The opening reception for my “Jana Matusz: Mostly Maine” exhibition at the St. Botolph Club in Boston was on January 15, 2025. Thank you to everyone who came to see my work, whether at the opening or in subsequent visiting days. The 30 paintings will still be on view until February 21, 2025.
Here are some photos of the opening. As you can see, the St. Botolph Club has a very special and elegant stairway exhibition space. Chris Valle did a terrific job placing, pairing, and hanging the work.
Curator Cathryn Griffith and me.
Geraldine and Gisele whisked my iPhone away, and took photos all evening! What a kindness!
Charlie and Amy came all the way from Maine!
A lovely dinner added an elegant finishing touch to the evening.
I came back with Anne-Louise the next week during visiting hours and took some more photos of the exhibition. (Marjorie was visiting then too!)
“Francis B.” (for Bacon, of course) sends greetings, and invites you to see the exhibition in person. 🙂
And for those who cannot come in person to pick up a catalog, you can see it here!
These special moments don’t come too often. Again, many thanks to everyone who made this exhibition possible. I am very grateful.
p.s. It’s very humbling — I’m in very good company. There is a plaque at the St. Botolph Club which has a listing of some of the many artists who exhibited there between 1880 and 1990. Yikes.
Exhibition at the St. Botolph Club, January 15 – February 21, 2025!
I’m very honored and happy to share my work at the St. Botolph Club in Boston, an esteemed venerable organization with an illustrious history, dating back to 1880.
Please note the very limited times for viewing the exhibit. The opening reception is on Wednesday, January 15 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the St. Botolph Club, 199 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA. After that, non-member visitors are welcome to view the exhibition on Wednesday afternoons, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Please plan carefully if you would like to visit!
Many many thanks to George Lynde, who introduced me to the Club in 2010 when I first exhibited there. I’m also very appreciative of the efforts and guidance of Cathryn Griffith, who is curating the show, and all the folks at the Club who are helping make this exhibition possible. I’m especially thankful for the encouragement and support of Amy Sidman, director of the Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor, who thought a 15-year interval signified a good time for another exhibit at the Club! Amy wrote a beautiful essay for the exhibit, which is excerpted in the exhibition catalog.
Amy Sidman and me at the Argosy Gallery
I’m planning to exhibit 30 paintings, and yes, they are indeed Mostly Maine (although there will be some animal portraits from the Harvard Museum of Natural History too.) In my next post I’ll share some photos of the exhibit.
Acadia in 2024
In 2024, I spent a lot of time painting in Acadia Natonal Park, with trips in May/June, October, and the whole month of November again. I just can’t get enough of the Park, and find it endlessly inspiring. I feel so very lucky to be spending so much time there, and to be able to share the beauty of Acadia in my paintings.
In May and June I was able to do more hiking, kayaking, and exploring. Mostly I was on my own, but I loved it when Marta was able to join me at the end of my painting trip.
Breathe! Fresh Maine air, healthy outdoors, happy painting.
I met the Gloucester Old Spot pigs at the Peggy Rockefeller Farm, and enjoyed drawing them in the company of the resident cat.
In October it may be cloudy and blustery, but there is always some color and drama. It’s very different than May, less crowded, but still reasonably comfortable.
And then November! The days are short, the weather even more challenging, but still Acadia is beautiful. It is quiet, a bit moody, and without foliage it feels lighter and airier and more accessible.
Painting at Thunder Hole would probably not be possible during tourist season, but I could do it in November! This year I tried painting on 24″ x 24″ boards for the first time. Previously my largest plein air size was 20″ x 20″, (which is still very large for a plein air painting.)
I keep on finding new places to paint, and revisiting places I’ve loved. And boy do I love the rocks.
I know it’s been a while since my last posting here. (Do I still know how to do this?) The last entry summed things up so nicely when I said “I feel very fortunate to be painting and sharing some of what’s good in the world.” I continue to spend weeks at a time, even whole months, painting in Maine. Let me share some more images and paintings, and you’ll see why I keep coming back again and again.
On Cadillac
Everywhere I turn on Mt. Desert Island I find beauty, nature, drama.
Southwest Harbor boatsSunrise from my cottage.My Happy Place
Some of the beauty is fleeting, and impossible to capture in a painting which takes hours: patches of green sunlight in the water,
or fog
or the immensity of reflected morning sky in a mirror lake.
I do what I can, trying to capture some of the beauty and strength which surrounds me. So far I’ve been able to do all my painting on site, en plein air, alla prima, almost always in one sitting.
And I do love the rocks. Strong, powerful, colorful, beautiful rocks.
Since I last wrote, I did paint some “kayak paintings,” and I can’t wait to do more. I had a bit of a learning curve, and had to figure out how to anchor my kayak and deal with wind. I loved being on the water though, and I was able to paint from a different perspective, no longer limited to the views from paths and trails.
I love my “origami” Oru kayak, which fits beautifully inside the car. No need for a roof rack, and no heavy lifting.
Another new development was finding new places to explore. I was intrigued by the books by Matthew Marchon entitled “The Acadia You Haven’t Seen.” What? Impossible! After all these years (decades!) of exploring and hiking all over Mt. Desert Island, there were places I had not seen??? Really?
Yes! Really! Some places I knew, and some I didn’t. And some of those places were possible painting spots:
Tilting Rock. 16×16″Star Point Arch 16×16″
Another new development was painting in NOVEMBER.
Yes, November. Yes, it was cold. Yes, the days were terribly short. It’s a very different experience than painting in May/June or even in October, my usual painting trip times. Amy at the gallery was sure I’d say “Never again!” after a November painting trip. But on the contrary, I LOVED it. I loved the absence of crowds, I loved being able to park anywhere, and I loved the open airy-ness of the Park and the late fall light.
Sand Beach (without crowds!)Quiet, wet Bar Harbor.
The weather was often gray and beastly, but there were enough gorgeous moments so I could paint.
Here, let me share some painting moments from the past year or so, in all seasons:
(The guardrail helped hold my easel for this one.)
If the sky turns to “milk” or becomes totally overcast with “cotton batting” clouds, or it rains, I usually don’t paint, at least not outdoors. As I say, “If one side of a house is the same color as another side, it’s not a painting day.” In that case, I’ll hike and scout, or read, or even do a still life.
Spring Bounty, Triple Chick 12×12″
But mostly I love getting outside and painting the strong, rocky Maine coast.
Great Head 20×16″Dark Ocean 20×16″Schoodic Harmony 20×20″
Can’t wait to get back there to paint!
If you’re interested in seeing or purchasing paintings, please visit the Argosy Gallery in Bar Harbor, Maine. (6 Mt. Desert Street) Amy and Charlie will be glad to show you the beautiful paintings by many talented artists. You can also see my Argosy Gallery paintings on-line:
There was a lovely reception at the gallery in June, and there will be a major group show at the Bar Harbor Inn on August 27, 2022. I’m in excellent company with the “Acadian Eleven.”
Please come if you’re in Maine! Meet Amy Sidman, the gallery director, Charlie Sidman and some wonderful artists who also love Maine. As Amy says on the website, “An Acadian Eleven” is Our major 2022 show opening August 27 at the Bar Harbor Inn. This year’s exhibition will feature work of the eleven artists, still actively painting in Acadia, whom we’ve represented the longest. Formal invitations will go out in the first half of July. If you don’t receive one but would like to attend, just call or email. Everyone is most welcome.
Meanwhile, I’m already thinking of my NEXT painting trip to Acadia. 🙂 I have another way to explore now, and perhaps some of the next paintings will be done en kayak! It’s worth a try, I think!
I can’t be in Maine all the time. (And it wouldn’t be so very special, probably, if I were.) I’m actually very happy to be at home in Massachusetts with Marta and cats and friends.
During the pandemic, I missed the company and camaraderie of my fellow artists at the Providence Art Club. Hopefully I will be able to return soon. However, I have continued with on-line figure drawing sessions, sometimes attending 4 or 5 a week. These are some of the drawings you can find this summer at the KMOE Gallery at 397 Commercial Street in Provincetown, MA:
Thanks for reading. I am so grateful, more than I can say, for all of you who help support my work. Everything seems awfully crazy these days, and I feel very fortunate to be painting and sharing some of what’s good in the world. Thanks!
The pandemic was exhausting, but as we pull out of it (hopefully), it’s nice to touch base, celebrate survival, and express thanks for all the good things.
I have not posted in ages, and my old website is gone — I have only this WordPress site now. Eventually I will take care of updating everything. In the meantime, I just wanted to share an update on three fronts.
First,
painting in Maine has been a life saver and a sanity saver. I’ve been able to work there quite a bit this year, and Acadia continues to inspire me.
Argosy Gallery, in Bar Harbor, is featuring my work in an exhibition this summer. Be sure to stop by if you happen to be in the area. Perhaps you saw the ad in American Art Review:
I’m starting to feel like an honorary resident of Maine, since I spend so much time painting in Acadia. I still love my coastal rocks, but I’ll paint a painting when I see one out there, no matter what the object matter is. Here are a couple very recent paintings, hot off the easel — not yet officially titled or framed. They’ll be at the Argosy Gallery soon.
You can also find my paintings at the Powers Gallery in Acton, MA and the Dryden Gallery in Providence, RI.
Toward Wonderland, 20×16″Tidepool, 16×16″
Second,
on a very different note, you can now see some of my figure drawings at the KMOE Gallery in Provincetown, MA.
It has been one of the few GOOD things to come from the pandemic: virtual figure drawing on-line.
I love figure drawing. As always, I attend several drawing sessions a week, but now they can be in London, Asheville, Cambridge, or anywhere in the world. And the model can be anywhere in the world. And the other artists are from everywhere! It’s wonderful. I love it. The on-line offerings are often very diverse and creative. It’s really inspiring to see the work of other artists, and to have the privilege of drawing some really terrific models. (I also appreciate not having to drive, not having to park, and not having to schlep my art supplies.) I hope the virtual figure drawing will be here to stay!
Provincetown is the perfect place to show this work, and I’m delighted to be able to share it at the KMOE Gallery.
Here is a postcard with all the info you need:
Here are a couple more drawings from my on-line sessions. You can see lots more at KMOE Gallery, all season long!
Tiny FeetMarital BlissZoom Pro
Third,
the animal portraits at the Harvard Museum of Natural History are still up! The exhibition was installed the day before the museum closed in March of 2020. The museum is still closed and will stay closed until fall, most likely, but you can visit it virtually! For free!
and you can walk through all the galleries! Even if you live far far away! I challenge you to find my exhibit of animal portraits, called “Face to Face.” (Hint: it’s between Romer Hall — with the dinosaurs — and the Africa and South America rooms.)
Of course you can still view the portraits there as an on-line exhibition, and read the interview:
I do love those animals, and I miss going to the museum. One of the portraits, of the Kinkajou, will be included in an exhibition called “Wild Things” at the Rocky Neck Art Colony Cultural Center Gallery, in Gloucester MA, August 5 through September 12, 2021.
Kinkajou, Hommage Series
Art goes on. I’m grateful for everyone who helps and supports my work. You know who you are. Thank you!
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For those of you who would like to see the “Over and Under” paintings in person, please visit the Dryden Gallery at the NEW Providence Picture Frame location:
Address: 1350 Mineral Spring Ave. N. Providence, RI 02904 Phone: (401) 421-6196 Business Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:00AM to 5:00PM Donna Parsons, Gallery Director/Designer
Many thanks to Donna Parsons for sharing my work at the gallery. For those of you who (like me) would be reluctant to venture out to a gallery these days, I will give you the opportunity to see my 18 paintings right here. (Always better to see paintings in person of course, but “whatcha gonna do,” right?)
Sleeping Giants (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Solidity (Acadia National Park) 20×20″ $1850Persistent Fog (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Tilted City (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Basalt Blues (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Thunderhole Rocks (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Little Moose Landing (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Schoodic Nook (Acadia National Park) 20 x 20″ $1850Gap Cove (Cape Ann, MA – Rockport) 20 x 20″ $1850Flat Rocks Near Folly Point (Cape Ann, MA – Gloucester) 20 x 20″ $1850Western Point Afternoon (Acadia National Park) 16 x 20″ $1500Adamant (Acadia National Park) 16 x 20″ $1500Across the Chasm (Acadia National Park) 20 x 16″ $1500Submerged Rocks (Cape Ann, MA – Rockport) 16 x 16″ $1275Sun on the Rocks (Acadia National Park) 16 x 16″ $1275 SoldBastion Falls Rocks (Catskills, NY State) 16 x 16″ $1275Beautiful Blues, Schoodic (Acadia National Park) 16 x 16″ $1275Light and Heavy (Mount Desert Island, Maine) 16 x 16″ $1275
All the paintings are acrylic on panel, and, as always, painted on site. Yes, I was able to get tested and paint in Maine again this past July and October.
My Harvard animal portraits had their rescheduled showing September 20 through October 9, 2020. The “Hommages” exhibition at the Providence Art Club was a very special one for me. Those portraits were a challenge, a major achievement for me, and very personally meaningful. You can view the catalogue of all the paintings in the exhibit here (my work starts on page 77): https://issuu.com/providenceartclub/docs/catalogue_for_october_2020_shows.docx
If you’d like to view a video “walk through,” just send me a request at janamatusz@aol.com and I’ll send you the file. It’s nice to see the fancy frames (not included in the catalog), and to see how terrific the paintings look when beautifully arranged and lit. Thank you to the Michael Rose and the gallery staff at the Providence Art Club for all their hard work.
Everybody please stay safe and healthy as we give thanks this year.
In the scheme of things, I know, it is a very small thing. Both exhibitions of the animal portraits were casualties of the corona virus.
The GOOD news is that the exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History was fully installed before everything shut down. Marta and I had a chance to visit it in the last few hours before all the museums closed their doors. So even though you can’t visit the exhibition in person now, I can share a little bit of what’s there since I took some iPhone photos.
Come see!
This is the wall you see first as you enter. The exhibition space is between the dinosaurs and the rooms of specimens:
And this wall faces that first one:
Remember, these are reproductions of my paintings, but they are really lovely reproductions — accurate color, beautiful satin finish, and larger than the real paintings. I am SO pleased with the presentation — the exhibit designers did a wonderful job not only with the visual aspects (color choices, arrangement, choice of paintings, hanging height, lighting, typeface, etc.), but also with the beautifully written text on the wall:
There are eleven portraits in this exhibition, chosen from the 26 image files I provided. Each has a label which identifies the animal and where in the museum you can find it. In the short time I spent earlier in the exhibit, I was delighted to see children gathering by the lion cub, debating whether it was Simba!!! or Nala!!!
Marta enjoyed seeing the animals in their new setting, after seeing the originals in our living room for weeks last fall.
Here are all eleven of the paintings. Remember, these are reproductions, not the actual paintings, and there are some areas of glare and some shadows since these iPhone photos were taken right in the exhibit. So imagine you are there:
So do you have a favorite?
Do they “speak” to you too? What do they seem to be saying?
I’ve been asked if I have a favorite. Honestly, I love them all — they’re my friends and I feel close to them from drawing them at the museum for so many years. I feel especially glad that the coelacanth turned out, since I’m amazed at the creature’s very existence. It’s a fairly ugly thing after being in preservative for 54 years, but knowing that it was bright blue with white stars(!) when it was pulled from the water, I felt justified in taking some liberties to hint at its real-life beauty.
But they all speak to me. I wanted to honor and thank all of them. I love the poignancy of the lion cub, the cheerfulness of the warthog, the nobility of the wolf, the friendliness of the moonrat, the sternness of the kestrel, and the stunned look of the colobus.
When the Harvard Museum of Natural History opens again, you’ll be able to see the exhibit for yourself, and maybe even take the Caption Challenge, adding your suggestions and participating in the social media activities.
The other exhibition, the one of the original paintings at the Providence Art Club, has been postponed, but hopefully will be rescheduled for September/October 2020. Then you’ll be able to see the actual paintings in their ornate frames. There will be some other new faces there, I’m sure.
This month brings TWO exhibitions featuring the animals portraits I did at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Here is your invitation to the Providence Art Club Exhibition entitled “Hommages.”
As you can see, other Art Club members are also showing their work. My animal portraits will be all together upstairs in a mini-solo show in the Mary Castelnovo Gallery.
If you marked your calendar for the official opening reception of the Providence Art Club show, please check the date! The correct date is SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2020 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm (NOT Sunday, March 29!). Come and enjoy some refreshments, good company, and all the artwork.
But wait … there’s more! ALSO in March is the beginning of another showing of the animal portraits!
At the Harvard Museum of Natural History, they have put together a wonderful exhibit called “Face to Face: Portraits of Museum Animals by Jana Matusz.”
This exhibit displays reproductions of the expressive animal portraits, and encourages visitors to take the Caption Challenge. What do the animals seem to be saying? (If you enjoy the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest every week, you will LOVE this opportunity to be creative!) I’m so pleased that I’m able to help draw attention to some of the museum animals, and to encourage visitors to look more closely.
“Face to Face” will be open to the public beginning March 12, 2020 and will be on display through June 21, 2020. So you have plenty of time to plan a visit! (And you should!) The Harvard Museum of Natural History is an amazing treasure.
People come from all over the world to see the famous glass flowers, but there are also terrific exhibits of rocks and minerals, dinosaurs, the amazing collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and of course, my favorite, the huge and wonderful collection of bird and animal specimens. Bring your sketchbook and draw!
I will post again soon, with more information and news about both exhibits.
Meanwhile, stay safe and healthy, everyone!
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What a great idea. And just in time for the holidays!
I recently got an invitation from Le Galeriste (https://legaleriste.com) to reproduce my artwork on clothing!
Here’s what I learned about them online:
Le Galeriste, based in Montreal, Canada, specializes in the design and production of premium garments with prints of original art curated from hundreds of artists from all over the world. The company’s mission is to help emerging artists focus on their art by supplying revenues and visibility through the sale of environmentally and humanly responsible garments. They are the official supplier for some of the greatest museums on the planet. Recognized by some of the world’s top writers in fashion and art as the reference in wearable art, Le Galeriste is known for the quality of its products, impeccable all over-prints and its just-in-time production processes. You can purchase their garments in numerous boutiques in Canada and USA, AND on-line!
Fashion! Moi? Not exactly something I know much about (as anyone who knows me can attest), but when I saw their proposal I knew that they were right. My artwork looks terrific on clothing and other items. They just finished with the designs. There are twelve items to choose from — take a look!
The designs for women’s clothing are beautiful, flowing, feminine and practical. The material is really nice too — it feels like a quality material, comfortable, not too heavy, not too light.
There are men’s shirts as well, and even pillows and placemats. Surely there’s something there you’re eager to have, or to give as gifts at holiday time.
Le Galeriste chose the artwork they wanted to work with first, but you can put in a “vote” for other artwork at the bottom of the page. This is a start! Maybe other things can happen… If there is interest, I will submit other artwork files.
I’m happy to work with this company. They provide a good list of reasons to choose Le Galeriste, some of which may be important to you as a customer too:
Many of the best museums and artists on the planet trust us with their art because we’re dedicated to protecting intellectual property and don’t use third party companies in our production process;
We’re the only company on the market to assign a living breathing fashion designer to each artist to help you build the best collection possible;
Our production is 100% LOCAL (on top of creating good jobs, this also means your art doesn’t end up on a Chinese computer somewhere & that products don’t fly thousands of miles to get to the purchaser);
Our fabrics are vegan & wrinkle-free (super travel-friendly!);
We are super nice to work with!
As an artist, I’m grateful for the support and the opportunity. I will get at least 10% royalties on whatever is sold from my page (more if certain milestones are reached).
I can’t wait to order a few items myself. And I like to envision my artwork hanging not only on walls but also hanging in your closet! And being worn often out in the wide world.
Please feel free to pass along the link to my Le Galeriste page if you know someone who might be interested. www.art-a-porter.com/jana.matusz
Thank you!
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In July, August and September 2019, I had a special opportunity to paint in the galleries at the Harvard Natural History Museum.
Some background:
The Harvard Museum of Natural History is an AMAZING PLACE. If you have a chance, go see it for yourself! All the collections and exhibits there are incredible, but the taxidermy specimens are what I love the most.
The animals and birds are so beautiful. As I tell the Saturday visitors, they also hold still very nicely. (Sorry! But they are dead.) The animals and birds really speak to me, and I feel a real connection to them. Each animal, each bird, is a miracle, a being, a product of millions of years of evolution.
I’ve been drawing in the galleries for years, dating back to my undergraduate days (an eternity ago), and more recently I have been enthusiastically drawing and volunteering in the Museum, mostly on Saturdays.
Quite a few years ago, I became the Museum’s original “Sketching Facilitator,” a volunteer who provides drawing materials for visitors young and old. Mostly I use the Tom-Sawyer-fence-painting approach, which works great with the young visitors. They want to draw too!
I started painting “sainted” animals and birds in 2014, (which you may remember from previous blog posts: Click here to see that blog entry with the first sainted animals.) Then I was working with specimens from the Acadia National Park Archives. I continued with paintings at the Dorr Natural History Museum at the College of the Atlantic, the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, Maine and the Rhode Island Natural History Museum at Roger Williams Park.
Now it was time to honor my good buddies from the Harvard Museum. I envisioned an exhibition of portraits, each one an “Hommage” paying tribute to and showing reverence and thanks for these special creatures.
So I was extremely happy to get permission to paint in the Museum. (I don’t think they’ve ever let anyone do this before.) I didn’t mind that it could only be during early morning hours before the Museum opened to the public, and only for a limited time.
I added some tarps, lighting, and mirrors to my usual plein air painting kit. Often the best view was from a low angle, so, rather than paint with my chin on the floor, I positioned a mirror in just the right spot.
Years of portraits, plein air work, and animal drawings prepared me to make the most of this opportunity. I loved painting, not just drawing, my friends at the Museum. I was very careful to protect the area where I worked, and I tried not to inconvenience the kind, hard-working early morning cleaning crew (who do a wonderful job). It was important for me to work from “life” rather than from photographs, but I confess I had to use more than one session for quite a number of the paintings, and some of the backgrounds got a touch-up at home.
Of the more than 20 paintings I consider keepers, it’s hard to decide which of the paintings are my favorites, which of my buddies I will exhibit, and which ones I will use for publicity. I hope there will be many opportunities to share and exhibit them.
Except for that amazing coelacanth, shown above, whose portrait is 16×20″, all the Hommages are 12×12″. Here are a few that I’m most happy with (and when they’re framed in an appropriately ornate hommage-y frame, I think they’ll look real fine!)
So save the date!
“Hommages” will be on exhibition at the Providence Art Club from March 29 to April 17, 2020.
The opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, March 29 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
I hope you can come!
I’m sure I’ll write more about the Hommages in months to come.
And stay tuned. An exciting third blog entry is coming soon…
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Jana Matusz on Site 