October continues to be a busy month. Some shows are ending, but I have work in 2 new shows, plus news about the first Public Arts project that I'm involved with:

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Mountain Art Show

I have 2 paintings juried into the 30th Annual "Mountain Art Show", which runs Oct 22 - Oct 31, 2010 at St. John on the Mountain in Bernardsville, NJ [map & directions]. St John is a really charming, rambling stone church perched high in the Watchung Mountains, and the surrounding area feels more like Vermont than New Jersey to me. Also, the fall foliage is really spectacular around there right now.

Artists Reception and Awards Presentation:
Exhibit dates:
In addition to the 2 large paintings, I'll have 5 small 5x7" paintings in the show's "Small Treasures" section of smaller, lower-priced works.  Proceeds from the Mountain Art Show directly benefit the church and its outreach programs.

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Wildness In Our Midst

I have 3 paintings in a group show called "Wildness in our Midst - the Greater Sourlands Eco-Region" running Oct 25 - Nov 26 at:


Opening Reception: Friday, Nov 5, 5:30 - 7:30
Free and open to the public.

This show celebrates the Sourland Mountain, a truly unique region covering about 90 square miles and including the largest contiguous forest remaining in central NJ.  It also includes my home, so I know the area very well and paint on the mountain often.   My painting "Amwell Valley Clouds" was done literally across the street from my house and that's the view from my mailbox looking out across Amwell Valley towards the Watchung Mountains. Saint John on the Mountain must be back there on the horizon somewhere.

Please note that there are no weekend hours for this gallery.  The Marie L. Matthews Gallery is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm, but it's best to call the Greenway at 609-924-4646 first to confirm that the facility is not being used for other purposes.

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Gallery 24/7

This is the Somerset County Public Arts project I mentioned in my last newsletter.   The county's Cultural & Heritage Commission invited New Jersey resident artists to submit work for display on traffic control boxes (TCBs) throughout Somerset County. The intent of the project is to promote the arts in non-traditional venues and this certainly is non-traditional!  TCBs are those large steel boxes you see along the roads near traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

My painting "On Cider Mill Road" was one of the 10 artworks chosen from the 72 submissions made by 40 artists.   The selected art was reproduced on vinyl film and then applied to the TCBs. The work is expected to remain in place for at least 3 years.

My painting is installed at the intersection of Skillman Road and County Rt 601 in Montgomery Township, next to the Skillman post office. It's funny that from some angles, my painting really blends in with the surrounding farmland:

click images for larger version:

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That's all the news for now.