Bertoni Gallery

I have always loved hiking in the outdoors in all weather in all seasons. Each stride I make on a trail usually has a goal: to find a scenic vista, to place my hand on a tree and to feel connected to nature.

And if time permits, I capture my hike in oil pastels. I observe the shifting light over whatever conditions the day has brought me. I use mini pieces of pastel paper primed with volcanic ash. There is an immediacy to my work: fast and sketchy, unconstrained by thought; I lay down the colors. I catch the fleeting shadows and highlights as they appear. I am relaying the atmosphere of the sky. I am imparting the essence of the scenic vista.

These mini paintings are ordinarily tucked away into a box in a drawer in my studio. I have unearthed a few and they will be on display at Bertoni Gallery in Warwick, NY until the end of December. Opening night for the 2018 Juried Small Works Exhibition is Saturday, September 1 from 6 to 8. Stop by if you can. A bientot.

Sneek peek:

California Dream 

Monskville November SOLD

California Dream

Winter Reservoire 

Wednesday Morning Sketches

Just Enough

This poem I wrote while taking an amazing Ayurvedic cooking class. Much of what I retained, was to slow down- when I think I know what my body needs, when I choose produce, when I cook and when I eat. I was reminded to use natural, seasonal and local products. And also to explore many fun spices and herbs from outside my region.

Ayurveda is the sister to yoga. I find it fascinating and intriguing. I love how it explains that we are born with constitutions that relate to the seasons and how what we eat is aligned or misaligned in our bodies. There are so many facets to what I learned.

Here are a few: Food can be healing. Don't overdo. Uncomplicate. The products you use on the outside of your body and in your home matter too. Sometimes you really need over the counter medicine. Use your taste as a guide. Understand what the season gives you. : )

Winter Interrupted

The weather was unseasonably warm today . . . it felt like summer in winter and I think we all enjoyed the break from the cold, knowing full well that sometime soon, it'll feel like winter.

A bientot

New Year New Work

Bonjour My Friends and Happy 2018!

Like fresh warm baguettes out of the oven, I have new illustrations in my portfolio. This is fresh work based on a few picture book ideas I have been kicking around. . . Just add some buerre and enjoy!

A bientot.

ACS Hillingdon

If my mind and body is in the US, certainly my heart is in London, specifically outside of it, at an amazing school named ACS Hillingdon. Here's a watercolor tribute to it.

I specifically went with a Halloween palette, which for me, was more dominated by yellows and purples and accidents in between (I know all you Shreks and Gremlins and Goblins are wondering about green that's definitely an accident of yellow and purple).

I went to ACS Hillingdon from the time I was 7 until I was 17. Although both my parents are American, I learned English there from expats. Even though I was in England for my formative years, I never quite picked up an English accent. But I love England like its my home and while I'm here, in America, I celebrate the Halloween I never really had growing up. At times, I feel homesick and at other times, I feel like America is my home. Home? What a strange and funny word that is to me. I suppose home is "where you lay your hat" and "it's not where you are from, it's where you are at!"

So Long, a bientot and bloody well Cheerio . . .

Turn Around, Bright Eyes

Bonjour mes amies:
Can I just say, "Once upon a time there was light in my life and now there's only love in the dark. Nothing I can say, but total eclipse of the heart" One of my much beloved songs from the 80s will be performed on a cruise ship overlooking this Monday's solar eclipse.

I have also learned that it is a time when the air will be charged and amplified with energy . . .

How will this effect us mortals on Earth? Some animals will hide, some will feel a surge of emotions and others will use it as an occasion for a celebration.
http://www.siddhayoga.org/natural-cycles/eclipses
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/total-eclipse-of-the-heart-will-never-be-eclipsed?mbid=social_twitter

I will make eggs sunny side up and squish them with a large piece of homemade bread.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/irishsodabread_67445

I will invoke the notion that humans are a microcosm of the universe. I will do some sun salutations. I will fast in the afternoon and meditate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e92_aBiHOqg

Joyeux eclipse solaire, earthlings!!

A bientot,
Helen