Plein Air Painter - Munson Williams Proctor Art Festival

American Contemporary plein air painter.

I was in town for the weekend and got the unusual chance to catch the Sidewalk Art Show and Student Art Show.
The Sidewalk Art Show was unremarkable with uncreative pieces, crafty looking pieces and poorly framed pieces. I inquired and was told that the show was still juried ?

The Museum itself has undergone a transformation with intimate coves for special collections, like the Thomas Cole "Voyage of Life" series. I spent many hours as a child fascinated with this series.I started Art School here at 10.



In the main floor galleries, the Student Show was displayed. Seems they were still teaching the same, in some cases using the same furniture, only the names had changed. The Student Show was still more interesting than the juried show
outside.
I noted two paintings one by Marcial Romano reminiscent of Alice Neel


And another sculptural piece by Patrick Branigan
I overheard two guys who had stopped in front of a Pollock - one saying to the other -wow, I guess they have some original pieces here.

The little gems are still intact inside the Museum
The Arts Festival takes place annually in July.

Plein Air - and painting from life

For the past 4 years, I have painted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day en plein air.
This year, though this painting was done from life, I was warm inside a second floor room overlooking this pond scene, that was visible in the early morning and quickly became covered with snow. The scene is Higby Hill which runs from Genesse St in Utica to Frankfort, New York
It's called "Home for Christmas"
24x24x1.5 Acrylic on Canvas

Sorry, painting not available
See website for other available paintings

The Truth About Starving Artists Sales - Niagara Falls Artist

The truth about those starving artists sales...

It's always been a sad joke amongst the art community when your local 'highway motel' hosts a 'starving artist' sale.

I set out to write an article but, first went online to see what was available for documentation.

What I found was this wonderful article that said it all...

http://www.drloriv.com/lectures/starvingartists.asp#world



well, almost all...

Being that these "original" art sales 'with nothing held back' occured frequently in my hometown in Utica in New York State, a fellow artist and I were head out for some plein air painting one morning and ran across one. WELLLLLL... we couldn't resist-

We walked in, looking around rather quickly, like we would be making a fast exit, which got the immediate attention of a fast talking salesman.

'Do you see something you like?' he asked. We replied yes but, how much would the painting be without the frame ?

They were selling 8x10 'paintings' framed for $10.00 !

He explained that he would have to charge us $7.00 for the painting, so we might as well just take the frame for the extra $3.00..

We replied "oh, we don't want the painting, we want the frame". And the look on his face had us cracking up all the way to the car !

www.jrbaldini.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

About the Artist. . .

As a child Jacqueline, spent lunch hours in Munson Williams Proctor Institute Museum, when other children were on the playground. She was more at home in a solitary world that included books and art, and most fascinated by Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 - February 11, 1848) was a nineteenth century American artist; is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century and was concerned with the realistic and detailed portrayal of nature.) Series of paintings called the "Voyage of Life" and spent countless hours immersed in the atmosphere that these tremendously large paintings created.Childhood - Youth - Manhood - Old. Age At the age of 10, her parents sent her to Munson Williams Proctor School of Art where she spend evenings and Saturday mornings emersed in the artists world that held such fascination for her.

Artist Statement

Plein-Air Painting is a metaphysical skill capable of creating an image that lets the viewer 'Be there in the moment' when viewing the painting. J. R. Baldini

If I had to name one of the most influential elements in my artistic life, I would have to write a description of the magical state of consciousness one experiences on Monhegan Island.I have not, to this point in my life, experienced Monhegan personally in words. I believe painting or visual art is suffocated by verbal description.

Years ago when I met the great Hollywood and Broadway actor and artist Zero Mostel on the island, I invited him to a painting critique. He asked what we did at these critiques (which, I might add, had accumulated quite a following). With a feined look of horror on his face he boomed,"my dear, art is to be appreciated not criticized!"

You have certainly heard someone comment-I don't know much about art...But, that is not true. Words aren't necessary to express appreciation for visual art, your spirit tells you when you are moved by a creation.

Enjoy your visit here and may you leave with a work of art in heart.
Click here to listen to an interview with Jacqueline about Plein Air Painting
http://www.jrbaldini.com/