What's Underneath

What's Underneath
acrylic ink & walnut ink on bristol
9"x12"
March 14-15, 2010

The Lumper

...still thinks my paintings are okay: http://lumper.blogspot.com/2010/03/aimee-belanger.html
Thanks for the feature, dude.

LOVE LETTER

Love Letter (Now I'm addicted to this crap, and it's all your fault)
walnut ink and coffee on watercolor paper
6"x4"
March 12, 2010

This High

This High
ink on watercolor paper
4"x6"
March 11, 2010

a drawing i made before spilling my walnut ink everywhere

The title of this drawing is Mt. Toby but it is really a picture of Mt. Hood
walnut ink on watercolor paper
March 6, 2010
4"x6"

Ben Lomond

The title of this drawing is Ben Lomond, but it is really a picture of Mt. Hood
walnut ink on watercolor paper
6"x4"
March 5, 2010

Field Kit

Since I'm working a new job and now have an hour off for lunch, I decided to make myself a little field kit. I hate wasting time and I love giving myself projects, so I'm carrying this with me everywhere and spending at least two hours (one before work, one during lunch) drawing each day. This kit includes: a booklet of 4"x6" watercolor postcards, small water color kit, jar of walnut ink, jar of water for ink, jar of water for watercolors, 4 brushes, a pencil, two markers, and a pen. I also usually carry a 9"x12" pad of bristol with me when I can. Here are some of the things I've made in the past two weeks (in the wonky order in which they uploaded). Click on images to enlarge.

Shore, watercolor on bristol, 9"x12", 2/21/2010

Willow, watercolor on bristol, 9"x12", 2/20/2010

Sap, walnut ink on watercolor card, 4"x6", 3/5/2010

Bear Island, pencil on bristol, 9"x12", 3/1/2010

Bear Island, walnut ink on watercolor card, 6"x4", 3/4/2010

Island, watercolor on bristol, 9"x12", 2/21/2010

Island, watercolor on bristol, 9"x12", 2/21/2010

Shore, watercolor on bristol, 9"x12", 2/20/2010

Little Things

A few little watercolors. More to come.

Free/Cheap Museums!

I'm trying to take advantage of the museums in and around Boston, and I've compiled a list of museums that you can visit for free or cheap! If you know of any other deals, please list them in the comments!

Children's Museum, Boston, MA: $1.00 admission every Friday between 5-9pm. Adults unaccompanied by children must present a photo I.D. (license, passport)

DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA: Free for Bank of America customers every first full weekend of the month. Next free weekend is December 5-6. Bring a BOA credit or debit card and an I.D.

Harvard Art Museum/ Fogg, Cambridge, MA: Free from 4:30-5pm daily, free every Saturday from 10am-noon.

Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, MA: Free for Massachusetts residents (you must recite your zip code) Wednesdays from 3pm-5pm and Sundays 9am-noon.

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA: Free every Thursday from 5pm-9pm

Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum, Boston, MA: Like the woman herself, the discounts are weird and crazy
-$5.00 passes available at your local library.
-Free on your birthday (with I.D.) If your birthday falls on Monday when the museum is closed it is free the Sunday before or Tuesday after your birthday.
-Free for people named Isabella.
-$2 off for wearing Red Sox paraphernalia.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA: Free all day Wednesday, November 11, free every Wednesday from 4pm-9:45pm

The MFA, ICA, and Isabella Stuart Gardener are always free for MassArt students!!! This may also apply to the Harvard Museums-call ahead.

Massachusetts Cultural Council Blog Mention

I was mentioned today on the Mass Cultural Council art blog in an open studios press release! Check it out here! http://artsake.massculturalcouncil.org/blog/artsake/

People, Place, & Horses

Below is the press release for an upcoming 4-person show that I am in at the Distillery Gallery in Southie. Unfortunately, it opens the same night as my show at Gulu-Gulu, so I will be in Salem, but swing by the Distillery if you'd like to see my newest paintings!

9/15/09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The Distillery Gallery Presents:
"People, Places & Horses"
featuring works by Aimee Belanger, Monica Nydam, Nick Ward, and David Wooddell
October 1 - October 22, 2009
Opening Reception: October 1, 6-9pm
free and open to the public
516 E 2nd St., first floor
contact: Scott Chasse, gallery director
(978) 270-1904 / scottchasse@gmail.com
www.distilleryboston.com
Hours of operation: Mon-Sat, 9-5

The Distillery Gallery presents "People, Places & Horses," a straight-forward exhibit of four Boston-based painters individually consistent in their chosen subject matter.

People:
Nick Ward's close-up portraits reveal exaggerated elements of facial characteristics mixed with sparse use of text or vivid color as a backdrop. Each work is an uncontrived study of texture and form punctuated by the suggestion of everyday routine.

David Wooddell exhibits a clear appreciation of his predecessors and a mature, diligent work ethic by painting live models in a modernist manner. The focus of his rich, heavy-bodied figure studies balances between the subject and the individual brush stroke, resulting in luminous portrayals of the human form.

Places:
Aimee Belanger blurs the lines between imagination and reality with landscapes based on photographs, memories, and dreams. Her juxtaposition of stark architectural elements with colorful organic settings results in imagery of places that may or may not exist.

and Horses:
Monica Nydam's "Horse Series" entertains the viewer with painterly renditions of snapshots involving the subject. While some pieces use thick linear brush strokes to create "pixelated" visions of the mare or stallion, others involve hints of distortion or motion. Each work shares a candid, stolen-moment quality with the next.

Please join us on October 1 from 6-9 pm for the opening reception.

The Distillery Gallery is located on the first floor of The Distillery artist's building in South Boston. This unique public display space is committed to featuring Distillery based artists, Boston artists, and invited guests. For more information about the gallery and The Distillery, please visit www.distilleryboston.com.

Gulu-Gulu Cafe Show Opening October 1st!

This Sunday I will be hanging a solo show at the Gulu-Gulu Cafe in Salem, MA. The show opens on October 1st and will be up for six weeks. The show will include work from the past year and a half as well as some newer paintings. I'm really lucky to be showing during Salem's ultra-spooky Halloween season, so hopefully lots of people will be in the area to check it out!

The logistics:
Gulu-Gulu Cafe
247 Essex Street, Salem, MA
Dates of the show: Sunday Sept 26, 2009 – Sunday Nov 15, 2009
Opening reception: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 7pm
Gulu-Gulu Artist Site: http://www.gulu-gulu.com/artists.asp

I hope you Greater Boston/North Shore folks can make it to the opening! Robin Sellin will be playing music starting at 8 (check him out at http://www.myspace.com/robinsellin) and they have delicious food and fancy European beers, so you can make a night out of it. If not, and you happen to be in the area some time soon, drop by for a Krusovice and check it out!

Google Photo Album

The ol' website is up and running, but the albums are being difficult, so in the meantime you can view some of my paintings here: http://picasaweb.google.com/aimeebelanger/Paintings# Nothing too new, just some images to check out!

Friends of Chautauqua, Tempe, AZ

Below is the press release for Friends of Chautauqua, a show that Matthew Mosher and I are currently in. For this show, Mosher and I had a Christo&Jean Claude/Ray Johnson-esque mail art exchange. His participation was involuntary, but I think the results were quite satisfactory:

Gallery View

Title: You Have Just Completed A Work of Art by Aimee Belanger

It should be also noted that this piece is for sale, and I believe it's been listed at $10,000. Please contact me for details. The opening is from 7-9 tonight in Tempe, AZ for any of you who want to fly out last minute.

The press release:

Who
The ASU Chautauqua Student Art Organization.

What
The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts hosts The Friends of Chautauqua Show that includes artwork created by friends, colleagues and former classmates of School of Art graduate artists. Nic Wiesinger, ASU Chautauqua Student Art Organization founder, feels that the exhibition highlights the indelible connection that School of Art graduates have to the larger national art scene.

The exhibition introduces the greater Phoenix area to new and upcoming works by artists from around the country. The showcase emphasizes the diverse range of art influences within the graduate body and includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, metals, wood, video, photography and conceptual installation.

Experience The Friends of Chautauqua Show and see works by: Thaddeus Erdahl, Alexis Winslow, Jordan Schulman, Katherine Behar, Marianne Kim, Karin Stothart, Kent Perdue, Paco Velez, Dave Smellie, Keith Laber, Julia Westerbeke, Nidaa Aboulhosn, Christopher Arslain, Ben Moore, Aimee Belanger, Robert Brown, Ben Murray, Herb Vincent Peterson, Eliza Campbell Kiser, William Pariso, Michael Stadler

Where
ASU Herberger Institute School of Art, Step Gallery, Tempe Center Ste. 174, Tempe. The gallery is on the northeast corner of 10th Street and University Drive (located just north of the ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center).

When
Sept. 8–18; Artist’s reception, Monday Sept. 14, 2009 7–9 p.m.
Gallery hours: Monday–Thursday noon–5 p.m. and Friday noon–3 p.m. Closed weekends and major holidays.

Cost
Free

Public Contact
Nic Weisinger
ASU Herberger Institute
School of Art
Chautauqua Student Art Organization founder
317.490.7346
nickwiesinger@yahoo.com

The School of Art is a division of Herberger College of the Arts at Arizona State University. Its printmaking, photography and art education programs are nationally ranked in the top 10, and its Master of Fine Arts program is ranked eighth among public institutions by U.S.News & World Report. The school includes four student galleries for solo and group shows by graduate and undergraduate art and photography students: Gallery 100, Harry Wood, Northlight, and Step. To learn more about the School of Art, visit art.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Ryan Peter Miller
Gallery Coordinator
ASU Herberger Institute School of Art
480.965.2062
rpmille2@asu.edu

BEG BORROW STEAL Globe Review

In the interest of keeping everything in one place (and for those of you who may have missed it) this is the link to Cate McQuaid's Globe write up about Beg Borrow Steal.

Hooray for Vanessa Irzyk, Brian Willmont, and Lily Morris for getting a solid shout out (and for making fantastic work!)