Suzy Jorsey Balay's Art Blog

Was it the green house or my art that brought the Town Times to me.



The photos above were accompanied by the following very nice article:



Click to enlarge.

A table that I painted and coated with epoxy won the Judges Special ribbon and the Peoples Choice award at the 2007 Durham Fair.

The Four Seasons of American Art
Suzy Jorsey Balay
2007


I have painted a table that is now in the Childrens Art Lab at the New Britian Museum of American Art:



I wanted to create a table that was interactive and also be able to relate to the art within the museum. The chalkboard center allows young minds to create at will. I found a painting within the Museum that I really enjoyed called the Community Garden at Sunrise, by Scott Prior. You could feel the warm August sun rising above the dew-speckled flowers. That was it! The Seasons. This museum is full of unbelievable places. The paintings can take you on a journey though the seasons. Please, explore the galleries and see if you can feel the seasons as I did.

Spring: Bradbury’s Mill Dam in Spring, 1910-15
Edward Francis Rook
Can you hear the water over the rocks as the stream begins to spring to life? Feel the cooler air on our face as you walk from the woods to the stream. See buds on the trees filtering the sun in preparation for the new leaves to emerge.

Summer: Community Garden at Sunrise, 2006
Scott Prior
The early morning, birds are singing to great the day. It is the best time of day to sort though the flowers and pull the unwanted weeds. The bees are scurrying around form flower-to-flower collecting their gold. Now sun has risen high enough to heat the garden; it is your time to relax; your work is done.

Fall: Lake Wawayanda, Sussex Country, New Jersey, 1870
Jasper Francis Cropsey
It is the last days of the Indian summer. The sun, shining as bright as it can, but still you need to pull on a sweater. The Foliage is screaming with intense warm colors as you breathing deep to feel the crisp clean air.

Winter: Winter landscape, 1886
Samuel Carr
Your skates glide across the frozen pond as your legs feel ever little bump in the ice. It’s a cold day but not too cold to keep you inside for you know that the new snow on the horizon brings a cold wind for the next day.

Last winter I spent some time in the basement of St Peters Episcopal Church in Cheshire Ct. While I was there I had the Ideal job. They let me paint two murals on their walls, a kids dream come true. Even better I was able to plug myself into my IPod and rock out.
What a great time I had drawing, painting and dancing. I should thank god for I believe know one saw me singing and dancing. They may have taking me for a bit of a crazy. Do you think that Michelangelo would have done the Ipod dance if he had one while painting the Sistine Chapel? Again maybe we should be thankful he didn’t.



I did most of this work in the evening when I could get away from doing the mom thing. I felt totally isolated at times. The cell phone was out of range down there. I was just myself, I could find myself having fun while doing what enjoy, creating.

There is something powerful, wonderful and a bit creepy at the same time about a church, especially while you are the only one of flesh there. It would get to a certain hour of the night that I would feel I had to leave. I did not matter whether it was a good spot to stop or not it was time to leave. This was extremely different from working on the installation piece Industrial Garage Band with Nathan Lewis’ Art Posse, we where a group having a great time rocking out, creating, it did not matter what time of night it was.

There was other times that I was there working on a Sunday afternoon or an early evening when there was Choir practice or a service going on. I truly enjoyed being there then the folks in that church did make some beautiful music. I remember finishing up one day and the service had not finished up yet I found myself in their parish hall just enjoying their art of sound. That was powerful.

My first open Studio went well. I must say as a virgin I was a little nervous and excited all at the same time. It was so nice to be with so many artists whose works I admire. You are all so much fun to be around. Some folks from a life long ago like Keith J. and Lisa F., some from present Ben, Lois, Larla, all of room 205 Vald, Dan, James (Wow, you all are great) and Melanie (love your bumps and bottles), Some new friends Kelly thanks for such a fun Saturday morning, Nothing like an Exacto knife, paper and good conversation to put some nerves to rest.
I love the entire concept of some four hundred artist coming together in a place that’s absent of life and resuscitating it to be so alive, chuck full of creativity and all for only two days. It is just amazing the energy that flows through the halls. Then in a matter of a few hours to have all that art removed, and walls white washed, all of it gone. It is like we (the artist) could gather until we where discovered, once found we must move on to expose our work in other places. It reminds me of a radio show called the Hives. That was about the banning of music and how the musicians where forced underground and how a guy abscessed with mathematically theory of music followed the artists to the underground hives. It was real cool series on WPKN, however I don’t know whom it was done by – if anyone has that info let me know.
Back to open studio Thanks to all of you who stopped in to see me. I can’t express how great it was for me to meet you, to share and talk about my work. A special thanks John, Bill, and Thomas for all their help in getting me and my art work out in an unbelievable time. Oh and of course a great big thank you to Chris, Kendra and Hanna who believe in my art and me.

I will be in room 205 at the Hamden Middle School 550 Newhall St.