Jana Matusz on Site

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.

Until then, we all manage the best we can.

Please stay safe and well, everyone. Thanks for visiting this blog. If this is your first time visiting, feel free to go back in time to see other projects and art trips. You can scroll and click to go all the way back to my Bermuda residency in 2011. I especially recommend my blog entries from Cesky Krumlov in 2012
(https://janamatusz.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/june-22-five-petalled-rose-celebration-day-1/) with the fun photos there,
and my month of painting in Provincetown, MA
(https://janamatusz.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/a-heavenly-month-in-provincetown-massachusetts/).
Mostly, of course, you’ll find lots and lots of photos and artwork from Acadia National Park, my “Maine” inspiration.

Until next time…

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.

https://hmnh.harvard.edu/

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!

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!

Click here to see the full selection of Jana Matusz designs from Le Galeriste!
www.art-a-porter.com/jana.matusz

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!