KITCHEN LIGHT

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Every morning when I come into my kitchen I am greeted by the particular light pattern of the day.  I get a kick out of this display.  This particular day began with a very cheery arrangement of sun lighting up the cabinets and my sensibilities.

$125.00

Sold

MERION SPRING

Nancy Herman

6" x 8

oil on canvas board

This painting of a lovely property in Merion was created from a neighbor's photo in order to celebrate another neighbor who is moving.  I hope the new residents of this property care as much about gardening.  It is such a joy to see flowers blooming all summer long.  Without knowing who lives in the home where a beautiful garden is kept, you have a warm feeling about the inhabitants.  

SOLD

Riga, Latvia

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

This month the Virtual paintout went to Latvia.  I found this roof top in Riga that was appealing in all its redness.  I wanted to concentrate on the texture of the paint with an emphasis on using several colors in one area.  There were a lot of interesting town squares in Riga with little cafes in the center having outdoor seating.  I wonder how that is now days with all the smelly cars going by.  Our cars allow us to travel around anywhere we want to go with great speed and convenience and then ruin the places we want to visit.

$125.00

SOLD

RAILROAD SHADOWS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

I am not a fan of traveling, preferring the comfort of home over the lure of exotic places.  I do, however, like a good train trip.  There is something about the whole experience that takes me on a ride that has nothing to do with where I am going.  It is so old fashioned and comforting. Getting into a well appointed seat next to a quiet stranger who minds his or her own business, sitting back and watching the scenery pass by suits me very well.
Trains are really safe too.  I once was on a train on the way to San Francisco that derailed.  I was asleep in my cozy berth and didn't even wake up until I heard the noise of the conductors outside my window and realized we were not moving.  In a few minutes we were off again into the night.
I especially like the look of the old factory buildings that are on the trip from Philadelphia to New York.  They always get my imagination stirred and I plan to paint as many as possible sooner or later.  Here are some shapes and shadows from the tracks near 30th Street Station.


$125.00

Yesterday I took the afternoon off from painting and visited the Graver's Lane Gallery in Chestnut Hill where my old friend Bruce Hoffman is the new Director.  Bruce is the former director of the Snyderman Works Gallery and is one of the people responsible for all the enthusiasm Philadelphia has for craft in Philadelphia.  He was the co-artistic director of Fiber Philadelphia and the curatorial consultant for Outside/Inside the Box, one of the wonderful shows that were a part of that festival of fiber events in the spring of this year.

The Graver's Lane Gallery is a sparkling jewel along this busy, interesting  area of Germantown Avenue and will soon be getting larger as they expand into the space next door.  They have beautiful art of all sorts.  You can see that Bruce's keen eye is at work there.  I brought some small paintings with a summer theme to add to the collection.  Do stop in and see what's going on.  It is worth the trip.

This area of the city is a fun place to visit with lots of great contemporary stores and restaurants.  It has the feel of a small upscale resort town for some reason with lots of busy shoppers and interesting looking stores...and you can pick up a healthy dinner right accross the street at the Weaver's Way Co op !

LARKSPUR 2012

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on cavas board

June is the time when summer really takes over with blooms everywhere and even some vegetables ready for harvest.  I have been eating lettuce from my garden for weeks and some tomatoes will be ready before the month is over.  These are the "salad" days of the year, when all is green and innocent.  Not a hint of the ravages that extreme heat and dryness can bring this year, with rain coming along just in time.  June is really  "bustin out all over".   For me the Larkspur sing nature's song of renewal every year.


$125.00

Peony 2012

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

9" x 12"

The Peony is a very complicated flower with a lot going on that at first doesn't make visual sense.  Only after several hours painting this one did I see the order in all the shades of white.
"The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower."
Wikipedia
The Greeks seem to have had a lot of fun imagining what their Gods were doing and deciding what and why to name their favorite things.


The image of this painting is slightly cut off on the right side as it doesn't fit in my scanner perfectly.


$300.00

Runner on the River

Nancy Herman

16" x 20"

oil on stretched canvas

On the third day of the Art in the Open event I got there very early in the morning to be sure I would have enough time to finish a painting.  This time I made sure to position myself in the shade for the whole day as the day before, when painting 30th Street Station, I ended up in the sun at noon and had to leave before I wanted to.
This time I wanted to catch the simple joy of being outside along a great expanse of open space that the river provides. City dwellers come from the cavern of tall buildings into the glory of this sun filled open space.  Here is my version of that experience, as a runner and biker move through one of the large bridge supports onto the open path.

The opening for the show of work completed on these days will be next Thursday the 14th of June at the Independence Seaport Museum from 6:00 to 8:00.  Most of the artists will be there with their work. Come along and join the fun.

30th Street Station

Nancy Herman

16" x 20"

Oil on stretched canvas

A couple of weeks ago I was down by the river painting for the Art in the Open event for 3 days.  There were all kinds of wonderful creations made on the banks of the Schuylkill that weekend.  There will be an exhibit of some of the art created then at the Independence Seaport Museum starting on June 15th. This painting was created on the first two days.  It is of 30th Street Station as seen from the banks of the river.  It is larger than my usual painting for Postcards from Merion and it was nice to be able to use larger brushes and take more time to develop the painting.  People were very friendly and everyone seemed to be enjoying the art and the sunshine on these perfect May days.  If you are interested in purchasing this work email me or get in touch with Megan at the Seaport Museum.