My Trifecta Ultimate Weekend

April 27-29th, 2012

Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts Gallery

#1 Art
As many of you who follow my art know, this Friday April 27th from 7-8:30pm is the opening of my Noah's Ark Series solo exhibition at the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts in Orange Park, FL. This show has been in the works for a year now. I have been blogging and FB-ing the progress of these 50 pieces of collaged animal twosies since last June. I can't wait to see all 50 pieces hanging in the gallery (above) especially since I have been boxing them up and storing them as they were created.

Yours Truly exiting a "safe zone" fresh water swim 

#2 Athleticism

In addition to being an artist, I am also a triathlete. This Sunday April 29th at 7:56am I am challenging myself to push beyond my comfort zone and compete in St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon with an open ocean swim. If you missed my post on Facing Your Fears (of sharks) in art and athleticism, check it out here.

#20 in Cynthia's online gallery, my dress for the opening

#3 Fashion
Fiber artist and designer Cynthia LaMaide creates garments in a multitude of ways by weaving, knitting, felting and hand painting each silhouette. Her whimsical, colorful  designs are made by hand art to wear. Last year I purchased a dress from her collection for a cruise and received never-ending compliments on this beautiful hand-made wearable art. Since my Noah's Ark Series is the largest solo exhibition I have created to date, it was an easy decision as to what I would wear to the opening. This week Cynthia will be shipping me #20 (above) from her new collection. I just love the hand painted green silk for spring! I can't wait to pick my shoes and jewelry...

Thank you for sharing my progress for the last year on this Noah's Ark Series as well as my many other artistic hopes and dreams. I can only aspire to be able to motivate others to reach higher and wider for their personal goals, and never give up!

Delivery of Noah's Ark Exhibition

Boxed work has been stored in my extra bedroom

Packing the van this morning for the 2+ hour drive

Today I delivered all 50 pieces of my Noah's Ark Series solo exhibition to the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts in Orange Park, FL (a suburb of Jacksonville). I have been working on these pieces for a year, and have never seen them all together. The pieces (primarily 20x24 in size) have been boxed up and stored as they were completed.

Thank goodness for GPS as this is WAY out of my 3-mile radius!

I am very much looking forward to the opening next Friday, April 27th from 7-8:30pm. Please join me if you are a local! This opening will kick off the exhibit which runs through June 16.

I was asked by the executive director, Tony Walsh to display my work in his fantastic venue over a year ago, but today was the first time I have visited The Center. Many thanks to Kathryn Wills for giving me the grand tour! I am proud to say that the gallery is stunning! I zipped through it today with Kathryn to appreciate the Salvador Dali exhibit they are currently displaying.

The gallery space, love the green walls and red wood flooring!

Posing with Tony Walsh today in front of Peter Peafowl, the largest piece of the exhibition

I still remember the VERY first piece I worked on for this show last June. The Toucan was done in my state room on a Nelson family cruise! I hit the ground running when I realized that I had a year to create a themed grouping of 50 pieces. I chose the Noah's Ark Series as a tribute to my brother Chris who was born with Down Syndrome. My sister Aimée and I worked at summer camp for handicapped children for years after he was born. The Ark Song was just one of the wonderful memories I have of those days.

You can read more about this story and see all 50 pieces in the printed Exhibition Guide. 

the first piece of the exhibition, in progress

Please Save The Date and Join Me?

Penultimate Peafowl and other flying things

Peter Peafowl / 36x48 / collage of hand painted papers on panel

The peacocks were the penultimate set of twosies for the Noah's ark exhibition which delivers April 17th for an April 27th opening. I had a great time creating Peter, he dominated my easel and my studio with his width! Peter and Priscilla will be the cornerstone pieces of the exhibit due to both their size and my signature image being the peacock. 

 Dover Dragonfly / 20x24 / collage of hand painted papers on panel

 Deandra Dragonfly / 20x24 / collage of hand painted papers on panel

The final set I created for the show, by popular demand, was dragonflies. When I asked for suggestions with regards to what to make the final set, an overwhelming amount of people suggested these colorful insects! And many thanks to good friend and fellow artist Kim Santini for sparking the red/cyan color combo through our many inspired art convos. 

How does it feel to be done? Well, it's been a year in the making and now that it's done, I'm thinking I'll do something other than animals for a while. Botanicals, portraits, flowers, maybe?

But rest assured, I've got another deadline right behind this one....

Noah's Ark Series Exhibition Guide

The Exhibition Guide is a 56-page spiral bound booklet in full color

The Noah's Ark Series opens this month at the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts at St. John's River State College in Orange Park, FL. This show has been one year in the making and is my largest solo exhibition to date. To commemorate this event, I have designed and printed an Exhibition Guide for the show which features all 50 pieces, 25-sets of twosises.

The Exhibition Guide is a 56-page, 8x10 spiral bound booklet with graphic design by Yours Truly. The Guide features 50 large color images with several insets of work in progress photos.

Opening Reception April 27th

Show Runs April 28 - June 16

Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts

Progression of the "she fowl"

©St.Hilaire Nelson, sketch on cradled birch panel, 36x24

The female peacock marks my FINAL piece of the 50 for my Noah's Ark Series Solo Exhibition at the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts. This show opens April 27th and runs through June 16. I need to finish the artwork this week in order to print the Exhibition Guide I have been designing.

©St.Hilaire Nelson, sketch with beginning under-painting on cradled birch panel

All of my pieces start with a pencil sketch on a clear primed birch wood panel. I prime clear in order to give myself the freedom to leave some of the grain and striation of the wood showing through, should I so desire. This is a decision I a make somewhere along the way, and it's not pre-planned.

I block in the local color and define my values with the underpainting. I am playing with the background paint application as I intend to leave the green above her head painted. This decision I THINK is made, but we shall see what happens when I get into the glue.

©St.Hilaire Nelson, under-painting on cradled birch panel

The "she fowl" is in my studio drying, I'll add collage application later in the day today or this evening. Most of the time I work at night and on the weekends as graphic design is my day job. Every now and then you do see daylight behind my easel in a photo though. I snuck out there this morning at 5:30 and this afternoon around 1:00pm. Nothing like a deadline to motivate!