Friday, July 1, 2011

ICE show at Lake Placid, NY !!!

Hi Everyone,

A quick note to say that some of my ice work can be seen at the lovely "A Point of View" Gallery in Lake Placid, NY until July 18th. They are holding a very special show that is inspired by theme of "ICE". Margarete is the owner of the gallery and she is just the nicest person. Here is a link to the Facebook page featuring some photos from the opening as well as some news from past shows. Go to: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150254373599208.347475.242187904207

If you are not familiar with what the gallery offers, here is a GREAT review written by Athena Roth in one of her blogs: http://www.lakeplacid.com/blog/2011/04/lake-placid-gallery-offers-unique-point-view

It is a brave choice to do a show about Ice after the long winter we've had! But if you are in the area, do stop by and check it out... the gallery is warm and inviting and beautifully lit and there are many wonderful pieces of art to discover!


Now... on to other announcements..

Well, Jennifer, my webmistress, is even faster than I had thought she would be.... and the new Greenspirit Arts website upgrades are all in place!!! I need to tell you a wee bit more about the next new set of cards, the Winter Eartherials collection called "Winter Magic". Here they are:



This first image is called "All One" and was something I had imagined doing for over a year. In a way, it is the polar opposite of the dandelion puff circle I made last summer.






This image is from my Chapel Pond Ice Spiral series. This image was taken at the sun was rising and cresting the ridge behind me to illuminate the cliffs on the far shore in front of me. The deep blue shadows are only possible when the sky over head is clear and bright. It had been cold enough the night before so that all the open water that I had been wading in the day before, to make the sculpture was now re-frozen and glass-like. It was very emotionally hard to break the ice to set up my tripod to get the photo, but this view was only possible from being IN the lake, not from the shore.


This piece was made from more curved ice that I pulled off of some boulders. The main bowl of ice was perched atop a tripod of giant icicles I gathered along the big lake near my house. The lapping and freezing action of the water on an old piece of lumber made the incredible rounded shapes which I harvested and affixed tot he tripod. Again, I am hip deep in 33 degree water to get this shot. Ah the sacrifices we make for our art! ;-)






This image is a detail of a larger sculpture which was created between two Balsam trees after a big ice storm had coated them thickly and given the landscape a crystalline look. The idea for this piece was a fallen star had come to rest in a safe haven here in the frozen north.









Here we have another view of the Japanese Maple leaf ice disc that I created after the earthquake and tsunami event of this past March. This image shows the effect of the sun about 30 minutes after sunrise shining across the frozen expanse of lake and bouncing up into the disc. It is one of my favourite all time images.







This simple spiral was made out of a dogwood branch and wired in place while it was still supple. It was allowed to dry in this shape and then the wires were removed. I had fun trying to capture the long shadows of a winter sunset. The juxtaposition of the warm golden light on the cool purple and blue shadows is endlessly fascinating and challenging to capture digitally.






All of these new cards, and more can be found on my website here: http://www.greenspiritarts.com/Greenspirit_Arts_Cards_-_Eartherials_Collections.html

Have fun looking around, and next I'll tell you about the last 2 new sets ... but of course, you can go see them right now!! Also, I have a nice surprise announcement that I'm working on with the great folks at Pomegranate... but we have to wait till they are ready before I can tell you what it is.

I know it is strange to be talking about winter and snow here in the middle of our (supposed) summer, but sometimes it is the contrasts in life that show us how rich it can be!!

Have a great week-end

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Incredible. I am enthralled by the Japanese Maple Leaf Disc. So beautiful. The show looks great. Congratulations!

Sally J Smith, Environmental Artist said...

Thank you Amantha ! Nice to see you here! :-)

Welcome to the enchanted world of Environmental art and Faerie Houses sculptures created by Sally J Smith. Here you will find photos of the artist's unique art-forms and hear some of the stories from behind the scenes as she shares with you her creative process.