“Art Blog Keeps Morgan Elementary School Art Class in Touch with Massachusetts Artist”

Lynn, MA (October 13, 2009) – for just about a month now, the students of Ms Rahrig’s art class at Morgan Elementary School in Hamilton, Ohio have had the unique opportunity to ask questions of artist Jeff Fioravanti, a nationally recognized and award winning pastel artist from Lynn, Massachusetts.

How does an artist from Massachusetts become part of an art class at an elementary school in Ohio?

“As a visual artist with a web site, I receive a number of queries through my contact page” mentioned artist Jeff Fioravanti. “Now the down side to that is you also get a lot of spam and scams, I want to buy your painting, please ship it to my home in South Africa, etc., etc., and so you have to be skeptical at times when you open up those web site queries” added Jeff.

“Sometimes though, you get something that is rather unique and special. I’ve gotten contacts from relatives whom I had never met, developed friendships and perhaps the most interesting thus far has been the contact from Ms. Jenna Rahrig, the art teacher at Morgan Elementary” commented Mr. Fioravanti.

“This is my 4th year teaching and I decided 3 years ago to name my tables in my class after an important artist” stated Ms. Rahrig.

“I started off using artists such as Picasso, Degas, Pollock etc. The students would at sometime during the school year, ask me if the artists were still alive and I always had to reply with a no. So last year, I taught my 4th grade class about 6 different Ohio Artists since the students study Ohio History in Social Studies” added Jenna.

“This year I decided to combine my "Happy Birthday to the Artist of the Month" bulletin board with my classroom tables. One day I was looking on the internet for this project and http://arthistory.about.com/od/artistsbdays/l/bl_feb.htm when I found Jeff’s name listed” continued the art teacher. “I investigated him and his work further and decided he was the type of artist that I wanted to share with my students. As part of that project, I started an art blog where the students, parents and staff can ask questions of Jeff” continued Ms. Rahrig.

“So far, I think it has been a most enjoyable and informative manner in which to involve the kids in art, and get them to talk to and receive answers to their art questions from a real life artist” added Jenna.

Ms. Rahrig is in her fourth year teaching art to grades 1-5 at the Morgan Elementary School, 3427 Chapel Road, Hamilton, Ohio.

Jeff Fioravanti, who is listed in "Who's Who in American Art" and “Who’s Who in America,” is a member of several nationally recognized and respected art associations. Possessing signature membership in three of the most prestigious pastel societies in America including, “The Pastel Society of America, New York, NY”, “The Connecticut Pastel Society, Meriden, CT” and “The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod, Barnstable, MA”, the artist is noted for his common man, evocative and touching treatment of his subjects. He especially continues to gain notoriety for his series of works featuring the pristine landscapes important to the foundation of our nation including the “Hallowed Ground” of America’s Civil War.

For additional information about the artist, please visit his web site at http://www.fioravanti-fineart.com, or contact him via phone at 781-595-5961. Additional information may also be obtained by visiting, A.R.A. Gallery, S. Hamilton, MA, Art 3 Gallery, Manchester, NH, and T.L.G.U.T.S., Lynn, MA.

Jeff receives two awards at National Juried exhibit in New Hampshire

On Saturday, September 19, 2009, The Pastel Society of New Hampshire opened its 2009 National Juried Show “It’s Pastel” at the Discover Portsmouth Center Gallery, 8 Islington Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. More than 250 works were submitted for inclusion in the exhibition, of which 77 were selected.

The event was attended by approximately 100 artists and their families, friends, members of the New Hampshire group, and many arts patrons. The evening was capped by the presentation of nearly $6,000 in awards, consisting of artist products and cash. The exhibition will conclude on October 19, 2009, and the gallery is open for viewing seven days a week from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

I was fortunate to have two pieces of my work selected for the show, and even more fortunate to have both receive awards. “Summer Repose (Belfast, Maine)” received the Richeson Pastel Award, a product award of Unison Pastels, while my second piece “Late Afternoon Surf (Bass Rock / Gloucester, MA)” received a cash award which was donated by The Vermont Pastel Society.

It was a nice evening, enjoyed and shared with family and friends. I met many new people and look forward to their friendship. If you get the opportunity, please visit the gallery and check out my work as well as the work of many of the other fine artists included in the show.

As always, thanks for your support, and hope to see you out and about in 2009 and beyond.

Ohio Elementary School Honors Artist Jeff Fioravanti for Upcoming School Year

I'm pleased to announce that the Morgan Elementary School in Hamilton, Ohio has honored me as one of six living artists the school will study in their weekly art class for the 2009-2010 school year.

Now one might wonder, how does an artist from Massachusetts become part of an art class at an elementary school in Ohio?

Well, as a visual artist with a web site, I receive a number of queries through my contact page.Now the down side to that is you also get a lot of spam and scams, so you have to be skeptical at times when you open up those queries.

Sometimes though, you get something that is rather unique and special. I’ve gotten contacts from relatives whom I had never met, developed friendships and perhaps the most interesting thus far has been the contact from Ms. Jenna Rahrig, the art teacher at Morgan Elementary.

When I queried Ms. Rahrig back, this is what she had to say:

“This is my 4th year teaching and I decided 3 years ago to name my tables in my class after an artist. I started off using artists such as Picasso, Degas, Pollock etc. But the students always asked me if the artists were still alive and I always had to reply with a no. So last year, I taught my 4th grade class about 6 different Ohio Artists since the students study Ohio History in Social Studies.

This year however I decided to combine my "Happy Birthday to the Artist of the Month" bulletin board with my classroom tables. I was looking on the internet and http://arthistory.about.com/od/artistsbdays/l/bl_feb.htm when I found your name listed. I investigated further and decided that Jeff was the type of artist that I wanted to share with my students.

And so, the artist from Lynn goes to Ohio to be admired, at least for this year, by 350 grade school children. A nice gig if you can get it! I am certainly happy to be a part of their school year! Thanks for the support, and hope to see you on the painting trail/scene soon.

Latest Work

Good Sunday Afternoon,

I do hope this finds you well, and as always send my best. Summer is finally here along with the sun. Of course, that also brings the humidity which is never a favorite of yours truly. However, I still can't complain as I lasted until July 18th before turning on the AC.

Anybody who has ever driven the Northeast coastline and especially along the Coast of Maine, you will often see the little dinghy's and skiffs tied to the dock after a days work awaiting the next day when their owner comes calling to once again venture forth to harvest the sea. The Northeastern United States along the coast also possesses a special light that only serves to add to the romance of these scenes. Belfast, Maine is about an hour to hour and half east of Augusta and maybe 3.5 - 4 hours north of Boston. It's quaint, and relaxing and well worth the trip.

Until next, I remain,

Artistically yours,
Jeff

Latest Paintings

Though I’m not as diligent at this as I should, being better at the visual word than the written word, and for that I apologize, it is not without reason as can be noted by the latest works displayed herein. I’ve also been participating in an exhibit in New York that just closed, was part of the recent LynnArts auction to benefit the arts programs in Lynn, as well as a number of other art related activities.
Though I may be lax on my posts, your continued support is appreciated and I hope our paths will be found together during the upcoming year.
Artistically yours,
Jeff

New Image posted to my web site

For those who couldn't make the demo that I presented on this Saturday past (04/04/09), I thought I would share what I created. The title of this piece is: September Shadows (Saratoga National Park) To see a larger version, visit my web site at www.fioravanti-fineart.com and check out the historical gallery under Saratoga. Click on the thumbnail and there you go!

Saratoga National Battlefield is first and foremost a lovely landscape, with rolling hills, open fields and a view of the Hudson. There are actually two battles that comprise the Battle of Saratoga. The Battle of Freeman's Farm (09/19/1777) and The Battle of Bemis Heights (10/07/1777) Saratoga is key event in the War for Indepedence as it helped to bring France into the war on the side of America.

Pastel Demo by Jeff Fioravanti at Danvers Art Association

Good Day All,

I will be giving a pastel demo on Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Danvers Art Association. The demo is FREE and open to the public. So, if you want to see how I might develop a pastel painting, have questions, or just want to come and say "Hello!" by all means, feel free! Hope to see you there!

Jeff

New Images Added to my Web Site

Nice sunny Saturday here in New England today. Hope you are enjoying the same. Just wanted to share a couple of new images have been added to my web site. The first of Kaaterskill Creek in New York and is in the online gallery of the site. The second is of Saratoga Military Park and is found in the historical landscape gallery.

10th Annual "Pastel 100" Art Competition

I am pleased to announce that my painting “Winter’s Glow (Lynn Woods)” has been selected as part of the Tenth Annual “Pastel 100” art competition sponsored by the Pastel Journal magazine. Consisting of five categories, Landscape/Interiors, Portrait/Figure, Still Life/Floral, Abstract/Non-objective and Animal/Wild Life, with approximately twenty winners per category, the “Pastel 100” is one of the most competitive in the medium, and garners more a thousand entries for consideration and inclusion in the exhibition. Featured in the April 2009, this is the second time my work has been selected as an award winner in the landscape category.

He's Created What I Have in Mind

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Spending each weekend shoveling snow, five birthdays and a 50th wedding anniversary have kept me from much time at the computer. However, it has not prevented me from doing work and creating art.

Today, I have a unique experience to share. As many of you who read this blog know, I recently created a painting of Lily/Pranker’s Pond in Saugus. It is a place at which I spent many a moment of my younger life, honing my athletic skills with ash and steel in winter’s chill, or reflecting upon a summer’s eve. Wrapped in autumn’s fire, or the clean freshness of spring! Some of you who read this spent days with me there, exploring, playing, lost in our youth in this little oasis of nature.

Tom Sheehan is a master of the written word. A fellow Saugonian, (ok, I now live next door in Lynn) Tom shares that same connection to Lily/Pranker’s pond. Like me, he ventured there, in winter, picking the pocket of an opponent about to celebrate a winning goal. His experience in summer is more of stories told to me by my mother, fishing, swimming, or relaxing with that special girl or boy, rowing a small boat, like characters in a painting by Monet.

Some of you might recognize the name of Tom Sheehan in part because my paintings “Reflections (Gloucester Dory)” and “Burnside’s Bridge” have graced the cover of his books “Epic Cures” and “Brief Cases Short Stories”

The painting “Lily/Pranker’s Pond” which debuted on this blog back in December was actually part of a third collaboration between Tom and myself; I didn’t mention anything back then because I didn’t want to jinx things. (I’m superstitious like that. You should have seen my rituals for hockey and soccer)

Qarrtsiluni, an online publication recently put out a call for submissions for a piece they were developing entitled “Mutating the Signature” Briefly, the idea was that two creative artists, from different disciplines, or similar would collaborate in a manner that would show how the other or together could influence and inspire. As part of the submission, you also had to include the process used to develop the collaboration. You did not have to know the person with whom you were collaborating, just had to describe how that person has inspired you to create a reaction to the piece. It could be sculpture, audio, video, or in our case, written word and visual.

I created the painting, and then Tom wrote the poem. And now, I am happy to say, we’ve made the cut. The piece is up and online, and if you click the little speaker under the painting, you can hear the author read the poem which serves to only enhance the viewer’s experience. I hope you like it as much I had working with Tom to create this piece.

Here’s the link to the piece: http://qarrtsiluni.com/2009/01/30/hes-created-what-i-have-in-mind/

I hope you are all well and thank you for your continued support. Though I have several more birthdays’ arriving soon, including my own, I hope that I will be able to post more regularly. Until next, do take care.

Artistically yours,
Jeff