Nearly 30 pieces of my art work will be on display at the Palmer (MA) Public Library from February 1-28, 2011. There will be an artist's reception on Saturday, February 5 from 10 am - 1 pm.

There are also several pieces on display at Barstow's Dairy Store and Bakery on Route 47 in Hadley,MA. They will be on display until February 26, 2011.

Please stop by one or both exhibits if you're able.

This is the first in a new series of guitars, inspired by my youngest son who is a musician. This painting and several others will be on display at the Palmer (MA) Public Library from February 1 - 28, 2011 in a solo exhibit.

Three of my paintings have been accepted into the Women's Caucus for Arts "Illustrated Women" exhibit which opens next week.

The exhibit opens on August 4 at the NACUL Center Gallery in Amherst. Please stop by if you're in the area.

Jackie

I'm taking at painting class this summer at Holyoke Community College and this is one of the pieces I've done. it's about 30 × 30. I really like mixed media work, and have included paint, newsprint, scrapbook paper, various texture mediums, and a final coat of clear gloss medium.

This painting and several others are included in my current exhibit "Alchemy" at the River Valley Market Cafe in Northampton, MA. The exhibit continues through the end of February. On Friday, February 12, there is a "Meet the Artist" gathering from 5-8 p.m.

One of the things I love about doing collage is the intuitive, organic flow in the process of creating. I gather paper, glue, glitter glue, and simply begin tearing and arranging, picking different papers to add to the mood I'm trying to create. Usually I'm working on 5 or 6 collages at the same time, moving from one to the next as I see the connections in the paper.

This summer I took a painting class at the community college where I teach in the human services program. In class we did a lot of still life paintings, and I learned a lot. However, I often felt very constrained by the assignments in class, so I knew my final project would move away from the order and structure of class.

This is the final project for my painting class. It's a 42″ square, as yet untitled. My inspiration was the dried paint on palette paper...it seemed wasteful to just throw it away, and sometimes the dried paint was really lovely in design. So I began saving my own palette papers, and rescuing the palette papers that other students had thrown away. Then I decided to soak the layers of dried paint off the wooden palettes in the painting studio. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but I knew they'd somehow be incorporated into my final project. The final project began with large, diagnonal blocks of the primary colors: yellow, red, and blue. I then added accent stripes in the complementary colors. Next came paper with typed out definitions of words: paint, collage, assemblage, abstract, abstract expressionism, recycle. Then I began layering on large pieces of dried paint off the palette boards, and smaller pieces off the palette papers. And then the layering of paint began. At times, I found it to be very chaotic, and at several points along the way, I was sure I'd ruined it completely and would have to begin again. Eventually, it all came together, much to my surprise and delight. The next to the last layer is watered down silver paint, allowed to drip, and the final coat is a mix of gloss and gold shimmer medium.

All totaled, I probably spent at least 20 hours on this painting, not counting the drying time in between layers. Now I just need to find a place to hang it!

This piece was recently sold via artid. I'm very excited and happy to be a part of this wonderful organization.

Mixed media collage on 6 × 8 canvas board. Available matted and framed to 8 × 10($30) or unframed ($20)

This mixed media collage - acrylic paint with paper flowers - was a lot of fun to make.

The theme of the upcoming show at the Portsmouth Artists Guild in Portsmouth, RI is "Imagine Yellow." This is one of 3 works I'm submitting. It's a mixed media collage with acrylic and watercolor paint, fabric, paper, ribbon, fake flowers, glitter glue, and the word "imagine" in several different typefaces scattered across the surface.

It's 24 × 24 × 3. The support is a recycled store display. My sister works in a women's retail clothing store and when they switch floor layouts they just throw these things away. She rescues them for me! It's really heavy cardboard with a surface that is canvas-like. I first painted it with Kilz to cover up the picture that was on it, then covered it with tissue paper for a textured foundation. It's a huge contrast in size from the 6 × 6 canvases I've been working on lately.

I've been working on several mixed media collages lately - I find myself coveting scrapbooking paper at the art store....it's addictive.

There are other examples in my gallery "New Works."

Although I'll admit to being biased because one of my paintings is in the show, this is a beautiful show! 65 artists have been inspired by Gaia, Greek Goddess of Earth. The House of Art is comprised of eight rooms and two hallways filled with paintings, sculpture and a video program, there is a print shop, and this weekend a folksinger, Susie McHand and a free WineTasting Party with all kinds of refreshments on Saturday from 5-8pm. Come to Monson for a nice evening of art.

The Monson Arts Council "House of Art" is at 200 Main Street in Monson, MA, right next to the town hall building. The show is open through May 3: Fridays 4pm - 8pm, Saturdays 10am - 5pm, Sundays noon-4pm. For more information, check out the website www.monsonartscouncil.org

This piece was accepted into the Monson Arts Council "GAIA" Spring Show. It's is mixed media on mat board.

This paper and watercolor collage has also been accepted into the Portsmouth Artists Guild's "Works on Paper" Exhibit.

It is 5 × 7 matted to 8 × 10

This paper collage was recently accepted into the Portsmouth Artists Guild's "Works on Paper" Exhibit. It is 5 × 7 matted to 8 × 10.