Harvest Moon

To celebrate the beautiful full moon (or nearly) tonight: "Luna of the Lake", oil/cold wax, multiple wood panels, 24" X 22". We have been blessed with a spectacular autumn in Ontario!

Fear of Different Media

Drawing 2 - Threads

Any fears I might have had in changing or adding to my approach to my artwork used to be dismissed as just a reluctance by me to take the time to change. I was too busy, too focussed, too whatever! I think I was perhaps too proud to admit fear. It sounded too much like defeat even before I had begun. It has been many years since I have spent time drawing, just for the joy of it. Not to mention the hope of improving skills, the visual fine tuning, and the many other goals that accompany the act of drawing. Paper and pencil: compact, convenient, lyrical in their use. What a lovely way to spend a half hour perched on a boulder in my woods on a cool, sunny autumn day. No "Fear". Just a full heart and a small smile.

Any other "Fears" e.g. subject matter, style, size, whatever - suddenly seem full of possibilities again. Are "Fears" our friends in disguise?

The Big Draw, 2010

Drawing 1 (c)BarbaraChappelle

One of my "Saturday Gems" is a site that promotes drawing: Campaign for Drawing . October 1-31 is Big Draw Month, apparently around the world - something else I didn't know about! Here's a blurb from the site:

"October 2010 is Big Draw month in twenty countries and on five continents. Launched in 2000, this annual initiative has grown from 180 events in the UK to over 1500 worldwide. The Campaign aims to use drawing to connect visitors with museum and gallery collections, urban and rural spaces – and the wider community – in new and enjoyable ways.
Every Big Draw season offers unlimited scope for those who love to draw and those who think they can’t. "

What an inspiration!

Abstract Art at the Tweed Heritage Museum

Mistral #2, Oil/Cold Wax, 11X14 (c) Barbara Chappelle

A new show will open at the Tweed Heritage Museum this Sat., featuring an eclectic group of abstract artists, and I am delighted to be a part of it. I'll be showing 2 larger works : "To The Beach" and "Misty Vineyard". The Heritage Museum is on the main street of Tweed. Artists will be present at the reception from 2 until 4 pm. You are invited to drop by to view the artworks, and visit and chat with the artists while sharing some treats. Look forward to seeing you there.

Getting Back to Normal?

Our studio tour is over for another year. Wonderful weather and brilliant fall colours made for a perfect weekend for art lovers to tour the Centre and South Hastings County, visiting artists in their studios. We are so appreciative of those who found a special clay piece or painting to take home with them, or to present as a gift to someone else. You know who you are, and we thank you for your continued patronage. It was a joy to share time with you, and in many cases, gardening ideas were exchanged as visitors toured around our overgrown, casual gardens. See you all again next year.

This piece is "Crowsong" mixed media on heavy watercolour paper, 16" X 12".

Studio Tour

In just under 2 weeks the 13th annual Tweed and Area Studio Tour will be here - Sat., Oct. 2 and Sun., Oct. 3. Yikes! We are working, working to get ready to welcome visitors to our studio. No market for Jim on the Sat., as we'll need to focus all our energy here. I will be making a quick visit to Gallery 121 on Sat. for the Opening Reception for the new show there (3-5 pm).

Miles To Go...

Yesterday was a fine day to work outside, so I spent a little time with one of the new pieces. Layers of colour are starting to build, and provide some depth:

Then I played with some of my beautiful Japanese Washi, using lots of wax and galkyd to apply the papers:

More colour/wax, and more papers:

Some mark making through the layers:

The process continues....

Gotta go............Rockin' with Randy Bachman on CBC Radio 2's "Vinyl Tap". It's Guitar 101 tonight - Live!

Gallery 121 - ArtWalk - Belleville

Last night was an amazing evening in downtown Belleville. Dare I say it felt almost European, with some of the atmosphere of an Italian "La Passeggiata" ? Art galleries and businesses opened their doors until 9 pm to welcome visitors to the annual Art Walk. It was a pleasant evening for folks to stroll Front St. and Bridge St., meeting artists, sharing snacks, and viewing an eclectic mix of art works.


"Fugue With Confused Square" ( 30"X40", oil/cold wax on canvas, (c) Barbara Chappelle) in situ at Gallery 121, with a few of my clay pieces.

Many new visitors came to the gallery, all expressing their enjoyment in participating in the event. Our current show will hang until Sept. 25 at 48 Bridge St. E, Belleville. Hours are Tues. - Sat. 11 am to 5 pm.

New Work in Progress

Manoeuvring a 48" X 36" canvas into my teeny workspace is a challenge, but I like creating large, so I just make it work as best as possible. At some point, I'll take it outside (weather permitting), or lay it on the dining table and work flat, then bring it back horizontal. Maybe I'll turn it clockwise or counterclockwise a few times.....




Close-ups of some areas, but they will be gone tomorrow. I have no fear of 'slaying the children' - metaphorically speaking, of course.

These thin layers of oil paint with cold wax medium will be completely covered with the next layers. The wax aids the paint in setting up, so I'm less likely to get mud with the next go at it, I hope. Everything is at the intuitive stage at this point - just playing with colour and loose shapes and relationships. Is that a figure emerging in the upper right? Mmmm.....

Artists' Reception at Gallery 121

"Trafalgar", oil/cold wax on canvas, 20" X 16"

Join us tomorrow, Sat., Aug 28, from 3 to 5 pm, for the opening reception of the new show at Gallery 121 in Belleville. We are presenting a Retrospective of the work of Leslie King (1941-2009), and Gertrud Sorensen is our guest artist. Gallery members will be exhibiting new work. The show continues until Sept. 25.

Have a wonderful, art-filled weekend.

Testimonial for Rebecca Crowell's Workshop

Today I received an email enquiry from my website about Rebecca Crowell's workshops. Unfortunately, the email address bounced back as undeliverable, so I'm hoping that Pat C. will find my blog. Here is the email I sent Pat:

Hello Pat,
I can't say enough good things about Rebecca's workshop. For me it was like a brand new beginning in my artwork, but not at all scary. After decades of experimenting in various media, with a variety of techniques, I felt I was making progress, but always had that nagging feeling that something was missing. I had just returned to oil paint after 30 years when I attended Rebecca's workshop. The experience was as if a door opened and a whole new world of art-making was before me. I know, it sounds weird, but it is so true. Finally I was painting with the results I had envisioned for many years, but had been unable to achieve.
Rebecca is a remarkable teacher, friend, mentor. Any time spent with her will be amazing. You will come away with your own vision; somehow, there is so much going on that you never worry about being a 'Rebecca Clone'.
I joined Rebecca for the first of her recent workshops in April of 2009 in Rochester NY. I was able to drive there the day before, so that was convenient for transporting materials. Looking forward to participating again in the future sometime. So much to learn and try.
So enjoy your time with her and the other participants, and keep in touch. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
Best regards,
Barbara
PS Check out some earlier Rochester posts on my blog.

Above is a recent work, 'Fugue With Confused Square' , 30" X 40", oil/cold wax.

Scent of a Crayon

Found a box of dozens of crayons when I was rummaging around my workspace today. Instantly, I was a 10 year old, and played with the juicy colours for an hour or so in my sketchbook. What is it about the intoxicating smell of crayolas? And the colours - a kid's delight! That hour spent with the waxy hues was almost as invigorating as a 5 km run, and I hope to make a habit of it, too. A stimulating way to work out some ideas for larger works, I spent the rest of the day happily painting.

The painting above is a parody of Schroedinger's cat experiment. My version is 'Schroedinger's Chair'(16" X 20", oil/cold wax on canvas). Not that I understand the physics behind it (I'll leave that to the Einsteins of this world!), but the history of the experiment is fascinating. I'm a cat lover, so rest assured I'm happy that Schroedinger's and Einstein's little game was only a 'mind' experiment, so the kitty was never harmed.

Hazy, Crazy August

Three art/craft shows (the economy is recovering :-)), family/friend visits (so much fun!), and gallery duties have kept me hopping for almost a month. Time to get down to some serious work in my painting studio, create all the ideas I have for some clay sculptural pieces, and help restock our clay inventory in the pottery studio. Very happy to be so busy - I'd be worried if we weren't.

I'm building a new website for my cooperative gallery, Gallery 121, in Belleville. It's been another learning curve, and things are coming together slowly, but surely. It will be "Under Construction" for awhile, but there are some artists' works displayed and other information, so take a look, and come back for a visit often:

www.gallery121artists.com

In the back of my mind, I would love to be cycling along the Loire River in France, watching the bâteau, as in the painting above, "Bâteau sur Loire", oil/cold wax on cradled wood panel.

ECOAA Juried Show - 2

The second of the two pieces that will be exhibited at the East Central Ontario Arts Association juried show. Sometimes an artist can become discouraged when 'trusting the process'. Then, suddenly, something happens and you get that feeling inside that says, "Yes!". I think this painting has to be one of those rare works that spoke to me the whole time I was developing it. It began as many layers of colour and texture; then after awhile, it began to take "shape". As I worked further into the work, forms began to be built, then altered, then destroyed, hence the title: Idea Deconstructed. Great fun to work in some gold leaf, but I made myself knock it back some - just needed a few hints of richnes.

ECOAA Juried Show

Very happy to have 2 pieces juried into the East Central Ontario Arts Association's annual show. The opening reception and awards presentation will be this Sat., July 24, 2-4 pm, at the John M. Parrott Art Gallery, 254 Pinnacle St., Belleville, Ontario. The show hangs until Aug. 26.
I will be exhibiting at Bon Echo Provincial Park that weekend, so will miss the opening, and will have to wait until the next week to see the show. One of my pieces in the exhibition is "Conversation With Joy". I've been wanting to incorporate some of my Japanese papers with ink designs into my oil and cold wax work, so I did a little experimenting, and was happily surprised with the result.

Opening Reception

The opening reception tonight for the juried show at the John Parrott Art Gallery in Belleville showcased a wonderful variety of interpretations of the theme "Music as Muse". Although many artists claim to feel constrained by a required theme, it seems they all rise to the occasion and push themselves creatively. I'll be returning to revisit the many works at a quieter time.My small woman sculpture "Singing the Blues" won one of 4 Honourable Mention awards. A beautiful glass piece by Vanessa Pandos won the Jurors' Choice award, well deserving.
Dona Knudsen and I touching base, with Barb Whalen enjoying David Alexander's large canvas in the background.

My oil/cold wax canvas "Hallelujah(L.Cohen)" held its own in the "red" zone of the gallery.

Music as Muse

An uncropped image of "Hallelujah(L.Cohen)", an oil/cold wax painting that was accepted into the John Parrott Gallery's juried show, along with my little woman sculpture "Singing the Blues". The opening reception is Thurs., June 10, 6-7:30. You are invited to join us for an exciting exhibit. I'm anticipating seeing a wide variety of interesting work relating to music as a source of inspiration. Leonard Cohen was playing in my studio at the time I was working on this piece, and I think his lyrics influenced where I was going, and where I ended. It was one of those rare times when I entered the 'zone' and didn't come out until many days later. I was on a high for several days as I worked through the process, trusting that eventually I would get to where I felt I should be with the painting. So hard to explain without sounding trite, but it really was a strange week or so, as I was working. I don't think I could ever plan that event again, so I'll just keep working, and maybe I'll get lucky again. Trust the Process.

Gallery 121 Opening Reception

The opening for the new show at Gallery 121, 48 Bridge St. E, Belleville is this Sat., June 5, from 3 to 5 pm. Andrew Innes is our guest artist (County Landscapes), and I will be the featured artist for this show (Elemental Colour). We are also exhibiting the works of 2 new artists, Michael Amar and Barney Goldberg, along with new works by the gallery membership. It's a bright, eclectic show, not to be missed! The painting above is "Genus", a multi-panel piece in oil with cold wax on wood panels. It is one of the first group of oil/cold wax paintings that I completed when I first took a new direction with this medium. The journey continues with a renewed commitment to oil paint.

Oak Hills Studio Tour

This weekend is the second half of the springtime Oak Hills Studio Tour. There are 14 artists at 8 studio settings in the beautiful Oak Hills area near Stirling, in Hastings County. I'm a guest artist at painter Donna Bonin's studio - a beautiful location on the shores of Oak Lake. I'm exhibiting some of my clay sculptural pieces along with our functional claywork from Deer Creek Pottery. More information and a map can be found at www.oakhillsstudiotour.ca. Look forward to seeing you on the tour this weekend (June 5 and 6).

The First Newsletter

Nothing, IMHO, is more daunting than writing and publishing your first artist newsletter. In my previous life as a teacher, writing classroom newsletters was relatively easy - one had the students to rely on for subject matter/content, and it was all about them. How different it is to write a newsletter about oneself! Now it is completed, and sent to my client lists, and I feel a little bit empowered. I'm also relieved that the hurdle has been cleared, for better or worse. The next one should be a little easier.
The painting above is 'Hallelujah(L.Cohen)' 40" X 30", oil/cold wax on canvas. I'll be submitting it to the John M Parrott Art Gallery's 8th juried exhibition next week. The theme is 'Music as Muse'. I hope Leonard will approve. I often listen to his CD's while I'm painting. My photo editing programme Picassa has gone rogue, so I was unable to crop this photo. It's going to take some time to get it under control again.

ELEMENTAL ABSTRCT ART NEWS Vol 1 No. 1 June 2010
from artist BARBARA CHAPPELLE

Website: www.barbarachappelle.com Blog: http://catsartravel.blogspot.com
Email: b_citta@yahoo.ca Facebook Fan Page

Welcome Art-Lovers,
With this monthly newsletter, I plan to let you know of upcoming events in my art world, and share art ideas, techniques, and connections with other artists. You are invited to comment/reply to any article, and if at any time you do not wish to receive the newsletter, just click ‘reply’ and let me know - I will completely understand and respect your wishes.

Gallery 121
June begins with my first solo member exhibition at Gallery 121 in Belleville. The Gallery is located at 48 Bridge St. E (613 962 4609), next door to Dinkle’s Restaurant and Courtyard. The exhibition will run from June 1 to July 10, and the Opening Reception is June 5th from 3 to 5 pm.
I have returned to working in oil paint, after a long hiatus. And, I have discovered a new medium: cold wax, which allows me to use oil paint in a layered, translucent way. I look forward to seeing you at the opening on Sat., June 5 to share thoughts about my new work.

Oak Hills Studio Tour
I am excited to be part of the Oak Hills Studio Tour this spring, at the studio of painter Donna Bonin. Dates are Sat. and Sun., May 29 & 30, and June 5 & 6 from 10 am to 5 pm. Donna invited me to show my clay work at her beautiful property, and I am delighted with the space she has for me. In addition to my clay sculptural pieces, I will be showing some of our functional pottery(from Deer Creek Pottery). For more information and a map, visit www.oakhillsstudiotour.ca . It will be a beautiful tour of artists and artisans working in Hastings County.

Friends of Bon Echo Park, 15th Art Exhibition and Sale
Once again, I will be happy to be part of the annual show and sale of original Canadian art, with paintings, clay sculpture and pottery, all on a theme of Canadian nature, and “dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural heritage of Bon Echo Provincial Park”(from the mission statement of the Friends of Bon Echo Park). The Exhibition is for 3 days, July 23, 24, 25 and is always a glorious event in a beautiful park glade, with majestic shade trees. Come see the art and spend the day. For more information, visit
www.mazinaw.on.ca/fobecho and click on Art Exhibit and Sale. Here is the latest news release from the Friends of Bon Echo:

News Release
May 12, 2010

BON ECHO LAUNCHES NEW ART SEASON

The Friends of Bon Echo Park will host the 15th Bon Echo Art Exhibition and Sale on July 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Mazinaw Lake and the Rock at Bon Echo have captivated artists for hundreds of years. Aboriginal Peoples left many pictographs on the Mazinaw Rock which are still visible today. The rugged Canadian Shield and the magnificent white pines captured on canvas by the Group of Seven brought attention to the area as an inspiring destination. Today artists using a variety of media are creating interpretations of our uniquely beautiful Canadian landscapes.


West Wings, Stirling
Currently, I have 11 smaller paintings in oil/cold wax, mixed media, and acrylic hanging at West Wings, 14 West Front Street, Stirling, ON. (Phone: 613 395 0990). This funky bookshop/coffee shop has expanded, and carries a variety of gift items and a clothing shop. Well worth a visit - and the coffee is heavenly.

Juried Show - Belleville Public Library - “Music as Muse”
The John M Parrott Art Gallery, Belleville will be holding their juried show “Music as Muse” from June 10 to July 15, 2010. The jurying is open to all Quinte area artists and all forms of media, so it is always an exciting show. I’ll be submitting 2 pieces, with fingers crossed. Juried shows are an important part of any artist’s schedule, not just for the recognition, but for the critique after the jurying. Curator Susan Holland and her team always design an exciting show. I hope to be part of it again this year.

…and this just in…
Yesterday, I had a pleasant visit with Andrew Innes and his partner Don at our studio. They are owners of Round the Bend Gallery just outside Picton in Prince Edward County. Andrew will be the guest artist at Gallery 121 in June/July. Deer Creek Pottery has been invited to exhibit some of our clay pieces and functional pottery in their gallery, to be delivered by June 10.
A busy month ahead - how lucky we are! Please drop by for a visit at the studio if you are traveling in Centre Hastings. It’s sometimes a good idea to call ahead at 613 473 2200, in case we’re digging in the gardens, and for directions, just north of Belleville, Ontario. Or by chance, anytime.

Best regards,
Barbara