More New Works

It's been a busy week here. I'm working on finishing up pieces for my exhibition beginning next month and I want to take a brief time out to share some more previews of the latest works: Two new cityscapes and one landscape. Enjoy!

Chicago Blues

Detail:Chicago Blues, 12x18 pastel on board

Springtime, Huntingdon County

Detail:Springtime, Huntingdon County, 16x24 pastel on board

London Rush

Detail:London Rush, 16x16 pastel on board

Where are the new works?

The clock is ticking. My husband and I are attempting to go Internet-free this weekend, so I'm hustling to post this update before we yank the cord on our cable modem. Think of me as I go through withdrawal this weekend....In case you're curious, this came about because we were supposed to be on the beach in the Carolinas this week (it's Penn State's Spring Break week), but due to various maladies and cold, uncooperative weather, we decided to stay home and take it easy. But to ensure that we really are taking it easy and not working on the sly, we both agreed to go without web access.

We'll see how this goes.

Meanwhile, I'm busy finishing many new pieces for my upcoming exhibition at The Fine Arts People Gallery next month. I will not post any new works on the landscapes or cityscapes areas of this web site until April. But I will offer some sneak previews through this blog.

The first piece on preview today is "Notting Hill Blues," a cityscape inspired by my visit to London this past fall. This work continues my exploration of the relationship between casual passersby and the sterile gaze of storefront mannequins. The more I watch these interactions within cities, the more I am amazed by the poses and postures that "live" human beings take in front of these idealized mannequins. The image below is small detail from the overall piece:

Detail: Mannequin from the new cityscape, Notting Hill Blues.

The next piece on preview is "Winter Pines: Golden." This is also a continuation of a new series of works that I began earlier this winter, exploring the pattern of light and shadow within interior woodlands. Thus far, these ideas have been drawn from reference material gathered within central Pennsylvania's Black Moshannon State Park. However, as I continue this series you'll see works from other locations around our home. I'm finding this body of work to be a good challenge for me because they're so different from the broad, panoramic vistas that I tend to favor in my landscape work.

Detail: Tree trunks from the new landscape, Winter Pines: Golden

OK! That's it for now. I'll be back online early next week. At that time, I will post some more morsels for preview, so check back soon.

Have a great weekend!

Squaring Up

This is shaping up to be another extremely busy year. Yesterday I received an invitation to a relatively new art show in Montauk, New York that is scheduled over Memorial Day weekend. This show location is a greater distance from our home than what I'm accustomed to traveling for a show, so I'm on the fence about whether to participate. My decision is going to require more deliberation.

And making decisions is not my forte these days. I've sort of been in a fog for the last month or so because both my husband and my dog have not been well. I'm pleased to report that our dog, who had been limping so badly that she was almost falling on her face when she walked, is now doing better thanks to laser treatments on her shoulder (yes, you read that correctly). And my husband? Well, he's still suffering with a double sinus infection. He's off to see a specialist tomorrow and we're hoping for a positive outcome.

Meanwhile, I'm working hard to complete brand new pieces for my upcoming solo exhibition at the Fine Arts People Gallery in Exton, Pennsylvania next month. My most recent cityscapes are in a square format, which is somewhat different for me because I often favor very vertical or very horizontal formats. But perhaps these squared up works are my response to the crazy world news out there. Sort of a "squaring up" and effort to recalibrate during these chaotic times.

I'd like to invite all of you who follow this blog to come out to the opening reception of my exhibition and meet me on Saturday, April 4 from 5pm to 7pm. You can access driving directions to the gallery from my web site by checking here. If you have any questions about the works that will be featured, please feel free to contact me.

And here are a couple of new, Chicago-inspired cityscapes that you will see in the exhibition. I have one more square-formatted cityscape in progress on my easel right now and there will be more in the future...

Twilight El, Chicago, 16x16 pastel on board

In Wicker Park, 16x16 pastel on board