The Muse: A Little Corner of Bates Mercantile Co.: No Shelves Today- Sunday Adveture Part 3

Our Sunday adventure continued after lunch as we strolled through Market Square in Portsmouth. Just off the Square is Kennedy Gallery & Custom Framing, which was featuring their Art Around Town artist of the month, Meg Shoen. Meg happens to double as the laundry lady on Star Island (which is part of the Isles of Shoals, just off our coast). I just loved this watercolor that was hanging in the window........laundry blowing in the breeze on island. Wish you could see it better through the glass. Did I say I loved it?

Meg also uses the linocut 'reduction' method to create her art. Kennedy Gallery had a wonderful display showing the process, step by step, that Meg uses to create her art by this method.

Step 1- a sketch is drawn and it's reverse image is transferred onto the linoblock. This will ensure that when it is printed, its orientation is the same as the original.

Step 2- Artist makes intial cuts in block and begins inking a portion to control color overlap.

Step 3-7- Artist continues making cuts and applying ink to select areas.

Step 8- The final image is produced when the artist inks the remaining image on the block and hand coloring is added for additional depth.

Picasso used the reduction method as well and call it the 'suicide method', because after inking and reinking to produce each separate color, there is very little of the original block left. Production has to be planned carefully for this reason.

Kennedy Gallery also had many other wonderful works of art. So many talented and inspiring artists.

This painting was done by Kennedy's next Art Around Town artist, who's name I neglected to write down. Terribly sorry. Really wonderful work though.

I could browse all day in a gallery or bookstore.

Spied this fun green fabric display on our way to back to the car. I know the glass is shiny and makes it hard to see the fabric in it's full glory, but I like the way
some of the pretty waterfront buildings are reflected (bottom right corner).

Headed out of town (couldn't convince Gar to get an ice cream.......bummer) and drove through Pease Tradeport (which used to be Pease Air Force base but as been redevoloped after closure).

Just look at what is being stored at a warehousing facility at there...............

............the gigantic blades for enormous windmills/turbines. Pretty cool.

The sunny blue skies continued when we got home. Sunday was as gorgeous as it gets.

So long and farewell R2

Our dear friend Cindy (my sister's best pal since high school), who is really family, called to tell us her husband Ron had died suddenly. We're in shock. R2 (what I called 'Ronnie Ray' for short) was crazy, and that's why we loved him. They found each other later in life, but were a perfect match. Our hearts go out to Cin. Ron will be missed. If you didn't know it already, live each day to the fullest. Each day.