winter birds and shells i found

In January, I was invited to show art at my favorite local spot Flour in Fort Point. I'm always excited to hang art at Flour because I've met so many artists and collectors just through having my art on display once or twice a year. I always love grabbing a coffee or a meal somewhere and being pleasantly surprised by interesting local art or music I'd never heard before, so I hope my art does the same for someone ducking out of their office in Fort Point :)

It seems like each brutally cold New England winter (-16 ° F around New Years!)  always gives me an urge to bring some warmth back into my studio with vibrant, summery paintings, and I'd been playing around with materials from a few recent Plum Island roadtrips, and it all culminated in a few brand new beach paintings in a subtle but summery color palette. In drawers! Because why not.

Winter Birds No. 1 & No. 2

8"x18" original mixed media inside antique whitewashed drawers

$550 and $500, available here

"Winter Birds No. 1 & 2" started as an experiment in creating two large paintings, then disassembling and re-assembling them onto a smaller canvas, then sewing the pieces together. Like a few previous pieces I wanted to keep the layers looking rough and a little haphazard to convey the sense of flotsam and jetsam the rolls up on to the beach with each incoming tide. Many of the layers are sewn down but not fully glued, leaving the edges to curl up just a tiny bit and remain very tactile.

It's sort of hard to see, but the tops of each drawer are the most incredible chippy antique white, with their original handles and lots of wear. As usual, I wonder what some 19th century mother or shopkeeper or farmer would think if they knew their furniture would someday make it into the hands of an artist in Boston and become a frame? The history of everything I incorporate into my art is fun for me to think about. Last, I added some vintage sign letters onto Winter Birds No. 1 because... I love letters. And shells. And everything! Whew.

"A Shell I Found"

12"x24" original mixed media on canvas

$550, available here 

"A Shell I Found" was just that - a shell I found at a friend's Cape Cod beach house, layered with nautical maps from New England and a few pages of nautical poetry. The colors are soft and feminine but the rough layers and tacks nailed evenly around the sides give it just a little bit of an edge. Soft pinks, purples and browns perfectly narrated the story of a quiet winter afternoon sunset on fresh sand.

As always... I would love to hear your feedback on these pieces :)