“AS YOU LIKE IT” Arts Festival

 

>> SAVE THE DATE <<
SAT – 21 MAY 2016
BBH Grand Re-Opening
ARTS – ENTERTAINMENT – REFRESHMENTS
Noon ‘til Dark

~ CALL FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ~
YOU can help create the dimensions of this event!

~ CALL FOR PERFORMERS ~
Musicians, Singers, Storytellers, Actors, Dancers, Jesters, Magicians, Drummers, etc.

~ BOOTH SPACE AVAILABLE ~
Artists, Crafters, Book Authors, Photographers, etc.
Healers & Workshop Leaders invited to display samples & information about your work.

BARN at BASSETT HOUSE on HUDSON
Community Arts Space & Artist’s Retreat

338 River Rd. Greenwich, NY 12834  – info@BBHonHudson.com  –  518-695-4448
For More Information / to Register ~ Please Contact Letitia or Roger today!

Influence of Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Weston

DAY THREE OF THE FACEBOOK ART CHALLENGE
“LETTING GO” [1978, color pencil on paper]

This work is one of many drawing and paintings that I produced in my 20s and 30s when I began to explore creating abstracted images from nature. After returning to my hometown of Saratoga in the mid-1970s, my creative life was deeply influenced by the sensual abstract art works drawn from nature by painter, Georgia O’Keeffe, and photographer, Edward Weston.

O’Keeffe, who lived for several years in nearby, Bolton Landing on Lake George, painted motifs that emphasized primary forms of nature that were highly detailed yet synthesized abstraction through scale and perspective. O’Keeffe once said: “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” Weston’s black and white photos of green peppers pointed to the difference between LOOKING and SEEING: “…more than a pepper, abstract in that it is now completely outside subject matter and takes one beyond the world we know I the conscious mind.”

In the late 1970s I had a gallery and art studio at 38 Caroline Street in downtown Saratoga. The Design Works and Gallery 38 was a vibrant center for creative community activity. Living and working amidst other creatives during this early renaissance of the arts scene in Saratoga, it was a very productive time for me as a graphic designer as well as a fine artist. We creatives, who shared that time in Saratoga, are prone to waxing nostalgic over those simpler times when Saratoga was quite zany and actually quite affordable for young musicians, painters and writers (my double storefront rented for only $90/month).

On the Road ~ Drawings from my Vagabond Life

DAY TWO OF THE FACEBOOK ART CHALLENGE
“JUDE” [1975, watercolor and India ink on paper]

After college in 1973, while still living in Florida, my boyfriend, David Schwee, surprised me with a gift… a big black dog. What better gift could a self-respecting hippie give his girlfriend than a dog. With his black fur and piercing green eyes, this gentle giant looked fierce. However he had a sweet nature. I named him Jude after the Beatles song.

As my trusty companion for 13 years, if you spotted Letitia in her VW bus called Harmony, Jude was there too, traveling with her. During those years, living in Gainesville, Fla.; New York City and finally back home Saratoga Springs, NY, I never went very far in my bus without Jude. His appearance was a blessing as he was my protector when I was travelling alone. This painting was created while camping during a 1975 trip along the East Coast, returning to NYC from my 10th high school reunion in Miami.

Early Art Works from my Archives

“PORTAIT OF A LADY” [1960, Acrylic on Canvas Board]

Many thanks to Jean Fei who has invited me to participate in the FACEBOOK ART CHALLENGE. Because art has saved me from pain and despair many times over the years, I would like to share these FB postings here on my blog. Even coloring in a coloring book has been proven to lower blood-pressure and improve mood. This kind of creative endeavor is not limited to “artists,” but a tool that is available to everyone. Dig out some crayons and take the leap. It’s relaxing… and fun!

For this FACEBOOK ART CHALLENGE I chose to pull together some images from my archives – works I produced over two decades early in my life… between the ages of 12 to 33! These are paintings, prints and drawings from life – portraits, nudes and animal drawings – from the 1960s through the 1980s! These works show the development of skill, style and confidence as I grew from a school girl to an exhibiting artist in my 30s.

The first image is “PORTRAIT OF A LADY.” This is my first attempt to paint on canvas. It was painted from a magazine photo during the summer of 1960 when I was 12 years old, while staying with Dottie and Sylvester Splain, my aunt and uncle in Somers, Connecticut. They displayed it in their beautiful colonial home for years. Ultimately when Syl and Dottie passed away, the painting came back to me about 25 years later.

I am excited to be sharing this selection of images ~ they look quite different than the paintings I have been creating in recent years. It’s especially interesting to look back on these earlier works since I am planning on pursuing drawing and painting from life again …once the renovation of my studio is complete this spring.

TWELFTH NIGHT EPIPHANY

TWELFTH NIGHT EPIPHANY

6 January 2007

 

Brighter than the star they follow,
or a waxing moon in a star bright sky,
the wise ones arrive again
bearing incense, myrrh and light
as they have for millennia.

January night on the river
torches line the caissons – a guard
for painted icons returning
to a balcony home above
floes of winter waters flowing.

Brightness sparkling against dark secrets,
sealed for now, for missions yet assigned,
Unreachable tonight beyond closed gates.
May we witness gifts birthed by winter’s thaw
What wise ones see atop a year being born…

                                            – Letitia Splain Dayer 

__________________________________________________________

TWELFTH NIGHT EPIPHANY ~~~ In 2004 my life fell apart when my marriage ended. After my husband left, life as I had known it for two decades was history. Before long my shock tuned to despair. As time passed I felt increasingly unsure of my ability to remain in my beloved home on the Hudson River. Knowing something had to change, I considered selling all or part of the historic property. As I struggled to make sense of my dilemma, I sketched out many scenarios of how I could survive.

 

In early 2007 it came as a revelation that the answer to my concerns lay in the property itself. It was January 6th , the traditional holy day called Epiphany, when I had the sudden realization that I had to keep my barn ~ for it was the barn that could sustain me. On this unusually warm night, also known as Twelfth Night, as I was readying for my first art exhibit in a long time, I suddenly realized that not only did I need my barn to do my work, but I also saw that by sharing the BBH barn with the community, I could generate income; this would make it possible for me to stay in my home.

 

I wrote a poem about that insight. Shortly thereafter I translated the words of that epiphany into paint – my image of the river and the future missions yet to be borne. Only after the painting was done did I notice my photo of the Hudson in my kitchen, realizing how it had subconsciously informed the painting ~ in color and texture, shape and form. This revelation felt right and true. I had to trust this unfolding path. My future was pulling me forward into a destiny I could only understand ~ by accepting and living into it.  And so I did.

___________________________________________________________________

 

~ HEAL ~ GROW ~ EVOLVE ~

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Signed First Edition Book

>>> NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE <<<

S P E C I A L   O F F E R
SAVE 20% off the regular price

FIRST EDITION Signed by the Artist
LETITIA SPLAIN DAYER

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT:
https://letitiahealingonhudson.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/a-brush-with-healing-book-now-available-online/

Now That My House Has Burned, I Have Greater View of the Moon

~ HEAL ~ GROW ~ EVOLVE ~

It was almost the new year. The christmas tree was still in place as the litter of new kittens hovered with their mama kitty in a blanket on the back porch. Our friends could not get the mama kitty to come inside with her new brood, so they placed a heat lamp near them on this cold December night. The regular house cats were happy to be inside for the night.

When our friends heard the sound of breaking glass in the wee hours of the morning, they thought that a cat had knocked over the Christmas tree. But when they descended the stairs they saw that the back of their house was in flames… on the outside! It was too late to make a difference with the fire extinguisher. And given their remote rural location, the fire trucks arrived too late to save the house. It wasn’t a total loss, but the damages were significant. The house could no longer be lived in. And the kittens, it turns out that had caused the fire, were nowhere to be found. The heat lamp had malfunctioned and had fallen on the blanket. After enough smoldering it had erupted into flames and shortly thereafter the back porch was in flames.

The good news is the not all the felines perished in the fire. In fact one of the cats came to live with us. We named him Mister Phoenix. The community came out to support our friends. The fundraiser was like the closing scene from the Jimmy Stewart film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Our friends survived, and since thrived in new ways. They have moved on with their lives. As with all loss… we learn and we grow.

In the meantime I learned a new mantra from Yakov Nor, a psychodrama teacher from Israel. This is his personal mantra that he begins each day with. This mantra seems fitting for my friends with whom we shared this trauma. It is simple, ironic… yet affirming.

It goes like this:
Now That My House Has Burned… I Have a Better View of the Moon

___________________________

Now That My House Has Burned

Walking the circle
A howl, a prayer
What to say, How to pray
The center reached
Becomes a breach
This center cannot hold

How to find our way?

Returning to that circle
Seeking love and light

Spirits bowed in prayer retreat
Mending wounds of loss weep
A ring of fire so bright
Its heat burns white
Searing through our hesitations
Oh yes there’s that light.

Now that my house has burned
I have a better view of the moon.

– Letitia Splain Dayer / October 2009

(“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Book Excerpt)

____________________________________________________________________

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING ” Signed First Edition Book

>>> NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE <<<

New Year Special Offer
SAVE 20% off the regular price

Signed by the Artist
LETITIA SPLAIN DAYER

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT:
https://letitiahealingonhudson.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/a-brush-with-healing-book-now-available-online/

FURY HAS BEAUTY

FURY HAS BEAUTY

Fury has beauty, be not afraid.
Though we have no calm. – For now
embrace this madness – you can take it.
Ya know you’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Can’t see the forest, can’t see the trees
On the other side of sight
Close your eyes, just feel it
Like a fast dance. You can try.

The sun will return, the chill will subside
Fight not the chaos tho it’s scary
Cling to me and know comfort
Let’s enjoy this wild ride

Our surprise will be in missing stormy skies.
I’ll cherish you embraced me, as I held you too
when a storm held us captive. Yes, we loved it
for together we came through.

Letitia Splain Dayer
8 April 2015

(“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Book Excerpt)

_____________________________________________________

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING ” Signed First Edition Book

>>> NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE <<<

New Year Special Offer
SAVE 20% off the regular price

Signed by the Artist
LETITIA SPLAIN DAYER

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT:

https://letitiahealingonhudson.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/a-brush-with-healing-book-now-available-online/

FROM UNCERTAIN TO WHOLE ~ RUNS A RIVER OF GOLD

~ HEAL ~ GROW ~ EVOLVE ~
________________________________________________________________
How strange and mysterious to realize that a spring image (“River of Gold within My Soul”) had been painted with the same palette as the difficult painting from late winter (“Tenuous Threads of Uncertainty”). What a surprise!

In time I came to understand that there had been a vibrant energy within me from the beginning, which had sustained me through this entire crucible. I finally understood that this river of gold is always within me. And I now know this gold is perpetuated by the headwaters of my life – fed by my faith in the Divine, my own inner wisdom honed over the decades, and especially the gifts of the many extraordinary people that bless my life, especially those that saved my life. For all these things I am forever grateful.

(“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Book Excerpt)
________________________________________________________________

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Signed First Edition Book
>>> NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE <<<
New Year Special Offer
SAVE 20% off the regular price

SIGNED BY THE ARTIST
LETITIA SPLAIN DAYER

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT:

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Book Now Available Online

TENUOUS THREADS OF UNCERTAINTY

~ HEAL ~ GROW ~ EVOLVE ~

When I learned I might have Cancer, I felt that I was a victim. But I learned that I had to let that go. To believe I was a victim was not empowering.

When one has a traumatic experience, the toxic energy seeps into the inside of you. When you create art (writing, painting, dance) it flows out of your body, out of your being, and it frees you… if you are willing to be with it. First you must be able to BE with what is.

I painted this image and wrote the accompanying poem on the eve of my diagnosis. The dark spots represent the dark spots I saw on the ultra sound. My terror dissolved into tears as I painted this image. I wept through the whole process.

You can’t fix something, if you can’t feel it.

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Excerpt > > >
_________________________________________________________

~ Tenuous Threads of Uncertainty ~

Tenuous. Uncertain. The weight of fear,
carries a spot so small into a smear,
Then tendrils weighted by salty tears.
I’m brought to my knees
with a paper thin shield of prayer.
I despair and now I weep.

Fear releases a thread, then two, then more
spreading darkness on this path where I kneel.
Tears corrode my shield
where prayers and mantras were stored.
Empty handed now, I can’t help but weep.

Threads of darkness entreat my joy to relent.
Darkening my life with an uncertain chord
Now I’m praying for sweet and mindless sleep
As fear claims the light, displacing my sight,
yet all I can do is weep.

A darkening hue, a sickening stench,
the prayers have faded from the scrolls.
Threads of uncertainty weave themselves
into the golden cloth I clench,
held tightly around my soul,
and all I can do is weep.

Letitia Splain Dayer
19 March 2014

_____________________________________________

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING ” Signed First Edition Book

>>> NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE <<<

New Year Special Offer
SAVE 20% off the regular price

Signed by the Artist
LETITIA SPLAIN DAYER

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT:

“A BRUSH WITH HEALING” Book Now Available Online