'Best Portrait' at Cider Painters of America (Pennsylvania)

Greetings!

Well, it seems to be a hat trick—

a third award just arrived, this one from the Cider Painters of America (Pennsylvania), for ‘Best Portrait’.



The award was for 'Ladies-in-Waiting’.



(zoom view)

I daresay that it might be rather unusual to receive this many major awards in a year--I'm quite surprised and still blushing furiously. I want to thank all of you for your support and good wishes--this encouragement means a great deal.

The last three awards--Florida, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania--are from the only three exhibits in which I currently have work, so this update will likely be my last one for 2010.

I'd like to take the opportunity to wish all of you the very best of the season, and a wonderful start to the New Year. Enjoy!

Take care,
Cheers, Judy

'Best Portrait' at the MAS Florida

Greetings!

Another quick update—

Very nice news in the mail, the award for ‘Best Portrait' from the MASF (Miniature Art Society of Florida).

Blushingly pleased about this, it’s also a major award. MASF hosts the largest miniature exhibition in the world, and usually has over a thousand entries from a dozen or so countries. The competition tends to be very stiff in the portrait category.




The award was for 'Bookworm'.

Cheers, Judy

I dare not forget the quotes

The arts, like language, emerged spontaneously and universally in similar forms across cultures, employing imaginative and intellectual capacities that had clear survival value. ~Denis Dutton

Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing. ~William Shakespeare

Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. ~Buddha

Ultimately, everybody who invests effort on their passions is a winner. ~Gary Lanthrum

Award from Washington DC show

Very nice news from Washington DC, the award for 'Best New Artist' from the MPSGS (the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society). The award was for 'the Apothecary'.

The Home Studio Show is this weekend, and the final bits are being hung today. (Hanging this show has been 'interesting'; we are still undergoing our big renovation work! but most difficulties have now been surmounted.)

Cheers! Judy

October 2010 e-update, and Annual Studio Art Show

Happy Autumn

A fine Fall Season to all of you! I am in hopes this finds you all well, and taking time to enjoy the changing of the seasons.

Here’s what’s new here— if you have any questions, just drop a line?

the annual

Studio Art Show

Show hours are—

Saturday Oct. 30 11-4

Sunday Oct. 31 12-4

And the location is -

15 South St. E., Aylmer, Ontario-

(here is a link to written directions (scroll down) and a local map)

Hope you can drop by. If you are ‘from away’ you might want to make a daytrip of our little area here; there’s Pinecroft for lunch (a working pottery with a log cabin tearoom, and a music program too); Clovermead apiaries north of town; Quaker-built Sparta with its shops; several wineries and more. The local map on my site gives the locations and a link or two.

We have been undergoing massive renovations at our house since April, and so have been in turmoil; things may look ‘interesting’ here... Following the Buckhorn show, there was marathon painting of the ‘little works’—I was very late doing these this year (I hadn’t been able to get into my studio due to the renovation work). However, I was able to get a number of miniatures away to the shows by deadline in Washington DC, Pennsylvania and Florida. Here’s a sampling, plus detail views too:

I am hoping to do a few more paintings before the home show, if life does not get in the way again! After the ‘home show’ I hope to get back to the easel and have just dozens of ideas. Over the winter I hope to post new works here on the blog in a (more) timely fashion, so ‘come on by’ and leave a comment if you wish. I also have a Facebook Page, if you prefer.

Best to all,
cheers, Judy

PS. I Dare Not forget the quotations—

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better. ~Andre Gide

space

Painting, n.: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather, and exposing them to the critic. ~Ambrose Bierce

space

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. ~Thomas Merton

space

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home. ~Twyla Tharp

space

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web. ~Pablo Picasso

I have been no more than a medium... ~Henri Matisse

9. Thou shalt paint to please thyself.

10. Thou shalt be hard to please. ~Two of Stephen Vizinczey's 10 Commandments, paraphrased for the painter

August 2010 PS to update

postcript to August 2010

Preparing for the Buckhorn show in August is always a hectic time, and this year especially so. I did manage to treat myself to a bit of a creative break, to paint a couple of oil studies that had been haunting me. Things did get extended into the wee hours as a result, so there has been no time to post these two on the web ‘til now:

Tuning
oil study on canvas, 8” by 10”
(prints available)

Tuning
My husband enjoys the freestyle ‘jams’ with local musicians at Pinecroft on weekends. There is a magnificent white pine there by the stage, probably one of the nicest trees that I’ve seen, and it becomes breath-taking when the afternoon light in autumn strikes it ‘just right’.

Distant Thunder
oil study on canvas, 6” by 8”
(prints available)

Distant Thunder
I had in my mind that I wanted to show a white house against a stormy sky. I started with ‘the storm’ in the upper right-hand corner and the painting evolved from there.

Cheers! Judy

e-letter August 2010

Warm Greetings

I hope that you are finding some time to enjoy these lazy days of midsummer.

A quick mention that the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival begins next week. (Buckhorn is north of Peterborough.) There is a nicely-done preview night on Thursday evening, August 12th, with a wonderful atmosphere (and great hors d’oeuvres), and full days on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you appreciate fine art, this is a ‘don’t miss’ — 80 or so of some of the country’s best—further information and directions may be found on my website or Facebook Page Events or on the Buckhorn link above. If you do slip up to the show, please come on by our booth and say hello—



This year is a very special one at Buckhorn; there will be a Canadian Masters exhibit, featuring works by iconic Canadian artists such as A.J. Casson, Danby, Krieghoff, Lansdowne, Bateman, Loates, and Dumas. Michael Dumas has also helped to curate, and has written an excellent article (‘Truth—Beauty—Spirit’) about Canadian art past and present, and why our country’s art has evolved with such a unique flavour.

Hot off the easel—the vintage Canadian sports series has been continued this year:


Waiting for Spring
oil painting on cradled panel, 12” by 21”
prints are available

'The binder twine and olive oil ritual in the brisk days of autumn—just the scent of the leather would remind me of long hazy summer evenings on the ball diamond. It was like an assurance that spring would arrive, in its own rhythm.'

Waiting for Spring (detail view)

Also just out: The Capital City Pipe Band (Columbus, Ohio) asked some time ago if they might use my image ‘Pipes, Drum & Ghillies’ for the cover of their CD, to which I gave my blessings.

Both 2010 newsletters are online now and may be accessed at the sidebar at right. (These are in colour with clickable links.)

I hope to work on some small originals too before Buckhorn. There’s one on the easel that I’m pondering right now—

Hope to see you at Buckhorn!

Happy Trails, Judy


Quotes for the day

We are no longer dependant on what New York, Paris, Rome or L.A. says about culture and art. We have become both international and regional at the same time. Linda Blondheim

Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it. Robert Motherwell

I think survival is at stake for all of us all the time. Every poem, every work of art, everything that is well done, well made, well said, generously given, adds to our chances of survival. Phillip Booth

Award in North Carolina

Happy Summer!

A magical solstice to all of you.

Just a wee bit more nice news to share —

‘G’DAE’ has received the overall 2nd place award at the Seaside Gallery in Nags Head, North Carolina, 19th Annual International Miniature Show. This show is among the 5 largest miniature shows in the U.S.A. The following is an excerpt from the Seaside Gallery website:

‘Each year, the show exhibits approximately 600 works of art by artists from all around the globe. Some of the world’s most renowned miniature artists participate each year…’

From the Judge’s statement:

‘Judy Minor, in “G’DAE”, your play on light and dark, chiaroscuro, plus your remarkable composition, is breathtaking…’

Cheers!

Judy

the 'Other Canvas' online auction

My donation to Campbellford Hospital for a CT scanner is featured in their online auction, which has just begun.

There are 52 artists from across Canada pitching in to help. Some works are from visual artists such as Bateman, Pachter, Dumas & Townsend; and some are from those in other art disciplines such as Brent Butt, Clermont Duval, Veronica Tennant, Simon Chang. (so far, mine has the highest bid! but that will no doubt change over the next few weeks)

...have a boo here! and please pass the URL onwards, a great cause. The CT scanner has been purchased and is in use, a year ahead of schedule (!), in an area where it was so sorely needed.

Spring 2010 e-letter

Happy Spring! to all, and I hope this find you all well and enjoying the season.

Here's what's new here, and if there are any questions, just drop a line?

New miniature paintings in oil:

G'DAE ........................................oil on panel 3" by 3"

G'DAE detail view

Keepers ..................................oil on panel 3" by 3"

Keepers detail view

I Like Red ......................................oil on panel 3.5" by 2.5"

I Like Red detail view

I feel that each viewer is entitled to his/her own opinion of artwork, and I like to let the images speak for themselves. That said, I know I'll be asked about these subjects:

..........--the cigar box treasures (Keepers) include a rare old and yellowed photograph--it was interesting to paint--it is my father in the RCAF during the Second World War, sitting on the wing of an airplane (either a Lancaster or a Harvard, for any aviation buffs). That part of the painting is smaller than a dime, and the face is about the size of a sesame seed, so it was a challenge.

..........--I think it's probably a very g'day when one can stay up until the wee hours playing/listening to live music (and the strings of mandolin and fiddle are tuned to G-D-A-E which seemed really appropriate to me)

..........--the brilliant colours, and even the aroma, of crayons bring back childhood memories of days spent creating (I Like Red). We would have thought we were rich indeed to have more than 8 colours, and paper too (even if it was a brown paper bag), so this painting has something to do with joyful abundance!

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There's been some watercolour paintings too--here's a couple of samples. These are 1 inch square:

Celtic Dragon 1" by 1"

transparent watercolour on Arches paper............ Celtic dragon, detail view

Lord of the Pond 1"x1"

transparent watercolour on Arches paper ............... Lord of the Pond detail view

The miniatures above (plus others) have gone out to shows in Pennsylvania, Washington State, and North Carolina, and these shows are listed on the right or on 'Events'. Some galleries' shows are online too. There will be other gallery-type shows this year.

I'm often asked the difference between small paintings and miniature paintings (I do both). When one magnifies a small painting, there is not a lot meant to be seen--one can usually just see impressionistic blobs of paint and brushstrokes. Conversely, miniature paintings are designed to be viewed through a magnifying glass--then there suddenly appears more details and surprises to explore, and the comment often is, 'Oh my gosh, look at this!' This detail is mostly not visible unless one has the original in hand. (The detail views here might help somewhat, but come nowhere close to the original paintings.)

Art in miniature is an ancient and unique art form. Not everyone is 'big into small', but there are ardent collectors who travel to see works, and who even have their own special magnifying glasses. Some say that they love this format, as they can have a world-class collection of original art that also hangs in a very small space. Portraits (of people or homes) are often arranged, just as was done in the 18th century; some miniatures from that era owe their survival today to the fact that they are so small and easy to transport.

I enjoy painting miniatures very much, and love 'impossible' challenges. Nevertheless, this is very intense work and can be physically hard too, so I prefer to keep some sort of balance between doing those and the larger works. I feel that looser, more impressionistic work has its own beauty as well. This year I plan to continue larger (studio) works on a couple of series, and when the weather gets nicer, to get 'gloriously' outside again and do some location work ('plein aire').

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A happy decision has been made to no longer exhibit at outdoor shows, which were taking up far too much painting time. I will keep the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, a very high quality all-fine-art show; I believe it will be my 15th year there. This year Buckhorn is planning a Canadian Masters exhibit too, which should be intriguing with originals from Casson, Loates, Dumas, Danby, Bacon and Bateman, among others. I'll have my home studio show, here in Aylmer, at the end of October. (We are right in the messy middle of extensive renovations, so the house may look quite different than the online photo!) For those of you who are spread around the globe, I will try to keep up postings on the blog as paintings are completed.

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Other news
That little time lapse video that I filmed (while I was painting a small oil study) has had 8300 views now! Visual art truly is an international language.

The webpage and Facebook Page will all be updated soon. The 2010 newsletters won't be done until July this year as there are some paintings I hope to do first if all goes well. (Those are the newsletters that I snail mail, or send as .pdf online--or there is a Scribe link to them too, through the website or on the right side of this page.)

Following are more art quotes, and I am glad that so many enjoy them. I like to collect the ones that make me laugh, or think, and pass them along to you.

All for now!

Cheers, Judy

Quotes for the day

(I laughed out loud when I read the first one...oops, been there!)

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the watercolour painters' list:

1. coffee on the left.

2. water on the right.

~Nina Allen Freeman

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A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts. ~Joshua Reynolds

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Culture is the passion for sweetness and light, and what is more, the passion for making them prevail. ~Matthew Arnold

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I am still learning. ~Michelangelo

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The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark. ~Agnes de Mille

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Only through art can we emerge from ourselves and know what another person sees. ~Marcel Proust

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If the world really looks like that, I will paint no more! ~French Impressionist Claude Monet, flinging away a pair of glasses for which he had been fitted to correct a severe astigmatism

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I think an artist cannot speak about his art any more than a plant can discuss horticulture. ~Jean Cocteau

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Beware of artists, they mix with all classes, and are therefore dangerous. ~Queen Victoria

Presidential Award at Cider Painters of America

A 'lovely' February to all of you.

Just a wee bit more nice news to share--

'The Apothecary' has been selected for the Presidential Award from the Cider Painters of America (25th Annual Invitational Exhibit, in Pennsylvania).

Cheers, Judy

MASF awards 'Best in Show'

Happy January!

I hope the winter is treating you kindly.

I have some nice news to share--

In October, I sent a few miniature paintings out to the Miniature Art Society of Florida (MASF) show. (The MASF hosts the largest miniature art show in the world, and one of the most highly respected.) This year the MASF jury received over 1000 works from around the world, and ended up accepting 800 or so works from 11 countries.

I have received word that I've received the top award there, 'Best in Show'. (This was made sweeter yet for me, because the final Judge was someone whose work I very much respect, John Seerey-Lester.) The award was given for 'Lang Syne'.


The MASF would have liked me to come down for the presentation, but I couldn't get away this year. (A call was received from Florida, a friend of my sister, who was surprised to find my name in the newspapers down there though! I hadn't planned to tell many people about this until it was closer to the time of the show.)

Here's an excerpt from the MASF's press release:
The distinguished Judge, John Seerey-Lester, is a world-renowned wildlife and historic artist with works at the White House, and in permanent, private, and Museum collections world wide. John stated, "In all my years of judging art shows, this has to be my favorite show. I was blown away with the incredible talent shown in these magnificent pieces. These artists managed to pull off the necessary criteria to make great art, normally reserved for larger pieces, in very small formats..."

The Miniature Art Society of Florida show runs from January 17th to February 7th at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Cheers! Judy

Quote for the day:

'Be it jewel or toy, not the prize gives the joy, but the striving to win the prize.' Robert Bulwer-Lytton