pieces of the week

Pieces of the week: sci fi mixed media

My two new mixed media pieces. I worked on these last week from salvaged science magazines. (I actually hate to throw magazines away often because I am so drawn to images in them. So this is a good outlet- I get to gather those images and turn them into something and then I can freely toss the magazines in the recycle box.)

I will admit it, at first glance you wouldn't guess it but I am a science girl, yes totally a geek, maybe I should pull out my biology student of the year medal and wear it around (along with my math club and latin scrabble honors). I guess I am expressing it in my art. These are fun, kitschy, sci-fi art. The big one is my favorite it is 18x24 with comics, retro science, Einstein, atomic images, and a lot of biology images, playing up the alien, microorganism, workings of the brain images.

I enlightened my dh on the complex art of collage and mixed media. I explained to him the careful symbolic selection of images, the cropping and under lapping and overlapping choices, the repetition of shapes, the harmony and flow created by color, patterns, shapes and lines, the grouping of images to create effects. Its not just randomly gluing things together. The play between various textures and surfaces are all important effects. I actually think alot of less artsy people are sometimes put off by mixed media- it's not straightforward, it's not neat and tidy, its not always "beautiful". The big one is one of my current "favorite pieces". I know most people who came into my studio wouldn't not put it in their top 5, but i think it goes to show how beauty and meaning is in the eye of the beholder or creator.

I've had a few stressful weeks lately and the cutting of magazine tidbits has been therapeutic, for my slightly neurotic state. I decided if I ever had a major psychological break you'd probably find me in an institution sitting obsessively cutting and piecing collages.

new paintings

I can't stop painting really- I have this feverish desire to paint. I paint everynight (yes I even dream at night in paint format, I also sometimes dream in photoshop layers, or in blog format and even dream full episodes of the office- which could have been useful during the writers strike!) I have never been so prolific (except maybe for cramming before a solo show about 5 yrs ago). I have never been so driven to paint and I don't know what is causing this burst of creativity or where it is coming from but i hope it lasts! He is another in the temple square garden series and some olive trees from gethsamene (I went on study abroad to Jerusalem and Egypt and as you can see my palette is varying broadly.)

yes another tree

i know you are tired of tree posts here is tree #5- its one of my favs- it is being shipped to its new home in CA this week- as are it's other tree friends headed to new homes in ID and UT.

another tree

After my week of blogging I took a few days break. In that time I accomplished this. Here is my latest project - here is the 4th painting in my tree series.

yep more paintings...

okay more paintings... my creative binge continues kind of by default. Smart daddy-o has been hogging the computer every night which is necessary for the other items on my to do list. Which has left me this as my alternative activity from the hours of 8:30-11 pm after my boys are asleep. So here is the second in the aspen grove series it is big 30x40. I am thinking I want to do a dbl panel (so 60x40") for my dining room. the third still 1/2 done in the tree series also big 30x40"

layered garden study- trying out different patterns for tree series 16x20"

small studies from my office geometry series this time different color palette - these two are both are 16x20"

blogging 2 days straight so far yay for me!! Studio night is this week which means friends coming over to my house to paint and chat- yes we consider it our modern day quilting bee. We'll see what the next projects will be.

more new art

My painting binge continues 3 are inspired by Utah, land of my college years. The first, aspen grove. The next two are abstractions of photos I took of the gardens at Temple Square in Salt Lake City this summer and the last one is 2nd in the tree series i am working on - it's not done yet but coming along- I love the colors. I can't wait for my big shipment of giant canvases to arrive-- there are more paintings waiting to be made-- alas so many ideas, so little time.

creative binge

I think because I now have a new baby and my time feels scarce and punctuated by stopping to feed him every 2 hours-- I now have that sudden burst of creativity I have begging for the last 9 months (I can't paint when i am pregnant- all cretaivity energy is drained from me!). These are my recent endeavors. This is my new favorite i have been doing the last 2 nights -- I feel a new series coming on (I love it when i get into a new series) very klimtesque- very fun color and organic sort of themes- I can't wait to do more...all these were to help me get warmed up- get the creative juices flowing and get my brain ready to get inspired for my "new series" --a chain garden series cut paper piece 11x14a new rubber block print i cut- printed in blacka new 24x36 garden piecesome giant apple and pear studies 16x20
Of course I attempted to start the new year and my post partum time with a healthy eating resolution- a wagon i quickly fell off- but not before i enacted my food fantasies in paint so of course

and I got my boys in on the creative action- here they are doing styrofoam block prints- yes i am the only mom on the planet- who while staying int he NICu with my baby kept her styrofoam meal trays becasue "hey i could bring those home and let my boys use them for block printing. They had a blast- S.S. #1 did a great storm and jellyfish set of prints as well as darth vader and luke skywalker and ss#2- did an abstract piece and can still be heard saying-- "let me ink the brayer!" ahh what i teach my 2 yr old!

about my art

Well as requested by g- I will blog a little about my painting. I blogged about my chain garden paintings when i first began the series as well as about some of my other paintings. But I realized I didn't really explain the symbolic idea behind the chain garden paintings. I like to explore relationships in my abstract pieces. i like deep relationships with people and those who are my friends have a great impact on me. In the chain garden the underlying framework is the "connectedness" of everyone- hence the sort of fabric of chains, the way we are bound together through our complex web of family, relationships, friendships, chance encounters, etc. The flowers- those individuals and relationships that really impact us - define us more than the everyday interactions. This is one of my favorite series to work in I love doing variations in backgrounds, sizes, etc. You can see most of the series on my gallery.

And for your viewing pleasure a few other pieces I did recently- I was in a palette knife painting mood- just playing with colors and shapes- no brushes involved

Oranges (11x14), geometry 2 (24x36), and pennants (16x20) ( i prefer it as pennants- although whenever smart baby sees it he he turns it the other way and says "BOATS!BOATS!")

paintings

These are a few of the paintings I have done over the last few months and haven't posted- I am still behind and have 3 more paintings I need to get done but I have had zero creative energy hence the lack of painting productivity. A mixed media piece, a new piece in the chain garden series, and a new blue crab.

I made it!

I 'm home!! I got in last night- which is a feat in and of itself (if you know smart baby- you will know why my mom and dad offered to fly me and smart baby home while smart daddy-o drove with smart son and were in fact standing by on travelocity to make instant reservations in case smart daddy-o left us at some airport on the way between virginia and home because things got too ugly). But I took one for the team and in the name of family bonding passed up a quick, semi luxurious ride- for being crammed into the station wagon for 11 hours in the role of official snack passer outer, navigator, and chief entertainment provider.

I am sorry I haven't blogged christmas- i planned on it but things were busy at my parents house and the dial-up (they have no high speed available where they live) is enought to make you rant and cry in the torture of slow loading! and i left all the pics there- so Christmas is coming in a week or so...And I have not forgotten you and your blogs- again blame my parents dial up-

We got home at 7:30 and I madly set to work getting things ready for the show I am hanging today- 19 pieces! I had to make cards for the backs, title cards for the wall, print price lists, artist statments, bios, and get those framed, varnish and yet unvarnished pieces, and get everythign in their frames and ready to go. This is the last time I agree to hang an art show the day after I return from Christmas break.
(okay I edited this- I just came back from hanging- here is the lobby piece)

On a sad note- I heard yesterday that the prinicpal at smart son's school died. I still remember sharing a table with her at the first PTO meeting and talking about her plans for the next few years. She was diagnosed with cancer in October- and an acting principal took over- and here a 2 months later she is gone. She was a kind and good woman who made a difference in the lives of many children. The world will always miss great people. So here is in memory of you Mrs. S. -You will remind us today to do good and use wisely the precious time we have.

I love being a teacher

Yesterday I finished up a 3-part acrylic painting class for K-3rd graders I was teaching for the PTO at smart son's school (despite my voice which is barely existent and deeper than my husbands at present). It reminded me that deep down I will always be a teacher- Few things make me happier than seeing people learn/experience/try new things. I was so excited that after 3 weeks they were already able to accurately use great artist talk with words like "technique", "composition", and "preliminary drawing" and could explain brainstorm subjects in the categories of still life, portraits, designs, and landscapes, could talk about the pros and cons of drawing from observation vs. imagination. They could title their pieces, and engage in aesthetic discussions about their own work and other's work, and best of all 33 new child masterpieces are now gracing their homes! No, I am not saying I am the great fount of all knowledge- after all I had great teachers who taught me these things--but for me the best part of knowing something is being able to pass it on to others. So smart mama's challenge for the day- Take a few minutes and teach someone something- it is a gift that always gives back!

as a whining p.s.-
this whole being sick thing is really cramping my style- Instead of counting down the days till Christmas i am counting down the minutes until smart daddy-o gets home from work so I can crash into bed, or the number of hours until my next dose of advil. dishes are piled in the sink, half done projects are everywhere- it is not festive!