Giclée Release and Promotion by Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Homage to Julia, Mixed Media on Panel, 24" x 24", ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer
Original in Private Collection

I'm pleased to announce the release of a new limited edition giclée featuring one of my most-loved recent paintings, Homage to Julia. Painted in 2009, around the time of the film, Julie and Julia, I wanted to learn more about Julia Child and was deeply impressed by her success in the professional kitchen, then a male-dominated arena.

After doing some research mostly through the Smithsonian's fabulous virtual tour of her kitchen, I composed this painting.  Using her Kitchen-Aid stand mixer as a metaphor for Child, I pulled colors and other elements from her kitchen, incorporating the french whisk, a tool she introduced to American cooks.

This painting actually evolved after a clipping from the newspaper was stuck in my studio door by my friend, Linda Hirsch. The clipping was Julia's recipe for French omelettes, along with a column encouraging Americans to get rid of their egg beaters. Child both loved tools that worked, whether old or new. She embraced technology when it worked well. She loved her mixing machine. I felt it was appropriate to collage both of these clippings into the painting.

The original painting sold last year and is now in a private collection in New Jersey. I've had many people express interest in the painting, so now you have an opportunity to own a canvas reproduction.

To celebrate the release of the giclée, I'm offering them now through Christmas* at 10% off the retail price of $125. The 14" x 14" giclée is printed on Fredrix canvas with archival inks and coated with a satin UV-resistant finish. Only 75 will be printed. They will be stretched on 1.25" deep stretcher bars. The wrap of the canvas around the stretchers will be left white. For an additional $20, the canvas wrap can be painted gold. The giclée may be left unframed for a contemporary look, or framed for an additional cost.

Homage to Julia

Limited Edition (75) Giclée 14" x 14"

gallery wrap stretch canvas on 1.25" wood frame

white sides (gold paint for an additional $20 - contact the artist)

Satin Finish UV Coat

$125 (regular price)

10% off through December 25th

*Delivery for Christmas will not be possible due to printing and stretching times. Giclées will be shipped within two weeks of purchase or can be purchased and picked up upon completion at TraillWorks in Newton, NJ.

TraillWorks Artist to Follow: Karin Lowney-Seed

Thank you to TraillWorks' intern, Ashley Allenfort, for interviewing Karin and putting together this month's "TraillWorks' Artist to Follow."

Karin Lowney-Seed is this month's [TraillWorks Artist to Follow]. Her work is on exhibit at TraillWorks through the end of the summer. Karin is a contemporary painter and interior designer who likes to use bold colors and shapes in her pieces. She uses words, flowers, collages, and a bright color palette to show her eye for beauty. When Jennie asked me to interview Karin I was especially excited about the opportunity. Karin was my professor at the County College of Morris during this past Spring Semester. To say that she was an inspiration would be an understatement. Karin helped our class look at art work and the art world in a different way. It was a great experience to be able to have a conversation with her outside of the classroom.

"Rose Water", Acrylic, 36" x 36", Karin Lowney-Seed, $2250

Ashley: You recently had a faux opening at TraillWorks to film the pilot for a new TV reality show. How did that get started and what will the show be about?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I was approached 8 months ago to film a pilot about my life and what I do. I've been doing interior design for years. I help clients in all aspects of life and guide them in the right direction. I was on another reality show on TLC and they wanted to explore that.

Ashley: What's the progress and when or where will it be available for viewing?

Karin Lowney-Seed: The working title is "Karin Clothes to Home" and it is in the preview stage right now. It will then go into editing in around September or November. So we won't know anything until the end of editing which should be sometime in the fall.

 

Ashley: How did you know you were meant to be an artist?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I have always been driven by anything creative. It's what gets me up and going. I'm never bored. It's a passion that won't go away.

Ashley: I heard you had an exhibit in Alaska with your sister. How was that? And what is your sister's medium of choice?

Karin Lowney-Seed: It was a great experience. The biggest challenge was getting the work up there and the expense. [My sister] is a sculptor. We were working together helping each other on our projects. I also put together some collages up there.

Ashley: Other than your sister and yourself, are there any other artists in your family?

Karin Lowney-Seed: My father actually was a sculptor and painter. But children and life kind of took him away from it.

Ashley: What artists inspire you?

Karin Lowney-Seed: Every artist inspires me. I am inspired by anybody why thinks outside the box. I am inspired by the classics like Matisse and Picasso. Also Robert Motherwell. There are too many to name.

Ashley: What is your process when beginning a painting? Is it spontaneous, planned, or a little bit of both?

Karin Lowney-Seed: Both, definitely both. I have a tendency to work tight and loose. If I work too tight it comes out too controlled. If I work too loose it's not controlled enough. I try to find a balance between the two.

Ashley: What got you started painting the roses? Do you have a favorite?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I always have a favorite and then the next one I create becomes the favorite. I've done these [circular flower patterns] for over 30 years in my work. It started out that I was working on something and felt instead of it being a part of the [background of the painting] it should be the [subject of the] painting.

"Fish Pond", Acrylic, 36" x 48", Karin Lowney-Seed, $1695

Ashley: Some of the writing in your paintings remind me of graffiti, was that intentional?

Karin Lowney-Seed: Absolutely. For me...I couldn't see a landscape and abstract it [in my mind]. It wasn't my thing. In Florida I was on the beach and wanted to be able to paint the water in a different way. I decided to write what I saw. I did 25 to 30 sketches and then I got it. I knew what I had to do.

Ashley: What inspires your choice of words for these paintings?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I write what I see. Its just words written over and over until it becomes a landscape.

"Believe", collage, 16" x 20", Karin Lowney-Seed, $225

Ashley: Do you create your collages around a single word within the piece?

Karin Lowney-Seed: No, I usually create them, see where they're going...they're thematic...poetic. They take on a poetic sense. Once they're done a word pops out and that's the only word it could be.

Ashley: How do you decide whether to do a collage or a painting to express your ideas?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I wouldn't say "decide"...it's usually where I am in the process of thinking. Collages come from wondering where to go next. I'm not going to paint the same thing over and over. A collage will be the in between stage. I use collages to problem solve.

Ashley: What are you reading right now?

Karin Lowney-Seed: I just finished Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I'm halfway through Sarah's Key by Tatiana be Rosnay.

Ashley: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Karin Lowney-Seed: One thing that's interesting...my world between interior design and fine arts had collided. I'm interested to see what's happened between the two. What's happening in the art...the materials and how I see things have become one with my interior designs.

Her work is on exhibit at TraillWorks, 214 Spring St. Newton, through the end of the summer. She'll be stopping in soon to swap in some newer work. Stop in a see what the buzz is all about!

"Suck", Acrylic, 36" x 36", Karin Lowney-Seed, $995

Meet fiber artist Martha C. Hall

I (Corrie), often wish I had TraillWorks' guest artists in the gallery to pick their brains about their creative process. So, I conducted a little interview with two of our most recent artists. This month we'll be featuring fabric artist, Martha C. Hall. Stay tuned for next month's interview with Brenda Decker. Here's what Martha had to say:

Corrie: Do you have any formal training in the arts, specifically fabric arts?

Martha: I have a B.A. in Studio Art from Montclair State University. While there I studied Textile Design and Painting. For many years I have taken workshops at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ. I try to take one each summer and I am always at the Fiber Studio! I’ve studied with some wonderful teachers there, exploring various techniques, among them paper making with natural plants. This summer I’ll be taking “Wired Once More” with Lindsay Ketterer Gates.

Corrie: When did you first learn to use a sewing machine?

Martha: I was around 9 years old when I first started using a sewing machine. Our first sewing project in third grade Home Ec. was to make an apron. That was to prepare us for the cooking segment. I wish I still had that apron! I also learned sewing with the Girl Scouts.

Corrie: What other machines do you use, and when did you first learn to use them?

Martha: In addition to my “regular” sewing machine I have what is called a “longarm” quilting machine. It’s a large industrial machine that is mounted on a track system on a 14’ long table. I pin my quilts on to rollers and hand guide the machine over the surface of the quilt to stitch it. Another tool I love is the Dremel. I did a mixed-media quilt a couple of years ago where I shaped and drilled holes into pieces of plastic credit cards, which I then hand-stitched onto the quilt surface.

Corrie: Do you always use a machine, or do you hand stitch anything in your work as well?

Martha: Nowadays most of my work is done on a sewing machine, even the quilting. Years ago I used to do a lot of hand work; growing up I did lots of embroidery, needlepoint, beading, and some knitting. When I started with traditional quilting I used to hand quilt my quilts, but that takes a long time. Although I have always done most of the piecing by machine, I also did some hand piecing. It was convenient and manageable to have as take-along work when my kids were young and there were many hours spent at soccer games and music lessons. I like to keep productive! I moved toward almost all machine work for two reasons, 1. For the speed of getting things done; hand-quilting, especially, takes a long time. And 2. Because of the physical strain on my wrist and thumb joints. About the only hand sewing I do now is the finish sewing on a quilt binding or facing. I do enjoy that process; it is calming and meditative to sew by hand.

Corrie: Where did the idea for the “Circle Chain” pieces come from? 

 Circle Chain 1, 4" x 6", Fabric Art, framed in 8" x 10" shadow box frame, $125. ©2011 Martha C. Hall

Martha: The small “Circle Chain” pieces are an offshoot of my larger “Split Circles” series of quilts. I was carrying through the idea of using the circle in the smaller piece. In the larger works in the “Split Circles” series the linear element is a narrow strip of fabric that I piece in. In the smaller format I adapt to the stitched line as the linear element. For added interest I decided to use a decorative machine stitch – and of course I used the one with circles! – hence the “Circle Chain”

Corrie: What gave you the idea to start making the bird pieces? Will there be more? 

Eastern Bluebird, 4" x 6",  ©2011 Martha C. Hall

Martha: The small bird pieces were so much fun to make. The whole thing got started when a pair of cardinals started making their nest in a tree right by our back door. It was fascinating to watch their activity. I was working in the small 4” x 6” format at the time and of course it seemed a perfect subject. I definitely want to make more of the birds and nests. Other people seemed to like the bird images as much as I liked making them. I started tagging my “Bird Guide” with the various birds I see in the yard and on my walks, and I want to chronicle more of them. I have been learning a lot about birds this Spring! Our cardinal family has flown the nest now and I miss their coming and goings.

Corrie: What are you currently working on?

Martha: Making the smaller framed fiber art pieces was a little break after I had completed a large quilt. Next up I will be returning to the “Split Circles” series and another large quilt.

As part of our interview I asked Martha if there was any additional information she would like to share about herself or her work. She told me about some upcoming exhibits that her work will be a part of. Her quilt, “Heaven and Earth” will be included as part of a show with Fiber Revolution, titled “Visual Thoughts” at the Morris Museum in Morristown NJ, from June 23 – October 16, 2011, with an opening reception on June 29th. Also, another one of her quilts, “Laundry Day” which made its debut at TraillWorks last fall will get another “airing” from October 7 – November 13, 2011 in the juried show “New Legacies: Contemporary Art Quilts” at the Lincoln Center Gallery in Fort Collins, CO. Thank you Martha for taking the time out of your busy schedule to satisfy my curiosity about the wonderful artwork you make that hangs here at TraillWorks! I'm sure I'm not the only one who will enjoy this interview. You can find more of Martha's artwork as well as her blog, on her website, Marthahallart.com.

Karin Lowney-Seed: Recent Works and Recent Opening

Blue Skies, Acrylic on Canvas, 64" x 40", ©2011 Karin Lowney-Seed, $3500

Saturday night, Spring Street, Newton, NJ, was filled with art as our 4th Annual Tour of Art commenced with over 30 artists exhibiting at host merchant venues up and down the street. My exhibit schedule at TraillWorks correlated the Tour of Art with the opening of Karin Lowney-Seed: Recent Works the same evening.

Artist, Karin Lowney-Seed Chatting with a Guest.

Karin Lowney-Seed is an established artist who makes her home in Sparta, NJ. I've met Karin during a few mutual exhibitions, and late last year I received a letter in the mail attached with a resume soliciting my gallery to exhibit her work. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Karin not only is a talented visual artist, but also holds down a successful interior design business as well as teaching studio art and art history at County College of Morris. I was more than flattered to receive her inquiry!

Guest looking at Karin's Work

Many of the works included in the exhibit were created in the past month, and some in the past two years. Karin's use of color is stunning, as well as her sophisticated use of text, collage, and graphic elements. From roses, bees, hearts, landscape, and floral still lives, Karin takes symbolic images or groupings and spins them in a new light. Her paintings are vivid and fresh, though are often very planned out to a point, still feel entirely free. Several of her rose pieces breathe color like a stained glass window. They must be seen in person!

Assortment of Wines and Water provided by Art Partner, Andre's Restaurant

The exhibit opened with a very well-attended reception, co-sponsored by "Art Partner" Andre's Restaurant and Wine Boutique. We even had some "bar tricks" to entertain the guests by one of my collectors, not to mention the sale of a painting! You can view the entire photo album of Karin's opening on Flickr and see the pieces available for sale on the TraillWorks' Facebook Page, clicking on the photo link to the Karin Lowney-Seed album.

TraillWorks is open Tuesday thru Wednesday, 12 - 6pm, Thursday thru Saturday 12 - 8pm, and Sunday 11 - 4pm. Karin Lowney-Seed: Recent Works will be on view through June 25th. I hope you'll take a trip to Newton and pop in the gallery - it's such a refreshing sight to the eyes.

More Vintage Apron Strings Painted

       Apron Strings #3, Oil on Canvas, 5" x 7", ©2010 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

$125, unframed

Apron Strings #4, Oil on Canvas, 5" x 7", ©2010 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

$125, unframed

                                                                     

Apron Strings #5, Oil on Canvas, 5" x 7", ©2010 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

$125, unframed

More explorations of the apron, in particular the phrase, "apron strings".The last two pieces were painted on canvas collaged with a batik stripe paper which I kept exposed through the painting, acting as a compositional device. I've been including collage a little bit in a few recent paintings; unlike a blank canvas, the collage dictates somewhat the direction of the painting. Not to say I don't have to think, but there's a foundation that informs where I will end up which is a refreshing, more immediate approach than some of my more planned works. The pink, brown and orange toned paper worked well with the pink tulle and chocolate brown velvet apron that hung in the studio.

3:30pm Coffee Fix

Saved at Three - Thirty, Mixed Media on Arches, 10 1/2" x 7 1/4", ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer. $269 (unframed)

I completed this about two weeks ago, in a tizzy one day not certain what to work on and feeling very unfocused. Rather than work on commissions I felt it was important to channel my frustration into something for myself. I was about to make myself a pot of coffee and rather than throw away the used filter I decided to collage it onto a drawing of my wedding cake which had been sitting around the studio for a long time. Once I started gluing, the piece just evolved. After completing my painting, Homage to Julia, I have a need to collage. It incorporates watercolor, several coffee filters, and this gorgeous deep blue green paper with copper screen-printed circle motifs. Of course, the ever-present percolator is incorporated.