New Jersey Maritime Museum, Beach Haven

 

Recently, I spent a few days on glorious Long Beach Island, a natural, relatively quiet part of the Jersey Shore. While my intention was to play in the surf and bird watch, one day of our stay was dark and gloomy. As a torrential downpour soaked us in the town of Beach Haven, we decided to step into the New Jersey Maritime Museum to escape the storm. What a great place! The collections of maritime artifacts and historical archives are superb. I highly recommend a visit here whether raining or not the next time you have a few hours to spare in this part of the world.

Some photos of our time spent there:

Old diving suit. How did they move around in these things?

This is an actual huge lobster claw from a 40-plus pound giant plucked from the ocean, painted to look like a pirate.

Lots of information on Jersey Shore shipwrecks. Here a plaque for the victims of the sinking of the Powhatan.

Bottles retrieved by shipwreck divers

Looking down from second floor. Note all the artwork, and life ring from days gone by.

While much of the subject matter is serious, whimsical touches keep it lively. Here, a pirate figurine
 swings in the window overlooking visitors.

Creepy/cute sailor doll in a maritime toy display
 

 

Something for "Jaws" fans

 

 



MASKS Art Exhibit at the Fort Collins Museum of Art

I'm happy to be contributing art to this year's "Masks" fundraiser and show at our local art museum. Last Friday's opening was a huge success and I was really impressed by the talent and the diversity of creative ideas featured. I encourage anyone in the area to check out the exhibit, vote for their favorite, and even place a bid or two. Here's my submission--"Sugar Skull," a Mexican "Day of the Dead" piece.

Here's more information on the show, from the museum's recent email:

"Now on display are 206 masks for the museum's annual fundraiser. Until May 3 you have the opportunity not only to admire the masks, but also to bid on them silent-auction style. Bids start at $40.00 and everyone can bid!

There were 1,377 people who came through during First Friday Gallery Walk with a waiting line out the front door - awesome. One mask already has a bid of $1,200.00! However there are plenty of masks available at the opening bid amount – stop in today to find your favorite.

Below is more information about this event.

Silent Auction

Over 200 masks are on display in the Main Gallery and Gallery 101 which is the student gallery. Each mask has been created by members of our community from all walks of life. They have generously donated their time and creativity to benefit the exhibitions and educational programs of Fort Collins Museum of Art.

How to Bid

 1. Obtain a bid number card from volunteers at the reception desk and throughout the galleries. Fill out the bottom of the bid card and return to the reception desk. Use your bid number to bid on your favorite masks. Bid sheets are located near each mask, be sure that you are bidding on the correct mask and please write legibly!

2. All masks have a beginning bid of $40.00 but you may start the bidding higher. Be sure your bid amount is at least $5.00 above the former bid.

3. Come back often to check if you're still the highest bidder. The Silent Auction closes on Friday, May 3rd, at 9:00 p.m.

4. The winning bidders will be called on Wednesday, May 8 to pick up their masks May 8 – May 12. Payment will be collected at that time.

Phantom Gems

 As you go through the museum you will see an image of the Phantom of the Opera mask. This image signifies that the mask has a Phantom Gem attached to it. The gem could be tennis lessons, admission to an event or a basket of goodies!

Please read the bid sheet for the mask to learn about the Phantom Gem attached to it.

When bidding on the mask, please consider the value of the Phantom Gem that goes with it. The winning bidder of the mask also wins the Phantom Gem – two lovely items with one bid!

People's Choice Voting

You may vote for your favorite mask as the People's Choice. The winning mask artist will receive a family membership to the museum. Ballots and an acrylic ballot box are located in the reception area.

Gala Masks and Proxy Bids

 If you bid on a Gala Mask you are bidding on mask that goes to the Gala Celebration at Embassy Suites on April 20. If you cannot attend this event, you may give us your proxy bid and we will continue to bid for you at the gala. Gala Celebration reservations are $125.00 per person. Reservations must be made by April 12. Please talk to Gloria or April for more information."

For those who are interested, my mask comes with a "Phantom" gift of cupcakes from a local bakery, so if you win the mask, you win those too.

Here's a link to the web site.

Masks at FCMOA

"Beach in a Bowl"

This post is a little bit late, but I still like the idea so much I am sharing. This year for the holidays, instead of a tray of cookies for some of my friends, I gave a "Beach in a Bowl." Here's a photo of my Bowl Assembly Line on my dining room table.

I was lucky enough to be able to gather gorgeous seashells in Florida in December, which I took home, cleaned, and coated with a very light varnish. (These were all washed-up shells. Taking live shells is illegal and wrong.) A good friend mailed me sugar-white sand from her home in the Panhandle (thanks Linda!), and I found nice, 6" diameter glass globe-bowls at the Dollar Store. Small starfish came from a beach shop selling souvenirs. For those whose bowl was being hand delivered, I put one cup of sand in each bowl, then laid flattish sea shells like tiles on the sand. Next, I made sure each bowl got a nice variety of large and medium-sized shells in various colors. Finally, I sprinkled small shells on top, and placed a starfish in the mix. Each bowl also got something unique--a piece of driftwood, a "sea bean," beach glass, a piece of coral, or a sea worm shell.

For my friends whose gift had to be shipped, shells and sand were packaged in separate Ziploc bags, the starfish was wrapped in tissue, and the bowl got swathed in both paper and bubble wrap. Each recipient was able to assemble his or her own "beach."

If you live near a supply of sea shells, you might like this idea as a gift. In the past I have also made a "Beach in a Bottle" using a wide-mouthed, cork-stoppered bottle (from Pier One) laid on its side, ala "Ship in a Bottle." Be sure you get nice clean sand to use. If your beach's sand is not up to par, a trip to the craft store for some bright white sand may be in order.

New Year, New Art, New Challenges

For the new year, I've decided to branch out and explore new media and new projects at the studio. In late 2012, I returned to my cartoon roots (I used to illustrate greeting cards decades ago) and played with animal portraits I called "Animals with Attitude" (above examples). These pen and ink and watercolor designs have proved popular with my personal circle of friends, so I've decided to offer high-quality repros of them in my Etsy shop.

Additionally, Canyon Wren's Nest (me!) invested in a new top-end professional printer. This machine produces gallery quality images and accepts many different paper types, sizes, and thicknesses, so I'm excited to try out new media (in addition to the archival watercolor stock I already favor). And in my experimentation with the new technology, I've discovered the museum quality photographs I've been printing are gorgeous, so I'm also offering select photo prints at the Etsy shop as well.

Because of the enhanced capabilities of the new printer, I'm finally able to run larger versions of some of my pieces on watercolor stock. I get many requests for this "African Lion" image larger than the 8-1/2" x 11" size, so it's thrilling to be able to offer a bigger version on 13" x 19" stock.

Click on any of the images above to be directed to more information on my Etsy shop.

I look forward to expanding my artistic horizons and experimenting with new paint, paper, and techniques in the upcoming months. As always, thanks to everyone for the continued support.