Newsletter July 2010

NEWSLETTER July 2010

Greetings from the mountains of western Maine!


“You ought to have seen what I saw on my way
To the village, through Mortenson’s pasture to-day:
Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum
In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!
And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!”

(From “Blueberries,” by Robert Frost)

This month has been all about butterflies and blueberries, so that is what I have to share with you. The low-bush blueberries grow wild in our meadow, and they are ripe now. I have been picking blueberries, and eating blueberries, and drawing blueberries. I brought a berry-laden bush into my studio in a flowerpot, photographed it and drew it, and then returned it to the meadow. (I always like to have a specimen at hand to draw from if it’s at all possible.) Here is one of the drawings I did, a blueberry branch carefully rendered in colored pencil.

There are many different varieties of blueberries, and many species of berry-producing bushes in the genus vaccinium. All of the berries are edible, and many of them grow in North America. Blueberries have been a staple food in this part of the world for centuries. They are easy to preserve by drying them, and make a great addition to many dishes either raw or cooked.

The flowers are a small, delicate, and bell-shaped. They hang under the leaves, so you can walk right by them and never notice them. Here is a drawing of blueberry flowers that I did from a photograph that I took this past spring.

Picking blueberries is one of my favorite summer chores. I like to eat them right off the bush, still warm from the sunshine. The wild ones are tiny compared to the commercial or high-bush garden varieties, but I think they have more flavor packed into them. They are better in muffins and cakes, too, since they hold up better when you cook them.

Blueberry-picking has other rewards as well. I was picking wild blueberries down the meadow last week when I was startled by the noise of something large moving in the woods to my left. I looked, but could not see who it was. Then I looked right, and standing just about fifteen feet away from me was a very small fawn, still wearing his baby spots. He was standing quietly, swiveling his big ears at me. We looked at each other for a few moments before he turned and bounded off down the meadow. At that point his mother, who was obviously the one I had heard, also took off toward the south. I guess I must have disturbed their afternoon nap.

Most of my art has a story like that behind it. Here is a tip for art collectors: get the story. When you buy a work of art, if you get a chance to find out what inspired it, do. And also share your story with the artist, why you bought the work and what it means to you. Art is communication, and the stories we tell each other matter.

This month instead of including a free image I have attached an old Maine family recipe for blueberry cake to my newsletter. It comes from some folks I know who live on the coast and have a lobster boat. When they have a feast, the blueberry cake goes on the table right along with the lobster and the corn on the cob. If you want the recipe, email me and I will send it to you.

My work will be hanging with that of the other Pennacook Art Center artists during Andover Old Home Days this year in Andover, Maine. The show is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 7th. I will also be putting work into the new Pennacook show at the River Valley Technology Center gallery in Rumford. This one opens with a reception from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 13th and runs until October.

For more information on “Swift River Treasures,” my artmaking process, or recent work, or to check out my blog, see my website at http://betsy-bell.artistwebsites.com/. Here you can order prints of my work, and have them matted and framed if you choose, with Fine Art America’s great print-on-demand service. I also offer greeting cards, either single or in packages.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. (Pablo Picasso)

Thanks for joining me in the journey. I hope that you enjoy looking at the art as much as I have enjoyed making it! I would love to hear from you, too, so please do reply with comments.

Betsy

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--
Betsy Gray Bell
Swift River Studio
Fine art, classes and workshops
917 Roxbury Road, Mexico, Maine 04257
(207) 364-7243
bgbell@gmail.com
http://betsy-bell.artistwebsites.com




--
Betsy Gray Bell
Swift River Studio
Fine art, classes and workshops
917 Roxbury Road, Mexico, Maine 04257
(207) 364-7243
bgbell@gmail.com
http://betsy-bell.artistwebsites.com