Season of Light by Melody Phaneuf Oil Painting, 30 x 25
How do you capture the spirit of a season? The color contrast in Season of Light shows the warmness of the orange sunlight against cool, crisp atmosphere of a manganese sky. more
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Yellow, 28 x 24 Oil painting by Melody Phaneuf
Yellow, color of sunshine, has a stimulating, lightening and gladdening effect on the soul. In Greek mythology the Sun-god Helios donned a yellow robe while driving his golden chariot drawn by fiery horses across the sky. The Sun’s radiant yellow light came to symbolize divine wisdom. more….
Yellow by Melody Phaneuf, 28 x 24 Oil painting
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Golden Days, Boston Garden by Melody Phaneuf 20 x 16 Oil Painting
Crisp days, glittery light —autumn in Boston is an extraordinary season. October is a favorite time to taste the cosmopolitan flavor of the city and bask in the 19th century’s architectural splendor. Ravishing gardens, premier galleries, elegant boutiques, and historic allure combine magnificently in golden light.
In autumn, Boston artists begin the schedule of Open Studios events. Our building, Fenway Studios, recognizes 10 years of National Landmark status this year. In celebration of this anniversary, special events have been planned.
An entertaining champagne talk by noted architect Brad Bellows on Thursday will trace the roots of Fenway Studios’ Arts & Crafts architecture back to it’s Parisian roots. Friday’s Art & Wine Preview Party promises an elegant sampling of fresh art and intriguing wines. Artists welcome visitors to their studios on Saturday and Sunday, to view Boston’s finest paintings in superb north light.
Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist working at Fenway Studios. Open Studios events and times at MelodyTheArtist.com/FenwayStudios.
Golden Days by Melody Phaneuf
20 x 16 Oil Painting of Boston Garden
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Watch Fenway Studios Open Studio Celebration Video
Still Life With Oranges by Melody Phaneuf 30 x 25 oil painting
Orange, green, violet. A secondary triad of color has more subtlety than its primary cousins. And the high major key holds its own in a dark environment. This combination, along with the broken color, seems to emanate light.
This arrangement never fails to cheer me. The whirling motion instigated by the fabric’s arcs is modulated by the size variation of the bronze plate’s edge. With rhythm established, our gaze continues along the arabesque of oranges and echoes in the glass compote. The colorful pattern in the fabric rhymes with the movement throughout.
Still Life With Oranges is a fancifully combined design with intent to delight. Open Edition prints are available at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop.
Sunflowers of Dordogne by Melody Phaneuf Fine Art Coasters at http://melodytheartist.com/shop
Young artists often ask me questions about their artwork that are prefaced with “does it matter if…” My first response is “everything matters.” But that is the abbreviated version.
I ascribe to an idea very like the “Broken Windows Theory,” discussed by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point. An epidemic theory of crime, Broken Windows suggests that the impulse to engage in certain behavior initiates in the environment rather than the person and that the festering epidemic can be reversed by tweaking environmental cues.
The link between environment and culture makes perfect sense when you think about the Greece of Plato and Aristotle, the significance of beauty, and the accomplishments of Greek culture. Beauty was the ideal that was studied and applied in every aspect of life. Each proportion was measured. It all mattered. Then ponder the great scientific advances of the Italian Renaissance, born in surroundings of the Medici aesthetic. Beauty mattered.
Our Boston building, Fenway Studios, hosts an annual Open Studios event. Visitors come to see Art and the artists who create it. I love to chat with people who are interested in what we do. One sentiment that was consistently expressed by many who loved the paintings was the wish that they could afford to buy. I thought about the reality of this—that often, living with art is limited to a certain income level, but shouldn’t be.
Believing that everyone deserves to live with beauty, I partnered with color reproduction expert, Martha DiMeo, to begin producing a small line of affordable prints and note cards. Seven years later, we have launched an online store, expanded the number of images available as prints, cards, and bookmarks, and have created a line of botticino marble tile murals and coaster gift sets.
Living surrounded with aesthetic pleasure may seem like a little thing that doesn’t matter. I would argue that it makes your personal world a better, kinder place and that you contribute the same to the whole. That matters. We are doing our part to make beauty a component of everyone’s life. Everyone deserves a pleasing environment.
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