From late January until April 11, I am thrilled to be exhibiting a small selection of watercolors and collages in a group show with my husband’s photographs, my late mother’s (Josephine C Brett) silkscreens and paintings, and my late sister’s (Beth Brett) fabric arts. The show is at the Community Gallery at the Christ Episcopal Church in Needham, MA. On Sunday, February 12, we will be on hand at the church’s weekly coffee hour (11:15 to 12:30) and will have other artwork to sell at very reasonable prices. Thirty percent of the proceeds from our sales will go to the organization, Feeding America. You can see other examples of my mother’s work and my sister’s work on this website.
Sharing My Work at My Gym, Healthworks
I was delighted to have another opportunity to exhibit at the women’s gym, where I have been a member since 1987 and have shown my art there on several previous occasions. Healthworks has rotating shows of its members who are artists. I hadn’t displayed there since before the pandemic. The work is hung on two different levels of the staircase used by members as they ascend to the gym. I had a particularly successful show, selling a number of my watercolors and collages.
A Collage in a New Anthology
My collage, 2020, What Was and What Will Be was published in an anthology, Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis: Women Writers Respond (She Writes Press), available through Amazon.
A Little Tweak Will Do Ya
Sometimes a piece doesn’t quote work. It’s almost there. But it’s missing something. Recently, after trying out a new mixed media technique, I produced a collage that might have worked if I cut it into two or even four pieces.
The problem was the open space in the middle where nothing was going on. I let the piece sit for a couple of days and then played around with a few solutions. The end result was not dramatically different from the original, but the placement of two plants that drew one’s eye up across the blue patch plus an additional dash of color in the upper right hand quadrant provided additional movement. Now, one’s eye travels around the piece rather than settling into a void, and the consensus is that the image works. It was accepted into a juried show!
Garden of Delights
Reflecting Our Times in Collage
My art is largely imaginative or observational. But during this unusual year, with the pandemic, the wildfires, the political unrest, and the divisive election, it was hard not to be influenced by what was going on. and want to create a visual statement.
In the summer, I made a small collage that captured the wild fires that were raging in the West. As a base image, I found a picture from a 1970 issue of LIFE magazine on the environment. (Fires are not new!) Although my initial intention was not to make any commentary on the pandemic in this collage, my image of the door with the shattered glass and the frightened face peering through it suggested to one viewer the rage we were feeling at being so shut in. So, I will leave viewers to interpret this collage as they wish. That is the beauty of art.
As the coronavirus pandemic persisted throughout the fall, I collected text and images about what was happening. I have not previously used text in many of my collages, but here it felt crucial as the news played such an important part in our understanding of events and of the science behind the virus. In particular, there were phrases we heard over an over again that serve as emblems of this challenging time. My favorite image on this piece and the one that stands out and draws us in is the large blue-gloved hand. with its splayed fingers.
Finally, as 2020 drew to a close, my mind swimming with all that had happened, I wanted to capture the essence of that year in one image. Thus, I created “2020 What Was and What Will Be,” with the knowledge that although the actual year was behind us, the events that occurred were not over and their ramifications would be with us for awhile, perhaps forever. I also wanted to acknowledge a few key figures, including two giants we lost this year—John Lewis and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Finally, I also wanted to take a more upbeat view of things. To that end, I created a collage called “Cozy at Home” that I used as my holiday greeting to friends and family. Having spent more hours at home this past year than ever before, I came to appreciate that space (and sometimes lack of it!) in a new way.
Collages for Voters
Wanting to do something of meaning in relation to the upcoming election, I participated in a short, online session given by Alexandra Sheldon to learn how to make mini-collages for a project called “Postcards to Voters.” The idea was to make small, original pieces of art to send to prospective voters to encourage them to vote by mail. The organization provides the specific message to include as well as the addresses from states where these efforts were needed. The artist does not identify herself beyond a first name.
Fortunately, I had some leftover post-cards from a work project I did many moons ago and used these as my base (after applying additional postage!) Of course, I love making collages, but the goal here was to make these postcards as artistic as I could without agonizing over them. I really enjoyed making them and experimented with a variety of imagery. For example, for one collage, I used a part of an old Chinese brush painting I had made more than 40 years ago. Some of my designs were more abstract or whimsical than others.
I hope that people appreciated them and that some felt that much more inclined to vote with this additional prod. And I felt like I was doing something to help promote democracy.
Experimental Watercolor
During the summer, I took a several session online class called “Experimental Watercolor” with teacher Susan McFarland at the Lexington Arts and Crafts Society.
The technique she shared starts by creating a textured surface by dipping a variety of stencils and other materials into a mixture of gesso and acrylic medium and pressing these onto the paper. After the surface dries, one applies a couple of wet washes that are allowed to spread over the entire paper. Where the surface of the paper is raised the patterns from the stencils will show through. We made several of these.
The next step involved matching the photos we wished to paint with the surface that went together with it best. For this, we needed to consider not just color palette, but shapes, direction, and general mood. Some photos seemed like an obvious match. Others were more of a stretch. Susan called these matches “Prom Dates.”
Using tracing paper over our Prom Date, we then drew the general outline of our picture with both the photo AND the textured paper as our guides. After highlighting this tracing with a sharpie, we placed the textured paper on top of a thin light board and the tracing underneath, so that we could trace the outline onto our paper with a pencil.
Where a wash covered an area that needed to be lighter, we could erase it out. Susan showed us other techniques for building up color in other parts of our paintings.
The result is a dynamic image that has movement and life. I call this painting “Havana by Day.”
Gina's Floating World at the Great Bay Gallery, Somers Point, NJ
From July 4 to July 27, 2019, an exhibit of my collage, paintings, and photographs from my “Japan Series” (see the Japan Series tab here on my website) will be on view at the Jersey Shore at the Great Bay Gallery in Somers Point, NJ (near Longport and Ocean City). This series was inspired by my recently published novel, Gina in the Floating World (She Writes Press 2019), which is set in 1981 Japan. I am particularly excited by this show since it brings together my art and writing interests in a place that is near and dear to me. I have spent time in Somers Point for the past 23 years and visited the wonderful Great Bay Gallery many times.. A reception will be held on Friday, July 19th from 5pm to 7pm. I will do two different presentations/readings—one at 3pm and one at 6pm on Wednesday, July 24th. Books will be available for signing. All artworks are for sale.
The Daily Catch, Tokyo as Part of a "Visual Feast," Cambridge Art Association
I am thrilled to report that the fourth collage from my Japan Series has been selected to be a part of the Cambridge Art Association’s juried exhibit, “Visual Feast,” at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery through April, 2019. This exhibit is a delight to the eyes, bursting with color and juiciness. My collage/mixed media piece is a slight departure from my usual work. It is larger and makes use of other elements, such as a fish stamp. The piece depicts a sea to table theme. I wanted to honor some of the people involved in the process—from those who prepare the fish for market, to those who cook it, to those who serve it. You can see that in some of the dishes the fish is simply prepared and in others it is more elaborately prepared, not resembling its initial form.
Winter Wonderland: My Exhibit at Healthworks, Cambridge
From February 16 to March 15, 2019, I have a “two-fer” show up at Healthworks in Cambridge, MA. This is my third show there. On the first level, I share eight of my collages inspired by my novel, Gina in the Floating World (several of them shown in December at Cadbury Commons).and that I refer to as my Japan Series. These are not for sale as I will be exhibiting them in the summertime at the Great Bay Gallery in Somers Point, New Jersey).
On the second level are six snowscape watercolors, all of them for sale. Snow is fun to paint, with its purple and blue shadows. Two of these watercolors are of houses, two are the dunes in snow, one is a wooded area with light pouring through, and the last is a snow covered marsh. These are all for sale. If you aren’t a member of Healthworks and wish to see these, contact me, and I may be able to arrange a visit for you with me as your guide.
Collages Inspired by My Novel, Gina in the Floating World
During the month of December, 2018, a set of seven collages inspired by my recently published novel, Gina in the Floating World (She Writes Press), will be on display at Cadbury Commons in North Cambridge, MA as part of the NoCA winter gallery show. The novel, set in 1981 Japan, is about a naive, but ambitious Midwesterner who goes to Tokyo for a bank internship, takes an evening job as a bar hostess to support herself, and travels down a darker road. The collages capture some of the settings described in the story, and each is accompanied by an appropriate quote from the book. You can see more of my images by going to my Japan Series page on this website. They are not currently for sale, but if you are interested in eventually purchasing one, please contact me. The book is available at some local bookstores and on Amazon. You can find out more on my writing website.
Cambridge Art Association, Member Spotlight on Me
The Cambridge Art Association regularly spotlights a member artist. I am thrilled to be their choice for July 4th! In the past seven months, my collages have been selected for three different juried exhibits at the two Cambridge Art Association galleries. Currently, my collage, "Fading Light, Safe Harbor," which is part of my Japan Series is on show at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery, and "The Rock Garden" is displayed at their non-juried exhibit, "Still Life: Captured Moments" at their University Place Gallery. Click here for the link to the member spotlight piece about me.
My Second Juried Show at Cambridge Art Association-Lost and Found
I am pleased to report fhat I was accepted into my second juried show of the year at Cambridge Art Association's "Lost and Found" exhibit at the Kathryn Schultz Gallery during April 2018. My collage, "Finding One's Style," is another piece from my Japan series. This one shows women and girls showing off their unique fashion sense.
Cambridge Art Association 2018 Member Prize Show
I was thrilled to be accepted into Cambridge Art Association's 2018 Member Prize juried show, with the exhibit at their University Place Gallery in Harvard Square, Cambridge. I submitted a paper collage from my Japanese series, called "Ryokan." I wanted to capture the architecture and spirit of a Japanese inn, with its geometry, view to nature, and aesthetic details. The opening was held on Friday, February 9th.
A Collage Workshop for NoCA
On Sunday, February 4, right before the Super Bowl, I led a workshop for members and friends for North Cambridge Arts at Lesley University. I demonstrated some collage techniques and gave participants a choice of doing a small narrative collage or an abstract greeting card. Although the workshop lasted just over an hour, everyone was engaged in the process, producing a range of colorful work.
My NoCA Fine Arts and Crafts Sale, Featuring the Art of My Mother, Josephine C. Brett
On Sunday, December 3, I had a table at the annual NoCA Fine Arts and Crafts Sale in North Cambridge, where I showed my own smaller watercolors and collages. In addition, I displayed for sale for the first time a dozen different silk screen prints designed and made by my mother, Josephine C. Brett (1908-2000). She was trained as an artist in London, where she was born and raised, and taught for many years. While I was growing up, she made large oil and acrylic paintings. In her 70s, after retiring back to London with my father, she took up silkscreen printing and made a series of lively, colorful prints, which you can now see in her own special gallery on this website.
Lexington Art Walk, November 2017
I have three collages this year in the Lexington Art Walk--all are at the Brookline Bank and are up at least through the end of the month. The reception is November 16, from 6:30-8:30pm. The collages are "Three Lonely Leaves," "Garden Bounty," and "Welcoming Day's End." You will need to look in the windows of some of the offices to find two of them!
Solo Show at Healthworks in Porter Square, Cambridge, MA
From mid-September to mid-October, my gym, Healthworks, will be displaying my collages and watercolor paintings. The exhibit is on two walls of the stairwell. The first wall I have titled "Skyscapes," and it will show seven watercolors that emphasize interesting skies and cloud formations.
Awash with Light (watercolor)
The second wall I call "Cityscapes." It features predominately paper collages depicting different cities and city views and two watercolors. The exhibit is only open to Healthworks members unless I accompany you, so contact me if you wish to see the exhibit.
Summertime Exhibits in Cambridge and Concord
In addition to a watercolor in the CVS window, I currently have four works on display: two watercolors at the O'Neill Library in Cambridge, one watercolor in the Cambridge Art Association's 'Scapes show at the University Place Gallery in Cambridge, and one collage in the Student-Teacher Show at the Concord Art Association.
Pathway to the Sky, Watercolor in the 'Scapes show
My On-Line Art Show at the Fictional Cafe
I am excited to be this month's featured artist at The Fictional Cafe, an on-line site for writers and artists. My show features 15 of my collages, watercolor paintings, and photographs. You can enjoy my exhibit from the comfort of your home at http://www.fictionalcafe.com/belle-brett-multiple-media-art-installment/
