Solo Show Coming Soon

With crispness in the morning air, I'm reminded that we are approaching Fall, and it won't be long until October 8, the opening of a solo exhibition of my recent oil and pastel paintings! I'm looking forward to seeing the work together as a whole, and sharing it with visitors and staff at Pendle Hill, a Quaker residential study center near Philadelphia. Since I have been a life-long member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, it feels especially meaningful for me to exhibit my paintings in this setting.

The exhibit is open to the public, and will run through December 3. A reception is scheduled for Saturday, October 8 from 1 to 3 pm, and I would be delighted to meet with you and share my work. Directions and more information can be found at http://www.pendlehill.org/

Colors in the box

Here's my box of pastels out in the wild (en plein air, at a painting site). I often find that it's hard to keep these bright, energetic, pure pigment sticks contained...... they're raring to jump out of the box, and on to paper! So I listen to the ones that seem especially insistent that they have something to add to the scene, and pick them up, and lay down the color, and over time, they all get a turn!

Plums Done

 "Four Plums", Pastel

Here's a pastel still life which I completed today, featuring bright, colorful, locally grown plums!

Plum Still Life and Plein Air Forays

The harvest is on at our local fruit farm (Way Fruit Farm, near Stormstown)! I painted on location there twice this week, chasing evening light, and starting four pastel landscapes. It was beautiful where the slanty late day light streaked across the fields, playing light and shadow across the contour of the land. The challenge was to narrow down a portion of this fantastic scene to fit on paper, and also to paint fast enough to keep up with the changing light. I think that the sun moved faster than me, but a lot of the colors are still fresh in my mind, and I will work on the 'starts' tomorrow. I love the unique colors which I discover as I paint outside, and the freshness and feeling which emanate from plein air works.

I've also been working on bright and colorful still lifes of plums, enjoying the color harmonies in these sweet little fruits. As the paintings finish 'ripening', I'll post images- hopefully in a few days. Stay tuned!

Hooked Rug Finished!

This hooked rug has been almost two years in the making, and is now donated to the Centre County 4-H Sheep Club to raise scholarship funds. It will probably be displayed and auctioned at the Grange Fair, and maybe you can stop by to see it. I designed the rug from sketches which I made at a friend's farm, and still recall the very cold February day in the midst of lambing season when I made the sketches with my ski gloves on! I liked the way the sheep interacted with each other, and their overlapping shapes. A group of more than a dozen 'hookers' met about once a month to work together on the rug, which is made from strips of wool from garments such as skirts and lightweight jackets. The wool strips are looped through an open-weaved backing, and loops are formed by hand, inch by inch, until after two years it is all done! Many thanks to all who helped to make this beautiful rug, and I hope that the 4-H Sheep Club is able to raise generous funds from it's sale!

Wonders in the Carnegie Museum of Art

I loved exploring the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art this past weekend.  It was like walking through art history books, since the works are laid out mostly chronologically, and grouped by general art movements/schools.   I really love seeing original paintings where the facture (surface texture) and brush strokes are evident, and the colors vivid.  I especially liked works by Henry Ossawa Tanner, John Leslie Breck, Jiro Yoshihara, Mark Tobey, John Henry Twachtman, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko.  There is also a large water lily panel by Monet, that I sat and contemplated a while.  In the photograph, you can see the large Franz Kline- I really like the strong gestural elements of this work.

Alice Kelsey at the Carnegie Museum of

Art, August, 2011

Evolution of a Work - 'Woods Mystery'

I really like the peaceful harmony in this painting.  It has a kind of mystical feeling to it that I think, in part, is due to how it evolved.  In both shows where I've exhibited this work, viewers have told me they see a spiritual essence in the painting- I'm touched by these comments, since it is what I experienced in creating the painting, and it is very satisfying to know that these feelings come across to viewers.

Alice Kelsey.  "Woods Mystery."  Oil on canvas.  18" X 24"

I started the painting with abstract shapes and colors, with no subject in mind (what artists call an 'evoked image').  Although I often start my works out on location, sometimes I like to work in this other way, where the image comes out in an unexpected way.  Here's what it looked like after the first day.  The arc forms suggested trees to me, and pretty soon the painting was of woods.

'Woods Mystery' - early stage.

I adjusted the location of the trees, seeking a pleasing rhythm.  Some were added, and some were removed.  I removed a lot of the green from the left foreground by painting over it, since it seemed to be in the way of my eye entering the image.  I also felt a need to simplify and unify the distant woods, and a purple-grey seemed to accomplish this, and fit the mood.

"Woods Mystery" - almost finished

At this nearly complete stage, the main thing that bothered me was the green at the upper left.  So I took it out. 

Many, many thanks

I'm very grateful to my husband and best friend, Tim Kelsey for his partnership, and support of my art career. From creative ideas, to woodworking skills (he built my studio and framing room cabinets, and makes frames), to computer skills (he created my website and blog and business Facebook page), Tim has helped immensely in my path as a working artist. Best of all, his consistent belief in the value of art, and the quality of my art in particular, has sustained me through thick and thin. Thank you, Tim, for your help, and the love which we share!

Facebook Debut

New frontiers! I've started a professional Facebook page to showcase my artwork, and the latest happenings in my art career. I'll post recently completed paintings, upcoming exhibitions, and share some of the journey in my path as an artist. Posts from this blog will also be linked to the Facebook page. I'm thinking about photos and maybe a video of some plein air excursions for viewers to get a feel for the search for a motif, and some of the interesting, unexpected things that happen along the way. The URL is:

http://www.facebook.com/alicekelseyartist

If you get a chance, take a look, and I'd appreciate your feedback! 'Likes' on the main page (click on 'like' button at the top of the "Alice Kelsey- Artist" wall page) will keep you in the loop on future posts, and also help me reach the criteria set by Facebook to customize the URL. Hope you like it!