Brenda L.B. Kenney Fine Art News

Paintings to be displayed at Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:28:56 CST

Artist of the Month Exhibit at UCVH

Later today I'll be traveling to Colebrook to hang several of my paintings at the Connecticut Valley Hospital. This will be the fourth time I've had the privilege of exhibiting there, and I appreciate having the opportunity to display my work where it may be enjoyed by people from the local area, as well as visitors to the region.

Several of the paintings in this exhibit were completed over the last year, and most reflect the

images one would see while experiencing our quaint life here in New England. There are so many beautiful places, and picturesque views in northern NH, this area we call home.

I do hope you'll stop by the hospital, if you're in Colebrook. The exhibit will hang throughout the month of February. The hallway for the display is just inside the main door, opposite the visitors desk, and is open to the public.

"Remembered Past" is one of the paintings that will be on display this month at UCVH.

This 18 x 24 original oil on canvas depicts the historical Poore Farm, in Stewartstown, NH.

Plein Air Painting with NHPleinAir Near Bartlett, NH

Sat, 30 May 2009 11:42:14 CDT

FRIDAY:

On May 15th, I headed to Bartlett, NH, to spend the week-end painting with fellow artists from NHPleinAir. This was the third time I'd participated in the get-a-way week-end, and the experience lived up to the previous two visits. Always fun, always informative, and always a pleasure to hang out with some very creative artists from throughout New England.

On the drive there, I stopped to take several pictures through Crawford Notch. Some of them to be added to the collection set aside for potential paintings. I ran into Byron Carr, and others, painting along Rte. 302, on my way by the Flume and Silver Cascades, in Harts Location.

After checking in at the Bartlett Inn, and visiting with Miriam, I set out to see if I could locate any members of NHPleinAir. The sun was out, and so was the top of Mount Washington. Since time was growing short, I decided to forego painting Friday afternoon, opting to visit several locations I had on my list to photograph. Around 6:30, a group of us headed to Cathedral Ledge, to watch Byron Carr demonstrate his technique in painting the outstanding view from atop the granite outcrop.

Several of us went to the Lobster Trap for dinner on Friday, before heading back to the Inn for some pleasant conversation, and a glass of wine. It was a great start to a creative week-end, as I looked forward to getting out to paint myself on Saturday.

SATURDAY:

It was official....Nick and Miriam serve an outstanding breakfast at the Bartlett Inn! All of us left the Inn with full stomach's, wondering what they would serve on Sunday. With creative anticipation, we started off in many directions to paint for the day.

Several of us decided to go up through Pinkham Notch, to find a turn-out where we could see the Peabody River flowing in the foreground of Mount Washington. It was cool and overcast to start, but the sun came out before we'd completed the first painting of the day, making it a challenge to keep up with the changing landscape. (I'm still working on getting this one photographed and uploaded to the web site.)

For lunch we headed back down Rte. 16, to the Red Fox Bar and Grill, in Jackson, NH.

Our second painting location was to be the Jackson Falls, just out of Jackson Village, on Rte. 16B. I'd taken several pictures of the Falls the day before....but, I was pleased to have a chance to paint there on site. This 9 x 12 painting titled "Cascade at Jackson Falls" is the result of my Saturday afternoon painting session.

The weather turned cloudy and cool, and the wind had come up before we'd finished at the Falls. I had just finished and quickly loaded my easel into the car, when the rain started.

Pizza, and great conversation topped off our Saturday night, as we gathered back at the Inn, to recount our painting experiences, and enjoy the display of fine paintings which had been created over the week-end.

SUNDAY:

With it raining, and windy on Sunday morning, I lingered a while over breakfast, visiting with

Byron and his wife Louise, Nick and Miriam, and other artists whom I'd had the pleasure of meeting. Then, unwilling to call it a day, I packed the camera, and drove over to Bethlehem, to take in the current art exhibit at the WREN gallery. Michele Johnsen, a friend and fellow artist from Colebrook, NH, was exhibiting several of her paintings filled with bright, and vibrant color. I enjoyed browsing her large landscapes, glad to have made the trip to see her new work.

Many thanks, to Byron Carr, Sharon Allen, and Nick and Miriam at the Bartlett Inn, for planning another wonderful week-end for plein-air artists to paint in the White Mountains.

I'm already looking forward to my next return trip!

Daffodils and Hope, Looking Back, Looking Forward

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:53:16 CDT

Sometimes it's hard to stay positive. When the rain comes, day after day, and the skies are grey. I often have a hard time keeping a positive outlook, knowing the possibility of difficulty that lies ahead, looking back at mistakes that may have made a difference, if only they hadn't been mistakes. Then again, maybe those mistakes helped me learn enough to make a difference.

The world can be a difficult place to be....to exist....to prosper. We face multiple decisions every day. Choices and chances, all of which could lead us to a positive beginning, or if we choose not to go there, close the door on something that could have taken us further than we'd ever dared dream. How, in the grey mist, do we choose the right path?

Simply turn on the news, and you'll find story after story of tragedy, heartbreak, suffering. Yet, once in a great while, there is a reminder of the things that are truly right with the world. A glimmer of something wonderful comes through the screen, and hope is renewed. Someone saved a life today, someone offered a helping hand, someone made a difference....someone cared. Yes...hope.....it is more than just a powerful word. It is what helps us believe in ourselves, believe in our future, and in the prospect of whatever lies ahead. Hope.... allows us to believe everything will be OK.

There's no doubt, we're in a difficult time. It won't be said that the year 2009 was the best in history. Yet, we can make the choice to look at this time positively, as a chance to grow, to flourish, to bloom. We can choose to wallow, or we can pick ourselves up, and choose to utilize this time to do something good. What if... we were to become something new, something exciting, something we've never imagined possible? What if... we could step through the rain, watch the clouds drift away....and slowly and steadily reach our tiny pedals into the warmth of the sun. What if... in some small way, we could help someone else get there, too?

The lessons in looking back are valuable, they teach us where we no longer want to be. They help us to understand where we are, and how we got here. But, dwelling there can not be an option. Our choice, is only in looking forward. So...we gather those lessons, and set out into a future that can be scary, and shadowed, with many unknowns.

We may not have the answers....or know where we are headed. But, hope will help us to break out of the clouds. Can we find the sun.....the yellow, in the grey? I think I'll go look for the daffodils. They're blooming all around us, despite the rain.

"Daffodils & Hope"
Blue Butterfly Series #4

8 x 10 Original Oil Painting on Canvas

$150.00 (40% donated to community cause)

Email to purchase by phone
or purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com

"Water Lily" an oil painting capturing strength amidst diversity.

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:22:27 CDT

With the warmer weather this past week, the ice went out of Lake Francis, and I started thinking about getting out my kayak. I love getting out onto the lakes and streams whenever possible. There's always something to see when you're on the water, and I usually take my camera along, to capture those fleeting images that may someday turn into paintings.

A couple of years ago, I was kayaking on an inlet to Third Connecticut Lake, where the water was calmly flowing in a gentle current into the lake. There, growing from the shallow depths of the stream, were yellow water lilies, floating and swaying as the water drifted by. One particular lily caught my eye, and my camera forever captured it's simple elegance. While the other lilies, bobbed and dipped in the gentle flow, this lily rose out of the water, above floating green leaves, as if to say, "I will stand tall, and show strength amidst diversity."

If only we could embrace that elegance, secure in who we are, daring to be different, and allowing others to be who they are. Acceptance, can only be found in the strength of one's inner self. Mother nature has a wonderful way of teaching.

"Water Lily"
Blue Butterfly Series #3

8 x 10 Original Oil Painting on Canvas

$150.00 (40% donated to community cause)

Email to purchase by phone
or purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com

Visit ArtRECreation, my art and history blog to read this article about the series of water lily paintings created by Claude Monet.

French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926), a diversity in water lilies.

First painting in the Blue Butterfly Series! Art created for community support.

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:06:03 CDT

I recently launched a new collection of paintings called The Blue Butterfly Series. Paintings in this series have a tiny blue butterfly hidden within the painting. 40% of the proceeds from the sale of these paintings will be donated to a local community cause or other worthy charity. Collectors will also help to choose how the funds from each painting will be distributed.

I hope to complete a new Blue Butterfly Painting each week. So, please visit often, to see the new paintings as they become available.

To learn more about the Blue Butterfly Paintings, please visit my new

Blue Butterfly Series blog.

"Sculpted Birches"

Blue Butterfly Series #1

10 x 8 Original Oil on Canvas

$150.00 (40% donated to community need)

Unframed: framing options available

Email to purchase through paypal or by phone.
Purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com