Strolling Down the Hill

STROLL DOWN THE HILL

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

This is the second painting I did last week while practicing for the Plein Air Festival in Chestnut Hill.  This time I used a sketch that I made after changing the photo in Photoshop so that the shapes were simplified.  I painted it outside in the shade of my Elm tree while looking at my iPad using lots of juicy paint.  This is a very strange method of making a painting but I do enjoy pushing the paint around into shapes that have been decided.

Here is a small blowup of the texture.

Now I have tried two methods of painting.  Neither follow the rules of the competition but at least I have been working outside, testing my set up, and getting used to the vagaries of weather and seeing if I can sit in my very small chair for several hours.  Now I have to decide what method of painting to use at the actual competition.  Let me say at the outset that I am against competitions for something as subjective as art.  But now that I am in this contest I must decide whether or not to follow the rules and how to manage the 'painting as a competition' idea philosophically.  Tomorrow - The contest.

$250.00

CHESTNUT HILL HOTEL JUNE

Yesterday I participated in the first Chestnut Hill Plein Air Festival.  There were around 50 artists dispersed over several blocks of Germantown Ave.  We were assigned a specific block and a specific side of the street.  We could begin at 8:00 with a blank canvas and were to be finished by 4:00.  It was a contest and judging was to take place at 4:00.

I signed up for this work because I have not painted outside for many years and I knew if I signed up I would have to get out there and do it and I wanted to get back to that taxing but rewarding approach to painting.

So, last week I went to Chestnut Hill on two occasions to check out where the sun was in the morning and the afternoon and where I could stand that was under a tree.  I have an umbrella that can be used if there is a place to stick it into the ground but I didn't see anywhere with ground accross from a place I wanted to paint.

While I was there I took some pictures of possible spots, as this was part of the possibilities permitted by the rules of the contest.  I decided to get some practice in before the actual event but did not want to sit on Germantown Avenue and paint so I set up my tables in the shade of my yard and painted from a photo on my iPad.  Sort of plein air.

This is the first painting.   Traditionally one would start with thin paint working probably directly with the brush (no sketch) starting with the dark areas and working gradually into thicker paint and lighter areas.  I, however, have been trying to use more paint lately and at the same time to simplify and condense my shapes.   So I make a careful sketch and fill in the shapes with juicy paint.  This is not a tried and true method for painting outside at all.  It is what I have been doing in my studio.

This painting was done with that method but painted outside.  It is a little cut off and the 9" x 12" paintings don't quite fit into my scanner.

CHESTNUT HILL HOTEL JUNE

Nancy Herman

9" x 12"

oil on canvas board

 More about the contest tomorrow.

Painting in Chestnut Hill on Sunday

8405 Germantown Avenue | Philadelphia, PA 19118 215-247-1603 www.graverslanegallery.com Monday - Wednesday 10-6 Thursday-Saturday 10-8 Sunday 12-5  PLEIN AIR Chestnut Hill's first annual open air artist event SUNDAY JUNE 14th 10-4 pm 8100-8600 blocks of Germantown Ave Art, Food, Kids events and Music!  SPECIAL EVENT local musician's  TOM KRUMM and MATT MADDEN Gypsy-Jazz-Swing in our new exhibition gallery Performing 11-2 pm!    NANCY CLEARWATER HERMAN watch her paint on the 8200 block of Germantown Ave. There will be a special installation of her recent work on display in the gallery FEATURED JUNE ARTIST Jonathan Cohn "Windswept" Artist reception Thursday June 25th 5-7pm    New Artist: Cynthia Miller New Artist: Joel Cohen Gravers Lane Gallery specializes in contemporary art in all media, including painting, works on paper, sculpture, jewelry, glass, ceramic, wood, and fiber.    _______________________________   Gravers Lane Gallery is one division of The Goldenberg Group,which is comprised of three entities: Goldenberg Development, People Helping People Foundation, and Goldenberg Enterprises

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moving on

I am so pleased that my quilt MOVING ON has just been donated to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles by the collector Penny Nii who commissioned the piece in 1994.

MOVING ON,

48" x 48"

woven fabric strips

and sewn and then cut fabric

This was a rare combination of woven strips with a textured border.

What Happened

Those of you who have been subscribed to this list from the beginning, (it has been going on for about 4 years now), may be wondering what ever happened to the grand plan of creating a painting a day.  Yes, I have been wondering that myself.  The answer seems to be that as usual things change.  Other avenues of expression open up or prod back into consciousness.  Family and friends fill spaces that had been filled with painting.  Health is not perfect and the will to create is simply used by the will to survive.

At present I am working on illustrating a children's book, as I have mentioned, taking pictures of this lovely spring to hopefully finish the video I began earlier, and planning lots of paintings.

I did take a morning to visit the Barnes Foundation gardens to see how spring was arriving accross the street. The lilacs are in bloom so don't miss it if you are in the area.  I didn't take pictures of them this time but will be back this weekend to paint.

Dailypaintworks

I am happy to say I have been selected as a featured artist on DAILYPAINTWORKS this month!  You can check out a large number of my small paintings there by clicking on the link.

EARLY SPRING

Spring has me in a tizzy as usual.  Ever since I have been a child looking out the window as nature slowly came back to life I have wanted to be a part of it somehow.  This time of year is for me full of vague yet intense yearning.  It is as if my spirit is part of nature in its pulsing growth and is looking for a way to manifest itself in the same way the trees are bursting with life.
Yesterday I began making water colors for the first time in many years hoping to find a way to paint outside that is not quite as messy and complicated as oils. In the week or so up to this time I have been trying to capture something of these feelings in a video.  I wanted to somehow represent the way nature moves from very simple to very complex forms in a very short time.
Here is a first stab at that.  Any feedback is very welcome.  This music does not end where the video does so I may try to finish it.

https://youtu.be/Lg06YdGPnzE

Spring Newsletter (with pictures this time)

April is here in all its glory.  Buds will soon be popping.  This is the season of awe.  Life moves so quickly from bare branches to full blown flowers and leaves, I have the desire to slow down time.

What about art at this time when nature is having its most profound exhibit?

Traveling on line I summoned up some artists to see if their work had anything to say to me about spring.

I first saw Agnes Martin’s work at the Pace Gallery in New York many years ago and was simply amazed at its profound ability to mesmerize.  There is something so peaceful and awe inspiring about it that it never fails to put me in a calm space like no other.

This piece summons for me the very pristine beginnings of spring.

This painting by Bridget Riley feels like nature stirring herself just a bit more.  Bridget and Agnes really have a lot in common.  This work is called Zephr, a gentle wind.

Wayne Thiebaud using some of the same soft colors paints this amazingly soft bunny.  There is always a bit of humor in his work.

Paul Klee one of my all time favorite artists has this to say about Spring Sun.  There is a gradual change from gold to a slightly greener gold from top to bottom and some of his characteristic doodles along the way.  He also has a good sense of fun.

Milton Avery, always an interesting painter, here says it all with his painting SPRING BROOK.  Looks like Forsythia blooming on the hill.  The trees are just beginning to show that sweet new green that is so lovely.

                        

Charles Demuth, the great water color artist, paints tulips as if it were a romp.  He makes what is really a very tricky business look like pure joy.

Here the delicate work of Katshiko Sakura’s THE CHERRY TREE speaks of centuries of devotion to a traditional form of painting that in practice by a master still fills the heart with joy.

Meanwhile here in Merion my painting from the Dream series, INTO THE LIGHT will be included in the Main Line Art Center’s show.

Spring Gala Exhibition

May 2, 2015 - Jun 7, 2015, Opening Reception: Preview Party: Friday, May 1, 6:30 - 10 pm; Artist Reception: Saturday, May 30, 1-3 pm 

Here is a link to the DREAM video with all the paintings in that series.

As a nice bonus my work will be featured this month on the Dailypaintworks site where most of my small paintings can be seen.  I am posting the Dream paintings there as well.

Thank you for reading this far.  I wish you a glorious spring.

Best,

Nancy

Early spring Newsletter

April is here in all its glory.  Buds will soon be popping.  This is the season of awe.  Life moves so quickly from bare branches to full blown flowers and leaves, I have the desire to slow down time.

What about art at this time when nature is having its most profound exhibit?

Traveling on line I summoned up some artists to see if their work had anything to say to me about spring.

I first saw Agnes Martin’s work at the Pace Gallery in New York many years ago and was simply amazed at its profound ability to mesmerize.  There is something so peaceful and awe inspiring about it that it never fails to put me in a calm space like no other.

This piece summons for me the very pristine beginnings of spring.

This painting by Bridget Riley feels like nature stirring herself just a bit more.  Bridget and Agnes really have a lot in common.  This work is called Zephr, a gentle wind.

Wayne Thiebaud using some of the same soft colors paints this amazingly soft bunny.  There is always a bit of humor in his work.

Paul Klee one of my all time favorite artists has this to say about Spring Sun.  There is a gradual change from gold to a slightly greener gold from top to bottom and some of his characteristic doodles along the way.  He also has a good sense of fun.

Milton Avery, always an interesting painter, here says it all with his painting SPRING BROOK.  Looks like Forsythia blooming on the hill.  The trees are just beginning to show that sweet new green that is so lovely.

Charles Demuth, the great water color artist, paints tulips as if it were a romp.  He makes what is really a very tricky business look like pure joy.

Here the delicate work of Katshiko Sakura’s THE CHERRY TREE speaks of centuries of devotion to a traditional form of painting that in practice by a master still fills the heart with joy.

 

Meanwhile here in Merion my painting from the Dream series, INTO THE LIGHT will be included in the Main Line Art Center’s show.

Spring Gala Exhibition

May 2, 2015 - Jun 7, 2015, Opening Reception: Preview Party: Friday, May 1, 6:30 - 10 pm; Artist Reception: Saturday, May 30, 1-3 pm 

Here is a link to the DREAM video with all the paintings in that series.

As a nice bonus my work will be featured this month on the Dailypaintworks site where most of my small paintings can be seen.  I am posting the Dream paintings there as well.

Thank you for reading this far.  I wish you a glorious spring.

Best,

Nancy

Happy Time

It is the season to celebrate spring.  In our house we are not religious but we love a party, so we will have an Easter Egg hunt and eat Matzo.  We will be having a Shabu Shabu dinner which has nothing to do with either holiday but is delicious and lots of fun.  We make it with lots of vegetables, thinly sliced fish, beef or tofu with three bubbling pots so everyone can concoct their own favorite combinations.

EASTER 

Nancy Herman

20" x 20"

Digital Print

PASSOVER

Nancy Herman

20" x 20"

digital print

CUPS AND PITCHER

CUPS AND PITCHER

Nancy Herman

6" x 8"

oil on canvas board

Geometric shapes in beige flat color.  Not sure how I feel about this one.  I do like the purple fading into beige in the background.  I think my big shapes should include more of that kind of transition.

$150.00