Pierre Bonnard Sketch Studies

I was totally enchanted by an exhibit of Pierre Bonnard's later paintings, mostly of interiors, that are currently on view at the Met in New York. My particular fascination was with the thumbnail sketches that accompanied the paintings. Some were on scraps of paper, some in sketchbooks or journals mixed in with lists and notes. Most were pencil sketches but some had watercolor or goache as well. Apparently he did not paint his interiors as still lifes but often scribbled down scenes and returned to paint from his sketched notes later. The interiors and household items were familiar to him, many show up in multiple paintings, but the compositions were captured as he noticed them and stored away for future paintings. His somewhat unusual cropping of figures shows up in the sketches too. In some cases the paintings that resulted from the sketches were on view and it was great to see his process more fully... almost made me want to pick up a paintbrush instead of my usual paper and glue! On the wall of the exhibition, the following quote from Bonnard seemed most appropriate to the show and most profound... "I'm trying to do what I've never done, give the impression one has on entering a room: one sees everything and at the same time nothing." So glad I got to see this show... sometimes it's the story behind the work that really adds meaning -- his sketches were quickly captured and really wonderful to see in combination with the finished paintings. As usual, I wish I'd had time to linger longer!

Glowing Color

On my birthday I went to see "In Contemporary Rhythm: The Art of Ernest L. Blumenschein" show at the Denver Art Museum. What a great way to spend the afternoon! Blumenschein started out as an illustrator. He discovered the southwest when doing artwork for railroad promotions and the area and its inhabitants became his main subject as he evolved into a fine artist. He was a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. The glowing colors in his paintings are captivating. The simplification of shapes/patterns are very modern and bold. I had not expected to be so taken with Blumenschein's work or story, but ended up buying the catalog so I could revisit the images and learn more about him. The show is at the museum until February 8th. My images don't do his work justice, so go see it if you can!

National Collage Society Show

The 24th annual juried exhibit of the National Collage Society is on display in Colorado at the Longmont Museum. I finally got a chance to go see it yesterday. I had submitted work for the show but was not juried in this year. (I was fortunate to have my work exhibited in the NCS show in 2001, 2003-2005, and 2007 so I'm now a "signature member" of the organization.) After all the years I've been in the show, this is the first time I've been able to see it in person, and it was a treat. Seeing work in catalogues are great, but it is often really hard to do layered collage work justice in a photograph.

Congratulations to the 58 artists included in the show. The selected pieces are extremely varied, a few assemblages, but mostly 2-D work. I felt that the awards were well chosen. It was as much fun to study the techniques of how the work was constructed, up close, as it was to consider all the different subjects and stylistic ranges represented. Here are details from a few of my favorite pieces. My apologies to the artists for not noting the names that go along with these images. (Next time I will photograph the accompanying label!) Please let me know if you see yours here and I will include credit line.

Past Lives Catalogue

Here is a photo of the show catalogue with the Foundling piece featured on the cover. It is on top of a collage that I'm finishing up... so, a bit wild looking! Above the collage photo is the poem that Hilary wrote to go along with it. Inside, each work from the show is shown with its companion poem.