For the Love of Strawbery Banke

When I was eight, our school went to a field trip to Strawbery Banke.

I fell in love with it then, the gardens, the crowded turn of the century houses. It was such a beautiful escape. Now I live close by and I paint such an amazing part of Portsmouth. Strawbery Banke is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the present-day city of Portsmouth. It features more than 37 restored buildings built between the 17th and 19th centuries in the Colonial, Georgian and Federal style architectures. The darkest colored house is the oldest house in the group.

I hope to become the painter people turn to when they want a Strawbery Banke painting. I plan on researching more historical stories and viewpoints of the Banke.

There is nothing more exciting than bringing modern and contemporary style to the gradational New England world. To bring expressionism to the area is a thrill.

https://www.strawberybanke.org/ is is art in itself. Many of my contemporary paintings are of the buildings there.

Corporate Art Buy

Recently I was lucky enough to have a large corporate art sale. The corporate art buyer was from Fidelity Bank. This part of the bank buys local art in the New England area. Corporate art benefits the local community in that local sales circulates more money and the community. Corporate art sales also benefit the financial institution and in that the art value goes up each year. What is corporate art? The corporate art collections are made up of works purchased by organizations such as banks, companies, and governmental and semi-governmental bodies. The kind of art each organization collects depends on its identity, when it started buying work, and how it manages its collection. Most collections are compiled by curators with backgrounds in art history.

https://theartcenterdover.com/ my studio is at the Art center, a place for local artists work and hang out.

I Love Bradford's Work

Back in Maine Bradford had been been painting before her divorce and renting out a studio space in town.
If you wanted to make a real mark in the world the big city was the place to be. She was about 40 at the time when she packed up her kids to move to New York City. By most accounts it was a pretty bold claim to call herself an artist but that’s what she did.
Her kids were in the fourth grade. The aPartment was paying for a by the child support she received. She commuted upstate several times a week to pursue an MFA at SUNY purchase, teaching English as a second language as a community college at night.
Her kids would wonder why her mother was so different from the other parents. They were embarrassed to bring friends home because of the secondhand furniture. The kids felt that they were poor but they later realized they were not. As her mother eventually rose to be an inspiration and a massively accomplished artist. Bradford shows at museums and prominent galleries in New York City and beyond. Bradford is my hero!!!#bradfordpainting #Bradford

https://www.portlandmuseum.org/ is where some major artists such as Bradford shows. They have amazing modern art work.

Matisse has is Right

One day, a client came to the great artist Henri Matisse, with the desire to buy one of the master’s works.

He tells Matisse that he wants to buy something, and Matisse pulls out a sheet of paper, and with a few deft strokes, creates one of his highly distinctive, masterful drawings. “Ah, beautiful!” says the customer. “How much?” Matisse names a price  so high that the customer is shocked. “So much, for just a minute of drawing?” he protests. “A minute of drawing, a lifetime of practice,” answers Matisse.

I love this story—even though it probably is apocryphal—because it’s a good reminder that we can’t always measure value by time, labor, or visible effort.

Finalist for the Newburyport Grant

I was pleased to be informed that I was selected as a finalist for a grant at the Newburyport Art Association. This year we saw a strong pool of submissions representing a high degree of expertise across mediums by artists throughout New England. The selection process was extremely challenging, and the reviewing committee sought overall artistic excellence, a dedication to one’s artistic practice, and a good demonstration of how each artist would use the experience.

The Newburyport Art Association has fantastic programs to engage local artists with. If you are an artist in the Newburyport area, I highly suggest joining this group.

The above pieces was selected.

The Newburyport Art Association is a fantastic place to hand artwork.

https://newburyportart.org/

Large Paintings for Interiors or Corporate Spaces

Imagine a large blank wall that needs art for a public lobby or huge beautiful living room? Getting the right art for the public to enjoy or to brighten up your living space is important. The right art for a room builds beauty, enjoyment and color to a big space. A large modern piece can connect the space to the viewer. The artwork that is chosen is the focal point of a space. It is a big step. Let me help you. I do free consultations and installations.

Feel free to pick a piece on my website and I can enlarge any painting to 1oo to 200 inches.

Newport Art Museum Biannual 2022.

I was lucky enough to get into this trendy Biannual 2022.

The juried exhibition is one of the Newport Art Museum’s longest standing traditions. For over 30 years, it has included an array of works of art in all media. Now called “The Newport Biennial,” this exhibition features the work of New England artists and showcases the fresh approaches to art making in the region. After the events of 2020 and 2021, we hope that this is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the resilience and creativity of today’s artists.

This year’s juror is: Dr. Kimberli Gant, the McKinnon Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the Chrysler Museum.

My piece, Trust Me, I Know Better was picked. A piece based off of a women who was a sea captain during the Victorian era. She was an Icon.

https://newportartmuseum.org/ I was honored to be selected as a juried painting for the Biannual. This abstract painting is a powerful reminder of how art inspires!

Buy Local and Support your Community

My Favorite benefit of buying local is that the money usually stays in the town that you bought art and gifts from, not some far away country or large corporation.

Before you buy a present that needs an extended warranty, let me suggest a lasting gift-giving alternative: Put some local art under the tree. It gives such a warm feeling when you invest in local artists. In away it is an extension of a strong community

So if you’re looking for a special Christmas gift — something that will stand the test of time — without getting mixed up with thrill-seeking Black Friday shoppers, think of your local artists willing to help your shopping with their art.

PHOTO by Joe Klementovich

#localartist #newengland#artist #modernpainting #mountwashington #mountwashingtonpainting

#buylocalart, #rebeccaklementovich

Monticello Forever

I was at the famous Monticello this spring- such breathe taking views. I especially love the 200-some varieties of plants, as the flowering Caracalla bean. The miles of pink apple blossom trees were romantic. It made me reconnect to what it must have been like in the early years of our country. The pastoral and self sufficient traditions that Jefferson built are well remembered.

In a way, Pastoral is the word for his distant views from his estate. The apple trees speckled below the pastures and the sunset will be a fantastic painting, that I was happy to paint in memory of his Monticello. I will boldly say that Jefferson was a wizard of horticulture design of land. This will make it easy to paint a great composition from his land. The pinks, soft blues, sage and warm corals are what stands out in his fields and shrubbery.

Monticello is worth the visit. Attached is the painting that I did there.

Gary Samson's NH Artist Project

I was lucky enough to be photographed by Gary Samson, who is taking photographs of NH artist. On many levels, this is really kind of Gary to do for artists. There are so many talented artists in this state. Gary has a well done page with more in depth pictures and information of these artists.

https://www.garysamsonphotography.com/nh-artists

Below is more about Gary.

Gary Samson is a fine art photographer and photo educator who has received numerous awards, grants and fellowships for his work during the past forty years. He is currently serving as the Artist Laureate of New Hampshire after retiring as the Chair of the Photography Department at the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, NH. Gary has taught photography courses and workshops regionally and internationally since 1981 and his career in photography started in 1971 at the University of New Hampshire where he served as the University Filmmaker and Manager of Photography.