JackieGriswold

Recently I became a Member Artist at Gallery 137 in Indian Orchard, MA. It's a lovely gallery that is part of the Indian Orchard Main Street Partnership. One reason I joined is so that I could participate in the First Annual Members Juried Show that begins at the Dane Gallery at the Indian Orchard Mills on Saturday, July 26, 2008. There is an opening reception at the Dane from 1-3 p.m. on July 26, and an Awards Reception at Gallery 137 on August 2, 2008 from 3-5 p.m.

This is the first time I've exhibited any of my paintings. "The Garden," pictured above is one of the three paintings I dropped off at the Dane Gallery this afternoon. I am very excited, and would truly welcome comments/criticisms/praise about the work I'm doing.

This is really a mixed media acrylic painting, because there is an underlayer of tissue paper that is glued onto the masonite board. The wrinkles of the tissue paper create a lovely texture and depth that you really can't see in the painting. Abstract expressionism is simply calling to me right now. I didn't have a name for it, but when my husband saw it he said it reminded him of a garden, with all the brightly colored flowers.

Please visit http://www.gallery137.org/ to learn more about Gallery 137, as well as the Dane Gallery in the Indian Orchard Mills. Please also visit my website at http://artid.com/swiftriverarts to see some of my other work.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jackie Griswold

By professional training, I am a teacher, and I teach psychology and human services at the college level. Quite often the angst of my student's lives (not to mention my own angst) are reflected in my painting. This painting surfaced not long after a student let me know how angry she was at me, after I, playing devil's advocate as I so often do, challenged her assumptions, and asked her to reflect on her own emotions. I'm not quite sure if this painting reflects my emotions, or hers, or most likely, a bit of both. 

The Abstract Expressionists has it right, in my mind, with their idea that mood can be relected in art.  Deep reds, red-orange, and a hint of yellow - anger, fear, anxiety, energy? What is your impression?

Please visit http://artid.com/swiftriverarts to see other work I have done.

Jackie Griswold

I was experimenting with color and different brush strokes when I did this painting highlighting the pinks and grays of the sunrise viewed from across a river.  The softened lines remind me of the work of the Impressionists.  I think it evokes a calm, centered mood, a feeling of peacefulness at the beginning of the day.

This painting was recently sold, and is now in a private collection.  You can see other work that I've done at http://artid.com/swiftriverarts

Jackie

The About.com Painting Guide has a monthly project to challenge artists and get them to do something they might not ordinarily do.  The July project is an abstraction of a urban scene.

I live in Springfield, MA, and every day as I go to work I see the very futuristic looking Basketball Hall of Fame set against the much older high rise buildings in downtown Springfield.  So this is the scene I chose to paint in an abstracted view.  I think it is an interesting composition to see the contrast of the very modern Hall of Fame building and tower with the old church and taller buildings

It's done on a piece of grey mat board, using acrylic paint.

You can see more of my paintings at http://artid.com/swiftriverarts, where you'll also see some of my photography and jewelry work.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jackie

This is one of the first paintings I did - I love the abstraction of flowers - initially I was going to add leaves and stems, because, after all, flowers aren't just suspended in thin air, and then I decided that these hydrandeas, were, in fact, suspended in thin air, and I left the painting as it is -  I'm very pelased with how it came out.

You can see other paintings at http://artid.com/swiftriverarts

Jackie Griswold

www.swift-river-arts.com