FIRST SIGNS OF AUTUMN

First Signs of Autumn

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

DRIVING IN THE FOG

DRIVING IN THE FOG

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

6" x 8"

Just one of the paintings of local scenes to be found in my book POSTCARDS FROM MERION.

It is on Montgomery Avenue right before you get to Suburban Square.

The book can be purchased from Amazon.com.

OPEN

OPEN

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

9" x 12"

What is more fun than buying a toy for a special child?  You know that there is a chance you will open up a world for them that in some sense they will never forget.  This window is in Narberth at Character Development.  It is a rather awkward name for a toy store but the name certainly reflects the power of the right toy at the right time.

$350.00

Page from my book

Bryn Mawr Institute

If you live in the Main line you will recognize many of the places pictured in my new book POSTCARDS FROM MERION.  Here is one of the images you will find there.  I think you will have fun finding your favorite spots and sharing with friends.  You can purchase the book from Amazon by clicking the link.

NEW BOOK: Postcards from Merion

For the last several years I have been painting small works almost everyday.  Sometimes they take two days and sometimes the life of the family takes precedence over paint, but that is my plan.  Because of this somewhat rapid fire approach to painting, I have not given too much thought to my subject matter, except that I  paint what I want to see more of and it has to fit in a small space.  But it seems, themes have developed.   I love the area where I live and many of my paintings are of the simple beauty that exists on the Mainline.  It occurred to me that others might like a collection of scenes from this particular area and so I have collected a group of some of my favorite paintings and it is now in print.Published by Createspace, POSTCARDS FROM MERION is now available from Amazon.: http://www.amazon.com/Postcards-From-Merion-Pennsylvania-Clearwater/dp/1491213353

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ISLE OF WIGHT

ISLE OF WIGHT

Nancy Herman

12" x 9"

oil on canvas board

This month the Virtual Paintout visited the Isle of Wight, off the coast of England.  I found this cozy looking group of houses on Arthur Moody Drive.  Looks like Arthur is customarily in a good mood.

$350.00

Johnson's Blue

JOHNSON'S BLUE

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

This Johnson's Blue Geranium is one of my favorite perennials.

I love this shade of blue.  It is hard to understand a preference for one color over another but when I see this color it makes me feel calm and happy.  This particular shade of green is also a favorite, so all in all the Johnson's Blue Geranium has everything.

$350.00

MERION STATION POST OFFICE

MERION STATION POST OFFICE

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

This is a close up of Merion Station Post Office.  It was built in 1914 and is a designated historic building.  I was drawn to this painting because of the two shades of red orange, one brick and the other rust, sandwiching a lovely dusty blue.  

While looking for the date of construction, I came upon this very interesting article written by Theodore Roosevelt called MODEL MERION.  It praises the Merion Civic Association, which seems to have been very active and extremely helpful to the citizens at that time.  It also shows Roosevelt's views on the responsibilities necessary for a citizen in a Democracy. It is definitely worth reading.  Thanks to the Merion Civic Association for keeping this letter on their web site and for continuing to fight the good fight to keep Merion a lovely place to live.

$350.00

ROCKING CHAIR

ROCKING CHAIR

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

It is summer, no coats necessary, the breeze smells like new mown grass and the rocking chair waits for someone to enjoy the porch and the passersby.

$150.00

EVENING LIGHT ON BEACH HOUSE

EVENING LIGHT ON BEACH HOUSE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Summer is winding down and if you haven't been to the beach you probably are longing for a sniff of the sea and a moment or two to gaze out at a great expanse of ocean.  How nice it would be to have a house like this one to visit anytime you longed for that experience.

It is a precarious place to live these days but perhaps that even adds to the romance.

SOLD

$150.00

EXIT

EXIT

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

It's always nice to know there is a way out.  If only all of life's sorrows had an easy escape hatch with a guiding light over the door.

$150.00

The Kiss

THE KISS

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Ah, love, nothing like it.  

SOLD

BEE BALM #2

BEE BALM #2

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

These 'Mahagany' Bee Balm filled my garden with their exotic beauty for most of July.  The bees and the butterflies love them and their piquant scented leaves are a wonderful addition to the banquet of fragrances floating through the garden in the summer.

$150.00

Coleus

Coleus #2

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

This combination of coleus, sweet potato vine and the Cordyline Australis with its exotic bluish leaves is one of the best color combinations I have 

found for my barrel of eye fun.

$350.00

HOLLYHOCKS #3

Hollyhocks #3

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

6" x 8"

Hollyhocks are the flowers I associate with my childhood.  I think they were the first flowers I actually became aware of.  In the fog of early consciousness I was attracted to their centers and then frightened by some unexpected movement inside - probably bees.  I still retain this simultaneous attraction - repulsion feeling whenever I come upon them.

That is probably why I only have one plant in my garden this beautiful soft pink.

Recently I visited some friends who had the most spectacular Hollyhocks I have ever seen surrounding their very extensive, beautiful gardens.  They were at least 8 feet tall and blooming like teenagers.

$150.00

Sang Kee

SANG KEE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Sang Kee, my favorite neighborhood restaurant has everything,  great food, pleasant friendly servers and lots of happy bustle as it is a favorite of lots of people.

There is a lot to be said for being surrounded by other people who are having a good time.

sold

$125.00

Daily Paintworks

Yesterday's painting "Iris in the Morning" has been chosen as a pick of the day on the Daily Paintworks facebook page.
Check it out!
https://www.facebook.com/dailypaintworks

Iris in the Morning

IRIS IN THE MORNING

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

I painted this in the spring but have not posted it because I was uncomfortable with it.  It has a religious feel.  I am not religious. When I am outside in my garden or in any grand natural space I do feel connected to the universe.  I worship the "earth and the fullness thereof" but not necessarily "those that dwell therein" and though I wish I could believe that there is a "father" up there looking after me, I simply can't.  The beauty of the words of the Lord's prayer are a comfort.  They were composed by someone with a great heart and fine sensibility.  I believe in the possibility that humans might be fair and just, but organized religion has not worked that magic.  It is time for humans to recognize they are responsible for the evil and the goodness in the world not God or the Devil. 

Why am I finally posting this painting?  Because looking at it over a few months has made me think.  Those rays of sun are generative and can be destructive.  They can nurture our garden or wither it.  There is all you need to know about life in the garden.  For me this is the place of worship.

CABBAGE

CABBAGE

Nancy Herman

6' x 8"

oil on canvas board

The weather is too hot for most of the day but in the very early morning, when the dew is still clinging to the vegetables it is glorious outside.  Here the sun peaks through the leaves of the cabbage and for a moment all is right with the world.

$150.00

PIZZA MAN

PIZZA MAN

Composition in red, black and white

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

On a recent trip to Brooklyn I spotted this pizza maker enjoying the passing parade on a sidewalk in Park Slope.  

$150.00

APPARITION

Here is my latest video.  It is the third in the series RESTLESS RECTANGLES.  I love Satie and especially the three Gnossienne pieces.  I wanted to get the slightly eerie feeling they give me as well as the persistence of the arpeggios.  Let me know what you think.  It is less than 3 minutes so relax and take a break with some beautiful music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPCfj2Sh_QU&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

BROKEN

BROKEN

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

I like to walk all over the neighborhood because of the variety of architecture and plantings everywhere.  There are also some wild spots that have a wonderful mysterious air about them.  This broken fence with some panes of glass still clinging to the old wood catches my eye whenever I ramble in Bala Cynwyd.  I peek through the windows to see what is going on, afraid someone with a shotgun will appear at any moment.  There is a lot of healthy vegetation and some old cars but no indication of why this valuable real estate has been abandoned to nature.

SOLD

$150.00

Old and New

OLD AND NEW

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Visiting a friend in downtown Philadelphia, I spotted these two buildings in the early evening sun, united by the sun but representing very different periods.

Looking for some words to describe the old and the new, I ran across this poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Memoriam.  It is living proof that humans don't really change and the old and the new are united by their desire for a better life, while struggling with the same problems.  Tennyson writing in the middle of the 19th century had these words to welcome the new year.  Here is one stanza.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,    

And ancient forms of party strife;    

Ring in the nobler modes of life, 

With sweeter manners, purer laws. 

In 2013 I would wish for exactly the same things.

Here is a link to the whole poem:

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16131

$150.00

GIRL CROSSING

GIRL CROSSING

9" x 12"

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

Back to Brooklyn, full of young people going places in a hurry.

$350.00

CHURCH BELL

CHURCH BELL

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Church bells can resonate in our emotional baggage.  At one end of the spectrum we have John Donne's famous words to remember,  "know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."

At the other end and more in keeping with the spirit of this painting is "Ding, Dong the bells are gonna chime" from "I'm Get-tin Married in the Morning".

Here is a link to it, sung by Stanley Holloway from MY FAIR LADY.  There is a small vignette of Audrey Hepburn, looking absolutely beautiful in the beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quau_OgXWVU

$150.00

Church Bell

CHURCH BELL

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Church bells can resonate in our emotional baggage.  At one end of the spectrum we have John Donne's famous words to remember,  "know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."

At the other end and more in keeping with the spirit of this painting is "Ding, Dong the bells are gonna chime" from "I'm Get-tin Married in the Morning".

Here is a link to it, sung by Stanley Holloway from MY FAIR LADY.  There is a small vignette of Audrey Hepburn, looking absolutely beautiful in the beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quau_OgXWVU

THE DESK

THE DESK

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

There was a time, not so very long ago, when the only way you could reach a friend was to write a letter.  No telephones, no computers, no email or FAX machines existed.  So, the desk with its paper and writing instruments at the ready, was your communication station.  

In order to write a letter to a friend you had to dig deep inside and think about what had happened recently, say within the month, and reflect on how you felt about that.  Letter writing was a time of contemplation, and receiving a letter — those wonderful fat, hand addressed envelopes, was a real occasion.   The whole procedure had an esthetic component, from the hand writing, the choice of words, the stationary, to the stamp chosen for the envelope.

The mailman was the trusted carrier of the most personal words from person to person over time.  We were a diferent species, I think, when we were letter writers.

$150.00

SOLD

Imperative

Here is a link to the latest in my video series, SQUARES LOOKING FOR A HOME.
This one is called IMPERATIVE as the squares are moving inevitably towards their final destination.
http://youtu.be/aNzPdYW7RT0
Here is a link to the first video in the series EQUIPOISE.
http://youtu.be/a9AQ8r0o3b0

The Lido

THE LIDO

Nancy Herman

6' x 8"

oil on stretched canvas

Back to traveling the virtual roads on Google maps.  I found this wonderfully painted motel on the Lido in Italy.

Many, many years ago my family camped on the Lido beach on our way to Venice.  I think these joyful colors capture the feeling of that time very well for me.

$150.00

PEACH TULIP

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• PEACH TULIP
• Nancy Herman
• 6" x 8"
• oil on stretched canvas
• 
  
• I love tulips.  They are so pure and simple.  The sun shinning through their rich colored petals seems the essence of new life and the heart of spring.
• 
  
• This from Wikipedia
• "In Persia, to give a red tulip was to declare your love. The black center of the red tulip was said to represent the lover's heart, burned to a coal by love's passion. To give a yellow tulip was to declare your love hopelessly and utterly."
• Here is alink to a very fine poem by Sylvia Plath about tulips she received in the hospital.
• http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178974
• 
  
• $150.00
• 

EQUIPOISE (final)

Okay, here is where the trumpets blare and the fanfare announces the finished piece.
If you are still with me on this design journey, we have reached our goal.
This piece again created in Flash started with music as a guide to the length of the piece.  I decided I wanted to have each square be one measure of the music so I knew how long it had to be.  I found a piece of music that I thought would suit the idea and began placing the squares on the screen in the order that they would eventually reach, after a small journey.  The journey ended up being quite interesting (at least to me).  Some cool things happen along the way and it all turns out as planned and then some.
In the middle of the piece I decided the music I had chosen did not say what it should, so I had to go searching again, but this time I found just the right tone with the Satie.  The animation works on the idea of imbalance and resolution and the Satie has an oriental feel to it that is just what I wanted.  It also has a very regular beat which fits the design.  The whole thing turns out to be quite calming and meditative.  It does take almost 4 minutes so put your feet up, have a martini at the end of the day and give it a try.

http://youtu.be/a9AQ8r0o3b0

Equipoise try #2

My first try at a video that might show the joy of arranging colors didn't work out because I was not able to capture the screen in Photoshop the same way each time and presenting colors randomly was not visually satisfying.  So I decided to play a bit in Flash to see what might work there.

I didn't have a plan, just wanted to fool around to see some affects I have not tried before.

After a pretty short time I decided I liked the way the squares moved around and the way they came on to the screen but I definitely wanted to have a specific plan in the next attempt.

The music in this piece and yesterday's was chosen after I made the video just for fun.  It is music that I can use, as it is copyright free, a very nice feature.  I have a collection that I store in itunes and in this case I tried out those pieces that were the same length as my animation and found ones that seemed to be in the same spirit as the video.

Here is the the "play" video.

Tomorrow - the final version.

http://youtu.be/JItWYbc1Kao

EQUIPOISE in process part 1

Since I last posted I had an opening and a new idea for some visual music.  I did not paint all last week, in part because I was busy getting ready for the show, planting and weeding my garden and working on the new idea.

I have not talked much about the process of making art on this blog but since I have at hand 2 examples of how this idea evolved I thought I would give it a try.

After posting HAPPINESS ATTACK I got to thinking that what thrills me about working with color is that, given any set of colors, there is always an arrangement that seems "right," and it is the process of finding the arrangement that is as good as looking at the final product.  So making a video of the process might give an idea of that fun and maybe be fun to watch.

I decided to go with the colors in this photo because I really don't know how I can paint this scene again yet, although I love the colors and every year I do paint this tree, as I planted it to celebrate my mother's birthday, April 15.

At first I decided to just randomly grab colors in Photoshop and place them in squares in a grid in imovie.  I like the transition option called "cross dissolve" which does not exist in Flash so I decided to make the squares appear and move gently into each other in this very time consuming way.  

I liked the way it looked at first but I soon realized that it was going to be almost impossible to "screen grab" the colors in Photoshop and get each grab exactly the same.  I also had not arranged the colors previously so unless I could scoot them around they would not be in order.   I continued to fill in the squares just to be sure random wouldn't work.  It didn't........ so I simply morphed the arranged colors on at the end.

Here is that video.  Don't worry if you get tired of looking at it pretty quickly, I did too.  It is only 2 minutes and 18 seconds so you might like to see the whole thing however.

http://www.youtube.com/user/illuminata?feature=guide

Second try tomorrow.

HAPPINESS ATTACK

HAPPINESS ATTACK

Nancy Herman

archival print

While I am busy getting ready for the show at the Graver's Lane Gallery and weeding and planting my garden, I thought I would bring you some prints that I especially like.
These prints are produced in Photoshop.  I choose a painting whoose colors particularly appeal to me, scan the painting into Photoshop and select colors from it at random. Then I arrange them in order from dark to light filling squares as I go.  Once I have a very large group I select portions of the group and combine and recombine them until I have a combination that I like.  This is a way for me to combine my love of painting and pattern making.
Here is one of my favorites.  It represents my state of heart in the Spring.

This print can  12" x 12" - $100.00, 20" x 20" - $300.00, 36" x 36" - $500.00

Size
12" x 12" $100.00 USD
20" x 20" $300.00 USD
36" x 36" $500.00 USD