Pointy End First

Have you ever picked a “Word for the Year”? I came upon this idea a few years ago. At the time, it seemed like I was reading a lot about picking out a word or phrase to embody what you envisioned for your life for the upcoming year. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and was having trouble coming up with just the right word or phrase. All the words I came up with, such as order, action, decide, now, good habits, just seemed to be too negative. They were all meant to fix a defect. That seemed a bit negative and perhaps not the best way to approach the new year.

While discussing the topic with friends, I finally settled on “pointy end first”. This comes from a story Becky Rule told at a conference I attended a few years ago. Pointy end first refers to the pointy end of the rowboat. I won’t try to recount Becky’s story, but you might find it in one of her books. She was relating it to her life as a writer. Apparently, she spent some time writing a novel since that’s what serious writers did. She eventually realized that she wasn’t a novelist. She’s a short story writer, a teller and reteller of tales, a performer and an inspirational speaker. By working in the direction of her skills and interests, she’s carved out a career for herself.

My idea for the year is still a little vague, but I think “Pointy End First” is going to help me row in the direction of my skills, talents and interests. I have a tendency to do things the hard way and I’m thinking this will help me be more aware of my choices.

If you’d like to read more about the concept of a word for the year,  check out this from Christine Kane.

Artist Meet & Greet at Children’s Museum

Last week I attended the Meet & Greet at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. Because winter is a tough time to have a normal reception, they opted instead for a meet & greet for the artists, their families & friends. It was great fun. We toured the exhibit as a group and got a chance to hear what artists had to say about their own work. I was surprised both by how many artists were able to attend and also by how many of the artists I already knew at least casually. It was fun to have the time with the other artists. Thank you to Tess and the museum staff for arranging it.

“What is Home?” at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire

Again, I’m excited to be included in an exhibit at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. This exhibit is titled “What is Home?”. They always do an excellent job of selecting interesting, quality and diverse artwork exploring their theme. You’ll see work in a variety of mediums and styles all exploring the idea of home often from very different perspectives.

Two of my “Hollis Land Project” paintings are included. These paintings explore issues of home, family, land, neighborhood and include both family history and local stories. The paintings are a bit like treasure maps. Larger blocks of color and line indicate houses, boundaries, roads and water and landscape features. Smaller marks indicate favorite trees, patches of flowers, and even a few cows. Both paintings have little bits of family and neighborhood history and stories written into the paintings. Many of these are still clearly visible in the painting “Our Street”, whereas most of the writing is almost totally hidden in the painting “Home on Pine Hill Road #1″.

If you were doing a similar painting of your home, what would your marks indicate? Maybe there is a low spot that is loud with the sound of peepers in the spring or the tree you climbed as a child or the shrub near a window where robins nested every year. Maybe there was a small garden, a chicken coop or a dog house? What are your memories that are tied to a specific place, a specific piece of land, a specific building, a specific tree or pond?

Ethel Hills - "Our Street" - Watercolor - 22" x 30"

E. Hills - Home on Pine Hills Rd. #1 - Watercolor - 22" x 30"

Holiday Shows close at NHAA and NAA

The holiday shows are always a lot of fun! Unfortunately, the holiday shows are over at both New Hampshire Art Association and Newburyport Art Association. The Small Works Show at Emporium Gallery will remain open for another month. My next exhibit is “Home”, the upcoming exhibit at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. More on that later in the week.

LOTS of Art at New Hampshire Art Association!

On Tuesday, several of us spent most of the day at New Hampshire Art Association’s gallery hanging the holiday show. This is an annual event where we turn the walls almost into an old-fashioned salon. The exhibit is separated into a $200 and above category which is in the normal gallery and a $200 and under which is in the East Gallery. The small works gallery in the back will also be open. Besides a large number of works on the wall, there are also a number of portfolio racks displaying matted pieces by NHAA members. This is a wonderful opportunity to buy a piece of art without buying the frame. I like to buy work this way because I can postpone part of the cost of the purchase. I can pay for the art now and pay for the framing next month. Sometimes that’s easier on the budget. It also allows me to pick the frame that will look best in my house.

The East Gallery is basically floor to ceiling art. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. It makes it harder to see each individual piece, but there’s a huge selection of artwork, all $200 or less. My advice, take the time to look through the exhibits. There are wonderful pieces in a variety of styles and colors and prices. You may find the piece that is just perfect for you, or for a gift. That’s the part I always like about this show. There is so much work to choose from. Maybe you’ll find a piece by one of your favorite artists or maybe you’ll find a new favorite artist.

For my contribution, I’ve chosen 6 of my 4″ Color Block Paintings for the East Gallery’s $200 and under exhibit and a combination of pieces for the $200 and up category – a lovely wet in wet watercolor, a black & white piece, and one of my newer 8″ Color Block paintings. I hope you enjoy the show and find the perfect piece of art.

The reception for this show will be Friday from 5 to 8 pm as part of Art ‘Round Town. The show will be up until the end of December.

Holiday Open House at Emporium to coincide with South Berwick’s annual Stroll & Shop Event

For their holiday show, Emporium has decided on a small works exhibit this year. All work will be under 18” x 18”. I have 4 of my Landscape Progressions series in this exhibit. There will also be works by at least ten other local and regional artists and a really interesting combination of mediums and viewpoints. This will be an excellent show.

Their open house on Friday, December 2^nd is timed to coincide with South Berwick’s annual Stroll and Shop event which is always a fun time. If you can’t stop by on Friday, check it out some other time. The gallery is open Monday – Saturday from 10 to 6 pm and is located at 261 Main Street in South Berwick, ME.

Ethel Hills – “Landscape Progressions # 8″ – Mixed Media Collage on Panel – 7″ x 5″

Ethel Hills – “Landscape Progressions # 7″ – Mixed Media Collage on Panel – 7″ x 5″

Ethel Hills – “Landscape Progressions # 6″ – Mixed Media Collage on Panel – 7″ x 5″

Ethel Hills – “Landscape Progressions # 5″ – Mixed Media Collage on Panel – 7″ x 5″

 

Join the Nashua Art Walk and check out some “small” art for a “small” price Edit

If you’re in the Nashua area this weekend, stop by the Chimera Gallery to check out a collection of “small” (6″ square) artworks for the small price of $66 each. WCA-NH (the New Hampshire Chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their signature 6 x 6 exhibit with a retrospective exhibit at the Chimera Gallery on the 3rd floor of the Pickering Building, 99 Factory Street Ext., Nashua, NH. All work is done on MDF panels which are 6″ x 6″ and have a key hole on the back for easy hanging. Each piece is $66, making this an excellent opportunity to purchase original work by local artists. This year’s exhibit will also include works available from past years in honor of our 10th anniversary. I’ll have 4 2011 pieces as well as 8 or 9 from prior years. Here’s a sneak peek at my 2011 pieces.

Dunfey Exhibit to Open tonight!

The 12th Annual Joan L. Dunfey Memorial Open Juried Exhibit at New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth is full of wonderful artwork from local artists. The show has a great selection of artwork – photography, paintings, prints, collages and sculpture. I know because I’m on the exhibition committee and we got to see the show on Tuesday when we hung the exhibit. I have one of my 8″ color block pieces in the exhibit. I hope you’ll take the time to check out the work here. You might even find the perfect piece of art for yourself or a friend.

Ethel Hills - "Color Block #11 (8 inch panel) - Mixed Media Collage on Panel - 8" x 8"

Join us on Friday, October 14th, 5 – 8 pm – UNH Law School

Join us for the artists’ reception for “Driven to Abstraction” from 5 to 8 pm at the UNH Law School in Concord, NH. The reception is part of Art Concord, a city wide celebration of art. There are 40 pieces by 16 members of the Abstract Artists’ Group of New England from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. This is a wonderful, colorful, joyous exhibit. I have two watercolors in the show.

For a sneak peak of the show, check out the post on our blog.

Temporary Gallery at Hampton Art Walk looked great!

Thanks to all who made the 2nd Annual Hampton Art Walk a success. Again this year, my landlords allowed us to use vacant space for a temporary gallery. John & Linda Gebhart did a great job cleaning up, finishing off and decorating the space. Take a look at how great it looked for the art walk!

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