Showing posts with label art show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art show. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

A New Year Resolution in progress.

Want to see lots of older paintings? My New Year's resolution is to post paintings daily in January, so I began with paintings from 2015 and 2016. They can be found on Instagram as well as Facebook. This is a screenshot of the first 10 posts of January, starting with the large Sailboat, 'Barcelona Lunch'. 



The last two shots are the Christmas Blizzard and my new studio wall, set up for the holiday open house. 

 

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Just another August weekend

Lightened the car load and brought fewer framed paintings to the Lewiston Art Festival this month. I like when my clients choose their own frame with local framers. Displaying a variety of affordable unframed works  means more people can own original art. Painting with standard sizes means they can also purchase ready made frames if they like.

With so many events cancelled this summer many more people came to shop at Lewiston Art Festival, all of the artists expressed 'a better weekend' plus it DID NOT RAIN!

Friday, August 27, 2021

Grace Millar Knox Mansion

The Junior League of Buffalo Showhouse is presented biannually in a different local mansion. Decorators transform each room and artists contribute paintings making the house an amazing collection of talent and beautiful ideas. The money raised is used to support local charities and organizations.

I am thrilled to have been invited to exhibit ten paintings in this former home, soon to be the offices of Cellino Law.

EDIT-10/3 Although paintings are hung throughout the mansion, there is also an Artist Gallery, shown here. Paintings are available to purchase right away. I am pleased to have had four large works sold as well as several small paintings sold through the gift shop.

Only 4 are mine, can you tell which ones?


Monday, February 8, 2021

Hallwalls MidWinter's Draw


 I was invited to film (on Zoom) a timed 45 minute painting. It is for Hallwalls annual fundraiser. I've attended the drawing rallies the past, an event with lovely food and drinks and dozens of artists working while we watch. After 45 minutes the works are posted for auction and new artists take their places. At the end of the evening the winning bidders take their art home. 

The 2020 summer event was held online and bidders had several days to view videos of artists producing their art and to bid. It allowed for a wider audience than when people had attended the events. This "Winter Night"s Draw" will also be a virtual experience with several days to view online before the bidding ends.  Bidding will be February 24, 7pm and close on February 28 9pm.

I am THRILLED to have been invited and be a part of this annual event.

Here is a smidgen of the my work. It's a good one, bid high.




Monday, August 24, 2020

Adirondack Plein Air Festival

After months of Covid 19 lock down, I was crushed to have my acceptance and first appearance at this prestigious outdoor competition cancelled. However, it was changed to a virtual exhibit, so the artists who could come to the park had three weeks to paint alone and submit their work digitally. With the gracious hospitality of a good friend available, I quarantined before my trip. No way would I want to bring the evil virus to the pristine air of the Adirondack Park. A five hour drive there was liberating after being mostly cooped up since early March. I relished the pine air, clear skies and dramatic mountains. I didn’t see any other painters and we all missed the celebrations, dinners, client parties and seeing each other's Art. But I painted in the mountains and found great joy there. These are my three submissions. 

'Pine Carpet in the High Peaks, (Keene)’ 9x12 pastel. A high altitude view of other mountains. 
‘Adirondack Rocks', 16x12, pastel painted during the heavy rains of hurricane Isias-from a porch
'North of North Creek', 10x20 oil. The water is the Hudson, way up where it starts
 

Three good examples from a great summer gallery show

The Artists Group Gallery show, "Twenty Minutes From Everywhere" features images of the Buffalo area by three artists working in Plein air. Carol Case Siracuse's dramatic watercolors and ink, Karen Foegen’s dreamy oils as well as paintings in oil and pastel by me fill both rooms of the gallery. Sure hope you went to see the show! See these three, framed and properly displayed in this exhibition curated by Donald Siuta until August 28. 

'Hermit Falls in May', 9x12 pastel. This is the waterfall right at the first bridge at Three Sisters Islands


'Ancient Dancers in Springtime', cherry trees in bloom during the History Museum festival 12x16 pastel


'Under the Horseshoe' 11x14 pastel, before framing in a very lovely frame

 

Three artists Paint one scene. Sort of.

 

Monday, April 6, 2020

A story of two paintings.

Several years ago I was invited to participate in the Westfield NY Plein Air Event, a week of painting at various sites, meeting artists, some get-togethers and dinners and a final public exhibit and sale.

A day was scheduled at Johnson Estate Winery. In the morning I trekked the tractor path up a hill and painted a lovely barn scene surrounded by the vineyards. After lunch I settled my easel under a sour cherry tree in deep shade, so cool on that hot summer day. For several hours I worked on a painting (framed, below). Although it is a lovely memory and a fair painting I continued to have concerns about it-was it too realistic, too hard edged, not painterly, well, just too something to me which I couldn't define clearly. 

With all the studio time we have now (as I am social distancing) I felt I should tackle my problem. It turned out that I probably won't ever change the first painting since the composition is okay and it is a lovely close up of the tree. 

I decided to repaint it as an experiment on an old canvas, a hard edge abstract that I don't remember painting. After sanding the old painting a bit I sketched the cherries a bit closer and oversized. The canvas is twice the size of the original. With some serious planning and evaluation I adjusted leaves, added fruit on the top right and poured on paint with large brushes and bravado, mostly using old paint tubes of odd colors. After all this was an experiment on an expendable surface as well as rejected tubes of colors.

I love the results of this experiment!  Reused canvases, painted over failed pictures, practicing new skills...and coming up with a fine painting on top of a discarded image is a welcome result. I can't actually regret painting on old canvases when the new picture turns out well, because the colors underneath probably influenced the new image. That is one more reason I always prefer to paint onto toned backgrounds.

Sweet Sour Cherries 16x12 oil on birch, © 2016

Sweet Memories 22x18 oil on canvas © 2020

Saturday, February 29, 2020

The Castellani Museum Reception

Kath Art
20/20 Vision:Women Artists in Western New York at the Castellani Art Museum contains work by 186 artists from five WNY counties. I am so pleased to be represented in this amazing exhibit which will remain until August 26. My painting 'Beyond the Rock of Ages' is on the Tops Gallery wall. It is 15"x30", an oil painting that shows the talus being pounded at the base of the cataracts. Many of these rocks are as big as a bus, I chose this because of its power. All the art works are arranged alphabetically in the main rotunda as well as the large gallery you can barely see over my shoulder.

We visited a few days before the reception, so this is BEFORE
and this is AFTER!


 The reception at 5:08 pm, it opened at 5:00 and people kept arriving until the last minute. What a crowd and a great opportunity to meet artists and guests. 
 Interim Director Michael Beam, NU professors Amelia and Marian and I found a moment to celebrate with a rare selfie.

Friday, November 29, 2019

BNAA Fall exhibition

The transition of the Eastern Hills site to a town square continues to evolve.

 The lovely and large, well lit site, Expo 68 Art and Design Gallery features the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Fall art show through December 5. It's open daily, except Mondays. These two paintings were selected for this spectacular Exhibition at Expo 68.
Peony Bliss, 48"x24" oil
Under American Falls, 12"x16" oil
The BNAA is a juried group, new members are juried into the group, then the shows are juried for exhibition and awards. New artists are welcome to join as Associates or Juried members.


Saturday, November 2, 2019

River Art Gallery Plein Air show

The bottom picture, '186 Linwood' and flowers on right are mine
River Art Gallery, the pink building in North Tonawanda by the theater, is a lovely art space. Three paintings in the current show, 'Plein Air Landscape, Discovering Nature' are my plein air works.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Winning is wonderful, but I forget to share it!

Two years ago I participated in a week long plein air event in Westfield, NY. During that week I stayed with friends and spent most of each day painting, there were several evening events for the artists and a lovely weekend art exhibition.
While there, I discovered the local bakery, Portage Pie where you preorder dessert pies or take a chance they have an extra. I left a fun painting of the Portage Pie shop with my hosts. The next year, the building which had been blue for as long as anyone remembered, was painted brown. Just another example of a plein air artist capturing an image that doesn't last.

Nearby Barcelona Harbor, which is along the nearby seaway trail has an eclectic collection of new and vintage boats including liveaboards on shore and rusting hulks in assorted places. I was attracted to a majestic sailboat in the harbor; while I painted a gentleman sat quietly eating for a long time so he was added to the boat portrait. Later I met him and thanked him for eating his lunch so slowly.
"Lunch?' he said.
"I only had a donut."

At the Riverwalk Exhibit in Tonawanda this summer that painting was selected to win an honorable mention. The announcer prefaced the prize  announcement with "This painting is of my favorite places, Barcelona. We are thrilled to be headed back to Spain next Spring."
Sheepishly I informed her that it was the Barcelona on Lake Erie and we all had a good laugh. So pleased to have had such a successful year with my paintings. I need to keep up with this blog better, the paintout was two years ago and the River Art Gallery sponsored prize awarded two months ago. Old news can still be good news.
2 Masts In Barcelona, 20x16 plein air oil

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

A NACC Art Award for Plein Air

Infrastructure, abandoned building, rust painting
The Light in the Tunnel, 20x16, oil on canvas
Award for Excellence in Plein Air Painting

street scene, NYC tavern, city pastel
Pete's Tavern 18x12 pastel on Wallis 
The annual Niagara Arts and Culture Center's summer exhibit "Beyond the Barrel" is always a fun event and a chance to catch up with artists in the center, two gallery shows and friends who hibernate the cold months. These pictures were my two entries, and both were accepted. I try to apply for this show every year, in 2018 the show was appended "Inspire".

At the reception 'The Light in the Tunnel' was awarded the Vjolla Cela Award for Excellence in Plein Air Painting. The certificate hangs by the painting throughout the exhibit and I also received a cash prize. This lovely show of mostly WNY artists will remain in the Townsend Gallery until July 29th.

The Sunday Niagara Gazette published an article and a photo that you couldn't miss in the Night and Day section. These kind of recognitions are flattering, but also reinforce my dedication to creating art that says something, that contains the spirit of the place it is produced. 

The saying 'paint 1000 pictures before you are a painter' is true. Check.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Merit Award won at Kenan Center Gallery


Both of my entries were accepted to the Buffalo Niagara Art Association Spring Exhibit. I am very pleased that Juror Donald Zinteck selected this entry for a Merit Award. Two floors of excellent paintings to choose from makes the distinction more meaningful to me.This shows the painting mounted at Kenan reflecting the draped windows and chandelier of the beautiful building. The lights looked like sailboats in the water to me. 


This shows the placement between two floor to ceiling windows, it is next to their grand piano in the main floor parlor.

Kath Schifano, rapids, horseshoe falls, Niagara
Horseshoe Races 24x30 pastel c.2016 Merit Award


Monday, August 28, 2017

Carl Judson visits Niagara Falls



Guerrilla Painter and Judsons Art Outfitters are well known suppliers of plein air materials. Judsons is a family businesses, you deal directly with them when you place an order. Carl Judson often travels to conventions, art events and paintouts in his very cool personalized truck. Several years ago I invited him to stay with me and speak to NFPAP while he was in the area, visiting Hyatts and Partners in the Arts. He joined us again on this trip east. We were lucky to meet Sarah this time, she had joined him for part of his trip.     

The evening they arrived, we took a walking tour of Niagara Falls to see the nightly fireworks. It was a warm and misty summer night and the occasional breeze from the east brought a soaking mist which left us fairly drenched at the Horseshoe Falls. The air was filled with static and our hair stood up straight, except for Carl Judson who was smart enough to wear a hat.

Carl and Sarah Judson, Me, Carl Schifano
The next morning, Kelly Buckley hosted us at the radio station for her WJJL talk show and WNY heard about his roundabout experiences leading to the design of his first plein air box, or pochade. It is always a treat to talk to Kelly, on the radio and off and I am glad this opportunity occurred.



Carl Judson at WJJL interview
That afternoon he gave an art talk at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center. He presented many slides of new and familiar painters and the styles they used, talking about expressing personal vision and showing plein air as a natural progression in art history.

It was a day of torrential rain and my phone was texted, "our car turned around with a broken wiper" and "I can't get through the deep water on my street". I think our enthusiastic but wet crowd of 25 might have been much larger without the unusual weather. Driving with Carl in his truck, there were moments of no visibility even at very slow speed. After the presentation there was an interesting question and answer discussion.
          
Charlie Hunter's painting made an appearance
Before the Judsons left, we talked a bit about my own work, this oil painting was displayed in my hallway and it went with them to Colorado. One of my favorites (I have many favorites), it is "From the Porch at 39 Ohio".  After a week of painting ocean and jetty paintings I was charmed by this morning view of sunflowers across the street. It inspired me to make one last painting on the day we left the beach. Returning there this year, there are only two sunflowers left, a lawn was planted and all that remains is this picture.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Lewiston Art Festival 2017


On my way, packed safely and ready to go. This car is a bit smaller, by about 1/3 than my previous SUV so the tent, display walls and art is here, but our chairs, side tables and rain umbrellas are in Carl's car.

The whole shebang, on Saturday at a quiet moment. This picture is often difficult to take as the crowds in Lewiston fill the street. On Sunday we rehung the left and right walls by switching them.
My favorite wall! I did a series exploring color combinations. It started in a Marla Bagetta workshop but I kept painting the same scene, limiting my palette to a very few pastel shades and tints. 8 of these little paintings are the same composition!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Miebohm Gallery accepts a window view

Grace Meibohm, East Aurora gallery 

After a lovely long season of plein air painting outside I was attracted to making a larger painting indoors. My corner windows in the gallery room look upon the woods and a huge set of 5 trees in the neighbor's yard which lean over the property lines and shade the roof for half the day. The long tall windows frame ever changing views in all seasons and distract me every time I pass the door. 

Using the window as a frame for my composition I moved my big easel from the studio and set it on a drop cloth to capture the colors of autumn as they rotated from green to yellow, orange, red and brown. 

This painting has been selected by Grace Meibohm into the Meibohm Gallery on Main Street in East Aurora. She is mounting a juried show of 'The Art of Native Plants' to benefit the Western New York Land Conservancy.

The exhibition is up now, the reception is June 10th and will be there until July 29. Half of my commission will go to WNYLC.

Lights of Fall, oil 30x15x3 c. 2016

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Artists Group Gallery BNAA

The Buffalo Niagara Artist Association Spring show is at Artist Group Gallery this year. I've prepared two water paintings, the smaller one is the edge of the Horseshoe Falls while the larger one (Also on the postcard) is 'my jetty' in Long Beach. Don Siuta judged the show and hung it in the two gallery rooms. My two paintings were displayed a few feet apart, the photo here is just a quick snapshot before the show, on a wall outside my studio.



Cool Mist, oil on panel 16x20 c.2016
Slack Between Tides 30x30 c.2016

Thursday, August 18, 2016

NFPAP's HOT reception

This day had a 'temperature index' approaching 100 degrees, but most of the people here would say it was hotter. We had a great crowd, but no one could stay very long, it was even warmer inside Carnegie Art Center, and if it were not for the quantity of artworks, the rooms would have emptied faster.

I had three paintings here and was pleased to see that two were together on a wall near an open door so they got attention from viewers seeking a breeze and escaping the heat. They were bathed in lovely light from the Carnegie's track system and augmented by the sun. I was joined by Laurene Buckley, Roger Mott and Claudia and we continued our visit into the evening by enjoying the sunset watching boats on the canal.