Canterbury Art Show opening this weekend

I’m delighted to show five new paintings from the Flora series at the Canterbury Art Show, opening this Labor Day Weekend!



First Hibiscus of Summer, detail view

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” – Gerard De Nerval

“In nature nothing exists alone.” – Rachel Carson

Plants and flowers are a form of communication between humanity and the Earth, if we pay attention. The paintings in this series present portraits of individual plants as both unique messages from the Earth and examinations of natural order and growth. As a contemplative mirror for our relationships with ourselves and others, plant forms evoke harmony, elegance, and strategies for survival through cooperation. These paintings challenge us to explore the spiritual dimension of our time on Earth and invite consideration of the human impact on the natural world, as we recognize we are fundamentally one with the Earth.

I look at plants everywhere I go, keeping my eyes peeled for a refreshing spot of green or lush burst of color. When I imagine a person or place, plants and especially flowers flood my memory in association, embodying the emotional connections I feel. Using plant forms as a language in my imagination, these portraits of individual plants in situ further examine the natural order that created them, their patterns of growth and response to light, and my spiritual relationship with others, with myself, and with the Earth.



Pink Rose of Assisi, 2018, 12″x12″x1.5″, oil on canvas

Standing before the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the perfect sweet pink roses growing on the pathway outside. All of Assisi felt permeated with Saint Francis’s deep love and reverence for nature, and this rose felt like a direct communication of that vitality. Exploring the organic geometric arrangement of its tender petals into a coherent whole, I felt transported by its simple elegance and richly complex beauty.



Early Morning Jimson Weed, 2018, 16″x20″x1.5″, oil on canavs

Visting my family earlier this summer, my father woke me to come see the Jimson weed growing in his garden, which seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight. I was intensely grateful for this delicate white flower that greeted him with such magic each day and brought him such joy, and I too felt enchanted by its luminous purity and captivating forms.



West Park Iris, 2018, 16″x20″x1.5″, oil on canvas

During a walk around the neighborhood where I grew up, I was stopped in my tracks by the decadent petals of this purple iris, which seemed to unfurl with a secret wisdom about living unabashedly. The audacity of the iris, with its ornate, fanciful ruffles and vivid color, felt like a celebration of living freely, openly, and unapologetically as ourselves, just as we were made – and enjoying every moment of it.



First Hibiscus of Summer, 2018, 16″x20″x1.5″, oil on canvas

Some of my favorite memories from childhood are visiting my family in Hawaii, where I had experiences of deep emotional resonance in the nearly overwhelming natural landscape teeming with gorgeous new sights and perfumed air. I was always enthralled by the hibiscus blooms, each one seemingly more joyful and impossibly beautiful than the next. In New York, I am keenly aware of the first bloom I see each summer, as it transports me back to those cherished times and instantly reconnects me with my loved ones.



Remembrance Poppy, 2018, 16″x20″x1.5″, oil on canvas

When I was young, I begged my mother to let me plant a poppy in her garden. I spent weeks imagining its exotic shape and red-orange color, but I was not prepared for the extravagant, massive bloom that would burst open in the summer heat. I was stunned that anything in the world could be so bold, vibrant, and complex… just like my mother.

As a symbol of remembrance and respect, especially of those lost and injured in war, this poppy is also the newest addition to my Charitable Giving initiative, with 25% of the sale price of the original painting and prints donated to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust.


Canterbury Art Show
August 31-September 3, 2018
Meet-the-Artists Reception & Preview – Friday, August 31, 7-9pm
Open 10am-6pm Saturday and Monday (9/1 and 9/3) and 12-6pm Sunday (9/2)

Tickets $10 (valid for all days of the show) / Preview and Meet the Artists Reception $50 in advance, $60 at the door. (Purchasing information)

Proceeds from the Canterbury Art Show benefit St. George’s-by-the-River Episcopal Church and its community outreach programs in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

St. George’s-by-the-River
7 Lincoln Avenue
Rumson, NJ 07760 (map)

For more information, please visit Canterbury Art Show

Follow @canterburyartshow | #canterburyartshow


Opening Today: Spectrum Gestalt 5



Pocket Sea, 2017, 4″x4″x7/8″, oil on cradled board

 

I’m delighted this tiny painting will be included in Spectrum Gestalt 5, an exhibition of works of predominantly one color, installed in an expansive spectrum.

 



 

“No one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.” – Rachel Carson

Inspired by a childhood spent steps from the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by rivers and moving bodies of water, this painting reflects a deep-seated, primordial, and essential love of the sea. Regarding the surface of the ocean as an evocative parallel for the mystery of consciousness and all that being human entails, “Pocket Sea” is a glimpse of the vast infinities we all carry within us.

 



 

The image flows over all edges for a continuous expanse of water and contemplation.

 



 

If you are in the Santa Monica area, I hope you’ll pop into the blue section to check it out in person. It looks to be a wonderful show!

 

Spectrum Gestalt 5
June 16-July 8, 2018
Opening Reception Saturday, June 16, 5-9 pm
Closing Reception Sunday, July 8, 2-4 pm

 

 

Gestalt Project Space / bG Gallery
3009 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405 (map)

Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-6pm
Telephone 1-310-906-4211

 

Presented by Gestalt Projects / bG Gallery

#SpectrumGestalt

 

 

 


 


Transformation Closing this Weekend



 

Transformation closes this weekend! Your last chance to see the spring shows at BWAC is this Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17, from 1-6pm

 

There will be live music, spoken word performances, and a closing auction starting Sunday at 4pm. You can read more about the exhibit and the paintings I’m showing here.

 

Hope to see you there!

 


Opening May 12: Transformation, Spring Art Show at BWAC

Panels 258 & 259, with five paintings from The Nature of Being series

 

This spring I will have five paintings from The Nature of Being on view at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) spring members show, Transformation. Using the shapes, rhythms, patterns, and colors of nature, these abstract oil paintings explore questions of existence, belief, personal philosophy, time, and the layered narrative of consciousness we maintain throughout a lifespan.

 



Panel 258, featuring Origin Stories, Arpeggio, and What Might Have Been

 

The paintings on this panel explore how we are transformed by time and experience, regarding the self as ongoing, fluid, and open to change.

 



Origin Stories, 2017, 24″x24″x1.5″, oil on canvas

 

Based on two overlapping leaves, this painting considers how new beginnings grow out of past experiences, as in the cycles of the seasons. Trees are nourished by the leaves dropped in the fall, giving them the strength and resilience to bloom again the following spring. As humans, we stand on the shoulders of those who came before, and we must be mindful we did not get where we are alone, taking care to give support to the future.

 



Arpeggio, 2017, 24″x24″x1.5″, oil on canvas

 

Looking at the phyllotactic pattern of leaf growth like notes in an arpeggiated scale, we can see the music of nature. Music does not exist without time, and so too are the moments of our lives more meaningful over the melody of time. The more connected we are to the rhythms and patterns of nature, the more harmonious our existence may be.

 



What Might Have Been, 2017, 24″x24″x1.5″, oil on canvas

 

Envisioning the paths we might have taken in our lives as wormholes or pathways through the multiverse, this painting also evokes our primordial origins and the transformations every living thing has taken throughout time to get to the present moment.

 



Panel 259, featuring Permeability and Try Everything Twice

 

The paintings on this panel look to nature as a guide for how to appeal to our better natures, learning lessons and gaining insight from flexibility, openness, and receptivity to experience.

 



Permeability, 2017, 30″x40″x1.5″, oil on canvas

 

Inspired by undulating sedge grass underwater and light dancing on its surface, this painting is a reminder to embrace qualities of fluidity and allow experiences to change us. As we become more permeable to other people and the world, we gain more of ourselves in reflection.

 



Try Everything Twice, 2017, 24″x30″x1.5″, oil on canvas

 

Mae West said, “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to be sure.” This painting uses tropical-colored symmetry and exuberant leaf forms to celebrate the joy of being bold and finding adventure everywhere… then doing it again.

 



 

Transformation is on view every weekend May 12 through June 17, 1-6pm, with a Meet the Artists Opening Day Reception on May 12th and live music and performances every weekend.

 

Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition
481 Van Brunt Street, Door 7
Red Hoook, Brooklyn (view map)
www.bwac.org

 

 

In addition to Transformation, BWAC is also hosting Wide Open, works on a broad theme of openness; Recycle, works made with recycled and repurposed materials; In the Groove, original album cover art; and Dominica – After Maria: Hurricane Relief Fundraiser with works by Caribbean artists benefitting the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Management Agency (CEDMA).

 

I will be at both the Opening Day reception and working at the closing day auction on June 17th, where you have the opportunity to bid on small works by exhibiting artists, including my little painting Renewal, also from The Nature of Being series.

 

I hope to see you there!

 


Opening this weekend: Interactive


VB_Interactive_panel


Panel 175, featuring Discovery, Tenderness, and Fruition

 

I’m delighted to have three new paintings included in Interactive, presented by the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC), opening this weekend! Aromatherapy boxes augment the multisensory experience of the paintings in this series by evoking the memories, psychological associations, and subconscious effects of therapeutic-grade essential oils paired with corresponding images.

 


panel_side_view

 

Visitors are invited to breathe in the space above the box to experience the painting in conjunction with the scent. As part of the new Reminiscent series, I chose a series of essential oils that created an aromatherapeutic journey echoing the shifting energetic focus of three particularly significant inflection points in a person’s life.

 


discovery


Discovery – rosemary essential oil

Rosemary essential oil is used for refreshment, rejuvenation, and stimulating the flow of the conscious mind. This heightened alertness is paired with Fibonacci spirals in an image of discovering one’s connectedness and place in the natural world.

 


tenderness


Tenderness – jasmine essential oil

The fresh floral scent of jasmine evokes the exquisite, intoxicating delicacy of first kisses and falling in love in an image of the opening of infinite new possibilities from tender buds.

 


fruition


Fruition – cedarwood essential oil

A scent of fertility and abundance, cedarwood is associated with wisdom and beauty. This image explores plans and dreams in a life gathered together, a romantic love blooming to its fullness.

 


aromatherapy_box

The wood of the accompanying boxes acts as an aromatherapy diffuser, allowing the essential oils to travel through holes in the lid to create a fragrant and evocative space around the painting.

 


inside_box

Inside the box are soy wax and cotton pads impregnated with pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils. The box interiors have also been rubbed with scented wax and hot oil to enhance the aromatherapeutic experience.

 

Interactive_banner

 

Interactive is on view every weekend September 23 through October 15, 1-6pm with an opening reception this Saturday and performances every weekend.

 

481 Van Brunt Street, Door 7
Red Hoook, Brooklyn (view map)
www.bwac.org

 

In addition to Interactive, BWAC is also hosting Material Matters, a juried exhibit of clay, glass, and wood; Grand Installations, a pop-up photo exhibit, and the Really Affordable Art $how, so there is truly something for everyone. I hope to see you there!