by M Sebastian Araujo

 Sometimes ART does truly reflect the time and place that it was created. The work of Kathy Cotter is very evocative of life on Cape Cod…and the textural quality of the work is what always seems to excite my eyes and mind. While looking at the work one is transported into a world of color shape and textures that seem to be both very real and abstract as well, recently I had a chance to find out more about how that happens…

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By M.Sebastian Araujo

Sometimes it takes a journey to find ourselves.Once we do, we blossom and become something totally different than we set out to be…Recently I had a chance to chat with Artist and Art Entrepreneur Katherine Baltivik about her  life and Art!

What in the  world around you affects your creative process?

Creativity is the flow of energy and mine comes from the intimate physical world around me and my friends.  Color is my major form of communication. Color is energy and I want others to “feel” what I do though that form of visual communication.  I see everything as interwoven and connected

Has technology changed the Ptown “Art Scene” much?

Most of the world has changed with technology and the “art scene” here is not immune to those changes. The days when young artists would walk down to the pier and have the Portuguese fishermen throw them a fish for dinner have vanished. The personal interchanges about  art have diminished to be replaced with social media, blogs, websites, and “chats”.  All of these avenues are neither “good or bad”, just different. The art world in Provincetown has simply mutated into the 21st century.

What in our daily effects your Art?

My inspiration comes comes from the energy from people to whom I am connected and the color that surrounds me  I live on the top of  a dune overlooking Quaking Bog. There are no curtains on my house and the blinds a never down. The inspiration is there for me when I want it

What makes people collect Art?

 I’ve owned The Charles-Baltivik Gallery for 20 years and still can’t answer what makes  “art sell” as  a general statement.  My answer is only in personal connections The people who come into my gallery to really look at art are special to me. I firmly believe that my connection to them as the artist is what makes my work sell. When they buy a piece of mine, they are buying a piece of my life and the time that I used from that life to create it. I love what I do and want them to love it too.

Was there a  “shining lightbulb” moment in your life when you realized that you were an artist?

 Sorry no shining light bulb existed for me. I have a gift. I always knew and could always create. The hardest part in developing the talent I was given was not allowing myself to be inner directed instead relying on the opinions of others.

Here is a story unique to me. When I was in college I was an English major. I decided one day I wanted to change that major to art. A quick trip to the guidance office to institute that change was promptly halted by my adviser who told me I “had to be talented to be an art major” and that I “was better off staying in English”.The sad ending here was  I did.Today would have been a different ending to that story.  It’s hard if you follow the directions of others; it’s quite easy if you follow yourself.

What is it about Ptown that keeps you and other creative people living there or coming back ? 

 I came to Provincetown 40 years ago for a visit. I knew then I would be back when the time was right for me. Everything that I wanted was here I didn’t just want to be another painter….I wanted everything- my life, art, civic involvement, interconnecting involvement with everything in my life.I paint Provincetown. I want to be part of the line of artists who have come before me and will continue to paint and create after me.

To Find out More Click Here:  www.cbgallery.net
 Facebook page Charles-Baltivik Gallery, Provincetown, MA

Creativity is alive and well in Ptown…Katherine’s tale is one of many who have washed ashore on this special beach front , deciding to stay and continue  the creative magic of this amazing place now and into the future…We all owe her and so many Artists a debt of gratitude for doing their bit to help the creative vibes emanate out into the world from a very special place that we all feel deep in our souls,whether for a day or a week or a lifetime.

By M.Sebastian Araujo

This summer the tide of creativity has flowed into Provincetown with Vitality and Style.Sometimes an Artist lands here and takes root ,blooms and shares his gifts with the world around him. James Frederick is such an Artist! Recently we had a chat about his inspirations and what makes this versatile chap so good @ what he does…

What inspires your work?

Really, everything does. Every nuance. My creativity is an emotional response to all aspects of my life and everything in my environment.

What changes do you see in the Art and Design World lately?

A celebration of the process of art-making… Not just the aesthetics of a finished piece. You’ll find me actively working in my studio space, not just hanging finished pieces.

Was there a “shining lightbulb” moment in your career when you realized that you were an artist? If so what was it?

Not really. I grew up in a family of artists… Art has always been apart of my soul. My perspective, which is a unique filter attributed to all influences on my life to date.

What is it like for an Artist to survive as an Artist today?

As an artist, I survive by making art. It’s the best response I can come up with to deal with the world. If you’re referring to “surviving” in a monetary way – I’ll just say: it’s a challenge.

What is it about Provincetown that inspires Artists to Live here and come back each year?

Provincetown, the nations oldest active art colony is steeped in creative energy. It’s a very fertile place for me. This special place is my spiritual vortex.

James like so many Artists draw inspiration from this crazy quilt of a collection of characters who all call Provincetown home. A beautiful place to visit,stay a summer or a lifetime. Everywhere you look you will find the vibes that inspire you!For more information about James’s Design work and Art,have a peek @ the following:

https://www.facebook.com/frederickstudioprovincetown

OR

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frederick-Design-Group/113543068683401

By M.Sebastian Araujo

Spring like most Great Ladies is taking her Time.The day after what hopefully was the last Winter Storm,the frigid North wind is still blowing down Commercial Street. The sun was out, trying it best to warm the early bulbs that dot the gardens around town, and warm the souls of the local charecters already sitting on the creaky benches infromt of Town Hall. Even the weathered clapboard on the buildings is heaving a sigh of relief.My old boneshaker of a bike seems to be feeling a case of the Spring Giddies,it’s rusty chain telling me Winter must be at an End! Peadling along the Street,looking for some inspiration amid the kerfuffle of shops opening and closing some new some old.The anticipation of things to come,and work to be done.Ptown like many places faces the challenges of Modern life.Big Business and other not too savory ideas,come and go. I find that individually owned businees still far out number the ones from across the Bridge as we say here on Olde Cape Cod.

Luckily! “Kiss & Make Up ” is a True Ptown success story. Begining as a small shop in the East End,it has grown into a larger new space and it is now a cosmetic retail experience for men and women. It offers an assortment of top innovative brands with an emphasis on eco-friendly, vegan and animal cruelty free product lines.Owner Christine Gero Horovitz and Staff offer a Full range of services to make you and your life a more beautiful experience.Even Paddington the Shop Mascot will make sure your feeling Beautiful! Christine has been helping people be more beautiful for many years and is a true Ptown Master at the Art of Beauty. Part of her mission is to help those who sometimes cannot help themselves.She founded “The Steven Horowitz Fund ” in memory of her Husband, to help people with substance abuse issues through the sale of Custom Designed Color Lipsticks. She has gotten some of the Luminaries of the Provincetown Theatre and “Drag Scene” to choose a color and give their Name and Lips to the campain. Luminaries such as Ryan Landry,Olive Another,Penny Champagne and many,many more STARS! Who could NOT resist buying the same lipstick worn by Dina Martina!

Find out more here; http://www.kissandmakeupptown.com/

After getting some lipbalm for my chapped lips, wrapping a scarf around my neck and setting my cap back to its jaunty pose,I headed over to the RED DOTStudio located at # 30 Conwell Street.This is a real great placein which to get just about anythng you might need to make Your Summer Rental or Ptown Home as “Gay as Balloons”. Artist /Owner Richard LaCasse has curated an amazing melange of vintage and upcycledhome goods. Anytime you pop in, you just might catch him hard at it making one of his Famous “Assembled Art Pieces”.This Queen really knows his stuff , after a long Carrer over the Bridge he is now doing what he loves best. Creating Art and Selling beautiful cool things.Museum Quality Finds at Tag Sale Prices! Open anytime you see the flag flying.Stop by and find out why everyone is talking about this Ptown Treasure Trove of Amazing Finds!.

My last foray on this Sunny Day is the Museum with the Best Collection of Ptown Art any where in the World PAAM. I am especially intrigued to see the Annual Members Open Show aptly titled “Fresh”. Here one will find new and innovative works from Museum Members that have not been shown or have available for Sale before.The exhbit is Huge with a vast array of media ,subject mattersand pricepoints. Everything from Photgraphy to Sculptured Dolls, this annual event is one of my favorties because not only are you in a World Class Museum,but you are looking at World Class Art,that you can buy.What an idea!!How often have you secretly wanted to hang the Mona Lisa on your livingroom wall and not only could you not get near it at that French place,but who could afford it? Even I couldn’t resist a certain painting by a certain Artist! Get out the red dots,I am ready to buy .These amazing pieces of Art will go fast so make sure you pop in sometime soon! Find out more about the Exhibit and Museum here; https://www.paam.org/

In this fast paced world of change and change and more change,I am truly glad that while Provincetown too has also changed,Art,Beauty and Commerce are all still thriving and survivng amid the flurry of moods swings that hit Commercial Street often this time of the year. My hat is off to you the independantly owned and operated business here in town .Not an easy task in this .com world.Glad to know some of you are still there and growing and thriving because of the uniqueness and determination in this place I call Home Provincetown….

Happy Spring!

The Truro Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the publication of its new catalog that includes an extensive Spring, Summer & Fall schedule of creative workshops, topical lectures, poetry readings, contemporary art gallery exhibitions and New Culinary and Garden Arts workshops for the 2013 season. Executive Director Cherie Mittenthal stated that she has 36 new and renowned visual artists, writers, poets and authors coming to the outer Cape for Castle Hill’s exciting educational season. “This year there will be courses never before offered at our campus”, according to Mittenthal. With over 145 diversified artistic opportunities; such as Painting Frescoes, with Michael Biddle, Pictures that Tell a Story, “Children’s Book Workshop”, with Steve Light, Drawing for Fun, with Rebecca Doughty and even Fred and Ginger’s Greatest Hits Film Class, taught in July by Marc Strauss.

Many New Inventive Workshops along with Signature Art Class Offerings

Among the many new classes this Summer at Truro Center for the Arts are: Beyond Plein-Air, with Christopher Volpe, a painter and art historian from New Hampshire, who will teach an outdoor painting class that pushes beyond the imitation of nature and explore the expressive use of design and color. Daphne Confar, a portrait artist from the outskirts of Boston, will teach; More than a Portrait, and will help students work past the “nice” portrait, to make a portrait painting that has psychological impact. Adam Lowenbein, whose work is exhibited in New York, and has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, will teach, Mixed Media and Painting where students will learn how to explore the use of photographs, fabric, paper, with paint to make 2D or 3D work. Daniel Heyman will teach Monoprints on Plaster, a technique that is half way between fresco painting and monoprint.
Returning to Castle hill are many local artists who have taught at the center, including Truro resident and artist; Nancy Ellen Craig, who will teach a four day workshop called Painting the Figure from the Model. Craig is Castle Hill’s honored ELLA JACKSON CHAIR this year and renowned for painting portraits of the famous including; Edwin Dickinson, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hans Hoffman and Norman Mailer. Mark Adams from Provincetown returns to take you drawing and painting on your kayak – a perfect Cape Cod experience.
Well known installation artist Judy Pfaff returns to each a week long intensive in July and her colleague and friend, Joan Snyder, returns to Castle Hill in August, to teach a painting class called The Anatomy of Your Painting. Local Truro pastel artist, Amy Sanders will teach a week long class on the Exploration of Vibrant Realism in Pastel that will reveal a variety of technical tricks that make the process of using pastel easier.
Philadelphia artist Stuart Shils, returns in September to teach his three day workshop called The Perceptual Moment. He will give a lecture on September 19th, the Thursday night before the workshop that weekend. That same weekend, Ken Kewley, also from the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, will teach a class called: From the Literal to the Poetic: Working from the Model, Drawing, Painting, Collage and Sculpture.
Castle Hill is well-known for its ceramics department and has full slate of recognized ceramic artists teaching all season long. Just to name a few of the highlights for the summer, potter Jack Troy, is the Mary Lou Friedman Chair this year and will teach Wood Firing and Studio Workshop; Collaboration with Earth Fire and Spirit.
Bob Green, a ceramic artist and educator from Western Massachusetts will teach Raku Firing and Forming, the magical 16th century Japanese firing process which is closely associated with Zen Buddhism. Susan Rawcliffe will teach a class called SoundWorks in Clay, how to make musical instruments out of clay. A variety of flutes, whistles, and sound sculptures will be made. Guy Wolff will his famous archetypal pottery; crocks, bottles, jugs, and bowls. He is a frequent guest on the Martha Stewart show and is teaching a two day weekend workshop in September.

This year the writing department will feature a class by inaugural poet Richard Blanco, who will run a poetry Master Class on June 20th from 1-4pm. Other poets who are teaching this summer are; Peter Campion, Mark Doty, Martin Espada, and Robert Pinsky. The writers include playwright; Wendy Kesselman, and authors; Mary Dearborn, Anne Bernays, David Unger, Judy Huge, Michael Klein, Sinan Unel, and Tony Kahn.

Culinary & Garden Arts, Photography, Jewelry, Teen & Kid Classes and Classes for the Whole Family

The culinary and garden art workshops are all new at Castle Hill this year. Paula Marcoux, food editor and columnist at Edible South Shore, will give a workshop on Building an Earthen Oven in early June. Go to the website for a more complete listing of all NEW Culinary and Garden Arts classes. Outer Cape raw Chef, Katherine Reed will teach a class; From Bean to Bar in June. Chris Murphy will share his knowledge about Cape Cod Organic Gardening with a garden prep workshop this Spring and a follow up class in the fall for the harvest season.
Local artist and internationally recognized designer, Sally Bridge, will teach single two-hour afternoon classes that the whole family can participate in together, such as: Kids Family Portrait, Paint Who You Love!, Reclaim/Recycle Old Chair! and Textile Stamping to Make a Swanky Castle Hill Beach Bag! Each are held in the afternoon on various Tuesdays this summer, from 3-5pm and all ages are welcome. Teens, can participate in a self-portrait class with a twist. They will combine the language of drawing with text to create autobiographical mixed media work. Artist, Teresa Bonillo, will teach teens to either make a painting with text or a turn a book with text into a sculpture using mixed media and paint in a class called, The Marks You Make, The Stories You Tell; Mixed Media.

Castle Hill offers many more classes in clay, calligraphy, photography, printmaking, puppetry, sculpture, drawing, felting, fiber art and music making with storytelling for the very young, middle school age or high school student to choose from. All other classes including printmaking, photography and jewelry workshop descriptions with teacher biographies can be found on our website www.castlehill.org.

7^th International Encaustic Conference

To kick off the season, Castle Hill will host the 7th International Encaustic Conference with partner and founder Joanne Mattera, from May 31^st to June 2^nd at the Provincetown Inn.    The keynote speaker at the conference this year is Barbara O’Brien, who is the Executive Director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City. There will be pre and post conference workshops held at the Truro Center for the Arts.

Limited space does remain for the conference.  If you are interested in attending please register online at www.castlehill.org or by calling the office 508-349-7511.

Special Events, Topically Relevant Lectures & Poetry Readings

 Castle Hill’s popular evening lectured will continue in 2013 with the first of the John Bunker Lecture Series, established by his children in honor of their father, John Bunker.  Dr. Bunker grew up in Truro and became the founder of the department of anesthesia at the Stanford University School of Medicine and died in May of 2012. The lectures will address subjects ranging from art & literature to philosophy, politics and opera.  Craig Barnes is the first guest of this series that will be held once a year.  Craig was a civil rights lawyer, a negotiator of nuclear issues in Moscow and is now an award winning author and essayist on contemporary political issues. His lecture is called:  “The True, the Good and the Beautiful, from 500BCE to 2013.” and will be given on June 18^th at 7:30 at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall.
For the next lecture Poet Richard Blanco – the inaugural poet for President Obama, will give a poetry reading on June 20 at the Wellfleet Congregational church and in July — the  National Book Award winning poet,  Mark Doty will be at the Truro Meeting House on July 16^th to give a poetry reading at 7:30.

In conjunction with the “Greening” of the Truro Center for the Arts, Environmental activist and founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben will give a lecture on August 11^th at Wellfleet Congregational.  He is the Woody English Chair this year.  His appearance will coincide with the installation of solar panels at Castle Hill. Listing details for all lectures and tickets can be found on-line at; www.castlehill.org. Call 508-349-7511 for more information.

An event free of charge for everyone is our Castle Hill Tag Sale on May 11, 2013.  Also the Postcard Art Sale event takes place on Sunday June 30^th.  A returning and unique fundraiser, it  will feature more than 200 4×6 postcard sized works created by prominent local artists, faculty and students.  All postcards will be for sale.

Castle Hill’s Summer Party takes place Saturday July 20^th.  Come join us as we celebrate 42 years of being a community of artists and a world of inspiration.  This year Castle Hill will host an Organic Garden Tour on Sunday, July 28^th.  Please register early – the event sells out quickly. The Castle Hill Live & Silent Benefit Auction Saturday, August 10^th and provides guests a chance to acquire coveted pieces of art by artists of local, national, and international acclaim all the while supporting the mission of Castle Hill.  POEMJAZZ, returns with Robert Pinsky and Laurence Hobgood on piano & Stan Strickland on Saxophone on August 14, at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall.

Castle Hill’s founder Joyce Johnson received a Life Achievement Award at the sixth annual Creative Conference Collaborative Conference of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod last month.   From its humble beginnings in 1971 when founder Joyce Johnson charged $250 on her new MasterCard to produce the first one page brochure outlining 15 workshops offered by the fledgling school Castle Hill has never looked back.  That year, for the first time, students of all ages and skill levels were able to take classes in printmaking, drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, jewelry, wood technology and fencing of all things.  Johnson likes to recount how since the very beginning “people of all ages were attracted to Castle Hill as though there was a magnet hidden among the barn’s weathered beams.”

For more information about Castle Hill’s workshops and programs, visit www.castlehill.org, or call (508) 349-2711 to request a catalogue