Progress........

So Life has been crazy of late........so many unexpected "new" experiences, connections, goals, and work. I feel that the universe has opened to show me many possibilities and paths.........and I have not quite been able to decide on a focus......except for the necessities! Winter's natural inward focus has also been powerful this year.


This is a new image that I am playing with (in progress) in my Eye explorations and my body mapping work within the Inherent Divinity series. It is a Maori Tattoo........they would map their life experiences with symbols tattooed on the face.

I am also working on several paintings and my figurative commission.




Tonight I will again be photographing a belly dance performance at the Northampton Center for the Arts. The performance starts a 7:30 and is open to the public. More info at http://www.attarbellydance.yolasite.com/



In the same vein I have been enjoying Belly dance classes with Attar and her class schedule can also be found at the previous link.



I want to welcome my new blog followers!......and thank you all for your continued support!

This is a photo I took of dancer Elise Hayden-Ferdman

Marcia Wise at Jones Library : Opening Reception, Thursday Jan. 7th

I will be attending the opening reception of my artist friend
Marcia Wise at the Jones Library in Amherst this Thursday, Jan 7th from 5 to 8 pm.

The beauty and mystery of Nature are at the core of my work. Whether working en plein air or in the studio, I am aware of the connection between art, spirit, and life. My focus is on color. I create visual brilliance by allowing the drama of light and color to shape my compositions while I experiment with color placement and color relationships. I begin with a sketch on prepared hardboard panels, and I apply the first layer of paint with brushes, creating a cohesive value study under-painting that serves as a value skeleton for successive applications of color. With a palette knife I apply one layer of paint at a time, while also scraping paint away, letting each layer dry between applications. I work toward a smooth finish on my surfaces, yet I want them to visually appear textured. Each layer of color is allowed to show through in the finished piece.

In my portrait work I crop the face closely with little or no background, often excluding the top of the head, hair, parts of chins, ears. I focus on the language of the eyes and the emotion they show. Sometimes the eyes pose a question or cause one to wonder what is being seen, thought, felt, or said. I love a deep, direct gaze. As I add and subtract paint, this process takes me out of time and deep within. It is there that I discover some part of myself within the intimate landscape of the other. This is the discovery that holds me captivated. Here I find glimpses of spirit within where any feelings of being separate fade into a sense of connection.

When I am painting landscapes and seascapes in oil, my process is the same as with the portraits. I am presently experimenting with bringing these subjects, as well as still life objects, into a closer cropped format as with the portraits. I also work in many layers of color when painting with pastels, but I do not scrape any color away. Pastel painting is a quicker process for me than oil painting so I enjoy this faster approach. I often take a pastel painting back to the studio and rework it into an oil painting.

I find the same mystery and self-discovery while painting the landscape, and most always work en plein air so I can experience a connection with the spirit of the land. It is this process, this inner journey that speaks to me. As I recreate Nature's beauty and mystery, I too, am recreated

Marcia Wise Images:

Vermont Barns
Pastel - Pastel on Sandpaper
10.5 by 16 inches

Relationships I - Two Vases
Still Life - Oil on Board
30 by 24 inches

First Night Celebration 2010

I went out for New Year's Eve this year with my dancer friend Whitney Suter who hired me to do some photos of her belly dance troupe Tiamat. They danced at the Academy of Music in Northampton with lots and lots of other dancers and troupes. It was an interesting experience to be a fly on the wall (with a camera) behind the scenes with all the dancers getting ready to perform......for all non-professional dancers we've only seen scenes like that it in the movies (he,he). I took this photo, one of my favorites of the evening, of a hula hoop dance performance. After the show a few of the dancers and I went to an amazing restaurant Paul and Elizabeth's and enjoyed a spectacular Lobster Scallop Bisque!....along with vegetarian and seafood main courses. We walked the main streets following dinner and then went over to The Northampton Center for the Arts where we danced up a storm......rocking out to The Alchemystics, whose music is described as ......

Intricate wordplay, soulful roots, memorable hooks, old-school vocal harmonies and intense passion are but a few of the elements which combine to form the powerful and unmistakable sound of the Alchemystics. Fueled by the belief that music can expand beyond the boundaries of style and categories, the Alchemystics create a sound that reflects their love of heavy rhythms, reggae, hip hop, soul and dub, while also infusing earthy vocal harmonies. The band features the vocal stylings of Ras Jahn and Ian-I, the intricate lyrics of emcee Force, and the deep groove of drummer Demse Zullo, world-traveled bassist Garrett Sawyer and keyboardist Jay Metcalf.