ART SALE BENEFIT

Donate to "Thumbelina", receive this art as a reward

Victoria Dobrushina, teacher extraordinaire in Norwich Vermont, has consistently created unique end-of-year recitals and productions for her students, who range in age from 5 to over 70. While these productions always have a classical piano focus, they also incorporate many other instruments, as well as singing, dance, and theater. This year, she and all of her collaborators are hoping to take the performance to a whole new level with a full theatrical production of Thumbelina, created by a team of talented artists including composer E. Krylatov, poet Y. Entin, drama director and librettist I. Khutsieva, choreographer D. Frawley, and Victoria as music director. 

I created this piece of art and have given it to Victoria's organization. They will use it as the program cover, and as a fund-raiser. Donate $150 or more to Thumbelina...and receive the orginal piece as your reward. There are 13 days left to respond!

Go to this link to find out more about the Thumbelina project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thumbelinainvermont/thumbelina-collaborative-multicultural-childrens-m/description

Click on the tab for "updates" to see a video of Victoria's recital from last year. "Updates" will also show you see details about the artwork reward.  Or go to this link:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thumbelinainvermont/thumbelina-collaborative-multicultural-childrens-m/posts/1608637

JAMES DAUGHERTY

James Daugherty was born on June 1, 1889. Like many other children's book illustrators, he worked creatively in a variety of styles and genres.

He was one of the first American painters to work with abstract color.

Daugherty sketching in his studio, his son posing for him

Later he began working in more representational styles...

Mural in the Greenwich Public Library

...creating a large body of work in the form of murals and paintings...

...that often explored American history and experience.

It was later in his career when he turned to children's books, a field in which he illustrated for other authors...

...as well as writing and illustrating his own distinguished, award-winning books.

His work is always vigorous, bursting with energy, so alive it seems to leap off the page.

One can feel muscles rippling beneath the surface of even the inanimate objects in his work.

Illustration from "Daniel Boone"

I had not realized until researching for this post that  Daugherty's work was also at times quite controversial (and perhaps still is)---for his uncompromising depictions of violent factual events, his sometimes scantily clad people, his uncomfortably accurate portrayals of this country's history. We are all too familiar with these same issues today, of course.

Daughtery's representational work remains, for me, some of the most beauiful art ever created. His images remind me of Michelangelo's art; they have the same heroic feel and look, the same celebration of the grandeur of creation.

But Daugherty's images have, in addition, their own unique qualities: a barely controlled energy, a life force that animates every creature, object, and item portrayed... as well as an acceptance of humanity in all its contradictory imperfection and nobility.

http://spaniermanmodern.com/inventory/D/Daugherty/Daugherty_BIO.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Daugherty

DAD'S STUDIO - BRONZE POWDER

When I dismantled my Dad's studio earlier this year, I kept a few objects that had special meaning for me. One of them was this little tin of bronze powder. As a special treat for me when I was a small child, Dad would tip out some of this powder onto a china saucer, add banana oil to the proper consistency---and like magic, there was gold paint, ready for me to brush on as the final embellishment to an image I had created.

The tin is still half full...

...and the powder is still as sparkling and magical as it was when I was five years old. Just like the impact Dad still has, even after his death, on my life as an artist.