Workshop in Viera

Half Day Workshop at the Art Gallery of Viera on the morning of November 14, why not come out and join me in tearing some paper?

I will cover the basics of collage and give you some pointers on technique and style. We'll work on a 12x12 apple project that is fun and super helpful for beginners. Judith Segal will teach paper making on Saturday, the 13th and some of these papers can be utilized in our collage on the following day!

Registration form here

Fiddle Head Ferns Finds a Home

Fiddle Head Ferns, 18x18, mixed media collage on cradled birch panel ©St. Hilaire Nelson

Many thanks to Kim Santini of Painting A Dog A Day for purchasing my Fiddle Head Ferns from the Exquisite Harmony Music Series. She told me when I shipped this piece that she already had a wall ready and waiting in her kitchen. I guess we could not have planned a more perfect match!

The green in the fern really looks lovely on the wall. Kim's husband actually asked her how I knew what color their kitchen was!

Kim made my day with her quote:
"I think it is my most favorite possession right now - the one thing I'd grab on my way out the door were the house on fire and all the kids and pets safely out. Along with my Susan Leyland drawing, which is conveniently also on the way out." 

I don't think I could have asked for a better testimonial, or to be in better company!

Holiday Cow Note Cards

Over The Moon has had a holiday hat added and she's ready to send Season's Greetings to your family and friends!

Note card is 4x6 on glossy white card stock with matching white envelopes.

Inside Greeting:
Wishing you the Special Gifts of this Holiday Season - Peace, Joy and Lasting Happiness.

Quantities

10 Cards $25.00 25 Cards $40.00 50 Cards $76.00 100 Cards $132.00

Random Cards of Kindness

Trick or Treat, 11x14, original fabric art, ©Libby Fife

In my efforts to procure art cards for Cherie, I have also benefitted. It has made me happy to receive all your requests for her address, to realize how many people are still willing to send a note to someone they don't even know.

Yesterday I received a super nice Halloween note card from Libby Fife (see her website here). Libby sent Cherie a note card and decided to send me one as well.

Here is what she said:
"Just writing to say thank you for all of your wonderful writing and views of your work on your blog. I do enjoy getting to see what you are working on. Hope your Halloween is a fun and safe one. Take care and thank you again"

How nice, I think Libby has truly made my day with her double act of kindness!

If you are interested in purchasing Libby's Halloween note cards, email her!

Cherie's family is looking at a possible move to Shepherd Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation. You may still email me for her sister's address to send your own Random Card of Kindness.

Royal March of the Lion finds a home

Royal March of The Lion, 24x20, collage on cradled panel, ©St.Hilaire Nelson

Many thanks to June who purchased my lion collage for her husband Jeff, on his birthday! Jeff plays the viola in the Maitland Symphony Orchestra and he had told June that of all of the movements of Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals, that the "Lion" was his favorite.

What a great personal birthday gift!

Altamonte Workshop

Jessica Carter poses with her work 

Judith Segall and I are offering the Altamonte half day workshops again. Two days, one of paper making and one of collage. You may take both days or just one!

click here for the registration form

Dates are November 14 and 20, location is the home studio of Judith Segall in Altamonte Springs. Hope to see you there!

Andalusia Finds a Home

©St.Hilaire Nelson, Andalusia, 20x24, collage on cradled panel

Earl purchased my flamenco dancer piece from "Exquisite Harmony" solo exhibition over the weekend and I wanted to share with you the photo he sent of her hanging in his home. It's always nice to see where they end up when they leave the nest!

Thank You Earl!

Sul Tasto, Finds New Home!

Sul Tasto / 20x24 / collage on cradled panel / ©St.Hilaire Nelson

Emma took my workshop at Maitland Art Center over the weekend and purchased the signature marketing piece from the show, Sul Tasto! I was thrilled to see this piece go to Emma as she is an art lover and collector and she actually played the violin for a year as a kid.

It certainly is nice to receive a photo of my artwork in its new home, it looks like Emma has given this collage a quite position of distinction over her fireplace.

I hope she will enjoy it for years to come.

Cherie's Progress

Cherie Stannard

I just wanted to update you and say thanks again for the outpouring of cards, letters, artwork, and hand made books that have come from my "art peeps" to Cherie's ICU room at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pearce, FL.

I visited Cherie again this past Wednesday and she told me that the notes and cards have really made a difference in brightening her day. Her Aunt Barbara is putting the return address of all on the back of what has been sent. Cherie wants to send a note to everyone and thank them for their thoughtfulness.

I think she has a lot of note writing ahead of her!

Many thanks again for keeping her in your thoughts. Please email me for the address if you wish to send a card, she is still in ICU and on a ventilator with a C5 spinal cord injury. She can feel being poked in two toes on one foot, which is great, but she still has no movement from her shoulders down. Her next step is to a rehabilitation facility (potentially in Tampa, FL) but she has to get off the ventilator and breathe on her own before she can make that next step.

Your kind words and thoughts mean so much in this very difficult time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart

Maitland Art and History Association

Today was the first day of my Paper Paintings workshop at Maitland Art Center. I have five terrific students from diverse backgrounds. We enjoyed this morning discussing the technique I used to create the work in my current exhibit, Exquisite Harmony which is up through Sunday the 24th of this month. (if you have not seen it, this weekend is the time to go).

After lunch we brought out our fluid acrylics and hand-painted several different types of papers for collage and the apple lesson, which we will start on tomorrow morning.

Much thanks to Gloria Capozzi for popping in and taking the photos, an entire album is available on my Facebook Fan Page.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the students will create tomorrow!

Stay tuned.

Art Studio Tours

Chris Tenenholtz of Red Hot Pottery, butterfly vase (top)

My recent weekend in Sedona, AZ afforded me the time to not only visit art galleries, but to take an art studio tour as well. A super enjoyable morning was spent taking an art studio tour with Tatia Flick of  Sedona Art Tours

Red Hot Pottery was my favorite stop on my three-studio tour. These great pieces can purchased online at Chris' Etsy Store. And you can learn more about her work here on her blog. It was a lot of fun watching Chris work on the pottery wheel, and asking her questions about her unique pottery with attached birds and butterflies, her marketing, blogging, and selling. I bought a fantastic yellow bowl from her, which made it home in one piece!

Another great stop was the home studio of Pamela Becker who combines creative writing with fantastic painting and illustration. Her work is really wonderful and her talent abounds, writing, illustration, painting, graphic design, you name it! A very talented artist and a wonderful hostess.

My third studio tour was with Victoria Norton who creates some super ceramics with the look and colors of Sedona itself. Victoria also made porcelain masks, vessels, did book binding and made jewelry, another super talented artist!

If you ever get the chance to take an artist studio tour in Sedona or any other city, it's really a nice way to meet working artists and share information and stories with them. Art galleries are great, but studio tours allow you to not only  meet the artist in person, but to see how and where they work. Victoria's ceramic studio was tiny compared to Chris', but they both manage to create some amazing work. Pamela's work flowed out of her studio and into the main room of her house and she even took me out in to the back yard to show me the press she uses to create her mono prints.

And Tatia, my tour guide was just fantastic, even stopped to let me shoot some reference photos for future Paper Paintings!

Many Thanks to Marcia

Water Lily, in progress, 20x16

Marcia saw my work in the Silver Lining jewelry store in Ramsey, NJ. and was quite taken with the process of "Paper Painting." She contacted me via email and sent me some photos of her gorgeous newly remodeled guest bathroom, asking if I could create a one-of-a-kind piece of art especially to fit her space.

Lucky for me, Marcia's room was very neutral in color, so anything would match nicely. I sent her some photos of subject matter to choose from, originally I was thinking of New Jersey native botanicals but then I got to thinking about water lilies since it was for the bathroom. Marcia had expressed that she really liked my botanicals.

We decided on a photo of water lilies which I had cropped and manipulated in photoshop, and then I added more brown tones to it, to highlight the wood cabinetry in Marcia's room.

Water Lilies, 20x16, collage on panel

I shipped the finished work to Marcia only after taking it in to show the fifth graders at my neighborhood elementary school where I volunteer and give art and artist lessons. All the kids appreciated the fact that this piece can really be hung horizontal or vertical since the view point is from above.

Today Marcia called me and emailed me to let me know her piece had arrived safely:

"Hi Elizabeth, I just wanted to tell you that your art arrived and how much I love it! I'll send you a picture after I frame it and hang it. Now, I'm thinking of other walls in my house to purchase another piece of your art. I just love your work!! Thanks so much for creating this special piece for us! We will really enjoy it."

I have to say, testimonials are just the best. Thanks to Marcia for supporting the arts, and for taking the time to let me know how much she appreciated her piece.

I'll be waiting for the photo of her framed piece hung in her fantastic bathroom.
 

Weekend in Sedona, AZ

This weekend I am in Sedona, AZ. My husband decided to take a photography workshop through the Sedona Arts Center and asked me if I'd like to tag along. During the day he will be shooting the rocks and canyons of this stunning part of the country, and I will be visiting art galleries and going on a studio tour of three local artists. 

Over two months ago when I found out I'd be coming here, I started scouting galleries online. I did a lot of research and sent a lot of emails with my contact information and a request for an appointment to look at my work and meet with me. Many gallery websites have submissions procedures right on their website.

While looking, I was informed that most galleries were not taking on new artists, they either responded and told me this, their website told me this, or they did not respond at all. This is something you are often faced with. I recently read a fantastic book that I highly recommend, Starving to Successful by Jason Horejs, a gallery director with over 17 years experience in the business. Jason's advice? Just show up at the gallery with a portfolio and ask for a minute of their time. He says don't make an appointment or try to set something up in advance, because more times than not you will get the brush off. He knows this because he does it! He gets tons of requests for portfolio reviews every month.

I did manage to secure a meeting with the director of a very reputable gallery here in Sedona and I am very much looking forward to meeting Joyice because we have had some great email conversations over the past two months leading up to my visit and she is a fan of my Paper Paintings.

Depending on how successful I am with Joyice, I may or may not have to take some of Jason's advice. He says to print out a portfolio of work and put it in to one of those black covers from the office supply store. My husband, who is the eternal source of excellent ideas, suggested I go one step further. He is the reason why I have just put my Collage Process Overview book into a paperback format! My husband said "Why bring them a typical portfolio when you have published your own book?" So I converted my hardcover book to paperback in order to make a more cost effective piece I could leave behind. (It is now more cost effective for you too!)

If all goes well with Joyice, I won't have to scout other galleries and I'll be able to enjoy my day seeing the sites and taking my artists studio tour with Tatia, who I have also been emailing for two months!

In Addition to Art

The offician race results are in from the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon I ran with my husband two weekends ago! I'm happy to announce that I did pretty well for my first time running 13 miles, at night even!

I trained for 12 weeks and that really helped. By the end I was tired of running every day. I am used to triathlon training which mixes running with swimming and biking.

Considering I am the patient of three full open knee surgeries (no arthroscopy in those days), I am truly lucky to be able to do as much running as I do. My sister, a triathlete and runner, said to me, "Look at you go, I NEVER thought I'd see you RUN!"

Cherie's Progress

left to right: Michelle, Cherie, Me, Eileen, Graduation from WHS, 1986

I'm happy to tell you that Cherie is making some progress. She can feel the pressure of being touched on her arms and all the way down her legs! She's looking much better and in good spirits. I visited her at the Lawn Wood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pearce, FL yesterday.

The card writing campaign has brought tears to her eyes, I was lucky enough to be able to read her some of your cards and notes and she cried when I told her that so many artists friends had offered to make her hand made cards, and so many people had offered to send letters and notes!

She truly appreciates all the efforts, and this is going to be a long road to recovery for her. There is plenty of time for you still to send notes and well wishes.

email me for the mailing address, and THANK YOU for making a difference.

Changing Seasons

©St. Hilaire Nelson, 24x24, Cup of Conversation

The weather here in Florida is getting to the point of a smidge cooler in the morning and at night, but still reaching 80+ during the day. It's just starting to cool off, and I am starting to think about pulling out my one fall skirt and my halloween decorations.

Constance and Laura in Asheville had asked me for some coffee and cakes imagery with a fall flare for the Grand Bohemian Gallery in The Grand Bohemian Hotel.

This Cup of Conversation is what I sent them last week. I was definitely inspired by the law firm café project, as i really enjoyed working with the cups and the large fields of color they offered.

Oh and guess what? I now own the URL paperpaintings.com how cool is THAT? Thanks to my fantastic husband and his left brain abilities.

Amelia Island Artist's Workshop

Some photos from the weekend, tomorrow (Sunday) is our last day! We have been having a great time painting papers and applying them to collage. Today the students focuses on their "apple exercise" and tomorrow we move on to an image of their choice.

I was graciously invited to dinner with Pat and her husband Jack at their Amelia Island home on Friday night, and also invited downtown for dinner with Sandy this evening. Thanks so much for the hospitality of my students!!

Shirupa who came from Orlando, has been a wonderful friend over the weekend. I met her online long before I met her in person. A wonderful student and a great person to spend time with!

Laura gets the award for traveling the furthest! she is from St. Croix US Virgin Islands and heard about me online via my blog and her local community art group. How cool is the internet?

Southeast Regional Juried Exhibit; The Art of Hope

©2008 St. Hilaire Nelson, Collage on panel, Rays of Hope

The Art of Hope opened on Thursday night at the Alice Jenkins Gallery of the Crealdé School of Art and the Heritage Center in Winter Park, FL. My friend emailed me today to let me know that my art has a nice place in the gallery, immediately to the left upon entering. I was unable to attend the opening as I am in Amelia Island teaching a collage workshop. I am super proud of having been chosen for the show, there was a lot of competition.

The opening featured jazz music with the Chuck Archard Trio. The curator is Bobby Scroggins, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Kentucky, he selected 32 diverse interpretations of the significance of this Election.

Ten Good Women

©St. Hilaire Nelson: Hope #2 (top) Hope #9 (bottom), 12x12, collage on painted panel

Another opening I missed this weekend (when it rains, it pours) was my work at the Art and Soul Gallery at the Women's Center of Jacksonville in the show "Ten Good Women." I was invited to show 10 collages and Cookie Davis, the curator of the show,  decided at the last minute to come over to Amelia Island and take my workshop! So nice to meet Cookie even though I could not attend the opening. Thank you Cookie!