Beverly | Beverly Shipko, Artist

Thank you RiverArts!

May 11, 2016 by Beverly

Sometimes things in life have unanticipated consequences, many of them positive. Our 1997 move to a home in Ardsley from a smaller townhouse changed my artistic life.

After two years, I transformed the living room with its 3 walls of natural light pouring through the windows into my studio. I started painting regularly and soon had a body of work to show.

So I decided to have my first Open Studio and participate in the RiverArts Studio Tour. RiverArts is dynamic and growing non-profit organization serving the Rivertowns of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ardsley.

That was over 15 years ago. The successful expansion of this event (now 80 artists strong) and RiverArts itself is reflected in this beautiful 4 page multi-color brochure featuring a painting by every artist on the tour. Mentally contrast this with the 1999 2-color single page flyer with a map and list. (You’ll have to your imagination since I can’t find the old pdf).

Now let me introduce you to Jen Moore Smith, the producer of the 2016 RiverArts Studio Tour, a huge task that has grown to include three preview exhibitions in different venues during the month of April, a Saturday night artist reception, a closing reception, and an extensive Studio Tour website including bios/statements and multiple images from each artist. Just uploading 400 images was a big task!

And Jennifer did her job gracefully and thoroughly from start to finish, always smiling, never losing her sense of humor. Bravo Jennifer! As the tour continues to grow in size and complexity, hopefully the management of the tour will be split among a multiple people.

And did I mention that these events served food? Wonderful food and a lot of it too, which you can see in the photos from the Hastings Municipal Building Preview Exhibition, where one of my prints was shown. This event was free and open to the public. (Why do I keep thinking Last Supper when I look at the first photo?)

Here’s the lady who was responsible for this banquet, Patricia van Essche. She recently joined the RiverArts Board and this elaborately presented food magically appeared this year. As you can see, she did a great job! Now my husband looks forward to these events with newfound enthusiasm.

I want to take a moment to say thank you to Jennifer Moore Smith, the unsung hero of the tour, to Doug Marouk-Coe, the Executive Director of RiverArts, as well as the Board, and to all the volunteers who made this event possible. A special thanks to Patricia, who sponsored a successful artist lunch at her house in March, and looks out for all of the artists in the community like our mother hen.

I look forward to all the upcoming RiverArts events, especially the Music Tour, which is listed on the website. With so much going on, it’s an exciting time for RiverArts and the Rivertowns.

Mother’s Day: A Ballet of Flavors

May 9, 2016 by Beverly

Today I had a terrific Mother’s Day with family and friends, featuring an inspired meal prepared by our resident chef, Bonnie. Here she is with her signature popovers.

While I’ve written about Bonnie’s artistic talents before (Thanksgiving Bonnie-Style, Bonnie’s Thanksgiving Feast), I never completely figured out why I’m so intrigued by Bonnie’s skillful meal preparation. Until today.

What I watched last night and this morning (and participated in) is a unique kind performance art that goes on for hours. It’s like a carefully orchestrated ballet of flavors, with Bonnie at the helm as the producer, choreographer, conductor and prima ballerina all rolled into one.

With careful planning, somehow all the moving parts come together into an elegant whole. It’s hard to describe how she coordinates everything, making it look effortless. Bonnie moves gracefully around the kitchen juggling multiple dishes, moving from one recipe to another and then back again – while orchestrating the rest of us.

I find the process extremely compelling, and was having flashbacks to foodie movies such as Burnt, Chef and No Reservations. Maybe I should start taking videos, but as a backstage assistant I was too busy much of the time.

Here’s the final production featuring 12+ recipes.

The menu included crudite with a homemade spinach dip, cucumber soup with a mango and tomato garnish, nicoise salad, salmon with dill, turkey meatballs on spiraled sweet potatoes with a parsley cauliflower sauce, lentil salad, acorn square creations, my favorite butternut squash/leek/green apple side dish, and potato leek goat cheese tart in a pistachio crust made especially for my brother-in-law Bill.

Ah yes, I forgot dessert – the brownie dessert and the cranberry loaf. My mouth is watering…

Bonnie’s vision somehow morphed an ordinary acorn squash into an artistic looking platter with quinoa, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts.

Her appetizing nicoise salad is always a hit.

So is the lentil salad with vegetables.

Recently Bonnie re-discovered the glory of spiralizing on inspiralized.com which translated into this sweet potato dish.

Then there was the watermelon with mint, which everyone raved about. I skipped it at lunch because I thought it couldn’t be anything special. But I was mistaken as I found out at dinner.

Another way to think about this is as piece of installation art involving food that is transitory and ephemeral by nature. The concept goes beyond a ballet of flavors, to shapes, colors, and textures that appeal to all our senses. In short, all the elements of great art.

Act I consists of Bonnie and the food. Act 2 begins with Bonnie explaining her dishes and ends with us at the dining room table demolishing her creations.

Here’s our friend Alissa, from Philadelphia, who joined the crew. She was put to work as soon as she walked in and certainly earned her meal.

My sister-in-law Pam, from Kansas City, also joined the ensemble, as did Jay with several trips to the grocery store and hours of clean up.

Pam and I had a great Mother’s Day! We hope yours was as great as ours.

The best part is the performance isn’t truly over. The encore continues as we enjoy magnificent leftovers (too good to be called leftovers; do you have a better name?). No need to cook for a long time. What a finale!

Open Studio: Behind The Scenes

May 7, 2016 by Beverly

Now that my Open Studio is behind me and I’m reassembling my painting space, I’m starting to realize what a good job we did cleaning up. Maybe even too good.

During the event, many people surprised me by asking where I actually painted – and we were standing right in my studio. That’s probably because my studio (our former living room) looked like this after taking out a few easels and a table, among other things.

They probably just knew an artist studio couldn’t possibly be this neat all the time! My goal was to make it feel like a studio with a gallery space (although I’ve never been to a gallery with brown walls.)

To my dismay, all my stuff is steadily creeping back into the room, day by day, table by table, box by box. It’s starting to look like it did in the weeks before the Open Studio. Tidying guru Marie Kondo would definitely not approve, and neither do I.

First came the TV table which had morphed into a front hall sign-in table for a week. Then came several boxes with canvases and panels. And my neatly lined up paints… well, they don’t look like that any more.

I’m finally getting ready to take down my staircase display. Friday night before the Open Studio, Bonnie took the initiative to fine-tune it, with a physical agility that I can only envy. She really stepped up when I was getting tired and a bit discouraged with my progress.

Bonnie had a right to be proud of her handiwork. Lots of chocolate here for you chocoholics.

I played with all my little panels and drawings for longer than I care to admit, until I came up with this arrangement. Good thing I’m not actively playing the piano any more so this can stay put.

A week before the event, I realized I didn’t have any work-in-progress to show. So I started applying the oil paint to the sketch of my next vending painting. While I didn’t get as far as I would have liked, it was enough to show the process that I go through with vending machine paintings, starting with a detailed sketch, the logos, and the dark background early on to let the bright colors really pop.

I also began a 16 x 20 inch macarons painting on wood panel, which is what I’ll go back to this weekend.

Since the Open Studio date was a few weeks earlier than usual and the weather was cool, I couldn’t plant flowers this year. In fact, we had many April nights with frost warnings so we’re still flowerless the first week in May. Jay brought the coat rack up from the basement this year and people actually used it.

I did manage to get my haircut in plenty of time, and I liked how it came out. So I knew all was right with the world.

All in all, I was pretty happy with how the preparations went this year.

There is, however, no reason to reinvent the wheel every year. As soon as I finish this blog post, I am going to start a behind the scenes Open Studio To Do List and file it away for 2017, timetable and all. Anything to reduce stress is a good thing.

The more organized I am behind the scenes, the more time I’ll have to paint. And maybe, just maybe, the memory of how much I have been enjoying a pristine studio space will motivate me to make permanent changes in my artistic life. Stay tuned.

Open Studio: A Team Effort

April 23, 2016 by Beverly

As with any sports teams, it takes a group effort to be successful. And everyone has their role.

My Open Studio is no exception. If you haven’t already met them, let me introduce you to the starting lineup, my teacher daughter Bonnie and husband Jay.

Jay worked hard behind the scenes, the unsung hero of the team. For two weeks I gave him lists, and everything simply magically appeared – from poster boards, packing tape, picture wire, groceries, to stamps, napkins and plates. Jay even helped prepare my printed materials, from resumes, statements to price lists.

He darted around from one task to another, making things happen like a tireless point guard. (Note: When he read this description, he said he sounded more like a locker attendant…and I couldn’t stop laughing!) Here he is cleaning up the dinner dishes the night before the Open Studio, with a smile on his face.

Bonnie is like a secret weapon who anticipates and solves problems before they arise. She calls the plays like a team captain. For example, take meals. I was so busy painting my Avocados and Blueberry Pie that I forgot about preparing meals, which is a problem for a busy teacher who works 10-12 hours at school before coming home with more work.

So she took on planning and cooking food for the entire week. This turkey meatball and sweet potato entrée, with avocado dressing (mmm!), is an example of her handiwork. Aren’t we lucky!

She happily volunteered to handle the dessert table, from start to finish. Bonnie planned the menu, placed and picked up the order, and set up the table – and replenished it after Saturday. Apparently people saved a lot of room for dessert because we started running out of everything. She also stepped up big time on Friday night, helping me clear out my studio at the eleventh hour.

Finally, we come to Maritza, an indispensable team member, who refers to the weekend as “my Open Studio”. And certainly she has been part of the team for so many years that she’s absolutely right. Two weeks in advance, Maritza helped me weed through what we would hang or pack up, how many tables to put out anyhow to display prints.

Once again, she generously volunteered to man the Oreo Cookie Contest in the kitchen for two full days, giving up her weekend after working two jobs during the week, a task that would fell lesser mortals.

Maritza assisted anyone who needed help – including yours truly who cut herself badly on the serrated edge of the wax paper box while wrapping up paintings.

So thank you, Jay, Bonnie and Maritza, for enabling me to fulfill my role as the power forward – to keep pouring on the points (maybe paints is more like it) until the very last seconds of the game. I finished this Blueberry Pie from the 2015 Open Studio the last minute and hung it wet. Of course, Bonnie made sure her dessert table included a blueberry pie from Riviera that was the inspiration.

Without all of you, this event would have never come together. I am grateful to have you on my team and consider the entire weekend one terrific victory.

Thank You For Coming!

April 22, 2016 by Beverly

I just want to thank all of you who came to my Open Studio last weekend, to those who called and emailed their support – and to the weather gods who gave us a beautiful day here in the New York area.

There was a steady stream of people all day from different parts of our lives. Jay, Bonnie and I were ready and waiting, with lots of desserts – painted and real. My newest series of 5 candy bars, Icons of the Candy Vending World, greeted you from its place of honor on the fireplace.

I always welcome the opportunity to show my new work and get feedback from all of you who bring in fresh perspectives and new ideas. My family and I are kind of “desensitized” to all these sweets. To mix things up a bit, I took a detour and painted Avocados from a Manhattan salad bar. I loved it when Johanna arrived early on and commented right away, “My doctor wants me to eat what’s on the left, and I want to eat what’s on the right”. How true!

It’s nice to make a sale near the beginning of the weekend. Here’s the first purchaser with Westminster, London, a going away present for a good friend relocating there (yes, I do enjoy painting subjects besides desserts). What a thoughtful present!

This wall of wood panel paintings sure did attract a lot of attention the whole weekend! The Kit Kat sold right away, and I received a commission for a Tootsie Roll painting since this one sold (oops! missed my opportunity to use those little red dots you see in galleries…).

Then Lynn, a talented artist herself, arrived from Brooklyn. We were chatting away since I hadn’t seen her since my first show at OK Harris Works of Art in Soho (don’t want to think about how many years passed by). It was so wonderful to reconnect!

Sometimes the most fun was just to watch who walked through the door. Current and past winners of my annual Oreo Cookie Contest came, starting with Blake, the 2015 Winner holding his “portrait”, Blake’s Bite.

The 2014 Winner, Samantha, is second from the left between my nephew, Mark, and Bonnie, along with her friend Janki.

Here’s the mother and brother of Sadie, the 2012 Oreo Cookie Contest Winner. It was so good to see Susan and Jake (how he has grown!). Susan is so enthusiastic about my work and such a sunny personality that it’s a pleasure to be around her.

Let me introduce you to Samantha, a loyal Oreo Cookie Contest participant, with her family.

Many of Jay’s bridge buddies came, some of whom I knew like, Jill, one of Jay’s regular partners, with her husband Farley.

Here we have our New York Philharmonic Box 5 Tier 3 buddies (Saturday night B series) from Bridgeport CT, who we met at Lincoln Center 5 years ago. Talk about surprises!

And then there was my long time friend, Ilene and her sister Helen. Having Ilene there was absolutely wonderful since we worked together on the M&M Mars account at DMB&B Advertising (yes, the agency world of Don Draper on Mad Men was right on!). Ilene totally bowled me over when she brought out Bonnie’s 1990 baby announcement – a folded diaper with a diaper pin in it (don’t know where we got the time to do that with a new baby!). She also brought a holiday photo card of Laura and Bonnie when we measured their ages in single digits.

Oh, how I wish I had a photo of that moment, but my camera was in the kitchen and my path was mobbed with visitors (a good thing), as it was most of the afternoon. Next year I’ll remember to ask someone to take photos. I did manage to take a few pictures of the desserts before they were totally wiped out. Do you think there’s another Oreo Cookie Cake painting in my future?

Now I face the challenging task of whittling down these 2016 Oreo Cookie Contest entries to the finalists (so we have more room to eat!), photographing them, and choosing the winner.

All in all, it was a successful Open Studio weekend. So thanks again, and hope to see you next year – if not before then. My door is always open.

Open Studio Invitation

March 19, 2016 by Beverly

It’s that time of the year again – Open Studio time – and you’re all invited!

Saturday, April 16th & Sunday, April 17th
11 am to 5pm

Beverly’s Home Studio
36 Sheldon Street
Ardsley, NY 10502

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year, when I get to spend all weekend talking about art with like minded people. What a luxury! I always enjoy the dialog and especially the feedback. There hasn’t been a year when I haven’t walked away feeling reinvigorated and brimming full of new ideas.

You’ll be able to see my latest vending machine paintings, including a new series of oversized single candy bars. I have been working hard on this series so the paintings can dry in time to hang for the show. And you can see all the paintings from my last 30 Paintings in 30 days Challenge.

I just started a vegetable painting (horror of horrors! a healthy food), featuring a line of cut avocados from a Manhattan salad bar. With its dramatic composition, this image was practically crying out, “Paint me, paint me,” and so I am. It is my first full size vegetable painting in a very long time.

Of course, I will be sponsoring my annual Oreo Cookie Contest. Everyone can enter by just taking a bite. Come one, come all, and bring your kids and grandkids! They always have a great time. Where else can you bring your whole family to eat Oreos and look at art in one visit? I paint the winning Oreo bite, and name the painting after the biter. You can see a table full of past entries and the 2015 winner, Blake’s Bite, in previous posts.

For those people with more sophisticated palates, we’ll also have our favorite desserts (what else?) on hand from Riviera Bake House in Ardsley. Thank you, Bonnie, for handling this every year!

My Open Studio is part of the 2016 RiverArts Studio Tour, and I’ll have maps on hand which show the locations of the other 80 participating artists.

I’ll post a construction update closer to the event to help you navigate around the Ardsley bridge construction. Right now, this only effects people coming northbound on the Sawmill River Parkway (take Exit #16 at Lawrence Street since Exit #17 to Ardsley is closed). So please check my blog a few days before the tour, and contact me if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

The Winner!

March 7, 2016 by Beverly

In honor of National Oreo Day, I would like to announce the winner of my 2015 Oreo Cookie Contest, Blake’s Bite. Congratulations, Blake!

“Blake’s Bite – Oreo Cookie” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

In case some of you haven’t met the winner before, let me introduce you to Blake The Biter, from my hometown of Ardsley. Here he is proudly submitting his entry, right after taking the winning bite. It showed promise from the very beginning.

This year the selection process was daunting with over 75 entries during my April Open Studio, even more than last year . After all, I wanted to be fair to all contestants. You see, Blake is one of my most loyal fans who has entered repeatedly. And my heart was with him from past years when he didn’t win, which you can read more about here.

I narrowed the field to these 3 Oreos, which were the first works I painted during my September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3).

Days 1, 2 & 3 of the 30/30 Challenge

Just to be sure I wan’t biased towards one of my favorite Open Studio attendees, I posted this photo on Facebook for a vote. Blake’s Bite was the overwhelming favorite!

So now it’s official. Well done, Blake! You earned this recognition in honor with your persistence and enthusiasm, in addition to your distinctive bite.

I’m looking forward to seeing you again in mid-April, so please mark your calendar. Maybe you can go for a record two consecutive wins…

Oreo Mandala

February 28, 2016 by Beverly

It’s almost that time again. Today I registered for my annual Open Studio as part of the RiverArts Tour the weekend of April 16th and 17th, 2016 – which is coming up fast.

Naturally, I started thinking about what to hang and where, including this Oreo Mandala Limited Edition Print.

“Oreo Mandala” by Beverly Shipko, Limited Edition Giclee Print (run of 150) , Available framed (27 x 27 inches) and unframed (20 x 20 inches)

I love the visual impact of this print. And I love what it represents.

It brings back memories of happy times on so many levels. This print commemorates past Oreo Cookie Contests, which I sponsore during RiverArts Studio Tour, and all the enthusiastic kids and adults who participate every year.

Each Oreo represents a different contestant who joyfully chomped down on a cookie for a chance to win and earn the honor of having a painting named after them.

The lower left hand Oreo was bitten by Maisie, granddaughter of my good friend friend Linda, who shyly bit her entry and quickly put it on the table before she could change her mind. On the second row at the right, we see my friend Carol’s Oreo with its scattered pieces. I can see her laughing as she took a bite and the cookie made a mess – a good thing from my perspective since crumbs are interesting to paint.

I thought a lot about what to put in the middle, and decided to use my own cookie in the center – an image which led to my largest painting on this subject called Cosmic Oreo, currently available at Cavalier Galleries in Nantucket, MA. The central image take me into the realm of outer space, evoking comets and stars in the sky. It also brings me back to the days when I ate all the Oreos I wanted without feeling guilty.

“Comic Oreo” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting, 24 x 36 inches, Available at Cavalier Galleries

Most of the other cookies are anonymous since participants didn’t leave their name, including the masculine cookie in the lower right which somehow makes me think about floating icebergs.

When I look at this print, I also think about March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Why, you might ask? Every year I watch the tournament for hours on end, but find it difficult to paint at the same time. I feel badly about all the “wasted” time. Finally, I discovered that I can sketch instead! That’s when I drew the original nine 6 x 6 inch drawings that formed the basis for Oreo Mandala.

The final Oreo Mandala concept was inspired both by a Mandala & Meditation art workshop and a mandala exhibit at the Rubin Museum, where I learned more about how Buddhists used mandalas to meditate and escape to the spiritual realm. I thought deep meditation on Oreo Cookies would provide the ultimate test of one’s ability to transcend earthly pleasures, and Oreo Mandala was born.. As I write this, I can see my recently deceased friend and meditation mentor, Bob Mawson, a Buddhist monk who taught meditation in Thailand and in Tarrytown, NY for many years, smiling down on me.

I hope you enjoy this print as much as I do.

Chihuily: A Glass Act

February 25, 2016 by Beverly

Today I was going through hundreds of wild life photos from our recent Sarasota, Florida trip when I came across these images of exquisite art glass by Dale Chihuily, glassmaker extraordinaire.

I had forgotten we left the beaches behind to visit the Chihuily Collection in St. Petersburg, about an hour away. For me, this small, well designed museum was one of the highlights of the trip.

The collection began chronologically with Chihuily’s older work, such as Seaforms, which evoke underwater forms with their flowy, asymmetrical shapes.

There’s the Venetians series, with a work missing. One piece was stolen right off its platform, which is not something museums are proud of. Fortunately, the piece was returned after the thief discovered he couldn’t sell it on the open market, and will be reinstalled shortly.

Chihuily is known for his intensely colored Macchia series. This large blue vessel make me think of a morning glory.

Stunning Chandeliers, made up of as many as 1,000 elements of glass attached to a stainless steel base, dominate this large gallery. These works are shipped in pieces, each individually numbered, and are assembled on site. It took a large team from Chihuily’s studio 8 hours to install this blue beauty.

Here are side and bottom views of a smaller multicolored Chandelier beside it.

When we came across this nook, we immediately thought of Leslie, Jay’s sister, who creates very elegant and striking Ikebana arrangements in Portland, OR. Chihuily presents his own whimsical glass Ikebana series including 3-D and 2-D works.

Then we moved into a dark, dramatic room featuring this boat piece full of large globes. Chihuily called the globes Niijima Floats, after an island in Tokyo Bay and the small Japanese fishing floats he found growing up on Puget Sound. I couldn’t help but recall other Chihuily boats and floats we had seen in outdoor installations at the Phoenix and New York Botannical Gardens.

A passageway with this ethereal ceiling, conjuring up thoughts of lily pads , flowers, and other natural elements, lead us down the hall to the showstopper.

Finally, we reach Chihuily’s own true garden of glass, Mille Fiori (Italian for a thousand flowers). This modern, sleek indoor installation took on a completely different vibe (quite a contrast to the dessert!), combining refined forms from Chihuily’s entire career.

Here Chihuily took one of his Chandeliers and turned it upside down to anchor the end of Millie Fiori.

In person, you can really see how his work is based on natural forms. For example, tips of the blue plants are inspired by frog hands, with their knobby pads located on the tips of their fingers, giving them suction.

These green plants resemble agaves and other dessert plants.

We never made it to the glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Center nearby, which is included in the $20 admission fee, and comes highly recommended. Next time.

Dale Chihuily makes the art of glass blowing look easy, but it’s not. It’s physically demanding, technically challenging, capital intensive, and often unpredictable in lesser hands.

All of which serves to remind us that Chihuily took what some considered to be an almost forgotten minor art form and turned it into a major installation vehicle that is ubiquitous. And for that he is truly a modern master of glass, in a class of his own.

Sold!

February 22, 2016 by Beverly

Last June, I wrote that there’s nothing like the rush of opening an email saying Accepted, whether it’s for a college application or an art exhibition. But there may be.

That’s the sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and excitement you experience every time you open an email that says Sold!

“My Mallomar” by Beverly Shipko, Limited Edition Giclee Print, 10 x 14 inches on William Turner rag paper. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Carden

It’s always nice to have external validation – to know that other people think highly enough of your work to buy it. It’s especially powerful when your gallery owner purchases it for herself.

That’s what happened here. Jennifer Carden, founder of Super Fresh Art Gallery in Novato California, bought this print for her newly renovated kitchen (something to aspire to!).

Jennifer framed the print for a gallery show, tried it out in her kitchen, and it now has a permanent home.

I like the light, airy and contemporary feeling of the print floating on the mat board. I’ll have to try this mat style, which my favorite framer, Joe Sablow of Artistic Services in White Plains, had suggested a long time ago. Maybe I’ll do a better job of listening in the future.

Here’s to lots more Sold! emails in 2016!

Pablo Makes Me Smile!

February 2, 2016 by Beverly

When I walked into the Picasso Sculpture show at MOMA in Manhattan, I made a beeline for this sculpture – a very old friend. The last time we saw each other was 30 years ago at the Picasso Museum in Paris.

And I smiled. Just like I did the first time.

A few words came to mind. Creative. Playful. Clever.

Woman with Outstretched Arts, by Picasso, 1961. Front view. Painted iron and sheet metal.

“Woman with Outstretched Arms”. by Picasso. Back view.

More words popped into my head through the whole show.

Classic. Epic.

“Head of a Warrior” by Picasso, Boisgeloup, 1933. Plaster, metal and wood.

Elegant. Humorous.

“Insect” by Picasso. Ballauris, 1951. Fired white clay, incised and painted with slips.

Whimsical.

“Vase” by Picasso, Vallauris, 1947 or 48. White earthenware painted with slips and oxides.

Beautiful. Stately.

“Bust of a Woman” by Picasso, Boisgeloup, 1931. Plaster.

Poignant.

“Woman with a Baby Carriage” by Picasso. Vallauris, 1950-54. Bronze.

Innovative. Technical prowess – a life-size cast bronze sculpture held up by a jump rope!

“Little Girl Jumping Rope” by Picasso. Vallauris, 1950-54. Bronze.

Creative. Visionary. Who else would see a toy car as a baboon head?

“Baboon and Young” by Picasso. Vallauris, 1951. Bronze.

Versatile. Prolific.

"Bull" by Picasso. Cannes, 1958. Blockboard (wood base panel), palm frond and various other tree branches, eyebolt, nails and dress)

“Bull” by Picasso. Cannes, 1958. Blockboard (wood base panel), palm frond and various other tree branches, eyebolt, nails and screws)

Simplicity. Essence. Sleek. Modern.

“Little Horse” by Picasso. Valllauris, 1961. Painted metal with wheels.

Other thoughts came to mind. Master of any material. Fearless. Adventuresome. Joyful. Love of Life (as the French say, Joie de Vive). Pure Genius. And what you see here is just the tip of the iceberg since my own taste gravitates towards the later work.

Going to this show made me smile from the inside out. I’m grinning as I write this.

That alone is a good enough reason to see this exhibit. With one more week to go (closes February 7th), the crowds are large. So plan your visit early or late in the day.

And don’t forget to smile for the camera.

My January Personal Challenge Collage

January 31, 2016 by Beverly

To mark the closing of my own personal challenge, here’s a collage summarizing this month’s accomplishments.

Doing my own version of the 30 Painting in 30 Days Challenge gave me an opportunity to focus on compositions I had been thinking about painting, but hesitating doing.

In December, I had no idea how to approach January. I only knew it would be flexible with the goal of hunkering down to paint, without worrying about the quantity of paintings or blog posts.

In the end, I painted 27 of the 30 days, opting for larger, more detailed works. There were actually 11 paintings within paintings, taking about 2 days each. Here’s a photo to help you get a better sense of the relative scale of each composition.

I first discovered vending machines (see my first vending painting) with their iconically packaged products during the September Challenge, and decided to run with it here.

Why these particular products, you may ask? I think it’s partially because they are semi-autobiographical and there’s an emotional attachment. My husband Jay worked at Pepsi, the parent company of the Frito Lay, which manufactures of all the chips products from Doritos to Cheetos. As you may know, I worked on Twix from M&M Mars.

You can read more about the process in previous posts (America’s Favorite Chips, America’s Favorite Candies, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups)

The rest of January was spent chasing pantry moths, going to the dentist (had a string of bad luck), and taking in special New York City events like tidying guru Marie Kondo’s talk at Japan Society introducing her new Spark Joy book (feeling another blog coming on).

In the past week, I took time off to visit the Art and Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory, the Picasso Sculpture show at MOMA (Marie would not be happy with all the photos I took!), and yesterday’s Michigan vs. Penn State basketball game at Madison Square Garden (Michigan won – Go Blue!).

I wasn’t sure how I was going to end this post, except to say there are more vending paintings in my future. Then this morning I discovered a surprising and totally unexpected blog post on my site, called Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: A Tribute, from my daughter, self-proclaimed Laura “Webmaster” Sloofman.

Laura wrote a very cute entry (read it twice already) with lots of photos showing how she and her friend Sarah spent Saturday night painting. The girls were inspired by my Reese’s painting, which they projected on a TV screen, a techie idea worthy of two researchers turned artists for the evening. They did a great job on their own paintings, which you can see here. (Maybe Laura and I have another career sponsoring paint nights?!$)

Reading Laura’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: A Tribute post definitely sparked joy, which Marie Kondo would heartily approve. What a fitting close to this January, 2016 challenge – and a fitting beginning to a creative year

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

January 30, 2016 by Beverly

I just had to rip open this package and paint America’s iconic #1 candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” painting by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 8 x 10 inches

That’s what happens after looking at unopened vending machine candy for a few weeks.

This painting marks my return to wood panels after working on canvas for a while, quite a change. Canvas moves while wood is rock solid, requiring a lighter touch. Paint glides on wood since it’s smooth. It also glides off at the slightest touch, sometimes a scary thought as you’re close to finishing.

My initial concept using a double Reese’s package didn’t work at the photography stage. Neither did a single pack with a bite taken out of the chocolate. I ended up with a single Reese’s, in tact, coming out of the wrapper, similar to a small Reese’s painting from the 2015 Challenge, but different in feeling and proportion.

After taking many photos with various light sources, I made a composite of two photos, which you can see here. I know, I know, I could have done this in Photoshop (one day…). In fact, it was much easier to just whip out a pair of scissors and tape the two images together.

You would have thought I would have learned from experience. First, I forgot to velcro the wood panel to the masonite so it would sit solidly on the easel.

Second, I knew the logo process would be easier by starting in the middle of the logo with the yellow, and working outward. But no, I decided to start with the logo outline. Why? Bad idea.

It’s funny how something just gets stuck in your brain. When I re-read my old blog post which describes my history with Reese’s, I did the same thing last time. Maybe I just wanted to see quick results.

This was supposed to be a relatively quick painting and take 2+ days. However, on the second day I was eating breakfast and broke a tooth. So much for painting. I ended up at the dentist for several hours while he made a temporary crown (my second in a month, not good).

The next day, I painted the chocolate disk, a very strong shape. I struggled with the shadows, which were rather blue during the early stages (and cost me an extra day) but more dramatic. Maybe I miss the drama a bit in the final version. Do you?

I like the painting, but can’t help wondering what it would look like in a square format with a rip right through the logo… As a former brand manger, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Next time.

After working on this painting, I ordered a few long horizontal wood panels online in atypical shapes so I can try a row of vending candy bars on wood.

In the meantime, I sketched some single vending bars on canvas using a vertical format. Quite a change. To be continued…

Icons of the Chip World

January 24, 2016 by Beverly

I’ll always remember the Blizzard of 2016 as the day I finished my first potato chip painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas painting, 20 x 20 inches

This is my second full-size vending machine painting. While it took longer than expected, some things are worth the wait – and the patience.

Here’s the original photo. I started by cutting off the top row of healthy snacks!

Then I cut the photo in half and flipped the top and bottom rows to put the visually lighter bags on top (no Photoshop for me… yet) before doing this detailed drawing. I spent a lot of time on the structure, establishing the round shapes since there’s little room for error once painting begins.

I worked from the top down to avoid smearing the oil paint, which takes days to dry (sometimes weeks if I use titanium white). I tend to brace my hand on the canvas when doing precise logo work.

It was unexpectedly satisfying to complete the first chip bag, even though there was was a steep learning curve. If I had been doing a painting a day, this would have been the first of 6 different small paintings. But you know that old tagline, Bet you can’t eat just one? Well, I couldn’t paint just one.

The Mini-Tootsie Roll with Bag experience from the September Challenge helped prepare me for painting chip bags. Kit Kat and America’s Favorite Candy Bars also paved the way for this ambitious undertaking, pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I underestimated the complexity of each bag. The Cheetos bag was by far the most difficult with the Chester Cheetah character and strong reflections against all those floating Cheetos. It was challenging to find those subtle shades of orange and red.

I left the Doritos bags for last since the logos seemed pretty straightforward. However, that was not the case with its subtle nuances (little flame-like shapes) that only a logo designer would pay attention to. Being a marketing person, I can only image the tens of thousands (if not hundreds or millions!) of dollars spent on logo development.

It was so important to lay in the dark background early in the process since the colors resonant differently again light colors. I wanted to avoid repainting anything on this complex composition. At the halfway mark, I seriously considered the possibility that I was finished and should stop (see Done?)

But I powered on and started laying in the dark background around the bottom bags, still struggling with the nuances of different blacks and greys (which I ultimately rejected).

At this point, I had firmly decided to stick with the initial 6-bag concept.

Yesterday’s blizzard actually helped keep me focused so I could finish the little details.

I am happy with this painting, and can’t wait to see it framed next month.

Now I have to figure out my next painting. Stay tuned.

Done?

January 16, 2016 by Beverly

Here’re my newest vending machine painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine”, Work-in-progress, by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas

Or so you thought… It’s only half of the painting!

At this point, this feels done to me. I wish I could just cut this off and call it a day. (Had the same thought with just the Ruffles bag).

However, I feel like I should see this through and finish the painting. I have a frame ready and waiting for it so I can hang it at my April Open Studio (coming up fast the weekend of April 16th & 17th).

What would you do now? Am I done? Thanks for the feedback.