Blog

I just got off the phone with Sandra Waldner, the co-owner, along with her artist husband, Peter Waldner, of Wish Rock Studio, a charming gallery on Shelter Island where some of my work is shown. 

The gallery is housed in a small row house in the historic town area called the Heights located right in the center of the island. It was once someone's home and a homey quality continues to pervade its welcoming atmosphere which is a combination of the physical characteristics of the gallery and the very warm presence of its owners. 

The gallery contains a nice mix of artwork and sculpture by a number of artists and a selection of Peter Waldner's paintings and prints. It also has a framing section at the back, and sells artist created notecards (including some of mine), books, and other small gift items. Among the books is one self-published by my son, Jordan Tarlow, called Shelter Island Shingle.

Pictured above is my painting,  that recently sold there

Every year I participate in at least several fund-raising art shows. The number of pieces shown at some of them can be rather staggering.When a painting I've done sells, I'm always somewhat surprised. I've carefully chosen the several pieces that I've entered in the show and feel proud of the work, but it's absolutely impossible to predict or to truly understand how a work calls out to someone enough to pick it out from among so many. For that reason, I think that I have a bit of the gambler in me. I seem to get a kick out of seeing what happens when the results are entirely out of my hands once the work is left for the show.

I've mentioned a number of times in my blogs that I also love selling work in this way because I know that the commission taken by the organization is being used for very good causes.

Tomorrow is the last day that the Jr. League of Eastern Fairfield County has its Annual Fund-Raiser Art Show up at the very large and lovely Burr Homestead historic house in Fairfield, CT. (See my Events listing for particulars.) Every artist in the show brings more paintings than can be hung at one time. This is done so that even on the last day of the purchase and carry show, there is still a whole houseful of art to see and choose from.

I've chosen one of my paintings that's in the show as the image for this blog. It was painted in the tiny vest pocket park in Hastings that's right on the banks of the Hudson with lovely scenes looking up or down the river. I was standing on the East Bank looking North and the setting sun across the way was lighting up the rocks, shrubs and water with an orange glow. Just thinking about it, I'm starting to itch to see some warmer weather and the beginning of buds on the trees.