Month: October 2021

A New Tradition Begins: Halloween Ikebana

I thoroughly enjoyed our Ikebana class this week! Ikebana is turning out to be an unexpectedly creative outlet for me, and has opened up new horizons that are here to stay.

The last time I posted Ikebana arrangements, they were beautiful centerpiece lessons from our Sogetsu school textbook, and made of typical flowers like red and pink roses and greenery, which you can see in Joy and More Joy.

This week our lesson was a freestyle arrangement with a Halloween/Fall theme, which means that I got to break out my box of light colored driftwood from my naturalist friend Steve who volunteer to work the trail behind my apartment. I tend to think more sculptural in freestyle too.

Leslie also gave us the option of creating Haunted Halloween Ikebana (clearly an American take on Japanese Ikebana), taking advantage of seasonal materials. I was so inspired that I ended up making 3 different arrangements, using various Ikebana techniques.

#1. Fall Theme. Orange is the salient feature of the first one.

This arrangement features gourds and flowers from Trader Joes, light gray driftwood, and a piece of dark, textured wood I found walking with my friend Ronna in Dobbs Ferry. (Sometimes it takes a village!) Of course, I can’t forget the water in the black container (or suiban in Japanese) which is an important part of this arrangement. I finished this pretty quickly since the design came easily.

#2. Haunted Halloween Theme. While working on a second arrangement on a round white container (similar to the black above), I was startled to hear Leslie suggest that I take the container away.

I actually forgot that she could see what I was doing. It felt like Leslie was in the room, but she was on zoom. And it was a great suggestion and gave the design a more natural look. This was as far as I got in the allotted time. I wasn’t happy because the branches felt so bleak.

I asked the group for feedback during the last half of the lesson when everyone shares. I explained my original vision, and that I had looked for spider web netting to drape on the branches for that spooky quality, but never found it.

Then someone suggested using Spanish moss, and pulling it apart. It was like a light bulb went off! What a terrific idea that is, I’m thinking, especially because I can finally use those two small unopened bags of moss that have been sitting in my closet for a year!

Adding the moss made a major impact and this arrangement finally felt finished. It was conceived of almost as a tableau – almost like a stage set in its own little world. Somehow the addition of the moss reminded me of the Rose Bowl Parade floats with hanging moss that I watch every year on New Years Day, since the Big Ten always played in the Rose Bowl… hopefully with Michigan in it..

Getting spookier?

#3. Halloween. What would you call this one?

This last arrangement I made Sunday night before class. What I’ve found is that it’s a good idea to plan ahead for Monday’s class. I try to pick a direction on Saturday, and then go to Trader Joe’s at 8am on Sunday morning when the flowers are delivered… most of the time.

As I had already bought my orange flowers and was going through this planning process Sunday, I remembered that Steve had given me another piece of wood that had possibilities for this theme. I won’t say that the wood was ugly, just that it has character and I tried using it so many times before but could never make it work. Here’s a closeup of the top.

This time around, I thought it looked rather haunted, and maybe evoking scarecrows I used to see in old movies in the middle of corn fields (am I thinking Wizard of Oz?). So I put the wood in the vase (propping it up on rocks), and added dried grasses that reminded me of straw and scarecrows. Finally, I cut little white mums from large pots on my little patio that I bought at Westchester Greenhouses (a bargain at $8 each for such a large size).

This is what I ended up with. While I designed the arrangement so it could be viewed from all sides on my kitchen counter, this was my “front” when I began.

Here’s the side view.

Here’s what I considered the back, until Leslie got all excited the “back” so it became the “front” of the arrangement.

Leslie said it reminded her of the gargoyles on Notre Dame, which I included below for myself as much as for you.

Now that I’m comparing the two images (the middle gargoyle in the photo vs. the arrangement), I really do see why she said that. The wood has a head (even has an eye!), with the horn coming out, similar to the gargoyle. There’s the beige grass that almost feels like a shoulder, or wing, or whatever is coming out the back of the left gargoyle. The dried grasses come forward almost mimicking the corner curve of the Notre Dame architecture under the gargoyle (any one know what that’s called?).

Arrangements By The Other Students (aka fellow Ikebana addicts…). Carin and Susan had fun with this too. I was impressed with what they both came up with.

Let’s start with Carin’s, which has that decomposing feeling of Dutch vanitas and memento-mori still life paintings, reminding us of the transitory nature of life with its semi-bare branches, fading sunflowers and berries. All that’s missing is the skull… Carin even made her own container by carving out the inside of the pumpkin. She wins my Most Creative award of the week!

Ah, but the skull is here in Susan’s arrangement, which I thought was absolutely delightful! What a happy and macabre skeleton this is in its coffin-like container. She made the dark spider web herself using orthodontic rubberbands, and had wonderful white plant material that felt so ethereal like real spider webs do. (I admit I was envious at the time.) Susan wins my most Spooky Fun Award of the week.

The coincidence is that we both used the same orange flowers even though we live on opposite coasts of the US. When I looked up the flower on my seek app , my new favorite app that identifies species at the click of a photo, it turned out to be a pot marigold. Maybe Susan went to Trader Joe’s too in Oregon, or maybe she’s just lucky enough to have these growing in her backyard, which has been an amazing source of plant materials for this class.

Ikebana is having a major impact on my life – both in my everyday and artistic worlds. I take longer walks and look for different trails and habitats, studying the plants and trees as I go. After working with natural materials every week for a year, I went down to the garage to get my fake gourds with the stand I’ve been using forever for the fall. This time I had to put the fake ones back and fill the stand with real gourds from Trader Joes.

It’s funny but I’m already looking forward to next year’s Halloween Ikebana arrangement. That’s how I know this is really the start of a new tradition.

Happy Halloween!

Candy Anniversary Commission

For weeks I’ve had this odd feeling that there’s a special anniversary I have to remember in October. I looked it up both in my hardcopy birthday/anniversary book and digital contact file, and found… nothing.

It took a while, but last week it finally hit me. The date I was trying to remember was October 27th, and it is Debbie and Mike’s anniversary! A few years ago, Mike commissioned me to do this vending machine painting as a surprise gift to his wife on their 6th wedding anniversary – which was their candy anniversary! Who knew?


“Candy Anniversary”, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 10 x 20 inches, by Beverly Shipko

At the time, I kind of kicked myself for not knowing the 6th anniversary was the candy anniversary given my confection background in advertising (a marketing opportunity missed!) and my addiction to painting candy.

Looking at Candy Anniversary now, I am pleased with how this vending machine painting came out. Maybe it’s because I can feel all the love that went into it. There isn’t anything I would change, and I can’t say that about all my paintings. As my mother used to say, artists have high standards and are a tough bunch to please, especially when it comes to their own art.

The Process

Mike gave this painting a lot of thought.

Once we decided on the size, I ordered a specially stretched gallery wrap canvas (1 1/2 inches deep) from SoHo Art Materials in New York City since Ampersand no longer makes a 10 x 20 inch canvas. This was the first time I used a canvas stretched on aluminum stretchers (vs. the typical wood stretchers) so the panel would never warp, and framing is truly optional. A real advantage. I’ve had many a canvas warp in me through the year.

From an artist’s perspective, aluminum is much heavier than wood to carry and transport (4 of these were very heavy!), which will increase shipping costs. I don’t know what’s more expensive – the cost of a frame or the incremental cost of shipping. Fortunately Mike picked the finished work up.

His vision was to use bright, colorful candies like M&M Peanuts and Reese’s Peanut Buttercups that they both liked to eat. Then Mike focused on making it personal and meaningful by embedding their wedding date, 10/27/2012, into the vending machine visual. The prices are the same as in 2012 when they were married. Note that when I painted my first vending machine in 2015, candy bars already cost $1.25.

Sketching is a critical step in any commission since it’s easy to make changes in pencil that won’t be visible in the final painting. As you can see above, initially I put in the anniversary date in a prominent place where it was easily readable.

Mike had a different concept in mind, more of a subtle “Easter egg” that you might not notice at first. (FYI. The term “Easter egg” in this context refers to a secret message, joke or screen buried in a software application; in this case a painting.) We moved the anniversary date under the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, where it is partially covered by the wrapper.

Once the sketch is approved, I start by painting the black acrylic background, as I have in previous vending paintings. I prefer acrylic to oil for the background since it has less texture and better simulates the smooth black metal of vending machines.

Notice that I take the painting off the easel to paint on a flat table. Usually it takes several thin layers of black acrylic paint to obliterate the texture of the canvas – and knock out those telltale little white spots that you would never find on a vending machine. This gives me more leverage to paint the details and avoids dripping onto the images.

I start with the logos in the center and move outward, defining the salient features of each bar, which also minimizes the chances of smearing the logos. The challenge is always to find a dry spot to brace my hand. That’s another advantage of using the acrylic background – it dries completely in an hour or two and offers a “safe haven” for bracing. Then I moved to the rest of the wrappers.

At this point, I’m refining the logos and doing little touchups. I like how the dimensionality of the bars comes through. Mr. Peanut M&Ms looks like he’s alive!

And here is Candy Anniversary in its new home.

Happy 9th Anniversary, Debbie and Mike! I certainly will remember the date next year. It’s forever printed on my psyche.

Hope the 9th anniversary is as sweet as the 6th. Next year your 10th anniversary is aluminum or tin. Maybe there’s a Warhol-type Campbell’s Soup Can painting in your future…

Wishing you love, laughter and happiness for many years to come.

RiverArts Studio Tour Returns – with a New Face.

Slowly the artistic world is returning to some sense of normalcy.

After canceling two annual Studio Tours due to the Covid-19 pandemic, RiverArts® decided to go ahead with a one-day no-frills event this upcoming weekend, on Saturday, October 23 from 11-6pm, instead of waiting until the traditional late April date. More than 70 artists from Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington, and Tarrytown are participating.

You can download the map at https://2021studiotour.riverarts.org and visit studios at your own pace. This is a free event.

Recently I went to the Preview Show at the Hastings Municipal Building of this years abbreviated 2021 RiverArts Artists Studio Tour, this year as a visitor rather than a participant. I decided to take a break this year to figure out my 2022 post-Covid strategy now that I’m living in an apartment. (In 2020 I only got as far as my postcard…) The Hastings show is up through October 24th, while the Dobbs Ferry Library Preview is up through October 29th.

Now let me introduce you to a new face on the Tour.

My walking buddy and fellow realist, Linda Friedlander, decided to participate in the Studio Tour for the first time. She is an accomplished artist, and her striking still life painting greets you on the left as soon as you enter the Hastings Municipal Building.

Linda Friedlander, “Elaine’s Bowl/Amy’s Apples”, 2015, Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Lets take a closer took. The details of the fabric and porcelain are so rich, the apples so enticing, and that pierced dish is so exquisitely painted. I would never have that kind of patience!

Linda caught all the subtleties of the glass reflections and cast shadows from the pierced porcelain.

This is the best of contemporary realism. Linda’s fascination with transparency and complex tabletop compositions evoke the work of Janet Fish (who had a fabulous retrospective at DC Moore Gallery in NYC a few years back) – the ultimate compliment to Linda since I love Janet’s work and she’s such an acclaimed artist.

You can see Linda’s work for yourself this Saturday at the Dobbs Ferry Presbyterian Church. She’s number 11 in Dobbs Ferry on the Studio Tour map.

If you can’t make it, you are invited to the Opening Reception of her solo show on November 14th at the same location from November 7 -December 12.

Back to the Hastings Preview Show for a moment. I must point out this epic painting by veteran Studio Tour participant, Madge Scott. It has much more presence in person.

“Identity Series Welcoming Committee”, 2021, oil and other media, gold leaf, 24 x 50 inches, by Madge Scott.

When you come right up to the painting, you see that a section of the dress is a beautiful collage (which I actually missed the first time around until Linda pointed it out to me.)

And then there’s Vicky Youngman’s ceramic piece, Breaking Free, which I was drawn to the last time I saw it, but has since taken on a whole new meaning to me given this brave new world we all live in.

Vicky Youngman, “Breaking Free“, 2018, clay and glaze, 15 x 12 x 3.5 inches

Here’s Vicky on the right with Kara Lenkeit, who is on the Studio Tour Committee.

Below you can see more of the tribe. Thank you to Kristen Javier (on the left below), talented mosaic artist, who posted this photo on Instagram.

I wish I had taken more photos of people like Doug Coe, retired RiverArts Executive Director, not to mention a selfie or two… But wouldn’t you know that I found this ethereal photo of me entering the Hastings Municipal Building on Instagram. There I am, in all black, with my big purse.

It was such a shock to see the front hall empty. In this new world of Covid, the banquet table of delicious food from past years went AWOL, but I was somewhat consoled by outdoor music near the Hudson River.

I’m looking forward to going to the Studio Tour this Saturday – and seeing what Linda and other artists have been up to lately. That’s the value of the Studio Tour. It’s a great opportunity to talk to artists and hear firsthand about their techniques, materials, and how they think about the creative process.

It’s an annual tradition that has been sorely missed. I’m glad RiverArts didn’t wait until the spring to return. Hope you can make it.

Kusama: Cosmic Nature at the NYBG

What a gorgeous day it was when I went to the New York Botannical Gardens to see Kusama: Cosmic Nature which runs through October 31, 2021. 65 degrees and sunny. Perfect. I still get excited to see art again in person instead of on zoom.

Knowing I was seeing a sculpture installation by Kusama, aka The Dot Lady, I put on my polka-dot mask to get in the spirit of things. And what do you think greeted me at the entrance to the garden?

Polka dots, of course! I fit right in.

The cool thing about this sculpture was how dramatically it changed as you walked around this whimsical sculpture, called I Want to Fly to the Universe.

From the back, it looked like a completely different sculpture.

What I like most about the Kusama show is the variety of the installations. It turned out to be important to look at the map to see the highlights.

For example, one unassuming building near the entrance delighted with a mesmerizing experience of being indoors in an unending room of light-infused polka dotted pumpkins, called Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity, 2017. I would have totally missed this without the map.

A short distance away, I came upon this green house-like structure teeming with red flowers of sorts, appropriated named Flower Obsession.

As I waited online to enter, I was given this sticker on plastic and was invited to place it where I wanted. This was truly a participatory, interactive experience, a nice change of pace.

When I walked in, I could see flowers everywhere! From the wheel barrow, to the dining room table and chairs, everything was covered in red flower stickers. I took my time looking, carefully picking the territory I wanted to mark with my sticker.

I finally found some virgin territory on this philodendron plant in the corner. You can see my sticker on the right side of the leaf. It felt strange putting a sticker on a living plant, but I did it anyway. Notice how different stickers with blue centers and larger pink-ish daisies had been handed out to previous visitors.

Then I headed off to the conservatory, but was drawn instead to this large polka dotted series of irregularly shaped fingers, which turned out to be a pumpkin in motion. You can feel the motion from this view. I probably should have figured out this was a pumpkin since Kusami is obsessed with them, which she exhibits frequently around NYC and the world.

While I was waiting in line to walk through Dancing Pumpkin, a fellow visitor actually asked me if I planned my mask around the visit! Someone actually noticed.

I had plenty of time to study this view since only a few people were admitted at a time, not so much from covid precautions, as much as to prevent damage from having too many visitors walk through. The guard said this artwork had already been repaired several times.

As I finally approached Dancing Pumpkin, these finger like projections beckoned, and somehow reminded me of Louise Bourgeoise’s spider sculptures; I’m not sure why. Maybe because these spiders and pumpkin installation are so large, and are both representative sculptures with “legs” that you walk through, unlike so many abstract installations, such as those by Richard Serra. (Ok, maybe the spider comparison seems like a stretch….but it works for me.)

This is the view from inside out, where the pumpkin’s legs look like octopus tentacles or giant drips, take your pick. Ever hear of an old horror movie called The Blob?

I decided to look for a signature and finally found it.

After the Dancing Pumpkin detour, I wandered over to the ticketed Enid A. Haupt Conservatory show to be greeted by this series of whimsical, exuberant polka dotted flowers – which seemed to carry on the dancing theme.

I was delighted to find this monumental golden pumpkin hidden amidst a larger greenhouse installation, but it felt so static after seeing and experiencing Dancing Pumpkin and those exuberant flowers.

There were more polka dotted flower sculptures installed in the outdoor reflecting pool.

I couldn’t resist taking photos of these vibrant tulips scattered around the perimeter of the reflecting pool, I wondered if I could ever paint them, but they look unreal to begin with. Maybe I’ll stick to photography…

I could see the Infinity Mirror Room from a distance, which was closed when I went due to covid.

Webmaster Laura was kind enough to share her more recent photos of the Infinity Mirrored Room, saving me the $10 entry fee.

Kusama’s installations are very cool! And this one looks particularly colorful.

Then I encountered a series of white on red polka-dotted wrapped trees, a la Christo’s wrapped installations of islands, the Arc de Triumph, and more. Kusama presents us with her own unique perspective on wrapping in Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees.

Polka Dot Row, Photo by Webmaster Laura Sloofman

Finally, I went in to the LuEsther T. Mertz Library Building to see the Cosmic Nature show. Can’t miss that polka dot banner, can you?

More polka dotted cellular creatures greeted you in the entrance hall.

As I entered the gallery, I quickly encountered this sketchbook of flowers. Apparently Kusama filled numerous sketchbooks with flowers at a young age in Japan. I was enchanted by these drawings, which I couldn’t photograph myself, especially since our upcoming Ikebana lesson had us drawing details of our arrangements.

After studying the few Kusama’s drawing included in the exhibit, I was eager to get started on my own sketches. I hadn’t drawn flowers in years – I was too busy with food and vending machines.

As you moved deeper into the gallery, Kusama’s vibrant, whimsical, biomorphic cellular shapes and colors greet you, like old friends.

There was one painting called….that spoke to me. It called to mind my Cosmic Oreo.

By this time, it was past 1pm and I was hungry for lunch. My last stop on the map was this major installation. From a distance, I thought it only merited a quick walk through.

As I got closer to Narcissus Garden, 1996/2021, I realized I had been too quick to judge. I had underestimated the multisensory aspect of the installation. So I dug deep in my purse and found a small pumpkin seed snack bar (how appropriate for this show!) to tide me over.

The first surprise was that each sphere reflected the white fluffy clouds floating in the blue sky, like mini holograms of the cosmos.

Then, what looked like a static installation was anything but. The silver balls drifted slowly from side to side as the gentle breeze kicked up a notch. I took a seat and watched them move back and forth, which put me in a meditative state for a while.

Not only did the balls line themselves in natural rows, which was unexpected, but they clinked against each other making subtle sounds. The longer I stayed and the more present I became, the louder their “voices” seemed.

As I walked out, the balls were on their slow, steady march across the pond once again, accumulating along the opposite side.

This was a satisfying end to a lovely day.

I would highly recommend a visit to the NYBG to see the show, and to enjoy the gardens. The restaurants are open, which makes it easier to spend the day there. Reservations are required, and are sometimes more difficult to get than expected, even for members. So make reservations ahead of time especially on the last 3 weekends in October before Kusama Cosmic Nature closes.

To get the complete Kusama experience, reserve a combination ticket including both the indoor and outdoor installations, called the KUSAMA Garden & Gallery Pass ticket. A separate $10 ticket for interior access to Infinity Mirrored Room—Illusion Inside the Heart (2020) is required with the purchase of a KUSAMA Garden & Gallery Pass or KUSAMA Garden Pass. Tickets are highly limited and expected to sell out, if they haven’t already.

Remember, if all else fails, you can probably get a Garden Pass to see everything in this blog post that’s outdoors – not to mention the rest of this expansive garden. I just made another weekday reservation for myself to stroll by and view Kusama’s whimsical installations again, this time against the beautiful ever-changing cosmic fall colors. I wonder if the silver balls in Narcissus Garden will be reflecting some rusts and reds this time around.

Hope you make time to go. Enjoy!

Flowers, Food and Fun!

Something new and exciting crept onto my dinner plate tonight. And it’s an exuberant yellow and orange.

Here’s the backstory. Maybe you won’t be so surprised if you have read More Joy.

There’s been a silver lining for me during this pandemic.

Over a year ago, my sister-in-law, Leslie, reached out and asked if I would be interested in taking an Ikebana class from her over zoom, which she was trying to teach with for the first time (as was everyone when the pandemic began). Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. I jumped at the chance to study Ikebana with her! And I asked my friend Carin if she wanted to join in the fun. There’s 5 of us on zoom every Monday morning, including Leslie.

For years, I’ve admired Leslie’s Ikebana arrangements from afar since we never lived on the same coast, let alone the same city. Leslie took her first Ikebana class after college, when she lived in Japan with her husband Leigh, who was stationed there for a few years.

I have been deeply touched by this class, which could perhaps be described as a mini-addiction – only rivaled by my obsession with painting food.

During class, Leslie has wondered out loud several times how Ikebana was going to affect my painting. So have I.

I have painted flowers before in my pre-food years. They tend to be focused, single images. One of my favorite flower paintings is hanging in my daughter Bonnie‘s apartment. Purple is still her favorite color.

“Iris“, by Beverly Shipko, 1980s, Acrylic, 36 x 24 inches

During my small 30 Day Painting Challenges, I interspersed flowers among my subjects. I have always enjoyed flowers and admired Georgia O’Keefe’s bold images since I was a kid. You can read more about each of my flower paintings below – Sunflower, Peony, and Tiger Lily.

“Sunflower” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on panel, 6 x 6 inches
“Peony” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on panel, 6 x 6 inches
“Tiger Lily” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on panel, 6 x 6 inches

When I recently spotted a clamshell package of brightly colored edible flowers at a new local grocery store, Mom’s Organics Market, on an impulse I bought it.

Soon I discovered how much fun it is to liven up the plate with different colors and textures, and to cluster the flowers together as I do in my Ikebana arrangements. I laughed out loud when I realized I was playing with my food – something we discouraged the kids from doing when they were little. And I was having such a good time!

At the moment, I don’t know how Ikebana will affect my future paintings and body of work. However, I am excited to see the two worlds of Flowers and Food finally come together on this unconventional purple canvas that we call a plate.

I think I’m ready to take a new bite out of life!