article in the Main Line Times

There was a very nice article and pictures in the Main Line Times on Saturday about the show at Town Hall Coffee and my book, Postcards from Merion.  You can check it out here.
http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2013/11/14/main_line_times/life/doc52852290ed398781195181.txt

MERION AND SYCAMORE

MERION AND SYCAMORE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Every year this corner  has a brilliant display of light.  The suburbs, as opposed to the country, has a wide variety of color in the fall as there are so many different kinds of trees all changing color at different speeds.  We are bathed in this delightful warm display as if to keep us warm in the cold months ahead.

$150.00

EMPTY STREET IN AUTUMN

EMPTY STREET IN AUTUMN

Nancy Herman

6' x 8"

oil on canvas board

This fall has been almost too beautiful.  Every day I drive through my neighborhood having dificulty keeping my eyes on the road because of all the colors enveloping me.  Every day it is a new display.  Finally a great deal of the leaves are down, but in my front yard as I write this, my red maples are blazing away and there is a gentle little snow storm whirling about them.

Since these paintings take a few days to dry, I will be able to revisit the colors into the coming weeks when the trees are bare and we cruise into the greys and browns of winter.

$150.00

THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER 2013

THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER 2013

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The Last Rose of Summer, forever memorialized by Thomas Moore in his poem of the same name.  At one time considered the Bard of Ireland, Moore wrote many poems that became popular songs in the 19th century.  I have listened to most of the versions of The Last Rose on utube and found Lily Pons version the most pure and lovely.  

An old favorite fabric is included in the painting to embody the spirit of the dead roses.  Where else do flower memories go but into designs for fabric and paintings?

Here is s link to Lily Pons video.

$125.00

Monday morning

The opening of the show at Town Hall Coffee House has come and gone. All the paintings are safely hung and it's time to get back to work.
This fall has been so very beautiful, I want to try to capture it in my next group of paintings.  It is such a popular subject that it is hard to think of a painting without being aware of all the others that have gone before.  Is it ever possible to see with a fresh eye?
Here are some links to fall paintings that are probably going to influence my choice of subject and even the way I paint it.

Monet could create light and sparkle like no other.

Van Gogh used paint as if it were some kind of electrified energy.

                            

Grant Wood kept everything in order and rounded the corners.

                            

Paul Klee with magic at his command was nontheless poetic and funny.

                                

Richard Diebenkorn has dynamic compostions that blow me away.

                            

Edward Hopper  managed to have interesting compostions, startling light and a sense of longing even when there are no people in his work.

                           

Josf Albers  boiled the whole season down to 4 colors and somehow made me care about them.

Charles Demuth's water colors are so fresh and delightful.  He says so much by saying so little.

Opening

Tonight is the night to enjoy a get together at Town Hall Coffee House and see Poetry of the 'Local'.  Bill Ternay and I will be on hand to meet and greet with wine and goodies from 7 to 9 pm.  My new book, Postcards from Merion will be on sale with paintings from the book on the walls.  Bill has some big beautiful work to delight your senses filling the rest of the place.

If you missed it here is your video invitation.

The Poetry of 'Local"

THE POETRY OF "LOCAL"

For all of you out there who are anxious to get your hands on a painting from my new book, Postcards from Merion.  Here is the chance you have been waiting for.  

In November some of the work from the book will be at the Town Hall Coffee House in Merion. 

Last year Bill Ternay and I had a very successful show there, so we decided to do it again.

Here is your invitation.  Please pass it on to anyone you think might be interested.

INVITATION

THE DREAM (video)

Let's see how the whole thing works as a video.  Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions as to how it should be exhibited I would love to here from you in 'comments'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_51WW5ehlKI&feature=c4-overview&list=UU0kTuj7G2coHnSXm8-pg-4g

THE DREAM - the end- Towards the Light

THE DREAM

(Towards the Light)

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

As the mists clear an older self is climbing the stairs into a pinkish dawn and the end of my dream.  

THE DREAM - continued- The Bridge

THE DREAM

Bridge

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

The moon gives way to a quiet dawn as I continue my way home in the morning mist.

THE DREAM (moon)

THE DREAM (moon)

Nancy Herman

6' x 8"

oil on canvas board

Having missed the last bus heading home, I begin to walk down a deserted road in the night.  What lies ahead? Where is home?

THE DREAM (missed the bus)

THE DREAM

(missed the bus)

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

My dreaming self is in the station waiting for a train or on the street corner waiting for a bus to take me home.  I'm not sure which one to take, but I sense there is just one for me, when I see that very one has just left.  I see it roll past, knowing there is not another.

(Interesting that I never try to get home by boat or plane)

Here is some new research that would suggest that sleep is simply a way of emptying the trash in our brains.

THE DREAM (in the station)

THE DREAM (in the station)

Nancy Herman

6' x 8'

oil on canvas board

Filled with a strong longing for home I go into a train or bus station.  Not sure which bus or train to take but know there is just one for me.  Home is a combination of all the places I have ever lived, so finding the right way back is bound to be tricky.

THE DREAM ( the classroom)

THE DREAM

(classroom)

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

The classroom is spotted but never entered.  Others are hard at work,  but in my dream my focus shifts to getting home....and so, after wanting to get there so badly, I pass by.

THE DREAM (searching)

THE DREAM

(searching)

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

I am several minutes, hours, days, years?... late for class.  I can't find the door, stairs, elevator or building.  I am searching frantically for the right place, but haven't gotten there yet.

THE DREAM (tunnel)

THE DREAM

(tunnel)

Nancy Herman

6" x 9

oil on canvas board

Another painting in my "waking dream sequence", wherein I try to get in touch with the author of my dreams.

THE DREAM (Shoes)

THE DREAM

(Shoes)

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Some day, before I go, I'd like to know, the author or my dreams, and so....

for the next few days I will be painting a dream.  I am trying to "find the way back" as in this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem The Land of Nod.

"Try as I like to find the way,
I never can get back by day,
Nor can remember plain and clear
The curious music that I hear."

RED MAPLES

RED MAPLE

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Fall is slowly moving in.  The sun is lower every day and the trees are beginning to turn.  It is a time when nature seems to breath a sigh and meld together as if to cuddle close for the coming winter.

$150.00

Summer Market

Summer Market

6" x 8"

Nancy Herman

oil on canvas board

Although the painting itself is sold, you can purchase a reproduction of it in my book Postcards from Merion from Amazon for only $11.99 today.

http://www.amazon.com/Postcards-From-Merion-Pennsylvania-Clearwater/dp/1491213353

INTO THE BATHROOM - a study in blue and yellow

INTO THE BATHROOM

(A study in blue and yellow) 

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

 Thomas Aquinas said, "Sorrow can be alleviated by a good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine".  I rarely take a bath anymore, preferring the speed of the shower, but a leisurely bath can be just the thing to sooth jangled nerves at the end of the day.

$350.00

GROUNDED

GROUNDED

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

An old model airplane silhouetted in front of an attic window seems to be longing for flight.

$350.00

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

This old toy milk truck sits in the sun on a shelf in our den.  It doesn't enjoy the rough and tumble of the old days when children loaded and unloaded its cargo of bottles in home after imaginary home.  It is in retirement after years of good work in the service of make believe.

$350.00

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