august 2020 | volume 1, issue 4 |
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Replenishment and Inspiration |
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I’ve been enjoying the great outdoors whenever I can—taking walks, exploring gardens, and recently kayaking on the Charles and Mystic rivers here in Massachusetts. With the tragedies unfolding, these public spaces have been peaceful sanctuaries to gather strength and perspective. That's why I'd like to share them with you here. It’s been replenishing and a great source of inspiration for future work.
Photo left: Blueberry Picking in Shaftsbury, VT
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On Tuesday, I started posting my paintings on Facebook after Susan Newhall, nominated me to Celebrate Women Artists. Each day, for seven days, I’m posting a piece of my work to share (sample paintings at right), as well as nominating a woman artist to do the same. I want to acknowledge these artists here and celebrate their greatness.
Here are my nominations:
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DAY 5: Mary Poerner flickr.com/photos/marypoerner
Thank you Susan! #susannewhall
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Chevy, Devils Lake, North Dakota, 3' h x 5' w,
Oil on canvas.
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1938 Farmall, Shufelt Farm, The Berkshires, Pittsfield, MA, 34" h x 42" w, Oil on canvas.
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Somesville Museum and Garden |
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After quarantining for months, visiting the Asticou Azalea Garden in Bar Harbor, Maine this past June was replenishing. The Somesville Museum and Garden, also nearby, and springtime, restored a sense of peace and hopefulness. When I returned to Vermont in July, I resumed my daily walks past the Manchester Community Garden as I have for years. Only this time, I helped till the soil at a garden plot that lay dorment for three years. John, keeper of the plot, invited me to share. I planted two glorious rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, fennel, basil and mostly bee and butterfly loving perennials. With an enchanting visit to the Olallie Daylily Garden in Newfane, VT, I added a tall, elegant daylily as well. My tomatoes are shooting up like corn stalks! This weekend I’ll return to sketch, prune tomatoes and weed. If it’s a hot day, I’ll dunk, clothes and all, into the nearby Battenkill river after gardening.
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Manchester Community Garden |
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When I drove up to Exit 1 RV in Fair Haven, VT to replace the regulator in my RV, they finished the repair at noon. So, I looked up, “gardens nearby” on my phone, and to my curiosity, a Japanese Garden popped up, located 20 minutes away. Carson, who owned this land since 1966, designed the garden and trails which are now the Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park. In 2016 Carson and family donated 204 acres, that includes miles of wildflower meadow walks, rocky forest hikes, awesome vistas and yes, a serene Japanese Garden overlooking hills of wild grasses! It was a complete surprise, and I must have walked seven miles that afternoon, taking notes for future paintings, with a promise to return soon.
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Kayaking Boston Riverways |
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Returning home recently for work and to visit family and friends, I’ve been kayaking on the Charles and Mystic rivers here in Massachusetts. Teaming with wildlife and vegetation, it’s been inspiring! |
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On regular walks together with a friend, we’ve been wandering through Brighton, Brookline, and Boston, taking different routes that usually lead to a coffee shop. We came across an outdoor sculpture and installation exhibit on the Riverway, (Frederick Law Olmstead). The exhibit is titled Studios Without Walls. Bob Shanahan’s New England Mastodons were large scale shadow / reflections of what was. He says that Mastodons “probably grazed on what is now the Boston Common”. How cool is that!
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Above: Bob Shanahan’s, New England Mastodons;
Steel rod, wire, alder, sumac.
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I heard that Indian Hill Imageworks in Pawlet, VT had an outdoor exhibit on billboards, so I drove north from Manchester for a visit. Beautiful walking meadow trails weave between and around wooden structures that display Stephen Schaub’s photographs. The path leads to a shady grove of trees with a picnic table by the river where I enjoyed the sounds of nature and contemplated the creative installation of artwork, before heading back to the studio.
Left: Stephen Schaub’s photographs
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Upcoming Exhibition
October Group Show • Structures and Time
Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center
Pearl River, New York
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Check out my Instagram for other art adventures and virtual happenings!
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