BALA AVENUE

BALA AVENUE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This painting looks in the window of Pescatore, one of the restaurants opposite the Bala Theatre. Part of the decorations on the theatre are reflected in the window.  "The Bala Theatre, called the Egyptian Theatre when it was built in 1927 is the only surviving "exotic" themed movie palace in the area."

The Lower Merion Conservancy recently put out its 2012 Watch List for our area.  Number one on the list is Bala Avenue which does not have any historic preservation in place.  I am going to visit and paint on all the sites on the list eventually.  I will contribute the proceeds of any painting sales as a result of this project to the Conservancy.

$125.00

SHADES OF WINTER

SHADES OF WINTER

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Spring may be on its way but we still have the browns and grays of winter as the backdrop for the brave spring flowering bulbs.  These colors can be quite lovely as the sun lights up last year's fragile blooms.  This Oak Leaf Hydrangea has a beauty all its own as it creates a kind of natural lace in the late afternoon sun.

SOLD

CACTUS AND LACE

CACTUS AND LACE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Here is the final version of Cactus and Lace.  I was able to get rid of most of the charcoal lines and even things out a bit.  I got this lace while visiting Amsterdam.  I made the curtains and have been enjoying them for at least 20 years.  I think part of that enjoyment is remembering that I had the guts to buy all the lace and the tenacity to make the curtains.  Now I would prefer staying home and taking a walk in the neighborhood, or painting the way the light comes through this Amsterdam lace.

LACE LIGHT

LACE LIGHT

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This is the window directly in front of my computer.  The sun creates a different shadow all morning as it moves across the sky.  This is the first really early morning composition when the light is still pink.

Cactus and Lace

CACTUS AND LACE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

In this painting I used a new kind of charcoal to sketch in the scene and it turned out to be a big mistake, as the charcoal is too dark and mixed with the paint.  So now that the whole thing is dry I will have to paint it over again.  The theme of the painting is the way light is filtered through lace and even some cactus leaves and the intrusion of the charcoal outline is really intrusive.  I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw it up close on the computer as I scanned it in for the blog.  You will be seeing a better version of this in a few days.  It is something of an exercise in simultaneous contrast and with lines around the shapes that simply is lost.

ELBA

ELBA 

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This month the Virtual Paintout traveled to Elba and I traveled along to see what Napoleon's exile might have been like.  It is a beautiful island that certainly cannot have been much of a punishment for Napoleon. This blurb from Wikipedia gives some idea of what he was up to while he was there "During the months Napoleon stayed on the island, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the islanders." 

Who would have thought!

DRIVING IN THE FOG

DRIVING IN THE FOG

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

An ordinary drive takes on an air of mystery in the fog.  Not being able to see everything seems to infuse what can be seen with a certain romantic intensity.

CROCUSES 2012

CROCUSES 2012

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

About 2 weeks ago, on a warm day, I was strolling in the neighborhood and spotted several lawns on Birch Avenue covered with Crocuses.  They are the first flowers I have seen this year and they were alive with bees!  It is too early for Crocuses really and since then it has been cold and they are all closed, but seeing the bees is perhaps a sign that the bee population is coming back with gusto.  Let's hope so.  These were fully open as you can see, welcoming the bees.  The pollen was spilling out all over the petals.

Spring has officially begun!

TURTLE EYES

TURTLE EYE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

In the afternoon the sun lights up this whimsical wooden turtle and his buddy the tiger.  They never fail to make me smile.  Made in Indonesia, these fellows bring the spirit of some local craftsman from half way around the world to me everyday.  Now days it is easy and inexpensive to purchase art and craft work of all kinds made by people from all over the world.  This is not the kind of work bought for investment or in order to show you are up on the latest art movement.  It is simply fun to look at and a way to get a small part of another culture into your life.

crocus 2

WHITE ACCENTS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas

Here is another view of Manyunk from the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.  Since I am spending so much time peering into the windows of the houses there, I thought it would be a good idea to find out more about Manyunk.  Here is a link to its quite interesting history in Wikipedia.  

Some of the highlights are that Manyunk has the first canal begun in the United States.  It was once called Flat Rock because of the very large rock near the bridge.  The name Manyunk, however, comes from the Lenape word for river "Manaiung", or place to drink.  The Lenape seem prescient as Manyunk probably has the most bars and restaurants in the area.

SPACES

Spaces

Nancy Herman 

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

As you come into 30th Street Station on the train from New York, just before you get to the station, there is this space.  Nothing is there except for the shadow, the trash can and a pile of trash.  But there are hints of other places.  The car is just beginning to cross the bridge, the space under the bridge is leading somewhere, and there are just a glimpse of Philadelphia sky scrapers in the distance.  The tracks in the foreground are headed home.  It is a space pregnant with possibilities.

$125.00