Current work current show

I'm right now in a group still life exhibition at Artists' House Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. The gallery director there, Lorraine Riesenbach,  has been wonderful about including me in several group shows despite the fact that I am essentially on leave of absence from most of my other work obligations due to being in graduate school.  Although participating in the shows is a bit of a strain, one more flying ball in my very large juggling act, it's probably a very good thing not to lose the showing momentum.  Participating in showing work keeps you grounded in reality...and reality sometimes feels a very long way away from graduate school..land of theory! ;-) So I am grateful to her for her persistence and patience with me.

Here are the pieces in Beyond the Ordinary:

Big Magnolia, o/c, 24 x 20 inches, 2012

Monhegan Island Still Life, o/c, 12 x 16, 2012

Sage and Acorns, o/c, 11 x 14,  2012

Beyond the Ordinary Still Life

February 29 through April 1, 2012 

Artists' House57 North Second Street  Philadelphia, PA 19106  (215) 923-8440   Wed - Sun 12-5 PM or by appointment 

Reception:

Sunday,
March 4,
1 - 4pm

artists' house gallery website:

http://artistshouse.com/

Shadow Paintng

Arrangement for Ukulele, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 inches, 2011

This week's prompt over at Illustration Friday is shadows. A good deal of this painting is about the shadows cast by the objects. So I hope it fits the bill. This piece was part of my one person show last month at Artists' House Gallery in Philadelphia. I believe the paint was still wet when I dropped it off. I hope I canpry it out of the frame because of course I now see several things I'd like to fix!

Last Autumn, Bottled

Green and Yellow, oil on gessoed ragboard, 8 x 10 inches, 2011

Bottled is this week's prompt at Illustration Friday. I love this little brown bottle which once held a nutritional supplement we were giving my son with autism when he was younger,  and I use it over and over again in my work. I think it signifies a simpler time, when we were full of hope and energy. Still have lots of hope, but less energy! ;-)  The coreopsis blossom and nasturtium leaves were from my late autumn garden. They lasted a long time in my chilly studio. The apple on the left only went into the compost bin a month or two ago...very long-lasting! This recently completed piece is on the invitation card for my upcoming show:

Nancy Bea Miller: recent work
May 4-29, 2011
Artists' House Galley
57 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

Receptions:

First Friday:
May 6, 5 - 8:30pm
Sunday,
May 8, 1 - 4pm

http://www.artistshouse.com/exhibits/next.html

Duet

Joined, oil on linen, 12 x 9 inches, 2011

DUET is this week's prompt at Illustration Friday. This is a painting I completed about a month ago and I think it fits the bill. I am in the Philly area and we sure do love our soft pretzels here! I am originally from NYC and we loved our pretzels there too, but the NYC pretzels are an entirely different configuration. In any shape, soft pretzels are best bought from a street vendor on a cold day,  eaten warm with a zigzag of mustard. If you get a blob of mustard on your cheek and someone kisses it off...all the better!

Déjà Vu

Pears and a Pot, 11 x 14, oil on linen, 2008

Not really sure what to put in for Illustration Friday this week. The theme is Déjà Vu, the feeling that you have already experienced a moment which is currently happening. Who hasn't felt this, but it seems a tough concept to handle visually.  This comes close, I think, to expressing that feeling that creeps up on you... a concealed memory projected onto the present moment. A little unnerving!

Oldie but Goodie

Looking through some old files and saw this little cutie...a birthday party cupcake homemade by me for one of the little boy's birthdays. Cupcakes are so in these days, but they tend to be much larger, with a lavish crown of icing. I don't think anybody uses sprinkles anymore either...a blast from the past! And, in truth, this was probably only five or six years ago...how times change! Still sweet though. ;-)

greenery-yallery

Greenery-Yallery Apple, oil on linen on wood, 5 x 7 inches, 2010

I had a hard time with this one for unknown reasons. Still not really finished. But I've already spent six times as much time on it as I wanted to (it happens!) Time to move on I think.

Little Silver Bag

Little Silver Bag with Red Apple, oil on linen, 8 x 10 inches, 2010

Mermaid's Purse

Mermaid's Purse, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 3.5 x 2.5 inches, 2010

Breakneck quick and teeny...whetting my appetite for a calmer and larger painting at some point in the future. Mermaid's purses are really egg cases for sharks and skates. Thanks to my friends Eric and Nancy for sharing their collection!

Onion Skin

Onion Skin, oil on linen on wood, 8 x 10 inches, 2010

This is alla prima, all done in one session, but not exactly speed painting as it took me about an hour and 45 minutes. I might go back and do a little touch-up and glazing: then again I might not.

Pink Polish

Low Light on Pink Polish, oil on linen on wood, 4 x 6 inches, 2010

Another super quickie. It's getting closer to nail polish season!

Sand Dollar in a Box

Sand Dollar in a Box, oil on canvas on wood, 4 x 6 inches, 2010

Dog Biscuits

Attila's Biscuits, oil on gessoed ragboard, 4 x 6 inches

(Thanks to my friend Mary and her dog Attila, for the props!)

Ducky

Duck in a Box, oil on gessoed ragboard, 6 x 6 inches, 2010

Thyme in a Bottle

Thyme in a Bottle
oil on linen on wood, 6 x 4 inches, 2010

I might go back and touch up the label a bit more tomorrow or the next day. The paint is too thick and wet for me to get further detail in. BTW, I truly did not even think of the song title till after I'd posted the image! Now I've got it in my head....

Ripe Berry

Ripe Berry
oil on gessoed cardboard, 3 x 3 inches, 2010

This may have been my fastest one yet. And I can't even see what it really looks like, because it was dusk when I started painting and after only about 15 minutes I dropped my brush and raced out the door to pick up youngest son from his after school activity. When I got home, night had fallen. I've never managed to set up good artificial lighting in my studio, and rely entirely on daylight. I may be in for a huge surprise in the morning! Well, never a dull moment when you are a painter.

Quick Eggs

EGG TRIO
oil on gessoed cardboard, 5 x 7 inches, 2010

Illustration Friday's theme this week is propagation, and I thought these eggs had at least a whiff of that about them. Another super quickie.

Star Fish

Starfish from Eric, oil on canvas, 3 x 3 inches, 2010

Tangerine with Leaf

Tangerine with Leaf, oil on canvas on wood, 5 x 7 inches, 2010

Yellow Onion

Yellow Onion, oil on gilt cardboard, 6 x 8, 2010