Elizabeth

Elizabeth
oil on canvas
36" x 36"
4" gold frame

Elizabeth
detail

Well, I'm heading out the door right now, but I'll be back to update you on this post. Quickly, this is a painting that I'm hoping will be on a wine label ... a 'French' wine label ...

That's it for now ... but more later ....

Cheers !

Ok ... tonight in Bethlehem, PA - October 1st - we celebrate First Friday. Although at the Banana Factory the times are posted as 6:00pm until 9:00pm, the festivities last much later up and down 3rd Street. I'll be featuring my painting 'Enchantement' (French spelling) ... so if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and visit ! We can share a glass ... or two.

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL • September 11th and 12th, 2010

My booth at the HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL in Rhinebeck, NY

The Gaslight Inn where I have wonderful accommodations each year

The pretty porch and door to my room

How sweet is this room !!

This is the view out of my back window at the Gaslight Hotel
(looking through the screen)

Dining at the wonderful 'Max's Memphis Barbecue

Max's Memphis Barbecue

The dragon hanging from the bar ceiling - Max's Memphis Barbecue

Bonnie and Dave made the trek to the wine festival !

So, once again I was the artist for the Hudson Valley Wine and Food Festival ! So much fun ... and the organizers are great to work for - kind and thoughtful ! Thousands and thousands of wine and food lovers attend and it's a great time had by all.

My friends Bonnie and Dave also made the trek to the wine festival. They even stayed at the very sweet Gaslight Inn. Lorraine runs the Inn and is a wonderful host - full of spunk and funny stories ...

So, if you're looking to stay in the Red Hook or Rhinebeck area of the Hudson River Valley ... I suggest staying at the Gaslight Inn ... it's old fashioned charm ... right down to the lace curtains and cozy quilts on the bed. Tell Lorraine 'Ann sent me' ...

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL September 11th and 12th, 2010

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
2010 poster

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
2009 poster

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
2008 poster

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
2007 poster

So, if you're looking for something incredible to do while wiling away the hours this weekend, why not take the scenic drive up to the Hudson Valley ... home of Apple Orchards and Rip Van Winkle. There are winding country roads and farmside stands ... so picturesque and lovely.

And, this weekend is the 9th Annual for the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival and it gets better and better each year.

You can find me signing my cocktail posters and the festival posters -- I'll be next to the merchandising booth where all the pretty girls are !

I hope to see YOU there -- cheers !!

HUDSON VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
September 11th and 12th, 2010

http://hudsonvalleywinefest.com

The Art of the Steal - The Masterpieces of the Barnes Foundation

My incredible day at the Barnes Foundation

Because of traffic and construction, it took me over two hours to arrive in Merion, PA. It absolutely was worth it. The Barnes Foundation is a truly spiritual experience. The grounds are majestic and beautiful ... and although I have visited the Barnes Foundation several years ago, I knew it was time to return. Especially since we will not have the possibly to experience this for much longer ... for as you may know, the world famous Barnes Collection is scheduled to be moved in less than one year.

Please watch the incredible documentary - 'The Art of the Steal'. My eyes teared up at the tragedy of this. An art lover. A collector. A visionary. And the complete disregard of the final will and testament.

With this in mind, I wanted to experience the vision of Dr. Barnes. Dr. Barnes used his wealth to build what is widely considered to be the greatest collection of post-impressionist art ever assembled. It includes hundreds of works by masters like Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh . . . and on and on. The collection has been valued at 25 to 30 billion dollars, at least.

The beautiful entrance way

Entering the main doorway

The Tea House and fish pond

The gardens

The Greenhouse

The opposition for the Collection to move

Acknowledgment

When I visited the Matisse Museum in Nice in 2008, it made me proud to see the drawings for 'The Dance' in preparation for the Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA (my home state). Henri Matisse said "The Barnes Foundation is the only sane place to see art in America".

With this said, you may consider reserving your tickets as soon as possible ... because chances are that you will never be able to enjoy this wonderful experience again after June, 2011. Yes, I'm sure that Philadelphia will do an incredible job building a first class museum ...

but the paintings won't be ... 'home' ...

The Barnes Art Collection Controversy, Part I

On an observatory note ... after touring and seeing and listening to the audio for the collection, and then revisiting the paintings several times thereafter ... my final visit before walking the beautiful grounds was to the gift shop - six hours after my arrival. I was paging through books and overheard the two loud women next to me ... one laughing to the other saying "we toured the museum for five minutes and now we've spent over an hour in the gift shop" ... doesn't that say a lot ...


Response from the "Barnes Foundation" ...