Barnes Arboretum #6

As you come to the end of the formal gardens there is an open space where some beautiful unusual trees are planted, but on this trip I decided to examine them on the way out of the woods which were calling to me.
These woods are simply a relatively small dense patch of trees which, none the less, have all the mystery of a larger forest.  There is a big difference however as they are cared for, so they don't have vines strangling the trees or bushes and trees crowding each other.  This is a garden forest with paths and planned wild flowers.

If you look up or down you are rewarded by nature that has been lovingly cared for for a long time.  Tomorrow the Koi pond and Laura Barnes' retreat.

Barnes Arboretum #5

Before we go into the woods at the Barnes Arboretum I would like to say something about the way one is led through the gardens.  The paths not only invite you from one area to another, they are beautiful in themselves.  The geometry of the gardens is carefully designed to lead your eye and then your footsteps through a series of openings and closings.  It felt to me like breathing in nature.  First the vista expands then it contracts to lead you to the next space.

 Some of the stone paths are beautifully designed.
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They all lead to another place to look with its own special beauty.

Tomorrow - into the woods.

Barnes Arboretum #4

The open spaces at the Barnes Arboretum are surrounded by low walls.  This gives the feeling of being comfortably surrounded without being enclosed.  The details in these spaces are carefully thought out and executed.  There is a delight for the eye at every turn.

Barnes Arboretum #3

Back to the open symmetry of the formal gardens one walks from one level to another, gradually moving down the gently sloping property through three distinct "rooms".  Each with a different center piece and each having unique characteristics.  In the background of all are the towering trees,  the beckoning woods and the sweet scent of lilacs.

Room #1

Room #2

Room #3

Trees in the background

Barnes Arboretum #2

After you pass through the arch of the arbor at the Barnes gardens you see down the expanse of the carefully laid out tiers of plantings.  The space is surrounded by stone walls and in the background are huge trees.  It is a symmetrical formal garden.

Around the walls are other paths lined with lilacs.  I opted to first walk down these paths to get a whiff of as many lilacs as possible.  This path is an intimate space, it felt like a secret tunnel of pleasure.  Lilacs of every shade were in full bloom.  Over 100 varieties are included in the collection.

Looking back at the arbor on the path.  Tomorrow into the formal gardens.

Barnes Arboretum

On Sunday to treat myself on Mother's Day.  I went to the newly opened Barnes Foundation in Merion's arboretum.  I had not been through the grounds for years as it has not been open. 

It was a perfect day and I knew the lilacs would be in bloom.  I went at 10:00 and was the only person there at that time.  It was absolutely silent except for the birds chattering and the low hum of insects.  The aroma from the hundreds of lilacs was intoxicating. The beauty of the meticulously cared for gardens was staggering.  I was moved to tears by the experience.  In the next few days I will try to capture some of what I felt there.  I took pictures of everything but when I came home and looked at them they simply didn't get it.  Maybe later I will paint what I experienced but for now words and photos will try and recapture those moments.

There is something about being alone in someone else's garden that is a little scary and quite wonderful.  As I walked into the space, along the path leading into the formal gardens, I felt the magic of the place rising up to meet me.

The gardens are tiered and the path leads past some glorious trees down  through an arbor.  The arbor frames the entrance to the wider experience.

More tomorrow.

Marsh Marigolds

MARSH MARIGOLDS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

It looks like a rainy day so I can get back to painting and let all my transplants settle into the garden.  Still plenty to do.  The spring is such a beautiful time to paint but the garden must be dealt with now or the whole summer is spent regretting.  I pulled plenty of these beauties out of my flower beds this year.  They have a brief moment and then they take over.  One great thing about a lovely "weed", you know it will be back again no matter how many you pull.  I wish that were true of the not so lovely ones!  You can find this painting at Graver's Lane Gallery now.

Grape Hyacinths

GRAPE HYACINTHS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Blue Hyacinths symbolize constancy, and they are a constant pleasure in my garden, where they slowly mulitply every year. My gardening continues, so I am not painting, but this painting is still blooming and can be found at Graver's Lane Gallery.

FIRST SIGN OF SPRING

FIRST SIGN OF SPRING

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The crocuses (not croci because it is a 

Greek word) are gone in the garden but still blooming in Chestnut Hill at the Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival. Today May 4th from 11 to 5.

This painting is framed and ready to adorn your walls at Graver's Lane Gallery. 

Daffodil

DAFFODIL

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Finally finished my on line retrospective for now but I am not back to painting just yet as I have a lot of gardening to do to get the season started right.  Meanwhile some of my paintings are all framed and ready for new homes at Graver's Lane Gallery in Chestnut Hill.  Here is one of my favorites.

NEW WEB SITE

My web site is finally on line.  It is an on line retrospective so it is filled with lots of art work that I have created over the years.  I would love to hear from you if you have any trouble navigating through the various parts, or if there are any spelling mistakes - my specialty.  Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Here is the link -  Nancy Herman Retrospective 

EASTER BUNNIES

EASTER BUNNIES

Nancy Herman

20" x 20"

signed limited edition giclee print on archival paper with archival ink

Stamps used in EASTER BUNNIES

At this rate I will never finish creating my new web site as when I go through different periods of my art work I get the urge to create another in the series.  So far I have made several more Pure Color pieces, 3 new stamps, and revised several poster collages.  I am having so much fun that I feel guilty.  Now what's that all about?

$250.00

FORSYTHIA 2011

Forsythia 2011

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

I have been busy creating a new web site for the past two weeks, so have not been painting, but last year's Forsythia painting fits the moment perfectly.

I love Forsythia.  It is for me the real messenger of spring as it is so jolly in its thrusting glory.  I hold in deepest disregard those who turn their Forsythia bushes into crippled balls.  Every year I shudder past Merion Mercy Academy in the spring as they have a whole row of Forsythia hedge that could be a glory of spritely delight brightening Montgomery Avenue.  But no...they always trim the hedge so there is only a strangled few blooms.  It is as if the gardeners can't stand the exuberance.  Yet this has gone on for years, and gardeners come and go, so I can only conclude it is orders from above.  How far up I don't know.
SOLD
$150.00

New Stamp

JEWISH STARS

Nancy Herman

20" x 20"

Limited edition signed digital print on archival paper with archival inks

I have always enjoyed the beautiful lithography on old stamps.  A few years back I began collecting them and with the help of friends and sometimes just people I met on a train or airplane I amassed a huge collection of stamps of all kinds.  I then began sorting them out according to color and theme and created collages.
At the moment I am putting together a new web site that is really an on line retrospective.  When I came to the stamp page I decided to create two new stamps.  One in honor of Passover  "Jewish Stars".  Here it is with a link to the new page.  The stars are Raoul Wallenberg, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Golda Meir, Ben Gurion and Ann Frank. (Christmas is the other new stamp just to keep a balance in the stamp family)

$250.00

UNDER THE HIGHWAY

UNDER THE HIGHWAY

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The train has come to the end of the line and just as it is when I am really on the train I am more than ready to get off and begin the next adventure.   However, there is still the business of getting through the station and out into the world again.  In this case there is one more painting from the series.  By now the snow is melted and spring is here but on this canvas it still exists and I must deal with it.

At the time it was interesting to see little glimpses of nature through the bridge abutments.  Now I wish I could see the new life that has sprung up there or have a painting of daffodils to show.  And so it goes in life, our unfinshed business keeps us from the pleasures of the day.

But wait...  Here is last year's Daffodil which along with some other of my spring paintings can now be seen at Graver's Lane Gallery.

SNOW AND FENCE

SNOW AND FENCE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Still on the train on a wintery day.  An old tin fence, some empty containers,  snow and a set of old train tracks create this compostion in shades of blue and brown.

$150.00

NIGHT SETS IN

NIGHT SETS IN

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Night from a railroad car window

Is a great, dark, soft thing

Broken across with slashes of light.

WINDOW by Carl Sandburg

$150.00

THE GREEN DOOR

THE GREEN DOOR

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

From the train window I spy this green door with a car parked out front.  This combination stirs the imagination.  Who chooses pea green for their door?  Is the car visiting pea green door painter or does the driver live there?  What goes on behind the pea green door?

$150.00

LAYERS

LAYERS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

  Another scene from the train, this formerly quiet little square that I painted a few days ago (CLOSED )is gradually giving way to nature.  We fight it back every chance we get and carve it into symetries we can grasp in our gardens, but it is relentless.  When humans are forgotten it will rage on.  We forget, to our peril, that we are only a very small part of the miracle of life on this planet.

$150.00

Empty Platform

EMPTY  PLATFORM

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Lately I have not been drawing in the images before I paint.  This leads to wavey lines that used to be straight and proportions that are less than perfection.  As a result of not following the lines I can use more paint and get into the feeling of the brush rolling along the canvas.  In this painting of the empty train platform I especially enjoyed painting the funky pink pipe.

$150.00

BROOKLYN ROOF TOP

BROOKLYN ROOF TOP

Nancy Herman

6" x 8'

oil on canvas board

My destination when I go to New York is always Brooklyn, to visit my children and grandchildren.  I love the old Victorian houses in Ditmus Park.  This one is a symphony in shades of grey.  I wonder who lives in this room near the top.

$150.00