The totality of this month’s eclipse lasted just over 3 minutes.
But it’s captured here for eternity, in a photo by first-time online art gallery contributor Michael Robertshaw. (His mother Dorothy is a well-known local artist; her works are frequently featured here.)
We welcome too another new exhibitor. Joan Carroll recently returned to art, after 40 years away. You’ll enjoy her work!
No matter what your theme or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“3 Minutes and 3 Seconds” — South Hero, Vermont (Michael Robertshaw)
“Creating Sunflower Honey” — Cohl Katz says, “it took 4 days, the right sunflower, and the right beetle …”
“Dusk Over Star Valley” — Ken Runkel says, “this is an impressionistic digital illustration of a location in Arizona that I would often pass through on my way to the mountains in the çentral northeastern part of the state. One of my favorite locations in the Ponderosa pine — Zane Grey country in the 1920’s.”
Untitled (Tom Doran)
“Girl by the Bay” — oil painting on canvas (Joan Carroll)
“Manspread” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Did You Want High Tops or Low Tops” (Aerin Stein, 12 years old)
“A View of National Hall” (Steve Stein)
“Sunday Brunch” (Patricia McMahon)
“I Want to Get Burnt in Your Flames of Beauty” — poem by Colonel Muhammad Khalid Khan (Mike Hibbard)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
We began this feature in the early days of the 2020 pandemic. It served a few purposes — for instance, a chance for people, stuck home for a long time, to be creative.
And with actual galleries closed, it was a way for artists to showcase their work.
Plus, it provided a bit of inspiration and joy to all of us, during a frightening, miserable time. (Click here to see that very first online art gallery.)
I thought the online art gallery would be something fun, for a few weeks. But the submissions kept coming. The range of themes widened; so did the mediums.
So — like COVID — the online art gallery is here to stay.
Unlike the coronavirus though, we’re happy it’s hanging around.
So remember: No matter what your theme, or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or oldtimer: We welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Curtain Twitcher.” Artist Ken Runkel says: “It was inspired by one of my Nextdoor followers, who shared his story of a ‘curtain twitcher’ he remembered as a kid. I took it from there, and created this in the style of Norman Rockwell.”
“Imagine” (Patricia McMahon)
“Spring is Coming” (Ellen Wentworth)
“Sunset” (Karen Weingarten)
“Cousins House” (E. Bruce Borner)
“Another Red Barn” — artist Steve Stein says: “The reason barns are red is because early farmers painted them with a protective coating of linseed oil mixed with animal blood or ferrous oxide, to prevent weathering and the growth of mold and fungus.”
“The Koi Pond Getting Ready to Surface” (Dorothy Robertshaw)
Untitled (Tom Doran)
“Schooner in the Jungle” — acrylic painting (Peter Barlow)
“Let the Sleeping Cat Lie — You Can’t Run Fast Enough” (Mike Hibbard)
“A Hard Day on the Front Line in Ukraine” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Our online art gallery artists know it. Or at least, they’re hopeful too.
Every week, they send colorful work reminding us of the beauty of life’s renewal.
But no matter what your theme, or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or oldtimer: We welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
Untitled — Artist Dorothy Robertshaw says, “this encaustic wax painting looks like our sea shore of late … spring is coming!”
“Flowers in Bloom — A Sign of Spring” (Diane Yormark)
“Firenze” (Patricia McMahon)
“Can You Find the Mouse?” — digital illustration (Ken Runkel)
Photographer Jo Ann Miller calls this “a final tribute to Kelley Spearen, with our favorite ‘Marilyn.'”
“1915 Ford Model T” (Peter Barlow)
“School’s Out!” (Ellen Wentworth)
“Untitled” — This work by French artist (and physician) D. Caudron is on view new at Westport River Gallery.
“Aerin’s Copacetic Mountains” — watercolor (Aerin Stein, 12 years old)
“Tree of Peace — pencil and crayon (Steve Stein)
“La Danse” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Perhaps anticipating spring, this week’s gallery features a few flower-themed works.
No matter what your them, or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or oldtimer: We welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Reflections at Midtown” (Patricia McMahon)
“Mama Ganso” — digital art (Ken Runkel)
“Malmaison Roses” (Kathleen Burke)
Untitled (Bruce Borner)
“Cheeky Flower” (Michael Tomashefsky)
“Where’s My Seed?” (Ellen Wentworth)
“Off Season Still Life” (Peter Barlow)
Untitled (Tom Doran)
“One Head For Eating, And One Head As Lookout” (Mike Hibbard)
“Wish I Was Here” (Steve Stein)
“Flat Out” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Cancer takes an emotional as well as physical toll. Livestrong is a national program that helps cancer patients rebuild cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength, increase flexibility, and improve confidence and self-esteem, in a supportive, small group setting.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA is launching a new 12-week Livestrong session. It begins February 5, is available to all members of the community — and it’s free.
Program facilitators are trained in cancer survivorship, post-rehabilitation exercise and supportive cancer care. They focus on personalized recovery plans, to meet each participant’s needs.
Judy Samuels, healthy living manager at the Westport Weston Family, says that Livestrong “holds a special place in my heart as an instructor. There is nothing more meaningful to me than to guide survivors towards an active lifestyle.
“I get to witness not only the physical strength of our participants but also the transformative power of coming together as a community. Although they are all on individual journeys, they thrive as a collective group of friends to overcome the challenges they face.”
Livestrong classes meet twice a week, for 75 minutes each.
Participants also receive a free Y membership for the duration of the program, which includes fitness and aquatics classes. Livestrong is made possible through the support of donors, sponsors and foundation grants.
To register or learn more about Livestrong, click here or email llsamuels@westporty.org. Pre-registration and medical clearance are required to participate.
Tomorrow (Sunday, January 28) at 11 a.m. — and every Sunday at that time until they return — residents are invited to walk, and call for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The event is part of Run for Their Lives, a movement in more than 180 cities worldwide.
“The goal is to bring continued awareness to the hostages representing multiple nationalities still in captivity in Gaza,” organizers say.
“This is not a religious or political event. It’s about innocent civilians being held by terrorists, and not about the war.
“This is a peaceful walk. Children and dogs are welcome.”
For more details and the location of the walk, click here.
Enrollment is open for Connecticut’s biggest kids’ running program.
Kindergarteners through 8th graders are welcome. It meets Sundays (4 to 5:30 p.m. Staples High School Laddie Lawrence Track), from April 21 to June 2. The cost is $75 for Joggers Club members, $125 for non-members (Venmo@CPRCandTJC).
The Joggers Club’s 7-week series includes track, cross country and strength coaching; a parent/kid track meet; an end-of-year party with fun events, an ice cream truck and more, and a free shirt for the first 100 to enroll.
Click here to register, and for more information. Questions? Email TheJoggersClub@gmail.com.
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Club 203 — Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities — celebrates Valentine’s Day with a dance (February 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Westport Country Playhouse Lucille Lortel White Barn).
Guests are invited to wear pink or red. They’ll dance to Club 203’s own DJ Joe, and enjoy crafts by MoCA Westport, heart-shaped pizza from Planet Pizza, and desserts from the very talented Avery Horne (a Club 203 member’s mom).
Staples High School Class of 1970 graduate Todd Shepherd died earlier this month in Austin, Texas, where he lived. He was 71.
At Staples he was an accomplished drummer and guitar player. He competed on the swim team, and enjoyed swimming his whole life.
A graduate of Valparaiso University, he had a voracious appetite for the printed word.
His work in sales for General Foods took him to Austin. He continued in sales with the EZ Pawn Corporation and Covert Ford. He moved on to finance, working with the Internal Revenue Service and then as a day trader.
Todd and his late wife Sandy were advocates for animal welfare, and provided homes to animals in need.
Todd is survived by his sister Kathy (Tom) Strang, nephew Matthew Strang, aunt and cousins
Todd’s family thanks the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute, St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Circle House (Live Oak Estates), and many physical therapists for the care and compassion they showed Todd during his recovery from a spinal cord injury.
The family also sends “heartfelt, unending love and gratitude to Todd’s friends from childhood, college, Austin and St. Christopher’s for their steadfast love and support through Todd’s final challenge.”
A memorial service is set for St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Austin on February 3 (noon).
In lieu of flowers, donation in Todd’s name can be made to Austin Pets Alive! or St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church capital campaign.
Todd Shepherd
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It was a serendipitous meeting of “06880” photographers.
Michele Sorensen writes: “I met Patricia for the first time on Thursday. It was her birthday. She was walking Levon around Grace Salmon Park, when I stopped to comment on the snoring sound coming from the pond. I’m fairly sure it was a pickerel frog confused by the unseasonably warm weather.
“We started talking about photography, and the wealth of subject matter with the fog and cattails. She told me ‘06880’ often posts her photos.
“She has agreed to help March 10 for our Friends of Sherwood Island Nature Photography Walk.”
Here is the woman behind some of our favorite Pics of the Day, and other shots, at one of both their favorite spots:
Patricia McMahon and Levon (Photo/Michele Sorensen)
And finally … Bill Hayes died this month in California, at 98.
He may be best known for appearing in 2,141 episodes of “Days of Our Lives.” But in 1955 his song “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” spent 5 weeks at the top of the charts. It remains seared into the memories of millions of baby boomers. Click here for a full obituary.
(Do you enjoy our daily Roundup — or any other “06880” feature? If so, please support our work with a tax-deductible contribute. Just click here. Thank you!)
The “06880” online art gallery curator — yours truly — has been away this week.
But the doors are still open.
And, as always, we welcome your work. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — whatever you’ve got.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world! (PS: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.)
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
“Namaste” (Patricia McMahon)
Untitled (Kathleen Burke)
Untitled — pastel rendering. Artist Roseann Spengler says, “this visitor to my backyard last month shocked but somehow didn’t terrify me. Four feet from where I was standing, I froze but managed to say, ‘hello bear.’ He looked, then went on his way.”
“Rare Highwatt Puffins” (Mike Hibbard)
“One Picture is Worth a Thousand Word — MJ Moonwalker on Broadway” (Steve Stein)
“Impatient at Supermarket Checkout” (Lawrence Weisman)
Untitled (Tom Doran)
“The Fall” — acrylic paint (Lis Hisgen)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Welcome to our first December online art gallery of the year.
We’ve got interesting new mediums, like collage and embroidery. But where are all our holiday submissions?
Come on, guys — it’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?!
As always, we welcome all kinds of art. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — whatever you’ve got.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world! (PS: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.)
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
“What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love” (Steve Stein)
“OK, What Came First?” (Ken Runkel)
“Kawa Ni” — pastel (Werner Liepolt)
Untitled — collage (Maj Kalfus)
“Counted Cross Stitch” (Alicia Kronick)
“I Remember” (Tom Doran)
Untitled — oil on canvas (Greg Puhy)
“Choppy Water and Herreshoff Ketch” (Peter Barlow)
“Thanks for Being My Dinner!” Photographer Mike Hibbard says, “The queen lioness takes down the prey and eats first. The rest of the pride keep their distance and eat when the queen goes to the river to drink. Jackals, hyenas and buzzards take their turns — carefully.”
“In Recovery” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Naturally, It’s Getting Chilly” (Jerry Kuyper)
“Black Bird” — black and white reflection photography (Patricia McMahon)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Timely world events and timeless nature share space in this week’s online art gallery.
As we do each week, we welcome all kinds of art. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — whatever you’ve got.
Email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world! (PS: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.)
Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited (no, urged) to contribute.
“Fall is Here; The Sun is Brightly Shining” — encaustic wax painting burnished with shellac (Dorothy Robertshaw)
“Signal Flags 01” — abstract art with a strong Mondrian influence (Ken Runkel)
“Evan Harding Park at Longshore” — watercolor (Jo Ann Davidson)
“Fishing Boat Nellie at Sunset” (Peter Barlow)
“Sidelined” (Lawrence Weisman)
“South Bank of the Arno River” (Kathleen Burke)
“New Bridge” (Karen Weingarten)
“Who You Calling a Frogmouth?” (Mike Hibbard)
“Fleeting Fall” (Jerry Kuyper)
Suzanne Casey says: “I came out of needlepoint retirement to make this stocking for my brother’s first grandchild. (My brother is Michael Wheatall, Staples High School Class of 1979.) I also made them for all of my children, nieces and nephews when they were born — but the last of those was 20 years ago.”
“A Golem of War, Now loose in Israel and Ukraine.” Artist Steve Stein explains: “A golem, according to Hebrew legend, is a mass of clay magically given life. It can be a force for good or more often a force of evil, war and mindless destruction.”
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
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