New year's elf.

Spent the first part of the new year with our cousin, hat-building. Here are the results:



2011.

Yeeesh, that sounds like a science fiction movie: 2011. Or a zombie movie where the undead roam desolate, urban streets in a quest for braaaaaains. Instead, it is merely our future, as of tomorrow: 2011! Let's embrace it, shall we?

Well, Libby is not quite on board with that...

But I, dear reader, wish you all the best in 2011 and hope you have a lovely and safe new year's celebration... I'll be posting some more on my recent painting activity in the new year! (Finally! Jeeez.)



HueyArt.

Still feeling inarticulate regarding the passing of our little buddy Huey... so allow me to speak through images instead, namely the various paintings I've done which were inspired by Huey's cuteness:

I did the following pencil sketches on Saturday 11/27/10, our last day with Huey:



The one's a ballpoint pen sketch of his cute widdle feet:



Huey: beloved pet, devoted friend, excellent art model.

Huey.

I'm completely at a loss as to how to adequately eulogize our phenomenal cat Huey who passed away today. Maybe in the next couple of days I'll post something, but in the meantime I'll steal the words of my husband (Huey's "cat dad") in posting this:

Obituary:

On Sunday, November 28th, and approximately 1:15 pm, Huey, our beloved cat, passed away as a result of chronic kidney failure. He was our sweet little boy, and we will miss him dearly. If there ever was an instance of innocence and tenderness incarnate, he was it. A creampuff of an angel. Good-bye, my sweet boy. Words will never express how much we love you, and how much we will miss you.
 

Huey Feissel

1997(?) - 2010

 

our sweet boy.

"Women Painting Women" Paintings...

The following two paintings of mine are in the "Women Painting Women" exhibition - on exhibit until the end of this month - at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC; both paintings have sold, yay!

fenêtre, 2010, oil on canvas, 16"x20"

penitence, 2010, oil on linen, 11"x14"
(both paintings by me, Diane Feissel)

Art all over the place.

Hey! Just wanted to let you know that a couple of my landscape paintings will be out there in the world tonight, trying to raise some funds for two great arts organizations!! I have a painting in the silent auction at the 9th Annual Collector's Gala, a benefit for Artspace in Raleigh, NC:

backroads twilight - NC, 2009, oil on linen, 8” x 10”

by me, Diane Feissel 

I also have two plein air paintings from rural France in the 9th Annual Legacy Show and Art Sale to benefit the programs of the Philadelphia Sketch Club:

path 1 (Argenton-Château, France), 2007, oil on panel, 7"x5"

by me, Diane Feissel

path 1 (Argenton-Château, France), 2007, oil on panel, 7"x5"
by me, Diane Feissel

If you're in Philadelphia or Raleigh, get on out there and support two wonderful arts organizations that provide great support for us artists!!

Women Painting Women/On Expedition in Charleston, SC!

The South Carolina WPW trip - part deux!

The WPW crew being HARDCORE! Painting at 9am the morning of the opening reception for the show

So even in the midst of the excitement surrounding the "Women Painting Women" show at Robert Lange Studios, 12 of us painters decided we were going to take a week and paint like crazy. Paint paint paint! It was a blast - we went in on a rental house on Sullivan's Island, just across the way from Charleston, SC, and planned a week of plein air painting and painting from the model at a variety of locations, including Magnolia Cemetery, Magnolia Plantation, the marshes at Shem Creek, various marshes around Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms, downtown Charleston, and the home of the lovely and amazing Charleston painter and WPW show participant Shannon Runquist. Phew - that's a lot of painting!

The whole group painting from the model

Rachel Constantine and Katherine Stone painting at Magnolia Plantation

Sadie Valeri's painting and setup in downtown Charleston, in Philadelphia Alley

Sadie Valeri and her painting at Magnolia Cemetery

Alia El-Bermani and her painting at Magnolia Cemetery

A whole group of us painting at the home of Charleston artist Shannon Runquist

Catherine Prescott painting in Magnolia Cemetery

Painting at the house on Sullivan's Island

Cindy Procious' sweet painting setup on the beach at Sullivan's Island

Beach painting - Sullivan's Island

Stefani Tewes and her painting

Linda even found volunteer models amongst the others in the house...

Linda Brandon drawing Alia El-Bermani

Linda's sketch of me - done in about 45 minutes!!

As the week progressed, the number of paintings stacked up, and we overflowed the original designated drying area for paintings... art everywhere!! So fun and interesting to see everyone's work as we tackled the landscape and figure in different locations and different times of day...

paintings...

more paintings...

 yet more paintings...

whoa yes, more paintings... 

So! Many! Paintings!



In addition to all the painting we had planned for ourselves, a group of us also signed on for the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association's (CFADA) Painting in the Park event at Washington Park in downtown Charleston at 9am that first very chilly Saturday morning!! We bundled ourselves up and painted our fingers off (nearly literally - it was cold!) and made paintings to be auctioned off that evening to benefit Charleston public school system high school art programs.

 Me and my painting of St. Michael's Episcopal church's steeple at the "four corners of law" in downtown Charleston

My painting, all framed up and ready for the auction...

Mia Bergeron painting artist Stanka Kordic in Washington Park

Linda Tracey Brandon painting artist Stanka Kordic in Washington Park

But lest you think, dear reader, that this whole week was all work and no play, please know that there was MUCH fun to be had at the WPW house... and much great food to be eaten!! Between group dinners at the house, side trips to art shows and generous hosting (including a magnificent oyster roast) at the hands of Shannon Runquist, the WPW crew were well-fed both nutritionally and spiritually by great food, conversation and art (though possibly not well-rested - it was a very busy and exciting week!)

 Oyster roast!!! Thanks to Shannon Runquist for her incredible hospitality!!!

Linda Tracey Brandon, Alexandra Tyng and Terry Strickland at the home of Shannon Runquist

Alia El-Bermani shucking oysters at Shannon Runquist's

Rachel Constantine making an amazing brownie cake for Cindy Procious' birthday



We were also fortunate to be in a great town with tons of great art - so we eagerly took advantage of opportunities to check out other shows in town, including the amazing Mary Whyte watercolors at Coleman Fine Art:

Artist Mario Robinson with his work at Ann Long Fine Art

Mia Bergeron admiring work by Robert Liberace at M Gallery



A ton of talent here: l-r, artists Stanka Kordic, Mario Robinson, Mark Kelvin Horton and Shannon Runquist at Horton Hayes Fine Art

What an amazing week - one of the best I've experienced in a long time! Great company, great talent, completely inspiring and amazing group of people. I want to go back!

 Alexandra Tyng and Catherine Prescott

Alex Tyng, Terry Strickland, Mia Bergeron, Alia El-Bermani, Cindy Procious, Linda Brandon

Kate Stone and Alia El-Bermani

Linda Brandon and Mia Bergeron

I love these guys!

  

What an amazing trip!! Sigh.

P.S. You can read my fellow WPW on expedition participants' blog entries as well - they've been gathered at the following link:

http://womenpaintingwomen.blogspot.com/p/on-expedition.html