Land, Sky, Water Painting

No this isn't a winter scene, but visualize this to stay warm.

Land, Sky, Water # 1

Oil on Panel  8" x  6"

$140.00 (USD) Free shipping within USA.
(Buyers outside of US, please contact me via email.)

New Painting: P'town Dunes

"P'town Dunes"

9" x 12" 1" oil on panel

Painted while I was in Cape Cod. The light on the dunes in September inspired me and reminded me why the Cape was such a popular art colony in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

$280.00 (USD) Free shipping within USA.
(Buyers outside of US, please contact me via email.)

Available for sale HERE at my Daily Paintworks gallery or buy now:

New Painting: Jamestown Fishing

"Jamestown Fishing"

5" x 7" x .0.25"

Jamestown Island is one of Rhode Island's hidden gems, tucked away from it's more famous neighbor, Newport.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT : TOM THOMSON (1877 - 1917)

Tom Thomson fishing at Algonquin Provencial Park, circa 1914 - 1916 

(Library and Archives Canada)

I decided to start a weekly blurb on different artists I admire and that continue to influence my art. And Tom Thomson's paintings still catch and hold my gaze.

One new thing I learned about Tom that he lived in a shack rented for a $1.00 a month, so he could afford to go out into the wilderness and paint. Unfortunately Tom never came back from the wilderness to the cabin in 1917. His body was found floating in Canoe Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park nine days after he set off on his last painting expedition.

To see and learn more about Tom, the shack, his art and his artist friends who later became known as "The Group of Seven" go the following link:

Tom Thomson and Artist Friends

Tom Thomson, "Path Behind Mowat Lodge" (1917), oil on board;

the Art Gallery of Ontario

Sunny Day in the Hollow

"Sunny Day in the Hollow"

18" x 18" oil on linen

A recent painting done at a CT state park called Chatfield Hollow State Park. With the beautiful sunny days, I often feel torn between hiking and painting. I got to do both the day of this painting!

Shroomscapes: My Paintings at the 39th Annual NEMF Sam Ristich Foray

"Portabello Blues" 

Oil on panel

8" x 10" 

Eight of my "mushroom paintings" will be on display at Crozier-Williams Center on the Connecticut College campus in New London, Thursday, July 30th - Sunday, August 2nd New London for the 39th annual Northeast Mycological Association (NEMF) Sam Ristich Foray. Connecticut Valley Mycological Society (CVMS) is hosting the event this year at Conn College. 

My friend Laurie Gorham told me that She'd seen my earlier mushroom paintings and thought I could come up with more "portraits" for the conference.  Thank you Laurie for the heads-up!

Check out the organization's FB page here for more infomation on the conference, updates and   photographs by NEMF member of locally foraged mushroom, morels and fungi. 

"All in the Family"

Oil on Panel

8" x  8"

                                        

Bull Dogs

"Sam Side"

Miniature magnet (oil on panel)

 2" x 2"

"Sam Sitting"

 oil on panel

 7" x 5"

Two portaits I painted this year of a beautiful bulldog I briefly got to know.  The first one is a "miniature magnet painting": I attachd a super-strong 1" round magnet to the back of the panel to create an original work of art that can decorate the fridge, or office file cabinet. Who says art has to be restricted to white walls?

Lucy Kemp Welch A Painter of Horses

I have really enjoyed Laura Wortley's book Lucy Kemp-Welch: The Spirit of the Horse over the years. But it is time for me to part with it as I need to get rid of some quite good stuff.

Lucy Kemp-Welch (1877 - 1958) is best known for her illustrations for the 1915 edition of Black Beauty, but she had a long career as a painter and art educator at a time when women artists were still very rare. During World War One she was employed by the British Army to depict battle scenes.  

Here is a link to many paintings I have never seen and would love to see in person.

Slide Show of Lucy Kemp Welch Paintings

To buy my used copy in good condition click here 

The Spirit of the Horse , Artist Lucy Kemp Welch

Creating Another Hand (flex tool)

I was inspired recently by Carol Marine's description of how to use an adjustable arm with clamps on both ends as an extra "hand" to hold a viewfinder when painting still lifes from her book DAILY PAINTING (pp 82 - 84). Thank you Carol for sharing your ideas!

Now, I said to myself,  I can also use this to hold a reflector card when I photograph my artwork.

After researching the cost of this tool and reading some reviews of the quality of ready-made versions, I found this interesting video by knoptop on YouTube showing how to make a flexible clamp from an old lamp. Thank you knoptop for this video!

Below is my clamp that I made from an old lamp after watching knoptop's video. The lamp I found in a thrift for $3 already had a clamp on one end, so I removed the light fixture and replaced it with a smaller clamp to hold my viewfinder or reflector card; a small piece of flexible foam fills some of the space within the clamp for a secure hold.

FARM, WINERY & BISTRO III EXHIBITION RECEPTION THIS SUNDAY

"Barn Island Trees" 

Oil on Panel

8"H x10"W

Two of my recent landscape paintings have been accepted at the Chamard Vinyard / Six Summit Gallery invitational exhibition for Connecticut Women Artists, Inc (CWA, Inc) members.  

The opening reception is this Sunday, Dec 7th from 2-5pm at Chamard Vinyard in Clinton, CT. The vinyard is located at 115 Cow Hill Road, Clinton CT, 06413.

Dinner will be available before and after the reception; call 860-664-0299 to make your reservations.

The exhibition itself runs from January 23rd to March 22nd.

"Back Alley Light" accepted into Juried Exhibit "Surface and Depth"

"Back Alley Light"

Encaustic on Panel

18" H x 14" W x 3" D

 "Back Alley Light" was accepted into the juried exhibition "Surface and Depth" at The Golden Thread Gallery in West Hartford, CT. Tomorrow is the drop-off and the opening is next Saturday, September 13, 7pm - 8:30pm.

This painting is one of three of my "Back Alley" New London cityscape series. I wanted to create a look and feeling of gritty urban textures when they're "washed" by the late afternoon light from the intense late afternoon sky. The light in the city along the waterfront can make everything beautiful.

"Surface and Depth" runs from September 13 through November 1st at Golden Thread Gallery, 303 Tunxis Road | W.Hartford, CT 06107.

The Armory Show in NYC

The 2014 Armory Show :

My first time going to the Armory Show in NYC and here are a few of my favorite paintings I viewed.

                                                       

"Still Life with the White-Red Tomato" (2013) by Raimonds Staphrons, oil on canvas.

Looking at this painting in person I could see all the rich textures, subtle and not-so-subtle colors which activated the surface. I wish I could of gotten a better photo but actually seeing a painting always engages more of the senses.

"Half Salmon" (1961) by Wayne Thiebaud, oil on canvas.

 I am drawn to the physical plasticity of Thiebaud's paintings, how he juxtaposes chromatic grays and complimentary colors to create a vibratory effect. The surface becomes more than surface and has a life of its own.

A Day in NYC

8" x 6"

Oil on Paper

My goal here in this painting was to simplify my composition and stay away from detail.  I enjoyed my time in New York City but  I enjoyed pushing paint around more, sorta like the saying "I 'd rather be fishing"!

Park in the Park

Finally getting back to photographing my paintings after recovering from a house fire in August.  It has been slow getting stuff organized but I am getting back into the groove.  Being that it is winter now, I am painting inside using sketches and some photo reference with a lot of memory of how summer felt.

11" x  8" oil on paper

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."