Life, Pulse and Home...Life Pulse OF Home...

 Pulse...continued 

11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper


I have been going with the flow working on the Pulse series (above) and with very cool ideas popping into my head for future pieces. I say 'future' because I need to be able to utilize my outside studio that still needs winterizing. Awhile back, I took over the third bedroom upstairs. It's a cute space that I re-did  before Thanksgiving simply using what we already had, but it is far too small for any serious getting-down-to-it-creating.  Some pics far,  far below...

her cross to bear ~ 11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper 

There is a silver lining ~ 11 x14 mixed media on watercolour paper* these are not photographing very well...please forgive.
These paintings for me are an exercise in letting go...just allowing myself to create from an unknown place, again with no intended result, other than they 'resemble' the original pieces in the Pulse series. So many times, I find myself overwhelmed with a desire to answer something, to find the essence of what it is that I am doing and why and for whom etc etc...The words do not come easily. I am trying to depict, above all, E M O T I O N S. This is probably true for most artists.  Feelings and emotions are what drive me forward, and yes,  I know we women have that innate tendency to be emotional, I get it, but for very good reasons. We are emotional creatures, but we are also very powerful creatures and that also needs expression.  

Now onto my home photos...Wish I could show you the before pictures, but trust me, my old emerald green carpet in the living room, you DO NOT want to see...

These are a few charming landscape paintings I bought at an antique shop. The globe was my brothers growing up and the globe kept slipping out of the floor stand so I hung it from the ceiling with twine.  

The corner of the library/indoor studio/office above...and some mini-scapes city/or landscape, whichever way you view them :)

This will be my new studio once it's finally winterized, hopefully, early summer this will be completed. It's a great size and attached to my garage. I'm not sure if I will keep it rustic looking or spruce it up and go for that 'industrial' gallery look that I like so much. I do know that it could use some skylights and a good old-fashioned cleaning ;)

Living room After ~That little blur at the bottom of the photo is Oliver ;) He's appearing like an apparition ;) and he's exactly the reason I have my sofa seats covered, that and because I have kids ;)

I am planning on refinishing or selling the french country tables. I've had them for years...Not sure what style I'm going for next but there are sooo many to choose from. I don't want matching pieces. I love incorporating different styles. It appeals to my bohemian side.  Note: If you look up toward the ceiling beam you can see the striping affect and how it looks in different lighting. A great trick when your home is lacking in architectural things like crown moulding etc or needs some added dimension. An added bonus is that the vertical stripes make the ceiling and walls appear taller.

To the left is that table I may have posted before. It needs refinishing but I absolutely love it, especially the legs. 

my fave new oil-rubbed bronze floor lamp and my gorgeous new custom craftsman style door...that also needs the outer trim installed...I will have to dig up another shot or two of the door to better see it. I did all the staining myself and I chose a b e a u t i f u l dental shelf on the outside of the door. All done in english walnut.  I am in love with my door!!

do you think I'm making my point? LOL~  I am the Queen of My Abode! HaHa

This is the crown I mentioned last summer that I bought in Vermont.



I found these frames ages ago antiquing and they ARE old. The outer frame is HUGE (I paid $1 for it) ~ I left them exactly as I found them.  They're in my bedroom. As you can see I'm still choosing the right colour for this room, going on 4 1/2 years now  ;) 

 ...the beads on the table are an oversized rosary my BFF brought me from Mexico,  truthfully, New Mexico and it came with a pink plastic Jesus so I removed him. I just couldn't look at  his likeness molded in such cheap plastic. I am waiting on a new giant rosary from Mexico, this time around.  Did I ever mention how much I LOVE religious history, art and artifacts?...I really do, even though I do not consider myself religious.

My Tiger Chairs


This is the striping affect I achieved in my living room re-do. They're 10 inch stripes that alternate between flat and glossy paint in the same colour. The color is Mayonnaise by Benjamin Moore ( a completely unglamorous name for a paint colour  huh?). I also painted and distressed my oak wainscoting. I like the mix (could have used the word juxtaposition but I won't ;) of the more rustic finish on the wainscoting with the striping, which is more classic. I am still waiting on the quarter round trim at the bottom to be installed. When you remodel an older home you find lots of tricky things like unlevel flooring or walls or both and outdated popcorn ceilings...ugh, but just pretend you don't see them, that's what I do! ...And, of course, I have more to do like change out the ceiling fixtures. I'm thinking ceiling medallions with some chandeliers? maybe?...It is never ending. 
So this is my life as I know it ~ everchanging,  evergrowing,  everevolving... Thanks for visiting!
*note: this was originally set to post on January 28th...boy did I get sidetracked ;) 

  

Pulse...continued...

 As I spend as much time as I can on the PULSE series, I reflect on the silence that winter brings and in contrast, the exuberant feeling that comes when we step out into the frigid cold air, (that is, for those of us in the northern hemisphere :).
Winter is a time of rest, and respite but on certain days it is like a gust of possibilities beckoning to life under the blanket of sleep, of snow. It is that pulse of life that keeps us living, moving, accepting change and pondering possibilities. I enjoy this time in the dead of winter to contemplate, to dream and to create. I love and need this time. Though that blast of cold air is truly living in the present moment!

 Here is my latest version of Pulse ... 'inner landscapes' coming to life.

Pulse...continued... 11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper

Pulse...magnified

Primal  ~ 11 x 14 mixed media on watercolour paper(I was taking a break from Pulse and suddenly Primal appeared)...

Primal ~ close up  

tree in its former life

This is a tree in its former life sitting atop my neighbor's hill; the hill I look out on each day as I head out my front door. The tree, ultimately struck by lightning, has been gone for about three years now. I captured this beauty in the spring, summer, fall and winter. The best ones shrouded in the morning mist...There is something very mystical about a lone tree..........and I missed this one so much that I planted one in my own yard.

until next time...

HGTV Dream Home in Stowe Vermont.?...Shut Up!

It has been awhile...

Happy to pop in and say hello...so...Hello!

Imagine my surprise to find the HGTV Dream Home 2011 is located in Stowe, Vermont. Mere miles from my favourite of Burlington, VT ~ Truth be told, I love all of VT and hope to explore more of it in 2011.
Back to this stunner of a home (view it here! ) ...It's truly fantastic. I watched some videos that delved into the intense construction and attention to detail, both environmentally as well as structurally and with attention paid also to heating and sealing efficiency = Happiness!  This sturdy, architecturally appealing abode also exhibits a not-too-shabby interior, though more modern than I prefer. I actually prefer the guest bedroom over the master bedroom, especially the colours as they are very similar to my current master bedroom colours. Needless to say, I am entering twice per day as allowed and as time allows. I would go in a heart beat if I were to win this stunner! I am not a skier but hey, I can invite friends and family up to ski and I will simply sit with my hot cocoa and watch them having a great time. Did I mention how swoon- worthy that copper chimney is? Rocks my world! I would love to have the gutters on my home redone in copper and add some copper rain chains. They are so unique! and I can even envision a copper roof = exquisite!  I digress, sorry,  fyi, Mount Mansfield is the largest mountain range in VT. This home is located at the base of the mountain.  I love it there!

I also have some paintings to share. I have several that never made it onto this blog due to business, bad internet and honestly, some lousy photos (need a DSLR camera). This particular painting was made as a gift. It is a large 24 x 36 mixed media on masonite. I love working on masonite and was totally aiming for an *industrial* look. Photo is not the best but you get the idea, in fact, I'll include some photos of it in 3 different pieces.

 PASSION in part

I have to say working on this one was a great experience. This one went through many a transformation before I decided on the finished version. So many layers, techniques and this is one of my fave palettes to work with.

Next up...these are all very recent paintings...haven't even uploaded them to my art site as yet. (I better get busy!)...

Pulse I ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

Pulse ~ the series ~ 9 x 12 mixed media on watercolour paper

This is a series  (in progress) I have entitled PULSE...this stems from my desire to capture a more visceral existence on canvas; the pulse or heartbeat of life and love. I have found myself drawn further and further into depicting the *visceral* through word and paint. I respond to the raw and to the real and all of my art attempts to create from an emotional stance vs. intellectual. This has always been my method, though I wasn't always able to put IT into words.

 In Repose ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

The Masculine Force ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

*The two above were painted back to back and are displayed as stacked. These were also gifted. Many of my recent paintings have been gifted...Tis the season ;)

These two are as yet untitled and were both created with mixed media on 9 x 12 watercolour paper.

This is just a sampling of what I have been up to. I am working on a few projects but especially on the PULSE series, which has been very therapeutic, especially during these frigid temps we've had to endure here in NY.

I hope you have enjoyed catching up and I will catch up with you soon at your places...:) Happy New Year!

until next time~

VT Tour ~ Part II ...the arts

The arts in VT are tremendous. I think that was one of the major draws for me way back when. Naturally, Burlington is an Artsy city and filled with eclectic diversity and this trip delivered on all fronts. I spent hours at the Shelburne Museum which had a fantastic Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky exhibition. This was so awesome and I must admit though I love Ansel Adams' work, I was completely enthralled with discovering Edward Burtynsky's amazing works, especially his Oil and VT Quarry photos.  Actually, they're all fantastic.  Ideally they should be viewed in person to get the full-effect. I was in *patina* heaven as his work truly represents the (mostly) man made patina's that appear on the landscape via, oil, corrosion, etc.  
here's a sampling: Take a look at the port-a-potty and the man so very near the edge. Yikes!!! I  said to the woman guide at the exhibition how I loved the juxtaposition of Adams' natural landscapes against Burtynsky's man made landscapes . That IS what makes it so intriguing. She then said she was going to use what I said in her talk on the exhibition the following week... Just sayin as that was pretty cool!  ;)

these are stunning and I can't get enough of his work, especially brilliant in person because of the actual size of these works!  Anyone afraid of heights?  Click on Quarries in VT also here: Oil_Book_Gallery/

the art of ACTION ideas + action = change

Invitation to Hope by Janet McKenzie ~ oil on canvas 39" x 51" ~ $7500  I was captivated her work. Very inspiring pieces as well. I loved her brushwork and concept is right up my alley. You know I love to attempt to capture emotions in my paintings. 

David Brewster ~ Mountain Ridge Flying Knives ~ Oil on Mi-tientes 32 x 48 ~ $5500 This was a really wonderful project to inspire change via the arts in Vermont. their motto:ONE IDEA. TEN ARTISTS. 100 PIECES OF ART. INFINITE PERSPECTIVES ACHIEVED

This is Thunder. He is a part lab mix. He was a huge dog and so sweet and gentle. He liked me, so we hung out for quite some time. After visiting him I walked to the waterfront to enjoy a maple flavoured 'creemee' soft serve ice cream cone...:)
SHELBURNE MUSEUM TOUR A little background on the founder of the Shelburne Museum: Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888~1960)#1 Extremely wealthy#2 Painted by Mary Cassatt#3 Her father became rich from the sugar industry. Her mother and father both came from wealthy families. #4 Her parents were encouraged by Mary Cassatt to begin collecting Impressionist paintings by then unknowns like Monet and Degas, to name a few. Electra's parents, especially her mother Louisine were credited for being the pioneers encouraging Americans to collect European art. More about the inception of the Shelburne Museum, Electra and Family

In a memoriam to Electra and her husband, their children created this memorial to her after her death...Everything in this memorial was once a part of their Manhattan apartment in the city that she grew up in. The rooms were recreated here exactly as they were, with very few structural changes. Amazing stuff! They even had the woodwork, wall treatments, etc taken down and reconstructed in the memorial. It was unbelievable. The woodwork (mostly European) was so intricate and beautiful that it rivaled even the original paintings of so many famous artists.  

The Greek Revival exterior as lovely as it is, was not the style of the Manhatten apartment. 

Their entire dining room exclusively displayed original Monet paintings. Viewing the original Manet, Monet, Degas, Cassatt etc works here, was breathtaking. 

 

Mary Cassatt painting

Electra Havemeyer Webb Pictured above with her folk art collection

This was part of a folk art collection of Electra's ~ Wood statues like this were used to sell tobacco. They were typically displayed under shop awnings and protected from the elements. I love the details on this one. The Museum houses many different exhibitions to include an old mercantile and apothecary:

so many concoctions...

total exposure...ugh ;) 

Adam Kalkin's container house. Primarily made of recycled shipping containers. This place was awesome to view. I think it is ingenious, actually. 

Here's the stainless kitchen island: 

I have a thing for  industrial spaces so I could so work with this kitchen!
There was also a truly emotional body of work of quilts made to document lives that have been affected by and lost toAlzheimer's Disease. Beautiful, emotive quilts that I have displayed below. This is just a sampling. I have goose bumps reliving the memory of having viewed these and having read their personal stories.  from the museum page:   Alzheimer’s: Forgetting Piece by Piece is a poignant new exhibition about Alzheimer’s, its impact on those affected by the disease and the artistic expression of complex emotions felt by those confronting the disease. The exhibition includes 52 quilts, many made by caregivers or family members of victims. Each piece is a moving visual representation of experiences their makers have had from tributes to loved ones to encouragement for caregivers. Accompanying each quilt is an artist’s statement that conveys the story that inspired the work, as well as related facts about the disease that educate the viewer about Alzheimer’s.Here are some of them: 

This is the circle barn where the Alzheimer's quilt exhibit was located. 

This was the Circus Exhibit, This silo is 80 feet in diameter and was flown in via helicopter, from Maine, I think.Here are more beauties from The Shelburne Museum grounds...

I think this was the original Colchester Lighthouse

A period house from 1600's? 

Gardens

Yep, this is what I call BLISS

Love me a Willow Tree...
There was also an exhibition of the work of :  Jay Hall Connaway ( 1893-1970): A Restless Nature... I loved the emotive nature of his paintings. Something I have tried to capture with my own. I am all about emotions and trying to capture them via any medium. 

I love this one below by Connaway

A collection of Band Boxes ~ Electra was a collector of many things.

Now onto the Fleming Museum at UVM (University of Vermont) grounds...

There was a fun & unique photobooth exhibition taking place. I had one done (after spending about 5 hours in the rain at the Shelburne Museum) ;)...I liked that *glow* on the crown of my head.  Could this mean that I am angelic? ;) haha...

 Here's one of the cutest ones: 
This woman reminds me of what my late Grandma looked like when she was younger, but that's NOT Grandpa ;)

Think about the fun that people had when these booths first came into existence. Some were sad tho' taken of soldiers returning from war.  See more here: 

also the workings of a photobooth here: 

photobooth inners

New wave of bumper stickers...I couldn't choose just one!

Here are  5 maps I found in the Shelburne Country store. They are so nice and the lake ones are the ones I like best.  I decided what  better way to show the Love for my favourite place, than to display them in my office re-do.  I haven't decided on frames yet and I like the idea of framing them under plexiglass. 

The Shelburne Country Store 
has something called: Every Kids Dream!...
 in a box ;)
Ribbons were an added treat. 

needless to say, my kids so enjoyed this treat of old-fashioned rock candy, etc.
~
Out for a drive...

An abandoned house I saw sooo much potential in...

I would LOVE to buy my Christmas tree here!  I can just picture this place all lit at Xmas time. 

I am recollecting that exact feeling I had while standing here that night looking down toward the lake. I am sad that summer is almost over...

My last night I was surprised by this lovely, serenely pink  rainbow at sunset...pic was taken from my hotel window. This was so apropos and was clearly a prophetic symbol of all the good things that would come to pass upon my return home.  Yep, Life is sweet!

the next morning it poured and poured then cleared to this...

Oh, I so wanted to make that same turn and head back up North...

 I hope you enjoyed the final tour of my treasured place of Vermont. 
Thanks for visiting! 

© 2010
all images by Calli except where mentioned.