SPRING IS HERE!

A new beginning for this plein air painter!

A New Plein Air Season begins... and exhibitions, outdoor venues!

We got an early glimpse of the Spring Season here in the northeast when a week of March weather soared into the 80's.  I was as delighted  and caught off guard as were  the spring trees and flowers.  How the normal weather smarted when it returned!  Now the Spring weather is here, flowers are beginning to bloom and I am making new opprtunities for my artistic endeavors!

New outdoor venues are confirmed on my calendar, as well as some all time favorite.  I look forward in a few short weeks to arriving in Boston on June 3rd  for Beacon Hill Artwalk with new works to share.   I will be in New London , NH for Art on the Green in July and look forward to sharing the weekend with our art loving friends there/.I will be paqinting on location this year during the Art in the Park in Keene, taking full advantage of the beautiful location and the busy day

A new Fall venue has appeared as well  ( please be sure to check my frequently updated Calendar). and the year is bursting with explorations and adventures .

It is all good, all exciting and nourishment for this creative soul!

I hope you will get a chance to drop by one of the outdoor venues this year and share the artful creations that await.

There is no time like the present, the late summer , when the ever present greens give way to the seasonal golds and red greens of color.  A time which  calls attention to the weeks ahead when the New England foliage will break with glorious color.

This is my overall favorite time of year for en plein air painting, the crisp air, the call of nature and the glorious color that beams  from any location.

Before I spend some wonderful creative excursions in our area during Autumn, I will be exhibiting my current paintings at Keene's Art in the Park., a weekend long outdoor art festival which boasts more than 80 artists from all over New England.  If you are in the area please stop by Sept 3 & 4 at Ashuelot River Park, West St., Keene, NH.  Hours are 10AM - 4PM I will be situated in Booth #56 in the area near West St.

I will be looking for you!

Fall Preview

Location #1  on this years Dublin Art Tour will be my own Early Sunrise Studio, the working space of Alicia Drakiotes Fine Art in Marlborough, NH.

Art Tour Maps can be downloaded at :  http://www.monadnockart.org/art-tour.php

A true working studio visitors this year will get to see the first pieces of Functional Art painted tables & chairs that I have incorporated into my 2D works.  Larger format paintings and traditional small format framed works will also be on display.

Looking  forward to meeting many new art friends on this years annual tour.   Remember to look for the #1  Art Tour  signs in Marlborough, NH!

Functional Art -  Who would have guessed that this process could help break a block in my creative cycle?

Not I , that is for sure.  Deadlines for exhibitions, time constraints, lesson planning, demonstrations,  after a fashion these restrictions for me, tend to block the creative process and make painting more a chore adn less of a spiritual and exciting process.

As the boundaries closed around me, I turned and looked for an outlet, a pause , an escape from the moment.  I spied an oak chair, or two.  Pieces form an auction years ago that were waiting for "something" to happen.  And these pieces have become the beginning of FUNCTIONAL ART - a side venue from my 2 dimensional works.

"Floral Simplicity" , shown above, is a charming solid oak pressed back chair that I re birthed with color and design.  Sporting a pristine caned seat it has been polyurethane coated to provide a long life when used as a functional piece or as a decorative accent.

Delightful painted seat with chickens, Nested Egg on back, this colorful piece is festive!

"Which Came First"  offered a more painterly completion and allowed a greater play with color, actually instilling a feeling of accomplishment when it was assembled.

Adding my painting skills to a 3 dimensional piece was a challenge, but as they say when there is a challenge the completion is the reward.   These wonderful side ventures have left me ready to leap back into the works at hand to fulfill my exhibition deadlines.  Meanwhile until they find a home to travel to, they are adding some extra sparkle and rural charm to the studio gallery space!

I admit, I had FUN with FUNCTIONAL ART!

Warm light floods the front of former mill houses on Peanut Row in Harrisville, NH.

Last Day Standing

Plein air painting allows me to capture moments and places before they are gone forever.

The day pictured here was sunny but extremely chilly a cold October morning...

soon the building would be razed gone forever from the local landscape.

One of the most valuable aspects in my personal art career are these works created en plein air.

I hope you find enjoyment in it.

I will try to elaborate on what visions I have and how I interpret the energy around me in my art.

Mt. Monadnock is viewed from Dublin, NH after a winter storm.

I hope you enjoy the years journey into art in New England.

Alicia