Open Orange OPENING Friday

For the first time in two years, I will be exhibiting my work! After moving to West Orange last August, setting up my studio in September, and then settling into a routine with my boys, I started exploring opportunities in the area. West Orange sits right next to Orange, a city that is experiencing a renaissance. Once a center of hat-making, it is now trying to pick itself up and revitalizing an urban area through the arts. TraillWorks: Studio on the 3rd Floor, is located just up the hill from this area now called the Valley Arts District. I'm still getting to know Valley Arts and all it offers. Click here for a great introduction of their initiatives by Patrick Morrissy, Executive Director of Hands, Inc. 

I'm please and honored to be included in the inaugural juried exhibition, Open Orange, sponsored by the ValleyArts district of Orange and West Orange, NJ. This is my first juried show appearance and acceptance in a couple of years, and first exhibit opportunity in my new hometown. The exhibit was open to NJ artists and NY metropolitan area artists working in two-dimensional media. This contemporary art exhibition will be held in the new ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery and nearby spaces in the Valley Arts District and celebrates this growing artist community. The show runs from May 9th - June 8th.

I had the pleasure of meeting the co-chairs of the show: artist Jeremy Moss, and Nigel Freeman, Director of African American Fine Art at New York's Swann Auction Galleries. The nationally prominent jurors were Antonio Sergio Bessa, director of curatorial and educational programs, Bronx Museum, Deidre Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation and Naima J. Keith, assistant curator, the Studio Museum of Harlem. 

The opening reception will take place this Friday evening from 6 - 9pm at the Firehouse Gallery, located at 580 Forest Street in Orange. Lee and I will be there to celebrate the opening and enjoy a night out sans children! For more information about the exhibit, visit valleyartsnj.com.

Join Me in a Collaborative Painting at Peters Valley

It's been over six years since my relationship with a fantastic arts center in New Jersey began. Peters Valley Craft Center, located in Layton, NJ, is an amazing campus dedicated to the education and support of artists and craftspeople. We first became acquainted when I was accepted for a month-long residency in 2008. Over the course of those six years I've continued to be involved with the center in numerous ways when I ran TraillWorks in Newton, NJ.

Past Peters Valley Studio Open House and Bevans Day

Last year I was honored when director, Kristin Muller, invited me to teach a workshop during their summer session. Unfortunately circumstances didn't allow for it to run, but we are regrouping this year and I'm teaching "Painting the Texture of Tea" in August. 

Tomorrow, Peters Valley is hosting their annual Studio Open House and Bevans Day Event. I will be traveling to Sussex County to paint and sell some of my work in the afternoon. 

And, it wouldn't be a successful demo for me unless I could get the visitors involved. So, I am setting up a canvas, palette, and tea still life for the public during the day. You can stop by, mix a few colors you see in the still life and paint it onto the canvas. My hope is for a truly collaborative piece, added to by many people, that I can then contribute to the Peters Valley Annual Benefit Auction in August. 

Tea Reflections, 8" x 8", Oil on Canvas, ©2014 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

While you're there, snap a photo, share it on Twitter of Facebook with #PVTeaPainting. By the day's end, hopefully we'll have a finished painting to share. If not, I'll complete it in my studio. 

From studio tours, crafts and fine art demonstrations, to kids art activities and live music, this is an outing not to miss. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!