Here is a big "catch up" post. I've been doing some of the blue pen drawings. I've been working on top of both found pages and in a couple of sketchbooks. I went to Marlene's open studio. Her studio is spare and beautifully lit by the sun that comes in from her big windows. I went to a meditation retreat and a cool shop in Peterborough, New Hampshire...The Red Chair.
We visited my favorite gallery in Maine, or maybe anywhere. It is the Leighton Gallery in Blue Hill. I love the freshness of the white walls and floors, the mix of paintings and sculpture, and the sculpture garden. I wish I could capture the way the sun falls in through the windows and the way Judith Leighton has edited what she hangs to express what I imagine is a philosophy about color and surface quality in paintings. It is always an exciting experience for me.
Somebody asked me the other day what I like about these blue pen drawings. I like how each drawing is complete unto itself, and does not have to be worked on a number of levels like my paintings. I like being finished with each one and then having a new, fresh, unknown possibility in front of me. I like how portable they are. They are like intuitive paintings...a practice in the process of letting come whatever comes. I find when I am finished they do have meaning to me.
Sophie Truong had an opening of her current work on Saturday night at The Gallery at Spencer Lofts in Chelsea, MA. This body of work is made with used teabags and hand stitching. It is very subtle and you can feel the quiet and peace that are imbued in the pieces because of the time spent stitching them. Most of the pieces are left natural as the teabags are found, but the blue is an indigo dye Sophie is also working with. You can see more of Sophie's work here.
Visited Nicole today in her wonderful little house. Here she is in her studio with a portrait of her that Irene painted. I wish I could have captured the insect collection without so much blurring and reflection. They are from her father's collection. They are magnificent, and maybe someday I'll get some better shots. As you can see, her home is arty and cozy and full of her unique character. And she has a new Corgi puppy, Felix! Impossible to get a shot of him not in motion.
