Winter Heart ~ Creating A Mood Of Serenity

Snow.

Swaddled in blankets, I am immobile but warm. Snowflakes shattering on my nose linger on the tips of my eyelashes. I am hypnotized with the serene activity of watching interweaving movement. The world is quiet, gentle, pristine.

I am a winter baby, born into a world of snow. First impressions persist. Childhood feelings echo from the painting, Village In Snow.

Feeling is the heart of aesthetic living. It is useful to understand the relationship between what we see and how we feel. In Village In Snow, the intervals between light and dark, called value, are narrow because of the diffused light of a cloudy sky. The color is neutralized, just a hint of chroma in silvery grays. The subtlety of tight intervals of value and color quiets us. We become attentive, much like we do to hear someone whispering in a noisy room.

The mood evoked by Village In Snow is one of attentive serenity. This painting is ideal in expression for an office, conference room, library, or sitting room. The savvy decorator knows how to design tranquility by choosing cool, neutral colors and subtle accents. The artist understands the mechanics of mood.

Melody Phaneuf is a fine artist who believes that everyone deserves to live aesthetically. Her winter paintings of Gloucester, MA can be seen at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston. Melody welcomes studio visits are welcome at Fenway Studios in Boston.

Village In Snow, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, 30 x 25

Open Edition Prints and Note Cards of Village In Snow are available at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop. Free Shipping until December 31st.


More reading:

Mood Lighting
HGTV- Create A Mood With Color
Psychology of Color
Symbolism of Snow

Radiant Vessel ~ Experiences of Beauty and God

Your Light will come Jerusalem; The Lord will dawn on you in Radiant Beauty. —Liturgy of the Hours


A recent conversation with a chaplain friend about his “experience of Jesus” led us into a comparative discussion of his recalled sensation and my experiences of beauty.

I remembered one time that I was driving while listening to a symphony of Henryk Gorecki. Completely overcome in the shear perfection of song, the expression of yearning and resurrection, that I found myself weeping at the side of the road. It fathomed something deep, resolved it, and like my friend, returned me, wholly changed.

We agreed that these moments awe us, moving us toward generosity, in gratitude for the experience. It is in connection with the Divine that our senses are opened to beauty. And conversely, beauty can open us to God. We are but vessels, accepting and radiating the Light.



Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, known for her evocative still life allegories. Her paintings can be viewed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston, MA. Studio visits are welcomed.

Radiant Vessel by Melody Phaneuf
Oil Painting, 24 x 34
Private Collection


Open Edition prints , cards and holiday gift ornament of Radiant Vessel at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Art And Children~ Outside The Box

When Susan Conti visited Open Studios, she hadn’t expected to purchase a work of art. Her newborn son was safe with his Grandfather; she and a friend decided to browse Fenway Studios’ annual event. It was here that she came upon Outside The Box and was halted by an idea.

"I had been reading about toys that develop fine motor skills, planning which toys I would choose for my son. He is still too young for such things, but maybe a picture is to an infant what these toys are to a toddler," she surmised.

Susan bought Outside The Box with the idea that becoming familiar with the image might encourage her child’s curiosity to reach and grasp at toys earlier, giving him advanced motor skills and strength.

As the Artist, I hadn’t considered this when I composed the painting. I just loved the joyful quality of this hand-made toy. It is a delight to create something useful; it validates my belief that Art is an integral part of life.

Outside The Box is available in Open Edition Prints, Bookmarks, and Notecards at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Fine Artist working at historic Fenway Studios. Her paintings can be viewed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston. Visits to her studio are welcome.

Further Reading:

Fine Motor Activities For Preschoolers

The Promotion of Gross and Fine Motor Development for Infants and Toddlers: Developmentally Appropriate Activities for Parents and Teachers

Bilateral Coordination

Gifts to Develop Fine-Motor and PerceptualSkills

Light of Thanksgiving

Wind-chimes dance. The last leaves cartwheel by. There is a distinctive light in November, rays squeezed through blustery clouds, all tinged with grey caveat of tempest. It is the light I am most grateful for, and the perception of the beneficence from which it emanates.

Traditions honoring the light evolved through generations, from solstice and candles to shining star in the east, to savior and twinkling lights at Christmas. Stories evolve, conflicts rise, and wars ensue. But we are still creatures dominated by the light.

As an artist, I am Light’s faithful follower. Light reveals color, creates endless patterns, and caresses forms. It creates symphonies across the skies and urges life to move forward. Light bestows tirelessly and asks nothing in return.


Peaceful Harbor by Melody Phaneuf, 16 x 20 oil

Peaceful Harbor honors a moment in the vast repertoire of light. An early morning walk in Gloucester unveils the harbor’s waking.

Melody Phaneuf’s paintings of Gloucester can be seen at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston. Studio visits are welcome at her Fenway studio.

Tondo~Expression of Abundance and Harmony

Round. Golden. Textural. Resonant. These qualities combined in Tondo to emanate a sense of harmony and abundance. Sweeping arcs dominate the movement upward; each line and shape plays its part in the perpetual volley of motion. Variations of golden color provide warmth and a hint of harvest time.

The objects chosen relate to hearth and home. This painting was designed to nourish many levels: visual, emotional, spiritual. Tondo is tribute to well-being and gratitude.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston artist working at historic Fenway Studios. Her paintings can be viewed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St.

Tondo, 20 x 16 oil, private collection

Tondo is available in Open Edition Prints and Note Cards at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

A perfect Hostess gift.

Threshold

Magical Brittany. The forests of Haute Bretagne are mysterious doors to a rhapsodic world of emotion. For the artist seeking evidence of the Divine in nature, it is here that brushes in hand, one can embrace the Creator.

The misty morning light penetrates; erases dark pillars and interweaves a carpet of shadowed geometry. The boundary between woodland and meadow evaporates in the lemony mist and resonates of a half-remembered Paradise.

I love these thresholds. Evocative of entering, leaving and passage, Brittany Forest is a blissful transition to the light.

Brittany Forest by Melody Phaneuf, Boston
20 x 16 Oil Painting

Yes We Can~Con Spirito

With the election behind us there appears a new sense of hope. Our president elect, Barack Obama, brings with him an inspiration that is contagious. There is no doubt that we will have to do our part but there is a unity of purpose that I believe will transcend our difficulties.

A similar sentiment of unity is expressed in Con Spirito, a tribute to the mysterious force that animates us and calls us to create order from chaos, beauty from the mundane. Inspiration, symbolized by the illuminated candle, is the cause of both the arrangement of notes in the music and placement of objects in the visual design. Instruments radiate out from the light, reflecting it. Patterning of light and dark “spots” and chosen angles create a rhythm and give a sense of animation to the whole. There was an intention here, a unity of purpose, which answered the myriad of decisions for this painting.

So, I’m with you, Mr. Obama. If we can organize a design, create music from the noise that surrounds us, we should be able to develop a society based on the good of the whole rather than a collection of its parts. And with Spirit, yes, we can.

Con Spirito by Melody Phaneuf
Oil Painting, 34 x 36

Con Spirito is on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston during the month of November.

Open Edition Prints, Tiles and Note Cards make wonderful gifts and are available at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop