A Busy Exhibit Season Coming Up..

With the lazy dog days of summer come plenty of art shows and exhibits for you to slowly meander.  At the new home of the T.W.Wood Gallery at 46 Barre Street in Montpelier the Art Resource Association will be holding a 40 artist show that includes painting, photography and sculpture.
The reception for this show is July 30, from 5-7pm.  If you can't make it to the reception, the show continues into September and is part of the First Friday Art Walk in Montpelier on September 4.
I've decided to include my " Winter Meditation" in the show as I don't think it has had enough of an audience and is one of my favorite pieces.

Winter Meditation

Directly following this, on August 1 and 2  from 10-5 each day, is my art group's second annual On the Way Art exhibit and sale in Moretown, Vermont.  This show is part of the Vermont Festival of the Arts which celebrates music, arts and dance from August 1 until Labor Day Week-end.

Whimsical, traditional, intelligent, ethereal—the exhibit and sale brings together art created from the unique perspective of four Vermont artists. Cards, matted art, framed photography, photo books, and more will be on exhibit.  

Artists: Michelle Saffran, Jackie Smith, Holly King, Patricia Lyon-Surrey.

As part of the Vermont Festival of the Arts, the Round Barn in Waitsfield has it's annual Photo Show from August 3 until September 7. The reception is on Tuesday, August 4, 5:30-7:30 with great food and a presentation by a local artist.



I am planning on exhibiting two of my scannography photos at the Round Barn.  Here is one.  As of this date, I have not decided on the second.

Sensual Spring

Eileen's pairing for the show---any other suggestions?

Then I am off to my own lazy dog days for two weeks in August with a trip to Anacortes, Washington and a drive along the coast to San Francisco.  Some of the art highlights of the trip are a visit to Anthony Howe's sculptures on Orcas Island and a stop at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin, California.

A Teaser!

My art group of 4 is preparing to exhibit our 4x4x4x4 results from April.  We each took a photo from our life at 4:00 everyday this past April (month 4) and we will be printing them 4x4 for the exhibit. We are hoping to place each artist's photos above each other so that the viewer can see 4 pictures of each day. Stay tuned for an update on where the exhibit will take place.
Here are a few of my teaser photos to encourage you to come to the exhibit.

April 13

April 6

April 14

April 3

April 26

April 21

Scannography--Spring Flowers

I love the way a hi-resolution scanner can create photographs that resemble film in their color depth and contrast.  This was a long winter in Vermont and as soon as the spring flowers appeared I started producing images of these fleeting wonders.  I never realized how many of the early spring blooms are yellow and white until I started this body of work. The variety here is done through arrangement rather than color.  I did buy a purple pansy to add to the collection.
I also used pussy willows in a number of the arrangements because of the lovely texture of the branches.
I applied for a Vermont Center on the Arts Creation Grant to continue this work and produce a body of images for exhibit using both scannography and silhouette art.

These two are my favorite images--both simple and sensuous:

An Unexpected Almost Black and White Bonus

The animals are hungry at this time of the year in Vermont.  I still have 25+ inches of snow outside my door and today the temperature with wind chill is -25.
We have had squirrels, turkeys, deer, and now a barred owl at the bird feeders. This owl sat on the bird feeder for a long while even though attacked by smaller birds. His feathers kept fluttering in the wind and the head turning was amazing to watch up close.  A bonus picture for my "Almost Black and White" series!

ALMOST BLACK & WHITE

In February and March, when the world is still very much black and white in Vermont, I start to look for color.  Almost Black and White is the theme for this collection of photographs, most of which are based in the literal world outside at Lake Elmore, Vermont.  

All capture a tinge of color in a predominately black and white landscape.  From an ice shanty on a frozen lake to a cemetery with one green shed to a reflection in glass, I am always surprised at what you can see when you have a concept in mind.

Roger in Blue

Cemetery Green Shed

Driveway Bird

Green Window Reflection

Lake Elmore Ice Shanty

Backyard Trees

Montpelier Capitol Building

Blue Sky Mountain

Sumac in Abstract

Even though I am still participating in winter activities, I go to art shows to banish any hint of cabin fever.  I also bring spring flowers inside—they offer hope for the end of winter. Almost Black & White includes color images of plants and flowers that I converted to black and white photographs.  Uncovering some of the color allowed a unique perspective and a new portrayal of the image.

Patterns

Peace Lily

Almost Spring

A Photoshop technique—using the brush tool to paint in a color that does not live in the photograph--is something I am interested in using in future art.  My desire is to add color to an image, yet keep the original feel of the work. I think I succeeded with the purple mountain landscape in this collection.

I hope these images entice you to look for color and solace in their world even if the actuality is sparse.

The Author and the Photographer

Patricia Lyon-Surrey (photographer)

  Ron Thompson (author)

Last Sunday, the book On Cue, Managing Anxiety, Inviting Excellence was launched with a party at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier, Vermont. About 40 people attended. Ron talked about the book and played the trumpet--a real treat for the audience.  I was happy to see my large, framed photo, Autumn in Black and White on display along with the books.  

On Cue covers the management of anxiety, the importance of skill mastery, and the cultivation of loving attitudes toward's oneself and one's performance.  I contributed the black and photos that illustrate the stories in the book.  On Cue is available from Ron's website.

A Very Personal Account

I'm taking another photo class and this assignment was to record your identity through three images: reality, representation and fantasy.  This is my identity--at least right now!

The reality is that I love doing many things and love being in the outdoors.  I felt a little foolish taking this photo with 3 feet of snow and temperatures hovering in the single numbers in Vermont.

Since I have a Slavic heritage and a Catholic background, I focused on these in my representational image.  If you have read my blog on Scannography, you know how much I am enamored with the images that result from the process.  I therefore, did a scannography of family things: my grandmother Buchta's babushka, my dad's St. Christopher medal, a St. Anthony medal and relic that my dad had given me when I traveled alone to New Zealand.  (St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost things).  I added a Russian nesting doll and a nodding babushka doll that I bought when I traveled in Slovakia.

 

My fantasy image is very personal and a lot more revealing of my life.  In it I am able to visit the past.

I can be with my husband Bob again and feel what it was like to have a family together.  I can pet my former grand-dogs who have both recently died.  I can hug my dad and my Grandmother Buchta once more. I can experience my three sons as children.  I can once again see my mother's spunk.

The past is in black and white while I am in color.