If you want to see a truly joyful Art show go visit the Joseph Raffael show at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery at 520 West 27th St in Chelsea New York. The show will be there until January 10, 2010. Go soon since you might like to go back a second time.
Blossoms and Sky by Joseph Raffael
Visiting this show brought such a burst of the voluptuous joy of color and passion to an otherwise gray day that I was compelled to share it with others.
Joseph Raffael douses himself in his watercolors. His colors flood and pool in the most controlled display of virtuosity I’ve ever seen in this medium. Though in this show his subject matter seems to be primarily flowers, his style is the antithesis of botanical illustration.
As a matter of fact, Elisabeth, my fellow Artist friend and I gallery hopped to this show on the heels of a visit to the ASBA (American Society of Botanical Artists) show at The Horticultural Society of NY. The contrast of two exquisite art forms, both employing watercolor and using flowers as subject, was astounding.
I made a video from some images I took at the show and posted it on YouTube in case you’d like to get an idea what to expect.
For an extra treat I would suggest visiting Joseph Raffael’s website and taking some time to view the meditative videos of him as he paints.
Take a moment to calm down and become immersed in the process of Art. It will make your day. It always does so for me.
I have donated one of my Krinkled Peony Digital/Traditional Mixed Media Paintings to the Huntington Arts Council, annual silent auction fundraiser. This piece is a combination of Digital painting and Traditional Colored Pencils.
The finished mixed media painting is matted & finished in a 16×16″ natural wood color frame.
Bidding is underway at the Main Street Petite Gallery. Almost 50 artist members of the Huntington Arts Council have donated original work in oils, watercolor, photography, prints, diamond and topaz jewelry, silk and more. Bidding opportunities start at $25, and go until 6 p.m. on Friday, December 4.
This is a great chance to own an original piece of art or purchase one as a gift for a favorite relative or friend. Stop by the gallery at 213 Main Street in Huntington, two blocks east of New York Avenue, to see both the art and all the raffle items.
Poster for the L’Art Pour L’Art Silent Auction for the Huntington Arts Council
The proceeds support the exhibition programs of the Arts Council’s two galleries. Some of the wonderful raffle items are: a pair of subscription tickets for the Long Island Philharmonic; gift certificates for Besito, Honu, RED Restaurant and others; and theater and movie passes.
The gallery will be open for the duration of the auction Friday evenings until 8 p.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m. on the first three Saturdays of November. A “Rockin’ Sock Puppet Making Workshop” is on tap for kids ages 5 to 11 on Saturday, November 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Then on November 21 at 2 p.m., some of the donating artists will be at the gallery to talk about their work.
Original art from oils to watercolors to pastels to gold and diamond jewelry will be available for bidding starting Friday, Nov. 6 as the Huntington Arts Council’s “L’Art Pour L’Art” opens with a gala reception from 6 to 8 p.m.
The festivities take place at the Arts Council’s Main Street Petite Gallery, 213 Main St., Huntington. The silent auction fundraiser runs until 6 p.m. on December 4, providing the public an opportunity to “bring art to life” by taking home a stunning work of art.
Florence L. Dallari, assistant director of the Huntington Arts Council, stated, “The Huntington Arts Council is appreciative of all of the artists and businesses that support this fundraiser. An original piece of art can be yours for as low as $25 and you can purchase a raffle for just $5. We encourage the community to visit our gallery during this month-long event to enjoy one of the benefits of living in Huntington.”
The proceeds support the exhibition programs of the Arts Council’s two galleries. Along with more than 40 pieces of art, some of the raffle items are a pair of subscription tickets for the Long Island Philharmonic, gift certificates for Besito, Honu, RED Restaurant and others, as well as theater and movie passes.
The gallery will be open for the duration of the auction Friday evenings until 8 p.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m. on the first three Saturdays of November. A “Rockin’ Sock Puppet Making Workshop” is on tap for kids ages 5 to 11 on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Space for this project, where kids will make the puppets and put on their very own puppet shows, is limited, so call 631-271-8423 ext. 14 to make your reservations early. Then on Nov. 21 at 2 p.m., some of the donating artists will be at the gallery to talk about their work. More information is available at the Arts Council’s Web site, www.huntingtonarts.org, or by calling 631-271-8423.
Artists Supporters:
Mary Ahern, Irene Andreadis, Shain Bard, Charles Blake, Edith Rae Brown, Ethel Brown Camhi, Victoria Carlin, Joseph Constantino, Susanne Corbelletta, George D’Amato, Sandi Daniel, Sandro Diani, Lillian Dodson, Michael Fairchild, Jim Finlayson, Holly Gordon, William Grabowski, Jahn Guarino, Ed Hall, David Haussler, David Jaycox, Jr., Andrew Jiritano, Kate Kelly, Herb Knopp, Anita Lamb, Lisle, William Low, Diane Lundegaard, Edward McEvoy, Kevin W. McEvoy, Jane McGraw-Teubner, Rhoda Needlman, Cecil Pang. Jack Pierce, Vivian Pollack, Renee Reichert, Mara Sfara, Marie Sheehy-Walker, Joseph J. Stelmach, Donald Thiergard, Tonito Valderrama, Von Schmidt, Lois Walker, Stokely Webster, Barbara White, M. Ellen Winter, Elizabeth Yaar & more…….
Raffle Sponsors:
Besito, Bottles and Cases, Canterbury Ales, Cinema Arts Center, Ciro Spa, Honu Kitchen & Cocktail, Jacqueline-Fine Jewelry, John W. Engeman Theater, Jonathan’s Ristorante, L. I. Philharmonic, Mediterranean Snack Bar, Mundays, Northport Tasting Room & Wine Celler, Prime, Red, Theater Three, Universal Touch Massage
Great Cow Harbor Day is celebrated each year in the picturesque town of Northport, Long Island, NY.
The parade begins at noon on Sunday, September 27, 2009 and the day of festivities continues through 5pm.
I have just received my booth assignment.
Find me at Booth # 8 in the same location as last year, on the path closest to the harbor. That’s easy.
My booth will be located in the same position as last year’s Great Cow Harbor Day overlooking the harbor.
I will be showing and selling my Botanical Fine Art Digital Paintings. My Art is inspired by my gardens, so drop by and talk to me about your gardens and all the success you’ve had this year since we had so much rain.
Stroll along the beautiful Northport Harbor and enjoy the full day of family fun activities
I found this explanation of Cow Harbor Day in Wikipedia:
Cow Harbor Day is an annual festival celebrating the history of the village of Northport, New York, which was once known as Great Cow Harbor. It is held annually on the Sunday of the third full weekend in September, always following the Great Cow Harbor 10K held on the Saturday before.
Cow Harbor Day draws thousand of visitors to Northport each September. Events kick off with a parade down Main Street, featuring floats, the areas best high school marching bands, antique cars and a temporary resurrection of the trolley that was once commonplace along this route. Bovine related costumes and floats are also a common theme. Celebrations are held at Northport Memorial Park at the harbor’s edge with live music, boat races, and other attractions. For the past two years, the parade has been led by the US Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary Band from the local Ft. Salonga, NY Flotilla. Each year an appearance is made by the Regimental Band of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY and Northport High School Marching Band and flag team.
Since 1977, there has also been a popular 10 kilometer footrace, the Great Cow Harbor 10K, which always takes place the day before Cow Harbor Day. The New York Road Runners Club considers the race an important run-up to the annual New York City Marathon, and practicing runners can be seen charging up the local hills starting in August.
As a side note, my husband Dave is running in the Great Cow Harbor 10K the day before the show. I sure hope he’s recovered enough to help me set up the booth!
Today was the second and last day of the 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show
The overcast weather encouraged many customers not to go to the beach but to come out and enjoy purchasing Art
The weather took quite a change from yesterday’s very sunny and overly hot and humid conditions. The humidity stayed but the sun and extreme heat disappeared.
The show opened officially at 10am and was very busy for quite a few hours. People were in a buoyant and buying mood, which was very nice to see. The current economic environment is still oppressive but many folks seemed to be carrying home their treasured purchases, large and small.
Behind the scenes is my husband Dave prepping additional Designer Prints for sale
I enjoyed so much seeing customer/friends who stopped by to catch up on life. Some of these collectors began buying work from me when I was showing my traditional Botanical mixed media paintings at Art Shows and Festivals. That was quite some years ago. I love hearing that they’re still enjoying seeing my Art hanging in their homes!
About 3:30 while standing talking to visitors, I could feel the weather abruptly change. Apparently so did many others since there was a slow but steady departure of customers over the course of the next half hour. After checking by phone with various friends living around Long Island, we knew a storm was coming through.
The weather changed and you could feel rain coming even before the drizzle started
I made the decision to break down an hour earlier than the official end of the show. Good thing we did. My husband Dave and I have the set-up and take down very well coordinated and we packaged the Art, the furniture and the tent very quickly. We completed the dissembling and loading of the trailer in an hour and a half. By the time all was loaded into the trailer and I was sitting in the truck starting the engine, the rain came down in full force.
We knew the storm was coming and the customers weren’t so we packed our things and left.
We were both soaked but the Art wasn’t. We drove towards home through torrential rain and pulled safely into our flooded driveway. The storm was traveling from west to east so as we got closer to home the rain had begun to subside. By the time we showered and changed, the sun was out again. We went to eat at a restaurant with an outdoor terrace and celebrated another great Art Show.
Today was the first day of the 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show
The weather was very humid and in the high 80’sF which made it extremely uncomfortable when bringing in the Art from the trailer and setting it up in the booth. We brought in the furniture which helps to complete the showroom aspect of the booth. I bought the desk from Pro Panels, the print racks from Richeson via Blick and the bookcases Home Decorators.
We hung the awnings to keep the sun off the Art and the Artist but it really didn’t provide any relief from the heat. If I didn’t move at all I could tolerate the heat but that didn’t happen for most of the day.
The bad thing about a sunny day in the Hamptons is that the customers spend most of their time at the beach rather then shopping. Traffic was heavy when the show opened at ten and again at 3 when the heat started to calm down.
The customers came to see the show early in the day and later after they visited the beach
It is very tricky to do an Art Show in a vacation beach resort. You want slightly overcast so no one goes to the beach but no rain or wind. It is hard to book the exact perfect weather for an Art Show, but I keep trying.
What: 37th Annual Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce Mary O. Fritchie Outdoor Juried Art Show.
When: Saturday, August 01, 2009 10:00 AM
Sunday, August 02, 2009 10:00 AM
Where: The Westhampton Beach Village Green
& Mill Road between Main Street & Church Lane. Westhampton Beach, NY 11978
Side curtains are attached to the frame by a system of zippers and straps
So since we checked the weather report and noticed that MORE RAIN is expected later in the evening, my husband Dave and I drove out to Westhampton Beach, (about an hour from our home) to set up our show booth earlier on Friday than usual. We’ve been doing this show now for a few years and pay for it a year in advance so we can get the same spot on the Village Green. It is space #47 in case you’re dropping by.
As you can see we were among the earliest Artists to show up. Considering how the wind picked up I’m hoping we made the right decision. We like setting up the day before since it is so hectic in the morning with over 120 Artists trying to bring in their tents and move in their Art. The amount of parking is minimal and the amount of trucks, vans and trailers is great.
We have found over time that once we set up the EZ-up tent and zip up the 4 heavy-duty side curtains the wind blows around it rather than under. We bought the mesh panels and side curtains from Flourish.com. We also have 4 bags, each filled with about 45 pounds of sand, suspended from each strut holding down each corner. This park has an underground sprinkler system so you can’t use stakes to anchor the tent as you can in some shows.
At Art Festivals we try to set the booth up the day before and bring then the Art in on Show day
Setting up the tent, mesh panels, side curtains and weights took us about an hour. We’ve really streamlined our workflow.
I’ve just created a series of digital paintings of a Krinkled White Peony that was blooming in my garden this past June.
For my inspiration I chose an herbaceous white single peony that was introduced into cultivation in 1928. The plant grows to about 3 feet tall and wide. This year with all the rain it grew so very tall that I had to add a peony cage to one of them since it was so heavy due to the huge amount of flowers that it produced.
A single white “Krinkled Peony” which grew in my garden this June.
The petals are so delicate they remind me of crepe paper that I used to use when I made my paper flowers as a child. The golden yellow stamens add a dramatic accent.
One of the very rare sunny spots in my garden hosts the peonies.
I’ve been tending this plant for over a decade and a few years ago moved it from a rather shady location where it bloomed each year but didn’t flourish. Though most of my garden is in some percentage of shade I decided to divide and transplant this perennial into the sunniest part of my garden. Since then it has more than tripled the amount of flowers it produces.
In this series of work I’ve decided to augment the dramatic simplicity of the single peony with different colored backgrounds. Each of these pieces will work individually but they also work as a group.
Single White Peony series of digital paintings.
As with many of my other works, I offer these digital paintings in a variety of sizes and framing treatments. These Fine Art works are available on Fine Art paper and also on UV treated canvas either framed or gallery wrapped.
If a specific design plan comes to mind, I can also customize the color backgrounds to suit the creative intent.
I will be showing these Art Works for the first time at the Northport Art in the Park, Saturday, July 25, 2009 from noon until 5pm.
Hope you can stop by the show and say hello. If you can’t and you would like to find out more about my work, you can contact me on Facebook, Twitter, my website MaryAhernArtist.com and here on my blog by posting a comment.
Garden Tour, Sunday June 14, 2009 from Noon until 4 pm.
(Copy of Newsletter sent to my emailing list.)
Newsletter Highlights:
Art, Blogging, Facebook and a Garden Tour
Bridge over the dry stream bed
I am really excited about the upcoming Garden Tour sponsored by the Northport Historical Society this coming Sunday, June 14, 2009 from Noon until 4 pm.
I am doing a comprehensive redesign of much of my garden this year and I’m really looking forward to showing and talking about this work-in-progress. I’ve been gardening on this little piece of ground for twenty years and I finally bit the bullet to tackle some real challenging gardening issues that develop as a garden ages.
Since my garden is such an integral part of my life as an Artist, this redesign and rethinking plays itself out over many of my artistic endeavors.
To see my garden and the other six magnificent gardens on this Tour please visit the Northport Historical Society home page to get your tickets, tour guide and map.
Social Networking
Stand out in a crowd
I have joined the millions of people who have embraced Facebook as a means of staying connected with friends from the past, present and future. As an Artist and a Garden Designer, I enjoy showing my Garden and my Art. If I don’t share it in words and pictures with the many friends I have from afar, I will only have me as an audience. All that beauty just for my eyes? Far too selfish for my taste. So please visit me either on Facebook and/or on my Blogs.
For my Blog enthusiasts I’m made some changes.
Since I found that different folks enjoy different subjects, I’ve split my Blog into 2 different entities.
For those who enjoy reading about Art I have this blog.
Art Naturally – Musings of My Life as an Artist.
This Blog talks about Art Shows, Influences, Reviews, New Work, Education and more.
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For my http://www.northporthistorical.org friends I have
The Garden-Artist – My Garden, My Art, Where Passions Merge.
My Garden Blog shows where I grow the inspiration for my Art.
It also follows in words and photos the Garden Design projects I’ve created and worked on in the Garden I’ve enjoyed for the last 20 years.
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I hope to see you in my garden or if you can’t visit, I hope to share with you online.
Keep smiling!
…mary
Mary Ahern with her Digital Mixed Media Paintings
As an added bonus I will be showing some of my Digital and Traditional Mixed Media Paintings during the Garden Tour. Orders may be placed for pick-up after the Garden Tour ends at 4PM.
If you’d like to call to ask me questions about my work or would like to place an order for pick up please email me with your name and phone #.
The North Shoreian has just published their April Home and Garden issue with my “Single Yellow Daffodil” on the front cover.
A delightful article about my work is featured inside this publication which is a magazine covering the North Shore (of Long Island) Arts, Culture & Politics.
The North Shoreian. April 2009 Home & Garden Issue
This is an exerpt of the article:
Classically trained painter, and Northport native, Mary Ahern, has spent the past twenty-five years studying and mastering digital painting and design. Mary’s interest in digital painting was stimulated when she was working for a company that created graphic technology for use in the television and production industry. Beginning as a salesperson in the early 1980’s, Mary began learning about the newest advances in this medium. As technology progressed, these high-tech digital systems became a practical expense for the small business owner and were readily available. In the early 1990’s, Mary invested in her own system and created her own graphic design company, Online Design. Her company was 100% digital which was unique at a time when paste-ups and mechanicals were still the norm in graphics.
Champagne Poppies on a Brown Background
In addition to graphic design, Mary has combined her interests and talent in painting to create her own style and method of art. Her digital paintings are created by using the computer as her medium. Mary trades in her paintbrushes and paints for a pressure sensitive stylus and graphic tablet…
Mary’s abilities as an artist are not limited to digital painting. As a traditional painter, Mary is very talented. Mary mixes mediums, such as watercolor, oil paints, pastels, colored pencils and graphite, to create her works of art. She has been doing traditional painting and drawing for over thirty years and her work reflects many hours of time and commitment to the art.
In addition to art, Mary is very devoted to growing a private garden. She spends many hours cultivating the soil, planting, pruning and nurturing her flowers. Not surprisingly either, she adds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture to her already impressive resume.
The Artist Mary Ahern with some of her Digital Paintings
Finding something that inspires is one of the most important steps for Mary as an artist. Mary states, “It is very important that I really like the subject that I choose because I spend so much time with it…
Mary’s clear dedication to her garden transpires into her devotion to her art. On Mary’s impressive and self designed website, you can visit her two blogs. One is devoted to art in general, touching on her visits to various locations, book reviews and her journey as an artist. Mary also has a blog devoted to gardening, in which she posts photographs of her beautiful plants as they grow and transform, and even shows the plants alongside her art that she has created in homage to the specific bloom…
If you would like to learn more about North Shoreian Artist Mary Ahern, her garden, her masterpieces or to purchase her work, visit her website: http://www.MaryAhernArtist.com
I saw this wonderful flower arranging video on YouTube. I want to share it with you since it is so clear and shows the creative mind at work. In this video Jane Godschalk takes us through a flower arranging technique from the book Flower Arranging the American Way by Nancy D’Oench, Deen Day Sanders and Mike [...] […]
Plectranthus and other members of the Lamiaceae family, like Coleus, are easy to propagate. These tender perennials are not hardy in my Zone 6 garden so before frost I bring in a few of my favorite plants as stock plants. If the plants are small enough I overwinter them in a pot with soil and [...] […]
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Featured Product
These Frameable Note Card Boxed Collections are created from the Traditional Fine Art paintings of Mary Ahern.
These Blank Cards are packaged in a clear box and tied with a raffia ribbon and tag.
A perfect ready-made gift for yourself and others.
What wonderful gardening weather. I've filled 3 bags of weeds so far & I'm getting a great workout. Today I can skip the gym! 2010/08/15
Centerport Garden Club Flower Show. May 20-21 at Harborfields Library in Greenlawn. Horticulture & Floral Design. The competition is fierce! 2010/05/17
Centerport Garden Club plant sale Friday May 7th from 10am-2pm. Harborfields Library Circle, Greenlawn NY. Great plants from great women! 2010/05/06
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