BAZAART! American Visionary Art Museum

I love to exhibit at this holiday show presented by the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill, Baltimore. All 50 artists and artisans are exhibiting on the third floor of the beautiful Jim Rouse Building located just behind the barn building on Key Highway. It is a lovely show filled with the exuberant spirit of this distinctive museum whose collection includes some of the most unique art you will ever see.

BAZAART!  is always held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving which is a perfect time to shop. Everyone is in a holiday mood. The art on display is festive and unusual. For serious shoppers there is a "first dibs" preview party on the night before on Friday. The fun begins at 5:30. And the show opens on Saturday at 10 a.m.  PREPARE TO HAVE FUN and see many of your friends not only exhibiting but attending as well. Admission is free to the show. I sincerely hope to see everyone there.

2014 Baltimore Calendar

Well it is here. My first wall calendar for 2014. Beginning with November 2013, it consists of Baltimore images from my original artwork.

Cover - unfolded - of Baltimore Calendar.

Package insert depicting all the images used inside the calendar.

Each month features a single, square image of one of my paintings. For example Domino Sugars is the image for November 2013. At the bottom of each month is a short description of the painting

and a bit of my stories about the picture. The calendar measures 10.5" high by 5.25" wide.

June 2014 might be the favorite month with many local Baltimoreans.

December 2014

So far the response has been very, very positive. I've been selling them at art fairs and shows in great numbers. You can find them in my Etsy shop. And they are also carried in some local shops and museums such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, With Gratitude, Hontown and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The calendar price is $20.

For the cover I used a piece of my Food Galore collage which by now many of you have hanging in your homes and offices. I say this because sales of the poster size print have been very, very good since last year when it was introduced. And it really inspired me to do the calendar as a follow up project.

Food Galore in Baltimore

Thank you all for your wonderful enthusiasm and support of my work. I never stop being surprised that people like to look at what I need to create. Thank you again from the bottom of my Baltimore heart.

Streetcars, Buses and Independence

"Eutaw and Howard" oil on canvas (22" x 20") 2011

The Baltimore Transit Company's streetcars and buses offered independence to many local pre-teens like myself who could travel downtown with just her best friend (Charlotte) for the day.  On Saturday morning there were the obligatory piano lessons at the Peabody but sometimes  they were rewarded with a grilled hamburger at the Rexall lunch counter on the corner of Charles and Centre Streets.  After a  quick tour of the mummies at the Walter’s Art Gallery we walked to the Joke Shop on Park Avenue near Lexington Street.  There we discovered rubber vomit, fake dog-do, peppery-hot trick chewing gum and the adult joke section. Numbingly mild by today’s standards we spent hours supressing giggles at the assortment of dirty jokes.
We varied our shopping habits some weekends by browsing in the four major department stores (Hutzler's, Hochschild's, Stewarts and Hecht's) that served as the hub of that downtown Baltimore universe. Afterwards, we found the time to wander east on Lexington Street to explore McCrory's for pierced earrings, Read's Drug Store for a tuna salad, pickle and chips, Brager Gutman's for bargains on clothing and Kresge's for the newest resident in the pet department. If our time and weekly allowance had not yet run out then we stopped at the Hot Peanuts store on the corner of Liberty Street for a late afternoon snack.
We chose to wait for our ride home at the Fayette Street stop across from the the Town Movie Theatre.  It was fun to speculate about the movie titles advertised on the marquee. We also anxiously read the destinations on the front of each car hoping to see Number 8 Catonsville to board for home.

"Fayette and Eutaw" oil on canvas (30" x 48") 2007

"Fayette and Liberty" oil on canvas (30" x 48") 2007

CAPE MAY - LEWES FERRY

"Cape May - Lewes Ferry" oil on canvas (18" x 36") 2013

Every July when we visit Lewes, Delaware I always reserve the time to wander around the docks of the Cape May - Lewes Ferry. I bask in the energy and the upbeat atmosphere generated by people on vacation slowing their pace to float across the 17-mile-stretch between Lewes, DE and Cape May, NJ. The system has five vessels that cross the Delaware Bay during the  daily 16 hour schedule.
The ferries began their service in 1964 with a fleet of boats that had been previously crossing the Chesapeake Bay between Cape Charles and Virginia Beach, VA.  At that time they were still steam powered but a decade later they were replaced with the current collection of vessels which includes names such as  M.V. Twin Capes and M.V. Cape Henlopen. The terminal in Lewes is staffed by cheerful men and women who not only load the passengers and their cars but they sell tickets, tend bar and operate a gift shop.

I love the clattering sounds of the ferry being loaded.

 The terminal itself can be a destination with a gorgeous view of the bay from the outdoor lounge and piers. If you go you will be reminded of a time  when vacations were true getaways from the grinding pace of every day life. Even though the ferries run on a schedule no one makes you feel in a hurry. After all, if you miss one ferry another one will arrive soon.

Ferries arrive and depart on a daily 16 hour schedule.

FRESH FRENCH FISH

"Merlan Brilliant" oil on canvas (16" x 12") 2013

Some of my favorite places to explore when we visit La Belle France are the markets. The produce, meat and fish are artistically arranged making them nearly irresistible. The creative layouts entice one to paint their bright colors and unusual shapes. As we move among the colorful ambiance of the stalls, making purchases for dinner, I am all the while taking pictures of the amazing variety of fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat. The vendors are very friendly and eager to make a sale so they are proud to have their wares photographed.

France is on my mind as we recently said good-bye to six Parisian  house guests aged two to 52.  The two older children were keen to practice their English and soak up the teenage music and fashion.  I  secretly wished that we had beautiful markets to show off  but our guests were delighted to be in the United States and dine on Baltimore's famous steamed crabs. In fact it was a request that they made. I was impressed by how naturally the younger ones just took to the crustaceans. You see, where they come from it is not abnormal to be served your dinner with the head still attached! When you dine with the French there is never a wasted piece of food! Everything gets used.

"Rouget Barbet avec Herbs" oil on canvas (9" x 12") 2013

"Poissons sur Glace"  oil on canvas (14" x 23") 2013

SPRINGFEST - Ocean City, MD

 

Well for the past seven years I've been exhibiting at Sunfest in Ocean City every September. Now I've added Springfest to my list of shows. It opens Thursday, May 2, 2013.  It's OC's gateway opener to  the tourist season. I'm in a different spot for this show. Come by Tent #2 booth 43 and see my new paintings and more. Featured here is the Ocean City Fishing Pier before the storm last year when a part of the pier was destroyed. After a long winter aren't we all ready to take a little time off and smell the sea breezes?  I want some fries and  a milk shake, too.

Enchanted Forest at the Rawlings Conservatory in Baltimore's Druid Hill Park

"King of Enchanted Forest" oil on canvas (24" x 18")

This year's show at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens is inspired by the historic  Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City where "the fairy tale continues happily ever after" according to the web site.  The show will surround fanciful characters from the nursery rhymes and fairy tales with thousands of tulips, daffodils and more. Working in collaboration with my friend Martha Clark and her Clark's Elioak Farm, current home to many of the original Enchanted Forest's collection of buildings and characters, this year's display will bring back memories of whales, kings, castles and more.


It seems now is the time to write about my beloved Enchanted Forest and my paintings the papier-mâché fairyland inspired. I have been invited to be a part of the celebration and spring fund raiser for this hidden treasure of Baltimore. Prints and paintings of my Enchanted Forest series will be on exhibition for show and sale from March 22 until April 7, 2013.

I'll be at the celebration on Friday, March 22 from 6 - 8 p.m. with my artwork. Hope you can join us for this magical evening inside one of Baltimore's most important landmarks located in Druid Hill Park.

Meanwhile I want to share with everyone here my series of eight paintings and stories of Enchanted Forest.

"Dragon Serenade" oil on canvas (18" x 24") 2002

Papier-mâché storybook characters, designed by the late Howard Adler, virtually came to life with the aid of mechanical devices, voice recordings and a big dose of imagination. I met Mr. Adler one day in 1988 while I was painting my papier-mâché artwork in a store window. He was kind and had a great sense of humor. For me it was like meeting a movie star. I was indeed star struck that day.

"The King's Behind" oil on board (20" x 30") 2002

Hoping to entice motorists on Route 40 West, cheerful gingerbread men accompanied the  king of the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, MD

"Gingerbread Cottage" oil on board (18" x 24") 2002

Many birthdays, including my seventh, were celebrated in the gingerbread house adorned with bright red cherries and dollops of pink marshmallow.  After a treat of  celebratory ice cream and cake, children slid outdoors through the glowing witches’ oven to join Hansel and Gretel.

"Cinderella's Mice" oil on canvas (18" x 24") 2003

This pumpkin ride came along after my childhood.  Cinderella might have approved of passengers riding the on the backs of the mice.  It appears that they probably rode past Snow White’s cottage at some point, too.  One wonders how these two fairy tale divas would have gotten along if they had crossed paths.

"Mother Goose Ride" oil on board (18" x 24") 2003

The rides were not necessary for me during my visits. There was so much fantasizing to be done on foot that I had no need to ride.  But I saw lots of happy families riding in the Mother Goose train in my day. They did not seem to notice that her engine had a loud, unmuffled putt-putt noise.  It did not seem like a sound a goose would ever make. I wanted her to quack, instead.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel" oil on canvas (24" x 18" 2002

 Visitors entered the castle where poor Rapunzel, perched in her turret, was following the witches’ instructions to let down her hair. She stayed out there in all kinds of weather, too. Her braids were sun bleached towards the end of her time.

"Phoning Rapunzel" oil on canvas (16" x 12") 2005

This was the last painting I did in the series. It features my friend Chris Anne from first grade and her brother Kevin in the 1950's. She is speaking to Rapunzel from the phone booth. You just have to adore the crown Chris Anne is wearing. The Three Bears' House is in the background.

FOOD GALORE IN BALTIMORE

"Food Galore in Baltimore" 2012 mixed media (24" x 36")

Baltimore, Maryland is loaded with tons and tons of stories and historical facts about food. The richness of the Chesapeake Bay's fish, crabs and oysters supported many families for hundreds of years. The abundance of fruit and vegetables planted and harvested on Maryland's Eastern Shore was easily transported to the busy harbor by a fleet of steamships making daily crossings. While the raw bounty of the state was delivered to the city's bustling docks, men and women went to work to feed not only our residents but nearly the entire country. Baltimore was once called the pantry of the nation and it's easy to see why. We had  a mass of canneries to preserve the  food for storage and future consumption. Many small businesses were able to survive on the rich bounty that was all ours to prepare, serve and sell. The restaurants, grocery stores and markets all profited from the delicious cornucopia of food stuffs that were easily and locally acquired. And we cannot forget the foreign banana boats that swarmed our harbor making us the banana capital of the county! Over the years I have collected all sorts of match books, labels, invoices, ads, brochures and photographs relating to Baltimore's food industry. I made this collage during the summer of 2012. I like looking at all this stuff and when I see how many prints of this collage have sold, I can only draw the conclusion that many of you like to look at it too. Bon Appetit!