Sarah Stein went to Paris in 1904 and championed Henri Matisse. She was a painter and Gertrude Stein’s sister-in-law. She bought Henri’s work and helped start a school for him, leaving a journal of how he taught painting. And she introduced other collectors to his work.
From: “HENRI’S LETTERS” by Ms. Pletts in the Stella Adler Theater / New York, NY. In this scene Sarah and Henri are saying goodbye. It was inspired by Matisse’s oil painting “Dance.”
GOVERNOR PERCIEVAL BAXTER portrayed by Ms. Pletts with Connie Baxter Marlow
“Your interpretation of Governor Baxter clearly made him come alive for the youngsters as well as the adults in the audience, in a way that written accounts cannot duplicate. The spirit of gratitude, respect and generosity with which he offered his gift to the people of Maine was well-represented in your play.”
Watch Ms. Pletts play Governor Baxter at Bowdoin College on YouTube at:
MAN IN NATURE
Locations TBA
“Wholeheartedly” 3 ‘ X 4’ Watercolor by Ms. Pletts 2020
“Stillife” 20” X 15” Watercolor by Ms. Pletts 2020
“We Are Water” 4’ X 6’ Watercolor by Ms. Pletts 2018
“Fawn and Mother” 11” X 8 ½” Watercolor by Ms. Pletts 2019
“Following Nature’s Lead, Humans Make the Divine Sublime” 8’ X 7’ Mural 2016
Ms. Pletts’ paintings and prints are in private collections in Europe – Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, London and Wales, and the U.S.A. – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New York and more. She is also a poet and holds a BFA from Pratt Institute.
BROOKLYN WATERFRONT ARTISTS COALITION
481 Van Brunt Street / Door 7 / Brooklyn, NY 11231
Sept. 21 through Oct. 27, 2019
“Momma Human Protecting Earth” 18” x 24” Pastel Drawing by Ms. Pletts / For Sale
“Still Life” 42” X 36” Watercolor by Franklin Faust / Collection of the Artist
Franklin Faust was seventeen in 1946 when Sarah (known as ‘Sally’) Stein read him her letters from Henri Matisse. Sally and her husband Michael Stein were Matisse’s oldest and foremost patrons. Their California home was full of modern paintings. The young Faust was immersed in an extraordinary artistic experience that marked the onset of his own career.
Then, as a teacher at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Faust in turn inspired his students to paint with luminous colors, use rare pigments, to perceive the canvas like the crust of the earth, with light refracting through layers of color.
Forty years later, two of his students - Brian and Sarah - met up in London and realized how their teacher’s commitment to craft and his passion for exploration had inspired their work as life-long artists.
Torch Exhibition Description
For Faust, Pletts and Brooks painting with luminous color evolves human existence. Hand-to-eye concentration enjoins them with the natural world. Focusing on light and color changes how we think.
The eternal human desire to seek and express the exquisite beauty around us comes down through these three generations. Many of their paints are made of natural raw materials. The skill of putting color on a surface by the human hand connects us directly to our environment.
In this twenty-first century of digital color where are we headed?
In words and images Ms. Pletts performs Sarah Stein from Paris (with Gertrude) to California reading Matisse’s letters with seventeen-year-old Franklin Faust. They sit together next to a recreation of the large steamer trunk that was in her Palo Alto, California entryway. It was full of Henri Matisse’s wallpaper samples, fabrics, rugs and letters. Henri wrote this to Sarah the day she left France in 1953.
“I had hoped . . . I could have spoken again with you of the past, to tell you how vivid my memories remain of my ardent years of work. . . during which you and Mr. Stein supported me so much, with tireless devotion - , and since, of the pleasure that I had in showing you my work. . .how much I valued your wise judgements, guided by your exceptional sensibility, and full knowledge of the road I have traveled. . . true friends are so rare that it is painful to see them move away.”
Dancing . . .
From: “ODE TO LIFE” by Ms. Pletts in “Canto Neruda” in Rome, Italy
TORCH
- Dance as pure expression
- Movement with Images
- Movement with Language
1. Dance as pure expression. This requires dance training along with dream work.
2. Movement with images. Here dance is joined with visuals that support the theme and action. These images come from everywhere. Research and dream journaling assist in creating them.
3. Movement with language. Because dance stems (ha!) from the brain stem and language the frontal lobe, this requires training that integrates those. These exercises were developed by Ms. Pletts with the acting coach Sandra Seacat.
PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOR
“BELLY RECOVERY” 72” X 54” Watercolor by Ms. Pletts / Collection of the Artist
MYRTLE BEACH, SC, USA
Winter / Spring 2021
Location and Times TBA
ASPEN, CO, USA
LIVING ARTS STUDIO / 410 N. Mill Street/Aspen, CO 81611
Thursdays 2-5 PM / June through August 2022
$75. For 3 Classes / $30. Per drop in / All levels welcome - Please bring your own materials
and contact us to register /
Publications
Poetry and Prose Books for Purchase
SEA BEAUTY
Available from Explore Booksellers
Aspen, CO Phone 970.925.5336
GARDEN TALK
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