Taking breaks but always inspired!

By Annie Lynch

So, sometimes we take breaks from the creative process. Usually there are reasons why but it just happens.

I haven’t painted for a while but I am constantly thinking about ideas for future work.

I had the opportunity of taking two great trips recently.

One to Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia, and then a two-week trip to Croatia.

Cumberland Island is still beautifully wild with live Oaks dripping with moss. The shadows and light coming through the trees would be challenging but fun to paint.

Croatia has given me endless images to draw from, the cerulean blue green waters, the mountains coming down from the sea, fields of wildflowers, live groves and vineyards and ancient ruins at twilight. I look forward to painting from these memories.

In between these trips I went to Delaware to see my mom. I often like to visit the Brandywine River Museum to look at the Wyeth paintings.

Helga Series

I especially like Andrew’s watercolor and Jamie’s oils. It makes me think how a painting is constructed.

From My Travel Journal

From My Travel Journal

So, if we are taking some breaks from creating, hopefully we are still learning, absorbing observing, appreciating and thinking about what we might do next!

Jamie Wyeth

Jamie Wyeth

If we are taking some breaks from creating, hopefully we are still learning, absorbing observing, appreciating and thinking about what we might do next!

Now I can’t wait to get back in the studio.

SPRING THAW

Paintings in Watercolor, Gouache and Pastel

By JANICE WITTMER

Stillness

Emerging

Melting

Growth

Life

 

 WORKSHOP CHALLENGE

By Terry Heinzmann

In September of last year, the Merrimack River Painters struck out for Ogunquit, Maine, to paint by the sea. We had perfect weather for the three-day workshop and made the most of being outside.

Dustan, our intrepid and very creative coach, set the parameters of the workshop. They were: paint what you feel when you look at the ocean. Don’t paint what you see, paint what you feel. Paint the emotions you have as you watch the waves. Paint how you feel as you look at the sea. Paint the colors and shapes of your feelings. And do it quickly, spontaneously. Don’t think, just paint.

We, all of us, were completely challenged by this assignment, but we charged ahead and did our best. It was hard, to say the least. So used to painting what we see in the scene before us, painting some abstract notion, feeling, emotion, was really hard.

And if that wasn’t challenging enough, when we left the seaside and returned to the comfortable and charming home, belonging to one in our group, Dustan’s instructions were to rip up the paintings we had just done and assemble the pieces into a new painting. Yikes!

Well it took a bit of time to get into the rhythm of this project, but we dug in and went beyond the thinking realm and into some other place. Working this way was very freeing, exciting and challenging, all at the same time.

The pieces scattered throughout, represent my best efforts during this workshop. None of them have titles (what would I say?!)

I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for checking them out!

IN THE STUDIO

By Mary Ruedig 

Ice in the Brook

 I painted the ice in the brook to try to capture the abstract lines the ice was making on top of the water.

In the Blueberry Thicket

Then I painted the blueberry patches,

Black Birds on Cattails

After which I painted the cattails and mountain wildflowers in an attempt to bring some summer warmth into my winter studio.

Colorado Dreaming

CHANGING THINGS UP IN THE STUDIO

By Dustan Knight Tarbell 

Dear fellow artists. Sometimes it is just fun to try different materials than you are accustomed to using. I have been painting many small canvas of birch trees for the holiday season and, yes it was fun, and everyone was unique and each showed me a new combination of elements and colors. Shapes and formats, but I got a tiny bit bored.

So as 2022 roared into town I thought I would try something new and surprising.

I visited some of the woodworking shops in the studio building and found interesting wood scrapes. I was so excited.

Something about sorting through a heap of wood blocks and placing them together is so relaxing and meditative.

My initial excitement changed to me feeling overwhelmed by the options of how to use the new  material, paint them…. All one color?... add glitter….splash and drip paint….put them on canvas….add metal pieces. For several days I didn’t know what to do.

Then I needed to stay simple, move slowly. That helped. I have a drill and a bottle of wood glue.

One day I built three sculptures. It took all day. It was wonderful and I had wood glue going everywhere.

My head was full of self-congratulations that evening leaving the studio.

The next day when I attempted to hang the pieces on the wall, they all let go. They fell to their original pieces.

Suddenly I remembered that this was why I had decided not to use these materials in the past!

This morning I am filled with resolve to fabricate them using hardware, nails, screws, glue and my drill.

This is the fun of being an artist, the excitement of making something cool from nothing, the magic of it and taking on the challenge of it.

Happy New Year, Dusty

 FROM 

THE MERRIMACK RIVER PAINTERS

Marilyn Eimon

Claudette Gammon

Terry Heinzmann

Betsy Janeway

Susan Levenson

Ann Lynch

Mary Ruedig

Ann Saunderson

Kathy Tangney

Dustan Knight Trabell

Janice Wittmer

WHAT CAN MOTIVATE US

 By SUSAN LEVENSON

For years the magnet on my refrigerator greeted me every time I opened the door with the inscription “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” – Pablo Picasso.

While pondering for a subject to write about it hit me, this was what I had been looking for. Art therapists know that making art is a way to cope with tragedy and uncertainty. For me, it was a true experience for dealing with the insecurity of the Covid Pandemic.

My creative drive was at it’s lowest. Nothing got done. Becoming “lost” in a painting was a thing of the past.

I give thanks that our gifted MRP leader, Dustan Knight, who began art classes expertly crafted on zoom, the new medium on media, for our group. These classes, held twice a week, were a ray of psychological sunshine.

I did not feel well. They offset my fear of a long cold winter, the lockdown, the isolation… My daily calendar was empty, except for the virtual doctor appointments.

Dusty offered support to all of us during these uncertain times. How inspiring and healing it was to feel the resources within ourselves come together stronger and then blossom. As a group, we all seemed to be reaching out to one another by sharing the inner drive within us. The work the group produced during this period was astounding.

Even though I was “under the weather”, I managed to eek out a few pieces which I am showcasing here.

How blessed I was to reestablished my lost creative spirit by having had the opportunity to have had art wash the dust off the Pandemic.