the garden

The daylilies are now at their peak. Color is everywhere.

Ithaca Artist's Market

I love the Ithaca Artist’s Market.
One of the best things about the Artist’s Market is using the Farmer’s Market infrastructure. I didn’t have to invest in a tent or other equipment to get the outdoor art fair experience. The artworks were protected from the elements. People will still come if it rains because they can see the art without getting wet, but the weather was delightful and many people came to see art.
The Artist’s Market brings in a lot of people that wouldn’t ordinarily go to art galleries. In a gallery setting everyone compliments your work and you never know whether they are sincere or just being polite. But at the Artist’s Market you are exhibiting along with many fabulous artists and they don’t have to linger at your booth if they aren’t interested. So it gives me a much better feel how people respond to my work.
The whole experience was festive, with food and music. It gave an opportunity to chat with other artists and see the new things they are doing. And it was lots of fun to watch people’s faces as they look at my work and to explain my inspirations and techniques for the pieces that interest them. I got many positive responses and sales were good.
It was exhausting, but a good day.

Manipulated Realities

This summer I am part of a six person show at the Tompkins County Public Library. The show is called "Manipulated Realities".
It is a wonderful opportunity to get my art seen by a wide range of people that would not see it in galleries or other venues. To read more about the show click here.

woops

What has happened to this blog? I have recently been chastised by a friend for neglecting this blog.
Spring suddenly turned to midsummer in the blink of an eye.
I need to focus and get my act together (more to follow).

Spring in the hills of Upstate N.Y.

The first day of Spring and the winds are howling, temperature dropping, and the air filled with snow. Ah, March.
The picture above is actually from several days ago. About an hour before guests were to arrive for a fancy dinner party, a violent ice storm descended on us, complete with thunder and lightning. The power went out and it looked like the party was doomed.
But we improvised, brought the movable feast to a friend's house in town, and all turned out quite fun (if not a bit strange).
The next day was cold with brilliant sunshine. The hills gleamed with silver-white, and every vista was amazing. I took many wonderful pictures. But I am seriously ready for Spring.

succulents

This Friday night is the first gallery night of the year. I had a piece accepted in the State of the Art juried photo show. It is shown above. The title is called "succulents".
It is a bit of a departure from my usual collages. Most of my work has photographic elements, but much of the image comes from my own drawings and paintings. In this case however, this show was a photo show, so my work is entirely derived from a single photograph.

geese riding north

I love to get out into the winter woods and cross-country skiing is one of my favorite winter activities. This year hasn’t been very good for skiing with thin, icy snow. But this weekend the snow was excellent and I went out often.
Today was bright and sunny, and a warm wind was blowing so I went out on my skis early while the snow was still cold and firm. While I was enjoying the woods I suddenly heard the call of migrating geese and barely had time to look up to see them rocket by. I couldn’t believe my eyes at first, but then I realized they were riding the strong south wind that was bringing unseasonable warmth, and not some new super species. I saw several more large flocks heading northward while out on skis.
I am looking forward to spring,. But March brings fickle weather, even more so in times of climate change. And the forecast is for ice storms, so it is time to savor the sun and mid 50’s.