I'm excited to share that I'll have work in an upcoming show at Cerulean Arts in Philadelphia later this month. Details here:

Changing a Concept and Adjusting a Painting in Progress

I want to try to make the work (and mistakes) I'm undertaking relatable to my students, so I thought I'd share a recent change of plan I exacted on a painting.

I last wrote about painting along Runnemede Avenue in Lansdowne.  I'm still painting there, and had planned to do another canvas to go along with this piece to create a diptych:

Work in progress along Runnemede Ave. I was planning to add a second canvas of the same size to the left side depicting a neighboring duplex.

You'll see I started to draw along the edge to keep the scale the same as the painting above.

Here I begin blocking in the shapes. 

So I got as far as what you see above, but two things happened.

One was that I wanted to include the entire building (a duplex) as opposed to cropping it, in part because the architecture fascinates me, as well as the two different shades of green in which the building is painted.  I also noticed that the forsythias had begun to bloom and was imagining that I would like their yellow color agains the green structure.

The second thing that happened was that I heard the weather forecast: we were due for snow.  Possibly a lot of snow. If there is one thing that I love (and don't often get to paint) it's snow. So I let go of the idea of creating a diptych and decided to make an independent canvas.  I've noticed that I have a default scale that I tend to use for buildings, so it really forced me to concentrate to get everything small enough to fit on my canvas. 

You may see the previous drawing wiped away as I re-considered what I wanted to achieve with this painting.

Satisfying and different for me to work smaller in the architectural drawing; I liked being able to zoom out and capture more of the landscape.  The snow did not disappoint!

In progress....

Sabbatical Paintings in Progress

Here are some photos of ten paintings underway for my sabbatical project. As I'm modeling my project after the AP studio art exam, I plan to complete 12 pieces this year that explore the idea of habitat along the Darby Creek.

Painted along Greenwood Avenue in August. It was hot and this shady spot was a welcome relief to beat the heat. This painting also continues a painting I had made years ago of the same house. I decided to put them together and make a diptych.

Owen Avenue in Lansdowne has so many amazing houses to paint. I saw a few former students while doing this one, including one who is currently taking Studio Art AP at Penn Wood!

This painting was conceived to be a continuation of the painting above.

Here you may notice that three paintings are put together to create this triptych painted on Owen Avenue in Lansdowne, PA.

I love this spot on Lansdowne Court; this shot shows my setup and a piece under way. 

How it starts...

This is the same painting above, but further along. It ended up changing a lot before it was finished!

Painting in this spot along the creek in Darby I bumped into two former students, owe of whom had gone on to study art at Tyler.

Whenever I've driven through this section of Hilldale Road I've always wanted to paint this wooded area overlooking the creek.  

Hillsdale Road, a bit further along.

Years ago I painted this same house on West Lacrosse Avenue in Lansdowne; this time I was intrigued by how it was peeking out behind a large foreground tree (that got added in later). 

This section of Runnemede has so much inspiring architecture that I could turn in any direction and start painting.  It made sense when a neighbor told me the area was on the National Register of Historic Districts (Lansdowne Park).  The hardest part is just picking something to paint.  

Too Many Blogs! And more explanation about my sabbatical project...

The following was originally posted to a blog created in a new program I am using for my teaching website; I prefer a few features of Blogger, though, so moved the post to my teaching Blogger site (found on www.msgrunt.com).  The more I think about it, though, this info probably makes the most sense on my www.alycegrunt.com blog, so here it is, after visiting all of my blogs and being slightly edited.

Photo of piece when it was in progress: Triptych Habitat, 20 x 60"

Currently I am on a sabbatical working on a painting project.  My proposal aims to model the AP studio art exam by developing a body of work similar to what AP students are required to do.  In addition to painting, I have been rebuilding my teaching website (msgrunt.com) and my artwork website (alycegrunt.com).  This has required extensive reorganizing of my photo library (over 12,000 images), most of which had been organized by albums in the old iphoto program, only to loose all of the albums when iphoto was phased out and ‘photos’ became the new program available.  If I have any wisdom to share at this point it is to save all groups (whether by album, keyword, whatever) in folders on a separate drive.  

I have also been looking at a lot of art books I've also been reading about art on line, especially enjoying artist interviews posted on Painting Perceptions, and listening to artist interviews on the  Savvy Painter podcast.  I mention this because one artist interviewed, John Cosby, said he doesn’t like to post his work on social media as he finishes it because he needs time to sit with the work and process it free from others’ opinions. I relate to needing time to absorb the work and look at it for a long time before putting it out there.  That said, I’ll post a few images of some of my sabbatical work in the early stages.  The pieces are complete now but I’m going to hold off on a complete unveiling until I have more time studying them.

Painting Sabbatical: The Big Picture

I am on a painting sabbatical and my focus is on the habitat in and around the Darby Creek watershed, which runs through the district where I teach and empties out into the Delaware River at the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge.

I've been focusing on both built and natural environments, especially trying to find views where they overlap.  In some work this means I'm focusing on older buildings that appear in some way surrounded or engulfed by natural elements. In other pieces this means I'm finding fragments of past industry along the creek itself.  I like including elements from the past into my work; it gets me imaging what a place used to be like and how it has changed.  I have been attracted to older buildings in my work for a long time.  I think this is because I like something about the proportions and details that are often present in the roof shapes, facades and dormer windows, for example.  I love the Darby Creek because of its intimate scale, variety of land it runs through- woods, suburban, urban- and ultimately the wildlife it supports, but I've also been learning about the textile mill industry it used to support. Today fragments of mills and bridges can still be found along the creek.

I've been thinking about a thread that connects this interest in architecture with creek-settings.  Using a creek as a focal as a point of orientation is giving me direction as I move along its route, sometimes painting right along the creek, and sometimes painting in nearby neighborhoods.   I am also planning to paint the creek as it passes through the John Heinz Refuge, a place that is extremely important migratory bird habitat.

Waiting, 1/3; oil on linen, 10 x 10" [painted at Tinicum but done prior to my sabbatical, I can see how this piece fits in the big picture] 

 While I feel like I've been problem solving how to fit these two elements- natural and built habitats- together, I've also come to realize how a sizable amount of my work actually fits into a larger puzzle. In addition to painting along Darby Creek, I have been painting along Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and, Riddly Creek, and also painting some of the older homes near these places.  I am starting to see how I've spent a good deal of time painting the habitat of several tributaries of the Delaware River.  Since this is where I live, it makes sense, but I had never really thought about it quite like that.

With this larger framework in mind, I'm especially excited to be focusing on Darby Creek, the creek that I come into contact with most, due to where I live, work and spend recreation time.  As a birder, the John Heinz Refuge, also known as Tinicum, plays a crucial role in my observations.  I've gotten familiar with many different bird species that either live year-round or migrate through the refuge, and it expands my notion of habitat.  I've also been watching the building of a beaver dam and marveling at yet another form of habitat taking shape along the Darby Creek.  This seems like the fitting culmination of this body of work, but we'll see what happens!

Two Paintings Heading to the Butler Museum

I'm excited to participate in the Butler Museums's 79thAnnual Juried Show, taking place this summer in Youngstown, Ohio.  Details about the exhibit may be found here.  Two pieces were accepted, on view below:

Snow Day Writing, oil on canvas, 24 x 24"

Jamie's World, oil on canvas, 24 x 24"

Upcoming Exhibitions for February and March

This month I have work at Artists' House Gallery as part of their February Exhibit, Women Artists of Philadelphia.  On display are smaller sized landscape paintings as well as a still life, mostly all painted this past summer while I was in the Berkshires.  I was able to study with painter Elizabeth O'Riley and enjoyed soaking up the mountains and fresh air.  Details for the gallery may be found here: Artists' House.

Elizabeth O. Painting

I am also pleased to learn I've had two paintings accepted to In Person: a Juried Exhibition in Celebration of the Human Form. The show, held at the Community Art Center in Wallingford, PA, was juried by Philadelphia painter Doug Martenson.   I was awarded a prize and will find out details this Sunday at the Artists' Reception taking place from 2- 4 pm.  Work will be on view from February 8th - March 15, 2015 in the Duke Gallery at CAC.  Details may be found here: Community Arts Center.

Jamie's World