Ghost

GHOST

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Sometimes you sense the presence of someone who does not actually seem to be there.

This happens to me once in a while.  Not sure what to make of it.  

$150.00

Sunglasses

SUNGLASSES

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Okay what's going on here?  In the last several paintings I have been trying something new.   What I am thinking about with these new paintings (I began the series with Winter Porch) is, "what can I leave out in order to enhance the 'feel' of the subject".  I am using juicy paint in solid areas, but that's another story.  In this painting a girl appears in the chaos of shapes coming out of a station.  She is wearing sunglasses against the sudden glare.  I want to integrate the figure in the composition without losing it as a focal point.

$150.00

BEGONIA AND BIRDFEEDER

BEGONIA AND BIRDFEEDER

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Many years ago my husband took over the care of our houseplants.  It was one of those rare seamless transitions that sometimes happen in a marriage.  Ever since the scientist has been running the show the plants are thriving.  The 'artist' (me) had mixed results.  I love seeing the light through the leaves of this happy Begonia in the afternoon.  Out the window is a very old bird feeder which was here when we moved in 44 years ago.  The birds love it and we love watching them taking turns or fighting over the seeds.  It is winter sport for the old foggies.

$150.00

WINTER PORCH

WINTER PORCH

Nancy Herman

18" x 24"

oil on canvas board

I listened to The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro while painting this.  It is a book that transports you to the world of myths while tugging at your conciousness with its very real allusions to the present day.  I think some of its magic is woven into my colors and shapes.

This is the largest painting I have done in several years.  It took many days and I am happy with the results but probably won't be painting large as a regular thing as I really like the idea of completing work in a day or two.  I also like sitting and working on something at the table where I can easily move the canvas around.  Another problem with a larger work is that I can't scan it into my computer but must take a picture of it.  Scanning really reproduces the work much better.  This piece actually has a lot of juicy paint which is completely lost in this reproduction.

$750.00

March Newsletter

March is a month full of upheavals.  The weather is bitter cold and balmy spring in turns and we bounce from huddling inward for warmth and striding without a coat or hat into the sun.

And so it went for me this month so far, and it is only half over.

First we had a beautiful heavy snow, gratifying in its thorough whiteness.

red maples

In the Barnes garden

St. Joe’s Building

Out my studio window

Sunset

Today, however, after several days of thawing things are looking a little bit like SPRING!

Long Shadows in Merion Park

A pair of ducks in Marion Park Stream

For my whole walk I was searching for a sign of a crocus.  The park usually has a wonderful display.  Finally on the sunny bank of the stream I spied the first ones to pop their heads through the dead leaves.

My art excursion for this month took me to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where I met three friends to see what we could see.

After lunch in the cafeteria where we discussed art and politics and the politics of art we went to the show - Represent: 200 Years of African American Art

January 10, 2015 - April 5, 2015

It is a very interesting show with some wonderful work.  However, like shows of all Women artists I was left wondering when art will be art regardless of who makes it. I prefer seeing art that is displayed purely on lines of its artistic intent rather than on the accident of birth of its creator.  Forinstance a show of impressionists or a show of artists interested in minimalism. 

This show purports to be about an expression that is particularly African American and some of the work has a political thrust, but the same work could have been made by someone who is not African American, as people often protest causes that they didn’t ‘inherit’.   How does the accident of birth affect the artistic vision and expression of a particular groups IS something of interest.

This would be hard to fathom but worth the effort.  It does seem that more woman are interested in using textiles than men.  Is their color sense different?  Does the experience of being enslaved or discriminated against effect what materials one prefers or what colors one uses?  Do women prefer round shapes? These are interesting questions.  I suspect geography and climate have more to do with shapes and colors than sex or race but it would be interesting to explore the possibilities.

I enjoyed the show but it did not deal with these ideas as the work was all over the place in terms of style and use of materials and I did not come away with any feeling of unity in terms of an African American sensibility.  It is rich in the history of these individual artists however and very worth a visit.

Here are some of the highlights of the show for me.  Much more can be found if you download the TEACHER’S RESOURCE.

 The show begins with this beautiful charcoal drawing of Martin Luther King, Jr, by John Woodrow Wilson. 

Moe Brooker’s PRESENT FUTURES is a delight for the eye.

Horace Pippin’s Outcry against WAR is memorable.  The frame alone is a marvel with all its carved imagery.

and Romare Bearden’s BLIND SINGER feels like a spontaneous outburst of joy.

There are many more wonderful works in the show that I was not able to photograph properly.  The show is up until April 5 so don’t miss it.

What fun it is to share these experiences with friends who care about art and don’t hesitate to think and talk about it. 

 

blog:http://postcardsfromthemainline.blogspot.com

web site:http://nancyherman.com

Youtube sticky bear
http://youtu.be/95qqU-bVaAo?

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Stroll by the Park

STROLL BY THE PARK

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

Using more paint and more medium to make the paint juicy causes the paint to shine in some places.  This does not reproduce well. This painting is much more interesting in person.

I managed to fix my broken scanner by following some directions found on line.  It involved taking the whole thing apart by unscrewing parts, finding a broken "flange" and duct taping it down.  Not knowing what a flange was I still was able to find "it" and fix things.  I am so pleased!  I feel like a real handywoman.  Incidentally spell check did not want me to write "handywoman" and kept substituting "handyman".  Little things mean a lot.

$250.00

Red Truck on 7th Avenue

RED TRUCK ON 7TH AVENUE

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

As you probably have noticed I have not been painting much lately as I have been working on writing and illustrating a book.  That work is on hold for a bit so I began again to think about painting.  As usually happens when there is a hiatus in work this caused me to think seriously about what I was doing.  For years I have been trying to use more paint and work with simpler shapes.  Yet I always end up making rather complicated compositions even though I am working quite small.  Apparently I am stuck with a desire to paint a complicated scene so I decided to use the computer to simplify the composition using several "filters" in photoshop.  Then I mixed my paint into a juicy pile and went to work filling the shapes created.  I am enjoying this method.
This is the first painting I completed.  Unfortunately my scanner is broken so I had to take a photo of the painting which leaves it looking quite flat.  It actually has some texture as I am trying to allow the juicy paint to describe the shapes.  The next painting has more texture.  The third in this series is going to be larger so I will have room for even more texture.  It is rather funny I think that it is so difficult for me to use more paint.  I must coax myself into it.

$250.00