Sometimes You Win

Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don’t.

Juried shows are like that; a call for art seems so inviting that you have to submit to it. But over the years, you are the same artist making art, and often the gallery you are submitting to is the same place you have submitted to before.

It all depends on the jurors, doesn’t it? What they are looking for, what their backgrounds are, and what kind of art they feel is significant.

This year I was not juried into the 48th Lyndon House exhibition, but that’s okay. I’ve been accepted there before, I’ve won awards, and I even had my own exhibition there, shared with my good friend and fellow fiber artist Judy Bales.

This is good news for you!

The three artworks I submitted this year, I chose because I envisioned them displayed sweetly together to create a beautiful arrangement on a wall. I can now offer them directly to my readers so they can share that wall space with you!

The three paintings on silk, all from my New York City series, include: 

Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, NYC by René Shoemaker (7”x7”; framed: 12”x12”)

Washington Square Park is the heart of Greenwich Village, bustling with activity surrounding the iconic arch that was built in 1871.

Grove St, Greenwich Village, NYC, by René Shoemaker (9”x9”; framed 14”x14”)

I’ve always loved this building. I once read that one of the smallest houses in Manhattan sits behind it. The buildings are both unique because they are wood construction, which was banned in Manhattan after 1822.

Cherry Lane Theatre, Greenwich Village, NYC by René Shoemaker (7”x8.5”; framed 12.5”x13”)

The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. This lively painting shows off the charm of a building that was originally constructed as a farm silo.

Here I have arranged the paintings as I envisioned them nestled together:

Three Greenwich Village paintings ready to adorn your home!

The cost of each painting is $500, or you can buy all three as a set for $1,000 with code ILOVENYC.

Meanwhile, in France, we recently took a road trip north (with the new dog, bien sûr!) and stopped by Chartres for inspiration and education. As I have created artwork incorporating Charlemagne’s mother, who stands at the west end of the cathedral, I have my photo taken with her each time I visit. Don’t you think we are beginning to look alike?

Chartres is renowned for its stained glass windows, which are fabulous. The two towers of the Cathedral de Notre-Dame at Chartres are asymmetric because they were built at different times, and I am intrigued by the labyrinth found on the floor of the nave. 

On the same trip we visited the Cathedral in Laon where life-size oxen statues reside on the towers. Although that may seem a little odd, to this animal lover it seems perfect! One of the theories as to why the ox are there is to commemorate the bullocks that hauled equipment and materials during the cathedral's construction.

Now, in my small village in France, winter is slowly being nudged out by spring. I hope where you live you, too, are enjoying the flowers and buds starting to emerge, signaling new beginnings, creativity, and renewal.

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Expanding your art collection?  Contact me for commissions and/or a private tour of my art, which is available in many sizes & price points.

In Athens, my paper goods and small gifts are carried by:
 KA Artist Shop 
and Community 

Sustainable packaging courtesy of 
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Matisse and Me

When I visited New York recently, my friend Becky invited me to see the newly curated exhibit of The Red Studio at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Thank you, Becky!

I present to you: The Red Studio, by Henri Matisse

Over the years, Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio has been known by a number of names: Panneau Rouge (Red Panel), The Artist’s Studio, The Studio, and L’Atelier, all describing the place that was so dear to Henri as he blossomed in his new studio located just outside Paris. Created in 1911, this painting lived a long, and for many years, unremarkable life.

But for this artist, The Red Studio has been a touchstone of inspiration, guidance, and development for most of my adult life. For 50 years, I’ve been intimately attached to and happily involved with this painting. 

Countless times I have stood before this artwork, which is a massive 6 x 7¼ feet, becoming completely immersed in it, overcome with a sense of reverence and awe, and learning from this painting, this master, what line, color and form mean—to Matisse and to me.

Why? What exactly is it that inspires me about this particular painting?

The Red Studio by Henri Matisse (detail)

-That red color : Venetian!

The Red Studio by Henri Matisse (detail)

.-The seemingly sketched aspect of the painting, which, I am sure, Matisse struggled and struggled with and worked and re-worked, and which was certainly not as “off the cuff” as it appears.

-The way the yellow underpainting glows through the spaces between the red, creating not a line, but the absence of a line. A work of magic; an extraordinary creation.

The grandfather clock stands guard in the quiet room. The artworks in progress, or completed, are lined up on the floor, the wall, the table—everywhere. Sculpture, ceramics, paintings . . . so much creative output Matisse had!

I’m hesitant to read or watch too many interpretations of Matisse’s work, lest they disrupt my very intimate relationship with him. But if you are interested in this topic, I suggest looking at the MoMA press page for this exhibit, which is succinct and informative.

I also urge you to see the Curator’s discussion of The Red Studio’s underpainting and Matisse’s final addition of the Venetian red paint before he considered the work finished.

But back to my personal experience with Matisse. Athens Art & Frame wrote in a featured artist interview with me in March 2021, “Henri Matisse is a primary influence for René, who says ‘His brevity of lines and use of color has taught me much more than I ever learned in college.’ Everyday beauty is the subject of much of René’s work, which she makes to “help others see what is in their everyday environment with new eyes.” 

L'Église Saint-Merri by René Shoemaker

My 2014 painting of a woven chair I discovered at the Église Saint-Merri in Paris reflects a bit of Matisse influence in the confidence of the lines and in the saturated color red. I have studied Matisse’s drawn lines up close, devouring his process, his confident hand, and his wild colors. What I learn from studying his paintings and drawings sinks deep into my psyche, to be released when I, in turn, stand before my own blank “canvas.”

Example of Matisse's sureness of hand: Study of a Woman 1911

.The MoMA exhibit was set up quite nicely, with the room laid out as if you were in the studio (like my first solo exhibit in 2001) while looking around at the physical things that inspired Matisse.

There are two more galleries that make up the exhibit; one presents a history of the physical painting, relating where it has been and the places it has traveled (and who refused ownership of it!). The most interesting part of this history is that The Red Studio painting graced the wall of a ballroom for many years. (There is still hope for all the art I have exhibited in cafés and restaurants, don’t you think?)

The third room is a collection of Matisse artwork that MoMA, The National Gallery of Denmark (where the exhibit will travel to next), and others own, gathered together for a brief review of related work.

Ahh Matisse, won’t you come back and visit me? Please?

Cyclamen, 1911 by Henri Matisse

“The thing is, it is very courageous,” says Anny Aviram, senior painting conservator, of Matisse’s act of quickly covering his canvas in red, thereby creating a very modern painting that was really like no other.

Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Tell me, who is your favorite artist? Who inspires you and why? I love the way art speaks to everyone differently; it really does create a unique view of the world!

Where the Mountains Tumble Into the Sea

There, the light is magical.

Port Vendres, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department

Charles Rennie Mackintosh lived there for four years. Henri Matisse, after discovering the light here, summoned his family to be with him. Charles André Derain and other artists found endless inspiration in the landscape and light of the Roussillon area of France*; and along with Matisse, they were inspired to create a new style of art. The Fauves emphasized emotion and color over representational images.

Collioure, Department Pyrénées-Orientales

Have you ever felt the presence of someone you admire greatly in a place you both shared?

The Collioure bay

This was an inspiring trip for me; the best kind of getaway, creating energy and inspiration. I was delighted to immerse myself in the same harbor, walk the same streets, visit the same lighthouses and breakwaters as my artistic mentors and idols. Both Matisse and Mackintosh have been sources of inspiration for me throughout my artistic career, albeit from museums and books. But here I was, standing where Matisse stood, seeing the same line of buildings and houses lining the harbor, walking next to the same lighthouse and the same chapel overlooking the sea.

It’s not a glitzy area—pas du tout. But the movement of the sea is constant, the wind companionable, the sky clear, and the starry nights comforting. The sounds of the wind and the waves are very relaxing. The seafood—fresh off the boat—was delicious and nurturing.

The working harbor in Port Vendres

Port Vendres and Collioure, neighboring towns, are an easy walk from each other. In fact, we first hiked along the sea; on a very windy day we clambered across the rocks, feeling like mountain goats, glancing down regularly at the swirling sea below us

Remains of fortifications by the sea

And my church!! My church is there. I was so comforted to arrive at Port Vendres and see my church of the Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle. I wrote about her in the past. Just as the birth of a child signifies the continuation of a life, seeing my church once again, comforting the harbor, caring for the sailors, the fisherman, the pieds-noirs*; an emblem of history, the community, the care—ah, my church. My painting, which I created after my first visit to Port Vendres just over 10 years ago, now lives in its new home, loved by its new family, with a life that will extend beyond me. I am forever honored when art lovers buy my artwork and invite it into their homes, where it continues on to become part of their lives, their history, and their family.

Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

This is how I described my painting at the time of creation:

“The church was a wonderful discovery in a French town, Port Vendres, on the Mediterranean coast near the border with Spain. Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle (Our Lady of Good News) is a fitting name for the late 19th century church whose town is a fishing and cargo port. I can imagine the women of the village awaiting the return of their loved ones from the sea, expressing gratitude for their safe return by praying to Notre Dame de Bonne Nouvelle. The church faces the harbor, and I loved the idea of this amazing building inviting people to enter, whether it by foot, bike, auto, or boat.”

Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

In honor of this fantastic experience and my ability to share it with you, I am offering giclee prints of this painting for the first time, so that she, and the memories and dreams of beautiful French villages by the sea can grace your house also. At 10” square, the luxurious Fine Art Velvet paper size is just right for framing in a 10”, 12”, or 14” square frame.

If you would like to welcome this lovely painting into your home, click here.

The framed print of Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle, Port Vendres

Let me not forget to mention the Millau Bridge! On the way there and equally, on the way back, we stopped at the Millau Bridge, which is, in my estimation, the most beautiful bridge in the world. It is graceful. It is big. It is a wonder of engineering, civic community, art, and beauty. Can a person fall in love with a bridge? If so, I have.

Millau Viaduct, Aveyron department

*Roussillon is a culturally rich area otherwise known as Northern Catalonia or the Eastern Pyrenees.

**The Pieds-Noirs, singular Pied-Noir, are the people of French and other European origin who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962, the vast majority of whom departed for mainland France or Corsica as soon as Algeria gained independence, or in the months following. (Wikipedia)

Where the Port Vendres harbor meets the sea