Sunday, August 26, 2012

Vanishing Vermont: BRUCE FARM

During the next 6 months I will be doing a considerable amount of research regarding ruins and abandoned building across the state of Vermont for my 2nd semester studio project. Last week, I visited a 150 acre dairy farm, here in Williston. The farm was originally a stage coach inn. The building was built around 1850, and I am not a architecture historian, I would place the style with its symmetrical, simple, but elegant lines as Georgian. It has a large attic, stone cellar, four bed-rooms upstairs, two parlors and a small kitchen. The house didn't have running water inside for a bathroom until about 2000. The old outhouse and wood shed are still connected to the rear of the building. 


Currently, the farm has a solitary inhabitant, Michael Bruce, who's family has own it since the early 1900s. I met with Mr. Bruce and he had some amazing stories to tell me about his family and their lives as dairy farmers. Its been a long run for the farm, but time and economics are taking their toll. Mr. Bruce has sold off all the heifers and the farm and the remaining buildings are on the market. I am grateful to him for the tour of the main building and the old dairy barn. 

As far as he knew, no one had ever seen or heard a ghost on the property. But, Mr Bruce said that if I was able to talk to his great-grandfather, I might have gotten a different story. 

I wanted to share a few of the processed shots with you. At the end of the project I will be exhibiting the photographs, with the hopes of compiling them all into a book about vanishing Vermont. I'm hoping as my readers you send me your feedback, comments and suggestions! 

Till next time!







Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Please remember that I retain the rights to all original photography posted. While I am honored and flattered that you might enjoy the work enough to want to use or repost other places, please do not do so with out express permission from the artist. 
Thanks! Lorraine

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Art Hop is coming! The Art Hop is coming!

Yes, the 20th ART HOP is ALMOST here!


Now in its 20th year, the ART HOP presented by SEABA (South End Art and Business Association) is Vermont's largest most remarkable annual exhibition of visual art. I am so excited about being a part of this perennial art extravaganza
.
This three day event occurs during the weekend following the Labor Day holiday. It attracts over 30,000 visitors, which says a lot, especially when you consider that the population of Burlington is only 42,000 people! 500 participating artists partner with locale business and galleried in the South End to celebrating this unique cultural event.

You can find out more about the ART HOP and SEABA at their website.

Art Hop: September 7-9, 2012


Punctum LReynolds Copyright 2012
I am so excited to be a part of the ART HOP again this year. I am honored to be able to show my work in THREE locations.
You can find a new selection of prints at
the TOP OF THE HOP,
stop #1,

BURTON SNOWBOARDS,
80 Industrial Avenue






Whathasbeen LReynolds Copyright 2012

I'll be installing the NEW barn boards ghosts in a show with my dear artist friend, from Nashville, TN, Beth Gilmore:
AMERICAN GOTHIC
at Vintage Inspired Lifestyle Marketplace
180 Flynn Avenue





Hope Blossoms    





and... if the good old ASSEMBLAGE is something you are looking for my houses, boxes and books can be found at my home away from home...
the S.P.A.C.E. gallery
 266 Pine Street

In their
20 MEDIUMS show

 
Hope Blossoms with be featured in this show. I am very proud to announce that piece won 2nd place in the juried book arts show: UNBOUND v.II @ the Artistree Gallery in Woodstock, VT.

Speaking of the Artistree Gallery. Adrian Tan asked me to create an outdoor "mini-installation" in a mail box for their upcoming show: POST OBSOLESCENCE. My new piece: bring the boys back home, has twist together nostalgia and metaphor. The show opens tomorrow, Thursday August 23rd. 6pm.

Artists have created interior "installations" within standard rural mailboxes leaving the exterior unadorned. The mail boxes have then been mounted along a walking trail loop on the gallery hillside. This event marks one of the last opportunities to view UNBOUND vol. II and is also an open house event at the community arts center.

Open House begins at 5pm with live music and light refreshments. Post-Obsolescence opens to the public at 6pm followed by the outdoor screening of the Andy Goldsworthy documentary "Rivers & Tides" on the lawn behind ArtisTree (bring a picnic dinner!)






Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Ghost Stories

Well, to say this summer has been a whirlwind is an understatement. I can't believe it's August already. Where has the time gone? I know a lot of my time has been invested with work, family and school. Just about a week ago, I was taking down a semester's worth a work at Vermont College of Fine Arts exhibit space, lovingly called "the ARK." I was really pleased with the feedback the faculty and the visiting "critters" had to give. So now, with one whole semester behind me, I can move into semester #2 of a 4 semester journey through graduate school.

copyright LReynolds 2012
copyright LReynolds 2012
This semester I will be focusing all of time and energy into researching ghosts and hauntings. Text and articles to read have been piling up on my desk. Movies to watch are queuing up. The purpose of this research is to better understand what it means for something to be "haunted." What makes a ghost, a ghost? How is it that some people see then and some people don't? Why do spaces and places, like old houses, cemeteries and abandoned buildings fill some people with dread and horror, when other people go hunting for spirits and spectral evidence?  These are just a few examples of the ideas that I am exploring. 

copyright LReynolds 2012
One of my projects will be to document abandoned spaces and those places considered ghostly or haunted through photography and video. Last weekend I went out looking at some old sites and I thought you might be interested in see what I uncovered... 
I will share more as they come.
copyright LReynolds 2012
copyright LReynolds 2012

copyright LReynolds 2012


copyright LReynolds 2012


copyright LReynolds 2012
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Please remember that I retain the rights to all original photography posted. While I am honored and flattered that you might enjoy the work enough to want to use or repost other places, please do not do so with out express permission from the artist. 
Thanks! Lorraine

Monday, August 13, 2012

One day late, the winner!

Thank you for all your support and love. My dear husband had the honors of picking at random the winner of the giveaway and that person is .......
Nina Cunningham! 
Congrats! 
Nina will be receiving her sweet little gift in the mail soon.  In the meantime stay tuned... I went ghost hunting yesterday and found some pretty cool stuff... I have some pictures to share in a bit.

....And one other piece of business...Not sure if you know this, but I am teaching three classes this year at ART-IS-YOU in Stamford, CT. With my busy schedule of family, school, work and art-making, I don't get to teach very often, although I really love doing it. Going to retreats like Art-Is and working one on one with students is one of the most amazing feelings. I am always humbled and honored to be able to contribute to the growth and development of people's artistic lives. I am really excited to be able to teach 3 brand new classes.

SATURDAY October 6th
WHAT HIDES WITHING, In this class was created from a piece that I made called: the Litany Against Fear. It is an interactive piece and I am using the workshop to teach artists how to use their emotions and past to create artwork that heals. 

SUNDAY October 7th
RURAL ROOTS: Here in Vermont we have roots. In architecture, in the land and in history. We will explore what your roots are and use my favorite new material: BARN BOARD to create beautiful assemblage as homage to our ancestors, real or imaginary.

MONDAY October 8th
RECLAIM YOUR CHILDHOOD: This class was originally called "Poor Dolly".  In is intended for you to use all those crazy bits and pieces of old dolls that you have been collecting. (I know you have been collecting them. They are so creepy and great, who can resist?) I started working with really odd and scary dolls a few years back when a friend asked me to participate in a show entitled "The Art of Horror". If you find something very beautiful in their detritus and decay and that their uncanny nature should be celebrated this is the class for you!

Alright! That's the whole kit and caboodle. Three days chock full of good clean art-making, lots of great ideas for you to kick start your studio practice and heaps and heaps of fun.

So. If you are on the fence and haven't signed up yet, ART-IS-YOU is a month and 1/2 away! You don't want to miss out on this. It is a great opportunity to re-charge your brain and be inspired. Take my advice.STOP MAKING EXCUSES. You owe it to yourself. Sign up today! October will be here before you know it.

OK. That's all I have for today, folks. Tomorrow, pictures of ghosts.... stay tuned.




Sunday, August 5, 2012

Special Giveaway


I am finally back from my grad school residency and have some wonderful news to tell you.
I am so excited to announce that my new website is live and running! lorrainereynoldsvt.com.  I am so thankful to the Vermont Arts Council for their funding. As well as Beth Robinson and  Rick Levinson  for their fantastic contributions to the site. I could not done with without them.


To celebrate this new exciting new accomplishment I am doing a sweet little giveaway.
I have one last little shrine left in the studio and I think it's time for it to find a new home.

So with a little help from you in spreading the word about my new site, it could be yours. All you have to do to enter to win is mention my new website and with a link to your Twitter, Tumbler, Blog or Facebook page. Then leave a comment here and you'll be entered in the drawing. Easy? Right?

I draw the winner's name at random next Sunday.



Thank you ever so much for your continued support! Have a great, creative week. And Good Luck!