We have been binge watching "The West Wing" during this Christmas break. I love the show, so wordy and fast-paced. I have no way of knowing if the show is an accurate depiction of the White House staff in action. However, during a scene in the White House, I saw a familiar image in the background and looked it up. Yes, this Childe Hassam painting, "The Avenue inthe Rain" 1917, is in the White House collection. Turns out Childe Hassam painted at least 25 patriotic images with flags, many of 5th Avenue in New York.
During the latter part of his career, Childe Hassam lived in New York and had a studio near the 5th Avenue parade route. In 1916 5th Avenue was the scene of a Preparedness Day parade, showing support for the US involvement in The Great War. The parade of 137,000 laborers, mothers, teachers, businessmen and doctors lasted over 13 hours.
The flags were the inspiration for Hassam's patriotic series.
Sometimes I drive into Boston on Sunday mornings, hang out at a coffee shop and either grade papers or do some drawing. I was sketching today at a tall table, when I looked up and there was a friend I hadn't seen in quite a while. We spent the next hour catching up, which was a gift on this beautiful morning.
I love objects with facets, ironstone, silver, glass. They reflect their surroundings in a lovely way. Here is one of my favorite ironstone cream pitchers back lit with wildflowers, and a tomato which casts a beautiful color on the white.
Added to my studio clearance sale today.
UMass Lowell has a great website for educating students about climate concerns and encouraging their involvement in advocating for change. My students watched an interesting slide show, read a number of FAQs, and entered a poster contest with their take on spreading the news about climate change. Here's a link to the slide show. The posters needed to be a specific size and shape because the winning posters will grace the sides of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) buses. We had a learning curve aside from climate change itself. The posters needed to be 22" x 7" with a one inch border around the edge. Sometimes I need to remind myself that what I see as a simple task is not simple for all. I taught everyone how to make a one inch border that was uniform. We made draft designs and discussed their strengths and potential changes. Here are some of the final products. I'm really proud of my students' efforts and their fabulous creative ideas.
What do you think?
Added a few more paintings to my Studio Clearance Sale. including this demo I did with my painting class a few summers ago. The blue dinghy was very appealing, and the truck behind it was originally white, replaced by a blue one, and eventually a red one... I love a moving target.
Finding all kinds of things as I clean out. Use the link above, click on any image and you will see its dimensions and pricing information. Thanks in advance for looking.
My studio is cramped and I'm going to grad school. Check out the Studio Clearance tab at jodyregan.com; lots of work at deep discounts, unframed, "Buy It Now" option via Paypal, and priority shipping.
When you get to the web site, click on a painting to see its details, size, price, etc.
Thank you in advance.
It's that time of year. Since I was a little girl, walking about Boston's Downtown Crossing area meant seeing the wonderful glowing stars lit and suspended above the streets. The stars have stayed the same for decades. I assume these are not the same nets-with-lights-in-glorious-star-shapes that hung there when I was a little girl, but they are the same design so someone else understands their icon status, too. The design is so appealing, and nostalgic for me, while contemporary, too. This month's theme for Girls Just Wanna Paint is "celebration". When I see these lights, I don't think of retail. I see history, and wonder, and the joy of the season, and beauty, pageantry, excitement. That's a celebration for me, every year.
Thanks for looking.
