"Light Spilled In" , 4:05 PM on this day of Dr ML King's birth, 2012. Photo by Judy A McNutt. Thank you. I love you.

"Stand Up for Love"

Floorcloth 3' by 4', oil pastel on canvas duck. Art and design by Judy A McNutt

Floorcloths are a fashionable alternative to an area rug. Most of my floorcloths are custom cut and designed to meet your needs.

My floorcloths are made with heavy 12 oz. cotton duck canvas that is designed for the floor. Once they are finished they are sealed with four to six coats of non-yellowing polyurethane. A floorcloth will hold up incredibly well in high traffic areas such as kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. They can also work well in a family or dining room. Think about an area of a room or entryway that needs a splash of color. Floorcloths are nice and flat, won't bunch up, won't be tripped over on a hard floor. Use one on your patio - you can't do that with a rug in rainy or humid climates. Place a floorcloth beneath a glass accent table- the whole thing becomes a piece of art!

The best feature about a floorcloth is that with proper care, they last forever. You will change your décor before your floorcloth will wear out. By wiping it off with Murphy’s oil soap once a month, you will pick up any foot traffic and will restore the beauty of your artwork that you truly can stand and walk upon.

When You're an Artist

When you're an artist

Every day is different and

Every day is the same.

Every day is the same

Because

Every day is different.

-j-

"Sunflower with Aura" Pastel of the day in my sketchbook. Saturday, January 14, 2012 by Judy A McNutt

" MOON with FAIRIE LITES" Through my studio window, today, January 13, 2012. Judy A McNutt, photographer.

Art's...Genetic Connection?

100,000-year-old art studio uncovered

From cave painters to Greek sculptors to post-modern filmmakers, humanity has always had its share of artists. Now, there's evidence that humans were decorating things thousands of years earlier than we thought.

Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe is a 100,000-year-old paint workshop in Blombos Cave, South Africa, about 186 miles east of Cape Town. The discovery, discussed in the journal Science, indicates that our early Homo sapien ancestors had a basic knowledge of chemistry and the ability to make long-term plans.

"The recovery of these toolkits at Blombos Cave adds evidence for early technological and behavioral developments associated with H. sapiens and documents their deliberate planning, production, and curation of a pigmented compound and the use of containers," the study authors wrote.

"Ochre" is the term archaeologists use to describe dirt or rock that contains red or yellow oxides, or hydroxides of iron; it is basically early paint. Researchers found hammers and grindstones that could have been used to make this ochre powder in the cave.

Additionally, they found two sea snail shells called abalone shells that probably served as containers to store a red concoction of ochre, bone and charcoal. Pigment residue on one of the bones suggests it was used for stirring and transferring the mixture out of the shell.

There is evidence that this mixture had been heated; perhaps liquefied bone marrow was used as a paste. Urine or water was also probably added to make it more fluid.

This is also the oldest evidence for use of a container, said Francesco d'Errico, study co-author and researcher at the University of Bordeaux in France. It appears that these containers were used multiple times.

"They really knew what they were doing. It’s not just idiosyncratic behavior, but it’s a very planned process," d'Errico said.

Ancient fragments of ochre have been found before from earlier than 100,000 years ago, but never in association with the objects to make it, or in containers, d'Errico said. Chemical analysis reveals three different types of pigment were used in this workshop, including yellow and red shades.

"It’s really relatively complex behavior going on there that clearly indicates that the production of pigment for them was not just occasional," d'Errico said. "It was a very planned process involving a number of different raw materials."

This cave seems to have been used as a workshop, and then the early Homo sapiens left it behind shortly after making these compounds. It appears that sand blew into the cave and very quickly covered these objects, preserving them throughout the millennia.

So far no paintings have been found on the walls of the cave. Scientists speculate that the paint was used for body decoration, or as an antiseptic for preparing animal skins, or both.

"It may be combination of functional and symbolic reasons," d'Errico said. "In traditional societies, these reasons – symbolic and functional – often go together. One reason cannot exclude the other."

10/26/2011 CAVE PAINTINGS tempra paint on paper by Judy A. McNutt

Bliss 101 is a Community Experience

byWehtahnah Tucker

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Helen Zeldes, owner of Bliss 101 in the Pacific Station shopping center on Coast Highway 101, sits among the many eclectic offerings during a VIP sneak peak reception Sept. 30. Photo by Wehtahnah Tucker

ENCINITAS — With eclectic offerings from repurposed boats taking on new life as benches to superb local art, Bliss 101 brings a model of sustainability and the spirit of aloha to its location in the downtown Pacific Station shopping center.

The bustling shop is owned and operated by Helen Zeldes and her husband Peter. Zeldes named Bliss 101 after her mother’s book of the same name about living a more inspired, blissful life.

Much like the shop’s name, many of the items have a story and customers have been known to spend hours lost in the intricate details of the history of various pieces of art, furniture and jewelry. The store shop features more than 100 local artists’ handcrafts and artwork as well as exotic creations from around the world. “It’s not hard to spend two hours in here,” Petra Schulenberg said. “If I need a gift for someone or if I know there is a new shipment coming in I’m here.”

Besides the distinctive retail experience, Bliss 101 serves as a gathering space for many customers. “I’ve come in to hear live music, to make jewelry from old material I brought in and just to say hi,” Beverly Masters said. “I think there’s a certain quality to the place that you don’t find very often.”

Zeldes is satisfied when her customers feel a connection to the shop. “(Bliss 101) is about more than just a place to shop,” she said. “It’s really a place where people can come and experience community.”

Trish Haskell, who’s worked at the shop for several months, loves the atmosphere. “It’s just fun to work with all of the artists, to be so close to the ocean and to see your neighbors coming in,” she said. “It changes all of the time. It’s a new experience with the design and layout on a constant basis.”

In fact, contents of a new container were unveiled on Sept. 30 at a reception for loyal customers. The unique goods included repurposed Indonesian Boat Furniture, new wood panels, paintings and even didgeridoos, long wood trumpet like instruments from Australia. “I absolutely love these pieces,” said Belle Pershing, a first-time customer.

Zeldes carries work from regional artists and jewelry designers, as well as fair trade, sustainable items from Indonesia and other far-flung locations. The end result is a visually enticing space where the likes of David Lloyd, Wade Koniakowsky, Clarke Little, Susanna Ball and Heather Brown grace the walls of the 4,000 square-foot store. Zeldes calls it a “stylish, fun, and funky” aesthetic. “This is an amazing place and it just keeps taking on a life of its own,” Zeldes said as she looked around her crowded shop. “I love it here.”

The most recent incarnation of this spirit is the “Fall into Bliss” lineup with an event on Oct. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. featuring artists that draw their creative inspiration from the ocean.

In addition to Oregon-based painter Spencer Reynolds, local photographers Jordan and Deb Hetrick will be on hand to showcase their latest works.

The world-renowned Kalama Brothers will entertain the crowd with their signature style of contemporary Hawaiian music.

Art East: Painter wears his art on his sleeve

Published: Saturday, October 08, 2011, 9:00 AM

By Kathleen DesHotel
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Happiness is finding balance and contentment in what one chooses to pursue in life. For artist Ferris Patrick Hotard, bliss comes from watercolor painting. The first art show he ever entered, while attending high school at Brother Martin, opened up the door to a lifelong passion in watercolor art.

Kathleen DesHotel'Melon Patch' is one of two watercolor artworks by Ferris Patrick Hotard that is currently on exhibit in Louisiana Watercolor Society member show at the Crescent City Brewhouse.

He since has had one-man shows at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, Tenn.; the Red River Festival in Shreveport; and exhibited at Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City, Mo. He also has shown in the Houston Arboretum; the Merrill Chase Galleries in Chicago; and has worked to sell his art in New Orleans’ Jackson Square. In St. Tammany, he has sold work shown at Assunta’s Restaurant, in the annual Hot Art in a Cool Space exhibit at North Shore Unitarian Universalists in Lacombe; and at Antiques & Art, 1952 First St., Slidell.

Continuing his 40-year art career, he is currently active in the Lacombe Art Guild of which he says, “I have met people who will be lifelong friends of mine and have found a support network of fellow artists who all encourage each other. Art organizations like LAG provide a place to make friends, make connections, to share, learn and see creativity of others. For instance, when I saw Bruce Hume’s coffee paintings, he shared with me how to create art with used coffee grinds, which I have turned into a beautiful tree bark pattern in a watercolor painting.”

Kathleen DesHotelLearning from other artists in Lacombe Art Guild is a perk for Ferris Patrick Hotard who practices using the method Bruce Hume taught regarding using coffee grinds in art.

Hotard feels he has hit his cathartic stride in art. “I reached a place in my life where I work to please myself and not to satisfy anyone else’s demands,” he said.

In college, art teachers tried to pull him away from his penchant for realism. He recollected one professor who watched him labor over a realistic painting and criticized it for lacking motion. “That professor was so rude; he just walked up, grabbed the brush, dipped it into blue paint and splashed it diagonally across my painting to give it motion. I was stunned and still not convinced that his art was for me. I am pleased with creating images of detailed flora and fauna and landscapes. My work is realistic with a personal interpretation,” he explained.

While Hotard admits he is not getting rich, he is making a living by being dedicated to a strict schedule of what he terms his daily work ritual. Five days a week, he awakes, has breakfast, checks his Farmville game on Facebook, meticulously organizes his paints and brushes and paper, and begins work by 9 a.m. With a few vegetarian snack breaks and time to play with his pets, he works steadily until 7 p.m. With this rigorous schedule, he is able to produce enough work to sell each week at the Mandeville Trailhead Community Market.

“The Trailhead presented me with so many opportunities. People are beginning to know my work and ask for commissioned pieces. I also met Carolyn King, one of my kindred artists, there and found that we had much in common. She rescues injured cats, and I rescue injured dogs. I have always loved animals. Maybe I was marked early on when, as a child, I saw ‘Bambi.’ I try to find homes for the rehabilitated pets but some of them stay with me because they become family,” he said.

Kathleen DesHotelTraveling through flowers, 'Tortoise Bliss' depicts a lovely spring scene by Ferris Patrick Hotard.

Presenting his work at the Trailhead also led to his being accepted into the Louisiana Watercolor Society. Some of the members visited, saw his work, and encouraged him to be part of the prestigious organization. Two of his works, “Melon Patch” of beautiful chickens and “Scarlet Fever” of a macaw, are showing until Oct. 31 at the Crescent City Brew House in New Orleans. “It is hard to explain how joyous I am about becoming part of the LWS. It is a validation of my work and talent. I feel appreciated as an artist,” he said. He is looking forward to trying to gain entrance into the November juried LWS show.

He explains that watercolor is unlike other painting in that it goes from light to dark in building layers of paint; whereas with acrylic or oil paints, one must paint from dark to light. Watercolor provides the greatest joy for him, but for occasional artistic diversion, Hotard makes his own paper and includes it in collages and paper sculptures. “Others say that I am still fastidiously neat in the process, but this is a real departure from the norm for me because it is a little messy and yet lots of fun,” he explained.

Besides the demands of painting and caring for his dogs, Hotard grows his own vegetables and rides his bike for exercise. “This keeps me in shape, and it provides me with opportunities to see scenery that triggers thoughts for new paintings,” he said.

For established or aspiring artists, Hotard advises that they not listen to what others tell them to do. “Go in your own direction, and just do it — whatever your chosen style or genre,” he said.
He adds that it doesn’t hurt to study the masters and admits that although he loves the visual realism of Wyeth, most of the artists he admires are Impressionists like Renoir or Monet, Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh or Seurat. He even has deep appreciation for Picasso’s Cubism and Dali’s Surrealism. Also, he feels it is essential to go to every available art show or gallery to find inspiration.

“I paint because I love it and I feel it. An artist has to know how to look at things. A blade of grass isn’t just green, and tiny wildflowers which are usually unnoticed can possess incredible beauty. Another’s art or the world around us can ignite the spark of inspiration and enhance our own art if we take the time to really see,” he explained.

Hotard’s work provides evidence that when an artist is happy, it comes through his thoughts and feelings into the technique and ultimately the product of his work.

To contact Hotard, email f.hotard@yahoo.com, and to see examples of his work, visit ferrispatrickhotardart.yolasite.com.

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