Superfresh - The Farmer's Market

On Saturday mornings, I've started a new ritual- getting up early, grabbing a coffee to go, and heading over to my local farmer's market at the park near my apartment. The produce is all fresh from upstate New York, and the abundance and color is simply incredible and inspiring. The difference in the freshness cannot be understated.

After getting home, I cooked up some of the eggs with the mushrooms, and experienced a total freshness conversion. Look at these rich colors! I just can't walk by and not buy something at outdoor food markets. A little advice though, as "they" always say, "never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach"!

Some of the bounty I brought home above: bee pollen, strawberries, oyster mushrooms, coral mushrooms, and eggs - all picked or collected earlier that morning.

And above is some of my artwork that my new adventures have inspired. Over these past few warm months, I have done a small series of vegetal pieces. It was good going outside of my old artistic routine, and creating some new works (away from the usual abstractions) invigorated and enlivened by my new routine.

Smitten in the City - A Venetian Affair in Brooklyn

There's a conversation that's going on in the streets of Brooklyn. I pass this certain wall on my way home and have noticed that it changes every few days. Earlier this summer, it was painted solid black and begging for some enhancement. You may recall this cute little lady piglet from an earlier post, but she now appears to be taking part in a playful public communication and visual love letter between artists. The gesture of this elaborate accumulation reminds me of a book I read many years ago entitled, A Venetian Affair, about a clandestine love affair in 18th century Venice during its Golden Age of nobles and the splendor of the Grand Canal. The forbidden lovers exchanged secret letters back and forth through people who knowingly and unknowingly helped them. They also communicated publicly "through an elaborate code of nods and gestures".  

(from the synopsis on Amazon)

A prancing fleet of foxes surrounds the piglet, signed with a little note "♥ The Fox".

She replies with a Venetian lion, "Who is this fabulous Mr. Fox? ♥ Elle".

He replies, "Dirty paws and unwashed hair, just a little pup in the big city." 

The "letter" in its entirety.

Blog Feature - Etsy's {NewNew} Team

I recently became a member of Etsy's {NewNew} Team, a group of Etsy participants who live and work in New York City. Its purpose is to provide a support network of other local artists and designers who wish to promote their work and have fun together socially. As a recent member, I'm happy to have my work featured in a recent blog post for the Team.

The post cleverly draws similarities between items that can be found at farmer's markets (one of my favorite Saturday morning rituals) and art work by team members. My piece below paralells the citrus/orange/yellow/fruit category. Have a look at the rest of the items here.

Fingerprint Close-Ups

Colorful swirls resembling fingerprints like these two will soon be available again in my shop.

Have a vibrant summer weekend - it's one of the last, so make it a good one!

Before and After - The Blue Wall in Chelsea

There is a certain blue wall outside of the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center in Chelsea that gets some special treatment when it comes to street art, and passers-by get treated to an eyeful. The mural featuring two children wearing bird helmets below were on the walls last summer. It was done by Herakut, a collaboration by two artists, Hera and Akut, from Germany. The text reads: “If this was graffiti, we were the chicken.” I don't exactly get what that means- hmmmmm, maybe something was lost in translation. You can see more of their fantastic collaborative art here.  

This summer, the new mural is by Jeff Soto. The blue figure's beard spills out in 3-D onto the sidewalk. The text from the previous piece is still there, as the layers build up. Check out more of Jeff's whimsical artwork here.  

Wave Hill's Intense Summer Color Showcase

Wave Hill proved to be another shockingly natural discovery in the Bronx- you may recall my earlier post on City Island (also in the Bronx). Last weekend, I took a stroll through the gardens and greenhouses with my mom and cousin. This relaxing setting is situated directly across from the dramatic cliffs of the Palisades in New Jersey with the Hudson River serving as a picturesque divider. It is a calm place to sit and read, picnic, or stroll the grounds.

Wave Hill reminded me of the much larger Longwood Gardens in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a favorite place of mine to visit and decompress. The public gardens started out as many do, a private home. People can now enjoy an art workshop or weekend brunch. Check out some art exhibits in the adjacent villa and manor house. Tai Chi and sunset yoga classes make it very tempting to come back!

As I meandered through the grounds, I enjoyed examining and photographing the plants and butterflies as closely as possible. These photos are almost a rainbow, and reveal the expanse of colors manifested in many forms. This is a showcase of summer at its best!

Poppytalk - Back to School Market

My artwork was accepted in the Poppytalk Back to School online market. I did a school-inspired photo shoot with some new scientific paintings just for the occasion. These cerebral pieces are sure to help inspire your studies, and as remnants of old history and science books make for a cheeky spin on the theme. 

 The school-themed market is open now through August 27th, and you can see my virtual table here.

Nostalgia - Jackson Pollock Puzzle

Several years ago, my parents were cleaning out their basement and given my inclination for the arts, thought I would enjoy having this puzzle they bought in the 1960s. It's of Jackson Pollock's painting entitled, Convergence from 1952 whose home is at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. On the side of the box it is touted as "the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle (over 500 pieces)". With the dime-sized pieces, and given the number of attempts we've made at it without getting much further than the edges, I can believe it!

Just in case you were wondering, this is the complete painting - without any missing pieces.