Owl Number 2

Having had some success with the production of my first oil painting of an owl which was entitled "Night Watch" and was exhibited last year at the annual fall exhibition of the Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, New Hampshire, I was inspired to attempt a painting of another owl.  The result is seen at the left.  I feel pleased with this painting and like the way the blue background causes the animal to stand out.  Each time I paint an animal I find that I learn new strokes and techniques.  There is so much for an artist to learn and the process is lifelong one.  This painting hangs in my Western Avenue studio in suite #326 and is available for purchase.

Interpretation Of The Old Town Hall Chelmsford - Now The Center for the Arts

In July 2012 a celebration of the opening of the newly restored 1879 Old Town Hall in Chelmsford ocurred and it is now know as the Chelmsford Center for the Arts. The inaugural exhibition in the new art gallery consisted only of works depicting this iconic architectural treasure.  This is also the home base of the Chelmsford Art Society of which I am a member. My submission to this juried show is shown at the left.  The inaugural show hung from July 3rd until July 29th with the openning reception on July 5th.
Produced rather quickly I am somewhat pleased with the results and was honored to be a part of this innagural exhibition.  The photo to the left was not optimal showing lighting shadows and cropping on the right side.

Catching Up Again

          I cant believe that it has been so long since my last post!  I guess I am the world's most reluctant blogger.  I will try to keep up with posting my more recent work.  I have been working on several new paintings and have most recently reorganized my studio in suite #326 at the Western Avenue Studios.  Both of my original studio mates have moved on, Paula Mingolelli (thecreativehands@comcast.net) has moved into her own studio on the fourth floor in the A mill and Winnie Liakos no longer maintains a studio at the Western Avenue complex.  I am happy to announce that I have two new studio mates Denis Rainis and Judy Heron.  Denise works in many media including watercolors, pastels, and oils and Judy works in watercolors, oils and is a talented photographer.  I have also moved my position into the rear left area of the studio which is quite large at 530 square feet, and we are in the process of creating a small gallery in the front of the studio where we can showcase art from all three artists.

        At Western Avenue many changes have taken place.  There are now 40 new live in studio lofts, as well as 35 new studios on the 4th floor of the A mill.  Plans are being implemented which will create more studio space on the 1st floor of the A mill.  Soon there will be a new entrance into the complex and more windows will be added.  The parking lots have been reconfigured and new landscaping and lighting has been installed.  The cooperative Loading Dock Gallery and the Loading Dock area are also being remodeled.

      The most exciting thing to happen in recent weeks is that at our annual kick off party held by Karl, the building owner, we were informed that we are now the largest community of artists in a complex under one roof in New England and perhaps in the entire country.

      So as you can see much has happened in the last year.  In the next posts I will attempt to post some of the work that
I have recently produced and as always your comments are always welcome.   Be sure and visit Western Avenue the first Saturday of every month from 12 noon to 5pm, when "Open Studios" happens and most artists can be found in their studios willing to talk about and sell their work.

Senior Holiday Card Contest

Each Year the Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, William Galvin sponsors a Senior Holiday Card Contest at the Mass. Archives Building at the Commonwealth Museum at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston, Massachusetts. In this the 15th Year of the contest I was pleased to learn that my oil painting entitled "Winter Solitude" was awarded a 2nd Place in the Museum Committee Awards Category.  This contest is open to seiors 62 years of age or older.  The pictures below are a close-up of this painting, the painting hanging in the Commonwealth Museum, Director of Archives Comeau making the presentation, a picture of myself and my cousin Sandra Regan of Winthrop Massachusetts who also placed 2nd in the mixed media category, a picture of Richard Mangino of Revere a quadruple amputee from Revere who painted his entry using his mouth before becoming the first double hand transplant recipient and whom we are all inspired by and proud of, and finally members of my Monday Cameron Senior Center Open Studio Group from Westford, Massachusetts with their award winning paintings.  This group mentored by Marie Stabile of Westford was very well represented at a special luncheon and awards ceremony held at the Commonwealth Museum.  In addition these painters will have a special Artists Showcase for the Month of November at the Cameron Senior Center in Westford on 20 Pleasant Street which is open to the public with a special meet the artists opportunity on November 17th from 3 PM until 8PM at theCameron Center.  Light refreshments will be available.  Come meet these talented artists and renew or make new acquaintances.  Many of the art pieces on display will be for sale.



Lowell Open Studios

This was a very busy weekend since it was the 11th City Wide Open Studios in Lowell, MA.  Special activities and demonstrations took place in many of the studios located throughout the city.  Shuttle bus transportation was available to those wishing to visit several of the studio complexes in Lowell. At my studio in suite #326 at Western Avenue Studios many friends and other art viewers were in attendance and all paintings were offered for sale.  The annual fall event was the most successful in 11 years and more than 2000 people came to view the great art at Western Avenue Studios. If comments overheard were any indication of how satisfied participants were with this experience, we can look forward to many other Western Avenue Activities. For the artists and their families the building owner Karl Frey organized the 7th annual pot luck dinner and party on Friday night October 30th in the Loading Dock of Western Avenue and announced several new accomplishments of the artist's community including the installation of more than 900 solar panels on the roof of the building which will produce approximately 60% of electricity used in studios by artists. In addition is was announced that 50 live-in studios are being constructed and should be available for occupancy in the Spring of 2012.  Western Avenue Studios certainly is a vibrant and alive place for artists to work and have fun.

Entry For Beaver Brook Association Fall Festival Show In Hollis, NH.

This painting which I have titled "Night Watch" was a commission for a client who is a collector of owls. This particular owl is a snowy owl. The painting was a new challenge for me and was worked on for much of the month of September for entry into the Beaver Brook Association of Hollis, New Hampshire's Fall Festival. The painting was on Exhibit at the Maple Hill Farm for the show which was entitled Nature Beckons from September 22nd through the 25th. The new artwork criteria for the show accented New England natural settings or art which reflects a nature theme.  Manmade structures and domesticated animals could not be included in landscapes or be the focus of the art. I was quite pleased at the results achieved and learned a great deal about representing birds in painting. Since this was a commission the painting was not offered for sale.

Summer Work

Although the summer has been quieter for me in terms of production of new paintings, I have worked on a few new pieces.  This piece which is called Winter Solitude is a view of the Massachusetts State House which I produced for the 15th Annual Seniors Holiday Card Contest sponsored by the Secretary Of State William Galvin's Office.  The contest is open to all citizens 62 and over.  The paintings are hung in a gallery upstairs in the Commonwealth Museum located at the Massachusetts Archives Building on Columbia Point at 220 Morrisey Boulevard in Boston, Massachusetts during November and early December.  Two paintings will be chosen to be reproduced and these cards will be sold at the State House Gift Shop with the name of the artist printed on the card. Winning artists will be presented in a ceremony to be held at the Commonwealth Museum and all entering artists will be recognized a a special luncheon sponsored by Secretary Galvin's office. I am relatively happy with the results in this painting and attempted to convey a moodf of quiet and solitude on Beacon Hill.