Upcoming Local Exhibit and Work in Process Update

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have some good news to share! There is going to be another opportunity this year to view my artwork in my local community of Bethlehem, PA.

I know quite a few people lamented the fact that they were not able to attend my Open Studio in September. If you were one of those people, please read on. (Even if you weren't, please read on anyway. There are other details that might interest you.)

On Sunday November 6th I am thrilled to be exhibiting my artwork at the Tap Ties' Day of Dance and Friendship!

The wonderful Tap Ties ladies are hosting a fun filled afternoon of tap master classes followed by an informal performance and reception. The classes are open to intermediate and advanced tap dancers ages 12 and over. The reception and performance is open both to dancers and non-dancers. See their website for more information.

The Tap Ties directors have graciously invited me to exhibit my artwork during the event. My art will be on display outside of the dance room during all the classes and the reception. I will be showing a variety of pieces including (but not limited to) drawings and related products from my tap dance series. It is the perfect time to start holiday shopping for the tap dance lover or art lover in your life!
Click here for directions and a map.

The details...
Tap Ties Day of Dance and Friendship
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2pm - 6:30pm
Moravian College Dance Studio
Johnston Hall, Elizabeth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA

About the art...
The image above is a work in progress shot for what will become the next drawing in my tap dance series. I absolutely love my reference photo - another one snapped at a Tap Ties choreography session. I chose to use graphite for this image because of the subtle tones in the background and floor. Since I am using graphite, this drawing is moving a bit slower than my last two charcoal pieces did, but I think it is going to be worth it in the end.

And for the sake of complete disclosure, I will say that shortly after snapping this photo, I saw some things that I wanted to change so I spent a little quality time with an eraser. That certainly didn't speed up my progress any, but I'm happy with the changes which is all that really matters.

The Fine Art of Savoring Life

"Autumn by the Creek" sketch

Inktense pencils in Moleskin watercolor sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

When I was younger I didn't think much about savoring life. I had lots of free time to spend however I wanted. If a day ended up feeling kind of "blah" or unmemorable, it was no big deal. There was always tomorrow.

Now that I'm older I think a lot more about whether I savored any part of my day. Part of that may be contributed to getting older, and hopefully wiser, but I think a bigger factor is the busy schedule that comes from living with a husband who is never still and two fun-loving pre-teens.

Many of our days are jam-packed with activities, commitments, obligations. The free times are fewer and farther apart, making it all more important to me to savor both the free times and the fuller parts of my life.

Here is a list of some of the ways I savor my days...
- talk with my husband about travel, going after our dreams, successes we are striving for, how our kids crack us up, anything and everything;
- take "Family Fun" outings to amusements parks, the beach, mini-golf, the woods, creeks and streams, the ice cream store, historic homes, any place interesting, beautiful or fun;
- relax on the screened porch;
- spend time with family and friends;
- eat really good food;
- spend time in nature;
- hug the ones I love;
- laugh, dance, act silly;
- create art.

What are some of the ways you savor life?

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About the sketch: I created this quick sketch on Monday. School was closed in observance of Columbus Day, and my hubby took a vacation day from work so we could all have a three day weekend. We went for a short hike and ended up on the bank of a creek. While the kids splashed around in the very cold water and skipped stones with hubby, I perched on a fallen tree and made an attempt to capture the sunlight, the color of the changing leaves and the way they reflected in the stream. A good time was had by all and I savored both the moment and now the memory of it.

The grey area at the top of the sketch is a shadow created during the scanning. Adjusting the colors of the scan was a challenge. The white of the paper was reflecting too much light causing me to lose the yellows in the sketch. This one looks better in real life than on the screen.

Sketching the Blue Summer Sky

watercolor sketch

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

This summer I have started many of my days sitting out on my screen porch. On this particular day in June I couldn't help but notice the beautiful bright blue sky framed by our trees and the roof of our neighbors house.

I decided to make use of the slower pace of summer and enjoy a quick watercolor sketch. I hope you enjoy it as well.

The Farmers' Market Opens!

Last Sunday was a day that I have been waiting for since November. I have been waiting for it with the eagerness of a child waiting for Christmas. On Sunday our local farmers' market opened for the 2011 season. Hallelujah!

I love the farmers' market. (I felt I had to say that in case it wasn't obvious.)

Not only does it supply me with super fresh, super delicious local produce, meats, cheeses and breads, but it also provides a wealth of painting ideas and models that are known to sit very still. Well..., unless someone comes along and decides to steal the model for a snack before I am done my painting.

Farmers' Market Spring Bounty

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We've had a very wet and cool spring so I wasn't sure what would be available at this first market of the season. I was pleasantly surprised!

We came home with several different types of greens (arugula, pea shoots and leaf lettuce) as well as asparagus and mushrooms! We also picked up a scrumptious focaccia and some locally made salsa. We bought the mild salsa and were happy to find that it was very tasty and had a slight kick which built the more you ate.

Sunday Lunch!

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We also stocked up on some locally raised chicken and bison since our freezer was empty!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be back to eating locally grown produce. The stuff shipped into the grocery stores over the winter just can't compare. This is our third or fourth year shopping at the market and I wonder now what took me so long to give it a try.

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In other news, for those of you who live close to Bethlehem, PA, this Saturday is the Tap Ties National Tap Dance Day Celebration.

I will be selling my tap dance series of note cards, prints and posters (new this year!) both at the Banana Factory during the daytime workshops and in the evening at Foy Concert Hall before the performance. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

I will also be performing with other members of my advanced tap class. Tickets are available in the lobby prior to the show if anyone wants to see why I am a professional artist and not an professional dancer. Click the link above for more information and directions.

Studio Work

Stopping in for a quick post today since I am focusing on maximizing studio time this week. Thought I would share a work-in-progress of one of the paintings I am working on.

Peonies WIP

20" x 16" watercolor on Aquabord

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have been working on this painting on and off for over a year! It keeps getting pushed aside for works that have a deadline. But I am always anxious to get back to it.

At first I was a little daunted by the complexity of it, but once I figured out how to handle all those petals I really began enjoying the process. It is nearing completion now and I am excited to see how it looks all put together. (Unfortunately the colors seem a bit off on my screen. I took the photo on a cloudy day and I think that proved too much for my meager Photoshop skills.)

I am also hoping that once it is finished a title for it will appear. I have been calling it "Peonies" but that doesn't quite have the ring I am looking for. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe I should try a naming contest of some sort. I'll keep you posted.

Spring in Rome

Spring near Rome, Italy

photo ©2011 Kelly Medford

Kelly Medford was the first to send me a photo which showed evidence of the approaching Spring season. Thank you Kelly!

Kelly lives in Rome, Italy and carries her easel wherever she goes. Painting in plein air allows her to combine her love of being outdoors with her love of creating art. Her photo is from a recent hiking trip. Look carefully and you can see the green buds of leaves starting to unfurl and white blossoms.

When you get a chance, please check out the links below. Kelly's beautiful landscapes will brighten your day even if Spring hasn't showed up in your neighborhood yet.

Kelly Medford -
Website
Blog - Adventures in Painting
Facebook Page

Also if you have photographic evidence of Spring arriving near you, email me your photo and I'll share it here on my blog. Check out this post for details.

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On a separate topic, I have entered my blog into a "Best of Blogs" contest being run by the local newspaper. If you enjoy reading my blog, please consider voting for me here. You do not need to live in my area to vote, but you will need to register for the site. Voters may vote once a day in each of the categories. Voting ends at 11:59pm on March 27th.

Wish me luck! And thank you for voting!

Paintbox Art Club Opening Reception

As mentioned in my previous post, last Sunday my husband and I attended the opening reception for the Paintbox Art Club exhibit at the Nazareth Center for the Arts. The show features a collection of works from artists like me who are members of the club.

Paintings from Paintbox show

artists are (l to r) Stacy Rowan, Sandra Hamlin, and Will Daskal

The Nazareth Center for the Arts (NCA) is a fairly new venue. It opened in December 2009. The center is located on Belvidere Street in Nazareth, PA. (Music or guitar lovers out there might be familiar with Nazareth as the home of Martin guitars.)

The NCA is run by the Nazareth Cultural and Arts Commission. Their mission is to enhance the lives of citizens of the community by making art, music and theater a daily experience through exhibits, live performances, and educational programs.

The Paintbox Art Club is a local art group which has been sharing art with the community for over 40 years. The club meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month except in January, July and August. Meetings consist of a short business meeting followed by a demonstration by a guest artist. Meetings are held at the NCA. Paintbox is a friendly and welcoming group that is open to new members. Annual dues are a very reasonable $15.

I was quite impressed with the presentation of the Paintbox show. The center did a nice job hanging the artwork and advertising the event. The venue provides an accessible space for the public to appreciate the work of local artists.

I wish the Nazareth Cultural and Arts Commission much success with the center and thank them for their support of the local art community.

Paintbox Art Club Exhibit - Nazareth Center for the Arts

A Tranquil Spring Day - Burnside Plantation

11" x 14" watercolor on paper

©2006 Stacy L. Rowan

I belong to the Paintbox Art Club. This Sunday we have a show opening at the Nazareth Center for the Arts in Nazareth, PA from 2pm to 4pm. I will be showing the painting above.

The show runs through February 25th. Show hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 2pm, the first Saturday of the month from 1pm until 4pm and by appointment, call (610) 759-8590.

Looking at art is a great cure for cabin fever. Why don't you stop by if you are in the neighborhood?

Autumn Gold

The other day dawned beautiful, sunny and warm. Since October was almost at an end, I knew there might not be many more days fitting that description before the gray, leafless days of fall rolled in. I was scheduled to spend the afternoon in the studio, but decided instead to take my watercolor sketch book and small travel palette out to find something pretty to sketch.

The leaves on the trees at a near-by park were at their peak of autumn color, seeming to almost glow in the sunlight. Here is my interpretation.

Autumn Gold

watercolor sketch in Moleskine sketchbook

©2010 Stacy Rowan

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A quick reminder -- Comments close on the Virtual Open Studio posts tonight. Names of prize winner will be drawn tomorrow morning. If you want a chance to win a pack of note cards or an ornament, don't wait, leave your comment on a VOS post now.

Virtual Open Studio 2010 - Post #4

After you've had your fill in the kitchen, you can walk down the single step into the family room. Immediately in front of you is a black rack holding an assortment of prints and a table displaying a basket of note cards. (Information about the note cards will be featured in the next VOS post.)

In between these, on the round table, is the small original painting Onions.

 In the center of the room on the ottoman is another unframed original painting of an apple. The miniature drawing of the Central Moravian Church of Bethlehem is also here.

Above the couch are two framed charcoal drawings - Sunquats on the left and Keep on Your Toes from my tap dancing series on the right.

Directly behind you above the large cabinet is one of my floral paintings titled Purple Distraction.

On either side of the fireplace you will find the painting Sacrifice

and my series of watercolor leaves.

On the table near the leaves is a new graphite drawing for the tap series which I will share here soon.

Remember there is still time to enter your name into the door prize drawing. Just leave a comment on any of the Virtual Open Studio posts. It doesn't have to be a comment about the open studio or the art. A simple "I was here!" will do the trick. Now is a great time to enter because I've decided to add a second prize! Check out post #5 later this week to find out what it is.

All images ©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Virtual Open Studio 2010 - Post #3

From the dining room, head into the kitchen.

This is where the all important snacks are, including the impossibly adorable mini cupcakes that my neighbor* brought over.

Yes, there are paintings of cupcakes in my future. Why do you ask?

In addition to real food, there are paintings of food, including Uncle John's Peppers ,

The smudge on the bottom left of the mat does not really exist. It is the result of my less than stellar Photoshop skills. I used Photoshop to remove the glare caused by the sliding glass doors opposite the painting.

 Familiar Blush.

 and Coffee Break.

Other pieces found in the kitchen are A Good Day to Wear Wool, which is another local landscape,

and Echinacea Buffet, one of the miniature drawings I recently completed.

All images ©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

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*My neighbor recently started up a business baking the most delicious and beautiful cakes. If you live local and are looking for a special cake, drop me an email. I am more than happy to pass along her contact information.

Virtual Open Studio 2010 - Post #2

Now we are going to move on from the living room into the dining room.

Placed across from the doorway from the living room, Warmth for the Lonely Traveler is the first paintings you will see. It is a painting of the guest suite in the local, historic Sun Inn.

Tranquil Spring Day is a painting of another local landmark, the Burnside Plantation, and is also hung in this room.

In addition to these two paintings, the dining room is also the showcase for the Christmas table.

Now I have to admit, it pained me to set up a Christmas table seeing as how it isn't even Halloween yet. The Christmas table breaks every rule I've ever made about holiday decorating. But I made these cute little ornaments from some of my daily sketches and they were begging to be displayed together. So I decided to break my own rules in the name of art.

In addition to the new ornaments, the display also contained some holiday note cards, the Christmas Bells painting, and my new covered bridge miniature*.

Other paintings hanging in the dining room include Rainbow Tea and Crisp.

* I just realized that I haven't shared the covered bridge miniature here. I promise to do that once I wrap up the Virtual Open Studio. If you can't wait, you can find it now over on my Facebook Fan Page in the photo album titled "miniatures".

Days 91 and 92

When the daffodils in my yard bloomed I couldn't resist using them as subjects for my sketch of the day. The first one didn't go so well, but I was quite happy with the other three.

sketches of daffodils

sepia pen in cahier sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

I typically drive past this large, circular window at least once a week. On this day I finally had the opportunity to sketch it.

sketch of circular window

graphite in cahier sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

The window is part of a beautiful stone chapel at a local college. The chapel was built in 1893.

Day 69 - Old Stone House

This old stone house is just a couple of blocks from where I live. I drive past it and admire it almost every day. I dream of some day owning a stone building like this. Or perhaps even saving one of these old beauties and restoring it to it's former glory.

But for now I satisfy myself with sketching them.

stone house sketch

graphite in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Day 27

old stone house sketch

sepia pen in Cotman Field sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Look! A sketch of something that isn't found in my house! I bet my readers are relieved. I know I am.

I often have my sketch book with me when I am running errands. In fact I carry a Moleskine Cahier pocket sketch book and a pen in my purse. But most times I end up kicking myself when I get home and realize that I forgot to actually sketch something while I was out. The bruises were getting hard to explain.

This day I actually remembered before I got all the way home, and I decided to pull over into a parking lot and sketch this old house. It is an old stone home situated right next door to a high end restaurant. Obviously the home was built first and the restaurant came much later.

I don't know if anyone lives in this house. The front and sides are covered with some sort of vine that seems to be taking over (I chose to leave it out of the sketch). And the bushes in front of the house are getting pretty tall. But what I notice most about this place is the fabulous pair of windows up on the roof. I love their curved shape. What an extravagence they must have been when this house was first built. There are numerous stone buildings in this area, but I've never seen another one with windows quite like this. 

Day 13 - View from my Window

How often do we really look at the world around us? As we rush through our day, do we stop and look at the things and people that are a part of our everyday life?

Yesterday morning while I was putting on some makeup, I glanced up and the reflection of the view out the window caught my eye. (I had opened the bathroom shades to take advantage of the sun that was streaming through the back windows of my house. We don't see a lot of sun here during the winter, so I try to take advantage of it when we have it.)

And the view surprised me. I had forgotten that from the second floor I could see the hills in the distance. And I had forgotten how much I like seeing them. I decided right then that my sketch would be of the view.

sketch of view from my window

pencil in Cotman Field sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

So today's sketch is a little different, but how boring would it be if I did 365 days of the same thing? As I was doing this sketch I was thinking it might actually be nice to try it in watercolor. I think it would be easier to get a sense of distance with a color sketch. Something to think about for another day.

A Mountain of Color

 watercolor sketch approx. 1"x5"

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Here is a quick sketch that I did a few weeks ago while sitting at soccer practice. The mountains in the distance were a beautiful mix of fall colors set against a blue sky. I was happy that I was able to capture this fleeting view in my sketchbook. And I managed to do it without getting any paint on me. Although I did spill some water on my coat when the soccer ball suddenly shot in my direction. Maybe that's one reason I've never seen anyone else sketching at soccer. It's a bit riskier than sketching in other places.

Vultures

Today was a lovely autumn day - sunny skies, temperatures hovering around 70 degrees, leaves starting to change. I decided to take advantage of the weather and go for a walk around my neighborhood. I took my camera with me with the intention of capturing images of fall in my neighborhood. I imagined pictures of colorful leaves and mums in bloom. I never imaged this...

Best I can tell, this is a turkey vulture. He was hanging out in the top of my neighbor's tree. He doesn't look like much here, but let me assure you that when he took off in flight...

he was HUGE! At first there were just two, but later there were as many as six flying around.

I found myself hoping that they weren't very hungry. I felt a little outnumbered. The other birds in the neighborhood didn't seem very happy to have the turkey vultures around and were making quite a lot of noise. The vultures didn't seem to care as they slowly glided on the air currents.

I'm not sure where the vultures came from, because I promise they are not a common sight in our suburban development. I do know that they are on the list of birds which can be seen at near-by Hawk Mountain. According to their website 40 turkey vultures were counted there today and a comment was posted that said "turkey vultures on the move today". I guess that's as good an explanation for my sighting as any.

I did manage to get images of colorful leaves and fall mums as I expected, but they seemed a little sedate compared to these.

Looking Forward

Hawk Mountain South Lookout, Kempton, PA

Summer is coming to a close here. In most of the US, Labor Day is the unofficial end to the summer, but in our area the kids go back to school this coming week. School means the end of those carefree summer days.

And what a summer it has been! My kids say best summer ever and I have to agree. There have been trips to the shore with days spent on the beach and nights on the boardwalk. Visits to water parks. Time spent with family and friends. Afternoons cooling off at the pool. Cookouts, parades, festivals and fireworks. A zoo, an aquarium and an amusement park for the kids. Hiking and a few date nights for the adults. Summer is a magical, fun-filled time and we certainly are going to miss it.

I did manage to squeeze some work in among all the fun, and I will be sharing it here over the next few weeks. Look for sketches, additions to the tap dancing series and even a new watercolor or two.

Also, all the fun in the sun has ignited my creative spark. I have a lot of ideas calling out to become new drawings or paintings. I've been rethinking my schedule and art related priorities these past several weeks and am now looking forward to a productive fall.

So yes I will miss the long summer days filled with ice cream and sunscreen, but knowing football, apple cider, cool autumn nights and colorful leaves are right around the corner makes it easy to look ahead with anticipation.

Hawk Mountain North Lookout, Kempton, PA

My Art in the Garden Cafe in Nazareth

The Garden Cafe on Main Street in Nazareth, PA is a sweet and cozy cafe. Kate has owned and operated the cafe for 12 years. In addition to providing a great place to eat, Kate also offers her support to local artists by providing them with a place to display and sell their work. This month I a honored to have my artwork hanging on the cafe walls.

I hung nine original watercolors including the cabbage and the Detwiller House. I also hung 2 charcoal pieces (Ten Minutes Peace and Sunquats) and two graphite pieces.

Below you will find my first attempt at a video clip. It is a short video tour of the cafe with some shots of my artwork on the walls. The two charcoals and one graphite piece are hung behind the tree. They make a great little grouping there, but I didn't get a good shot of them in the video.




Hopefully my future attempts at video will be better. For some reason I couldn't edit the video to shorten it. At the point where my computer froze and I thought I had lost the whole thing, I gave up and saved it as is. It was either that or toss the computer out the window. And it was much too cold to have a window open.

If you are in the area and want to stop by the cafe, the address is...
52 S. Main Street
Nazareth, PA 18064

Both breakfast and lunch are served at the cafe. Hours are 8am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday. I recommend going for lunch and ordering the chicken salad. It's delicious! Tell Kate I sent you.