Thursday, September 30, 2010

Sweet Stawberries

"Square Foot Garden ~ Strawberries"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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The "model" for this piece was my brother Joe's strawberry bed. My family and I usually time a visit when it's picking time. We all love strawberries so we pick plenty for jam and freezing for a winter treat. I am not sure how successful strawberries would be in a square foot garden since they like to "wander." This is where artistic license trumps practicality. Now where is my smoothie?
Don't forget~tomorrow from 5 - 7 pm is the gallery gala house warming party for where we live at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau. You'll be able to see the entire square foot garden series along with the rest of the show, and the collaborative painting Val, Chris and I have been working on all week!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Colorful Greens

"Square Foot Garden ~ Mesclun Mix"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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Hmmm, I could just cut these greens, add a few walnuts and strawberries, or maybe some dried cranberries, a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a twist of fresh ground pepper...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

You Say To-may-to, I Say To-mah-to

"Square Foot Garden ~ Tomatoes"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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Another "square" from my Square Foot Garden series in Where We Live at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI. Tomatoes are a must have in my garden. As a child, I once ate so many tomatoes I became very ill. Still love them anyway. We have had some chilly nights here recently and I have been covering up my tomatoes. There a few left on the vine trying to ripen and I am not ready to relinquish them to Jack Frost!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Colors of the Garden

"Square Foot Garden ~ Turnips"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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Interestingly enough, the colorful veggies that are so good for you to eat also make great painting subjects!
On another note, these last few weeks as I finished up my studio work, I listened to Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland which I borrowed from my local library. While I did not need an incentive to get to my studio to paint (I had a show deadline!), audio books make a great studio companion when you want a change from music. It was a great story and I love art history.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Square Foot Gardening

"Square Foot Garden ~ Eggplant"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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I first learned about square foot gardening from an article in City Pages, Wausau's weekly entertainment newspaper. Basically, you take a garden plot or raised bed and divide it into 1 foot by 1 foot sections. With proper planning and planting, you can grow a lot of vegetables in a small space. With this series, I am gardening vicariously through painting.

Fresh From the Garden

"Square Foot Garden ~ Chives"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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Gotta love those chives! Hardy, tasty, and easy to grow, their shape and color is a nice complement in the garden. This painting is a part of the Square Foot Garden series in Where We Live now on view at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, WI.

Friday, September 24, 2010

All Moved In!

"Square Foot Garden ~ Carrots"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 12" x 1-3/8"
Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
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After two days of "moving in," Where We Live opens today. Valerie Berkely, Chris Mosse and I have turned the Center for Visual Arts gallery into a home. From the kid's room to the kitchen, the dining room to the office, we even have a backyard with a square foot garden! Stop by "Where We Live;" you don't even have to call first or take off your shoes. ;-)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Opening Friday, September 24th...


Where We Live
September 24 thru November 7, 2010
427 4th St • Wausau WI • 715.842.4545

Gallery Gala (aka House Warming Party)
Friday Oct. 1, 5 - 7 pm

Home is where the art is. Three Wausau artists present their passion for the painted surface. Valerie Berkely, Nancy Laliberte, and Chris Mosse each depict how they live in a world of art by turning the gallery into a living space. You may want to move in!

Artists in Residence
During regular gallery hours, stop by where we live to see the artists in action. Find out how they do what they do through live painting demos and gallery talks.
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Hope you can join us for the "house warming party" or any time during the show. It is going to be colorful and fun! After all, it is where we live...

Back in the Garden

"Turnips in the Garden"
© Nancy Laliberte
5.75" x 5.75"
Acrylic on panel
$65

Another study for my Square Foot Garden series. It has been very helpful for me to draw thumbnails and paint small studies before working on larger pieces. It's a great way to get loosened up and try new things.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Pinch Me...Robert Bateman Painting Demo

This weekend the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, WI, kicked off the opening of their 35th annual Birds in Art show. To celebrate the anniversary of this prestigious exhibit, the Woodson invited several artists to demonstrate their techniques. I was one of the lucky ones to watch Canadian artist, Robert Bateman demonstrate his magic with acrylic paints. Using a pine tree on the grounds as his reference, Mr. Bateman went on to add a banded owl. He loves painting people and animals, with predatory animals being his favorite. "Probably a guy thing," he says.

Backlighting is one of his favorites, as is a limited palette.

Looks like the paparazzi found me again. ;-)
Thank you Robert Bateman for the delightfully inspiring day!

Friday, September 10, 2010

I'd Like a Salad, Please

"Mesclun Mix"
© Nancy Laliberte
5.75" x 5.75"
Acrylic on panel
$65

Not wanting you all to think I only paint (and eat!) cupcakes, I changed things up a bit and tackled lettuce. Not ordinary iceberg, but the good, healthy stuff! The more colorful the better (and better for you) is what I say. Even my 7-year-old will eat spinach or romaine greens on his sandwich. We just call it "lettuce" otherwise he probably wouldn't eat it. But I digress...this piece is a study for a larger painting for my "Square Foot Garden" series, all of which are 12" x 12". Yes, a square foot. I knew you would get it. ;-)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Dream Job

Pinch me! A dream job is what I have and I'm happy and blessed to say it! I have been finishing up larger paintings for the September 24th opening of "Where We Live." An exhibit featuring my artwork along with two of my artist friends, Val Berkely and Chris Mosse. We are turning Wausau's CVA gallery into our living space, complete with hand-painted furniture, a lot of paintings and even a working studio space. I'm psyched!

PS: Thanks honey (Mike) for being my photographer ;-)