Kingston Gallery Show

Here's a peek at the Kingston Gallery show that occurred last Friday night. It was a lot of fun; a beautiful summer night with many friends and walk-ins taking advantage of our treats as well as enjoying the display. I've had a lot of fun working with the other associates.

We got along well and did a good job considering our work runs the gamut of styles and techniques. For a look at all the participants you can go to the gallery website at www.KingstonGallery.com.

Here are some installation views :

In this one my work Tomato is on the back wall and another is first on the left. It's called Money Plant, which is the actual name of the plant. The other painting is by Chantal Hardy, who if you were there was wearing a terrific pink polka dot dress. I'm sorry there's no picture!

In this one, the painting on the left is mine: Flag, and Joan Benotti's work is on the right.

Also for the opening, my daughter Jay and I collaborated on making a dress. It was modeled from my painter's smock; an old dress from the 70's

Here also is a view of Jay working on the fabric and a detail of the results. Great Stuff!

Thanks to all who came out. It was great to see you! The show will be up until the end of August and I will be gallery sitting on the 19th and 20th. Check it out!

Kingston Gallery

I have a show coming up the beginning of August, opening on the 6th at the Kingston Gallery (www.kingstongallery.com) and I am fussing with my picks. One of my paintings, Tomato, was also chosen to be part of the Blanche Ames Foundation Exhibition. That will be in September at Borderland in North Easton, Mass. I have visited the site and it's a beautiful park with a large house where the gallery is. Not having visited previous shows, it will be a surprise... but the location overall seems just right.

Here's another shot from my last visit to the garden.

It harkens back to the first painting I did that started me on the Garden Series of paintings.

This is called Flower for Manet.


There's a beautiful picture at the MFA of his favorite model with a brown background.

That painting along with the big Eakins show in the 80's pushed me toward doing portraits. I love the high contrast of the brown and subtle pinks and the sense of distance you get from the model.

I also love Manet's small flower paintings.

Which, by the way, he did as gifts for his friends. They would bring him flowers when he was ill, he would paint them, and give them back. So my painting is an homage as well as my attempt to start on a quest to "meet the master."

I am also going back to the beaches; Cranes, in Ipswich in particular, to take photos for new paintings of bathers. The winds were up again so I couldn't help but take more towel shots. A few here which could be reinterpreted in a painting and hopefully call to mind other references.

A shout out to friends and readers:
Enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer!

Painting, Not Blogging

I have been busy painting, not blogging. So the garden is two months into its growing season. A lot has gone on and even though I have missed the peonies for the most part, there are still a few left. I often think I won't find new stuff to be curious or excited about but somehow I always do. Needless to say it is continually beautiful.. (too bad you can't smell it too.)




I focused this time on some more of the human additions to the garden's abundance. Some interesting possibilities, which I am posting here, may get painted, now that I am into gold and silver leaf. The latest painting image in Garden on my web site, has an example of my struggles with the material. It's so delicate that it blows away at the slightest breath. It suits the transience of the subject.

Meanwhile, I'm finding the connection here between the "tinker petals" and the flowers and myself. Some child painted that petal and had a great time. Wish I could do the same. It's so spontaneous! No struggle there! And I enjoy the gaudiness of the "flags" which are used to scare away the birds.

Here are some human additions as well as flowers to enjoy.

And lastly..two other images from totally different aesthetic places.

A beautiful painting by Fitz Hugh Lane from a visit to the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester.

And a photo from the Shell Shack at Islamorada, the Keys, Florida. If you enlarge, you'll see all the stuff better. The place was jam packed and what colors!

Note to Start

Note to Start: My intention is to focus primarily on my newest efforts, art related thoughts and inspirations. We'll see how it goes ( or grows ).

Lately I have been really thinking about photography and I am in the process of a new venture with my graphics/fabric designer daughter, Jay Hallstein, whose work you can see at www.minchouse.com.

Later in August I will be part of a show at Kingston gallery where I am now an associate member. So here is my second link: www.kingstongallery.com

My third and forth links go to Hal, my son, out in Boulder who has helped redesign my web page and set me up with this blog: www.sankalagroup.com or www.greenbookmarks.com. Many thanks from a grateful Ma.

And this is also a Shout Out to all my students who I will be sending this to, so we can keep in touch. I'll to link to you too if you want. Hoping all are well and continuing to be involved in art in any and every way possible. Please send this ahead to anyone who would be interested.

Meanwhile, I've been working from the local community garden for the past five years. This year I am trying to visit at least once a week and my intention is to make a BIG painting next winter. So you'll be seeing some shots from the garden which may not make it into art, but follow my thoughts as I visit. The gardens are just now setting up to be planted. There are spring flowers blooming, but most are just warming up. Last time I was there I was struck by all the left overs, remnants from the previous summer; the tie ups used in fencing, the things left behind. Seems like a good metaphor for the complicated relationship we have with nature. After all; who's controlling who?... At the garden, it looks totally symbiotic. So, here are some shots from that: