Variations on a Theme no. 8 (detail) |
Writings devoted to the ways in which materials and techniques affect my art process.
Sun Series #1
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
More White on White
Variations on a Theme no. 7 8x10" More palette cleansing! White work on paper with stitching. I love the textural effect of the torn paper edges and the stitching on paper. 8x10" mounted on a board ready to hang. $110 with free shipping in the US. Visit my Etsy shop for details. |
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Quilt on a Clothesline
Clothesline Art no. 3: Quilt 6x6" This is the third and final piece in this particular series of clothesline artwork. It is a photocopy of an earlier collage with the addition of the sewn paper sheets and quilt. I like how this piece looks as if it is hanging in a field of wheat. The work is $45 with free shipping in the US. Look for details on my Etsy shop. |
Friday, April 24, 2015
More Clothesline Art
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Clothesline Art
Clothesline Art no. 1: White Sheets 6x6" In the Spring and Summer I like to hang my wash outside on a clothesline. I love the smell of the clothes "kissed by the sun" and I like seeing them wave in the breeze. It does take more time to carry them out and pin them to the clothes line. Throwing them from the washer into the dryer is definitely easier, for sure. But for now I am happy with this little nod to domesticity. I also have always liked seeing clothes hanging on a line. I live in Amish country and these admirable women hang clothes out year round. I like the architectural look of clothes on a line and the way people choose to hang the clothes....all the sheets and pillow cases together, all of the underwear together, shirts together, overalls together. While I am doing laundry for just 2 people, I do tend to put like articles together on the line. This series of just 3 pieces is a nod to all that I like about hanging clothes on a line outside. It is somewhat abstract yet I think the sheets are readily seen as such. The background came from a photocopy of a collage I made a few years ago. "Fresh" sheets have been sewn onto the line adding a bit more dimension to the new work. The work measures 6x6" and is mounted on a board, ready for hanging. It is priced at $45. To purchase, please visit my Etsy site. |
Monday, April 20, 2015
Using Stitch as a Drawing Line
Variations on a Theme no. 6 8x10" So...after a week of teaching and working in the yard, I am back to making art. Once spring arrives (and it is finally here!) there is so much to do. It will be interesting to see how I balance art making with all of the yard work and gardening that I normally do. This piece is number 6 in a series of light / white works. I feel like I was able to get back to the really light palette that I was trying to achieve. There are a few more pieces coming in this series. I am enjoying this but getting eager to use more color. I think the "cleansing" of my palette worked. I hope I can start reusing color with a new eye. I really do love stitching on paper and fabric, and this is one of the things I was able to accomplish in this series of light works. I like to think of stitching as a drawing line, a way to add linear elements but with thread and stitch as opposed to pen and ink. That is part of what I did in this series. I am finding that each piece brings a new set of challenges... how to use mostly white materials, how to use stitch in a way that references drawing, how to manipulate materials, both fabric and paper, how to be abstract and yet appeal to a broad audience of art lovers. For sale in my Etsy shop for $110 with free shipping to the US. |
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Nose to the Grindstone
I taught a class this past Thursday and Friday at Journey Art Gallery in the Arts District in Canton OH. The class focused on encaustic painting and incorporating found objects into the work.
I had 6 very industrious students who were experimenting with encaustic paint. You can tell how intent they are because in every photo I took they had their "noses to the grindstone". There were times in the classroom where you could hear a pin drop because they were so focused on their work. I am always amazed by the progress that each person makes when they have time to just really
concentrate on a media, technique or concept.
When I teach a class I always feel like I learn as much from my students as they learn form me. Everyone shares their personal journeys, their successes and failures, materials and techniques they have tried, and the results, both positive and negative.
Here is one of the outcomes of the workshop, a mixed media encaustic work that incorporates paper, stitching, fabric and encaustic paint on a board by Gail Wetherall Sack. These past 2 days have left me with inspiration and a need to get back to my own work in the studio. Thanks to the 6 students who took the class and to Su Nimon of Journey Art Gallery for hosting us!
Now it is time for me to get my nose back to the grindstone!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Promise
Bulb in a Vase 3.5x3.5" floating in a 6x6" box I came across this image from a collage I made a few years ago just as I was noticing all of the spring bulbs coming up in my garden. In the past I have often forced bulbs in the dead of winter by putting them in a bowl of stones and water. Usually February is when I feel the need for something blooming, just to give me encouragement that spring is actually going to happen. And after this past winter that is truer than ever. So here is a little bit of that hope in a small painting on a tea bag. $50 with free shipping in the US. To purchase, please visit my Etsy shop. |
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Jeff's Leaf
Friday, April 10, 2015
Letting the Work Speak to Me
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Mended Door, Tea Bag Painting
Mended Door 3.5 x 3.5" recessed in a 6x6" frame I received a comment yesterday about the tea bag painting of a poppy addressing the stitching on a piece so small. (Thanks, Heather!) The stitching in that piece was on the original collage that I resized and then transferred to the tea bag. In this piece you can see the size of the stitches and that they are sort of out of proportion to the rest of the painting. The used tea bags are somewhat fragile, depending on what kind of tea bags they are, how long I let them sit before I emptied out the contents, etc. I don't mind the small tears and holes. I think they add a certain character that is authentic to the fact that it is a recycled material. In this piece I added more watercolor paint, pen and ink lines for definition and some shellac. The shellac adds more strength to the piece without affecting negatively the translucency of the tea bag. The artwork is not mounted directly onto the inside of the box, but raised on some foam core so that it appears to float within the box. Priced at $50. To purchase, please visit my Etsy shop. |
Monday, April 6, 2015
Painting on Tea Bags!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Creating Tension
Friday, April 3, 2015
Good Friday Art Work
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