James Sturm, well-known graphic novelist and founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, in White River Junction, Vermont, created an ode to his childhood passion for comic books with “Childhood Marvels,” his contribution to the Altered Books exhibit held at the Norwich (Vermont) Public Library. The Altered Books exhibit was part of a nationwide movement to create art from discarded library books. More about the Altered Books exhibit here.
Little known fact: President John F. Kennedy was a speed reader and drove his staff into a frenzy by reading far more than they could keep up with on a weekly basis. Kennedy’s speed reading abilities are showcased in Scott Knorlein’s Tales from the Blue Pedal Car, a 24-piece installation that represents Scott’s interpretation of 20th century life in America.
Scott Knoerlein’s Night Hawks Take Flight is the newest addition to the Tales From the Blue Pedal Car collection. The painting is an “original” oil of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, direct from China.
White Lilacs is the first object in a new collection by Kate Emlen entitled “Small Still Life Paintings”. The paintings in this collection will be small format oil on linen, like White Lilacs (9″×7″).
Attention, Sculpturefest fans! The theme for Sculpturefest 2009 is Wind ~ Solar. As always, artists are invited to widely interpret the theme. The featured artists will be Anne Dean and Joseph Fichter. Opening date for Sculpturefest 2009 is September 5, so please mark your calendars!
There’s fish tale behind Kate Emlen’s painting, Two Mackerel in a Green Bowl. To read Kate’s tale — and see her and her inspiration in hand — visit Freshly Snagged Mackerel.
The Trina Schart Hyman exhibit now features an extensive video interview with some of the people who were the subjects of the portraits in The Paintings of Trina Schart Hyman. In the video, Trina’s portrait subjects talk about their experiences with Trina, her process, and the paintings in which they are featured.
Kate Emlen gives a new artist’s statement, this week about the oil on canvas, Christie Hill.
Christie Hill is the road where my brother lives in Maine. From the top of the hill you can see the weather coming in from a long way away. The view lends itself to this horizontal format stretching from east of Mount Dessert to the Camden Hills in the west.
“Piserchia Road” and “Olive Trees in Umbria” were painted during a residency in Montecastello, Umbria in September, 2007. I lived and worked with a group of artists in the small hill town overlooking many layers of hills. Some days I walked down the steep hill and painted the landscape below; the vast views were overwhelming for a New Englander so accustomed to being close in. I also did many sketches and watercolors of the view of the Tiber from the piazza up above. Once back in my Vermont studio I painted “Tiber Morning” and “Weather Clearing, Umbria” based on those sketches.
Copyright Kate Emlen, Oil on panel, 2007, 11 × 12.5″
Although Hyman, first and foremost, was known for her children’s book illustrations — she was the recipient of numerous awards for her work in that field, including a Caldecott Award for St. George and the Dragon — she was passionate about oil painting and left a large number of works, most of which had never before been publicly shown. The Winter 2009 exhibition of Trina Hyman’s paintings at the AVA Gallery, the first public display of her work since her death in 2004, offered the public a unique opportunity to broaden their understanding and appreciation for the scope of her talent and artistic output. The exhibition that closed on February 1, is available here in the AVA Gallery and Art Center’s collection and tour. Many of the people painted by Trina came to the exhibition opening gala and to the special “Remembering Trina” closing reception. The Tour now features a slideshow of photos taken during these events, several of them with people standing beside their portraits.
