THE GREENHOUSE SERIES

By Ann Saunderson

This ‘suite’ of paintings began after a recent trip to the Palm House at Kew Gardens in London. It was March…cold, grey, drizzly. In the greenhouse it was warm, moist and smelled of earth.

But…

There was also the sense of things dying. Palms up at the ceiling trying to climb out. The rust around glamorous Victorian decoration…the weighted humidity.

It’s the contrast I’m interested in.

annsaun@gmail.com

annsaundersonart.com

Ann Lynch

 

Letter to the Group

From Dustan Knight

What a fabulous art year for the Merrimack River Painters. Once again we have managed to pursue our artistic journeys and be moms, sisters, wives, aunts and grandmothers. We know that we need balance in our lives, time for others, as well as for ourselves.

Ann Lynch

Claudette Gammon

So we continue our regular monthly meetings where we can talk about the ups and downs in our creative journeys, our artistic goals and how we celebrate our lives.

Claudette Gammon

As time goes by, (we have been together for more than 15 years) I appreciate our group more and more.

Betsy Janeway

There are not many folks around to talk about art with. Not just the exhibition-marketing stuff, but the feelings we encounter when we are actually making art.

Dustan Knight

Mary Ruedig

We talk about new materials, share workshop tips, travel experiences and the reasons we paint, what we paint and how we feel about it. We trust each other to understand, and that is pretty darn special.

Betsy Janeway

Mary Ruedig

This past year we have gotten together at the July New Castle workshop. Marilyn’s painting day in Ogunquit, Susan had her clothesline sale and we are currently having a HUGE show at Kimball Jenkins in Concord, NH.

Annie finally had a show at the NHAA gallery in Portsmouth, NH, and Ann has been showing really interesting pieces that combine architecture and exuberant foliage.

Ann Lynch

Betsy Janeway

Mary’s artwork has blossomed and her travel journals are lovely. Betsy is drawn to wild and inaccessible places, and has been painting the Arctic tundra wildflowers in Northern Alaska. We are encouraging her to pursue the book projects she has mentioned.

Kathy Tangney

Claudette almost has her lake house sold, and continues to explore her painting materials.

Marilyn is having tremendous success with her new book “Ogunquit Etc.” and Susan’s collages are tapping into her powerful younger artistic self.

I am peddling my book at various art groups and painting a series of acrylic birches.

Mary Ruedig

Terry is always such a delight when she is able to join us, her no nonsense perceptive conversation is invaluable.

Jan radiates such happiness that we all bask in her glow, and Bonnie’s works, especially the pieces she is showing at Kimball Jenkins, are so strong and personal it just gives us a deeper insight into the remarkable person she is.

Janice Wittmer

Dustan Knight

Dustan Knight

Kathy’s self-portraits get stronger and she seems to be embracing them with more love and less confusion. I wonder what that means. She continues to be our front man, and along with Claudette, our social/techno genius, I don’t know what we would do as a group without them.

Thank you all for being the Merrimack River Painters.

Dustan Knight

PS Just for fun, we are adding images of our handmade Christmas and Holiday cards.

WONDERFUL TRIBUTE 

TO DUSTAN KNIGHT

A FAVORITE PLACE

TO PAINT

By Susan Levenson

The number one on my list of painting venues that I had most enjoyed in my life is the village of Vernazza, in Cinque Terra, Italy. And I was fortunately able to revisit the area this past October.

 One of five quintessential quaint fishing villages in what used to be called the beautiful “Poor Man’s Riviera”. I found after 10 years, the last time I was there,  it was no longer poor nor was the enchanting archeological character visible either.

However, it did not disappoint. It is still one of my favorite places to visit and paint.

 AND MORE

 SCENES

FROM THE

WONDERFUL OPENING

AT KIMBALL JENKINS SCHOOL OF ART, NOV. 2, 2017

FINDING OUR VOICES

"Portland Dock"

An inspiration exhibition about what it takes to be an artist. Twelve artists who have been painting and exhibiting together for fifteen years celebrate their growth as they navigate their family and community responsibilities to find their creative voices.

"Self Portrait of the Artist as a Young Fish"

This remarkable group of artist friends encourage each other to be true to themselves, and pursue their unique creative expression.

The large exhibition will be held in the beautiful Kimball Jenkins Mansion and Carriage house, from November 2 through December 3, will showcase the artists’ sense of themselves and includes a special wall of self-portraits done just for this show.

No longer burdened by youthful insecurities, these mature women see themselves as total individuals, different from most of their contemporaries, heroically visual and distracted by their idiosyncratic relationship to reality, they don’t see themselves as normal, they see themselves as ARTISTS.

 DUSTAN KNIGHT

and

ANN LYNCH

Exhibiting for the month of October at the
New Hampshire Art Association's Robert Levy Gallery, 136 State Street, Portsmouth, NH.

 

Good Intensions

By Claudette Gammon

The summer of 2017 has been a different one for hubby and me. We decided earlier this year to place our Island Home on Lake Winnipesaukee up for sale.

Interestingly, and for the first time in the 38 years we have owned it, we have been able to spend the entire summer on the lake.

It has been a working summer though, painting and cleaning to get ready to list the property. By the 5 o’clock cocktail hour, we are pretty tired.

 

While checking Facebook occasionally to see what was happening, an artist friend of mine was posting her sketching opportunities. Such as when on vacation in Quebec, or at the beach with family and even on a recent whale watching trip! Needless to say I was envious.

On vacations I tend to just use my camera as my sketch book.

Yes I draw, but I have never been a sketcher. I did try during the Dustan Knight workshop this past July. One of my only trips off the Island for any extended time.

This is where the good intentions comes in.

About three weeks ago I decided that during cocktail hour I would paint what was in front of me, no matter what, on the wonderful little pad of watercolor postcard size paper that a dear friend had recently given me.

There were no excuses really. If it was too windy, I didn’t paint, if we had company, I didn’t paint. But I feel that I at least gave it a college try, in the hopes the bug would catch hold and help me to continue my “good intentions”.

To finish, we have decided to postpone listing our island home till next spring, we still have work to do, and I do hope to continue working on my “sketches”.

MERRIMACK
    RIVER
      PAINTERS

ANNUAL OGUNQUIT

CLOTHESLINE SALE

HELD JULY 29, 2017

 Members participating were: DUSTAN KNIGHT,
SUSAN LEVENSON, MARILYN EIMON, ANN SAUNDERSON, AND JANICE WITTMER.

THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME, AND TO THOSE WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OUR DISCOUNTED
PRICES AND BOUGHT SOME GREAT ART!