LAST TO LEAVE

LAST TO LEAVE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This is the time of day to sit on the beach, after the crowds have dissappeared and the sun is low and golden.

This subject reminds me of the postcards I used to send from the seashore.  How rarely I get or send a postcard anymore.  Part of the reason I named my blog "Postcards from Merion" was because I always loved getting and sending postcards.  The idea of a little colored card sailing out through so many hands to reach a friend seemed so wonderful to me as a child ...and still does.  I only hope we keep using the mail so no more post offices have to close.

$125.00

Following the Light

I just "stumbled" upon this article about my work.  It is well written and extremely flattering so naturally I love it.  Not sure why the author didn't let me know about it so I could circulate it when it came out but I sure do appreciate the kind words.

http://emptyeasel.com/2011/03/23/nancy-herman-following-the-light/

WHITES

WHITES

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Every summer when I was growing up we went to the seashore to my grandparents house across from the bay in Ocean City for a month or so.  Various combinations of aunts, uncles and cousins sat on the big, wide porch for hours.  It was on the second floor of the house looking over at the bay.   When the awning was up and we could see the sky my grandfather would comment on the weather.  Such gems as, "If there is enough blue in the sky to make a pair of pants for a Dutchman it will clear."  

When the awning was down the adults would comment on the people who lived across the street and the boats that went by.  Sometimes my grandmother would play Go Fish with me, but otherwise it was an adult world.  The most exciting thing that happened was if I was allowed to put the awning up or down.  There was generally a calm controlled feeling to these lazy days for me.  Who knows what was going on in the hearts of the adults assembled there, with all of their passions held carefully in check in order to preserve the required decorum for the oldest generation.

$125.00

RISING SUN

RISING SUN

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The best time to swim in the ocean is in the very early morning when the sun is just rising out of the water.  It feels as if you are swimming in liquid sunshine. What a way to start the day!

$125.00

SOLD

AFTER THE STORM

AFTER THE STORM

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

ocean city vacation 2011:

It really is an ecstatic experience to walk on the beach in the very early morning and watch the sun come up.  So much untouched space with nothing but the birds and the sea creatures and that great rolling ocean.  It reminds me of this stanza from Byron's poem, memorized in high school.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean – roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin – his control
Stops with the shore; -- upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed, not does remain
A shadow of man’s ravage, save his own,
When for a moment, like a drop of rain,
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell’d, uncoffin’d, and unknown.








SOLD
$125.00

ONE WAY

ONE WAY

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

8" x 6"

This painting is from a photo taken by Luke Herrine.  I was drawn to it because of the contrast between the three light sources.  The traffic lights, the sky and the very small moon.

Sungolds

SUNGOLDS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

The sweetest tomato you'll ever have, the Sungold, not only tastes delicious but, as they ripen on the vine, look like jewels, selected for their carefully modulated color.

SOLD

Sunset at the Beach House

SUNSET AT THE BEACH HOUSE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

Stroll down the boardwalk in the last painting at dusk and turn to your right and this light display is yours.  One of the great joys of any seaside retreat is the big open sky.

BEACH HOUSE

BEACH HOUSE

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

A short walk down some wooden boards to a quiet bay with nothing but sailboats in the distance.  A dip in the shallow sea before breakfast in the flickering morning sun and a  swim from the beach accross the street on the other side of the island in the sunset...ah summer in this very quiet part of East Hampton, what could be more idylic?

A Quiet Spot

While waiting for paintings to dry, here is a painting from last year at this time.

A lovely spot at the Appleford Estate.

Butterfly Bush and Bee Balm

BUTTERFLY BUSH AND BEE BALM

Nancy Herman

12" x 9"

oil on canvas board

Summer is in its full glory in my garden at the moment.  Unfortunately it is so hot that it is hard to really enjoy it.  Luckily I can still paint in my air conditioned studio and enjoy the colors and textures at a remove from the actual garden, which is steaming and full of insects who are out for blood.

Nature is beautiful and treacherous.  The human race has gone overboard to surpress and control nature for our own pleasure and safety.  We do whatever we can to change things to suit ourselves without suffient reflection about what the chain reaction of these changes will mean to ourselves and other creatures in the long run.  As a result there is very often not a 'long run' for many species and it may be our own survival will go the way of so many other forms of life.

In the meantime we have art and music to feed our spirit when nature is too harsh and we want to sit back and pretend all is well.

$200.00

Framed or not

Unframed $200.00 Framed $250.00

Farm Borders

FARM BORDERS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

While painting this I got to thinking about Robert Frost's poem MENDING WALL that contains the phrase, "good fences make good neighbors".  In the poem Frost is pondering whether that old proverb is indeed true and wondering what good it does to rebuild the stone wall between he and his neighbor every year.  

While searching for an attractive version of the poem on line, I found this article about how, in fact, good fences do actually make people more comfortable with their differences.  Very interesting.  

See Dailypaintworks auction

OLD BARN

OLD BARN

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

This beautiful old barn was the last property I visited  in the PAINT IN THE GARDEN series sponsored by the Wayne art center.  It is very near the center of Wayne yet when you are there it feels as if you are in the deep country.

$125.00

LETTUCE

LETTUCE

Nancy Herman

8"x 6"

oil on canvas board

I would like to sing the praises of growing lettuce.  I have been having a big salad for lunch every day for 3 months from my small garden of lettuce.  I think this is "Red Gem" ( I threw away the seed packet), which is not only delicious but beautiful.  If you haven't tried growing these tasty treats, give it a whirl.   All lettuce is easy to grow - plant it in the shade in this weather.  It doesn't like the heat.  I still have some that is quite tasty however as it is shaded by some large squash plants.  Lettuce from the garden is much more tender than what comes from the super market.  The varieties needed to withstand packing and long sessions waiting for customers are not what you can plant in your home garden and the difference is delicious.

There was a festive wedding in the family the week before last, so I was not in the studio. Thus no paintings this week.

But I have not been idle this week and will be posting paintings next week again. 

In the meantime here is something to take your mind off the heat.  In the middle of last winter I would never have thought I would look back on that cold with a certain bit of nostalgia but I was wrong.

Remember?

WINTER

HOLLYHOCKS #2

HOLLYHOCKS #2

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas

These Hollyhocks look almost completely black until the sun comes around to the west and seeps through in the dappled shade.  Then they turn a rich shade of red wine.  The garden is an ever changing marvel of lighting effects for the patient eye.

$125.00 

HOLLYHOCK #1

HOLLYHOCK #1

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

Hollyhocks or Alcea are very old plants.  The remains of them have been found in the Neanderthal caves of Shanidar in Iran.  This unusual one popped up in my wild flower garden.  Perhaps it is a lovely gift from some ancient corner of Asia.

$125.00

ROUNDUP

Some second thoughts about Roundup.  

FIRST RAYS

FIRST RAYS

Nancy Herman

8" x 6"

oil on canvas board

The first rays of the morning sun, no matter where they land, seem to say, "it's a new day and anything is possible".  When they hit a treasured part of the garden it is especially lovely and, because the flowers are so ephemeral, a little poignant at the same time.

$125.00

LARKSPUR

You can't beat the beautiful Larkspur for color in June.  I have a bed of these lovely delicate flowers that reseed on their own, crowd out competitors and in general are a reliable joy.  If you live in the area and want seeds from them let me know.

Life's Weeds

Since I have been dealing with the weeds in my garden I have been thinking about the "weeds" that are an inexorable part of life.  I would define them as the forces that are always trying to take over our existence.  These are the forces we keep at bay but never really get rid of.  

I suppose the gradual deterioration of our body has to top the list ending as it must in death.  I think we have to fight the fear of death before we can actually take what steps are necessary to keep it at bay as long as possible.  We have to take the measure of it in some rational way and do battle. 

Our main tool is our will to act, which we have to carry around at the ready like the garden fork.  It is so easy to sink back in the chair and say, "I'll exercise tomorrow" or  "I'll get that checkup next year".   If we don't exercise regularly gravity will pull us down, our muscles will wither and we will be feeble before we have to be.  If we don't find out the cause of what is going wrong with our bodies we will give them over to whatever weed /disease is on the attack without finding the root of it and digging it out or using the bag of weed killers at our disposal to kill it or simply changing our planting patterns to optimize our survival.  We have to use the love we have for ourselves and others to cover us very much like the mulch we put on our gardens to keep in the moisture and keep out the weeds. 

So I guess I feel if we want as much order and beauty in our life as we can get, we must treat it as a garden, keeping our will at the ready to help us fight the natural disorder that is constantly pushing at the borders.

THE GREEN DRAGON JOUST

While waiting for paintings to dry, check out my post on the Ardmore/Merion/Wynnewood Patch to find how I came to blows with the Green Dragon or Pinellia weed.

Weeds

I have no paintings for a while as I have been busy weeding.  If you are interested in my experiences fighting Gout Weed.  Check out my blog on the Ardmore/Merion/ Wynnewood Patch.

FOLLY

Folly is a word we don't use much anymore except to describe these structures with no other purpose than to decorate the landscape or as in this case define the vista and make elegant shadows.   Perhaps it is because so much of what we do is 'foolish and lacking in good sense' that the word has lost its defining power.  This Folly at Chanticleer provides a welcome oasis of shade in the midst of the lovely gardens, so in the real sense of the word it is not "folly" at all.

See auction at DailyPaintworks for purchase

ALLIUM AND SPIREA

This meadow at Chanticleer filled with Allium and this unusual yellow orange Spirea that positively glows, is an unusual combination of colors that really knocks my socks off.   It required a larger canvas than usual. This one is 9" x 12".

Where does the expression "knock your socks off" come from?  It originally meant to hit someone so hard that not only their shoes but their socks were knocked off.  Now of course it simply means to be suddenly amazed.
To quote the Word Detective where I found this info, " if it seems surprising that a very violent metaphor should end up as an expression of critical acclaim, keep in mind that the term "blown away," now routinely found in book and movie rave reviews, originally meant "to be killed by gunfire."

Framed or not

Unframed $200.00 Framed $250.00

Poppies and Lettuce Garden

The delightful, delicate dance of Poppies through the saucy salad of lively lettuce is just one of the eye pleasers at Chanticleer.  (If you think I went overboard with the alliteration please appreciate that I did show some restraint by not making it "pretty" poppies).

Seriously all the many gardens at Chanticleer are filled with surprising color and unusual combinations of plants.  There is a living art work everywhere you look. 

Chanticleer Lettuce Garden #1

The next few days will be devoted to the beautiful gardens at Chanticleer.  Here is the area imediately behind the entrance where several varieties of lettuce create lovely patterns in May and June. Chanticleer has a tantalizing combination of textures and colors everywhere you wander.

HOUSE IN THE FOG

This is the last painting from this particular fog series, though I'm sure I will find myself in a fog again.   Before the fog lifts and the sun comes out, here is the lovely little poem by Carl Sandburg.

                                                          

THE FOG

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

SOLD

Formal Garden in the Fog

The formal garden is just beginning to come to its second flowering.  The tulips, daffodils and iris are over, or almost over.  You can just see a few in the middle distance.  The peonies are just starting to open up in the foreground.

Continuing the fog metaphor, Joseph Conrad said,  "It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world. Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog." 

This is an interesting quote.  It is certainly true that the clear sighted are often not the ones in control of ruling the world, and it may also be true that some great decisions are made in a blessed warm fog, but when people who are not clear sighted rule, the fog of their decision making does not appear to be "blessed".  


The leaders of the Middle East for the past 20 or 30 years certainly have not been making decisions in a "blessed" warm fog.  Short sighted rulers seem to be governed by a hot fog of self serving megalomania. They remain in power because those governed are in the midst of a fog of fear and resignation.  The internet has proved, in this case, to be the sun that broke through that fog and gave courage to those oppressed.  Suddenly they saw the long view and the fog lifted.  What happens as a result of this sudden break with their past reality is bound to be very chaotic, as we don't adjust easily to such great rents in our sense of what is real.

PURPLE GARDEN IN THE FOG

All colors have their own place on the continuum from dark to light and purple is the most pure at the dark end of that continuum, making these Allium  glow in the dark.

Since I began painting this group of work centered around fog, I have been thinking of all the ways perception, influenced by one parameter only can be altered.  Fog is a good metaphor as it diminishes the distance you can see radically and yet keeps the immediate surroundings recognizable.  You see just beyond your own nose.  You don't get the big picture.  Those around you see the same things you do, so you agree about what reality is.

Our perceptions are always colored by one fog or another.  Some large examples are the fog of prejudice, ignorance, envy, greed or fear.  But we  all have our own set of convictions that keep us in a fog.  Whatever the fog  that puts a veil over our eyes, it keeps us from enjoying the long view, but may be very satisfying in its limited way.

SOLD

WILD FLOWERS IN THE FOG

Fog creates a uniform pattern over what we see.  It changes everything very slightly.  That allows us to perceive things as if they were new without causing too much anxiety.  We like things to be in there usual place but also like a fresh look at them.  Fog does just that.

Here are the ever perceptive Benjamin Franklin's thoughts about fog:

"Like a man traveling in foggy weather, those at some distance before him on the road he sees wrapped up in the fog, as well as those behind him, and also the people in the fields on each side, but near him all appears clear, though in truth he is as much in the fog as any of them."

Clematis and Fog

I love to go outside in the early morning to see what's perking in my garden.  It's cool and the birds are chattering away.   The other noises of the coming day have not begun.  This particular morning there was a deep fog that made everything seem a little myserious.
My first Clematis of the season struck me as it seemed to be nestled in the crotch of the dark Katsura tree behind.

FLOWERS and FRUIT

Cloudy with chance of rain again today.  I made a short video to remind myself of what all this rain produces.  The music is played by Tatyana Featherman from one of the ballet albums produced by White Feather Productions.  This is an enterprize of our local ballet school, the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet in Narberth. If this video does not work click HERE.

A MOMENT OF INSPIRATION

Yesterday at the Morris Arboretum, under the pergola in the rose garden,was the first time all week I felt happy painting.  What a lovely place!  It was not the perfect spot to see the grandeur of the formal rose garden, but I was out of the rain the whole time in a lovely atmosphere and I could appreciate the rain for the life giving force it is.
When I finished painting, as I made my way up the hill to the car with all my supplies, the sun came out and filled the whole beautiful garden.  Every rain drop was caught  in the leaves and lit like a gigantic array of jewels. The sky was filled with dark clouds, accentuating the sun light in the garden.  It was an awe inspiring moment that only lasted a short time before the rain began again, but it made the whole struggle to find some meaning in catching nature on canvas seem worth the effort.

PAINT OUT #2

I just realized I will not be able to scan in my paintings to show on the blog as they are framed and probably hanging already at the Wayne Art Center.   If you live in the area I hope you will go and check them out.  There is a gala opening - meaning you have to contribute a little pile of money - on Saturday night.  The show is open to the public from then on until June 24th.  There were many wonderful paintings being brought in last night.  It is amazing how much material people can get on to a canvas in a short time.  This show is definitely worth seeing.
There are still two days of painting to go.  Today promises to be raining again and we go to Philadelphia to paint.  I may end up on my daughter's porch in Mount Airy as it is covered and there is a toilet available.  These are not ideal reasons for choosing a painting site.
Some people work better when they are stressed.  I'm not one of them.  There is a feeling of 'carnival' about this paint out that is engaging but I don't think painting as a competitive sport is for me.  I am of an age when thinking about my subject matter and planning is as important as the act of painting itself.  Of course if the weather had been perfect I might have an entirely different opinion.  The exhilaration of being in controlled nature in fine weather can make up for a lot of hassle.
Tomorrow all the artists will be in downtown Wayne painting in the morning and it looks like the sun may be shining!