I love to draw. Drawing is about seeing, making marks, erasing, making more marks and seeing some more ..... I love the process!
Drawing in Pencil of Tree Branch by Barbara J Hart 28"x20"
Drawing
is a discipline used to gather information. It's my way of converting an idea
into a simple line, a way of making marks on paper. When I draw, the subject takes on a life of it’s own, and it brings an awareness of the value of every day objects.
Close up of Tree Branch- pencil on paper by Barbara J Hart-28"x20"
"Learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see - to see correctly - and that means a good deal more than merely looking with the eye" - Kimon Nicolaides, The Natural Way to Draw.
Work in process -tree drawing - pencil on paper by Barbara J Hart - 28" x20"
Here's my latest drawing on the easel and the second drawing in my tree and branch series.
Landscape Painting - Wild Flowers in Field - Barbara J Hart - 12" x 9" - oil on canvas
Close up of Wild Flowers in Field - Barbara J Hart
Longing for open spaces, broad horizons and colorful wild flowers. For now I am content to be in my studio and to paint the serene vistas from my photographs.
Here's a corner of my studio with my paints and brushes and artwork from artists friends.
The album is Sam and Dave's Greatest Hits. Why is it hanging on the wall you ask? Because it is warped and because it is one of my favorite records (ahem, or should I say vinyl) and I couldn't throw it away. So, there it hangs together with two assemblages. The one on the left is created by Susan Olds, called Resumes and Revisions. The piece on the right is done by my dear friend Carol Fiedler-Kawaguchi. It is a shrine to the things I love - my sweet Golden Retriever Sandy, painting, boats and color.....
A corner of my studio with my paints & brushes & a few favorite works by artist friends
Boat Painting-Two Boats-Barbara J Hart-Acrylic, copper plate on board-24"x36"
Dear Friends,
After many months of computer problems, I am pleased to announce that a few of my paintings are now
available on Fine Art America More images will be added so check back often!
I've always been inspired by clouds. On hot summer days my sister and I would pass the time looking up - to see how many animals and shapes we could find in those big clouds gliding above us.
I've taken so many photos of clouds ... but never attempted a painting. Until now. In this small painting I wanted to try to paint something monumental (the sky) on a small surface (10" x 8" canvas). It was a real challenge....
Landscape Painting-Clouds-Barbara J Hart-Oil on canvas-10" x 8"
Happy New
Year – Here is the first drawing of 2013!
WINTER LIGHT, Barbara J. Hart, Pencil/pen on board, 8.5" x 13"
I love
tress in winter, stark and beautiful without attire.Here is Winter
Light a portrait of long branches without memory of leaves dancing on a
cold breeze and anticipating the return of fresh green finery.
Here’s the painting on my easel this week.A walk through a Pennsylvania meadow inspired this painting/collage.I love to study trees, don’t you?I’m inspired by how they exist in the landscape.The power in the form of a tree with branches reaching out in various directions encloses you and at the same time is open.I’m investigating landscape and how it implies a distant space and at the same time restricting the tree to a square or rectangle.In my attempt to observe trees I also investigate painting as a process and my relationship to the landscape.
I recently found an on-line source for designing and printing fabric. I thought it would be a fun to see what one of my paintings looked like as a pillow. What do you think?
Three Cup, oil on board, 24" x 30" - Barbara J. Hart
I'm back in the studio and it feels good! I've been attempting to grab more time in the studio whether it is at 6:00 AM or at 10:30 PM. I'm finding that even a half hour here and there is better than nothing. I work a full-time job that takes a whole lot of energy, and many times by the end of the week I'm not really sure what Art is anymore! I'm exhausted and feel disconnected from my creative self. And, I'm not alone, so many of my artist friends struggle with the same issues.
This past year I've been working to create schedules for myself. I have a schedule for studio time, a schedule for marketing my work and last but not least (although the toughest for me), a schedule to post to my blog. In addition to my little snippets of time during the week I save the serious time (4-5 hours) for Saturday and Sunday. Let's see how it works!
Over the years I’ve accumulated a collection of old ticket stubs, boxes of maps, beads and shells among many other trinkets.I am drawn to things worn and the mystery of a previous life. I so appreciate smokey patinas and aged surfaces.
Here is one of four collages recently created in the studio.Using torn papers, tattered letters and architectural images, I create a relationship among the various elements. Incorporating fragments rather than whole pieces of found materials provide a sense of intent and accident. Adding a postage stamp places the work in a specific place and time in the world while functioning as an element to balance the picture. Each collage is on wood and finished with a translucent layer of melted beeswax to give it a vintage feel.
Do you ever go looking for inspiration? Where do you find yours? You can find it almost anywhere, a walk down the street, a poem or right outside your window. I’ve been finding my inspiration with Kelly Rae Roberts’ e-course, Flying Lessons: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Business Soar. Check out the button on the right side of this post!
One of my goals for the class is to begin posting on a regular basis, so what better way to begin than to quote Pablo Picasso.
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.”
One day while working in the studio this delicious cloud appeared (photo above) in my window and I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera to capture its beauty before returning to my painting. By capturing its image I'm able to keep its beauty in sight and feel inspired by that moment.
Kelly Rae writes about “inspiration + passion + commitment” as necessary ingredients as “we chase after our creative business dreams.”She speaks extensively about the importance of making connections and having to start somewhere. Don't you think that the creative process, whether in the studio or on the business side is about commitment and flexibility and allowing things to unfold. Again I think Picasso says it so well:
“I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.”
So, here are my meager beginnings and hopeful post. I promise I will tell you all about the adventure of having an opening on the Eastern Shore of Virginia during the remnants of Hurricane Ida and a Nor’easter, or as some people call it, Friday the 13th Storm!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Preview of New Works for Upcoming Show at Richardson Gallery 24 King Street, Onancock, VA (Eastern Shores) 757-789-3151 Opening Reception on November 13 from 5 - 8 pm
Where has the time gone!
The summer has just flown by and posting to this blog has been rather sparse. It's been a busy time with some solid creative work in the studio. Aside from my studio activities, work and other goings on, I am always distracted with the adventures and opportunities of my life and negligent in posting my work. My life sometimes is a whirlwind of activities and people, but I wanted to give you a sneak preview of some of the paintings that will be included in my upcoming exhibit.
My current paintings explore landscape. Images inhabit fields of color that divide and sub-divide the picture plane and capture the spirit of a place; a visual journal of memory. I attempt to capture the beauty of subjects encountered in daily life but often overlooked. A walk down a city street or a stroll through a rural landscape elicits a unique experience with a particular sense of light, feeling and texture.
I find beauty in the commonplace. My landscapes are reduced to simplified forms, visual icons that capture the essence. Empty fields, a stand of trees, and tree branches are my inspiration for my rural landscape paintings. I attempt to give them new perspective through simplicity and color.
Rarely acknowledged, often overlooked, New York City water towers exist on another plateau. They inspire me to look up in this bustling city. I paint the simple elevated wooden barrels to bring attention to the quiet beauty of these relics of our urban environment
I paint a tapestry of colors and moods of living in the city or the serenity the rural vista. My work investigates the process of painting as tactile, layered and object-like. The surfaces are worked so evidence of underlying images is revealed to suggest the passage of time. My color palette is inspired by time spent in New Mexico and in the Pacific Northwest.
