Utility Box Painting

More public art in downtown Manchester thanks to Carolina Chauvette Davidson.  The city funded three artists to paint the utility boxes in the downtown. We hope they continue this project next year. Carolina submitted a proposal and was accepted. Her box is located on Elm Street in front of the Radisson Hotel and across from Veterans Park.

Photos by John Mitchell.

Our next project -- Fundraiser

We will be painting these mini boxes as a fundraiser.  One of our members will be selling and exhibiting them in her shop for the Columbus Day weekend.  Six of our members have already confirmed that they would enjoy painting a box.  If you would like a box to paint, contact our Treasurer, Linda Feinberg.  If you would like to paint a box and keep it for yourself or give it as a gift, that is o.k. too.  The price will be $12.

Local events and more

Rollande Rousselle exhibited her paintings at the Greeley Park Art show in Nashua.

Families in Transition is having a fundraiser and fun day at Veterans Park on September 4th. They are looking for some volunteers for their "I am One" New Hampshire Day to end child homelessness.  The festivities will be from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  There will be a variety of performances including some music competition between bands.  One in every four homeless are children in New Hampshire.  For more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxP5HoWuHKw&list=UUY_-MfbEAG338D6XmCl2eEw
and http://www.iamonenh.org/

Bea Bearden painting in her studio. She started the portrait as a plein air painting in Gloucester.

New video by John Mitchell showing the mural on the boathouse. The mural was created by Anthony Williams and painted by many of our artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuWdngRLtuk&list=UU-U49knLZj78p9BpUhkPB5w

John also contributed a poem for this week:

A Good Night’s Sleep

I would like to know you sleep
Away in a slumber still and deep.
Of sun warmed gases, make the bed.
On a pillow of vapors, rest your head.
A night without storm or rain--
A night narcotic released of pain.
A night so quiet, so full of rest
You’d count this sleep as the best.
--------------------

Good news (finally!) from the IRS.  Our organization has been approved with 501(c)3 status.

That means we are recognized as a charitable organization for tax purposes.

We received the state (NH) approval shortly after our initial filing, but the IRS took over 1 year to get around to approving us.

Photos on today’s blog post by Linda H. Feinberg

If you would like to add your event or class to our listings on the Local Exhibits/Classes tab above, please contact our blogger. These need to be related to the arts. You do not need to be a member of Friends of Art Manchester to have a listing, but all members and donations are appreciated.

More murals

Boat House mural at Piscataquog Park

Our artists like to work with other groups too.  This mural is going up at Piscataquog Park and is almost finished.  Video and photos by John Mitchell.

To get there: Take South Main Street to the Walgreens and turn onto Varney Street.  Go straight a bit and turn right onto Precourt Street. This becomes a dirt road into the park.  Left at the soccer field and go around it to the end. Lots of parking available. There are pleasant trails to walk along the river, but you might want to bring bug spray if going in the evening.

Artist Anthony Williams created the mural showing the life cycle of the salmon. Our FOA artists are assisting him to paint this scene.

Mural Finished!

Thank you to everyone who participated. Great job! This was a first time painting outdoors and on brick for many of us.

Photos above by Linda H. Feinberg

Our artists are continuing to paint outdoors. Many of them are working with the Eagle Eyes group painting a boat house on the west side.

Photos above by John Mitchell.

Summer Thoughts

Your House

I like the time
spent at your house.
The most fun was
when we walked
in your garden.

We adjusted the
sprinklers, and
got wet doing it.

And the grass
thanked us by

coming up
even greener-
next morning.

The meals were good too.
The roast was
the best.
And the broiled potatoes?
The finest
I've ever had.

When will you
invite me back?

I want to see

your grass and
flowers again-
eat from your big table
the sweet meats
and fruits so fine-
picked right off
your pear tree.

Poem and photos by John Mitchell
Photos from The Smoke Stack Complex, taken with 35mm Cannon AE-1 camera with 70 mm lens in June 2007. Thank you, John.

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Just a note: Priming has started on the wall at 720 Union Street. Murals to start soon.

Books and Photos

Our members have been busy this year.  Joe Smiga will have his 7th book published this summer. The cover photo is by his wife and this blogger, Linda H. Feinberg. This is a western, a sequel to A Cowboy's Vengeance.  All of his books are available on his website (you get a signed copy), or through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Poetry by author and artist Linda H. Feinberg, red poppies and green clover, is now available for Kindle at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KKRUOF4 
The poems are from 1979-1985 and take the reader on a journey as her marriage ends. She includes poems about her friends and family who give her the strength to continue her growth and ends with finding her true love and continuing her journey. You can also preview the introduction and first few poems of the book by clicking on the image on the Amazon site. The cover art is from an acrylic painting of a canal in Leuven, Belgium.  The author lived there from 1969-1974 and the title of the book is from one of the poems in the collection, reflecting her time there.

John Mitchell contributed some beautiful sky photos for this week's blog:

John said these were taken in Concord, across the street from the state prison. Thanks for submitting your work.

I hope all our readers have taken the time to go to City Hall and look at our artwork and photos there. Ten of our members submitted work for this gallery and you will enjoy it.

City Hall Gallery - More Photos

Photos by John Mitchell. Thank you. Paintings and photos by our members from our group show at the City Hall Gallery, Manchester, NH.

Photography by John Mitchell and some upcoming events

The photo of my granddaughter is to catch her unawares. To get a natural look.
The other photos are an attempt to frame the natural world and give it a concentration you don't get in everyday observation. The photos are opposite, in a way. I'm trying to show a human in nature and to emphasize the natural for the human viewer.

All photos were taken with a 35mm Canon AE-1 using a 70mm lens.

Upcoming Events of interest 

Thursday, April 24, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Petals2Paint

Opening Reception, East Colony Fine Art, 55 South Commercial Street, Manchester

www.eastcolony.com  

Free admission and parking

Saturday, April 26, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, NHIA student annual “art attack”.

Student and alumni art sale at the Brady-Sullivan Plaza courtyard, 1000 Elm Street, Manchester

Acoustic performances during the day. Free admission.

www.nhia.edu

Saturday, April 26, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Alton

Home, Recreation & Food Festival at Prospect Mountain High School, Alton, NH

Our members Linda Feinberg (artist) and Joe Smiga (author) will be at tables 16 & 17.

Free admission and parking

Photo of last year's NHIA student art sale used with permission:

Acrylic and watercolor classes with Anthony Williams at Hobby Lobby (S. Willow Street, Manchester) on Wednesdays (Watercolor) 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and Fridays (Acrylics), 5:00 - 7:00 pm. 

Spring Projects

Can you picture this wall with a mural? We can. This is a building on the west side that will have a mural with a salmon on it.  Anthony Williams and John Mitchell will be meeting with the city next week to discuss further plans for this mural.  This is a project being run by Eagle Eyes (link: http://www.eagleeyes1.org/), but will be coordinated with Friends of Art Manchester.  More information will be available in a future post.

We have received a donation from the owner of the building at 720 Union Street and will be designing a mural to be painted by our artists.  The actual cleanup of the wall will be started at the end of April or beginning of May.  We will be doing some fundraising at that time and already have some pledges.  Our members are working on the design and a theme for the wall which will be sectioned off so that artists can work on a section at a time (Similar to the wall on Mechanic Street by the YMCA).

Plein Air Painting:  We have a group that will meet in the spring and decide on a location in Manchester.  Most are novices and have not done this before, so you might want to consider joining us.  We will have a few seasoned painters to guide us as well.  We’ll post a date and place for our initial meeting (which will be an organizational one) once the weather improves.

Next Eagle Eyes meeting to discuss spring projects will be held next Wednesday, March 26^th, 7:00 p.m. at the Valley Street police station. All welcome.

Next FOA meeting is Wednesday, April 23^rd. Contact our Treasurer if you would like more information. lhfeinberg@myfairpoint.net

If you are interested in some projects outside of Manchester, the Nashua Area Artists Association posts calls for artists on its site: http://www.nashuaareaartistsassoc.org/?page_id=1124

Libraries and Spring Projects

Three of our members have works displayed at the Derry (NH) Public Library for the month of March. The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours.

Rabbi Y'Shia by Linda Feinberg
acrylic, 8" X 10"

Mount Washington by Deb Funk, Watercolor

Red Leaves by John Mitchell
Photograph

Two landscape paintings by Linda Feinberg

Good news for spring projects:

We have a commitment (and a donation) for a mural on a building on Union Street.  The mural area of the wall is 30’ long  X 3’ high. We are accepting donations for this project at this time.  Anthony Williams will be in charge of the design and supervision of the painters.  We will be starting the design work this month and hope to do the cleaning up and priming of the wall in the spring.  The actual painting of the mural will probably be done in the late spring or early summer.  We have several artists who will be painting as well as two charter schools and their students who will be helping out.  Please consider making a donation with Paypal or by check to cover the costs of supplies for this project. Thank you.

Our winter project for Families in Transition has been completed and all the paintings were delivered to them for their men’s residence.  They will be having a reception for us when they have completed some interior work in the residence and have our paintings on the walls.