"Tray Jolie"

I painted these “French Landscapes” on tin trays for The Colonial Theatre’s fundraiser called “Tray Jolie” this year.  They are celebrating 85 years.

Below are my contributions to the auction held on October 17th. 

I don't know which was more fun - painting the trays or writing the descriptive blurbs about them:

Night Flight (Vol de Nuit)

"A moonlit stroll back in time to the wildest and most isolated region of France. In the place where wolves prowl and griffon vultures fly, moonlight is magical.

I suggest a broad simplification with a darkened palette rich in sensuous appeal. To capture the mood, I use scrubby brushwork - where the strokes are applied so quickly that the color of the underlying tray shows through.

Thick juicy brush loads of oil paint capture the moonlight."

Woodland Sorcery

"Lost in dreams, a magical sunrise evokes inspiration in the poetry of a drowsy hum tucked into the French countryside.

Where no fantasy is taboo, the mood is hushed: moisture-laden air, clouds before the rain, the clearing after the storm, mists, vapors, fogs, smoke and hazes. 

Deliciously, intoxicatingly sensual - you’ll want to return to again and again."

Each tray is 21" x 15". All the trays by many local artists were displayed for a full month in the Colonial Corner window at 95 Main Street in Keene. 

The fundraiser featured trays and other services including a stay in a house in France. It was a fun event that includes a creative performance on the magnificent Colonial stage. 

For more information, please call The Colonial Theatre Box Office at (603) 352-2033 if you are interested in events like these.

The trays are tin and my oil paints did not stick easily to the slippery surface. I also learned that my paint takes a lot longer to dry on metal.

Last year I painted a wooden box to look like a souvenir of Bali. The year before I painted a plaster chicken (really). They always assign us artists something a little wacky and a lot of fun.

The Colonial Theatre in downtown Keene, NH is an historic performing arts center, which brings the cultural and creative spirit of our community to life.

The funds raised by this annual project will go a long way in helping to bring our young people into the Theatre, many of whom have never seen a live performance. It is our hope to create the seeds of inspiration to grow future interest in the Arts.

"In the work of human hands and the pursuit of excellence, through nobility of craft and the mysterious infusion of spirit into simple materials, beauty reveals itself."

Helen Kish