I’m opening my doors and you’re invited!

Yours Truly at last year's open studio! photo by Micha Hamilton

Rio, one of the six paintings I'll have at Stony's.

I was pleased when Raleigh Ceasar contacted me to be part of the new venture for the Pierro Gallery of South Orange — Pierro Downtown!

Raleigh has joined forces with the enormously talented Susan Napack to put together this tasty mix of dainty delights, featuring small works by Lisa Pressman, Susan Napack, Russell Christian, Sarah Petruziello, Greg Leshe and Stuart Tyson.

I hope you’ll stop by. Come hungry!

Stony's: Serving Up the Best in Food and Art! Photos-The Patch & Nancy Heins-Glaser

Burgers, Fries and Art!

Drop by the Pierro Gallery for this valuable coupon!

Until June 13, there is a special offer for all visitors to Pierro Gallery to pick up a coupon for 10% off at Stony’s. The gallery is open 1-4 Fri-Sun. Visual Alchemy – 8 African American Artists Explore the Spirit of Visual Narrative is up through June 6, followed by an exhibit of Gallery Committee alumni.

A Gem Among Her Jewels

Ms. Bell has not gone unnoticed; The Star-Ledger ran an article recently (“South Orange Art Collector’s Home is a Visual Feast“), and Park Place Magazine’s newest issue ran a multi-page article about Ms Bell: “The Art of the Party.”

Both are  wonderful pieces, highlighting her warm hospitality and keen eye for art. With a grateful heart and a  glow of pride, I’m delighted to say that Patricia cites me in both articles as an “artist to watch.”

Here’s a passage from the Star-Ledger’s piece: “Bell also lists the mixed media work of Nancy Tobin, a local contemporary visual artist among her favorites. New Jersey artists Claire Rosen, Willie Cole, Margaret Murphy and Lisa Pressman are also present here.”

And here’s an excerpt from the Park Place article:

Favorite NJ Artists to Watch

“I love new things, and always find a spot for the pieces I love,” says Pat Bell. “When I’m surrounded by all this wonderful work, it’s like living with the souls of the artists.”

Each month, as fresh—and sometimes massively large artwork—arrives at her home, Gabrielle Pulls, Bell’s housekeeper of 17 years, equips herself with an electric drill, a level, and a keen eye. As pieces leave the home, they often are loaned or contributed to non-profit organizations, such as the South Orange Performing Arts Center.

“I’m fortunate to live in this state because we have so many wonderful artists,” says Bell. “I like what’s in my backyard.” To keep au courant with the local art scene, get acquainted with some of her favorites:

Willie Cole, Mine Hill, multi-dimensional
(williecole.com)
Tom Nussbaum, Montclair, sculptor
(tomnussbaum.com)
Claire Rosen, Montclair, photographer
(clairerosenphotography.com)
Margaret Murphy, Jersey City, painter (margaret-murphy.com)
Lisa Pressman, West Orange, painter
(lisapressman.net)
Marcia Kure, Princeton, painter/collage artist
(marciakure.com)
Wayne Roth, Mountain Lakes, digital artist/photographer (2face.com)
Nancy Tobin, Maplewood, collage painter (nancytobin.com)
Dan Fenelon, Madison, painter
(wavedog.com)
Jordan Eagles, Short Hills, painter/installationist (jordaneagles.com)

Children of Lir, by Lori Field    Photo courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery

I was delighted to interview Lori Field for my latest West of Chelsea installment for the New York Times Local!

I talked with her about her new gallery in Chelsea (Claire Oliver), her background as a textile designer and illustrator, what inspires her creations, and her “Secret Drawer.”

Stop by and read for yourself how this New Jersey artist traversed the Hudson and wound up on the inside, looking out.

Fifiteen scans — put together in Photoshop & ready to meld

What would I do without my scanner? I’d either be thousands of dollars poorer or have much crappier images of my work!

I’ve gone around and around on this one: how to get crystal-clear images of my art. It’s a concern for many visual artists and one that isn’t that easy to solve if your work is over 8 by 10 inches.

Here are a few options:

•  Get the work professionally photographed. I still have my doubts about the sharpness of detail you can get with a regular camera, so if you’re going to the expense of having a professional, I would make sure that they will be using a large-format camera. I really don’t have much idea how much this will cost you, but I do know that the cost will go down considerably if you have enough work to hire them out for a half day or a day.

•  Photograph it yourself. Yes, I know it can be done; God knows I’ve tried. But my results are worse than bad. There’s this whole “focus” thing, and then there’s the “shutter speed” thing, and I won’t even mention the “aperture.” All of these terms make me weep with the pain of the photographically inept. So until the time when I can figure all that stuff out, I’m skipping this one.

•  Take your work in to get scans made. This is by far my favorite solution! Many places that do large-format digital printing will also do large-format scanning. For about $100, you can get a high-resolution scan at full size. From there, you can use your image to make posters, enter juried shows, print greeting cards or anything else that you can think of! The price isn’t bad if you consider that even if your painting has sold, you still have the image — which you should own — to do all sorts of things with.

•  Put the painting on your home scanner. As much as I love taking my work into get scanned, $100 a pop starts adding up when you produce 2o to 40 paintings a year — OUCH! So  like many other artists I know, I put the painting on the scanner, and scan it myself. It works great! The resolution is super sharp, and the lighting and color is usually pretty good. Of course, this is all MUCH easier if your work is 8 by 10 inches or smaller — most of my work is not. So I place the painting down, and proceed to take scans of it in pieces.

I’m left with a handful of fairly large files that I need to reconstruct within Photoshop. I don’t know if I would suggest doing this if you’re uncomfortable with image-editing software. It takes some time, and it’s not an exact science. But you can save a ton of money and get really pretty great results.

Above is an image of all of the files put together, before I went in and merged them. As you can see, it isn’t seamless. That’s where some comfort with image-editing is important. I actually enjoy the reconstruction. The part I find tedious is the scanning, but putting the pieces back together is a little like working on a jigsaw puzzle.

Below is the finished image of Kansas, a 30″-by-30″ mixed-media painting on panel I completed recently. I also included an image of Oz. Both were named by my Wizard of Oz-obsessed daughter, who walked into my studio, pointed to the almost-finished paintings and announced,  “That’s Kansas, and that’s Oz.” I thought she was spot on.

Kansas. All the pieces back together again!

Oz!

Forest Fog ©2009 Nancy Tobin

I don’t know what’s got my head in a fog these past few days: Maybe it’s the after-winter-holiday blues, or maybe it’s the slowdown of my normally crazy schedule.

Whatever it is, I know it won’t last. I can’t stand standing still for too long. But for now — today — I’m recharging. I’m taking time to check in with favorite Web sites and blogs. I’m looking at pictures. I’m reading stories. I’m watching Hulu. I even made a tiny bear with my daughter!

Tomorrow, I’ll paint.

Peek III ©2009

I recently finished a new painting; Peek III. It’s 24 inches by 24 inches.

This painting — like the others in the Peek series — is one I’m especially fond of. I think there is something so magical about “the peek”; that moment when you pull back the curtain, the branches, the seaweed … to discover a world that’s new and wonderful.

For the moment, Peek III is happily residing at a very special gallery in New York: Elisa Tucci.

I wanted to take the image a bit further, so I created a limited-edition artwork featuring a snippet of the painting, titled Peace Walk 2009. I thought the new year was the perfect time to introduce the painting and the edition! If you’re interested in the painting, contact Lisa Cooper at Elisa Tucci. If you’re interested in the edition, good news: You can find it on sale at my Etsy shop!

Here’s more info on Peace Walk 2009:

Peace Walk 2009
Limited-Edition Mixed-Media Print
Peace Walk 2009 is an edition limited to 100.
The process behind this print combines many of the
techniques I use in my painting.
The first layer is an archival inkjet print that is laminated
to a panel. Several layers of acrylic medium are added to enhance the surface.
Every print is then silk-screened in two different colors,
each separated by several layers of medium. Hand painting is added to give each piece another layer of detail and additional depth.
A final coat of medium, a signature and date complete each work.

Peace Walk 2009 - Limited Edition Artwork

Each artwork in the edition comes with a black, Shaker-style easel for display.

]]> http://www.nowherehere.com/2009/12/31/walking-peacefully-into-2010/feed/ 1 http://www.nowherehere.com/2009/12/28/an-amazing-inspiring-event/ http://www.nowherehere.com/2009/12/28/an-amazing-inspiring-event/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:01:39 +0000 Nancy Tobin http://www.nowherehere.com/?p=2078

Think ©2009

I was delighted to be asked by the New Jersey Center Visual Arts Center to do six special paintings for their Blank Canvas event that was held earlier this month.

The NJVAC’s annual fundraiser is known for it’s high caliber artists, who regularly donate works to for this incredible silent auction. This year was no exception. You can take a look at some of the pieces that were available, on the Art Center’s Flickr page.

Enrich ©2009

Amaze ©2009

Create ©2009

Inspire ©2009

Imagine ©200

Nice Dream ©2009

To celebrate the season (and the fact that I am finishing all sorts of work and clearing all sorts of space in my studio!), I’m having a Two-for-One Print Sale!

When you buy one print at regular price, you get another print of the same or less value for FREE!

My shop is bursting with art to warm every cockle (what’s a cockle*?)

When you order one print, just tell me which one you’d like free in the “message to the seller” section.

To whet your appetite, I’ve just posted these brand-new darlings for your viewing pleasure; Nice Dream, Waiting Room and Little Knell.

Stop by the shop, and have a cup of cheer!

*According to Wikipedia, “the phrase warm the cockles of one’s heart may refer to the similarity in shape of the heart valves to the cockle mollusk”.

Waiting Pool ©2009

Little Knell ©2009