Just out of the studio, and soon to be placed… Northside Light, from an old familiar property west of Boston.
As a parent, kids can be tricky. In fact, very tricky. They test us, playing mind games that they, along with their pre-teen and teen friends, conspire to catch us up on ourselves, to get us to bring them places, get them stuff, and agree to things we might otherwise not agree to.
But as tricky as they can be to parent, as little humans, they are equally tricky to paint. Their proportions aren’t what your mind thinks they should be, and you have to measure and re-measure relationships between head height/body height. I think the average adult head:body ratio height something like is 6:1. In kids it’s 3: or 4:1.
This piece (work-in-progress) of my daughter Lily when she was about 5, descending a boardwalk to the beach on the Cape, has provided considerable challenges, and good learning opportunities. We’ll see where it goes. She’s almost 13 now, much taller, has a more realistic head:body height ratio, and is less tricky to paint, But no less tricky to parent…
The Drawing Room Room Gallery’s “Summer Show” continues through
September 17 in Cos Cob, CT, with closing reception Saturday, August 7, 2013.
To preview work at show, follow link or click image:
http://batchelder.wpengine.com/drawing-room-summer-show/
To inquire, contact Jill Kralovenec at jill@thedrawingroomartgallery.com
The Drawing Room Art Gallery
5 Suburban Avenue, Cos Cob, CT 06807
Telephone: 203.661.3737
Having loved the work of Andrew Wyeth as a kid (and still), his 1965 painting, “Weatherside” has fueled inspiration for many pieces, partly due to the Olsen house being very similar to the house I grew up in outside Boston, but also for the simplicity of the composition, dominant presence of the main house, and unmistakeable Wyeth light and shadow.
On a recent drive through a rural Massachusetts town, I came across an old, abandoned house that immediately conjured up “Weatherside.” A quick photo with the iPhone, then a couple charcoal sketches to edit out clutter and define the light, and the resulting “Foreside II” is complete and at Banks Gallery in New London, NH.
To inquire about “Foreside II” contact The Banks Gallery in New London, NH at 603-526-2128
Fuel: 36 x 30 : oil on canvas : 2013
It’s tough maintaining the currency of any website. But for artists, many of whom are too busy making art to worry about their websites, maintaining an accurate record of available vs sold work, or displaying work that is actually at this gallery or that, the predicament of an outdated site can be a serious matter.
I know. My site has been out of date for about 4 years. And I apologize for that about as often as I apologize to collectors and galleries who come across a piece, inquire about it, and receive from me an email, the content of which can be copied and pasted, that reads, in part: “Sorry, that piece is sold. My site is, I’m afraid, not up to date.”
What has, however, been pretty much up to date is the spreadsheet I maintain that tracks what work is where, and what work is sold and what is available.
If only I could connect my spreadsheet (and the images I posted on my website), to each other, and make them both the images and data that actually displayed on my website. No affordable tool out there actually did that, so (using my past web development experience and some talented developers) I built one.
The new peterbatchelder.com site now pulls images from GallerySprout, the artist inventory tool that makes it easy (and, I would argue, almost fun) to manage studio records (artwork images, dimensions, medium, gallery placement, sold vs available status, etc). Now, when a piece sells, I mark it as sold in my inventory account, and because that account is now connected to my website (via a custom WordPress plugin that pulls an artist’s or gallery’s artwork from their accounts, onto their custom WordPress sites), the status of that work is accurately shown on the site.
So far, this tool is working great, and has cut my time exponentially in adding new artwork, and maintaining the location and availability statuses of each painting.
So check out the new, updated site here: www.peterbatchelder.com
And here are a few artists/gallery friends also using GallerySprout (and it’s companion ArtSprout.com) sites to more easily manage artwork and their websites…at the same time.
Dragonfly Fine Arts Gallery, Oak Bluffs, MA: http://www.mvdragonfly.com
Stephanie Reiter Fine Art: http://www.stephaniereiter.com
Warren F. Green Fine Arts: http://warrenfgreenfinearts.com
Christie Scheele Fine Art (site built on testing site): http://christiescheele.artsprout.com/
“Old Road” : 24 x 24 : oil on canvas : 2013
To be placed at Left Bank Gallery, Wellfleet for upcoming August Show.
I recently took Lily to a weekend softball tournament in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, where the famed amusement park and boardwalk were of greater interest to the team than the tournament itself. While the kids road the rides, I shot a few iPhone pics of abstracted views of the park. The bad weather was actually a good thing, as the skies add a bit of eeriness to an otherwise fun place.
I’m pleased to have been invited to participate in the Drawing Room Gallery’s upcoming show, En Plein Air, at their new gallery space in Cos Cob, CT. The show runs from June 89 to August 31. Preview Work
These pieces are based on scenes–and memories of scenes–from life on the Vineyard. The solitude, light, and wind of the Island is unforgettable. The top and bottom pieces, both based on the light at East Chop, one of two “Chops” that provide the protection of Vineyard Haven Harbor.
