Saturday at Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival

Guests of the History Museum are checking out my work in progress on the Museum porch. I chose the Albright Knox and the new building in progress, seen behind the pink blossoms of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Garden. 

Only 5x7, this is the plan for the large oil painting below.

10”x20”, the two museums are separated by beautiful trees in all seasons. And a parkway, can you pronounce Squajaquada? 

Annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Saturday at the Buffalo History Museum was a perfect Spring day and thousands turned out to see the blossoms. Five painters worked on a scene similar to this, set back from the crowds and walkways. Every painting captured sunlight, flowers and the joy of emerging spring. These trees appear to dance, with the classic architecture of the museum in the background.

'Saturday's Cherry Blossoms' oil, 12x16 c. K. Schifano

 Sunday was not as bright, in fact I was caught in the rain as I packed up. My easel was right under the tree with this particular flower right in front of me. I did the same thing last year but the breeze kept blowing the thin branch and it was a bit disconcerting to catch the details. This time, there was no breeze but a little girl jumped up and grabbed my flower. I reacted so quickly-and pretty loud-that I doubt she will ever pick another flower. Instead of seeing some of the centers the bunch now tipped down but I am still satisfied with the shape. Still wondering why, with hundreds of flowering trees and flowers she chose mine. 

'Sunday's Cherry Blossoms' oil, 12x16 c. K. Schifano

Artists in Masks-an entertainment

This short little film is "Artists in Masks" compiled by Burchfield Penney Art Center. Besides changing  attitudes to our 2020 created art, we have also changed our appearances this year. A collection of selfies and portraits in masks as well as film of Stitch Buffalo artists making masks, it is a sweet statement about NOW. Find me at the end, the only one painting, but also the only one with hands on that mask. That was a super hot day at Reinstein Woods Park. I was alone in the shade of a tree but kept my mask close for the walkers who might want to get near me painting. 

 Artists in Masks

 This is "Artists in Masks" by Burchfield Penney Art Center on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Big thanks to the Burchfield for this project, keeping us all in tune with the times and connected to our museums and history.

Nice film about the Castellani show

The WKBW link (which may have an ad)
https://www.wkbw.com/news/the-now/latest-show-at-castellani-art-museum-features-185-local-woman-artists

Here is the YouTube link.
https://youtu.be/CysoamrE4Fw

The Castellani Museum Reception

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.

Castellani Art Museum 20/20 Vision

I am so pleased to be included in this comprehensive exhibition of art representing women artists from counties in the western part of New York. 

The Castellani Art Museum exhibition '20/20 Vision' reception will be on February 20, 2020 at 5pm-7. I expect a crowd! Nearly 200 artworks by Western New York artists are displayed through August. The large central gallery room as well as the double gallery on the north side will be filled with examples from women of varied styles and levels of expertise.

My painting of the American Falls from the hurricane deck is included in this comprehensive exhibit. Most of the artwork is for sale and in support of women, and businesses run by and supported by women have been  requested to support the artists by purchasing work.
Be there, 02/20/2020
Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University

Beyond the Rock of Ages, 15x30 oil on canvas

Burchfield Penney Saturday still life

Two fun Saturday afternoons at Burchfield PenneyArt Center in their first floor classroom

involved an art project with unusual still life set ups by invited artists. I like to work with real objects outdoors, but these were so different that I kept smiling as I painted. It was difficult to choose a particular part of these unusual structures to work with because there was so much going on in each still life.

Saturdays With Myles

Watching the museum's schedule for additional opportunities to do this challenge, I am disappointed that these two paintings will stand alone. There is no way I could put up a crazy still life like either of them for myself. I have to laugh that I did this for my students regularly. Because the setups were completely my choice I didn't have the perspective of strange and new objects. Planning the shapes and colors gave me an unfair advantage. At this moment I want to apologize to all the art students who were overwhelmed by art room still lifes in Niagara Falls High School. It took me quite a few years, but now I know how you felt.
Both paintings are 12x9 oil.  My Guerrilla Painter pochade box worked well on the classroom tables.

Critters With Eyes

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Spring in WNY is a time of glorious color, flowers, warm weather, outdoor activities. Early May brings a riot of pink to the Japanese gardens behind the Buffalo HIstory Museum, and a collection of events and painters to capture them.

With the Niagara Falls Plein Air Painters, I went to the Gardens to paint twice on consecutive Saturdays. This is my first attempt at painting the figures in a pediment and I was surprised at the variety of scale as I inspected their shadows and positions of the figures. The reclining figure on far left was tiny compared to the soldier with a shield kneeling next to him. And yes, I eliminated two of the figures for my sanity, after all, who counts?

Saturday's Pinks 9x12 oil on birch

Japanese cherry blossom festival

The second annual Cherry Blossom Fest at the History Museum in Buffalo was perfectly timed with the best show of seasonal pink flowers. While I worked on my final larger picture, 'Cherry Blossoms on Saturday', the flowers cascaded like rain, carpeting everything in pink. WHen I returned home my tweezers picked a branchful of leaves and petals out of the wet painting. The NFPAP artists also worked here on both Saturdays of the festival. Everyone plans to return next year. 

      Pink carpet. 5x7 palette knife oil

Cherry Blossoms on Saturday 12x16 oil

Framing History 7x5 oil

30 in 30 days, # 27 Red Boat at the Cherry Blossom Fest

I was originally inspired to paint two lovely boats, one pink and the other red, but they would not stay still. Free rides on Mirror Lake kept them busy all morning until one of the guides took a break, leaving this red boat modeling for me.  This was during Saturday's Cherry Blossom Festival in Buffalo, NY.

There seems to be tree tilt here and there really is, I'm not sure if it is wind blown or the trees are aiming for the water. This garden was established in 1970 and they are actively promoting it, planting new trees, gardens and upgrading the walks. It already was lovely!

Red Boat and Cherry Blossoms. 9.5x12.5 oil on Carton, c.2015

The Buffalo History Museum is good to their artists.

I am writing about donating again. Artists are constantly asked to donate work for fundraisers. Who asks a handyman, lawn service or plumber for donations? We are the first to be asked to contribute to our community and sometimes works are purchased by bids that are lower than the price of the frames we send them in...no counting time, materials or skills.

It is fairly easy to contribute a painting to groups I truly believe in and also somewhere that appreciates it with a 'free' membership, a ticket to an event or some profit sharing from the sale of my art. Some venues collect more donations than they need and barely acknowledge the artist, making repeat donations rare.

Last year, The Buffalo History Museum asked for a donation and I gave them a painting of their gardens. In return, I was sent a ticket to the event which turned out to be a lovely evening even though I barely knew a person in the three large rooms. I did get to see most of the museum and sample many lovely foods as well that evening. The best part was seeing four different people silently bidding up the price on my picture.

On their donee's paperwork, the museum asks if you want to donate all of the proceeds or make a 60/40 split with the museum. Talk about fair! This is what artists need, an opportunity to make a bit back on their own investment. More groups should try this and they will see the quality of the art they have go way up.

This year, I am sending two paintings for their November 6 'Paint the Town' fundraiser, a lovely little one of the Japanese gardens that I painted at the Cherry Blossom festival and another of Ruth's Garden in Artpark, framed in a thick and luscious golden plein air frame. Believing in the mission of the Buffalo History Museum, I hope they make a bundle.

Rain in the Japanese Garden, 5x7 oil on boardwww.buffalohistory.org/

A favorite spot at The Falls, 132 years apart

 I went to paint at Three Sisters because I had seen this painting by William Morris Hunt in the Ball State University Museum, in Indiana. I wanted to paint the same view but the first bridge was built right where Hunt stood and the view was blocked. No way would I stand in the water to make my painting match his. Although the water is but a trickle now it is illegal to enter any of the waterways in the state park, it is a sure way to guarantee drowning or jail. I did take photographs. You can see the painting that resulted in my March 2 post, a scene off the second bridge.

This is the Hermit falls, the center distant treeline in WIlliam Morris Hunt's powerful painting is now a parking lot on the end of Goat Island, a walking path and a tram follow the water. The major rocks can still be seen on the east side of the bridge. The third picture, my photo, shows the scene in February as I reached my camera around the edge of the bridge. The water diverted for  electric power would have scrubbed away the small plants and bushes with a much higher water level and pressure. Soon there will be trees in the water's crevices.

Music is Mayhem at Albright Knox

Today's the day! The all day feast of music on multiple stages surrounding the Albright Knox Art Gallery, book-ended by food and artisans is here. Participating in this event is the culmination of a summer as an an artist and audience member......so many bands were featured outdoors this summer from Lewiston to N. Tonawanda, Niagara Falls & Buffalo that some evening's entertainment was a difficult choice. As a listener, I often wished I could sketch or paint during the entertainment, but I will have my tent, my easel set up & plenty of music all day to celebrate the end of summer and a wonderful listening season.

This festival celebrates all the arts & their value in education, giving many bands opportunities to perform before huge audiences as well as having a big dose of magic today. Guinness book of records representatives will be there to see the 'highest straight jacket escape' at 300' in the air......where does a 300' crane park? Magic? It's all a wonder. I'll pack my juggling kit.

A Tourist in Houston

Packed my paints, brushes & canvases for an extended visit to Houston TX & found that I couldn't paint plein air due to high heat & humidity---not me, the paint was entirely too tacky! I did a fair amount of sketching, read several books, spent too much time on FaceBook and just loved being with baby Amelia.

On a single day as tourist, I managed to visit the famous Beer Can House, Japanese Gardens downtown, & The Car Museum. By far, the best visit was to Museum of Fine Arts in Houston & the John Singer Sargeant exhibit of marine art painted when he was 18-24 years old.

Simply astounding.

Simply intimidating that so much planning went into a single final composition-full size individual figure drawings & paintings for a group composition on the beach as well as a maquette of the painting-and he was still a kid!

Sargeant, always loved his work, now I appreciate & respect it even more!

Next Saturday 9/12

'The Music is Art Festival' is next Saturday on the grounds of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. I will be one of the 50 selected artists/presenters in the tents. Be there-& find me to say hi! The music is always amazing, it goes from 10 am til late & in the evening all the stars show up, even if it is too dark for the artists.

This is one of those Robby Takac [of GooGooDolls] events that are always fun for everyone. I'll have prints & 2010 calendars, some originals, but I will also be painting there.

Albright Knox Art Gallery Issue 2 pub.

Sorting through magazines, I discovered my own painting published in the Albright Knox Art Gallery's quarterly magazine AKNOW. This photo was taken at the opening of the Collector's Gallery Area Artist show last year. My close view of an orange tulip called 'Not Letting it Go' is on the easel. It was kept at the museum for a year & was displayed near the gift shop and also rented for a few months by a corporate client.

Sadly, the regional artists collection is ending soon due to economic woes. I call it a classic 'trickle down economy' effect. I have been proud to be selected to have work at the Albright Knox every year since I was first invited to participate.

We all need to continue to support local arts as they struggle to get beyond budget deficits and dwindling corporate support. This year, I will move my own membership to a higher tier as I appreciate & use the museum so often.