Arts in the Park 2011

I'm back in Boston after showing my work at the 16th annual "Arts in the Park" festival on June 5th.

(Remember you can click on the pic for a larger view. For my full painting inventory and prices, click "feed the starving artist" tab on the top menu bar)

Entrance to Festival

Despite earlier predictions of hot sunny weather, we were a little worried that the festival might be postponed due to rain. However the overcast skies kept the weather cool and comfortable, and by later in the afternoon the sun began to peek out.

High School Park, in Elkins Park PA (just outside the Philly city limits) was created on the site of the town's original high school campus. The big old building was imploded decades ago, leaving a hilltop meadow surrounded by beautiful mature trees. Eventually the site became a municipal park, and began hosting an annual arts and crafts festival in 1995.

Step Right Up

This was the first time I transported my new booth assembly.  Everything went smoothly, and I just finished my set-up by the official opening time of the event. Next time it will go much faster! I look a bit like a carnival barker here, but that's actually a screwdriver in my hand, not a pointer.

Always wish I had taken more photos, but the day went by quickly as the festival got crowded. It was great to see old friends and neighbors from Philadelphia and meet new people interested in paintings! It was a successful sales day too, so overall a wonderful trip.

What really pleased me most was selling two pieces from my urban settings series. This is the subject matter I find most rewarding, so I was glad that people seeing my work for the first time found it interesting too. Rather than painting pretty scenes, I prefer finding structure, beauty and drama in gritty everyday settings. Great to hear comments from people who got the concept and liked it!

"Sunset Strip Mall USA", urban settings series

"Race St. Taxi at the Ben Franklin"
Urban Settings Series

Now that I'm established in Boston, I will be exploring some local artist markets and other festival and shows in the New England area. Stay tuned for news!

More Frame Features
It was fun to indulge my old carpentry skills in making frames for several pieces before the festival. I know some collectors who like to hang paintings without frames, saying that a painting should speak for itself and stand on it's own. To me, this works if there are many painting together on a large wall, or if the wall space around the piece is very tight. However, I like the way a frame creates a portal into the world of the painting, besides just setting it off and giving more weight and presence to the work. I've created a couple unique "floater" designs that allow the painted edges of the canvas to show within the frame rim. Below are some pieces in frames, next to views of the canvas only

"Three Lanes to Jersey"
Reverse angle Faux Red Mahogany Floater, about 22 x 18

"Manayunk Hill, Night"
Salmon Stained Maple Box Floater, about 20 x 14

"Path through Trees and Bramble"
Another reverse angle faux mahogany, about 24 x 18

Nostalgic for Winter?

Lastly, my friend Jeff bought one of my favorite paintings from last winter in the depths of the season's snow and ice. The scene is a few streets from my house in Somerville, looking towards Cambridge, where Jeff lives. Below is the canvas, then a photo of the painting in its new home.

"Melting Snow, Sunset, Cambridge"

Next Stop Philly

Bruce Starr

Weather reports look fantastic for the Arts in the Park Festival this weekend. Looking forward to seeing old friends in Philadephia and taking part in this 16th annual event that has become a mainstay in the Elkins Park community. Here's a link if you want more information: Arts in the Park


Also you can Link to my inventory  with price list. (last chance to purchase online before things go to the festival!)


This week is all about final preparations as I take my show on the road! I put my brush down last week after completing a couple more paintings:


Spring comes late to New England, but it comes with a passion. Here is a painting of a rambling old beach house in Provincetown with large twin crabapple trees in the front yard that just exploded into blossom.

Green House, Bursting Apple Blossoms, Ptown
24" x 12" (click to enlarge)

On this bright sunny day, the sun created deep contrasts of light and shadow, most vivid on the bleached green shingles and fragile blossoms. In the deepest corner of blue-purple shade, two green adirondack chairs peep out at the world.

Tidal Marsh, Plum Island
12" x 9"

The next piece is small in size but big in scope. The scene is on Plum Island, a coastal community north of Boston, photographed in fall when the reeds turn a rich golden ochre. The tidal marshes creates a maze of snaking channels at the mouth of Parker River as it empties into Plum Island Sound.

This beautiful area is all protected seashore now, and a haven for swallows and seabirds. Looking towards the mainland was an weathered fence and fisherman's hoist at an old channel put-in. The marsh grass waves and ripples towards the wide horizon as a parade of clouds passes above.

Tower and Power
16" x 16"

Ok, back to some pieces with a little more of the urban flavor I like. This is a quirky painting that I wasn't sure I would take to the festival. Its a view looking upwards from the Schuylkill Canal Path in Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood. The buildings date from a period when the riverfront and canal were lined with small factories, and smaller homes for the workers rose on the adjacent hills. The network of power lines and utilitarian structures creates a geometric grid and and unusual skyward perspective. The scene is certainly industrial, but the scale and age of the infrastructure create an oddly human sensibility, and a sense that unstoppable time has moved beyond this place, though it still struggles along through the wake of years.

Clipped Willow, Medford MA
18" x 12"

Here is a somewhat similar theme in a more residential setting. What originally caught my eye was  the queer but oddly compelling color combination of the house and willow branches, under a moody grey-yellow overcast sky. The street was once one of some pretension, now mostly down at heel. But the willow still stands with outsized dignity, though clipped to allow the passage of traffic, and growing a little more more decrepit with the passing decades.


FRAME UP!
I will have some artist-made frames available at Arts in the Park. The right frame creates a portal into the world of the painting, adding depth, richness, and a sense of transition. My compositions usually fill the picture plane completely, and have wrapped and painted edges, so "floater" frames are usually the best choice. I will offer two main types:

This is a simple box floater in hardwood Maple with a light flesh stain. The inside return rail is Van Dyke brown. The clean lines keep the emphasis on the painting while bringing it forward from the wall and adding focus.

This frame has the same theatrical roots and the casein paint media I work with. It is a reverse angle floater in a robust red-mahogany finish, created using a scenic  faux-finish overglazing technique. The boldness of the color compliments darker, richer hues used in many of my recent pieces. The reverse angle gives it an unusual, but still traditional look that I like very much.


If neither of these match your style, you can get amazing custom frame profiles and expert advice from Cindy Blackwood at:  

The Frame House  

(click above to link)

Frame House Logo

This great store is just a block away from the Arts in the Park Festival venue. 


Back to work! Still lots to do before the festival!  Hope to see everyone there!