Red Sneakers

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Red Sneakers

November 2020 | West Hartford, CT | no. 1

Untitled, 2020, oil on Yupo paper, 26 x 20 inches

Dear Friends,

The past few months have brought me to a new place in life allowing me time and space to work on personal interests. Thinking about my dear community of friends in Woodstock, the relationships I developed with colleagues through my position as executive director of the WAAM, and my longtime friends in Connecticut, I've decided to begin a periodic newsletter with the hope of staying in contact with all of you as we approach what is sure to be a long winter. The idea is simple - a newsletter of musings and things that have been sustaining me, with the hope that they will offer the same for you.

As Thanksgiving approaches I send my very best wishes to all of you with gratitude for every little moment of joy that took place in this extraordinary year and for the love and generosity of friends and family.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Janice

Suggested Reading

The companionship of a good book can't be underestimated. Here are a few recent reads that I highly recommend:

Philip Guston: A Life Spent Painting, Robert Storr

This new release is a heavy, expansive and comprehensive tome with exquisite reproductions including many images of paintings that I'd never seen before. I'm savoring every page!

Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson

My friend Gene introduced me to this writer and after hearing an interview with the author on NPR I started with this novel. His books of short stories, such as Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, are equally entertaining. His is a delightful, humorous and specific sense of the absurd.

The Lightkeepers, Abby Geni

An appreciated recommendation from my friend Nancy. I love the story told by the author in this 2016 winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great Writers Award for Fiction. It follows a daughter's reconciliation of the childhood loss of her mother set amidst the severe drama of the Farallon Islands.

News

Virginia Woolf wrote of a room of one's own and for the artist that is the studio. I'm thrilled to have this new studio at Whiting Mills in Winsted, CT. It's been blissful to have this time and space to work and to pursue a new direction in my painting following the works exhibited in September at The Lockwood Gallery. Postings of some of the recent work can be viewed on my website here.

Special thanks to my dearest of friends, Cathy and Larry. For words spoken and deeds done. xoxo

Gratitude

In these extraordinary times I find myself more grateful than ever for all of the blessings in my life. Despite the challenges, unrest, and uncertainty that define this moment, having this time to pause has brought some of my happiest moments, especially the time to be with my daughter Phoebe.

Poem

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

The Red Wheelbarrow, William Carlos Williams

Janice La Motta | janicelamotta.com | jlamotta27@gmail.com