Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tiger, tiger...


Finally, finally, finally it is done.


I must admit I take a distinct pleasure in cutting up my old woodblock prints (ones culled from the edition- don't worry). It ends up being a mishmash but I've been so damned careful for so long that it feels great to play fast and loose with all these different elements.
Oh yeah, I guess it's call 'play'.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Show of my work at CoCA Seattle

Been working the last few months on getting work together for a retrospective of my woodblock prints (man, that makes me feel a bit long in the tooth). 30 pieces total, with 3 new mixed media works.
Here are the particulars-
CoCA Ballard, Shilshole Bay Beach Club
6413 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
On view November 10 – December 11, 2011

For more info, please visit CoCA Seattle

Special thanks to curator Joe Roberts, who sought me out and got me off my duff!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Having a bad art day (week)

I've been given the opportunity to have a retrospective show of my work with a few new pieces included. Great! Except that I'm not entirely sure that my new work is exhibition ready.
So, I've spent the last week working on a new mixed media piece and...


it has not been the joyous experience I had hoped it would be.

I've drawn the same !@#*#^%! image a ridiculous amount of times (you can't see here how I've painted over and reworked the drawing again and again) and just about every time I've come to a point where I declare it unworkable and start again. Then I have a minor freak out when I realize I've wasted a precious day or hour (time has a price beyond rubies right now).


I even blamed the paper. When I visited my local art store to purchase the magic paper (color of a paper bag, velvety smooth texture and acid-free) I got the chance to talk to the owner, Jack, about my deficient art mojo. He told me 2 things that I'm not sure have eased my concern. One- there is no magic paper (not anymore. I guess they USED to make it). Two- we all have a certain amount of really bad drawings in us and, lucky me, I'm apparently getting them all out right now! Thinking about it, it occurs to me that I might be making some very bad art for many years to come if this theory is correct.


I have been encouraged to plod ahead by a good friend who told me to 'just finish what you started'. So, I will...


even without the magic paper.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Just done

This summer has been busier than I thought it would be but I managed make another new piece (and use another box- remember that cabinet full of cigar boxes?).

Sometimes the work just flows and that's great. But I'm rusty, get interrupted a lot and this media is all new to me (those are my excuses). Most of the time I have this 'what the heck am I doing and where is it going?' feeling.

But that's all part of learning something new, right? And if I can combine cleaning up the plastic debris my kids scatter all over and making art, that's just fine by me.


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

It's been so long...

Spring has arrived and was time to (finally) make some artwork of my own. I had been thinking about what I wanted to do for months but just never seemed to carve out the time to just make it happen.


I did set some parameters- I wanted to use what I already had piling up in my studio (geez, there's plenty). Of course, I decided that AFTER I raided a junk shop and carried off a large haul full of dusty cigar boxes. I mean, really, what goes on in the mind of someone who would actually pay money for these things!? Well, I know... the possibilities are endless (and it's the possibilities that really rope me in)!


Since I am where I am in my life I did a self-portrait in colored pencil. I have a tendency to get really detail oriented and photo realistic so I try to break the spell by using collage, as well (and using some of the piles of pretty paper that I have accumulated over the years). Heck, it's just fun!


Inspired by an aunt who paints fabulous landscapes on masonite board, I did the same, painting a bush in my backyard in acrylic.


Using my sewing skills (limited as they may be) I played with the space within the box, hanging cut out butterflied on string. It's a bit like a mobile, I think.


Here it is, untitled as of yet. It's mainly about being the mother of little girls and navigating the crazy amounts of stuff they have (and toss on the floor during their elaborate games). I often find myself with pockets full of little playthings that I have rescued from odd places or wading through a small sea of bright colored plastic and fluffiness.
Conceived and and created in fragments of time and material. I can't wait to do the next one.