a few minutes.  Here is the link to the google map spot.  Imagine living here.  One appears to be at the top of a hill or even a mountain.  The road seems to stop after your house.  Opposite your house is some sort of a memorial space where some cherished relatives are buried(?) (Just move the scene around to see all sides).  If you travel down the road ( click on the arrow and keep traveling) you will see one beautiful view after another but you will also notice that there are no houses for what seems like miles and miles.  So there you are at the top of a mountain with your memorial park and a beautiful view in a pink villa miles from other people.... mmmmmm.  There must be a story here.

Sardinia

SARDINIA

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This month the virtual paint out is visiting Sardinia.  I spent many hours traveling the rolling hills of this country using google maps.  The country side is quite beautiful and the towns are full of colorful buildings like these in Soleminis Provence, Caglieri.  This spot reminded me of the stark cityscapes of de Chirico. 

$125.00

POOL REFLECTIONS

POOL REFLECTIONS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

We are having a few more summer days before autumn really sets in.  The beginning of the school year and the slowly turning leaves give us time to get ready for the bare cold days ahead.  But for now these pool reflections and the boisterous shrimp plant are a visual delight.

$125.00

IN THE FOG AGAIN

IN THE FOG AGAIN

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

We have been having so many weather changes lately that the fog is rolling in more often than before it seems.  There is something about fog that seems to slow things down and invite quiet contemplation.  

I am trying a new technique here.  Not drawing before painting, just right in with lots of paint.  Takes a long time to dry which is why I have not posted earlier.

$125.00

WEDDING DRESS AT THE CLEANERS

WEDDING DRESS AT THE CLEANERS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

I think I have seen more wedding dresses in the windows of cleaning establishments in small towns than on brides.  This one in Narberth caught my eye as some departing customers were reflected in the window.

$125.00

LIFEGUARDS

LIFEGUARDS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

Growing up going to the shore every summer I was a little in love with one life guard after another.  That athletic, tanned, manhood keeping everyone safe from the 'undertoad' got my rapt attention every time.  Finally, when I was 16, I was invited to the Life Guard's Ball by one of these God's of the beach.

I thought that experience, which was more of a wrestling match than a ball, had cured me of this fascination forever.  However, while thinking about this painting, I realized I actually married a swimmer who was at one time a Life Guard. 

$125.00

ARE YOU COMING?

ARE YOU COMING?

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

Going along with the painting as narrative, this painting is actually quite a long story.  Although I am against the artist or anybody else telling people what paintings are 'about,' I will tell you what I think this one is about just as an example of what goes on in one painter's head when they are at work.

I was first drawn to the neon sign and the odd colors reflected on this old cobblestone street in Philadelphia.  I stopped to take a few pictures of it on my way to meet friends for dinner.

                                                            Photo

When I got home and began looking over what I had to work with, I realized the photos were much too big and complicated to do on such a small scale so I had to decide what the painting was to be about and how to compose some portion of the photos.  I wanted to include the bicycles because of the shapes and the environmental meaning of bicycles but no matter how I arranged the composition it just didn't make a story that I cared about.   Then I noticed one of the shots included my mate waiting impatiently on the other side of the street, and suddenly I knew what the painting was about and how to compose it.

The triangle that is created between the waiting person, the person he is looking at (me) and the neon sign is the composition.  It is perfect because that is the narrative of the painting.
There is always tension between wanting to be a part of the life around you and wanting to create art from that experience, and here is a picture of that conflict.  Art is an escape from and a refuge from life, but life is what art is about so you can't be taking pictures when you have friends to meet for dinner...or can you?

To purchase this painting
Click this link for Daily Paintworks auction
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Buy/Auction/16125http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Buy/Auction/16125

SUNDAY ART SERMON

The sun is out finally and I feel like pontificating so here is my Sunday Art Sermon.                                    

A painting is always a story that the artist is telling the viewer.  The story begins, "once upon a time I was here and saw this.  I thought it was so interesting or beautiful or meaningful that I spent time trying to bring it to life in paint".  If it is an abstract painting it is still the same message because as the artist is painting away he or she comes to a point and says, "Here, this is the story I want to tell" and stops. They may be saying something like, "The way the blue meets the slightly orangish purple and doesn't impose itself too harshly upon the eye is so ravishing that nothing else could possibly add to the story."
There is often more to the story than the first impression and when there are many layers of meaning the painting resonates in ways that can't be said in words, that's why it is a painting instead of a short story...and yet art critics spend much time putting into words what has been said more eloquently in paint.
However, sometimes these words are more eloguent than the paintings themselves as art critics are extremely inventive. Since people are in general much more comfortable reading an explanation of a painting than actually experiencing the art work, I think this explains why some quite unremarkable art becomes very popular for a time.  Critics and gallery owners presented with the job of explaining art work that doesn't really contain anything, come up with some creative narratives about it.  People who prefer to read something concrete rather than look at the art work get the story from the writer, then "see" that story in the art work.  Eventually this art work is 'seen' for what it really is as the story doesn't hold up without the words to prop it up.
For me the old maxim "Seeing is believing" when appreciating art is the holy grail.  And even "I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like" has merit.  At least this speaker is trusting his or her own judgement about what they see rather than someone else's story about it.

Everybody In

Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson


After the quiet sparkling morning on the beach,  the day is filled with the carnival of colorful umbrellas and the chairs of the day revelers. The edge of the sea seems to bring out a universal joy in human beings as if they feel at home at last.


$125.00

SUN AND SHADOWS IN NEW ORLEANS

SUN AND SHADOWS IN NEW ORLEANS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

Off to New Orleans for a brief excursion via Google maps for the Virtual Paint out, I was drawn to these colorful shadows on Bourbon Street.

  

If this scene seems a bit cheery, considering all the hardship that New Orleans has suffered in the past several years, it isn't that I don't appreciate that sadness.  I have to admit to looking for the sunny side of life if possible when I paint.  I figure if I'm going to spend several hours painting something I might as well experience pleasure in imagining or remembering the scene depicted.  Painting for me is a way to spend a few hours in solitary pursuit of a pleasant memory and trying to bring that experience to others.  The one exception to that in recent years was my painting of the nursery school in Saito Japan .  It was very hard to paint this as the city was completely destroyed in the tsunami.

$125.00