Not Always Artful

What do I mean? Well, surviving a fire, moving, throwing out paintings, clothes etc has not been the artful life I expected, but I have been creative in my dealing with it. And that is still going on with how to have a more mobile studio.

Now it is a focus of mine to paint and draw as often as possible. I got to take a break from all the fire damage and go to my planned painting workshop with Stuart Shils at the Truro Center For The Arts at Castle Hill.  He suggested doing fast paintings to develop my "visual musculature" as he would say, to learn how to see and respond to what I see. What a challenge to do 22 minute paintings about  9" x 12"  or so. Now to do the work: "to do one punch, one must do a million punches."

Painting Empty

"Downtown Shadows"

Oil on Paper

7" x 11.5"

What do I mean painting empty? Feeling empty, tired, But what really is "empty"? For me empty means, ironically, too full, had a tiring day or week of work. It means I need "defragging": clearing out all the garbage in my brain so I can create. Today, I decided no ideas coming so, just show up at the easel to paint. I think the process of painting defragged my brain; just the process of doing it helped empty my brain, made me feel clearer. This is the defragging painting above, quickly photographed and probably will see stuff to change later.

Do you feel this way at times?  Please feel free to share with me your feelings and your methods to jump start yourself  are post here are click my facebook link to share on  Judy Holder's Studio.

Tiny Art Show

Evening Sun

oil on panel

3.25" x 3"

Showing a few tiny paintings with other artist at The Kitchen Gallery July 6th Sat 6-9pm. All paintings under 6".  Come and enjoy the Tiny Art Show closing, 140c State St / Green St in New London CT.

2013 Connecticut Women Artists Members Juried Exhibition

"Thames Moonlight 1"
Oil on Panel, 9" x 12"

Two of my Thames Moonlight series paintings have been accepted for the Connecticut Women Artists, Inc. (CWA)  2013 Members Juried Exhibition in West Hartford. I joined the CWA this year and this is my first time exhibiting with them. Vivian Zoe, director of the Slater Memorial Museum is this year's juror, so being accepted is a genuine honor and compliment.

The exhibition runs June 1- June 21,  2013, at the West Hartford Art League Clubhouse Gallery, 37 Buena Vista Road; opening reception and awards ceremony takes place Sunday June 9, 2-4 pm.


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"Thames Moonlight 2"
Oil on Panel, 9" x 12"

 The emotional pull of the full moon sometimes draws me outside to looking at and, in this instance, painting the view. But it's difficult to time things just right, so that I am there at that moment, to see the full moon, to capture the expansive sky and reflections under the moon's light.  So often when I see a perfect view of the moon that begs me to paint it, I'm in my car driving on the way to somewhere else.

Hazy Spring Day

8.50" x 8.50 " oil on paper

This piece was inspired by a misty day at Conn College Arboretum in New London CT.  I challenged myself to use more white pigment than I usually do.  White is a double-edged sword in a painting: it's useful for creating a sense of "distance", but it can also create muddy or chalky tones. This time I got the balance to my liking. I enjoyed creating the feeling of an overcast misty day with chromatic gray trees, against a sliver of new spring green grass. 

Artists to View: Stuart Shils & Annie Wildey

Recently I've discovered two visual artists I would like to share with you. The first one is Stuart Shils, a Philadelphia-based artist. I love his simple statements of paint that catch a moment in time full of atmosphere, and spontaneous brush work.

Stuart Shils Website

Interview with Shils by Nicolai Fox, 2012 :

"The path we are trying to make and to stay on is to work and to follow that internal, flickering meter of response, intuitively, and at the same time to be aware of the intellectualized/analytical mind and history; and concurrently, pushing it all away. But where is that other place...? That place is not in the intellect, it’s something else and you have to go out there as a foot soldier ready for battle and willing to risk desperation."  

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Annie Wildey is an artist based in CT.  Landscapes are one of my favorite subjects; but in this case it is not just the subject matter that appeals to me in Annie's artwork. Her ability to describe the water and distant atmosphere with her brush or palette knife is exceptional, and it carries over to her urban scapes.  I like that some of the painted edges are sharp, while the remainder are lost in the haze of atmosphere.

   Annie Wildey's Website

Interview with Wildey on Polly Seip's Blog, 2012 :
"First and foremost I make art, because I am moved by something. This might be found in a rusty urban underpass, a seascape, the fog.... I tend to be drawn to moments and experiences, capturing the mundane, the overlooked, finding beauty in the banal, simple everyday moments or the force of nature."

MoonWater

Moon Water
Oil on Paper Study
Approx 7" x 5"

Enjoy playing in my sketchbook with oil paints sometimes. I have to work quickly, and that encourages me to be more spontaneous. This is a night time view of the Thames River in New London, near my home, looking towards the Groton side of the river. 

Early Mondrian Landscape at the Yale Art Gallery

Recently I visited the newly restored and re-opened galleries at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, and was surprised by the depth and breadth of their collections.  "By the Sea"  (1909) by Piet Mondrian was one of the biggest surprises. I have always associated him with his geometric abstractions painted circa 1925 - 1940's. So if you can, go enjoy all the art work in person.

Another Site for a few Paintings

"Sunset Silver"

6" x 8"

Encaustic on Panel

           For Some Paintings not on Auction To Purchase , feel free to check the link below:

                                               http://jholderfineart.bigcartel.com/