Category: At work in the Studio

Nanci Griffith is singing “Everything is coming up roses” in my ear.

Herself is singing to her own beats in the studio kitchen.

The sun outside this window is shining down from a severe clear blue sky.

And that is everything I need to know of love right now.

I’m writing to you today to leave a breadcrumb…and to ask for your help.

As so many many others, we were caught in the path of the destruction from Hurricane Ida. She blew through our corner of the planet on the 1st of September and flooded us out of house and home.

Pat and I are both safe.

On bowed knees we are humbled in gratitude for everyone of the rescuers, local fire and hazmat responders, neighbors and friends who have joined the unbelievable network of helpers who have reached out to lift us up.

The time stamp on this photo reads 5:44 on September 1st. It is taken from the creekside log cabin porch.

This was the point that Pat and I knew we were in trouble.

Three hours later that creek had surrounded the cabin and we had moved uphill to my studio next door where the water was creeping up the driveway. The view of the cabin from the studio driveway.

At 8:55 the street was full of flashing red lights.

Pat and I could only watch as an extremely hazardous river rescue was underway by 9:10 to help neighbors upstream who were stranded on their roof.

By 10:47 when this picture was taken this is where the water was beginning to crest.

The next morning, after the waters had receded enough for me to enter the cabin, the overwhelming fuel fumes turned me right back around and I dialed those dreaded numbers 911.

From that point the now fully understood word of the month, Mitigation, has been driving our bus.

The 100 year old bones of this old gal kept her upright. But the devastation within and without have left her uninhabitable.

A few days ago I posted this painting. I am very glad now that I have her depicted in some measure of the glory days.

I just went over there today to take a photo of that same spot.

Still not looking too shabby for the disaster but the DEP and my new friends the mitigators tell me that most of the wood has to go. And except for the stones in the fireplace it is all wood. These pieces of what was Pat’s piano is all that is left.

But we are lucky humans.

The studio was not affected and is out of the designated flood zone.

We have been able to carve out some living space between the easel and the brushes and have a safe and solid roof over our heads. We were able to save most of my handmade chairs from the cabin and most of the paintings from my private collection which were brightening our cabin life over the thirty two years we have called it home. Everything else is in a big red dumpster plus five save boxes in one of those pod thingys.

The mitigation crews will soon have gone as far as they can go. We are left with the balance of the cleanup, sorting and tossing, the mountains of paperwork that insurance companies require, the fascinatingly steep learning curve of figuring out how to navigate hoards of people who are asking me for numbers and figures and receipts and photographs for their reports.

The Muses have stopped their weeping and moaning. As Polly would say, I told them to shake themselves together !

They’ve begun to look at options for going forward. And we are reviewing their suggestions. A bit of building may be able to happen here on the studio property to get us some much needed extra space.

Our dearest friends have rallied and are offering daily support to …god help me… MITIGATE the urgent crisis and triage the worst of those to keep us alive and safe. From that point of security we are beginning to look toward the horizon and can see a significant financial challenge.

Our insurances will cover what they will but it will be minimal. This IS the …god help me again…RAINY DAY we have been trying to save for.

It is time for me to take stock of what I have put out into the world by way of working full time as an artist and let you dear friends and patrons know that this is a particularly pointed moment when your support can mean literally all the world to us.

All three of the galleries that have so loyally represented my work over the years are fully up to speed and are eagerly open to help. I’m going to list here all of the work that is available on their walls. There are particularly good opportunities for serious collectors, you know who you are, to make an even more profound impact on the career of an artist.

I am going to, for the first time in my career, open up some paintings from my private collection.

We have restocked the studio with ink and paper and would be thrilled to send you some prints for your collection and holiday season giving.

I would ask you to please share this as wide and far as Bob Marley’s Three little birds can fly.

So I’m going to take a deep breath and start that list. You’ll know what to do.

AVAILABLE GALLERY ORIGINAL PAINTINGS –

Gallery 1261 –

Let’s head out west and say hello to Gallery 1261.

Gallery 1261 in Denver Colorado was established in 2004 and is located in the Golden Triangle Museum District, two blocks away from the Denver Art Museum. This space is shared with Abend Gallery. The gallery is dedicated to presenting excellent work that reflects the artists’ most creative side, done without the constraints of marketability in mind.

Christine and Dave are eager to show you the 2 new paintings of mine that are currently featured in their Small Works Show. Here’s a peek…

They have some golden oldies out there as well which my tickle your fancy…

Sugarman Peterson Gallery –

A short drive south and Santa Fe is in your headlights.

The Sugarman Peterson Gallery is on the historic West Palace Avenue and owners Michael and Christie Sugarman are artists themselves who have created a wonderful space to exhibit their own fine jewelry and the sculpture and paintings by artists from across the planet.

Michael has shepherded me over the years by especially encouraging my figurative work. He currently has some of my most recent work in that genre as well as some hefty classics.

THE GRANARY GALLERY –

It all started for me when Chris Morse said, “I’ll take everything that is left over after your solo Vernissage”.

My dream of being a full time working artist was born.

The Granary Gallery has become the mothership for representing my artwork and the staff there my lodestars.

REGIONAL ART WITH AN ECLECTIC TWIST – this images caption only begins to reveal what their island gallery and professional art dealing staff have to show you.

You, my readers, are well versed in the yearly line ups of work that I have sent them and the most recent blog posts on this website are loaded with links and images that will point you to what works they currently have on their walls.

This year’s show has been selling well so far so I’m going to throw up some easy links and highlights for a few of the original paintings that are still available and waiting to ship out to new homes.

Chris, David, Wendy, Adam and the entire staff have got our backs and are the best clearing house for valuation of paintings across my entire career. Well that does sound a bit end of the line and I am here to assure you that I will scramble and claw my way back to the easel and get those brushes flying as soon as I possibly can. Believe me the Muses have some important things to say about what we are going through, have come to know and have witnessed over the last few days. Our life has been shifted hard and to the left and then some.

The Granary also carries a selection of fine art prints of my paintings that are available through their website. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to them there at The Granary Gallery.

HN STUDIO PRINTS

Here in the studio I am able to access the office and we are up and running for print orders. Visit my website link to HN Studio Prints .

The only criteria I have is that I will not make a print of any painting until the original has sold. I am opening up the availability of most of the sold images and those can be viewed by scrolling around the portfolio section. If you see something you’re interested in owning as a print and is has been sold please send me an email inquiry at hnartisan@comcast.net .

For future reference our landline phone at the cabin has been discontinued and as soon as I have a replacement for that I’ll let you know. But email is always the best way to get a hold of us here in the studio.

And now from the

ARTIST’S PRIVATE COLLECTION

These pieces have been held back for mostly personal and professional reasons. I was counseled early on to hold back some milestone paintings. To keep ones that had resounding importance that marked passages along the way, or had singular significance.

Most artists I know have pretty healthy egos about the significance of their work. We have to put that coat on to go out and face the demons while the Muses tease. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some success along the way at keeping the brushes flying and have said goodbye to a great many pieces that I’d like to have in this collection today. Thank you to all of those who have rendered that vital support along the way by putting red dots up on those gallery tags. I am here and writing this because of you.

And I hope to keep a smaller group of new works that can replenish the Artist’s Collection going forward for our future.

Right now, if you are still reading this, it’s hopefully clear that our future depends on turning some of these canvases into wine. Well not literally of course. Although the chardonnay at the end of these brutal and long days is an extremely welcomed aide de soul.

I will be happy to answer questions about these and all of my paintings. A great starting point for those interested in original works is to search them here on my site. The new upgrades I made over the winter are proving to have been worth the time now. There are links to every image feeding you information and Painter’s Notes to add context and more layers of meaning. Please enjoy playing around there.

In chronological order, from the Artist’s Private Collection – the following original oil paintings are now available through the Studio Gallery

In closing I would like to take you back the end of one of the hardest days so far.

And the photo I put up earlier of that empty room with what is left of Pat’s piano.

In the heat of a sultry late summer Pennsylvania day, while Pat worked the phones, I with a mask that I ended up wringing out half a cup of my expiration moisture from, twice, along with our brilliant OCD driven friend Susan working step for every one of my steps, we had hustled to stay ahead of the hired mitigators to try and save a couple bucks by literally tossing outside what we could of dishes and contaminated but savable possessions so we didn’t have to pay them to photograph and catalogue every single surface of every single item…before they threw it in the dumpster. Yes.

Cody, who doubles as one of those intrepid volunteer firefighters who showed up for that river rescue, had been doing his hard work of mitigation for the company we hired along with Bobby, Anthony and others for three long days in the other half of the log cabin.

Susan and I heard music.

The guys were gathered in the dining room and Cody was sitting and playing the piano.

They teased him, the church organist, to give us a song.

I had asked the guys who were told to break apart the piano to get it out, to try and please try and save me at least one key.

The following video is Cody’s offering. He took us to church.

I am taking the risk of posting it here before I have a chance to ask for his approval. I’ll take it down immediately if he says so. But I want it to live on somewhere for his new baby son Everett.

This young brave strong kind compassionate young man gave a piece of his heart to help us above and beyond the job he was being paid to do. They all did. I will never forget him and the others who have walked with us on this journey.

I rise now for them.

And I thank you all for your time and love.