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.

Call for Artists - Public Art Project

Hello!

I am writing to invite you and any interested friends or art groups you know of to submit designs for this new public art project in downtown Manchester.  All artists from NH are invited to apply. Both individuals and groups are welcome to apply.  The deadline is March 7th, 2014. Here are the details:

This is a statewide call for artists to submit designs to paint 3-5 traffic signal boxes in the downtown Manchester. The winning artists will be given an award and a stipend to cover painting materials. They will actually paint the boxes when the good weather comes around in April. All the details are outlined in the call for entries form and application.

Link to the website with Calls for Entries at Studio 550 (there are several others in 2014 which you might be interested in):  http://www.550arts.com/opportunities/

Direct link to the PDF Application:
http://www.550arts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ThinkOutsideTheBox-CallForEntries1.pdf

Thank you so much for sharing this with any friends, colleagues, or artists groups you think might be interested. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

See you in the Studio!

Monica

--

Programs Director

Studio 550 - Community Art Center

www.550arts.com

603.232.5597

 

A Few Updates

The second project with Families in Transition is going forward.  We are painting canvases for their men’s residence.  All the canvases have been picked up and two of the proposals have been accepted. The other artists will be submitting their proposals soon and then can start painting.  There will be a reception for the artists who painted canvases for the women’s residence on December 17th.  If this sounds like something you would like to do, please consider becoming a member of Friends of Art Manchester and getting involved.

We have a location in Manchester (a restaurant downtown) that will host 3-4 paintings on a monthly basis.  We have already met with the owner.  Now we are looking for someone to chair this committee and be responsible for changing the artwork each month.

We also have a good possibility for a space for a pop-up gallery downtown, possibly for Valentine’s Day.  This space may continue for us to use in the future as well.

We are investigating a spring project, a mural on Union Street. The owner is definitely interested, now our intrepid crew will come up with some details.  This project will probably involve several artists working with the muralist, and possibly some students as well.

You may have noticed an earlier post about painting electric boxes.  We are on the list to be contacted for proposals.  This will also be a spring project. Initially there will be three boxes to be painted.

Hope all our readers had a wonderful holiday weekend and are looking forward to snow! Please send suggestions to us for future blog posts.  Thank you.

Acrylic painting, 16” X 20” by Linda H. Feinberg of snowmobile on the trail in Auburn, NH.  

Returning to Art - Deb Funk

Deb Funk has lived in Manchester with her family for 13 years. The proud mother of 4 and "Gramzi" to two grandsons, she is now enjoying more time to devote to her artwork.

Annual Christmas tree lot, corner of Salmon & Elm Streets, Manchester.

On Cape Cod, Acrylic

Hiking in Wisconsin, Watercolor

           Grandmother at Nauset Beach
                       Acrylic

Our weekend painters

Some of our members participated in the Art in Action event in Londonderry, NH over the weekend. This was held in two different buildings, Mack’s Apples and Shady Hill Nursery.

On the left:  Frank Moulin and some of his beautiful watercolors.

Debbie Curtin looked like she was having fun talking to everyone.

Anthony Williams (our vice president) and author Joe Smiga enjoyed their conversation too.  These photos were taken in the greenhouse by our treasurer, Linda Feinberg.

Some of Anthony's paintings.

And a reminder: Our second project with Families in Transition is going forward and we have six artists committed to paint.  We have one more canvas available.  This will be similar to our last project with FIT except that we will be painting the canvases for their men’s residence this time.  Contact treasurer Linda Feinberg if you would like more information.



Update: 11/12/13: the last canvas has been spoken for. Please contact Linda if you would like to be on the list for the next project.

Artists Demos & Local Craft Shows

See artists demonstrating their work in the annual fall Art in Action in Londonderry. Mack's Apples is opening up their farmstand and Shady Hill just up the street will have their greenhouse wide open for this weekend event. Anthony Williams, Frank Moulin, Debbie Curtin and many others will be set up and ready to rock and roll out some new work! Check it out!

Saturday, November 9^th in Manchester

Our treasurer, Linda Feinberg and her husband, writer Joe Smiga, will be sharing a table at the Brookside Congregational Church annual craft fair.  The church is located on Elm Street in Manchester, two blocks north of Webster Street.  The fair is on Saturday, November 9^th  from 9:00 – 3:00 and you will find many gift ideas as well as some delicious bakery items. Stop by and check out the artwork, books & crafts.

Laurie Lafleur

Manchester native, Laurie Lafleur has been active on the local art scene since the 1980s. 

Having won numerous awards, she is listed in several, current Who's Who publications, most notably: "Who's Who in American Art".  

She participates in summer art shows in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

She teaches the weekly Hooksett Library art class, as well as the Suncook Senior Center art class.

Contact: DonLaurieL@comcast.net
603-485-9012

Project Update - FIT

Another beautiful acrylic painting by Frank Moulin. He mentioned that he used a sponge on this one to create texture. Sounds like a fun technique. This one is 16” X 20”

Our newest member, Deb Funk, submitted this colorful bird on an 8” X 10” canvas. This should certainly brighten up the residence walls for Families in Transition.

Our FIT project is coming to a close. We are waiting for the last two canvases and then we hope to have a reception at the residence for our artists and the public sometime this month or next. Stay tuned….more information will be posted when we know the dates.

Project Updates

Finished paintings are coming in now for our project with Families in Transition. This one is by our Vice President, Anthony Williams.

I'm sure FIT will be happy with this horse. Painting by our President, Colleen O'Connor.

Two other paintings were posted earlier, on August 27th.

Our last project, the meters on Elm Street, has raised over $300 for New Horizons. That will pay for about 100 dinners.  Pat Long, the downtown alderman who initiated the project has ordered additional signage to be attached to the posts so people will be clear on why those meters are there. We've received lots of positive feedback on the meters.

Local Inspiration for Artists

Photos of Dorrs Pond by John Mitchell

Photos taken with 35 mm Cannon AE1

These photos were taken by John Mitchell a member of Friends of Art Manchester.  John was born in Maine and received his B.S. in Film and Radio Sound from the University of Oregon. John has lived in Manchester since 1984 and has been active in the arts community for several years.

Contact info: John Mitchell jacatols1@hotmail.com

Paintings of Dorrs Pond by Linda Feinberg

Acrylic painting of fall and the Dorrs Pond boatramp.

Dorrs Pond is located at Livingston Park in Manchester. The walk around the pond is about 1 mile.  There is a playground at the park for children and benches to rest on.  It is an easy walk.

This painting is also acrylic of fall at the pond. There are usually ducks there (mallards). Sometimes I see herons and Canada geese there too. (Also frogs and turtles.)

This one is watercolor, pen and ink.  The pondhouse as seen from the bridge over the pond.

While these three paintings are of the fall, the pond has beautiful views to paint or photograph in any season. There are beautiful flowering trees in the spring, interesting snow and ice shapes on the ice in the winter; Lovely reflections in the water in the summer. It is a good place to visit and be inspired.

Contact info: lhfeinberg@yahoo.com

www.lindafeinberg.com

To view full screen photos, just click on them.

Aline Lotter - Plein Air Painter

Aline Lotter is a plein aire painter and has submitted these four images that got her accepted into the upcoming (Sept 27-29) Blackstone Valley Plein Air Festival.  

Aline has recently retired from her law practice and we hope she has more time to enjoy painting and blogging. She also does studio painting. Her blog is currently focusing on nudes: http://paintingsbyaline.wordpress.com/

Blog post by Aline Lotter:

"Musicians at the Farmers Market" was painted on Marco Island, Florida, last February.  We needed shade and the people in charge wouldn't let us use the communal tent to paint in, because they had some artists who bought space for tents of their own.  We found some tree shade, but it was outside the venue, all the way behind the musicians.  Ok, we made the best of it!

"Apples Ready to Pick" was painted at Mack's Apples in Londonderry.  It was part of an International Plein Air Painters weekend.  The painting has been very successful, winning spots in juried exhibitions and even an award.

"Strawberry Field" is the most recent of this group.  I painted it last May in the course of the Bartlett Artists Getaway weekend.  That field between me and Cathedral Ledge is a strawberry field, and lies to the west of North Conway.  It has not been exhibited yet.

The last is the smallest and perhaps the oldest:  "Wentworth by the Sea" from the rear was painted as part of some organized event, and was shown for the rest of the summer by the McGowan Gallery in the Wentworth Coolidge gallery space.  I've always thought it one of my best, yet, like the rest, it remains unsold.

To contact Aline:

603-289-7447
www.paintingsbyaline.com
paintingsbyaline@mac.com

Paul Davidson - Musician & Artist

 When he's not performing, writing, or recording his music and others, you can find Paul Davidson with pen and paper making elaborate drawings of his perception of Life. Starting back in high school, doodling on books became commonplace for Paul and now have taken on a larger form. They now encompass full canvases with hours/days of work. Full of metaphors and symbolism, one can't just view a single picture in a single moment - one has to dig into the depth to understand any meaning.

 Only recently Paul has added more color in his art. Using Watercolors, Acrylics, Spray Paint or just about anything with color, he composes ideas that free form in his head to unique designs on canvas and walls. 

With all this creative juice going on Paul has also created an eclectic Art and Music production called, The OBE Show. It's a collaboration of musicians, artists, metaphysics, food, drink and good spirits. Each person usually leaves with a shared experience and a heightened awareness of oneself through the senses.

  

For more information on Paul Davidson

                             E-Mail - iampaulsmail@yahoo.com

                             Him - https://www.facebook.com/paul.davidson.3914

                             His Art - https://www.facebook.com/PauliArt

                             His Music - https://www.facebook.com/mindsetx

                             His Show - https://www.facebook.com/TheO.B.E.Show

      

A moment in time by guest blogger Debbie Curtin

It is still a vivid moment in time. My poster won 1st prize in our 4th grade safety-themed contest. $5 was put in a savings account at our local bank and my teacher handed me a passbook with my name on it! My interest continued through high school leading to a career choice of Commercial Art in college. During that time there was a call for artists to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of our country. 4'x8' panels were set up in the North Shore Mall. I chose to replicate the 1776 version with the three minutemen  in a huge silkscreen print. It was quite a challenge to make the screen and print a giant image.

 My first real job as a layout artist for the Lawrence Eagle Tribune became the foundation of everything I do as an artist today. Balancing design, type, color, images and other elements to create a cohesive composition is in every piece of my artwork.

Fast forward to my day job where a safety-themed  contest saw me walk away with more than $5. And the murals today on panels throughout Manchester? Who knew I'd be setting myself up back then for more challenges with big ideas!

Copywriting to sell a product or idea has led me into more writing. From years spent crafting 'human interest' stories for a local newspaper to having a current online column, words have continued to play an important part of my creative endeavors. I am a member of the NH Writer's Project, and SCWRI. "Today is the Day", my first completed fiction novel is soon to be published. I am happy to say my children's wordless picture book, "Peril on the High Seas" won honorable mention at the 2013 New England Book Festival.

More good things are on the way!

Contact Information:

Deborah Curtin

debcurtin5@gmail.com

603-247-3267

[Debbie is a new member of Friends of Art Manchester and participated in the meter project. Her meter is pictured in the post of August 12, 2013. It is the yellow one across the street from Copy Express, in the 5^th set of pictures in that post.  Welcome and thanks for your guest post.]

Meters and Public Art

The meters are in place now with stickers explaining that the money collected will go to New Horizons of NH.  The August 8th Hippo had a good article about public art. On page 18, there was a photo of some of our artists. On the top right of page 19, there was another photo. If you do not have a printed copy of the newspaper, you can read it online: Hippo of August 8 2013

Meters painted by our talented artists, Anthony, Carolina, Colleen, Debbie, Paul and Lance.  These are located on Elm Street between Merrimack Street and Lowell Street. All photos below by Linda Feinberg. You can click on the photos to view them in a larger size.