Barnes in Winter

If you are wondering where I have been for the past month (and I hope you are).  I have been down with a bout of pneumonia.  That expression is perfect for the experience.  I definitely was way down in spirits and it was a bout.  First I would win a round and then the old pneumonia would come back and knock me down again.  After more than a month of this I finally felt like myself yesterday and today so I guess I am the winner.  Won't know for sure until a chest X-ray on October 4th.

Meanwhile I have had a lot of time to think about what I would do when I felt like doing anything again and I have planed a whole new body of work.  Of course planning and actually doing are  two very different matters.  But as soon as I can make some space in my studio I will begin.  In the meantime I am clearing out older work to make room for the new.  I found this painting of the old Barnes foundation and a perfect frame for it while sorting through everything to build new shelves.  It can sit on a table as it has a flap on the back or of course hang on the wall.

SNOWY OLD BARNES

Nancy Herman

5" x 7"

oil on canvas board

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$100.00

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BEFORE THE SNOW

More of my freshly painted old canvases this week.  This painting feels to me as if it is mid Autumn but there is a heaviness in the air and it smells like snow is coming.

SNOW IS COMING

Nancy Herman

Oil on stretched canvas

12" x 12"

$50.00

New project

I won't be posting paintings for a while as I am working on writing and illustrating a children's book with a friend.  I will tell you all about it when it is finished.  In the meantime today I walked to the library to pick up some books to do research for the book.  How lucky I am to be within easy walking distance of a library!
It was snowing and on the way through my neighbor's yard I spotted a slightly mangy young fox.  We eyed each other and moved on.  I hope he or she makes it through the winter.  I also hope my dogs don't catch the mange from the fox in the area.  It is an ugly harsh disease.
Without sun, snow has little to offer in the way of saturated color, but there are some nice subtleties in the dark greens and tans.  The light snow coming down was a slice of something softly dreamlike.

A Fresh Start

CHARD IN THE SNOW

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

It is really just another Thursday morning but because we count and measure our lives and have done so for centuries it is also the first day of a new year.  I thought this painting of a leaf of Swiss Chard braving the snow was a fitting symbol for the day.  To be outside in the winter on the coldest days is a small act of courage, unless you are a child, and then you hardly notice until the blue night begins to creep under your hat and through your mittens and you know it is time to go home.

I plan to don my warmest gear and head out for a bracing walk on this cold day to celebrate still being alive in 2015.  The sun is out and it looks like a good day for hop scotch!

Graffiti and Snow

Graffiti and Snow

Nancy Herman

6' x 8"

oil on canvas board

This building resonates with color. The graffiti seems to be blending with the snow.  Or is the snow creating its own lively statement?

According to Wikipedia, "Both "graffiti" and its occasional singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato("scratched"). "Graffiti" is applied in art history to works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito",^[4] which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν — graphein — meaning "to write."

$150.00

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.

DOGS AND SNOW

Dogs seem to think that snow is nature's invitation to a boisterous romp.

UNDER COVER

The delicate branches of our split leaf maple are weighed down by snow (along with everything else, including our spirit).  I hope their brittle branches can make it.