The Art of Michele Johnsen

Chamber Mixer

2012-01-28T11:19:00.004-05:00

Last night's (Jan. 26) Chamber Mixer at the lovely historic Courthouse in Lancaster, NH hosted by Steve Bissonnette, financial advisor, was by all accounts a great success. About 40 attendees enjoyed some old time country music by Lyndell Demers, Roland Cotnoir and friends, delicious food by the Lion and the Rose caterers and of course the beautiful art of a variety of CRAG members. Steve is the proud owner of my painting "Keazer's Place" and it currently hangs in his wonderful office in this most outstanding piece of architecture. The entire exhibition will hang until Feb. 4.

Artful Weekend

2011-11-19T15:49:00.002-05:00

It truly was an artful weekend beginning with the opening reception of "Harmony" at Fiddleheads in Colebrook. We drew a lively and appreciative crowd. It continued with the dedication of the mural in downtown Colebrook, again on the side of the Fiddleheads building. It was a lovely ceremony and very well attended. An awesome cake depicting a close-up view of the mural was enjoyed by all who attended. Tonight we're off to a Colebrook Academy production of " I'm Not Ebenezer Scrooge!" And we just keep on rolling!

Brush Strokes

2011-10-17T20:02:00.003-04:00

Great opening reception Friday night, the 14th of CRAG's "Brush Strokes" show at Fiddleheads. Had a good crowd, good vino, vibes, friends and conversation. Oh, and the art was good too :-) If you haven't already, check it out!

Grand Opening of Fiddleheads Littleton

2011-10-09T17:18:00.004-04:00

Fiddleheads in Littleton had their Grand Opening this weekend. I have six acrylic paintings on view in the new gallery space. The new store is located in a lovely spot on the river in Littleton and the space is wonderful. And of course, it's run by two of my favorite people. Be sure to stop in to check out the beautiful artisan and artist pieces on display.

Downtown Mural

2011-08-24T19:29:00.004-04:00

The latest big art endeavor is the painting of a 40' x 8' mural in downtown Colebrook on the side of Fiddleheads on Main St. Bette Guerin, proprietor, commissioned me to come up with a design that incorporated trees and the northern landscape with a connection to the residents of the region. It's been quite the challenge, battling north country weather conditions, but it's coming along with the help of some dedicated volunteers and will hopefully be finished before the cold weather hits.

Chihuly Exhibition

2011-07-29T17:27:00.004-04:00

Recently returned from a steamy, but sweet vacation on the coast of Maine in Ogunquit. Visited the Ogunquit Museum of American Art where we saw two small, but lovely, exhibitions of drawings and interesting porcelain pieces. On our last day we made the trek to Boston and waited on line for hours to view the Dale Chihuly exhibition. It was definitely worth the wait and effort. His work is undoubtedly stunning! Breathtaking really. It closes on the 7th of August so you're running out of time, if you haven't yet seen it.

Art Educator's Institute

2011-07-03T14:48:00.005-04:00

Just returned from another terrific week at NH Institute of Art for the Art Educator's Institute. This was my 6th year and another challenging week. Spent 30+ hours hand-building in the pottery studio and creating sculpture from found objects, etc. in the 3D Nature Sculpture class. It was exhausting, but exhilarating. Acquired lots of great ideas for the classroom as well as my own work. Also got to see the sand sculptures at Hampton and the Currier collection. Looking forward to getting into my studio.

Street A.K.A. Art

2011-06-05T16:00:00.004-04:00

Got a chance to see some wonderful art over the Memorial Day weekend. Spent a day with my sister in Boston and for the 1st time visited the Institute of Contemporary Art on the waterfront in Boston. A relatively new art museum it boasts a spacious top floor devoted to art. Of particular interest was the show devoted to the Vinyl Record. It featured some interesting pieces by David Byrne of the Talking Heads and multi-media musician Lori Anderson. Next day we headed to Portsmouth to the Street A.K.A. Art exhibition at the Portsmouth Museum of Art--small but sweet, with artists such as Herakut, Shark Toof, Alexandros Vasmoulakis and Bumblebee.

Regional High School Art Exhibtion

2011-05-14T14:05:00.004-04:00

The 6th Annual Regional High School Art Exhibiton was another great success. Myself, along with the art teachers from Pittsburg and Canaan Schools collaborate to make this happen. Along with the group exhibition, a winners exhibit is currently on view at Fiddleheads on Main St. Colebrook. The opening reception was this past Friday night, May 12th and many of the students along with their families and friends attended.

Nick Cave Exhibition

2011-05-14T13:38:00.003-04:00

It's been so long since I've had time to blog. It's been a crazy winter! So happy it's over. Spent my spring vacation in Seattle with my family and had a chance to check out Nick Cave's work at the Seattle Museum of Art downtown. Wild and wooly--literally! Loved it.

Visual Joy

2011-02-05T18:42:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to announce that I'm the featured artist on the online site Caladangallery.com. This month's theme is visual joy and they seem to have curated the show around my work. It's a great site with very approachable and friendly folk. I have 15 of my landscapes featured so check it out and comment too!

Crystal Clear

2011-01-22T19:00:00.004-05:00

"Crystal Clear" opened last night at Fiddleheads Gallery on Main St. in Colebrook. If you didn't make it you missed some sparkling conversation and of course lovely refreshments. Again some stunning work from member artists. This show will run until the end of February so you have plenty of time to stop in and check it out.

Nature's Palette

2010-12-19T16:12:00.004-05:00

CRAG's December show, "Nature's Palette" opened on Dec. 10th with a wine and cheese reception with the artists. Another lovely show for CRAG participating artists and definitely worth a look. It will be showing until mid-January when "Crystal Clear" opens. Look for it in the local papers.

2010-12-19T15:49:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to see the Sugi Pop Show at Portsmouth Museum of Art in Portsmouth, NH. It was a wonderful show, with a great variety of Manga and comic art. For a small museum, they did a great job. If you get a chance to check it out, it's well worth it and admission in free.

Artisan Spotlight

2010-11-21T13:36:00.004-05:00

Bette and Ron Guerin of Fiddleheads in Colebrook, once again, afforded me the opportunity to show work that I've long been anxious to share. I was the featured artist in their series of artisan spotlights and was excited to showcase the pieces I've created in the Book Art realm of art making. I had many visitors to the gallery who were intrigued and inspired by the work. Of course, it was wonderful for me to bring that excitement to people interested in the medium.

"Vintage Visions"

2010-11-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

Just hung the upcoming show at Fiddleheads in Colebrook entitled "Vintage Visions" Please join us for a reception, Friday, Nov. 12 from 5-7. Chat with the artists and enjoy an evening of fine art and good company.

Precious

2010-11-06T11:43:00.003-04:00

I'll have five small pieces in Soo Rye's upcoming show "Precious". This exhibition features works of a small size at an affordable price. I'm delighted to be part of a second exhibition in this lovely gallery in Rye, NH in the Seacoast Region. If you're on the coast, check it out, and spend some money! This gallery is run and supported by very talented young NH Institute of Art alumni.

A Personal Landscape

2010-10-02T12:33:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, Sept. 25th we ventured down to Rye, NH to attend the opening reception of A Personal Landscape. The show was juried by photographer, Gary Samson and featured artists from all across the nation spanning all mediums along with some of his photos. I was honored to have two of my acrylic paintings chosen. The gallery is lovely and the shows I've seen so far are outstanding. Many alumni of NH Institute of Art are represented. If you're ever in the area it is worth a stop.

"Northern Landscapes"

2010-10-02T12:29:00.002-04:00

It's been so busy that I neglected to blog on our last show at Fiddleheads, "Expressions". It closed yesterday and we hung our next show "Northern Landscapes". Again a lovely show so don't forget to stop by for our opening reception next Friday, Oct. 8th from 5-7.

Westward Ho!

2010-07-26T20:47:00.004-04:00

Just returned from a heartwarming (saw kids and grandkids) and inspiring trip to Seattle and Portland, OR. Great cities, food, drink and countryside! Got to hike in Silver Springs National Park, a temperate rain forest. Trees, trees trees! My favorite subject coincidentally. Lots of fodder for new paintings. Stay tuned!

"Pathways" Exhibition

2010-07-06T16:39:00.003-04:00

Check out the opening of July's CRAG Exhibiton "Pathways". Opening reception is Friday, July 9th from 5-7 pm at Fiddleheads on Main St. Colebrook, NH. The show will be on exhibit the entire month of July. Unfortunately, I won't be there. I'm headed west to Seattle and Portland to see my kids and grandkids. Hope you all have a great time at the opening!

Art Educator's Institute

2010-07-05T20:16:00.005-04:00

Well it was another fabulous week at the Art Institute in Manchester. Spent the entire week engrossed in the Book Arts course. Learned some new tricks while gaining tons of inspiration from instructor Mark Wangberg and fellow teachers. The possibilities in this sculptural form are endless. I was pleased with the result of my efforts. Already looking forward to next year

Abstractions

2010-06-15T19:45:00.006-04:00

I think I've got it! Been dabbling in abstraction. Who said "my dog could do it"? Painting a successful abstraction is not an easy feat! Sometimes things just "click". You may disagree, but I think I've painted a couple of successful abstract pieces and I'm having a blast doing it. I intend to continue, possibly beginning a mini series of these. My vision is to hang them on dowels like scrolls. Something about this format appeals to me.

Places We Call Home

2010-06-15T19:20:00.004-04:00

Places We Call Home opened Friday June 11 to an appreciative crowd. Kudos to CRAG members for some fine work. I had three landscape paintings, inspired by our 2009 trip to Costa Rica on view. The gallery space at Fiddleheads is shaping up into a cool little space to highlight visual art.

"A Change of Scenery"

2010-05-29T17:52:00.004-04:00

Friday, May 28th was the opening reception of "A Change of Scenery" a two-man show that included 8 of my acrylic paintings. My work hung along side the stunning photos of Ian Raymond. The opening was well attended and well received. Hope to follow up with some photos of the evening event.

Coos County Symposium

2010-05-29T17:23:00.002-04:00

On May 25, 26, and 27 the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel hosted the annual Coos County Symposium where some of retail's best along with art organization administrators had a meeting of the minds. Myself along with two other WREN artists were invited to show work at the event. I had four acrylic paintings on view.

Fiddleheads Gallery Opening

2010-05-05T17:58:00.005-04:00

Saturday, May 1, was the grand opening of the Fiddleheads/CRAG Gallery on Main St. Colebrook. Nine CRAG members were represented in the "Small Works Show". The space is beautiful and the work outstanding. We had many appreciative visitors and sales were brisk. We're all proud of our accomplishment and look forward to monthly changing exhibits and opening receptions. Next month's show theme is "Places We Call Home". Stay tuned for updates!

Regional High School Art Exhibtion

2010-05-03T16:35:00.005-04:00

Friday, April 30th was our Regional High School Art Exhibition, a collaboration of student work from Colebrook, Canaan and Pittsburg High Schools. It was another great success with many attending and admiring the astounding work of our students. This year's show was hosted by Amy Keafer at Canaan Memorial High School. We're already looking forward to next year's event in Pittsburg.

NY Visit

2010-05-02T15:00:00.005-04:00

Made our tri-annual visit down to NY city. Finally got to visit the Climate/Gallery where I've been showing my work. The Artful Scriptorium was currently on view. Terrific show. Lots of great book forms. Also got to MOMA where a fabulous exhibition of Tim Burton's work was on view and an interesting show by Balkan performance artist Marina Abramovic. You may have caught some of the controversy on the news.

UCVH Exhibition

2010-04-04T17:23:00.002-04:00

For those of you in Colebrook, or passing through, check out my exhibition of 9 landscape paintings currently on view at the Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital until May 15th.

"Northern Light:Variations on a Theme"

2010-04-04T16:51:00.004-04:00

More than two dozen works created by northern NH artists are featured in this exhibition at the Johnson Sisters Library at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon. The show opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 9, and will continue through May 8. It will then move to Fiddleheads Gallery in Colebrook, with a reception on May 15 from 5 - 8 p.m. This show will run until June 5th. Sarah Chafee of the McGowan Fine Art gallery in Concord was the juror. My acrylic painting "Stars and Stripes" was chosen for this show.

Elemental Spring

2010-04-03T19:02:00.003-04:00

Recently had three paintings accepted into Caladan's online gallery show "Elemental Spring". My image "Moss" is included on this gallery card. Along with this notification came the exciting news that I had been chosen as a Solo Exhibition Award recipient. Very, very excited about this. The show will take place in December and I'll be keeping you posted. It will include 15 original acrylic landscape paintings. Good things happen to those that paint!!

Climate/Gallery

2010-03-20T16:12:00.005-04:00

The "Putting-It-All-Together" show featuring collage and assemblage just ended at Climate Gallery and "The Artful Scriptorium" is due to open April 3rd. I'm especially happy to have three books included in this show since bookmaking has become a secondary art making love of mine. Spent much of the summer on book making and will again this summer when I do more book art course work at the NH Institute of Art. The Open Calls at Climate Gallery are another great opportunity for artists looking for new venues to show their work.

ArtSpider

2010-03-20T16:07:00.002-04:00

I've just been asked to be a featured blogger on the artspider.net site. ArtSpider is a site devoted to artists of all persuasions living and working in NH. It's a cool site. I urge people interested in the goings on of Granite State artists to check it out.

Caladan Gallery

2010-03-20T13:40:00.003-04:00

Got some exciting news this week. Had three pieces accepted into Caladan's upcoming show "Elemental Spring". Included a couple of these images in this post. Along with this acceptance, I was offered a solo show in December that will include 15 landscape paintings. Very delighted about the prospect of being one of their Solo Exhibition Award recipients! For those of you looking for opportunities to exhibit your work, I highly recommend this online show case. The folks involved are wonderful to work with.

Putting-It-All-Together

2010-02-07T13:44:00.005-05:00

The opening of the Putting-It-All-Together:Collage, Montage and Assemblage show opened this weekend, Feb. 6, at Climate Gallery in Long Island City, NY. Again, wasn't able to be there, but had 3 pieces included. I'll get down there one day! This is one of the images in the show. It will run until Feb. 21.

PAINT!

2009-12-28T10:35:00.004-05:00

Latest show at the Climate/Gallery in Long Island City, NY has come and gone. The show ran from 11/7 - 11/22. The opening was 11/7. Had the below two paintings included. I hear it was another success. Will be entering another few pieces in their February show with a collage/montage theme.

Small Works Show at WREN

2009-11-22T15:50:00.004-05:00

After visiting the Biennial in Manchester, we had a quick chance to stop in at the WREN gallery to see the "Small Works Show". Got to see some interesting stuff and hear that it was doing well.

NH Institute of Art Biennial

2009-11-22T15:35:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics from the Biennial at the Art Institute in Manchester, NH. I'm always delighted to have my work included. The work was again of very high caliber. It was a beautiful show in an exquisite setting.

NH Open Doors

2009-11-08T13:29:00.002-05:00

This weekend, November 7, was the NH Open Doors event. I was one of two artists that were featured at Fiddleheads in Colebrook that day. It was a busy day, with both of us on hand to demonstrate and meet and greet. Lots of visitors and good feedback.

Climate/Gallery Exhibition

2009-10-11T11:07:00.003-04:00

Heard from Herman James, one of Climate/Gallery's directors and the "Never Think Small" show was a great success. Here is a montage of pictures he sent.

Climate/Gallery Exhibition

2009-09-27T11:12:00.005-04:00

I'm very excited to post news about an upcoming exhibition I have work in. Climate/Gallery in Long Island City, NY is hosting a small works show and I'll have three pieces on exhibit there. I haven't had much opportunity to show these small and perhaps off beat works. Unfortunately, I neglected to photograph the 3rd piece titled "I Just Feel Like Screaming" , but it reflected my state of mind at the time. A New York venue is the opportunity I've been looking for. Haven't been there, but in reading about them, I love their philosophy and will be showing in next month's exhibition as well. I can't get to the opening, but if anyone can, I'd love a report on the show as a whole. The opening reception is Saturday, October 3rd from 6-9pm and will run until the 25th. Info on their location is on the website.

Pittsburg People's Choice Exhibition

2009-08-23T14:24:00.002-04:00

On August 15, CRAG (Connecticut River Artisan Group) hosted a People's Choice Exhibition during Pittsburg's Old Home Day Events. By all accounts it was a great success and I was pleased to participate. The above images were award winners with the top image "Curling Cedar", an acrylic painting, winning 2nd and 3rd prizes in the People's Choice category. The image below it, an acrylic painting titled "Keazer's Place" won the judge's Best of Show award.

The judge's award was a new addition this year. Professional artists and gallery owners from around the state, Susan Gradual, Linda Novak and Christopher Hubble were this year's participating judges.

2009-07-24T17:37:00.003-04:00

Check out the Caladan Gallery site to see the piece I had accepted into their recent show below. Just click on the picture for the Gester, Action, Expression exhibition and scroll down to view accepted artist pieces.

2009-07-24T12:05:00.002-04:00

Just returned from an inspiring trip to Costa Rica. You're likely to see some of these images interpreted in new paintings. The light and landscape is so different there from what surrounds me in Northern NH. The rain forest, flora and fauna provided me with a fresh muse for new landscapes. Looking forward to taking some time for the creative process to take hold in putting paint to canvas.

Art Ed Institute

2009-06-29T19:17:00.002-04:00

Just returned from a week at NH Institute of Art's Art Educator's Institute. This was my 4th year and although it is a week where art educator's from around the country gather it is geared to the individual artist. We were pampered and pandered to all week with special receptions at the Currier Museum of Art, tours of the new facilities and wonderful meals. Aside from all this I left full to the brim with inspiration and haven't stopped making art since. I spent mornings figure drawing with Peter Clive and afternoons bookmaking with Mark Walberg, below. His collection of handcrafted books (and I use the term loosely. He's donning one of his book hats.) blew my mind! Below are some pics including my "stepping stone" creation, some of my own books and book hat. Also pictured is me with a former student, Shonna Beckett, who surprised me one day. She was taking a tour and hopes to attend in the fall.

Plein Air Painting

2009-06-20T19:16:00.002-04:00

Last weekend (June 13th) I joined a group of painters from CRAG (Connecticut River Artisans), of which I am a member, at Fish Pond, to do some plein air painting with Daniel Clement an artist from Quebec. We had a wonderful day. It's always an experience painting out of doors. I also tried my hand at oil painting, which I do infrequently, but really enjoyed. Hopefully I can post a picture of the event soon.

Forest Lover

2009-06-20T19:08:00.003-04:00

"Forest Lover" was my solo exhibition at the WREN Gallery in Bethlehem, NH. The show ran from May 1st through May 25th. The opening on May 1st was a great success and well attended. Here is myself with an old friend Diane, who I hadn't seen in years. It was a terrific surprise and wonderful to see her. A real blast from the past. When I get the hang of this blogging thing I'll try to post more pictures of the event. Work sold and I'm a happy camper.

Renew, reuse, recycle, recreate

2009-06-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

April 3rd through April 27th was the Renew, Reuse, Recycle, Recreate show at the Wren Gallery in Bethlehem, NH. I put together the above piece specifically for that show. Doing it took me back to the days when I worked with assemblage. It was a blast rummaging through my junk, stamping, painting and pasting stuff together. Interesting show with lots of interesting pieces displaying some incredible imagination.

Minumental Exhibition

2009-06-20T18:44:00.002-04:00

This spring I had two pieces accepted into the Minumental Exhibition at NH Institute of Art in Manchester. Images could be no larger that 2" x 2" including 3 dimensional pieces. As you can see it made for a very interesting show. My minumental acrylic landscape was sold--very exciting!

Night Music

2009-06-20T16:35:00.003-04:00

The picture under my info is from this winter's Night Music concert by the Hanover Chamber Orchestra at White Mt. Regional HS. I had the honor of having "Blue Moon", an acrylic painting chosen and used for all the publicity including posters and invitations. It was then exhibited at the concert along with other pieces by a variety of artists and was chosen for the People's Choice Award.