CLAYTON BASS

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 10, 1.17.10

Hello Art Friends,

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 9, 12.09

Hello Art Friends,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES FOR A WONDERFUL 2010.  Thank you for your ongoing interest in my artworks and for being advocates for the arts in your communities. Please send me your suggestion for the Most Amazing Thing You Must See in your area and in the New Year, I will share it with the expanding group who receive this newsletter.

I have posted a new painting, Carolina Moonseed In Autumn, from the Sanctuary Series on www.claytonbass.com. This work brings the viewer into close proximity with the small but amazing flora within the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary. See if you can locate this beautiful plant, its scientific name is cocculus carolinus, or "little berry from Carolina”, in your area. Other detailed and broad views of the Sanctuary are in process and will appear shortly.

Painters, photographers, writers, and naturalists comprising the Sanctuary Group continue regular hikes in the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary and share creative endeavors, plus data about flora and fauna. Several individuals in the group have websites or info on the web. Check out the websites below to learn more. A significant amount of artwork and data is being gathered for an exhibition later in 2010. More information soon to follow!

Robert Bean, painter  www.robertbeanart.com

Jerry Brown, painter  www.artbyjerrybrown.com/

Dee Burt Holmes, painter  www.artisticimagesgallery.com/art_Holmes.html

Maggie Little, painter  http://maggielittleart.blogspot.com/

Sam Tumminello, photographer, printmaker www.knology.net/~samjt/

Katrina Weber, artist  www.artmusictrees.com/Art/index.html

Other group members include:

Margaret Anne Goldsmith, naturalist; Marian Lewis, naturalist/photographer; Sara McDaris, storyteller/author

Finally, I had the opportunity in 2008 to hear Terry Tempest Williams speak in Chicago, and I encourage you to seek her out at www.coyoteclan.com 

To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.  – Terry Tempest Williams

Here’s to a great year ahead!

Clayton Bass

Happy Holidays! My website, www.claytonbass.com, has been redesigned and features a new work on the first page, Glowing…Going, from the Dawn and Dusk Series. It’s a busy time in the studio with four new Sanctuary Series or related works on track for completion soon. They will be added to the site in December.

I hope its been a joyous season thus far spent with people you care deeply for and activities that spark your imagination. See below for ideas to add to your list of holiday, creative outings 

In Huntsville in 2009 there was a growing sense of community among artists, and those who embrace creativity. The development of artists’ studios on the third floor at Lowe Mill was an exciting step forward for the presence of the arts in this community. If you have not visited, it’s the ideal thing to do on Saturday, or during the week. Don’t forget to visit Flying Monkey Arts on the second floor as well. For more info online visit www.lowemill.net and www.flyingmonkeyarts.org.

The upcoming Holiday Gallery Tour on December 3, from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m., is a great opportunity to visit a wide array of galleries, the Huntsville Museum of Art, and other creative spaces. For more information, contact the Museum at info@hsvmuseum.org, or www.hsvmuseum.org. This is one of the year’s best ways to support the arts, and tackle the holiday shopping all at once!

Enjoy the season, and I’ll be in touch before year’s end.

All the best,

Clayton Bass

Wet days in Alabama are producing extraordinary Fall color, so those glimpses of sun bring great gifts! I hope your Autumn season is going well, and thanks for recent messages and suggestions. Just want to alert you that my 2010 exhibition and auction calendar is available under events at www.claytonbass.com.  Its going to be a busy year, and more opportunities are in the works.

Look for a new painting on my website, called Holes In Heaven in the art collection called Dawn and Dusk. Inspired by a sunrise over Lake Michigan, it explores the magical interaction of atmosphere, early light and water.  Another new work called Glowing…Going is nearly complete and will be added in a few days to the same on-line collection.

New works are on display at Artistic Images Gallery in Huntsville and Littlehouse Galleries in Birmingham, so drop by and enjoy them in person when time allows.

Thanks to the wonderful people at Progress Bank here in Huntsville for creating an exciting new event, Local Color, to showcase the rich visual arts in our city. It was a great evening with a tremendous response from the community!

Hikes continue into the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary with a group of artists and nature enthusiasts. A growing body of paintings, photography, short stories and field research is gathering from these ongoing outings. In an upcoming newsletter I will focus on the Sanctuary Group and the inspiring work that continues to unfold.

In closing I leave you with a thought that resonates deeply for me.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.     - Nelson Henderson

All the best,

Clayton Bass

Welcome to autumn! Its great to feel the changing air and know cooler days are ahead. When it comes to clear skies and amazing color, it doesn’t get any better. This is my favorite season, and no doubt it is reflected in my paintings.

Congratulations to my wife, Hester, upon the September 8 release of her new book, “The Secret World of Walter Anderson” on Candlewick Press. She captures his simply lived, but profound life dedicated to becoming one with nature, through art. I believe you will connect with Anderson’s art, the luminous illustrations of E.B. Lewis, combined with Hester’s lyrical text. For information see www.hesterbass.com. The book is available at through independent booksellers, www.amazon.com or major retailers.  

The summer was productive with trips to Chicago and the West Coast. Images from those areas will soon appear. Majestic vistas of the Pacific and Great Lakes are pure inspiration.  Three new works, First Light, Daybreak Encounter, and Gentle Cascade continue the Sanctuary Series and can be seen at www.claytonbass.com.

Currently two of my Sanctuary photographs and reproductions of two Sanctuary Series paintings are on display at Huntsville’s Burritt On the Mountain Museum in  the Goldsmith-Schiffman Family exhibition. For more information see www.burrittonthemountain.com.  In October four paintings will be seen in the Progress Bank invitational exhibition, Local Color, in Huntsville. Other projects are in development for 2010, but more about those soon.

Thanks for your continued interest in my work and for sharing suggestions of exhibitions, artists and places you enjoy.

Get outside, look, listen, and breathe deeply,

Clayton Bass

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 5

Hello Art Enthusiasts,

Georgia O’Keeffe, in her eloquent way, said:

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.

Artists’ individual journeys share common ground through our personal visual language and the message each conveys. My desire to communicate through my work is a primary motivation for painting. Why do I paint landscapes? The answer is simple. I want the viewer to experience the beauty of natural places I see and interpret. Certainly the process of painting provides a deeper understanding of the subject.

I hope my paintings encourage you to explore, to look, listen and breathe in the natural world. The process is an ongoing conversation between us. Your contribution is equally valuable, so I look forward to your observations, and suggestions of natural places that you hold dear.

Three new paintings can be seen at www.claytonbass.com:

-        River of Clouds is number twelve in the Flint River Series.

-       Spring Awakens, Dancing Shadows & Clouds continue the Sanctuary Series.

Be sure to visit Artistic Images and Littlehouse Galleries to enjoy these works, and others. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope you will forward this message to others who will enjoy it.

Best wishes,

Clayton Bass

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 4

Hello Art Lovers,

Thanks for your messages and ongoing interest in my work. There is much to report since the last letter. My painting “Stillness” was accepted into the Energen 10^th annual juried exhibition, The Wonders of Alabama Art. The show runs from March 23 through April 5 at Energen Headquarters at 605 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North in Birmingham. Energen provides great exposure for Alabama artists as it expands its corporate collection.

Two new paintings have been added to www.claytonbass.com. The figurative work, “Check This Out” captures a moment of discovery for my children on the beach in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The second work, “Seeking the Source” launches the new Sanctuary Series inspired by the beautiful vistas within the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary south of Huntsville. This wilderness area consists of 300 acres of forests, meadows and tupelo groves next to the Flint River. A gift by the Goldsmith Family to the City, the Sanctuary will open to the public later in 2009 with three miles of hiking trails. For more information visit www.huntsvillepreserves.com.

Work continues on the Flint River Series, with five paintings currently on view at Littlehouse Galleries in Birmingham. Still life paintings are also on view at Artistic Images Gallery in Huntsville. See the Galleries area of my website for more information.

Special thanks to the amazing volunteers and artists who made the Huntsville Museum of Art’s recent Gala and Wine Tasting art auctions a great success. We are fortunate to live in a community with such strong support for the arts.

Plants are budding and Spring is almost here. Get outside and be inspired! 

Keep in touch!

Clayton Bass

Art is the need to create. Nothing less than the creation of man and nature is its end.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 3

Dear Friends,

I hope your New Year is going well so far, and great days are ahead. Please visit my website at www.claytonbass.com to see two new paintings “Stillness” and “Sanctuary” from the Flint River Series. Both works on canvas, plus four others from the series, are now available through the Littlehouse Galleries in Birmingham. My fascination with this wilderness area south of Huntsville continues with eleven works completed, and others in development. I encourage you to visit the Hays Nature Preserve and the Flint River. It is truly the nearest faraway place where you can recharge in quiet, natural beauty. If you are still, you will see many birds and other wildlife, so enjoy! 

When in Huntsville I also encourage you to visit Artistic Images Gallery on Whitesburg. Two of my works are currently on view, and others will soon be available there. Visit www.artisticimagesgallery.com for more information. Also, new events are listed on my website and there are several links that I believe you will also find of interest.

In closing, consider the words of Annie Dillard, a favorite author.

If we were to judge nature by common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed.

Her book “A Pilgrim At Tinker Creek” takes the reader on a powerful, transforming journey.

Your ideas, recommendations of other artists and exhibitions, or other creative pursuits are all welcome. I look forward to hearing from you, and hope to see you soon.

Enjoy winter, spring is coming,

Clayton Bass

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 2

Dear Friends,

Fall color in north Alabama has reached new heights of richness this year. I hope you have taken time to get outside and soak in the beauty. If not, it’s not too late! Autumn provides nearly endless inspiration for this artist when the earthy colors and textures of trees meet those clear skies. To me, it just doesn’t get any better.

Many thanks go out to Nancy Hanning and RB Black at Artistic Images Gallery here in Huntsville for a fun and creative collaboration on my recent painting exhibition. Visit www.artisticimagesgallery.com for more information, plus three of my paintings remain on view.  Also, be sure to put the annual Holiday Gallery Tour on December 4 from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m. on your calendar. It’s a great art event!

In December I will have six paintings included in the popular Holiday Exhibition at Littlehouse Galleries in Birmingham, plus six works are on display through the end of the year at Kala’s Cottage Gallery in Guntersville, Alabama. For more information check out the gallery section of my website.

I encourage you to visit www.claytonbass.com to see new paintings from the Flint River Series, plus other areas of work that I continue to explore. Visit the City of Huntsville’s website at www.huntsvillepreserves.com for more information about the Hays Nature Preserve and the Flint River. During the winter I plan to explore and paint the Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary, which adjoins Hays, and enjoy this important addition to our City’s wild places.

As the holidays draw near, here’s wishing you and yours the very best of all that you hold dear.

Enjoy art, enjoy life!

Clayton Bass

CLAYTON BASS ART NEWSLETTER No. 1

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you doing well and in good health. Art making continues to be a rewarding journey for me, and I appreciate your interest in my work. I want to briefly update you on current events and introduce my website at www.claytonbass.com. Please enjoy exploring the site for exhibition news, gallery info, links and an extension selection of paintings.

New opportunities to see my recent work include a featured artist exhibitions at Artistic Images Gallery in Huntsville through October and Kala’s Cottage in Guntersville through December. I hope you get to visit both, but if not, visit on-line at www.artisticimagesgallery.com and click on The Gallery and Artists to view the works. Also, visit Kala’s website at www.kalascottage.com.

My work is now represented by Littlehouse Galleries in Birmingham, and six works will be presented in their December holiday exhibition. The Littlehouse web site is currently being rebuilt, but will be available soon.

Landscape subjects continue to be a strong focus for me.  The unspoiled beauty of Alabama’s Flint River with its reflections, bottomlands and majestic tupelos provide endless inspiration. This natural area is near my home in southeast Huntsville and I love to visit with my family and dog! Check out www.huntsvillepreserves.com for information about the Flint River.

Earlier this year the Guntersville Museum hosted my work with Tennessee painter Budd Bishop. At the close of the exhibition, A Sense of Place, the Museum acquired two of my Flint River Series paintings, plus two Bishop works for its permanent collection.  Many thanks!

I hope you will be in touch and I will connect via this e-newsletter on a quarterly basis. I leave you for now with a favorite quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Art is loved by what is best in us.

Enjoy a beautiful autumn,

Clayton Bass