Ranazul Show

Thank you to everyone would came out for my reception at Ranazul Restaurant. I really appreciate everyone that came!My show will be up until April 2nd. Visit www.ranazul.us for directions and hours.

On June 4th and 5th, Savage Mill will once again be hosting the Green Life Festival. During the fesitval, I will have an open house featuring my landscapes and seascapes. Lately, I have been working on some acrylic layered "sunflowerscapes". This is a rather involved process where I make petals on palette paper, and transfer them to the canvas. The result is very textural, and I like that.

Also in June, my work will be featured at Ahh Coffee!, in Eastport Shopping Center in Annapolis, MD. And in July and August, I will have some of my work at Salon on Cross St. in Chestertown, MD.

So things are busy, and life is good. Hope the spring weather is pleasing you, and here is to warmer days ahead!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

March Show and Reception at Ranazul Restaurant

You are cordially invited to a champagne reception

for

Cathy Harville's art show

"Embracing Our Natural Places"

at Ranazul Restaurant

8171 Maple Lawn Drive

Fulton, MD 20759

on Sunday, March 13th from 4:00 to 5:00PM

Please bring a friend!

The show will be up from February 27th to April 2nd, 2011. For more information, contact Cathy at 443.286.3233 or cathy.harville@gmail.com.

My New Book May be Previewed on Blurb!

Greetings,

My book is now ready on Blurb for previews and purchases! Blurb is a website for self-publishing. I would be interested in what you think, and I welcome all comments, good, bad and ugly! Since this is my first book, there is no doubt lots of room for improvement.

You can buy the book from Blurb - that would be sweet! But if you fund my project, it will enable me to order a large quantity of books at a discount, to distribute as rewards, and sell at cost in my studio. Plus, they would be hand signed by me, with a sentiment of your choice.

Ultimately, I would like to use the funds from the project to work with a real, live publisher, so my book could be offered to a wider audience, and maybe even sold through book stores. It would have an ISBN number, and a SKU! I plan to meet with a local publisher, and discuss details in the next few weeks.

Of course, none of this will be a reality without your support. I want to thank those who are already backing my project. If the Amazon, online method of pledging is too confusing or time consuming for you to make a pledge, please ask me for help, or write me a check - I won't cash it unless I am fully funded. Even a few dollars will greatly help.

And please spread the word by telling all your friends! If 10 people each told 10 people, that would be 90 new, potential backers. And if half of them donated only $10, that would put me much closer to my goal.

When Land Meets the Sea by A collection of paintings and stories by Cathy Harville |BOOK INFO

Click on the link above to see my book on Blurb!

In life, we all get back far more than we give out. As my mom alway says, what goes around, comes around. If we all help each other, we can accomplish great things.

Thank you, and cheers,

Cathy Harville

Time to Kickstart!

Greetings from snow-covered Maryland! While we wait for another dumping of the white stuff, I have some exciting news brewing in my art world!

Through "Artists' Magazine", I discovered www.kickstarter.com. Wow! In one day, I have put together the project of my dreams - at least for today!

I am going to write and self-publish a book of my artwork, that is titled "When Land Meets the Sea". The premise of the book is to expose the environmental importance of our beautiful and sometimes, mysterious coastlines on the thousands of miles of creeks, rivers, bays and ocean on the East coast. I realized recently that my paintings often depict the places where land and water meet. In these paintings, we find tidal pools, river grasses, waves, and all kinds of things going on -schools of minnows, reflections, ripples, sand erosion, birds fishing in tidal pools - and little girls walking down the beach. Really cool stuff, indeed!

The really great thing about Kickstarter is that it helps artists obtain funds from interested patrons, in exchange for rewards, including interactions with the project. I haven't launched my project yet - there is still time needed for stewing and brewing, and editing. But it will be launched in the next few days, and my blog will be instrumental in getting the word out.

My book will be brimming with my artwork, with stories of each piece, and how each piece contributes to the theme of land meeting the sea. Sometimes the meetings are quiet and peaceful; and sometimes the encounters are wild and loud!

So, as I recover from a nasty fall on the ice from the previous blizzard, and time waiting for the next wave of snow, I have the precious gift of time - time to think, contemplate, and pause - time to consider all the really amazing experiences I have had where the land meets the sea.

Any ideas? I am as open as my book to come. I hope the coming months present us all with our own version of Kickstarter. For the time being, I am so excited, and full of happy anticipation!

Cheers,

Cathy Harville

Rain, rain, go away....

Remember the little rhyme we used to say as kids? "Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day".  

We have had 19 million days of continuous rain, sometimes accompanied by falling trees, wind damage, and lightning zaps. While everything is green, I think even the plants want to see the sun.

All this rain makes for achy joints, depressed moods, and cabin fever. And lots of jokes - about arks, webbed feet, and people mildewing. Even our boat was full of water - the poor bilge pumps just couldn't handle it anymore, and blew a fuse.

Since we have been indoors for so long, I am working from photos of a year ago, when we actually saw the sun. I find that people in my studio just love to look at the sunny skies, and sunsets, and blue skies. I am starting to run out of photos!

I have a 24X36 painting that is near completion. It is called "After the Rain". I cannot finish it, because I need to see the world after the rain. 

Okay, perhaps I have employed a bit of exaggeration. It really hasn't been 19 million days. But I know it has been at least enough to alter the sanity of really stable and intelligent people. Come August, we will probably have our usual late summer drought. And as our grass dies (which, by the way, has to be cut constantly), I don't think I will be complaining. Perhaps that is the lesson.

Stay dry,

cathy

Declined

I am going through a run of rejections at art shows - or, to put it more politically correct - "declineds".

One never knows what a juror may value. Even after reading their bio, and looking at their work, it is difficult to choose pieces that might actually get in. it is more than difficult - it is impossible!

But, for every show I have been rejected from, there are other shows where I am showing work, and, at a few of them, I have sold work. What is also interesting, is that I often sell work quickly that has been rejected from shows! Sweet!

One thing I recognize is that my adventures with acrylics are still in their infancy. I recognize that I have a lot of growing to do, and much to learn. So, I have decided it is time to take a workshop - to immerse myself in the creative process for several days, and just paint, paint, paint. While remote workshops are pricey, perhaps I need some time to learn a few new tricks, and to watch other artists in their creative processes. If new ideas could come in the form of an injection, I would be the first in line!

As an artist, I also need to learn to honor the process of hit or miss. Without struggling, there can be no progress. I have this one painting that I have painted over so many times, that it has an inherent texture.  

So, today I go to pick up my declined paintings. I already have ideas for the next show!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville 

A Beautiful Monday

After yet another weekend of rain, the sun is shining on this beautiful Monday. This spring has got to be the wettest I can remember for a decade!

The rain has brought us gifts in the form of green life, and profusely blooming flowers. Everything this spring has been so intense - the color, the saturation, and....the gloom on the seemingly endless sunless days.

Humans need sunlight. We are hard-wired to take in sunlight through our eyes and skin, and produce vitamin D and various amino acids and hormones. It is a well-known fact that people in higher latitudes often suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Canadians flock to Florida over the winter, to escape the not only the cold, but to soak up the sun's necessary rays.

The depletion of the ozone layer in the last 20 years has caused more UV rays to make their way to the earth. Compound that with the melting of glaciers, and the UV burden increases even more. More UV rays means more cases of cataracts, and skin cancer. Modern sunblocks made to combat the UV rays are now known to contain compounds that react with the sunlight to create carcinogens! So what are we to do?

It all goes back to our stewardship of the planet. While we probably cannot reverse the damage we have done, I am still optimistic that we can prevent further damage to our environment. If everyone would turn off lights in unoccupied rooms, and turn off power strips to computers, TVs and printers, it would go a long way to saving energy and less green house gases would be emitted into the atmosphere. If we gave up beef, the methane produced by cattle would go away. If we used less gasoline, the environment would improve. If we consumed less, the environment would improve.

As an artist, I am very attuned to the landscape around us. Our open spaces and wild places provide me with my inspiration for paintings. I am trying to do my part. Rather than consume, I reuse, recycle, and renew. I paint over canvases. I take damaged frames to a framer, so they can be made into smaller frames and reused. My trips to the art store are limited to purchasing the essential things I need, rather than buying $30 of stuff I don't need. I don't print out anything unless I really need it. I wear my clothes until they wear out. i also support the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to protect this national treasure, and to insure that future generations may enjoy the bay as we do now.

I am not perfect, in fact, I have to learn some new habits to do my part in saving the environment. Old habits are hard to break, but with conscious thought, it can be done.

So....as I go out on this beautiful day, and walk my canine friend Lucy, I am thankful for the sun, and thankful for clear blue sky and green vegetation. And yes, I will wear sunblock, lest my skin becomes burned.

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Snowed In

I love being snowed in! The whiteness of the snow reflects so much light, that I can't help but smile!

Snow is one of nature's natural anti-depressants. It seems that when the snow covers the landscape, spirits are lifted in Northern climates. My family in Ithaca, NY believes that it is the continual snow cover that makes their winters bearable, and beautiful.

Here in Maryland, we don't often get significant snowfall. So it is a welcome sight, when the earth is sleeping. For some reason though, I am not a snow painter. I prefer to paint color, and the colors in snow are so subtle, that it is just not my ball of wax.

As the end of winter nears, I can feel my painting well getting low. The sweet green of spring promises new inspiration, and warmth. At Savage Mill, we will be having a Green Life festival, on May 2-3, 2009. All the resident artists are busily preparing for our Greenscapes art exhibit, with half the proceeds going to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

So even though the landscape is white, check out the Historic Savage Mill website, www.savagemill.com, to see our upcoming spring events. For me, spring is the official start of a new year. And despite the poor economy, each new year holds a special promise of a new start.

Artfully yours,

Cathy

Major Life Events

greetings everyone,

I subscribe to Robert Genn's Painter's Keys. He recently had an interesting quote:

PS: "Major life events can paralyze your creativity. If you uncover what's going on behind the 'big picture,' though, you can bring yourself back into being in the moment and loving your life." (Guillermo Cuellar)

I agree with Robert, and with Cuellar - major life events, even good ones, can greatly affect creativity.

When I read this quote, I must say I felt a bit relieved. Over the past two months, I have had my share of illnesses, and I am still a bit under the weather with a sinus infection that won't let go. And during this time, my creativity has suffered. On the flip side, I have had more time to think, and let ideas percolate.

My husband and I went to the Florida Keys this past week. I wasn't sure I even wanted to go, but I am glad I did. One of the highlights of the trip was having a first encounter with Key deer. These miniature deer are only 26-32 inches tall, and they only live on a few of the Keys. Naturalists think that these deer were separated from the mainland deer during the last ice age, about 12-13,000 years ago. Their small size matches the land area and vegetative growth they need to survive. As an endangered species, the deer have developed a fondness for people. Although it is illegal to feed them, many of the locals do give them bits of vegetables and fruit. And instead of being nocturnal, they are on the same time schedule as humans.

Our first encounter was with three deer. They all licked my fingers. My husband spent several minutes scratching the ears and face of a small male. After they realized we had no people food to give them, they went about their business. We went into the refuge, and around every curve, we saw deer, eating and laying down, soaking up the winter sun. None of them seemed to fear us.

The Keys are mostly an unspoiled landscape (except for Key West, which is a real tourist trap). I took a few hundred pictures of the clear water, the mangrove trees, and coconut and palm trees. Presently, I am working on a series of palm frond paintings. The light on the fronds was beautiful, and I hope I can do them justice.

Back to major life events - even though I was not feeling well most of the trip, the experience was unforgettable and nourishing. For a little while, I forgot all of my petty problems, and experienced the harmony and healing beauty of nature. I really didn't want to come home.

It snowed this week. Another beautiful gift - the whiteness of the snow provides a tremendous amount of reflected sunlight - just what we all need in the dead of winter - lots of light!

As I continue in this New Year, I can feel a major shift in my thinking, and I am learning to channel negative events into my right hemisphere, and find the positive message. I think that is a good way to approach the winter cold and darkness - to find the light and warmth.

paint yourself a great day,

Cathy

Electric Cars

For some reason, I have been feeling really, really guilty about my carbon footprint - especially driving my car. Of course, everyone is feeling the pain of high fuel prices, and everything is going up in price. I can't think of one thing that has not gone up in price - except at the local produce stand, where time seems to stand still. What a relief it is to walk in to the open air and dirt floor, buy some corn and cherries, pick up a half dozen sunflowers, and still get change for a ten. Okay, the other thing that has not gone up in price is my artwork. Since the public has little income to dispose of, my artwork prices have actually come down a bit. Just a little bit, don't get too excited!

I started to research electric cars today. We get our electric from a nuclear power plant. So an electric car makes a lot of sense, from a green standpoint, as well as from a cost standpoint. I found one car, a nice looking sedan, that will go fast, and take car of most of my commutes, and daily run-arounds. It re-charges on a 220V circuit - just like our dryer! Pretty amazing when you think about it.

Dick and I just got back from our annual summer trip to Ithaca, NY, where we hang out with some family and friends, and pretty eat ourselves into a happy stupor. This trip was full of little kid activities - picking up shells from Lake Cayuga, swinging on a tree swing, picking up railroad spikes off the train tracks, and exploring an ancient gorge up the road. the weather was cool, the nights chilly, and the flowers and wildlife were just amazing. It was a much needed break from the frenetic pace of metro life. Sleeping, eating, and playing for five days is the best prescription for what ails you!

Then came the 200 mile drive back. My nine year old car, bless its heart, just guzzles gas now, and I am thinking the next car will be electric. Hopefully, a model will come out in time so that we can keep this gasoline car for long trips, and as a second, hopefully seldom used vehicle.

So tomorrow, after doing loads of laundry, and grocery store shopping, I am looking forward to getting back to my studio, with fresh ideas, and a new perspective. And I hope I have more paintings to post, and ideas to share. Summer is such a slow time for shoppers, and the rising fuel costs are not helping the situation. So with a selection of small stuff for tight pockets, I hope to make some art that folks still feel like they can afford. While sleeping and eating are good for the soul, so is art. Art helps to dust off the pollution that we find ourselves in. Art gives us hope for the future, that we will still find beauty in our minds and souls. When that electric car becomes available, it will be like a piece of artwork for me - a breathe of fresh air.

Obsessions

Let's face it, we all obsess at some time or another about something. It is easy to obsess, but not so easy to avoid the trap of replaying tapes in our head over and over again. Eventually, enough is enough, and we move on.

I frequently have obsessions in subject matter for my art. Seems I fall in love with something, and paint it over and over again, changing the size, the palette, or the composition. I don't fight this obsession; I just go with the flow, until something else catches my attention.

For a while, it was beaches - beaches in the day, at dusk, with people, with dogs, natural beaches, grassy beaches, Hawaiian beaches, beaches with palm trees, and beaches from different perspectives. Then it was river grass - in pastel, in acrylic, big format, small format, long paintings, small paintings, multiple panel paintings.

I have "moved on" to forsythia, and I can feel it developing to other colors besides yellow - small panels, big panels....you get the idea.

I don't dwell on why this happens, and why I succumb to these "obsessions". Perhaps they are not obsessions as much as explorations. The more I paint, the more I want to explore the subject matter in different ways, until I tire of it and move on. It is not that I think I have mastered anything, or caught the essence - usually, something else just catches my psyche, and I find myself going down a different road.

Life is about taking winding roads, and roads that sometimes seem to go nowhere. But usually a road goes somewhere. And just maybe that pot of gold is down that road. Usually though, I just find cool stuff, stay for a while, pack my bags, and drive on.

Life is a journey, and the more roads we explore, the richer our lives can be. Perhaps that explains why I have so may art supplies for ideas on roads not yet traveled. Thank goodness in life journeys, there are no rising gas prices, no expensive cars, no traffic lights, and no accidents. But there is also no insurance that we make the "right" choices, because there are no right or wrong choices. There are only the choices we make.

Happy traveling,
Cathy

Surface protection

Lately, I feel like I have been inhaling a lot of chemicals - fixative and varnish, mostly. My daughter painted a huge oil about two years ago, and I am just getting around to varnishing it. Her thin layers of paint needed protection against the ravages of time, handling, and framing. While spraying is the easiest approach, I can tell I am a novice at this stage of a painting's life.

This is truly a labor of love. While oil paintings endure for years, conservators know that protection of the surface is vital for insuring a lasting treasure.

As I apply the sixth coat, I think about what humans need to do to protect our environment. We seem to be able to protect our valuables - we insure them, we make sure we lock our doors, we clean them regularly (well, not so much, maybe). Some of us try to take care of our bodies and souls. Then why is it so difficult for us to take care of our natural resources? Why do we continue to practice destructive behaviors, by driving gas hogs, by not carpooling, by leaving lights on, by eating lots of red meat, or by applying more fertilizer than we really need? Is it that we think our world is so vast and unlimited that mother nature can clean up after us forever? Or perhaps we are simply at a loss - we got ourselves into a lifestyle that is at odds with nature, and we don't know how to get out of it.

As I varnish this gem that my daughter created, I think about how we can protect the gem we live on. My art work tries to capture the beauty that we now have. But the very act of making artwork also creates pollution. So ironic. I am glad I don't think about this stuff too frequently, or I would be crazier than I already am. But I do my best - turn off lights, shop at nearby locations, buy local produce, hire local repair and service companies, and keep my thermostat at uncomfortable levels. And I reuse frames, glass, canvases, and recycle paper and plastic.

This is what happens when an artist works in solitude for too long! Back to varnishing, and preserving a part of my daughter's legacy. Hopefully, her descendants will have an earth to enjoy as much as we do.

Peace.
Cathy