In Monet’s Garden

15 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

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MOMA, Monet, New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

There are times when I just want to escape from what I call “trauma porn”, that constant bombardment of the dark, angry words and images so prevalent at this moment in our society. It’s everywhere and it must sell well. I know there is distress and war and hardship in the world. And that should never be hidden. But the media feeds on it, and it seems like lately there is not a healthy balance with the more introspective, peaceful side of our society. There has to be an equal emphasis on good and what is enriching rather than only a biased focus on terror, anger and turmoil. How else will we be able to find our own personal balance?

What better place to contemplate the good than Monet’s garden, even if it is only at the Museum of Modern Art on a cold February morning.

I actually began working on a very different painting right before New Year’s. People often ask me how long a painting takes to complete. Well, it all depends.

I was trying to come to grips with a scene I had noticed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Four women were sitting sketching and it intrigued me. What a positive way to spend a morning. I worked on it for over a month.

But it just never came together the way I wanted it to. I couldn’t seem to find what Alex Katz (one of my favorite artists) calls the “inside energy”. This piece was not going there. I finally decided it was time to erase it from the expensive linen and begin again. And what better place to go than Monet’s gardens.

These Monets are at MOMA in NYC. After my trip there in early February, I was drawn to these two extraordinary paintings. The museum curators had moved them to a different gallery since the last time I was there, and it was quieter and more removed from the crowds.

I found these two women each transfixed by “Water Lilies” and “Agapanthus”. A recurring theme of mine in this series of paintings is how art and museums bring us to a more positive, introspective state. No bi-partisan arguing. No shrill media. As far as I can tell almost everyone finds peace and tranquility with a Monet. And if they want to explore a darker side, there are other galleries and paintings that focus on that. It’s all so civilized in a museum.

When I start a painting I am concerned with what the artist David Salle recently described in an article as an “alignment of intention, talent and form”. He suggests the art of painting on canvas has returned to importance, if it ever left. And these three values are what create a masterful painting.

I know Monet has this in his work. But do I? Can I?

I constantly strive for that interior energy in a painting. And my subject (or intent) is often an interpretation of ourselves attempting those perfect moments of contemplation. I’ll leave the dark side for others to explore for now. Monet certainly helps.

“In Monet’s Gardens”, oil on linen, 36″ x 24″, with thanks to MOMA and Monet.

Art and Commerce

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

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MOMA, New York City, The Museum of Modern Art

It is always a delicate balance between the creation of art, and the financial swirl that may or may not surround it. Being at Art Basel and Art Miami made me even more aware of that. For commercial galleries the emphasis on sales and collectors is obvious. But what of museums? The balance between exhibitions and ticket sales must always be on their minds.

This scene at MOMA in New York City last February (2014) illustrates it beautifully.

Above is London-based Isaac Julien’s immersive film installation Ten Thousand Waves. It was astounding to see the vibrant, moving images projected on to 9 double-sided screens on the level above the main entrance lobby and ticket area.

No matter where you went through the museum that day, it would etch into your vision, interweaving contemporary Chinese culture with its ancient myths

Like the person leaning on the railing above on the edge of the Marron Atrium, I would wander in and out of the staging area, being as interested in the music and sounds, as well as its sequenced images.

Below on the main floor of The Museum of Modern Art, people are at the desk waiting for information and tickets, anxious to get to the scene above. Art and commerce…always a tenuous connection.

Ten Thousand Waves was conceived as a “reflection of the movement of people across continents”. A lofty attempt to explore our world. A world that must also include the financial realities of art.

My painting Above and Below, 24 x 36″, oil on linen.

Overture: The Met

02 Tuesday Sep 2014

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forsythia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of art has been a place I’ve returned to again and again over the years. I grew up on Long Island and escaped whenever possible in to the city. The Met, MOMA, Central Park…lucky girl. They all still feel like home.

No matter how short the train ride from where I lived on the north shore to Penn Station, the anticipation would build to full, blown out excitement.

I still feel that anticipation. And a visit last winter to the Metropolitan gave me the same feeling. This time the trip was longer, and I took a plane rather than the train. It was absolutely frozen outside. But inside it was golden. Huge boughs of forsythia were everywhere in the main lobby.

The crowds shed their coats and strolled under the yellow petals waiting for the day to begin. It was like hearing an orchestra tune up before the concert starts.

After plotting the course of the day throughout the museum and lingering for a few moments more under the spring flowers…

finally they moved into the hallowed halls.

What a perfect introduction to a magnificent museum. This is “Overture: The Met” which I completed this summer. It never gets old. The museum and painting in my studio are both wonderful.

Spring Morning: The Met

08 Saturday Mar 2014

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Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, oil painting

The second in a series of gallery paintings I worked on this winter is a 30 x 24″ oil called Spring Morning. In many ways it was the most complicated of the three. Dealing with architectural elements is always a challenge for me, and this scene was no exception. But the lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is magnificent, and worth the effort.

I try to work out problem areas early, before I put paint to canvas. Sometimes the drawing is one of the most difficult phases, especially in these with multiple perspectives and an overhead viewpoint.

Notice in the upper left hand corner where I realized in time that my floor tiles were out of line.

I didn’t notice an issue with the center podium under the flowers until later in the process.

The proportion and scale were slightly off. Still easily fixable at this point. One of the hardest lessons to learn is to look carefully, then look again. A lot of time I find a tea break and coming back with a fresh eye helps to see issues.

Often I photograph the work in progress (therefore all these lovely progression photos). When I put the image up on my computer screen I often spot something that I might not notice staring constantly at the actual canvas. Rather like a fresh pair of eyes on a new point of view.

Sometimes I look at a black & white version of it on the computer to check my contrast and shadows. It all helps.

And finally comes my favorite part…adding detail and breathing life in to the work. I work on mood and shadows, depth and atmosphere. On this piece I actually ran a glaze with a golden hue over the canvas to soften and unite the many parts near the final phase. Each day it progressed in the rich layers of transparent color and small detailed highlights.

Until, as in this case, the soft light streaming through the doors adds a glow to the entire scene.

All photos and images by me.

Winter Scenes

11 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, MOMA, New York City, Snow

I am back from New York City, and busy in the studio trying to complete three canvases I have been working on since before Christmas. Tonight there is a possibility of freezing rain. Winter.

I am never happier than in my studio when the work is going well, no matter what the weather outside.

But as content as I am, I miss the snow and museums of last week’s visit to New York.

Even as I work at my easel, my thoughts continually return to those amazing winter scenes of Central Park. Perhaps because I grew up in New York, no matter how cold or uninviting it may seem to most tourists, I still gain new energy from it whatever the weather.

The last Friday of my visit I got up and out early so I could get to the Museum of Modern Art right as it opened. Usually that is not the smartest strategy, but I figured with the frigid temps (high of 22 degrees that day), the usual opening line would be diminished.

I was right. I walked right up to the ticket desk and passed information to check my coat. There was an amazing multi-screen installation in the upper lobby which I went in and out of all day.

I was ready for MOMA.

Always one of my favorite museums, I have read recently that MOMA is getting ready to do a major renovation. I’m not sure how I feel about that. So much of the museum seems still familiar to me from my youth, even though I know they have changed things before now.

Still, walking through the galleries, I feel like I have come home.

I’ll never tire of the museum, no matter what they do to expand or rearrange it.

And even though some of the more contemporary exhibitions can be daunting, I still find favorites mixed in.

I am not as much into experimental or performance art. I still prefer paint on canvas or paper, or sculpture that seems to recall rather than confound.

But the whole package is sublime, and the images kept me warm all day whether inside…

…or back out into the winter fantasy of Central Park.

Sometimes a winter day is the perfect day to be in the city.

All photos by me of Central Park and MOMA.

Winter Escape

06 Thursday Feb 2014

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Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

I have been putting a lot of hours in at the studio over the past several months and loving every minute of it. What better way to spend this long, cold winter.

Fifth Avenue, next to Central Park, in New York City.

But at times the artist needs to go out in to the real world to find new inspiration and increase their artistic vocabulary. A good friend of mine, and wonderful painter, was having a show in New York City this week, and I decided it was the push I needed to go up north and revisit the area that had inspired me so much in the past. And a little snow never hurt anyone.

Entering Central Park early in the morning.

After one plane delay, and many icy encounters, I reached New York City. And it was magical in the snow. I started my visit by entering Central Park’s south edge early the next morning…

Entering the Mall area.

The avenue of old elms was closed to pedestrian traffic for fear of falling ice and branches.

Benches are waiting for spring.

And ended at the Metropolitan Museum of Art….

The lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

which was bursting with forsythia. Spring must not be too far off.

I spent hours wandering through the maze of galleries…

visiting old favorites,

Degas and Ballet…classic beauty

and discovering new surprises.

In the Asia wing, these classic statues...

In the Asia wing, these imposing statues…

face off with this contemporary brushwork.

It was as wonderful as I remembered.

A group of artists spend their morning sketching.

I only gave up when my legs couldn’t walk one more step, and stopped at the American Wing Cafe to take a break.

I think I’ll dream about forsythia tonight.

And remember enough images for a seasons worth of inspiration.

Why travel abroad?

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

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Joshua Tree, New York City, Paris

Many Americans do not have a passport, which is unimaginable to me. Statistics estimate only about 30% of Americans have passports.

Grand Central Terminal, New York City. Photo by me.

When My Beloved Brit first came to America to be with me, he was stunned by how large this country really is. One long drive from Washington, DC to Maine and he had a much better understanding of why so many Americans never leave home.

My Beloved Brit in Maine. Photo by me.

You want palm trees, we’ve got Hawaii, or Florida–from St. Augustine to Key West.

A cruise ship departs from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Photo by me.

Big cities? Of course. On both coasts, and top and bottom.

Times Square, New York City. Photo by me

The metro in LA, California. Photo by me

Mountains? Try out west or the gentler slopes of Vermont.

Driving cross-country, we understood what they meant by “big sky country”. Photo by me

MBB at Yosemite, and yes, he is hating the cold. Photo by me.

Dessert…yup.

Joshua Tree...the dessert in the snow. Photo by me.

Joshua Tree near Palm Springs…the dessert in the snow. Photo by me.

Crossing western Texas. Photo by me.

Oceans…two of them.

The Atlantic on the east coast. Photo by me.

And lots of bays.

My Beloved Brit looking towards San Francisco on the west coast. Photo by me

Green lanes, quaint villages and lush gardens…New England was named that because it must have reminded the settlers of home.

A quiet stroll in Bath, England. You could easily find a similar scene in New England in America.

We do love exploring these great United States, but there is something totally astounding about going to a new land where the currency, the language (and being married to MBB, I am convinced American and British are two different forms of English), the food, and the customs are, well, foreign.

A cafe in Paris with this architecture is unique to the city.

A cafe in Paris under these ancient columns is so “Parisian”.

I love escaping from my own comfortable cocoon and going to a world where nothing is quite so familiar.

Versailles in early spring. Photo by me.

And of course, that is what I do with my art.

Me at Capa Rocha. Portugal

And one of the many “Wave” paintings that came from this journey. painting by me.

But you must already know that if you read this blog.

(For information on the creativity workshop “The Creative Journey: finding inspiration in travel for the visual artist”, click on “workshop” at the top of this page.)

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, entertainment, Gardens, London, paintings, sketching, Travel, Uncategorized

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Central Park, New York City, Paris, St James's, The Tuileries

I have always loved large cities. And traveling has just increased that love and fascination. What is it about these magnificent cities that lure me back again and again?

A Paris street. Photo by me

I think there is something incredibly special about spending a day in a major city–visiting museums,

maybe a movie or a show…

Times Square in New York City, featuring a movie, a play or just people watching. Photo by me.

or a bit of leisurely window shopping…

Window shopping in Paris. Photo by me.

A shop windows near St. James Palace in London, photo by me

A shop windows near St. James’s Palace in London, photo by me.

And then when you have just about had enough (but never quite), and your feet cannot carry you another block, you find a corner of a cozy park to settle down in with a cup of coffee or a cold drink.

A quiet corner of Central Park, NYC, in summer. Photo by me.

Central Park in summer, with a jazz musician playing under the bridge. Photo by me.

I think it is part of what makes a great city, well, great. A green oasis in the center of the bustle and noise. They have their own excitement and energy…

Central Park in summer, photo by me.

But also moments of peace and tranquility.

Sailing boats in Central Park, NYC. Photo by me.

Of course, I grew up near New York City on Long Island, and spent many happy hours in Central Park. And in the decades I worked in Washington, DC as a graphic designer, I also had a small studio apartment in NYC right across the street from Central Park. I could walk out the door of the building, cross the heavy traffic of Central Park West and I was in that very special place…a city park.

One of Central Park’s Broad Avenues. Photo by me

I have many images of Central Park that I have been looking at and sketching as part of the “Cities” series of paintings I have been working on this year. One of the things I have noticed working on this series is how similar the great parks are. Although each region has its own personality, the parks also have common elements–the broad walking paths, gorgeous ancient trees, people playing games…socializing…walking, and cool swaths of rolling lawn. And of course a water feature.

St. James Park, London. Photo by me.

In London, I think my favorite park is St. James’s Park.

The London park’s incredible flowers. Is it the abundance of rain? Photo by me.

Right down the street from Buckingham Palace you can always find a garden or a group of ducks on the edge of the lake that help to rejuvenate you.

One of St. James’s noisiest residents. Photo by me.

Kensington Gardens, a Royal Park, is one of my new favorites in London, just between Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. On my last trip to London in November it was golden, and I managed to take lots of pictures.

Kensington Park, London. Photo by me.

Luckily a painting was born. I look at this, and see any of the parks I have visited in large cities. This is just the beginning, but although it is Kensington, it could be a scene in New York or Paris.

The beginning of a painting of Kensington Park. Oil sketch by me

The three women are connecting with each other as they stroll through the lanes. You can hear children playing the background, maybe a dog barking, but mostly it is a quiet space where the women stroll in their own special world. The beauty of parks in a big city is it offers the residents a place to come together before retreating back to their small, or large, living spaces behind locked doors.

It reminds me of the painting I did of Bath, England a few years ago. The two women are alone under the trees walking and talking.

“The Voyeur”, painting by me.

In Paris, my favorite park is definitely, without a doubt, the Tuileries. It is a spectacular park. And is so “Parisian”.

The Tuileries in Paris. Photo by me.

All the elements of the other parks are there. The social games…

My version of the scene…

The water feature…

The edge of the Tuileries with the Louvre in the background. Photo by me.

The grand trees and broad avenues …

A lovely road through the park. Photo by me.

In Paris, everything is so neatly trimmed unlike the wild abandon of the English parks…

Kensington’s ducks being fed. Photo by me.

Or the naturally sculpted woods of Central Park…

Central Park’s rolling lawns. Photo by me.

But each has its own special magic. I can’t imagine if I really had to pick a favorite, which it would be.

Good night, dear cities. Sleep well. Your parks will wake up early in the morning.

Paris from my hotel window. Just beyond the rooftops, is The Tuileries. Photo by me.

Taxi, take two!

01 Friday Feb 2013

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MOMA, New York City, taxi

In early 2011, I did a small painting that is still one of my personal favorites…”NYC:Taxi (winter)”. The small 16″ x 12″ painting evoked the classic New York City street scene in winter, which I viewed from the window of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The woman I saw from my perch actually had the hat on that matched the color of the taxi she was trying to hail.

NYC:Taxi (winter), painting by me

When I returned to New York City this past summer, of course I went over to MOMA. And there I looked out the same window, and saw the same street scene in a totally different light.

From the window of MOMA. Photo by me

I began to sketch from the photos with the winter painting in mind. I wanted this small painting to echo the first.

The photo is referenced but the composition changed slightly.

The isolation of the small figure hailing the taxi is still there as in the first painting, but the surroundings have changed with the season.

The taxi is centered.

The middle of the work, where decisions about color and lightness are made. I can go back and forth for days deciding on contrast, brightness and emphasis.

And finally, it is complete.

NYC: Taxi (summer)

It has been a journey, but I love the story these two paintings tell.

My favorite spot, at the easel in my studio. photo by me.

Click on “workshop” at the top of the page for information on the September destination creativity workshop in Bath, England.

MOMA, Joan and New York City

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

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Joan Mitchell, MOMA, New York City, texting

When I was in high school, more years ago than I like to admit, I escaped to New York City to The Museum of Modern Art as often as possible. I grew up on Long Island, and “The City”, as we called Manhattan, was magnetic, always drawing me in.

A group of us would take the train in, and spend hours looking at the art at MOMA. We would then sit in the sculpture courtyard talking about what we saw, lingering forever over one cup of coffee or a cold drink, feeling very grown up, modern and inspired.

Matisse at MOMA. Photo by me

On my last visit to MOMA this past summer, so much seemed the same even after the huge remodeling of this important museum several years ago. The groups of young adults lingering in the museum seemed the same, although the cafe on the edge of the sculpture garden has gone. Instead these art lovers gather on benches near the lobby under the great paintings and soaring architecture.

MOMA’s admissions lobby. Photo by me

More often than not, however, they seem not to be talking, but rather texting. Every museum I visit around the world, there always seems to be this texting thing. Huddled in small groups, they hold these small objects, fingers moving furiously over the surface. Are they still “talking” about art? Do they feel grown up and modern with the new technology?

Underneath a stunning Joan Mitchell (Wood, Wind, No Tuba, 1980) at MOMA, everyone was lined up on the benches, tired from walking through the galleries…texting or tweeting. I must admit, I love the new technology, but do we still share experiences with those we are with, or are we always looking out to the “net” beyond?

A group of young adults relaxing after their day at the museum. Sketch by me

Fleshing out color. Photo by me

Joan Mitchell’s painting dominates the color palette and the scene. Does anyone notice?. Painting by me.

The process of adding detail, and balancing the figures with the art.

Finished! “MOMA and Joan”. Painting by me.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Photo by me

I just hope this new generation of museum goers finds as much joy in their memories as I have. I think they will find their own way to remember the moment.

By the way, Joan Mitchell often painted diptychs as we see here.

Joan Mitchell’s Wood, Wind, No Tuba. 2 panels 9′ 2 1/4″ x 13 1 1/8″. Brilliant!

I love that…how the two canvases would actually work as separate pieces but worked as a whole together. Hockney was another one who use this structure of multiple canvas, and at times I have been known to use this method.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Tag Archives: New York City

In Monet’s Garden

Art and Commerce

Overture: The Met

Spring Morning: The Met

Winter Scenes

Winter Escape

Why travel abroad?

City Parks: London, Paris & New York

Taxi, take two!

MOMA, Joan and New York City