The Thinking Woman's Almanac
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From Annie Shaver-Crandell's Studio
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NEW LIFE, NEW WORK:
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Formed as I have been by my first profession, art history, in which I was always interested in how the lives of artists related to their work, I have shared relevant information from my life and tried to connect it to what has been created in the studio. In the most recent issue of The Thinking Woman's Almanac, I wrote about my appreciation of peonies -- their beauty, their fragrance, their fragility, and the shortness of the season to enjoy them. I concluded with an exhortation to seize the day, but not to forget to appreciate what remains stable in your life.
This is advice I am having to take now. Eight weeks ago, the husband I loved so much informed me that he was moving to the country and leaving the marriage, both of which he has done. The man whose suggestion for our wedding vows was "to do the right thing, going forward, as time goes by," apparently found this an impossible goal. He succumbed to a relentless campaign of seduction by another woman -- we'll call her "Chorra" here -- who began pursuing him from the moment we all met, at the first milonga we hosted after our marriage --not even a week later. If I had not witnessed her -- and then his -- inexcusable behavior myself, on repeated public and private occasions, I could not have believed it. I assumed, incorrectly, that nobody would be this stupid. He has filed for divorce, and we await a decree from the State of New York that might arrive in another 2-5 months.
Sparing my readers the sordid details, let me focus on what is now the case in my creative life. The abruptness of my husband's announcement to me of the non-negotiable end of our relationship, coupled with a refusal to acknowledge what had been going on, followed by an all-too-public parading of the results on Facebook, put me into a state of systemic shock from which I am slowly recovering now.
I haven't resumed painting yet, but what I am doing instead in my studio has proven to be extremely interesting and significant to me. From the late 1970s to the 1990s, while I was still teaching art history full-time, I was an avid quilt-maker. It is a medium that allows itself to picked up and put down when only short periods of work-time are available without undermining the stability of the work. I still have some 14 drawers stuffed with fabric that I never quite got to convert into quilts, and a deep understanding of how to think about large-scale abstract designs to be executed in printed fabric.
Since I have shed most of my patience with sewing and pressing seams, but love the design possibilities I'm currently exploring, I am creating fabric collages glued to canvas, sealed with acrylic medium, suitable for framing. Here's a selection of the most recent ones, in which I have set out to use up some the smallest scraps remaining from my previous years making quilts and pillow covers.
And here's a more complex piece, from 2010, in which you see the effect of the work framed.
And herein lie several insights. I am literally putting the pieces together in new and beautiful ways, making, as it were, lemonade from lemons.
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Detail of
When Life Gives You Lemons,
oil, 2014
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The other insight I'm beginning to appreciate is the realization of just how much resource I already have in my life to draw upon. It's not just the 14 drawers of fabric, relevant tools and the work space to create something new, but also -- and this is paramount -- the amazing support of friends, family and new acquaintances who have opened their hearts and arms to me. I'm back out on the tango floor and am meeting new people, I've been invited for meals with dear friends whom I haven't spent nearly enough time with in recent years, been invited to the opera (you can imagine the impact on my psyche of Mozart's Don Giovanni during this tumultuous time), and looking forward to movies on the large screen again, a concert or two and a trip to New Mexico next month.
If you're interested in seeing more of what's already finished or in commissioning a fabric collage, please call or email me. My current fabric reserves cover most of the spectrum but no one can have too much fabric....
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Take a look at vasari21.com, a web-based magazine created by my friend, art critic Ann Landi, for a broad and spirited look at the contemporary scene focused on artists, their work and their lives.
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Novartis Patient Journal
WATERLILIES
Novartis has selected this oil painting for inclusion in the
Novartis Patient Journal
to be published soon. Accompanying the painting is
Maya Angelou's wonderful quote:
Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
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SCNY Fall 2016 Auctions
Lower Gallery, September 26, 2016 - October 21, 2016
On View September 26 - October 21, 2016
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2nd Auction:
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2 pm
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Looking Towards Lacoste
Lot #67
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3rd Auction:
Friday, Oct. 21, 8 pm
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Nocturne In Blue
Lot #175 |
Preview the Art by clicking
HERE. Artists are listed alphabetically
by last name.
2nd Auction: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2 pm
3rd Auction: Friday, Oct. 21, 8 pm
The Salmagundi Club hosts its Annual Fall Auctions of works by artist members in all media, including oil painting, sculpture, fine-art graphics, and photography September 26 - October 21.
Over one hundred fifty artworks by current Salmagundi members will be auctioned. Collectors since the early 1900s have flocked to these events, held every spring and fall, to find top-quality works of representational painting, drawing, fine-art graphics, photography, and sculpture, at better-than-reasonable prices.
Four Ways to Bid:
1) In person.
2) By Absentee Bid. (Form to be posted.)
4) By phone. Call 212.255.7740 in advance to register to bid from wherever you are. We will call you during the auction just prior to your lot coming to the block.
A 10 percent buyer's premium will be applied to all purchases.
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Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities
Lavender Fields,
watercolor, 16" x 20," 2014
Lavender Fields is currently on view in the
My Long Island Landmarks show at the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA) in Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
This exhibition will be open to the public Thursdays through Sundays
From 12:00 to 4:00PM, through November 20th.
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities
161 Main Street
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
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MONOTYPE MEDIUM
at the SALAMAGUNDI CLUB
If you want to try out the monotype medium when we WILL be printing, the next monotype party is
Wednesday, October 26, 6-9 pm; the bar opens at 5:00. Paper, ink and press included; you provide your own visual source material, tools, gloves and aprons, rags, something to carry your work home in, etc.
Wednesday, October 26, 6-9 pm.
Salmagundi Club,
47 Fifth Avenue @ 12th St,
New York 10003
For each monotype event, the charge is $20 for Salmagundi members, $30 for non-members.
212-255-7740 or info@salmagundi.org to reserve.
The club's bar is open at 5:00.
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FEARLESS WATERCOLOR CLASSES
Space is currently available in my group painting classes, offered in my Bond Street studio. Class is in session three times a week, on a drop-in basis. All experience levels welcome. Email me for details about these and private lessons.
Classes have begun. A few spaces remain.
Current schedule:
Monday 2:30pm - 5:30pm
Wednesday 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday 10:00am - 1:00pm
A typical workstation
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ANNIE'S STORE
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Annie Shaver-Crandell: A Collection of Views Landscapes, Cityscapes and Interiors
36 page book, 8 3/8" x 10 7/8"
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| Carousel Mug |
Please visit the online
store to purchase my recently released book and collectible mug.
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Please visit my studio for a private viewing. Call me at
212-464-7519 to schedule. I am also available to discuss commissions.
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Post-creation: what happens to an artwork between completion and public presentation will appear in the next newsletter
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| FEEDBACK
I love hearing from all of you with all your questions and comments. Please feel free to write me at
annieshavercrandell@gmail.com and I promise to reply. Your comments help me build my studio.
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