Joe Kaz - Landscape Painter

29th Annual Mountain Art Show

2009-10-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

"Solebury Farm"
8x10 oil on canvas on board

My painting "Solebury Farm" was juried into the 29th Annual Mountain Art Show. The scene is a farm on Mechanicsville Rd in Bucks County, PA that I painted this summer.

Artists Reception and Awards Presentation:

Sunday, Oct 25, 6pm - 8pm ($25 per person)

Exhibit dates:

Saturday, Oct 24, 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, Oct 25, 12 - 4 pm
Mon-Thurs, Oct 26–29, 12 – 6 pm
Friday, Oct 30, 12 – 8 pm
Saturday, Oct 31, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, Nov 1, 12 – 3 pm

at:

St. John on the Mountain
379 Mt. Harmony Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924

Paintings from the Gardens

2009-10-12T10:31:00.010-04:00

For the third year in a row, Artists' Gallery teamed up with the Kalmia Club. Back in the spring, we painted on the annual "Hidden Gardens of Lambertville" tour. This coming weekend we're having a special exhibit of our paintings from the gardens. A portion of the sales is being donated to the Kalmia Club in support of the Club's community efforts.

You can see the show Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Oct 16-18 during normal gallery hours of 11am - 6pm. Or join us for the Gala Reception on Saturday, Oct 17, 4:00 to 7:00 pm
at:

Artists' Gallery
32 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ
map & directions

I did something a little bit different this year - instead of painting vistas of the gardens, I did a series of small 5x7" flower portraits:

I hope you can make it to the show. If you need some additional incentive, the Kalmia Club always puts on a very nice reception at our gallery and I'm sure that this year will be no exception.

Color My World

2009-10-02T11:08:00.006-04:00

"Color My World" is the 20th Anniversary Annual Art Show presented by the Tewksbury Historical Society. The show only runs 5 days but I'll have 3 pieces on display, including this one:

"Winter Sunset, Amwell Valley"
8x10 oil on panel

This is the first year I've entered this show but I'll have to keep it on my list for next year. And I'll have to explore Tewksbury Township better so I can do some paintings up there - it's a beautiful area that I'm not very familiar with.

Reception:

Tuesday Oct 6, 6pm - 8pm
Ticket cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Exhibit dates:

Wednesday, Oct 7, 10am - 6pm
Thursday, Oct 8, 10am - 8pm
Friday, Oct 9, 10am - 8pm
Saturday, Oct 10, 10am - 4pm
(Show Admission: $3 per person)

at:

Zion Lutheran Church Christian Education Building
corner of Church St & Miller Ave
Oldwick, NJ 08858

Creative Flow

2009-10-01T09:00:00.005-04:00

My painting of the Lambertville Boat Club was accepted into "Creative Flow" - a juried exhibition to benefit the Friends of the Delaware Canal, an organization which works hard to restore, preserve and improve the Delaware Canal and its surroundings. The theme of this show is artwork related to life along the Delaware River corridor.

"The Boat Club"
11x14 oil on panel

When I did this painting last year, I had forgotten to bring along the tripod which I need to mount my paintbox on. That really limited the choices of where I could setup to paint because without the tripod, I needed to find something the right height to rest the paintbox on. I was ready to admit defeat and head back home when I spotted a picnic table in a nice shady spot... it made a good place to work from, and that's how I ended up painting the boat club clubhouse.

The show runs Oct 4 - 31
Opening reception: Sunday, Oct 4, 1pm - 4pm
at:

Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery
1093 General Greene Rd.
Washington Crossing, Pa 18977

gallery hours: Tues. thru Sat. 10-5; Thurs. 10-7

Present In Nature

2009-09-19T18:17:00.006-04:00

"Plum Brook"
near Sergeantsville, NJ
11x14 oil on panel

As part of their 20th Anniversary celebration, the D&R Greenway Land Trust has organized an exhibition entitled "Present In Nature" featuring the work of 18 artists who paint outdoors on location, and I am proud to be included in this group of artists. All of the work I have in this show was painted this summer on land preserved by the D&R Greenway Land Trust.

Opening Reception is Friday, Sept 25, from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at:

D&R Greenway's Marie L. Matthews Gallery
at Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609-924-4646
[map & directions] (please note the detour mentioned below!)

The show runs Sept 14 - Oct 30, 2009.

The gallery is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, but it's best to call the Greenway at 609-924-4646 first to confirm that the facility is not being used for other purposes.

"Cornfield Trail"
at The Institute Woods, Princeton, NJ
11x14 oil on panel

Please note: a bridge is being replaced on Rosedale Road and you cannot reach the Johnson Education Center by driving east on Rosedale from Carter Rd. You must take Rosedale west from Elm Road / Great Road.

D&R Greenway Land Trust Anniversary and Silent Auction

2009-09-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

"Cedar Ridge Woods"
11x14 oil on panel

As I reported back in May, the D&R Greenway Land Trust invited a group of artists including myself to paint on some of the properties they've preserved and our work would be shown in September. Well, that time is approaching! In addition to a group show of our work, each of the artists is donating 1 piece to the Land Trust for a silent auction. "Cedar Ridge Woods", shown above, is my donation.

The silent auction is just part of the D&R Greenway's 20th Anniversary, Celebrating 20 Years of Land Preservation & Stewardship which will be held:

Sunday, Sept 13, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: 609.924.4646
[map & directions] (please note the detour mentioned below!)

Reception - 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres prepared by The Ferry House (where I have an ongoing exhibition of my work), an auction of specially commissioned D&R Greenway landscapes followed by an Award Presentation at 6:30 p.m. where Representative Rush Holt will be presented with the 2009 Donald B. Jones Conservation Award.

Tickets for this event are $100 per person, RSVP by September 8 - you can reach them at 609.924.4646.

To preview the paintings which will be auctioned, visit the Johnson Education Center or visit www.drgreenway.org - an Auction Gallery link should appear there sometime this week.

A separate reception for the group show of our work will be held on Friday, September 25, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, and I'll post more about that later. (This event will be free of charge).

Please note: a bridge is being replaced on Rosedale Road and you cannot reach the Johnson Education Center by driving east on Rosedale from Carter Rd. You must take Rosedale west from Elm Road / Great Road.

Art on the Move

2009-08-24T19:28:00.010-04:00

Ribbon of Life, part II

The "Ribbon of Life" exhibition, celebrating 175 years of the D&R Canal, is moving from Princeton to Stockton. The painting I had in this show in Princeton is now in the possession of it's new owner, so I'm moving my painting "D&R Canal Bridge" from the plein air show at Riverrun Gallery to the "Ribbon of Life" exhibit in Stockton - it just seemed a really good fit for this show. Art is on the move!

"D&R Canal Bridge at Holcombe Farm"
11x14 oil on panel

The opening in Stockton will be at, and coincide with, the Grand Opening of the Sawmill at Prallsville Mills. Renovation of the sawmill building was recently completed and this will be the first public event held here. I had a peek inside the sawmill and it's a really nice space - very open, airy and rustic, with nice views out onto the rest of the Prallsville Mills complex of historical buildings. I didn't know that the mill race still ran under the sawmill but you can hear it clearly from inside the building.

The Grand Opening will be on Sunday, Aug 30 from 1 to 4 pm at Prallsville Mills Sawmill, Stockton, NJ. For more information, visit the Delaware River Mill Society website.

The festivities also include a Family Fun Day Picnic,$5 per adult - it should be a fun day at the Mill! (Admission to the art exhibition is free).

Behind the Barns

2009-08-23T15:12:00.005-04:00

"Behind the Barns"
11x14 oil on canvas on panel

Wow, was it hot when I painted this one! I had a nice shady spot to work from, but it was still pretty brutal. This is at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association Nature Preserve off Titus Mill Road near Pennington, NJ. I've painted this group of barns many times before but I never get tired of painting here.

Keeping Things Whole

2009-08-12T19:45:00.002-04:00

And now for something completely different...
I'm not a big poetry reader but this one really strikes me and I wanted to share it:

Keeping Things Whole
by Mark Strand

In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.

When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body's been.

We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.

Kaz and Katzenbach

2009-08-05T19:26:00.005-04:00

I'm showing my work along with Charles Katzenback all of August and September at:

Bell's Tavern
183 North Union Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530

Chuck creates multi-layered assemblages of painted glass and mirrors that are quite fascinating to see, and quite a contrast to the landscapes that I'm showing. The work went up today so stop in and have a look (and a beer or a bite to eat too).

As always, I want to put in a plug for Bell's - the food is always great, the prices low, the staff friendly, a good selection of beers on tap, it's one of my favorite places to eat. If you've never been there, you're missing one of the best neighborhood restaurants around. And if that isn't enough, they've always been big supporters of local artists. How can you top that?! I hope you get a chance to stop in.

First Annual Plein Air Invitational at Riverrun Gallery

2009-08-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

"D&R Canal Bridge at Holcombe Farm"
11x14 oil on panel

Riverrun Gallery in Lambertville is hosting it's First Annual Plein Air Invitational, where 18 of the region's finest plein air painters were invited to show their work and I'll be one of the exhibiting artists.

The above painting is one that I'll have in the show. It was done earlier this summer at the Holcombe-Jimison Farm near Lambertville, NJ.

Truth be told, I had a small part in planning this show with gallery owner Ty Hodanish. Ty is a strong advocate of plein air painting and he thought it would be great to have a show where all of the work exhibited was painted on location. Plein Air simply means that the work was painted outdoors, on location, as opposed to being painted in the studio from photographs. At it's best, plein air paintings have a freshness and spontaneity that's hard to achieve in studio paintings.

Opening Reception is Saturday, Aug 8 from 7pm to 9pm.
The show runs August 8 through August 30 at:

Riverrun Gallery at Laceworks
287 South Main Street (Rt 29)
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-3349
[map & directions]
Gallery hours: noon - 5pm daily, closed Tuesdays

Each artist will have 5 or so pieces in the show and with 18 artists, there should be a good variety of work to be seen: oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, with scenery ranging from Bucks County to New Mexico to NYC. It should be a good show, I hope you can make it!

Solebury Farm

2009-07-29T11:23:00.003-04:00

"Solebury Farm"
8x10 oil on canvas on board

For this scene, I went to Carousel Lavender Farm in Bucks County, Pa to paint the lavender fields in bloom, but I ended up painting the view looking across the road at a different farm. You just never know what's going to inspire you until you get there.

Stony Brook Boulders

2009-07-25T19:20:00.000-04:00

This painting was done at a place I discovered while exploring D&R Greenway properties for their upcoming plein air show. It's at the Northern Stony Brook Preserve, deep in the woods between Featherbed Lane and Mountain Church Road in East Amwell, NJ. I've walked the trails here before but never this section and WOW what a nice surprise it was when I reached this spot! It was such an incredibly peaceful place to spend a few hours painting (even though the mosquitoes were brutal). Stony Brook really lives up to it's name here.

"Stony Brook Boulders"
11x14 oil on panel

It's interesting how different my painting is from the photograph I took at the exact same spot. This illustrates one of the key ideas about painting on location: that it's not about copying what's in front of you, it's about capturing the artist's vision and feelings. When I look at my painting, it really is the place I remember being at. When I look at my photograph, I hardly recognize the place. It is the same place, I guess I just see it differently than my camera does:

People often tell me that my paintings are so good that they look like photographs. I know that's meant as the highest compliment but I hope people can appreciate that a good painting is much more than a photographic representation. Ideally it shows the artist's very personal way of looking at the world, and it gives you some sense of what inspired them enough to stop and paint.

Distant Pines

2009-07-24T05:00:00.001-04:00

"Distant Pines"
8x10 oil on panel

This scene is on a D&R Greenway preserved farm near Lawrenceville, NJ. It's in a little valley very close to some major highways, but felt so isolated there that I may as well have been in Maine.

Palisades Highway Art Gallery

2009-07-23T07:54:00.005-04:00

"Round Valley Dam Triptych"
16x60 acrylic on canvas
(3 * 16x20 canvases)

Palisades car insurance company will be exhibiting original works by area artists on some of the largest and most-viewed canvases in the state – New Jersey highway billboards! Artists are submitting work in an online contest where works will selected for the Highway Art Gallery. Visit their website and vote for your favorite submissions - I've submitted 10 paintings for consideration, which you can find by looking for my full name, Joe Kazimierczyk. Voters are also entered into a contest where you can win a 'New Jersey driving destination prize' (but just cancel out of that box if you don't want to enter your contact information your vote will still count).

The painting above is one of my entries. It's an older painting of the roadway atop one of the dams at Round Valley Reservoir near Lebanon, NJ. Looking out over the reservoir is beautiful, but I just love the patterns of drainage channels and access roads on the side of the dam.

On the contest website, all of my entries were cropped to a format required for the billboards. So what you'll see isn't the entire painting but I tried to pick some that worked well in that format.

Dusk, Amwell Valley

2009-06-21T11:57:00.003-04:00

"Dusk, Amwell Valley"
11x14 oil on panel

It's hard to believe that today is the first day of summer - it's cold outside and seem like it's been raining nonstop for a month or more. So it's the summer solstice and I'm in the studio painting snowy winter paintings. I'd rather be outdoors, but rainy days are a good time to sort through my photographs and I found this one, which really wanted to be painted. This scene is overlooking some farm fields on Wertsville Road, near Ringoes, NJ.

Ribbon of Life Opening Reception

2009-06-17T19:22:00.004-04:00

Just a quick reminder that the opening reception for "Ribbon of Life" is this Friday, June 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

"Woolverton Lawn Chairs"
11x14 oil on panel

The exhibit features old photographs showing vintage views of the canal from the archives of the D&R Canal Commission, as well as contemporary views by regional artists, including my painting shown above.

The exhibit is presented by the D&R Greenway Land Trust in partnership with the D&R Canal Commission and Delaware Mill Society and is being held at:

Marie L. Matthews Gallery
at the Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ

Exhibition dates: May 18 - August 14, 2009
Opening Reception: June 19, 2009, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Artsbridge 15h Annual Juried Show

2009-06-05T09:38:00.006-04:00

My 2-person show "Connections" is over now and I'd like to give a really big Thank You to everyone who came - it was one of the best shows I've ever had. A few of the paintings from that show will remain at the gallery through the end of June. But this painting from Connections, I entered in the annual Artsbridge Juried Show, and it was accepted:

"Princeton Battlefield Winter"
12x14 oil on canvas

This scene is at Princeton Battlefield Park, the place where General George Washington defeated the British troops in a surprise attack on January 3, 1777, one of the turning points in the American Revolutionary War. But it's a very peaceful place now.

The Artsbridge 15th Annual Juried Show opens on June 6 and runs through June 27, 2009 at:

RiverRun Gallery at Laceworks
287 South Main Street (Rt 29)
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-3349

gallery hours: daily from 12:00 – 5:00 pm, except Tuesdays
Opening reception is Saturday June 6, from 6 to 9 pm.

Coffee and Conversation

2009-05-30T16:50:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow, Sunday May 31, is the last day of "Connections" - my 2-person show at Artists' Gallery, and we're having a little closing reception called Coffee & Conversation. If you haven't had a chance to see the show yet, this will be your last chance. Beatrice and I will be there with coffee, ice tea and some nibbles, from 2:00 to 5:00 at:

Artists' Gallery
32 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ
map & directions

Hope to see you there!

Ribbon of Life

2009-05-26T20:24:00.003-04:00

"Woolverton Lawn Chairs"
11x14 oil on panel

My painting of the Woolverton Inn was selected to be part of an exhibit highlighting the history of the D&R Canal. The exhibit features old photographs showing vintage views of the canal from the archives of the D&R Canal Commission, as well as contemporary views by regional artists (that's where I fit in).

The exhibit is presented by the D&R Greenway Land Trust in partnership with the D&R Canal Commission and Delaware Mill Society and is being held at:

Marie L. Matthews Gallery
at the Johnson Education Center
One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ

Exhibition dates: May 18 - August 14, 2009
Opening Reception: June 19, 2009, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

If you know the Woolverton Inn and how it sits up high on a hill, you may be wondering what it's connection is to the D&R Canal... The Inn was built in 1792 as a manor house by pioneer industrialist John Prall Jr, who owned and operated the Prallsville Mills complex at the bottom of the hill, and the Mill was very actively using the D&R Canal for shipping. It not a very obvious connection, but you can read more in this history of Stockton Borough if you're interested.

The Institute Woods

2009-05-25T20:09:00.007-04:00

Continuing to paint for the D&R Greenway Land Trust's upcoming plien air show, last week I was exploring The Institute Woods - a 589 acre tract of woods and farmland owned by The Institute For Advanced Study, the Princeton, NJ institution where Albert Einstein thought some big thoughts. There is an extensive trail system on the property and it's open to the public. The D&R Greenway folks were just one of the groups involved in the preservation of these lands. Here are 3 paintings from last week's explorations:

"Updike's Sky"
11x14 oil on canvas on panel

Although I love walking through the woods, it can be difficult to paint there - the overwhelming green and lack of any strong subject to focus on is not the makings of a good painting. When the trail left the dense woods, I found my subject - the sky over the historic Updike Farm whose farm buildings can be seen in the distance. The simplicity of the landscape and subtle interest in the sky really caught my attention. Across this field is the route that General George Washington took in the pre-dawn hours of January 3 to engage the British troops in the Battle of Princeton in 1777. There are a couple of granite monuments to mark the route:

"Cornfield Trail"
11x14 oil on panel

This scene is very near the location of the last painting, and the Updike Farmstead is across the field on the right side of this painting. This one was such a pleasure to paint because I was standing out in the open but in the most wonderful patch of cool shade the entire time. Simple pleasures are the best. :)

"Stony Brook"
8x10 oil on linen on panel

This spot on Stony Brook is on the other side of the Updike Farm. If the foliage wasn't so dense I think I'd be able to see the farmhouse to my right. I was confronted with that overwhelming greeness of being in the woods, but a creek can provide such lovely subject matter, I love doing scenes like this.

Further downstream on Stony Brook is the Swinging Bridge, and what an understatement that is! Walking across this bridge is more fun than an amusement park ride! Even walking at a slow pace, the bridge swings, it sways, it bounces, it creaks and it groans. But I trust that it was sturdy enough to carry me:
So if you're in the mood for a quiet walk in the woods, a ride on the Swinging Bridge, a walk through Revolutionary War history, then head to The Institute Woods!

Cedar Ridge

2009-05-17T13:05:00.010-04:00

The D&R Greenway Land Trust has been working hard for 20 years to preserve land in central New Jersey. As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, they've invited a group of plein air artists to paint on some select pieces of property that they've preserved, and I am privileged to be included in this group of artists.

The paintings we do will be exhibited this fall in the Marie L. Matthews Gallery at Johnson Education Center, Princeton, NJ. We'll also be donating some of this work to the Land Trust for a silent auction to help raise funds for, and awareness of their land preservation mission. I'll post more about this exhibit and silent auction as the time approaches later this summer.

Here are some of my first paintings related to this project. Both were done at Cedar Ridge Preserve near Hopewell, NJ.

"Cedar Ridge Fields"
8x10 oil on panel

"Cedar Ridge Woods"
11x14 oil on panel

One side benefit of this project is that I'll get to explore some places I've never been to before, and exploration is one of the things I like best about being a plein air painter. Cedar Ridge is not far from where I live but last week my first visit there.

4th Annual Hillsborough Art Show

2009-05-16T09:25:00.003-04:00

The Fourth Annual Hillsborough Art Show has just past. Unfortunately it's only a one day event so there's barely time to blog about it before the show is over. This year it was organized by a professional artist, Kevin Murphy, who recently founded the Art Academy of Hillsborough and it sounds like Kevin has some ideas about making this a bigger event next year.

The show has separate categories for students and adults and most of the show is comprised of students' work. You've probably heard the famous Pablo Picasso quote "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child", and it's often said that we are most creative as children but somehow loose that spark when we become adults. I have to say that I was really impressed with the student work at this show! The level of talent was impressive, but what impressed me the most was how imaginative some of the works were. These kids have not yet lost that spark of creativity, and lets hope that they don't.

Being a bit too old to qualify as a student, my entry won First Place in the adult category - I've posted this one before, it's my driveway in winter:

"Winter Drive"
24x18 oil on canvas

Connections - a 2 person show with Beatrice Bork

2009-05-04T14:45:00.010-04:00

I've warned you before but now it's time for the official announcement:

"Connections"
A 2-person show with Joe Kazimierczyk and Beatrice Bork
at Artists' Gallery in Lambertville, NJ
May 8 - May 31, 2009
Opening reception: Saturday May 9, 6-9pm

My big show of the year starts later this week and runs the month of May. It's a 2-person show with Beatrice Bork. Bea is a talented watercolorist who specializes in wildlife paintings with a strong emphasis on birds. Her subjects range from the creatures found around her home in New Jersey, to the more exotic species she sees on her trips to the Caribbean.

My own work continues to focus on the New Jersey landscape but this time I'll be showing a lot of my smaller works. It's funny that my intent this winter was to work larger, but then I did a couple of little 5x7" paintings and had so much fun with those that it turned into a whole series. But I'll still be showing a few larger pieces to balance things out. I thought a wall of nothing but 5x7" paintings would look a bit odd!
The show runs May 8 through May 31.
Opening reception is Saturday, May 9 from 6-9pm at:

Artists' Gallery
32 Coryell Street
Lambertville, NJ
map & directions
Gallery hours: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm

Here are a few of the paintings I'll have in the show:

"Princeton Battlefield Winter"
12x24" oil on canvas

"Millstone River, Early Spring"
5x7" oil on board

"Canal in Winter"
5x7" oil on panel

If you can't make the opening, please join us for coffee & conversation, a closing reception of sorts on Sunday, May 31 from 2-5pm.

Round Mountain Farm

2009-05-01T09:54:00.003-04:00

"Round Mountain Farm"
6x8 oil on canvas on panel

I found this scene while exploring some trails near Stanton, NJ. This trail system connects some otherwise disconnected pieces of parkland, and the trails pass through some active farmland which made for a very pleasant walk. The trails were nicely cut through some grassland, but wow, the ticks are out in full force this spring - just one of the many hazards of plein air painting!