IF, as many of you have been reporting, your households are as anxious about the next two days as we are in our log cabin (which is empty now most of the day as Herself notches up her campaign work and I bury my restless soul in the studio at the easel)…
and IF, as I know to be the case, we share the common value that one of our best diversions is a good meal !!!
Well then, I am declaring a THROW DOWN !!!
WHAT are YOU all planning to serve up on your coffee tables, in front of your flatscreens, and within reach of the internet connections… to get you through election night ?????
I want details and I want appropriate beverage couplings.
Share you menus, fears, dreams, desires and recipes by commenting below.
Hang in there … hope is just around the corner my friends,
We are pleased to announce the publication of our first Limited Edition Fine Art Giclee print….Strider’s Surrender.
You can get more information about the prints, including purchasing and pricing info., by clicking on this link and visiting my website… STRIDER PRINTS
In the summer of 2008 this painting was purchased and donated to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. The original oil painting by Heather Neill is 8′ x 4′ and has traveled to several exhibition venues on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, from the Granary Gallery to the Old Edgartown Whaling Church… on the way to its home in the permanant collection of the museum. You can read more about the story behind the painting and the acquisition by visiting the EXHIBITIONS page on my website…and you can learn more about the MV Museum and Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society by clicking on this link… MV Museum .
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each print will be donated by the artist to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
This coming Saturday, 13 September 2008, the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art will preview their Biennial Realism Show. I was honored to have two paintings chosen to be included, Where There’s Smoke, and Just A Spoon Full.
Below is the invitation and a link to their website. They will be publishing a catalogue of the show which is available there, as well as information on a Symposium: American Realism Explored, on Saturday October 11, 2008 at the museum.
When she left early yesterday morning to get her 16 year old volvo (with 400,000 miles on her !) washed … and drove out of the driveway with the trunk wide open…I knew Pat was pretty excited. There had been a flurry of phone calls from headquarters the day before announcing a last minute Obama rally in Lancaster and Herself was to be given a vip pass. As a steadfast volunteer for the local Democratic Party, Pat has been in the trenches for many months…showing up to do anything they have asked…even the smallest, dirtiest jobs…putting her time and energy with a birkenstocks-on-the-ground attitude into being an active citizen in pursuit of real change. No armchair complaining for this grandma ! She IS the change she has been waiting for !
And all along the way…through the long months of this primary season…she has been an ardent, sometimes rabid, supporter of her heros Barack and Michelle.
So, when she came running over to the studio to tell me that she was going to be given special access to this rally…I swear her feet did not touch the ground !
Now it was hot yesterday. I mean well above 90 degrees. And Pat had agreed to carpool and pick up a couple other volunteers so she left here just before noon. They were told that parking would be a nightmare but Fred was watching and led her to the perfect spot. They were ushered to one of the four picnic tables in the park (everyone else had to sit on the lawn) …under a nice shady tree…and told not to move from there. Water was being passed throughout the afternoon but it was still over 4 hours of waiting until Barak appeared. I was watching CNN coverage of O’s speech in York earlier that morning and he looked like the heat was doing a number on him then…but he showed up in Lancaster looking refreshed and envigorated…and they picked up coverage of his arrival in time to see him greeting the crowd and SHAKING PAT’S HAND !!!!!
When my hero finally got home, well after dark, and slowly settled back down to earth… we unloaded the camera and selected a few pics for you to be able to share in the excitement. Though she did not get a photo with her candidate, she’ll settle for the handshake and the memories and is right back out there today spreading the message of hope and change that is so important to us all.
Took some extra grit this morning but we did manage to load up our little family and haul our sleepy selves up to the high school for the South Beach Supercharged Walk. Week 2. It’s a lot prettier than the alternating days’ exercise routine…trust me. And it does feel great to get the stiff old joints moving early in the day, come home to a protein filled meal, shower up and be charged up to get right to work at the easel.
I made a detour today to check email and found a note from friend Jen on the Vineyard,
” Congratulations once again on MV Times front page. Great article, but where’s your picture? “.
Here’s a link to that article …
Click on this image to read article.
Brooks Robards called for an interview last week and we had an interesting conversation about the many interpretations and definitions of REALISM in art today. She pushed me to clarify where I felt my artwork fit into that genre.
People often respond that my paintings “look just like a photograph”, but I am not a Photorealist. not as Estes, Close and Goings and others defined the genre in the 60’s. Here’s a brief definition from Wikipedia..
Photorealist painting cannot exist without the photograph. In Photorealism, change and movement must be frozen in time which must then be accurately represented by the artist.[14] Photorealists gather their imagery and information with the camera and photograph. Once the photograph is developed (usually onto a photographic slide) the artist will systematically transfer the image from the photographic slide onto canvases. This is done by either projecting the slide or grid techniques.[15] The resulting images are often direct copies of the original photograph but are usually larger than the original photograph or slide. This results in the photorealist style being tight and precise, often with an emphasis on imagery that requires a high level of technical prowess and virtuosity to simulate, such as reflections in specular surfaces and the geometric rigor of man-made environs.[16]
20th century photorealism can be contrasted with the similarly literal style found in trompe l’oeil paintings of the 19th century. However, trompe l’oeil paintings tended to be carefully designed, very shallow-space still-lifes, employing illusionistic devices such as the use of shadows to cause small objects to appear to exist above the surface of the painting. (Trompe l’oeil literally means “fool the eye.”) The photorealism movement moved beyond this illusionism to tackle deeper spatial representations (e.g. urban landscapes) and took on much more varied and dynamic subject matter.
In so far as a Photorealist is trying to make their paintings look like an actual photograph they are focusing on a two dimensional product. The craftsmanship has to be strong, the technique flawless, in order to convince the viewer, but the subject matter is static, representing a moment or snapshot in time.
This differs from my goal, at least what I am trying to aim for, which is to uncover layers of meaning and narrative and light from the subjects in my paintings which represents them in an arch of time and history.
I do use photographs for reference when I can’t sit the subject down in front of my easel, but have, sometimes, hundreds of shots that relay information as to detail, design and form. Coupled with sketches and studies over time and in many different conditions of light and space, I build a composition, especially with the still lifes, that often could not exist in the “real” world. Even with the landscapes and figurative work, elements may be altered to enhance the structure of the composition or the narrative. But, hopefully, the essence endures.
I appreciate your generous and kind words about the paintings Brooks, and you got the point that I so clumsily was trying to articulate…that that third dimension is where the difference lies…from her article, she (Heather) says, “I aim to be three-dimensional. That’s where the soul comes in. I like having several layers in a painting. You have a whole narrative going, then you step back and look at the title and get a whole other idea. There’s a sense of mystery.”
Light, mystery, the patina of history, and above all a good dose of humble humor…that’s my reality, the realism I try to represent in my work.
I’m not sure which of my artist friends has the time or inclination to read these blog entries…but I would love to continue this conversation. What is your definition of Realism, and how does it inform your artwork?
Chime in and link us to some of your artwork while you’re at it. Opening new windows is what this blog is all about.
And now, it’s time to leave the cyber world and get to the easel…
A great big Happy Birthday goes out to Amanda today. (oops make that tomorrow !)
Gran and I welcome you into the Wild World of Womanhood ! We are so proud of the human you are becoming. Stay frosty kiddo, the planet needs more sunflowers like you !
The wind has changed. Thunder in the distance and Gully is on alert. The ions are charging but the sun is out and the sky is as blue as the one in this painting…
Strider's Surrender Oil on Panel 92" x 48"
An article appeared yesterday in the Martha’s Vineyard Times describing how this painting came to be and where it will be going to live. Exciting and humbling for the artist. You can read the article by clicking here…
When we were on the Vineyard last month, I sat on the wooden crates out back of Larsen’s…with a plate of steamers and paid my respects to the Quitsa Strider II. She’s still there though her days are bittersweet as she no longer can go a huntin’ like she used to.
The big old boat at the dock in Menemsha
And then we have this just in… my brother Bill and his wife Laura are on Martha’s Vineyard this week and made a trip to the Granary Gallery to check on all this hubub themselves…
The wind is still up but the thunder has passed so I can set my sails and see what’s over the next horizon… HN
You, my dear, are now older than your Mom and I were when we first met. Amazing.
With most of your birthday hours already sailing by I will just say Happy Happy Birthday…and post a few of my favorite photos of you. Most of them are from the very first day I met you. I have never forgotten the sheer joy in your brother’s eyes and the impish sparkle shining back at us from yours. You were a happy smiling light that I wrapped up in my back pocket to help me find my way through the shadows back then. Looking back on these pictures today, what I remember most is finally feeling balanced… with Danny’s hand holding mine on one side…and your tiny one reaching up to take the other. Loving and loved.
A week ago today we were opening up the trailer and unloading paintings for the Granary show. After a whirlwind of a week on Martha’s Vineyard we are taking our time coming back down to earth. I wanted to share a few pictures with you here for those who could not make it to the island. Unfortunately, my new pocket camera was not working as hoped so we have only a couple pics from the actual opening. I managed to get more the next day and have included them.
We left a day early as our dear friend Polly was ailing. She had celebrated her 95th birthday the week before and we sadly got the news a few hours into our trip that she had died. We were grateful to be there that evening with her husband Ted and their son Terry and share some tears and some stories and begin to celebrate her wonderful life. (As a tribute, we all wore a necklace of Polly’s to the opening.)
Here she is on her birthday with Katie as they help sort strawberries for her traditional birthday shortcake.
Two of my favorite humans.
The rest of Day One
With the early morning start, we were first in line for the ferry by 4pm.
Day two …
I pine all year long for Chef Hesi’s sushi at the Net Result in Vineyard Haven. He is a master and a kind, creative soul. Dragon Rolls are his specialty and a must if you’re on the island. Stop in and tell him I said hello.
This trip we reconnected with our friend Marni and stayed at her wonderful B and B in Vineyard Haven. She had our tree top room ready for our late arrival complete with fresh flowers and her gentle hospitality. A couple days into the visit Sid and Peg arrived to share in the adventures. Here we sit on Marni’s porch with one of her magnificant breakfasts before us. She makes a loaf of fresh bread for each visitor every night and I can attest to the extra mile that she goes to which made us feel both comfortable and at peace.This link will take you to her web site, and maybe someday to her door…http://www.marnishouse.com/
Pat, Marni, Peg and Sir Sidney
It was such a grand treat to have three days with S and P. Their love and support has carried us through many decades and to get to play on the island with them was a rare gift.
We had a detour in our show week on Sunday morning as we drove out the long sandy road on the atlantic side of the island to meet up with Tappan Heher, a filmaker who contacted me about including some of my artwork in his current production, Mistover, a remake of Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native…which was filmed on Martha’s Vineyard. I’ll be posting a separate entry on this project and some of Tappan’s other works but in the meantime here is a pic of Tappan and friends solving all the problems in the world.
The Opening
The parking lot was full when we drove up and the first great surprise was seeing my oldest friend Stephanie walking across it. Steph was my first supporter from our days in junior high school in Swarthmore, PA. Through the years she and her husband Tim and two growing gentleman sons have become among my top patrons and I can’t tell you what it was like to see her there…WITH her sister Julie, husband and son AND her mother, Mrs. IP ! Blew me away, and broke my heart when they had to leave early to make a ferry. I think Steph got some pics to prove their attendance which I will post here when they come but in the meantime here’s a pic of the Hunter family when they visited the studio last month…
Steph, James, Tim and Nick
It is always tense when an artist first walks into an opening. Will anyone show up ? Will anything sell ? For this show there was a yes to both and the welcomed red dots took a back seat to the welcoming crowd. Since I don’t have but a couple pics to give you the feel, I’ll just add a thank you to all the friends who took the time to come out on that steamy summer night, and to all those whom I met for the first time who were gracious with their kind words and encouragement. Both Pat and I continue to be amazed by and humbled at the vineyard audiences who go out of their way to greet us and the work with such positive energy. Feeds this artist’s soul all winter.
Among this year’s audience was the Diva herself….Suede ! Another surprise, and I must say a very special one. Suede is a renowned performer and we have enjoyed her music for decades…As Pat told her, long before there was electricity !… She has a new album out with her Dangerous Big Band and it became a favorite when I was preparing for my show this year, as I turned up the volume and danced to her sultry jazzy blues while varnishing and framing. We had exchanged a few emails wherein I congratulated her and then, after seeing the new work on my website she congratulated me, and said she might come to the show. Well, as a fan, I thought …dream on.
But mid-way through the evening, across a crowded room…there she was in the gallery, with some wonderful friends who flew in for the event ! Yep, a bit star struck was I, but very soon settled into feeling like old friends. We got one blurry pic but the memories are crystal clear.
Pat, Leslie, Suede and friend
I encourage you all to check out the new music at her web site and buy several copies www.suedewave.com
And now, here are the rest of the pics from the show. Our special thanks to all the staff at the Granary Gallery. They are so generous and professional and make the work shine.
I’ve got lots more to share but this is enough to give you the flavors and colors.
The show will hang along with the work of fellow artists, David Wallis and Ken Vincent,
David, Heather, Ken
for the rest of the summer at the Granary Gallery . You can also keep track of the new paintings and soon to be updated exhibitions schedule at my website www.hn-artisan-staging.xzk7618f-liquidwebsites.com . Much more later, but for now…it’s back to the real world and the lawn that needs my attention.
Click on the image below to take you to the preview page… (Also…when you open the thumbnails to the large format images you can click on the quill pen in the bottom left corner to read the Painter’s Notes for that piece.)
