Art in the Open, Philadelphia 2012

I'm still digging paint out from under my nails and recovering from the 1,800 times I crouched and stood up while working. The weather was beautiful. I was in the sun but it didn't bother me because I was talking or working the entire time. My paint tarps were saturated and I had to hang them out to dry when I got home. I worked in fluid acrylics mixed with pouring medium and water, thanks to support from an opportunity grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

My work is about my connection to nature. The combination of the environment and my process were successful in drawing observers attention to the river and their own relationship to nature. People enjoyed watching the thinned down paint run and form natural patterns and commented on how it reminded them of rivers, tree branches and their own veins. This was especially true of the paintings on Plexiglass as they are reminiscent of microcosms on slides. I enjoyed hearing peoples thoughts, feelings and impressions of the process and the work as it evolved over the 3 days. I met so many nice people and look forward to seeing the other participating artists at the exhibition opening on June 14th at the Independence Seaport Museum.

Some of the finished work...

I photographed these quickly in my studio for the curator of the show. I'm still working on how the Plexiglas pieces will be displayed.

Art in the Open, Philadelphia 2012

I've been selected to participate in Art in the Open Philadelphia, May 18 - 20, 2012 along the Schuylkill River Banks. Art in the Open (AiO) is a citywide event that celebrates artists, their inspirations for creating art, and their relationships with the urban environment. The above picture was taken on the Schuylkill River Trail, near 23rd and Race a few weeks ago.

What is this event exactly? Well it's not an art fair. I'm not selling my work this weekend I'm creating the work. It's in the tradition of en plein air painting a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. I'll be working in acrylic paint, watercolor and colored inks for the convenience of their quick drying qualities. With the support of an opportunity grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts I purchased fluid acrylics, pouring medium, wood panels and some large pieces of Plexiglas to paint on. I'll also bring some primed and unprimed stretched canvases and watercolor paper.

My work is about nature and the connection between man and nature. It seems fitting to make my work outside on location en plein air. My process is pouring thinned paint, allowing it to run and puddle like liquids in nature. The result is patterns similar to waterways. There is a correlation between these imaginary waterways and our own circulatory system, illustrating the connection between earth and mankind. I usually work in a climate-controlled studio so I’m interested in taking on the challenge of working outdoors. This will push my work forward as I embrace chance and make nature my muse and partner. I will invite whatever effect wind, sun, and rain have on the work. That's what I wrote for my proposal anyway but it looks like it's going to be beautiful weather those 3 days.

I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and see what happens. The finished work will be exhibited at the Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, June 14 - September 9, 2012.

If you are thinking about coming out this weekend there will be 17 other artists working in a variety of styles and fun, family art activities scheduled throughout the event. Check the Art in the Open website for dates, times and locations. I will be doing real time updates on my location and progress on my Linda Celestian Artist Facebook page. Follow the link and "Like" my page.

Star Island Conference on the Arts

I'm so excited to announce that I will be teaching this summer on Star Island at the Star Arts Conference, June 16 - 23, 2012.

"Star Arts is a week-long creative arts conference set on beautiful Star Island, ten miles off the coast of New Hampshire. Whether you are a beginner or professional, an active participant or interested observer, Arts offers a chance to express your artistry and celebrate your uniqueness in a breathtaking and supportive environment.

Join us. Make new friends. Discover hidden talents. Create a masterpiece or just enjoy the extraordinary beauty of this magical island. Star Arts offers an unforgettable opportunity to experience creativity, a sense of community and individual spirituality." excerpted from the website.

I will be teaching Expressive Painting, helping participants to understand and achieve their goals for self expression. Working with painting, printmaking and collage techniques we will explore line, shape, form, space, color and texture in regards to communicating in a visual language. Inspiration will be found in nature and personal stories.

I will be bringing inexpensive bulk supplies for planned activities, so those who wish can simply pay a materials fee of $15 per person and save your good materials for serious application. This will cover the paper, acrylic paint and the painting tools. However, participants may want to bring their own supplies for the last day to apply what they've learned in their chosen medium.

Workshops are in the mornings leaving the afternoons free to relax, explore the island or work on art projects. Evening activities include performances and chapel. It's camp for adults. I can't wait!

GoggleWorks Opening

A funny thing happened at the GoggleWorks opening on Friday night. My friend Marilyn and I decided to go to the opening since it might be our only chance to see the other work. Great turnout, great work.

I was really interested in meeting Lyn Godley, one of the jurors. She's an amazing artist and designer of interiors, product, furniture, lighting, and jewelry. She does work with fiber optic lights that you can see in the images from her show at the GoggleWorks here.

I was actually standing next to her and chatting her up about my piece when they started to announce the awards. She tapped me and said "Aren't you getting one of these?" When she saw I had no idea what she was talking about she back peddled and said "Well I put my vote in but I don't really know what they decided." 3rd place was announced, then 2nd, then 1st and I thought oh I guess I'm not getting an award. I saw that Lauralynn wasn't leaving the podium and there was one more award and she said something about this person is winning because of the 3 pieces she has in the show and then I knew. I won Best in Show and the award is a solo show, March 9 - April 14, 2013 in the Cohen Gallery which is a massive section of the first floor gallery space. I went up to get my award and turned around to find people snapping pictures of me. A reporter and photographer from the local paper the Reading Eagle were there and asked to interview me for an upcoming article. I really didn't see this coming and was in complete shock.

The funny part is I had some postcards of my paintings that I whipped out to show Lyn and Laralynn. They didn't even know I painted and said they can't wait to see my show. I can't wait to get to work.

Installing Sculpture

I installed my fiber sculpture, The Ocean's Whisper to Me at the GoggleWorks in Reading, Pa. I want to thank Lauralynn for her help and for allowing me to pick the very best spot in the gallery to hang my large piece. I was concerned that it would only look good from the front since that's how I had worked on it in my studio so I chose a spot in front of a wall.

I worked out a new hanging system with curtain rods and felted magnets with fishing line sewn to them. After I arranged and rearranged it in my studio I numbered and color coded the magnets and their placement on the rods. I'm so glad I did all this because I wasn't allowed to get up on a ladder in the gallery. I worked with a very patient gallery helper on the ladder. Handing each numbered magnet to him, he placed it to the corresponding number on the rod. It went up easily and quickly.

Lauralynn loved it and said let's see how it looks without the wall behind it. The walls in the gallery are moveable and viola. We liked it from every angle. This was an unexpected bonus so I took some pictures right before my camera battery went dead.

The opening is on Friday, May 4, 5:30 - 7:30. I can't wait to see the rest of the show. The show runs through June 3rd.