Posted by Nancy Tobin on Mar 16, 2010 in
News,
Shows 
A "pulp confection" Hush Redux was created with the scraps from my project titled "Hush" during my Print and Papermaking Fellowship at the Brodsy Center
Please come out to see me this Sunday, March 21st, as I participate in a fascinating exhibition — Pulp!
Artist and curator Rachel Leibman has pulled together an impressive group of artists for this Arts Guild New Jersey show. The theme is paper and you will be amazed by the way these artists have stretched the boundries of this medium. Printmaking, painting and scultpure are just a few of the examples I glimpsed while I was dropping off my three works. Here’s a bit of what Rachel has to say in her curatorial statement:
… for most visual artists, paper still retains the same importance it always had. Artists produce their art to be seen on a gallery wall, hung from a ceiling or displayed in a home. It is meant to be seen in “real life.” Works of art lose much of their immediacy, resonance and intimacy when viewed on a computer screen. Along with canvas, paper is a mainstay to the visual artist.
— Rachel Leibman, curator
I think I’m most excited about the company I’ll be in: Tom Nussbaum, Susan Lisbin, Deborah Ugoretz, Mona Brody, Marion Held, Daniel Seidman, Pamela Guenter-Duffus, Keely McCool, Catherine LeCleire, Rodriguez Calero, Rocco Scary, Pam Cooper, Beatrice Coron, and Rolla Herman.
It’s sure to be a wonderful show. Come!
Pulp Artworks Made of Paper
March 19 — April 16, 2010
Reception, Sunday March 21, 1 — 4 PM
Arts Guild New Jersey, 1670 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ, 731-381-7511
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Tags: Arts Guild New Jersey, Artworks Made of Paper, Beatrice Coron, Brodsy Center, Deborah Ugoretz, Keely McCool, Marion Held, Mona Brody, Pam Cooper, Print and Papermaking Fellowship, Pulp, Rocco Scary, Rodriguez Calero, Rolla Herman, Susan Lisbin, Tom Nussbaum
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Mar 16, 2010 in
Check This Out,
News,
Profiles,
Publications Like so many other artists, my stereotypical struggle to survive professionally has lightened a bit by the touch of Patricia Bell. Not only does she have a “to-die-for” collection of art, she also supports many local art venues as a trustee on the boards of the Center for Visual Arts, Montclair Art Museum, Garden State Arts Center Foundation and the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in Newark.
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)
Tags: Aljira Center for Contemporary Art, Center for Visual Arts, Claire Rosen, Dan Fenelon, Garden State Arts Center Foundation, Jordan Eagles, Lisa Pressman, Marcia Kure, Margaret Murphy, Montclair Art Museum, Park Place Magazine, Patricia Bell, South Orange Performing Arts Center, The Star Ledger, Tom Nussbaum, Wayne Roth, Willie Cole
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Mar 3, 2010 in
In the Studio,
News,
Ta Da! 
Surface - S: One of an edition of 26, each one-of-a-kind
I was so pleased with the results and the reception of the limited edition piece I did to celebrate the new year: Peace Walk, that I decided to create a new edition to celebrate the coming of spring.
This time, instead of creating multiples of the same image, I created 26, similar, but different works.
Introducing Surface!
Each work begins with an archival inkjet print that is laminated to a panel. Several layers of acrylic medium are added to enhance the surface. Next, each piece is embellished with little pieces that have been hand cut from the original print. Every print is then silk-screened two times, 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.
Sixteen of these little darlings are gone — but ten more are available. Let me know if you’d like me to reserve one (or more) for you.
The edition in progress
Surface A — Z
5″ x 5″ mixed media on panel
Each piece is signed on the front and signed and numbered on the back.
Each work comes with a display easel.
$200. each
These are the available works *(the letters are not on the actual work)
Tags: limited edition, Peace Walk
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Feb 26, 2010 in
In the Studio,
News After a fair amount of after-the-holidays recharging, I’m back to the studio.
Ignoring my sweet blog, ignoring chores — my determination to refill the coffers with big, glorious paintings, has kept me busy. Rather than write about it, I think I’ll share some studio shots of my work in progress.
I've started so many paintings with the intention of limiting my palette to shades of white…
… as you can see, color seduces me every time!
These two started out so similar…
… now they're heading in different directions. We'll see where they end up!
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Jan 16, 2010 in
Check This Out,
News,
Show Me How!,
Ta Da! 
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!
Tags: image editing, Kansas, oz, Photoshop, scanning artwork, Wizard of Oz
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Jan 12, 2010 in
Daily Babble,
News,
Ta Da! 
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.
Tags: bears, Hulu
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 31, 2009 in
Daily Babble,
New In the Shop,
News,
Shop Talk,
Ta Da! 
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.
Tags: Elisa Tucci, Etsy, Lisa Cooper, New Year, Peace Walk 2009, Peek III
Posted by Nancy Tobin on Dec 28, 2009 in
Check This Out,
Events & Happenings,
News,
Shows,
Ta Da! 
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
Tags: Blank Canvas, New Jersey Center Visual Arts Center, NJVAC
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
Tags: Etsy, Little Knell, Nice Dream, Waiting Pool, wikipedia
Calcifer, mixed media on panel, 10 x 10 inches ©2009
I really have been up to things, while ignoring my beloved blog. Painting, jewelry making, painting, shows, painting, sales, painting and painting.
So, as proof of the “painting” part — I present these three little gems; Calcifer, Glowlightly and Razz.
These brand-spanking-new paintings are available as prints in my Etsy shop, just in time to warm up your holidays!
Glowlightly, mixed media on panel, 12 x 12 inches ©2009
Razz, mixed media on panel, 12 x 12 inches ©2009
Tags: Calcifer, Etsy, Glowlightly, Holidays, painting, Razz
