Why The Little Birds?

If you've looked closely - or even not that closely - at my landscape paintings, you may have noticed that many of them contain those little dark "V" and "M" shapes often used by children in their drawings to represent birds. And you may have wondered why an adult would put such amateurish marks into a painting. My answer lies in personal symbolic meaning. These "birds" represent to me, in their simplistic appearance, an opportunity to rise above what may try to hold me down - sorrow, fear, pain, lack of confidence, grief, insecurity, all the things that say "you can't" - and they remind me that though this life may feel lonely and discouraging at times, my guardian angel "beginner birds" are always here encouraging me to set my inner child's spirit free, ever whispering "you can".

© 2016 Tammy Kaufman - Pensato - soft pastels on Gessoed Masonite 8" x 10"

Thoughts On Life and Death

Edgar Allan Poe is quoted as saying “The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?” 

It’s an intriguing concept and one which has inspired me to delve further into it with a series of paintings on which I’m currently working. Either prominently or secondarily, these paintings will all showcase dark-feathered birds frequently associated with death but which are nevertheless a vital part of the cycle of life, such as ravens, crows and especially vultures. To further accentuate the entwined relationship of life and death, I plan to juxtapose these dark birds with the light and life-giving elements of Nature. Although still primarily landscapes, these works will be a definite step outside the realm of my usual comfort zone but I look forward to this new voyage of discovery, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the innate connections between life and death.

© 2016 Tammy Kaufman - Sentinels - soft pastels on Richeson Premium 12" x 16"

Latest Studio Happenings

I'm happy to say that so far, 2016 has started out very pleasantly. Currently, five of my soft pastel paintings have been juried into area shows! The Pastel Society of North Carolina's Winter Exhibition at Ambleside Gallery in Greensboro is on exhibit until February 27, and I have two paintings there.

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - Live Fearlessly - soft pastels on Richeson Premium Board 5" x 7"

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - The Poetry of the Earth - soft pastels on Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card 5" x 6"

From February 24 through April 23, the Fine Arts League of Cary Annual Juried Art Exhibition will be on display at Page-Walker Art and History Center in Cary, where I will have one pastel hanging. The Opening Reception will be Sunday, February 28, from 2 to 4 p.m.

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - Touch the Sky - soft pastels on Pastel Premier 10" x 13"

And finally, March 4 through 26, Tipping Paint Gallery in Raleigh is hosting their Spring Forward Juried Show, where I will have two pastels on exhibit. The opening reception for this show will be Friday, March 4 from 6 to 9 p.m.

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - Windows of My Soul - soft pastels on Canson Mi-Tientes 8" x 10"

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - If First We Dream - soft pastels on Richeson Premium Board 8" x 10"

Hopefully this momentum will carry on at least for a while! And if you're in the area, would love to see you at the receptions.