Ready for Turkey?

October ended up scurrying away from me this year.  And here we are in November with turkeys on the horizon.  We'll see if I can make two posts this month!

I was in the final show of the year at the Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset this year.  I was pleased that one of my paintings made the show card and that we got such a nice write up in this paper. 

And it's show season in the art world right now.  I've got a new monotype mixed media unique print at the MGNE (Monotype Guild of New England) show at the Silver Center for the Art, at Plymouth University, 114 Main St, Plymouth, NH 03264

Should Have Listened to Rachael - monotype mixed media on photograph

I'm also working on a series of monotypes with mixed media I'm calling my French Series, as they include playing cards JK & I picked up someplace, that are French.  I had an artist friend of mine ask if I had any French heritage and I had to admit, that no, I'm merely Irish and English, but have loved the food and culture of France and of Quebec.  Matter of fact, the hubster and I tried to get married at his parents house on Bastille Day!  But because his parents lived just outside Milwaukee County, it wasn't possible so we got married on July 13th, a Friday and had our celebratory party on Bastille Day at his parents house with brats and beer.

The first in the series is Fouquet's Folly, soy ink monotype with mixed media elements, 8 x 8" and now hanging at the UMVA Gallery, inside the Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St., Portland, ME until the end of November.

After making it, my friend Gano Haine suggested that I do a whole series, and I figured I had enough of the paper that was printed with antique images from French sources and playing cards to pull it off.  Historically the joke was on Fouquet, who was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV.  Apparently he threw a big party for the King, who then suspected him of stealing from the state treasury and threw his ass in jail.  It was also interesting to do some research on the characters from the deck.

Next came The Reincarnation of Cardinal Mazarin, but on a 12 x 12" cradled panel, as are the rest of the pieces in the series.  He was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and politician who served as the Chief Minister to the King of France from 1642 until his death in 1661.  He collected diamonds.

This piece will be going into a show next year at the Waterfall Arts Center in Belfast, ME with the other members of the Midcoast Chapter of the UMVA.  The cardinal made a pile of money working for the king, so I envisioned him coming back as a businessman in the 19th century.  I also began to add marks from this terrific gold leafing pen and also stamped it and added washi tape.

Then we have the Reincarnation of Anne of Austria, who became a queen as the wife of King Louis XIII from their marriage in 1615 until Louis XIII died in 1643. She reincarnates into a Vogue model.

 

I think this piece will go into the January 2023 UMVA Midcoast show at the Camden Public Library.

We'll catch up to the rest of the series in the next post....  stay tuned!

Time to Blog for Peace

It's the day to launch my newest peace globe.  Many bloggers around the world are all focusing on peace in their blogs today and I am no exception.

 

If you'd like to join our efforts to focus on peace, here's some ideas at this site.

 

 

 

 

September Art Shows

 I'm lucky enough to have work in two different galleries for September.  I will be posting about the Quebec City trip and their terrific art museum later this week.  But here are the posters for the shows.  I won't be able to go to either reception because of previous commitments, but I hope that you can make one of them.  They are both group shows featuring some wonderful artists.  I'm thrilled to be included!

Everything, Everywhere

 To my twisted mind, that almost sounds like a covid joke.  Because the virus is everywhere and people are thinking that its over.  Even as a new variant causes the President to become ill, people are going inside places without masks on, knowing that masks can help stop the spread of variants.  Could I say that the American people are a bunch of spoiled children who don't give a crap about others?  Guess I just did. 

But in other news, I'm in this group show at the Harlow Gallery, 100 Water St, in Hallowell on the Kennebec.  A lovely spot you really should go visit to see this salon-hung show which is up until Sept 3rd.

Here's one of the pieces of art that's in the show if you live far away from Maine.

This is 7 Coins to Save the Planet, an oil/mixed media painting from last year.  It's part of my Universe series based loosely on the concept of String Theory in Physics.  This link explains it in depth.

These paintings begin with lines (visual strings) being drawn on the canvas before it's painted upon and other objects added.  I've been in near sleep stages where I think I can feel myself in different universes.  Rather similar to everything, everywhere in a loose sense.

I've also written a piece for my medium.com account about my heart attack after having covid.  There's more and more research showing links to heart problems after having covid.  This is just one more reason the hubs and I mask up inside public places.  I don't need another experience like this again.

Summer is beginning to Sizzle

Up here in Maine, summer really doesn't get started in my book until it reaches into the 70s for at least a week and here we are folks!  This has been a difficult year for me health-wise (older posts have details).  But I'm finally making some progress here in the studio and in getting my butt in gear and getting the kind of exercise I need to keep on doing.  I'm back on the reformer for mini sessions (under 30 min) at least once a week and will up that to twice a week in August.

The theme of this summer's Maine Arts Journal is  Beyond Plein Air and I brought one back from the archives to submit as well as creating a new one which you'll see if you go to THIS LINK - or cut and paste the following:https://maineartsjournal.com/ann-tracy-greg-burns-nancy-benner-members-showcase/

Thank you to the editorial board of Maine Arts Journal for including my work and little essay.  

Those of us who fought like hell for abortion to be legalized in this country are devastated by the radical right wing Christian Taliban members of the Supreme Court, who lied their way to a confirmation, declaring Roe vs. Wade defunct.  It has really affected me here in the studio.  I stand with my Jewish sisters in affirming that life does not begin until birth.  Plus, why not let each woman make her own choices?  I'm pissed that we seem to be heading towards theocracy and no one seems to be upset about it, or more importantly doing anything to prevent it. 

My heart goes out to the young woman of childbearing age, who will probably have to fight (again) to even get contraceptives.  Never mind that we are also in a climate emergency and will be affected by the severe weather that will be coming our way b/c of having too much carbon in the atmosphere.  If you are able to, please trade in your gas car for a least a hybrid and plant some damn trees.  We planted a dozen at our place up here in Rockport but it looks like only 5 will survive.

 

OK... enough of the blah, blah and on with the visual... new work

 

Imaginary French Landscape - Encaustic on wood - 9 x 12" - $75

 

Universe String Theory Series: Another Island Appears off BoothBay Harbor - 10 x 10 - mixed media on canvas - $125

 

Look for at least one of these pieces to be in the end of summer Members show at the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell which runs July 29 – September 3, 2022.  Details at this LINK or copy and past the following - https://www.harlowgallery.org/post/2022-summer-members-show

 

Make sure you are registered to vote and go do it this fall.  I really don't know about celebrating 4th of July this year and am actively thinking of making myself an LLC Corp because I might have more rights as a company than as a woman.

 

Surreal is my Middle Name, Apparently...

On the 9th of May, I thought I was suffering from a horrid GERD attack, but several hours and diagnostics later, I find out it was a heart attack and I'm having Mr. Toad's Wild Ride from Rockport to Portland in a ambulance!?!  Once there, I was set up for a cardiac catheter which they used to ream out one of my arteries that was over 80% clogged up !?!  So they had to put a stent in.  24 hours later, I was released and JK brought me back home.  I'm feeling just fine and dandy now and am working on increasing my cardio exercise - along with still rehabing my left arm b/c of that fracture end of January.  O, I forgot to mention that JK & I got Covid the end of April.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Covid could have instigated the heart attack what with all the evidence that's mounting connecting Covid to heart problems.  But if it did, it literally saved my life.  Irony is everything in life.

So ladies, be aware that heart attacks can mimic GERD and other gastro upsets and if you hear that little voice wonder if you should go to the ER... GO TO THE ER - IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE, LIKE IT DID MINE.  OK, stepping away from the soap box now.

This is the new abstract photography that will be at the UMVA Members show at the Gallery located within the Portland Media Center at 516 Congress St in Portland and I will be there on 1st Friday, June 3rd for about an hour beginning at 6 pm.  There is a story behind this piece and it starts with an encaustic painting I didn't like and I began to scrap the wax off the wood cradle but began to LOVE the way it looked on the old paper, so I ran for my camera and shot this.  The piece at the UMVA show is conceptual in that I printed it on Japanese mulberry paper and then used another wood cradle to mount it on and add a few light layers of encaustic wax medium.  From wax to a different way of wax. 

It's also available as a 38 x 24" print on gallery wrapped canvas that will soon go on my Etsy site (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnTracyFineArt) next week.  Got some PR action in the Maine Gallery guide as well:

https://mainegalleryguide.com/2022/05/30/rockport-artist-shows-work-at-union-of-maine-visual-artists-show/

The other show I'm currently in is the Working Waterfront show at the Meetinghouse Arts Gallery, 40 Main St in Freeport.  I've got a straight photograph and an altered iPod encaustic photo, along with a few monotypes in that show.

Here are the pieces in that show:

Dock Debris - Encaustic Photo on Wood - 8 x 8

Harbor Fish in the Fog - 11 x 14

Merry Month?

Well it is May, but up here in Rockport, Maine, we're barely in the flower stage of our late blooming spring.  Still a bit too chilly for a picnic by the ocean, but I'm betting it's wonderful weather in Venice.  And although I won't be there in person, I did have some work near the Biennial... click on this link 

or copy and paste - https://the-biennial-project.com/2022_Venice_Finalists.aspx

Last week the hubster and I both tested positive for covid and started on a 5 day treatment of Paxlovid.  He took the final pill this morning and then tested himself to find out that he's still positive.  So I figure I probably am as well and I cancelled all appointments this week that I had a silly idea that I'd be well enough for.  But today feels different, worse than the past 4 days.  Could the rebound effect happen even before I'm finished taking the pills?

Remember that piece I donated for the benefit art show for Ukraine?  It sold and I'm so very happy about it.  Money is going to Doctors without Borders.

I've got some shows coming up this summer.  A member show at UMVA Gallery in Portland in June.  And another show called Working Waterfront at the MeetinghouseArts Gallery in Freeport.  I'm thinking of entering this photograph:

Art for Ukraine in Damariscotta

 A huge thanks to all the folks that purchased a limited edition print of Flowers for Ukraine.  A big shout out to my cuz Caren in Illinois who sent some extra money in the 2nd round of printing.  This means we can donate ANOTHER $100 to UnitedHelpUkraine.org.  

I'm also going to be donating a framed print to a special art sale organized by Lyn Asselta, Jane Herbert, Betty Heselton, Sally Loughridge, Penny Moody, and Marnie Sinclair.  I got emails from two different sources about this, but they were all tied to members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists - UMVA.

The sale itself is at the Coastal Rivers Land Trust Round Top Farm, 3 Round Top Lane, Damariscotta, ME 04543 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 29 and 30.  There will be soft live background music each afternoon at the sale.  The sale’s full proceeds will be sent directly to Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children Charities.  Link to an article in the Lincoln County News is here.

 

 Sorry about the glare on it, but I wasn't going to take it apart again for the photo.  I know my blog readers will forgive me, right?  If this doesn't sell and you would like it, contact me and we can set something up.

I haven't gotten everything out of boxes yet.  Mostly because I need to find new areas to store things and I know myself well enough to realize that if I open another box before I find things int he previous box, they will always sit in piles.

Plus the fact that doing PT 2x/wk is beginning to really wipe me out.  And I should be OK with that, as I'm still healing.  I need to sit with all this and not beat myself up.  If you're going through something similar, please give yourself a break.  We are all too hard on ourselves.

It's a terrific place to work and far bigger than any other studio I've had.  I'm happy and grateful that I have a place like this.  I'm about halfway finished setting up the studio and can't wait to get back to working with encaustic wax.

Change is the Only Constant

Studio will be shutting down next week so the guys can come and help me move from the temp studio I've had down in the basement of our house, to the remodeled space above the garage.  Here's some photos from earlier this week.

Looking east - I can see into JK's music and plant room

Looking west - that pony wall hides the stairs down to the garage

Looking NW - that rectangle on the floor is the new dumb waiter

Looking north - stairs are behind that pony wall to the right.

Update on Flowers for Ukraine

I got the following email from the folks at United Help Ukraine, the charity that I'm raising money for by selling prints of this image and donating half (profit) of the money to this group that is helping folks who have remained in the country which is being ATTACKED BY THAT LITTLE ASSHOLE PUTIN.  

Dear Ann,

Thank you for your care about the people of Ukraine and for the contribution you make through your art. We truly appreciate it! Please follow updates on our website https://unitedhelpukraine.org/archives/category/weekly-updates to see how we use funds received from donors like you to help Ukraine.

 

With gratitude,

Julie

Team UHU 

 

I've sent out a dozen prints already and there are 13 left in the series.  Prints are $20.  We have donated $150 so far and I would love to double that figure!  This would make a great Mother's Day present, just sayin'.

 

If you're interested in a print and can wait a few weeks until the studio is put back together again, email me - anntracy51 (at) gmail.com  They are 9 x 12" images on archival 11 x 14" paper.

So, just a reminder that the studio is closed from April 5th to the 12th.  This means any orders for the print will not go out until the week of April 18th.

In Health news:  I can now (finally) use my left hand on the keyboard for more than 5 minutes at a time!  With the PT that I'm doing, I can now raise my left arm to shoulder height.  Thanks to my frenemy the shoulder pulley:

The right arm pulls the left one up so the muscles can remember what they are supposed to be doing.  It is painful, but gotta do it if I want more mobility - which I do... be nice to wear earrings again....been over 2 months.

Happy Spring everyone!