"Art in the Time of CoronaVirus"....

Kimono Swing 2, 2020, oil, gold on canvas, 36" x 48"

It's been several weeks since I last posted. Since Christmas, I have been working 6-8 hours a day, almost every day, painting new work for a solo exhibit “In a Japanese Garden” that was scheduled for the month of April at LRoss Gallery in Memphis, TN. Last week the show was (mutually) cancelled, hopefully postponed until later this year, or rescheduled for next spring.

I am feeling part disappointment; and part relief to not have a 1,000 mile drive from Albuquerque to Memphis ahead of me and being away from home during this turbulent, unpredictable time.

However, I thought I’d use this blog to share a sneak preview of some of the new work that I completed for the show. Enjoy!

The painting posted today is “Kimono Swing 2”, oil on stretched canvas, 36” x 48” (yeah, it’s a big one for me!)

The work "kimono" means "something to wear" so there are many styles of kimono for different occasions. This painting is based on the furisode, a woman's kimono, and the fanciest Japanese kimono worn for various special events. Traditionally the furisode kimono was worn by young, unmarried women and was made with the finest fabrics, the most lavish designs, and embellished with metallic threads. The word "furisode" means "swinging sleeves" which can vary in length from 15 inches to three feet. If a young woman wanted to attract a certain young man's attention, she would gently swing the long sleeves of her furisode kimono to signal her interest.

Inspired by these factors, I composed this painting to portray the layering of materials and colorful patterning with gold accents of a furisode, along with the excitement of youthful romantic attraction on a lighthearted, breezy spring day.

Thank you for taking a look at my work. Please stay safe and be careful during this time.
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©2020 Carol L. Adamec,Text and image,  All rights reserved.

"In a Japanese Garden Revisited" continues...

Gallery installation photo: with "Double Lily" painting, 7x9" framed, $175

To all the friends and attendees who came Saturday to my Artist Talk at the Weyrich Gallery's "Meet and Greet" event: Thank you! I appreciate all of your kind comments about my presentation and the exhibit.

I am so grateful to Weyrich Gallery owners Valerie and Gary Tibbetts who installed the exhibit. Their arrangement of my paintings, displayed with live flowers and other Japanese accoutrements, has created just the right ambience of a Japanese Garden.

There's still time to see the show, which runs thru May 31. I think you'll enjoy it!
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Text and image © 2019, Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Ready for the Opening!

Weyrich Gallery, an installation view: "In a Japanese Garden, Revisited"

"In a Japanese Garden, Revisited" opens tomorrow (Friday, May 3) at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque. Valerie and Gary have done a beautiful job setting up my exhibit. I am so grateful!

I hope everyone who comes to see the show tomorrow evening or during the month of May enjoys this creative endeavor. 

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Text and Image ©2019 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Now Showing....

Carol L. Adamec: "Kintsugi Kimono" 2016. Oil, mixed media on panel, 16"x16". 

..."In a Japanese Garden" at Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, Missouri, through December 16.

The pattern on this kimono was inspired by the crackled glazed surface found on Chinese and Japanese ceramic items.

The small areas of gold are "kintsugi", a 500 year-old method of mending broken or flawed pottery using gold. Rather than hiding such repairs, the gold-filled cracks and spaces celebrate the beauty of restoration over replacement.

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Text and image ©2017 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Peek #7....

Carol L Adamec: "Garden Varieties 2", 2017, mixed media on rice paper, 11"x14"

Here's another 11"x14" mixed media piece completed for may upcoming exhibit, "In a Japanese Garden", opening next Friday, October 13, at Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, MO. 

I'll have at least 35 artworks in this exhibit. I'm getting excited to actually see it all hung together to create the ambience of a Japanese Garden!

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Text and Image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Peek #4...A Summer Garden Yukata

Original by Carol L Adamec: "Summer Garden Kimono" 2017. Mixed media on rice paper, 11"x14"
SOLD

Hot off the easel, another finished piece for my "In a Japanese Garden" exhibit coming up in October. This image combines the profuse color and varieties of a summer flower garden that becomes the pattern of a Japanese kimono called a "yukata."

A yukata is a casual style of kimono, worn by both men and women. Usually made with cotton fabric, it is worn during the hot summer months of Japan, and often features bright colors and bold designs.

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Text and Image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Peek #3...

Original by Carol L Adamec: "Cinnabar Garden", 2017. Mixed media on rice paper, 14"x11"
SOLD 

The artwork I'm creating for my exhibit "In a Japanese Garden" consists of elements that would be found in a Japanese garden. Rather than painting various scenes or specific views, I am creating images of flowers and flora to interpret the "nature" of a garden, with kimonos to represent the human presence in the garden.

Like the image in today's post—"Cinnabar Garden"—the artworks are intended to delight viewers with the color, line, and texture of Nature's organic forms. So rather than being presented depictions of garden elements, viewers will hopefully experience the ambience of a Japanese Garden, feeling as though they are in that environment, as they wander through the exhibit.

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Text and Image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

My next BIG show...Sneak Peek #1

Original by Carol L Adamec: "Golden Garden Light", 2017. Mixed media, 11"x14" (framed size).

It's been a busy summer! I had a great time in Memphis, at the LRoss Gallery for the "Elvis Has Left the Building" show. There was a DJ spinning old Elvis songs, and a big crowd humming along with the music while viewing all the Elvis-themed artwork.

Also, I have been working on my next one-person show: "In a Japanese Garden", to be exhibited this fall at George A. Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri, October 14 - December 8. 

As I am finishing up pieces for the show, I'll be posting them here on my blog. So here's the first sneak peek. Enjoy!

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Text and Image ©2017 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

New Painting at the Weyrich Gallery

Zen Garden Blossoms, 2016. Original mixed media on panel. Image: 12x12" Available: contact Weyrich Gallery.

Today's blogpost features a new painting from my ongoing series "In a Japanese Garden." Painted in gouache on rice paper with gold metallic enhancements, the image also incorporates Chinese texts and characters.

In my research of Japanese art, history, and culture for this series, it was interesting to discover the impact and influence of Chinese culture on the development of Japanese civilization. Still today modern Japanese writing system contains several thousand Chinese characters known as kanji.

In this painting I have drawn on both cultures to create the image: The Chinese text is in the traditional vertical style of writing that the Japanese call tategaki, while the background of the blossoms uses the color blending seen in traditional Japanese woodblock prints.

The painting is available for purchase at the Weyrich Gallery located at 2935 Louisiana Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 / 505.883-7410.

Text and Image ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.
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Last Day to Visit "In a Japanese Garden"

White Blossoms: Yellow, Blue, Peach, 2016. 
6" x 6" each. Available separately.

Today is the last day of my exhibit "In a Japanese Garden"at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque.

This has been a truly wonderful exhibit for me, from start to finish. I enjoyed creating the paintings; loved the installation by the Gallery; was thrilled with the fabulous review by Wesley Pulkka; had fun giving my Artist Talk last weekend to the brave souls who came out in 100 degree heat; and am so grateful to those who purchased work, too!

Thank you! to everyone who has been a part of this process--those near and those far away.

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

In a Japanese Garden...Last Views

Royal Garden, 2016. Mixed media, 16" x 12"

Today and tomorrow are the last days of my exhibit, "In the Japanese Garden" at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque. And what better painting to share with you than this "Royal Garden", especially if you are a fan of the color purple.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the paintings on this blog that were part of the exhibit. Thanks for being a part of this experience and process.

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Last Week of My Exhibit

Kimono III (Gold), 2016, mixed media on panel, "12x12"

Since this is the last week of my exhibit "In a Japanese Garden" at the Weyrich Gallery in Albuquerque, I am posting the remaining paintings in the show.

One of the interesting facts I discovered while doing research for this exhibit was that the color purple was very difficult color to obtain in Japan during the Nara period, and therefore, very pricey. Only royalty, high ranking officials and priests were allowed to even wear the color purple.

Even though I had finished this painting, after learning that fact, I added purple dotting to this piece--adding a touch of "royalty" to it.

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Image and text: Carol L Adamec, 2016. All rights reserved.

"My Journey to a Japanese Garden"

Mixed media on ricepaper, mounted on panel, 6x6." Available: contact Artist

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, June 18) I will be giving my Artist Talk at 3:30pm at the Weyrich Gallery. The title of my talk is "My Journey to a Japanese Garden." It's a free event and a great chance to see the show.

I've been giving a lot of thought to how to organize this presentation, since creating the work for an exhibit is an intuitive process and now it's time to provide a coherent narrative that gives viewers some sense of how the paintings came into being, my ideas, and the process and materials.

And of course, attendees are welcome to ask questions, too!

So if you are in Albuquerque, please come! The Gallery is located at 2935-D Louisiana NE (at Candelaria). The exhibit--In a Japanese Garden--continues thru June 25.

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Text and image ©Carol L Adamec, 2016. All rights reserved.

"So, how was the show?"

View of 3 of my flower paintings: "In a Japanese Garden"
at the Weyrich Gallery. Photo credit: Jean Kondek

Last Friday was a beautiful evening for an opening reception, and a Citywide ArtsCrawl in Albuquerque to boot. So, for me it was a most "auspicious" night to have my exhibit, "In a Japanese Garden" at the Weyrich Gallery Albuquerque.

I am very grateful to my friends, colleagues, collectors, and clients of the Weyrich Gallery who came to the opening reception last week. Three paintings were purchased (Thank you, my dear friends and collectors!); and I received many encouraging emails, texts, and positive comments about the exhibit from those who attended, along with good wishes from friends, family, and supporters around the country.

One note from an artist-friend said, "I went to 6 other openings last night and yours was hands down way above and beyond what I saw elsewhere. Thanks for inviting me." Well, that was nice to hear.

Yes, I am pleased with the paintings, and the exhibit was beautifully installed by Valerie and Gary Tibbetts, the gallery owners. 

"So, how was the show?"

Perfect!

PS: Thanks, Mom and Karen, for the lovely and exotic flower arrangement. It added just the right touch!

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Image and text: Carol L Adamec, 2016. All rights reserved.

Tonight's the Night!

O'Keeffe Calla, my original painting at the Weyrich Gallery
SOLD

Finally! It's showtime at the Weyrich Gallery for my opening reception of "In a Japanese Gallery--An Interpretation" this evening from 5-8:30pm.

Gallery owners Valerie and Gary Tibbetts have done a beautiful job of installing the exhibit, creating just the right garden atmosphere with my paintings. I am very pleased with the exhibit, and look forward to seeing all the guests coming to the opening tonight.

And many thanks to all the good wishes from friends, family, and collectors, near and far. I appreciate your support!

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Image and text: Carol L Adamec, 2016. All rights reserved

Sneak Preview #5....

Floating Rose Kimono, 2016. Mixed media on panel, 20 x 16"

ABOVE: Floating Rose Kimono

Another one of the kimono paintings in my show, In a Japanese Garden—An Interpretation.

Only two more days until Opening Night!

Opening Reception: Friday, June 3, 5-8:30pm

at The Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110

Thanks for taking a sneak peek!
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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview #4...

ABOVE: White Lily Kimono, 2016, mixed media, 16x12"
SOLD

I hope your are enjoying a great holiday weekend!

Here's a larger view of "White Lily Kimono" that was featured on the invitation card.

See the "real thing" next week! Details below:

In a Japanese Garden—An Interpretation

Opening Reception: 5-8:30pm, Friday, June 3 

at The Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 

Thanks for taking (another) sneak peek! 

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview #3...

Currents, 2016. Original painting, oil, gold on canvas. 32" x 44"

ABOVE: Currents by Carol L Adamec

Every exhibit needs what I call a "Show Stopper"—at least one artwork that has a Wow! factor. This painting is my "show stopper"for my upcoming exhibit at the Weyrich Gallery.

Hope it grabs you, too!

In a Japanese Garden—An Interpretation

Opening Reception: 5-8:30pm, Friday, June 3 

at The Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 

Thanks for taking a sneak peek! 

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Image and text ©2016 Carol L Adamec. All rights reserved.

Sneak Preview #1

Blue Twins, 2016. Original, oil, metallic gold on gessoed panel, 8"x8"
SOLD

ABOVE: Blue Twins (Morning Glories) 

One of the flower paintings for my show In a Japanese Garden.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 3, 5-8:30pm

at the Weyrich Gallery, 2935-D Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

Thanks for stopping by to take a sneak peek!

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Image and Text ©2016 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.