What Joy

For all Art Farmers on this Monday...

What Joy. What Thrill.  To wake in the morning. To wake in the knowing. To know in the lying. The lying ahead. Ahead lies a thrill. A thrilling ahead.  A thrill so big.  So bold.  

A big, bold thrill waiting to happen.  Waiting and wanting.  Wanting to happen.  Waiting for taking.  A thrilling event.  An event drawing breaths.  Big and Drawn.  Drawn to Happen.  It happens to be a drawing event.  

Drawing closer.  Drawing forward.  Drawing towards.  Drawn to.  Drawn to make.  Drawn to mold.  Drawn to shape and Drawn to share.  Oh, to see. Oh, I see.  Oh, I see so much to share.  What Joy to wake in the morning!  

Great American Impressionists of the West

From time to time, it does a heap of good to explore new territory and last week that is just what this farmer did.  It was time to saddle up and head west.  While in Miami last December for Art Basel, I learned of another art fair in California that was fit for a visit.  The Los Angeles Fine Art Fair. 

It is true, I have made many a pilgrimage to Northern California but the southern parts have always been out of reach.  And that is mighty peculiar, for in recent years the great American Impressionist Painters of the early 20th Century, most of whom embody the beauty of the wild Southwest, have captivated me.  And so it was.

Edgar Payne "Canyon De Chelley"

It was an enormous privilege to see first hand works by the likes of Granville Redmond, whose masterpiece "Blue Lupine and Poppies" exhibited carefully thought out degrees of tonalism. 

Granville Redmond

Another painter I was drawn to was Edgar Payne.  Payne's "Hilltop Shadows" showed thoughtful depth and atmosphere that was almost other-worldly.  This piece was only one of several iconic works by Payne throughout the fair.

Edgar Payne "Morning Light"

William Wendt stopped me dead in my tracks.  Not only is the palette good enough to eat, but his manner of laying down color is what struck me.  There is an organized rhythm to his brushwork that is akin to a tapestry.  Two stand out pieces of Wendt's were, "The New Bridge" and "Ranch in the Valley". 

William Wendt

Perhaps the piece that struck me most of all was a very small, modest work by George Gardner Symons.  "By the Pond", measureing at 6" x 9", is an outstanding example of plein air painting with loose, lyrical strokes.  It captures a single moment without being overworked and displays the kind of liberated brushwork many of us strive for.  It is truly a gem.

George Gardner Symons "By the Pond"

Sustainable Soul Food

Just a young sapling, this new year, and already showing signs of hearty growth.  Hearty growth depends on rich soil and rich soil is the soul of a good crop.  Last week, in the first quiet days of January, The Farm got a generous helping of sustainable soul food from a newly forged kindred spirit.  But first, let's mosey back a step or two.

Last autumns final harvest was a painting of a lone woman on a wooden swing.  Beyond her lies a splendorous sweep called Idaho.  At her feet, a majestic spread of valley, rich and verdant, is cradled by a mountain range softly fading to meet the sky.

To be clear, the image just happened to present itself first in a spectacular photograph taken by the son of the woman on the wooden swing.  This art farmer was so taken by the photograph he had no choice but to paint it.  As a consequence, the son-shutter bug was so taken by the painting he had no choice but to offer it as a gift to his mother, the woman on the swing.  Upon receiving the painting, the kind woman was so taken she had no choice but to, in turn, offer nourishment back to The Farm and farmer from where it came...

"You've captured two things in your painting: 1) the actual swing motion & pause in midair, & 2) my total immersion in the action where the air & I are one.  Swinging puts me in a meditative state where creation & I become one. It's the closest I come to flying free of gravity, and you caught that feeling in this painting.  Thank you for that gift."

That kind of nourishment feeds creative fields.  To plow paint out in the fields is one thing, but to tap into one's soul, to capture the essence...well, there just aren't words to describe it.  Thank YOU to the very kind Vickie Marron and her son who captured the moment that started it all, Michael Marron.  These two folks are fine additions to our family of Honorary Art Farmers!

HOAST

Last weekend, October 15 & 16, I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Harlem Open Artist Studio Tour!  The weekend long event, now in its sixth year, gives local artists the chance to show off their hard work; to welcome culture crawlers into the neighborhood and get to know one another.

 

Being that my exhibit was held at my personal place of residence, and further being that I hang my hat in that residence on a higher floor of a brownstone, I just reckoned it might be neighborly to bring my exhibit on down to the folks in the street.  

 

It occurred to me, I've always had a soft spot for a front porch.  It says, "come and sit a spell."  Unfortunately, In these parts, you won't find many porches.  So, I figured, let's just throw open these big 'ole brownstone doors and mount us an Art Farm exhibit right in the vestibule...sort of build ourselves our own front porch.  And I'll be a mule's fool...the folks just strolled right up and paid us a visit.  Why some even paid for paintings! 

I hung some of my personal favorites, landscapes and such.  But I also introduced some new, non-landscape, pieces. A handful of barnyard beauties like roosters & hens & cows. (Now, alright...cows ought not be in the barnyard.  But this is New York and space is limited!)

This porch could not have been open for business if it weren't for the very fine neighbors who also hang their hats here.  They were all so supportive and enthusiastic, it made this farmer feel mighty warm & welcome.  So great big Thanks go to Honorary Farmers Marc, Paul, Taylor, Kim, Carleton & Vin and Heidi.  And a special thanks to the Farm's Resident Shutterbug, Eric.

 

 

It Takes A Community

Make no mistake, the Art Farm is not limited to the briary brickwork of its Harlem homestaed.  We like to plant creative crops wherever the wind blows.

Two weeks ago we rode the rails to Oyster Bay, L.I. to the little artistic village of Sea Cliff.  A farm doesn't just build itself, no sir!  It takes a community.  Therefore, a great big Thank You goes out to Marilyn Pedalino who generously opened up her home, the former Harold Stevenson Academy.  The old painting classroom, sitting in quiet neglect, yearned to be useful once more.  And useful it was!  A healthy dose of creative care and enthusiasm brought it back to life!  We scrubbed, patched, painted, hung & lit a little Art Farm to be proud of.

Thank You to Honorary Farmers Marilyn, Marc and Marilee whose sturdy support made this event possible!

Exciting News! SEA CLIFF SALON

Exciting news for folks here on the eastern homestead! The Urban Art Farm is hitting the road, actually the rails, and heading to Long Island!

I’m packing my satchel with all new work for a two day pop-up Sea Cliff Salon.  Located in the charming village of Sea Cliff in the town of Oyster Bay, L.I. on the North Shore, the fall festivity is happening on Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 1st & 2nd from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. at 361 Glen Ave. at the corner of Glen Ave & Park Pl.

My fellow friendly farmers & I will be serving up hot apple cider, nibbles and genuine, artisanal original art made right here in the USA!  All of this on a lovely autumn day in New York.

Bayberry Bush in the Dunes, 2011

C. The Bottle Project

      

This is a ripe opportunity to see recently harvested work…paintings, vessels from The Bottle Project and more!  Like it or not, the holidays are on the horizon and wouldn’t it be grand to get an early start?  Really folks…who likes to shop in desperation, snatching up pity presents at the last minute?  Not this farmer!

Questions? Just whistle. I can be reached at 917-710-5965   

Those Magnificent Marks

I can't speak for other farmers, but I can tell you this creative cropper, on occasion, spends hours, even days, searching for just the right mark; the task of making that perfect, authentic simple swipe of creamy color.

  Bold or not. It's a heap tougher than it looks.

 

Now, I'm a modern man with modern moods, but expressing those moods with strokes...well, it just doesn't come that easily.  One moment a farmer can feel tall and strong as a mighty oak, the next he can be as crabby as a crab apple.  It's a thorny adventure.  A prickly game of persistent work...and plumb luck.

When it comes right down to it, I can be mighty hardheaded, stubbornly pushing paint where it doesn't belong.  (And there's plenty of awful evidence of those pieces in the cellar!)  But then my softer side comes out and I give in and let the painting push back.  Gotta chuck the ego, I suppose.  In a peculiar way, you might say I leave myself.  Take a little road trip.

Central Park Pathway, 2010

But when we get along, the paint and me, the result is "Bingo!"  It's a golden moment.  And by golly, right there in those magnificent marks, those swirls of yummy brushwork, I catch a hint of myself.