Closing the Door on the New Rochelle Studio

A new beginning.... for someone else in the studio at 81 Centre in New Rochelle.  We four studio-mates have had a good run filled with good intentions and some great marks on canvas.  It has been fun; and so it goes.... it starts with an acknowledgement (only to ones self) that the space just isn't being used much.  A quiet realization that maybe it's time to return the keys (and put the extra money towards that monthly Healthcare bill).  And then one person makes the first move, and the rest scramble to get the page turned on this chapter, to bring the same vision in to view... to turn over the studio with marked up walls and dusty floor, and a few pieces of furniture to pass along to another artist, who might build upon what was started in this creative space with the 'great light' from three large windows (even on days when clouds prevail). 

 I wish her well.

It was hard work, another transition too close to my last.  I am grateful to the friend who helped me lift my work table out of one studio and into another, (my new home near the Hudson is just a studio too).  Now to sort through the stuff... art, canvases, frames! ...I haven't changed, though my life seems to be in perpetual motion and uncertainty... there isn't much calm in all this chaos... except when I'm painting.  (Which I'll continue to do, and to share with anyone who 'stops in' here.  Thank you for that.  -Faith)

My New View - The Hudson River

 

"My Hudson River View1" (first painting in new home) by Faith Goldstein

approx. 15 x 20, oil on watercolor paper

 

 

A new view and a new home in a new place, along portions of roadways I had never traveled; there is a great deal to get used to!  I am adding layers to the 'under-painting' of my life and building up to what I need to see in myself and show to others. This transition has not been easy... the success of it depends on the strength of that under-painting and is a culmination of years of experience and life-lessons. New lessons-learned and new relationships add to 'the marks' that become a part of me; not all meant to be visible in that top layer, but remain, always. 

 

...I am quickly sorting through the things that have moved with me, and have given fair respect to the things that were given away or tossed in a dumpster.  I choose to think that even those items might be rediscovered by someone else's hands, and maybe even their heart.  ...Today I am feeling grateful for the strength within me, to give myself permission to 'accept the things I could not change', and to allow the voices of those who care about me to resonate and echo, and become my point-of-focus.  And, yes, I have a beautiful new view to appreciate on this journey.  -Faith

 

 

Upcoming OPEN STUDIO Event...

Please come visit me at 81 Centre Ave., New Rochelle, New York 10801....

 

 



New Rochelle OPEN STUDIOS & grand market - JUNE 29

Please come out and experience the excitement of this thriving Downtown Artist Community that I love so much!  Reverol & Co. Contemporary Art and Backstreet Galleries, Open Artist Studios, PAC House Theatre (hosting an open dance rehearsal),  R Patisserie Cafe.... grand market on the Library Green... You will LOVE The Curtain Shop on Main Street!  ....Great restaurants and so much more.   (Spend the day with the artists and catch a movie at New Roc City in the evening!  You won't be bored here!)

I will be in my shared-studio with my 'mates' at 81 Centre Avenue # 302 (third floor w/ elevator)....

Park in the Prospect Street Lot and walk up Centre Avenue towards Main Street.  Cross over near the SUBWAY; STUDIO ENTRANCE is just down on the Left... elevator is down the hall.  ...ART, WINE & COOKIES... and lots of 'HAPPY" here!!  Please Join ME on this Journey.  -Faith

Remember this guy?  Well, he's still looking at you.... re-gaining his wings; and taking me along for the flight! (Will YOU come, too???) ...and he has a new name. 

 "Free-Bird" by Faith Goldstein



NRAA Serviceman's Portrait Project

 The Public is invited to attend the reception on:

 Sunday, November 11, 2012 1-3pm 

 Brother Kenneth Chapman Gallery, Iona College Arts Center

715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, New York 10801

"Honor" by Faith Goldstein 11 x 14 acrylic with white Prismacolor pencil on black, Foam-board

As an artist member of the New Rochelle Art Association, it was my great pleasure to receive a photograph to paint the likeness of a New Rochelle resident and Veteran.  My 'jouney' to this finished 'likeness' has not been an easy one, as I am currently dealing with personal challenges... but after misplacing the reference photo, and struggling to 'see' the image in my mind, I quickly took great pride in being a part of this project.  I am grateful, for the opportunity, that this Journey helped me to leave some of my own 'darkness' behind. 

...the fact is, I had a white canvas on my easel for more than a week; every time I walked past it, I just couldn't 'see' the portrait in my mind.  I looked around to see what other surface I could paint on, before giving up on being a part of this project.  It seemed at this point that I was not going to get this 'done'.  Maybe it is times like these, when we feel like there is nothing to lose, (because it already seems lost), that our best, uninhibited efforts shine through.  All I know is, when I placed a sheet of black, foam-board on my easel, I started to see the painting emerge from the darkness.  It became a 'him'... living, breathing... sharing my space and asking me to share his story.  Most of his story lies in the eyes, and in the American flag, in the background.  I saw, and felt, the young man who went to war; I thought about the images he may have seen, that altered his view of the future.  I also connected to the man he has become, visible in the reference photo; he carries a strength that I admired while 'sharing this time' with him.  I chose to leave the details of war, closer to the black surface; they are left behind... it is the man himself and his love for his Country, and not the soldier, who emerges from the Darkness.

***Update***

I am happy to share that I had the opportunity to meet the serviceman who's portrait I painted. It was, such an Honor... truly!