Sarah Waldron Fine Art

Rest and Thought

2011-09-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

These are my latest paintings measuring 18"x18" on panel which will go to California for a show that I can not attend.

I haven't done much since the Art by the Sea Show on Labor Day week-end. Partly personal, partly the flu, a lot of paperwork and partly just tired form so much production. Also, I am just mulling around what to do next, preparing panels and experimenting. I have some new ideas with some new ideas of working on Plexi. The kind of things I have in mind are exploring black and white more and the idea of layers and mounting plexi on the wall with strong magnets. I want the black and white water images to hover off the wall or float. I don't know how any times I have been to Lowe's to find just the right nail to work with the super strong magnets. I am reluctant to do too many pieces until I know they will hold to the wall in the way I want them too. I have worked out the surface that I want on the plexi and I am working small 10"x 10" to start. Stay tuned.

My studio has been cleaned up as much as I can although I can't quite get it to the visual simplicity of what I had in the L'Abbaye studio and I keep backing into the wall or a chair. I guess it will just take time to readjust to less space.

Rochefort-en-Terre

2011-08-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Rochefort-en-Terre, in Morbihan is the original location of The Alfred Klots Residency I participated in. This was one of our last stops on the trip through Brittany. I wanted to see the original location and the Chateau where resident artists worked. The town itself is beautiful and is another "Cite de Caractere" in Brittany.

Some history of the Residency in Rochfort-en-Terre:

The "Friends of Rochefort" was established in 1998 to support the program as its focus and reputation expanded. Through the generosity of the Friends and of Isabel Klots, MICA has established an endowment fund for the Residency Program. Through 2010, the Residency Program was housed on the grounds of the Château that Alfred Klots created in the early 20th century from medieval structures remaining on the site of an ancient castle destroyed during the French Revolution. Now, because the Château requires extensive renovation and is no longer habitable, MICA has moved the Residency Program to Léhon, another extraordinary medieval village in Brittany.

In 1989, Isabel Klots founded the Artist Residency Program in Rochefort-en-Terre in memory of her father-in-law, Alfred Klots, and her husband, Trafford Klots, both artists, and of their hospitality to other artists. In 1995, Maryland Institute College of Art began to administer the program.

The Chateau (middle image left)

French Fog Series

2011-08-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some small paintings (5"x5" and 6.5"x6.5") from my current "French Fog Series" that I will be showing at Art by the Sea - Labor Day week-end September 3, 4 and 5. I will be at the Spindrift Gallery in attendance. I love painting the fog. It puts me in a relaxed state.

On with it.

2011-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

My temporary panic was just that. Temporary. I am not sure why I thought I could just bound into working and never skip a beat. I seem to be back in the flow and I am definitely seeing some differences in my work. The colors are more subtle and the brush stokes combine hard edge and some soft which is all new for me. When I left for the residency my paint was crisp and thick. Now I am reaching for a broader approach. One thing that is interesting is how much quicker the paint dries here. I have to take more care in covering my palette overnight. In Brittany the moist air made it so I could walk into the studio and begin painting. In this part of Oregon the dry air makes the paint tough in a matter of hours and I have to scrape down my palette each morning a begin a new. The lusciousness of the paint is what really memorizes me so fresh paint with out stiffness is imperative. Next blog entry I will post some new images that I will be taking to California for my shows.The show will be Art by the Sea.

La Salle Visit

2011-08-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of the residency Carl and I headed south to Morbihan. We had reservations at the B&B Kerkilec - Gite et Chambres d'hotes in the hamlet of La Salle the spot featured in the book by Marjorie Price (see my previous entry "A Gift from Brittany" 6/16/11). Of course when we drove up I was eager to see what the place would look like and whether it would look like my vision in the book. Pretty close and the owner Guy Eckstein was charming. Our 3 day stay was the perfect.

Back in the Studio

2011-08-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have begun to work on work for the 2 California shows coming up. I have not the usual few months to prepare and so I need to step off the plane and produce enough work to have enough work for both showings. You would think after a long stretch of work time in Brittany I would be "on a roll" as one might say. Not so. My studio does not feel familiar, the paint feels strange, my paintings seem forced and I can't seem to get a flow. So far I haven't produced a single one I would show. Maybe this is typical after having such a rich experience. I just don't know. At least I have my dog Mica back by my side in the studio. So I try to be patient and see what develops.

What I miss about Brittany?

2011-08-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

Everything.

Thank you is in order

2011-08-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed by the date that I am home in Oregon by now. The last week or so of the residency was so busy that I got very behind on the blog. I plan to catch up at this point now that I am home so stay with me. I have some more Place it Project pieces and a lot more experiences after the exhibition. Then I want to write about how the whole experience is effecting my work now that I have returned to my studio.

A huge thanks is in order here for my wonderful husband Carl Schwab.

Not only has he been my biggest supporter through this wonderful experience allowing me and providing me with uninterrupted work time but he also was helpful to everyone else in the residency. Expert map reader, guide, pathfinder, cook, pastry fetcher, shopper and expert chauffeur. The list goes on. Carl how can I ever thank you!

2011-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Carl and I took a side trip in the car to see a castle. On the way we stopped in a beautiful little town called Val d’ Arguenon in LA CÔTE D'EMERAUDE. Absolutely no one around in the town almost as if it was abandoned. Of course this is not unusual in the small bucolic villages. We went into the church and looked around the graveyard and I saw this great little creperie that seemed like a good place to leave another of Adelle Platt’s encaustics. I thought for sure no one would find it until lunchtime. We walked around the block and it was gone. I am thinking that the owner of the creperie saw me put it on the fence and take a picture and then went out and got it. This is fun.

Ceci a été rendu par un artiste Américain. Si vous l'avez trouvé - c'est la vôtre. Faites-nous savoir vous l'avez trouvé en laissant un commentaire au http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

This was made by an American artist. If you found it - it's yours. Let us know you found it by leaving a comment http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

Place it Poject - my last trip to Dinan

2011-08-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

There was the most amazing chateaux on the stairs into Dinan. On our last walk into Dinan I felt like this was the place for Jan Fogel's art. I know nothing about the place only that it is beautiful. Someone will find this art on the gate because when you walk by it you have to go up to the gate and look through. Voila! What is this sitting on the gate here?

Ceci a été rendu par un artiste Américain. Si vous l'avez trouvé - c'est la vôtre. Faites-nous savoir vous l'avez trouvé en laissant un commentaire au http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

This was made by an American artist. If you found it - it's yours. Let us know you found it by leaving a comment http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

The Exhibition

2011-07-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

All the work we have done so far went up for exhibition on Thursday. It has been a very busy week. We hung the show all day with late nights to get as much work as we could finish and ready to hang. We all agreed that there would be plenty of room in the space for all of us but when the hanging got under way we were surprised that the space filled up and it was actually a bit tight.

The exhibit space is actually the old dormitory for the monks with each window facing Jerusalem. A very strange feeling to be

working for 24 days straight and then just stopping suddenly. I am having withdrawals but today I worked for several hours on a tonal black and white piece and I feel a little more normal. It is unavoidable to feel the residency drawing to a close. It saddens me.

The show is amazingly diverse. It is fabulous to see how very different we are from each other and it is clear to me that I have been influenced by everyone in totally different ways and in ways I would never have expected. We had 104 works ranging from installation, collage, painting, drawing and mixed media. I can’t include all the work but here are my few pieces that I think represent the artists.

Sarah Waldron (thats me)

Breton Cows

2011-07-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

The cows here are really healthy and big. I think I may have mentioned that already. Carl and I took a walk and he went up to one so I could take the cows picture. They are pretty friendly too.

Dogs of Brittany

2011-07-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

All of you who know me know that I am crazy about dogs. Being away from my own dog for 6 weeks is pretty hard. Every dog I see here I am drawn too and Breton people love their dogs. They are every where and seem to be just another form of human. It is not unusual to see them heading up the street of a tiny town without an owner looking as if they are on a mission. Time to get home for supper after a day of hanging out down in town. The majority of the dogs are mixes so that appeals to me since I am pro-shelter dog. They come in all sizes and some pretty weird mixes. However there are a fair amount of Bernese Mountain Dogs and of course Brittany Spaniels. When you see a pure bred lab it is usually a Brit who is close behind. And yes they are allowed in restaurants, markets, stores. They seem a little righteous about it.

St. Malo side Trip

2011-07-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to St. Malo for the afternoon. Jo, Sarah, David. Carl and I squeezed into the Peugeot. St. Malo is a walled city. When we got inside the walls it began to rain so we went from doorstep to door step to avoid getting soaked finally ducking into a restaurant for lunch/dinner. I have to say I think we are all getting a little tired of galettes (the buckwheat flour pancakes) which seem to be the only choice in a lot of restaurants which are tourist oriented. The rain subsided and the rest of the afternoon was pleasantly warm. David went for a swim and the rest of us went for ice cream.

St. Malo was originally in the Middle Ages a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance, controlling not only the estuary but now inseparably attached to the mainland, St-Malo is the most visited place in Brittany. From outside the walls, the dignified ensemble of the old city seems stern and forbidding, and passing through into the streets within the walls brings you into a busy, lively and very full of character packed with hotels, restaurants, bars and shops. The crowds were a bit oppressive but we climbed up atop the ramparts and it was quiet and the views of the sea and city below were fantastic. Clean beaches below the ramparts.

The Heat is on

2011-07-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

We have less than 2 weeks left in the residency and 4 days until the exhibition at the L’abbaye. We are feeling some pressure. For me I would like to finish the 20 panels and a series of Mylar paintings that I have started. We have been told that 200 to 300 people go through the show and attend the opening exhibition. It is a way of saying thank you to the town that has hosted and supported us. I have had several conversations (in my clumsy French) with local homeowners who are eager to see what we have done. I really do feel like we have become a part of the community for this short time. The experience feels way too short. I also feel the squeeze to fit in as much travel and exploration into the remaining 19 days in Brittany. So you may not see much in the way of entries for the next 4 days at least.

I have been picking up influence from the other residents. You can’t help it. I have added a soft touch to my painting style from Sara’s technique and I think I am on to something. The last two paintings are my favorite. I combined a soft blurry paint application with sharp crisp brush stokes for the reflections.

From Matt I have gathered ideas of working on some large distressed surfaces when I get home. Paint on large sheets of plexi-glass that have been damaged and scratched. From Jessica, her bold dark colors and division of space influence me. David’s rolling connection from one phase of creativity to another and gathering influence from experience makes me assess my own process and add a few elements to it to make it more potent. I have been so lucky to have worked along side this caliber of talent.

This residency structure has improved my work habits and instilled a feverish like enthusiasm in my outlook on painting. At home I would find diversions and tasks to do before I got around to painting – here I am rushing to the studio and can not get to the painting fast enough. My process and steps toward doing a painting had become laborious and boring before. I now have a much more direct process that is truly enjoyable and much full of energy. I’ve done away with my grid system and chalking in the drawing before I paint. Now I work directly into the paint skipping those phases all together.

Place it Project

2011-07-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I placed this great encaustic by artist Adelle Platt at the most beautiful gate on Ille de Brehat on July 8th. I think it was there 30 seconds.

If you found this art please leave a comment in French or English. Thank you!

Si vous avez trouvé cet art s'il vous plaît laissez-nous un commentaire en français ou anglais. Merci!

Place it Project

2011-07-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Artist Jackie Gardener gave me a bunch of art so you will be seeing her all over Brittany. The first peice here was placed on July 8th on Ille de Brehat. She and her husband Tom have a fondness for sail boats so I thought this would be a good spot. Probably a British vacation house.

The second piece was placed at Les Onze Ecluses (11 locks) along Canal d’ille et Rance on July 1oth.

If you found this art please leave a comment in French or English. Thank you!

Si vous avez trouvé cet art s'il vous plaît laissez-nous un commentaire en français ou anglais. Merci!

Place it Project

2011-07-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

And another work of art by Betsy Lewis place on the 5th lock at Les Onze Ecluses (11 locks) along Canal d’ille et Rance. July 10 at 7:15pm.

If you found this art please leave a comment in French or English. Thank you!

Si vous avez trouvé cet art s'il vous plaît laissez-nous un commentaire en français ou anglais. Merci!

Place it Project

2011-07-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the most recent placed art. Again they disappeared "tres rapidement".

Rick Wheeler - a wonderful canyon river landscape on panel place on the high point on Ile de Brehat.

If you found this art please leave a comment in French or English. Thank you!

Si vous avez trouvé cet art s'il vous plaît laissez-nous un commentaire en français ou anglais. Merci!

Les Onze Ecluses

2011-07-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Les Onze Ecluses (11 locks) along Canal d’ille et Rance. The canal la Rance was designed by the napoleonic time, to link the atlantic ocean to the channel at St Malo. You can walk by the 11 locks along the tow path past pretty little lock houses. We speculated as to how the lock person knows when to come out and let the boat through. I guess if you get there and they are not open the boat wait until it is open. You couldn’t wait in a prettier place.

A day off........sort of

2011-07-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Our Italian friends from Rome, Sergio Bottero and Francesca Tecce were here for a short visit. We went to Ile de Brehat for the day. I slipped into the studio for a few hours of work in the morning while Carl went to pick them up at their b&b.

IIle de Brehat is a little hard to believe. We took a very short boat rid to the island with what look like vacationers who load lots of things by cart onto the boat. Since there are no cars on the island (bicycles and foot traffic only) the residents use carts to carry their loads. Brehat is a fishing village/ vacation community. Foot and bike paths snake all over the island through idealic small farms and stone cottages. There is a joyful attention to detail almost like residents are competing for the best garden and garden gate, window boxes and bright painted doors and windowpanes. The weather was perfect and we walked about 8 miles having to run for the last returning boat.gave them a quick tour of l'abbaye first and then we were off. Driving the back roads of Brittany reminds me of the Wizard of Oz in a way. Incredible endless beautiful farmland. Both Carl and I are surprised to see how much of France is agricultural. In Brittany it seems it is corn, wheat and the beautiful dairy cows.

2011-07-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

David Cunningham

The other morning David was making block prints with masking tape, cut outs, foam sheets and hot glue. I watched him a while since I don’t know much about printmaking. He talked me through the process. The result was just beautiful. I am inspired by his method of flowing from one medium to the next – whatever moves him at the moment. It is very good for me to be around an artist with his energy and intellect. I am learning a lot form talking with him and watching what he does.

Growth

2011-07-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Try as I might it gives me the willies to stand and paint with a crowd staring and taking snap shot of me. So I leave during the tour hours and do other things like take pictures, sketch, or prepare for other paintings. The new space is one end of the big vast exhibit space.

In general the work has been going well but it is definitely not my best work. I have decided that I am here to grow and to grow means to let go of the comfortable way of working. That being said I have found it wonderful to work with a huge bright brush (flat and square) and load it up with paint. I am also trying to shift my normal palette and work with some more limited colors. At this point I have finished 8 or 20 paintings but 2 of them are not worth saving so I will probably scrape them down at some point. I moved my studio a few days ago to a place with better light but need to work around tours that that go through the Abbey now that tourist season has begun.

Fecund

2011-07-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

This land and place is fecund. Big fruit, bright colored vegetables, big bumble bees, huge cows, incredible cheese, fabulous wines, and abundant seafood. Did I mention the pastries? The bread? It sort of fills you up to the brim with richness.

2011-07-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

I am taking the day off from painting today. So are all the other residents. I slipped out this morning while everyone else still slept and took the bike for a ride along La Rance. The temperature was ideal and there were quite a few runners out for a Sunday run. Later after breakfast Carl (my husband) and I walked into Dinan for an art exhibition and then took side streets back to the apartment. Yesterday the whole group went to the beach for a swim at St. Cast-le-Guildo. then to a Breton Oyster festival. American western line dancing was the feature entertainment early on at the festival which was a very strange contrast. Later there was traditional Breton dancing and David, Sara and Christopher and Jane (the residency directors joined in).

Third "Place it Project"

2011-07-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

This is a nice little architectural pen and ink and water color of London that was sent to me anonymously. I left it on Rue du Lehon in Dinan at 11:30 at night. It was also gone this morning.
.

Second "Place it Project" object.

2011-07-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is beautiful Sake cup made by ceramic artist Susan Hoerner. I did not do a very good job photographing it because as I was placing it this morning people started coming and I didn't want them to see what I was doing. It is so beautiful- who ever gets it is going to be lucky. Quite an appropriate spot for this artist who is also a chocolate lover.

Place it Project

2011-07-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

I collected bits of art work from artist friends of mine with the idea I could leave a piece of their art all over Brittany. Each piece will be placed in a spot that I think someone will find it easily. A child, an old woman, a traveler, a store owner? Each piece will have a tag that says……..

Ceci a été rendu par un artiste Américain. Si vous l'avez trouvé - c'est la vôtre. Faites-nous savoir vous l'avez trouvé en laissant un commentaire au http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

This was made by an American artist. If you found it - it's yours. Let us know you found it by leaving a comment http://sarahwaldron.blogspot.com/

Sounds so much better in French doesn’t it?

So here is the first object I have placed so far. It has been picked up because I checked today. Maynard Lyndon - cube: placed on Rue du Beaumanoir, Dinan on a fabulous rusty turquoise chain in front of a beautiful Breton house.

This is where we are all living

2011-07-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

So comfortable. Val Rive.

The other resident artists

2011-06-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

The four other residents besides me are:

It is a very diverse mix of artists. So far we are still feeling our way around to find our flow.

It has begun!

2011-06-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

Internet service does not work so blogging and emailing is not as easy as I had hoped. And then everything is in french so this is a challenge!

I am not sure how to begin. I may be in my own personal heaven. This is definitely a life changing experience and perhaps the most thrilling experience of my artistic life. My senses are filled to over flowing. The smells, the sounds, the light and of course the cheese!

All of the residents have been jolted out of their comfort zones a little. We all have experienced sensory overload to some degree. We are all moving around in the Abbey (L’abbaye St. Magloire) to find our work spaces. We have been given a cluster of skeleton keys that open all the doors and allowed to wander day or night and work wherever we want. This is an incredible honor. The Abbaye original foundation dates from the ninth century when six monks from Whales settled in the Rance Valley with a mission to evangelize the wild country of Armorica. Through invasions and the revolution it has been used for a variety of things and is currently being restored.

The main studio for artists is a good base for us to store things and make a mess but is a bit tight for 5 artists so we are spreading out as the first days of our residency begin. There are extensive wild gardens that are full of sun and ruins and every inch of the place is inspiring.

This afternoon I chose the attic (grenier) as my workspace. Monks used to go up there to pray and the kneeling chairs are still there with names carves in the arm supports. Pigeons roost in the walls of the roof inches away so I can hear cooing and scratching adding to the ambiance. The original timbers are carved by hand.

I have to say my emotions have been up and down these last couple of days. The unbelievable beauty and fairytale like environment I am in couple with meeting town officials and new artist, the program directors and settling in. The expectations and questions I have about my own abilities are a bit unsettling. I do indeed feel I am walking with the impressionists and it is an unbelievable and indescribable thing for me.

Almost There

2011-06-25T15:34:00.001-07:00

Our last morning in Chartres proved to be a spectacular start and the town is so beautiful. Little hilly streets and limestone walls and those wonderful medieval gardens tucked behind gates and corridors. We stumbled on to a show of Antonio Saint-Silvestre in a Romanesque church of collégiale Saint-Andre, which seem such a marvelous contrast to the barrels ceiling and holy nature of the space. The church must no longer be consecrated since the art was somewhat cutting edge and not something you would find in a church.

We spent the afternnon in Rennes to get last minute art supplies and a little more sleep. Sunday we drive to Léhon and settle in at the Residency location. Then my work begins.

It is 10 pm and if I were a plein air painter I could still be out painting. A very strange concept. The golden light just starting to soften and loose its edge. But I am not a plein air painter – I am a studio painter. Some people may wonder what is the difference? The difference is where you complete your paintings. I like to have a space in a studio where I can control my surroundings, the light, the climate, my privacy…So here I am I France with the fields of sunflowers passing by and the rolling wheat fields and I wonder if perhaps I will become plein air on during this adventure. Going on this journey with so much of the unknown is making me think I need to loose the control a little.

A Gift From Brittany

2011-06-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have already had a bit of an adventure even before I have left. A couple of months ago my Husband bought me a book , a memoir about a young woman traveling to France to paint in the 60’s. She rehabilitated a group of buildings called La Salle in Brittany and developed a close friendship with a peasant woman in the town. My husband read it first and said he thought I would like it. I loved it. So much so that I contacted the author/artist Marjorie Price by email to tell her why it struck a cord for me. Much to my surprise I heard back from her almost immediately. She had just returned from visiting La Salle which is now a B&B. I almost feel I know her having read the book and she sounds wonderful. My husband and I hope to slip away for a weekend and stay at La Salle. What a complete adventure that will be.

My Artist Residency Experience in France

2011-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Une résidence d'artiste en Bretagne

Follow along with me as I grow as a painter and artist.

I have been selected to participate in a five week Residency through The Alfred and Trafford Klots Program for Artists through the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). The Residency is hosted in the medieval village of Léhon Brittany. The competition was fierce and nationwide. Five participants were chosen for a superior portfolio, an outstanding record of exhibition, fellowships, awards, other artist residencies and notable teaching appointments.

The selection committee and program directors have chosen a total of five artists whose mix of media, approaches, styles, and focus will create a dynamic and collegial community. Residency applicants are provided with free housing and studio space. The residency provides time for uninterrupted work in an inspiring and historic setting made unique by Brittany's extraordinary light, distinctive landscape, and rich cultural traditions, a favorite location for the French impressionist.

My work proposal for the Residency “History Reflected in the Waters” will result in 20 oil paintings on panel measuring 20"x20" featuring bridges, medieval buildings and historical trees reflected in the coastal waters and canals in the area surrounding Léhon.

My adventure begins June 22 and will last for 6 weeks.

Une résidence d'artiste en Bretagne