Susan Abbott Studio News

Studio Views

2011-12-22T07:52:00.001-08:00

I've been working this month on a new series of oil landscapes in preparation for a show this August at West Branch Gallery in Stowe.

This is my new easel from David Sorg, which will be helpful for the larger canvases I'm about to begin. No cranks to raise or lower--it's counter weighted, and slides up and down easily. A boon to my posture!

Mia likes to lounge around close by my brush while I'm trying to prepare canvases. I've been gluing linen to wood panels, then applying Art Board's excellent acrylic gesso. (That's a painting by Euan Uglow in the open book.)

Still life props and favorite postcards: Tom Thomson, Vincent Desiderio, Gerhard Richter, Catherine Murphy, Vermeer, Linden Frederick, John Sell Cotman. (Like most painters, I have eclectic tastes.)

New paintings I'm working on are images of New England summers--and not so far removed from our December weather, which has yet to see a lasting snow. Hopefully this week the cold white blanket of Vermont winter will arrive, and be the view from my studio hibernation until a Bahamas workshop in February.

My VT Flood Relief Art Sale Update

2011-11-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

November 2012 Update: All of my painted photos of Vermont towns are now sold, and over $5,000. donated to local flood relief efforts. Thank you to everyone who purchased! I'll be posting more of these soon on my Vermont blog.

In the words of the latest issue of Burlington, VT newspaper "Seven Days":

"Artist Susan Abbott is selling hand-painted photographs of Vermont towns that she created for her blog, Let Me Show You Vermont. The gaily colorized images of iconic roads, buildings, farms and landscapes would be brilliant keepsakes of the state even if they didn’t benefit flood-relief efforts. The matted, one-of-a-kind 8-by-10-inch photos are $225 each and appear to be going fast."

And they are going fast! So far we have sold sixteen photo/paintings, and raised $3,500. for flood relief. There are seven more left, including "Moretown" (a village hit very hard by the flooding), shown above. I have over 200 towns to go, in my quest to paint and draw all over this beautiful state, and will continue to offer sales as donations as long as there is a need to help flood victims, so stay tuned...meanwhile, you can see the online art sale here.

Vermont Flood Relief Art Sale

2011-09-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

See the online sale here!

Hurricane Irene tracked directly over my home state of Vermont on Sunday, August 28th. After twelve hours of torrential rains, waters poured down our mountains and rivers rose quickly, jumping their banks and inundating homes, businesses, and farmlands. Over 300 roads and bridges were damaged, including all of the highways that span the southern part of the state from east to west. Vermonters are working hard to recover, but they will need some help to rebuild.

I'm happy to be able to offer all proceeds from the sale of over 25 original hand-painted photographs to aid the relief effort here in Vermont. These images were created for my blog
"Let Me Show You Vermont", a project that's taking me on a sketchbook tour of all 251 Vermont towns. Unfortunately, many of these places were damaged by Hurricane Irene. Your purchase of one of the pieces in this series will be a generous donation to Vermont's recovery. And then come up and visit this wonderful state!

Plein Air in Provence

2011-08-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Painting in Provence was as exciting and challenging this summer as it always is. I especially enjoyed working on a series of plein air oils--you can take a look at them (as well as watercolors and sketchbook pages from the trip) here. As always, my students were a pleasure to travel with, and worked as hard--and drank as much wine-- as I did!

Web Article

2011-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Artist Network website has an article up called "Anatomy of a Painting" that analyzes my watercolor "Elegy". Take a look by clicking here.

A Summer Painting

2011-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm working this summer on a commission--a large still life triptych that is a return for me to the "Dream Table" series, this time in oil rather than watercolor. I'll be posting vignette details of "Spring to Summer" as I work my way across the tabletop. On my studio desk you can see some of the bounty of art books and postcards I brought back from Paris a few weeks ago, which I'll be perusing frequently in the future for ideas, technical help, and inspiration.

Colors of the Batey Update

2011-05-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

My son Colin and I had a great opening for the "Colors of the Batey" show, which continues until July 1st at the University of Vermont Davis Center. We have sold six of the sixteen photographs and paintings--all sales are donated to the Clean Water Project for the Batey. Please take a look at the show online here!

Colors of the Batey Exhibit and Fundraiser

2011-04-27T08:51:00.001-07:00

Last November my son Colin and I traveled to the Dominican Republic to deliver $4,500. we had raised to help a Haitian community there install a safe drinking water system. (You can read about our project here.) While we were there, Colin photographed and I painted and drew, with an eye towards continuing our fundraising for the community.

We are now having an exhibit of these paintings and photographs from the Batey Libertad at the University Vermont's Davis Center. You can see the show (including prices, purchase information and my sketchbook from the trip) online here.

We are donating all sales from the show to the Batey Libertad Fundacion to finish the safe water project. Please email me at sa@susanabbott.com for more information, or to make a donation! Even a little help goes a long way.

Vermont Land Trust Annual Report

2011-02-27T11:10:00.001-08:00

The Vermont Land Trust chose a selection of my landscape paintings to illustrate their 2010 Annual Report. The VLT is doing great work conserving farms and forests across our state, including a 600 acre plein air painting paradise right across the road from my studio.

NRECA Mural installed

2011-01-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

My mural for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's Washington headquarters has been installed, and is featured in a recent issue of "Rural Electric" magazine:

"The NRECA Collection's shining jewel spans the mezzanine of the main meeting room--a forty foot mural that , according to artist Susan Abbott, captures the inspiring story of America's electric co-ops.
Abbott's vision consists of ten separate oil paintings completed in her northern Vermont studio in half-size, then digitally reproduced and enlarged before being installed on-site. Her work features a road and power line crossing regions, landscapes and communities, from coast to coast, and incorporates farms, forests, mountains, churches, a schoolhouse, and a co-op line truck, all in bright, uplifting colors.
'The concept popped into my head as soon as I saw the space where it would go", Abbott relates. 'Because rural electrification was a New Deal program, I thought about how it unified people in rural areas all across the country...My parents were big supporters of President Roosevelt, and the New Deal was a frequent topic of conversation in our house. So I understood my project from the outset.' "

Art and Safe Water Update

2010-11-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

We did it! I'm delighted to tell you that, thanks to the generosity of my blog readers, we reached our goal of raising $3,000. to help buy pipe to bring safe drinking water to Batey Libertad. This community of Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic asked my son Colin's service group to help them buy the plumbing supplies, so that they could lay pipe from a clean water reservoir to their village. Colin and his UVM professor raised the rest of the sum needed, and we can now send the Batey Libertad the money they need to make a real change for the better in their lives. During Thanksgiving break, Colin and I will be visiting the Batey Libertad, where we'll paint, take photographs, and help with the project. Thanks again to all of you who donated--your gift is much appreciated by these deserving folks!
Photograph Colin Arisman

Update on the Safe Water project: We had a great trip to the DR and the Batey. Colin and I delivered the funds we'd raised, and the community is now at work with an engineer to design an effective water delivery system. We stayed busy taking photos, painting and exploring some of this beautiful country. I hope to get back there soon!

Art and Safe Water

2010-10-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

I'm teaming up with my son Colin to help Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic bring clean, safe water to their community. We've set a goal of raising the $4,800 they need for plumbing pipe by the end of November. I'm donating the sale of the nine paintings (painted plein air in the Bahamas and Oregon last year) at a discounted price to help bring water to the Batey Libertad. Please email me at sa@susanabbott.com to reserve a painting. Thank you for sharing the gift of clean, safe water!

Roofs and Sky, 8" x 8", watercolor, SOLD

West Branch Gallery Exhibit

2010-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

My new multi-panel landscape paintings will be included in the exhibit "Fresh Air" at West Branch Gallery in Stowe, Vermont. If you're in the area, please come to the opening on Saturday, August 28th, 2010, 6-8 pm!

Web Articles

2010-08-14T20:48:00.001-07:00

"Brush-Paper-Water", a blog that profiles painters working with watercolor, has a feature on my painting this month.

Also check out an article about my painting on the blog "Empty Easel".

"Daily Painter Review" also has something about my work here.

Southern Vermont Arts Center Exhibit

2010-08-01T17:00:00.001-07:00

My exhibit of watercolors and oils inspired by Provence (and one nocturne from Paris) will be featured at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester from July 24th to August 4th. Please click here to view my show online.

Art of Action project finale

2010-07-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Art of Action finished it's year-long tour of Vermont with a July 17th exhibit and auction in Burlington. It's been an honor to be included in this ambitious and unique project that invited ten artists to weigh in on the future of our home state. You can see my series of paintings "The Elements of Place" here.

Collector's Wall

2010-07-20T21:19:00.001-07:00

A steady collector of my "journal paintings" created a wall of landscapes and still lifes that she framed identically--an effective presentation that brings back many memories for me.

In Madrid and Barcelona

2010-05-03T02:08:00.001-07:00

I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing Spain for the first time, from the rural western small towns and farms of Galicia, to the architectural and design (and eating) wonderland of Barcelona. My ten days in Madrid, exploring the museums, streets and parks of this great city with my camera, sketchbook and watercolors, was a revelation. I can't wait to come back--this time armed with a bit more Spanish!

You can see paintings from the trip here, some sketchbook pages here, and photos (of walls and windows--their design and colors really grabbed me) here.

Now on to Paris...

Teaching and Painting in Spain

2010-04-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful week in Galicia teaching a sketchbook workshop on the Camino de Santiago pilgrims trail. Alex Chang of Fresco Tours did a great job organizing a really enjoyable trip for our group--and what a hard-working, fun group it was! Here are some pictures Fresco posted of our week together.

In the photo above, I'm painting a medieval castle. You can see that painting, and some of my Santiago sketchbook pages, here.

Artist's Magazine Article

2010-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

My painting is being featured in the January/February issue of Artist's Magazine. The article "Still Life Strategies: Five masters of the still life genre offer insights to their craft", discusses the composition of my "Dream Table" series of watercolors. Also highlighted are the still life of Jeanette Pasin Sloan and Mary Jane Waid.

Watercolor Artist Article

2010-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I've uploaded the entire recent Watercolor Artist article on my still life series "Dream Tables". If you click here, you can download all eleven pages , or read it online. It's a long interview about my painting process and inspirations, and I thought the writer, Sarah Strickley, asked very perceptive questions. Hope you enjoy it!

Travelogue Paintings

2010-01-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

I've started a new series of paintings that I'll be posting on both my blog as I'm traveling and on Flickr as sets after my trips. I'm frequently on the road painting and teaching, and these "Travelogue" sketches are a way I can immerse myself in the spirit of each place I'm lucky enough to visit. ("Walking Down", the watercolor shown above, was painted in Madrid.)

A reader of my blog commented, "I just want to tell you how much I enjoy these one a day 'snapshots'. They put me on a virtual journey with you - sort of friendly 'Wish You Were Here' postcards." Take a look here!

Pacific Northwest Travels

2010-01-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'm on the road for ten days with my son Colin, who will be turning up probably more than he likes in my travel sketch journal. We're exploring Seattle and Portland (here we are on the train between the two cities) and then on to the Oregon coast, and up to the Olympic Peninsula. I brought my paints--check out my blog A Painter's Year for posts along the way.

Winter Studio

2009-12-20T11:01:00.001-08:00

I'm back in my studio for a month before January travels in the Pacific Northwest and the Bahamas. The cats and I aren't built for plein air painting in the snow, so we're spending our days together inside looking out (and in my case, looking at a score of blank and partly finished canvases that will keep me busy until spring).

NRECA Commission Update

2009-11-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm at the Vermont Studio Center for two weeks, taking advantage of the long working walls and three good meals a day to finish my commission for the NRECA. The approach I'm using for this mural is "WPA Meets Post-Impressionism", combining a stylized landscape with vivid color shapes.

The paintings span from east to west coast, with each panel representing a different region of the United States. The architecture stands in for "the people" here, and every type of building represents a different population--rural, suburban and urban.

Power lines, a generation plant, and a dam also help tell the story of how our country was electrified. Bringing light and power to communities across the United States was a mission of Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal", and very controversial in its time. It's hard to believe now that anyone would find it dangerous that our government would help a farmer put a light in his barn, or a housewife run an electric washing machine rather than use a scrub board, or a family listen to the radio in their lonely prairie home. But maybe our children will look back in fifty years at our fights over health care and other social programs, and wonder what the fuss was all about.

Women to Watch 2010

2009-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

The "Women to Watch" show opens Sunday, October 4th at the West Branch Gallery in Stowe, VT. Figurative art is being featured this year, and I'll be represented, along with five other Vermont artists, by a selection of my Wonder Road paintings.

Our show will be touring the state, and the other venues are:

The Christine Price Gallery at Castelton State College, Castleton, VT
Nov. 30th - Dec. 22nd, 2009
Opening reception: Wednesday, December 2nd, 4:30-6:30 pm

Amy Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn Theatre, Burlington, VT
January 8th-March 29th, 2010
Opening reception: Friday, January 8th, 5:30-8:00 pm

St. Michaels College, Burlington, VT
June, 2010 (specific dates to be announced)

Garden Update

2009-09-08T06:06:00.001-07:00

This summer my vacation from workshops and studio work has been time in my garden. Sometimes I think the food produced, as good as tastes, is secondary to the fun of working outside in the sun (mosquitos be damned) on an ever-changing, never perfected, three-dimensional design of shapes and colors.

The Art of Lake Champlain

2009-09-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

One of my mixed media images of Lake Champlain is featured in the new book "The Art of Lake Champlain", published by Verve Editions.

Vermont Life Article

2009-08-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Vermont Life magazine is featuring the Art of Action project in it's fall issue. Click here to take a look. (That's my hand wielding the brush at upper right--and my depleted tubes of paint.)

Garden News

2009-07-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

True, my garden is not "studio news", but it does feel like creative work, and it's where you can find me on summer days when I'm not inside painting or outside teaching plein air workshops. Gardening echoes many of my feelings about visual art: "keep going, don't get discouraged, there's always next season, focus on the doing, don't expect a perfect product." The truth is, I garden and I paint because of the pure pleasure of the work, of going from an idea only in my head, to something real in the shared world.

NRECA Commission

2009-06-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

I've been commissioned by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association to produce a mural installation for the meeting room of their headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. The NRECA has its roots in President Roosevelt's New Deal program to improve the life and economy of rural areas. More than sixty years later the NRECA is still going strong, with more than 900 member cooperatives serving 42 million people in 47 states, and also programs in developing countries around the world.

My concept for the forty foot mural that will span the width of their headquarter's meeting room is to combine a narrative about the NRECA's mission with a design of shapes and colors that reads from all parts of the large hall.

Here's my first study, where I sketched out my idea: a road (with power lines, of course!) that wends through a stylized landscape of coast to coast America. Regional architecture represents the populations served by NRECA's member cooperatives.

I've decided to work with a limited palette of three hues (cadmium yellow pale, alizarin crimson, and prussian blue) for the paintings, so I can keep color integrated over such a large area. Three mixed primaries yield a surprisingly large possibility of colors:

Superimposing a line drawing of my composition over a photograph of the architectural niches in the room gives an idea of the scale of the paintings:

And here's a section of the watercolor studies for my eventual large oil paintings:

The project will be completed by November. Subscribe to Studio News for updates!

The Art of Action

2009-06-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

For eight months I've been working on a series of paintings for the project The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont's Future through Art. Ten artists selected out of a pool of over 300 international applicants are creating suites of artwork that address Vermont's future. This unique project is using private funding (generously provided by Vermont entrepreneur and philanthropist Lyman Orton) administered by a public agency (the Vermont Arts Council) to address a vital social issue (where our state is heading). From creating my proposal last August to this final stretch of finishing my paintings, I've been inspired, challenged, and excited to be involved in the "Art of Action" project.

Informed by research conducted by the Council on the Future of Vermont, the artwork created for the Art of Action is designed to inspire Vermonters to achieve their vision for our state's social, cultural and political landscape. Elements in the council's Final Report guided the artists’ thematic choices and explorations.

My suite of paintings Elements of Place is an exploration of what for me defines the "essential Vermont": eight landscape features (Mountain, Forest, Field, Water, Road, Home, Farm, Town) shown in different aspects and seasons, that we see every day, and can easily take for granted.

These landscape features were also cited by Vermonters in Council on the Future of Vermont forums as important and worth protecting, and as symbolizing the values of country living and the “Vermont brand”.

I'm also depicting (in a panel that will hang with the "Elements" paintings) a possible future, what I hope is a "road not taken", for the Vermont landscape and way of life. As I say in my proposal, "How many hay fields, barns, gravel roads, and village general stores could vanish before we would be living somewhere that is no longer recognizable as the rural state we love?"

You can see more about the "Art of Action" proposal and the other artists here (click my picture to read my proposal). I'll be adding the entire suite of my completed "Elements of Place" series to my website later this summer--until then, you can see my paintings as they've developed on my blog "A Painter's Year". And the entire project with the work of all ten artists will be traveling the state throughout next year--and featured in a catalogue. Subscribe to future "Studio News" for details!