Announcements

Philadelphia Water Color Society’s 122nd International Exhibition

The work, "Gypsy," has been accepted into the Philadelphia Water Color Society’s 122nd Anniversary International Exhibition of Works on Paper.

This year's exhibition will be held at Chester County Arts Association in West Chester, PA from November 1 - 30, 2022.

Gypsy has also been honored in The Cincinnati Art Clubs ViewPoint 54 Exhibition and the 43rd International Juried Exhibition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society.

Christine is a signature member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society.

Fall Northwoods Art Tour

The fall North Woods Art Tour is right around the corner!  October 7-9.  This video gives you a little taste of what it feels like to get a behind-the-scenes looks at some of the North Woods' finest artists studios and galleries, including mine!  

Click HERE to schedule a tour. NOTE: I will be opening up my studio a day earlier on Thursday for the tour.

Yesterday was a wonderful high energy day for me!

Yesterday was a wonderful high energy day for me. And I would like to share some parts of it with you all. It began when I got a random text from a person that I didn’t know about my work. I get a lot of those so I usually respond and move on, but this one was different. It began this way; “Hi! I attended the Rocky Mountain National Watercolor Exhibition reception on Friday evening. I just wanted to let you know that your piece was one of my very favorites in the show!!! (heart emoji)”

My response: “Thanks for telling me. It’s people like you that will keep the arts going and rich within our culture. If you get a chance I would love to have you visit my website and let me know what you think. www.chistinealfery.com ps. Any chance that are you related to an Avon?”

Response: “No, I am not. You can also visit my website: www.chriskrupinski.com."

So I visited her website and responded to her, “Oh my gosh you are a VIP, a Dolphin Fellow with the American Watercolor Society. Wow! What an honor that you like my work. Thanks very much.”

As a side note, the American Watercolor Society is like the gold standard for all watercolor artists. I have been applying and not getting into their exhibitions for years. To be a Dolphin Fellow means that she has gone past signature status and is at the very top of the group. I share this with you because you only see posts from me regarding national and international exhibitions that I get into. However, I get as many rejections as I get acceptances. I just wanted you to know that the journey is hard and not paved with yellow bricks. But the key for me is "possibilities and just keep moving forward."

Another thing to note is that this artist, Chris Krupinski, is just about on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to style and ways of painting. She is a realist – a really really good realist. I highly recommend you all checking out her site and you can see how shocked I was to get her email and why it gave me a ton of energy.

Chris Krupinski not only “plays” things forward and celebrates the arts in everything she does, but her text was an outstanding example of how difference should work within our culture. That’s one of the things I talk about in my blogs all the time. It’s also the one thing that my series, “The Space In The Middle” and “Rugged Individualism” along with the newly emerging series, “The Landscape of the Self - Prisms of Difference,” are all about.

She was also so kind as to allow me to quote her next text to me on my website: “That painting had everything right about it. Slightly off center nailed the composition… The complementary color juxtaposition created such a dynamic look. The simplicity of the subject matter allowed me to explore the entire painting. Just love it. You should have gotten an award.”

I am honored to have had this text exchange with Chris. She just confirms what I believe in – “playing” things forward and how important arts and artists are to our culture.

No wonder I was filled with energy!

I also want to mention that Chris Krupinski received an award in this exhibition.

Musings:

Totem

Featured image: Totem

What are totems? 

history, representations

life’s journey symbols

of our dreams for

the future tomorrows

 

The Sanctuary of Silence

 Featured image: Silence

The silence how easily, 

how naturally 

I slip myself into its sheer pleasure.  

The silence for me is like writing a love letter to myself

slipping the letter into an envelope, 

tying a ribbon around it.

every once in a while I untie that ribbon 

let all those treasured things, to be felt again – 

like the silence. Wonderful. 

Pause

Different Silences

 Featured image: Leaves

The silence is so different here.  

How can silence be different? 

Silence is silence right?  

Maybe not.  

Perhaps silence comes from how still things are? 

And how still the movement is. 

How can movement be still and silent?  

Just a single leaf twists in the breeze. It is moving, it is silent. 

 

Your Space

Featured image: La De Da

Your personal space and your community space.

Is your space fixed with new insights, new perspectives, new examples, new options, new alternatives and new doors to walk through?

I imagine the space in the middle to be like that.

 

Just One Monarch

New Works

Charting Pathways

Periwinkle Flowers

Blue Melts Into Golden

Weekly Haikus

Prisms of Color Within

Featured image: Sunshine and Rainbows

Prisms within the
Self rainbows of color Otherness 
exists together.

What-When-Who-How

Featured image: Your Path

Good questions to ask anytime.
What - When – Who- How
When: Diid you create it?
Who: Did you really create it?
What: Are you made of?

Good questions to ask about yourself.
What: are you made of?
How: Did you create yourself?
When: did you find your spirits – have you found your spirit?
Who: Did you really create yourself or did someone else?

Locked Mind

To Find YOU

Landscapes

Dawn Light

Let It Be

Before Creating

This Is A State Of

No Nourishment

Silver Mist

Raindrops and Snowflakes