My Brain's Desire

"Notes to Self"
mixed media on paper
30 x 22"

This work is an experiment in automatic drawing which I've read about but never really tried with any depth of exploration.  Automatic drawing lets you sink into the quality and experience of making marks and developing the relationships between them which in turn lifts you out of your logical brain’s desire to make something that’s “good” or “accurate.”

I saw a video on the internet, don't remember quite where, and borrowed a book from the library called "Expressive Drawing".  In that book the process was to make the random marks suggested in the definition above using a dark drawing media (charcoal, conte crayon, pencil, black paint).  After a certain amount of time, the drawing is obliterated with white paint, also done randomly.  One works back and forth between the drawing and the veiling of the work with white paint.  After a certain point you begin to assess and make decisions based on the shapes and revealed elements on the paper.

This is my second try.  The first one got pretty dark and messy because I use charcoal...lots of charcoal.  This one has charcoal but only at the end to really emphasize some dark areas that I liked.  The rest of the drawing media was pencil, a black colored pencil and black paint.  I am sure I cheated, as I started mixing gray to get the tones I wanted.  But the whole idea for me was to see where this process would lead me and to make it my own.

When I refer back to the definition I feel like the process did lift me out of my logical brain for the most part, but I couldn't keep it totally at bay.  But my brain's desire was still to make something not necessarily accurate, but good.  Not sure how "good" it is, but it was fun and somewhat of a revelation.

www.claremurrayadams.com

https://instagram.com/claremurrayadams

From the Garden / From the Studio

Perennial Garden with Vintage Chair Back

Sewing Ritual
encaustic monotype and collage on paper with hand stitching
5x5"

My time is split, and not evenly split, between working in the gardens and my studio.
I am still working on the sewing ritual series.  At this point there are 25 pieces that I plan to sew together.
I have a few more of the individual pieces to hand stitch and then I can arrange them making one larger overall piece.
Presentation of this will take some thought.
It will depend upon how transparent  the final work is and whether it is important to see that transparency in a 2D work that needs to be mounted to something.  Mat board? Framed? Free floating?  TBD
Some of these small pieces are taking on a landscape feel, as this one does.
That is kind of unavoidable once you emphasis a horizontal line that becomes that separation between land and sky or sea and sky.  The sewing is totally intuitive and playful.  As I was thinking about the work this morning it is also somewhat quilt like with these individual blocks that have a common color palette but random stitching.
Fingers crossed that they will be a cohesive work in the end!

www.claremurrayadams.com
https://instagram.com/claremurrayadams

New Garden Fence!!

Old Garden Fence

New Garden Fence


Early in the Spring, I asked my husband if he would make me a new garden gate.
The current one was pretty wonky and had a huge gap at the bottom...easy access for the bunnies.
You can see in the top picture the window screen that I used to block that gap.

He did my request one better.  He ordered a whole new fence with rabbit guard wiring attached.
We had a larger area enclosed than the previous garden.  It included along with the raised beds and blackberry bushes some young blueberry bushes that were in wire cages and his two year old persimmon trees.
Also enclosed at the back is my compost bins.

I loved the fence made from trees cut from the woods on our property, but that fence was 12 years old and beginning to deteriorate.  We decided to keep the tall pergola that was what the the old gate was attached to and also the wrought iron fencing at the back of the garden.  The new fencing looks great!  The gate is easy open, easy close and rabbit secure.
Thanks John!!

I'm sure the garden is doing so well (knock on wood) in part due to the new fence.
Or at least that is what I want to believe.

www.claremurrayadams.com
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Ohio Collage Society Exhibit

"Flower Girl"

mixed media encaustic and collage on paper

10x13"

This piece is part of the current Ohio Collage Society 's Annual member exhibit.

I was lucky enough to receive an award for it and have it pictured in a review in the Akron Beacon Journal.  The article was written by Anderson Turner,  Director of Kent State University's Galleries.

Thanks Ohio Collage Society and juror Arnie Turnstall, Director of Galleries for Akron University Myers School of Art. for the recognition!

The link to the article is below.

http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/arts/art-review-collage-society-puts-the-pieces-together-1.774881

Encaustic Vessels

"Old Testament"
encaustic on paper with collage
(from left to right:  Lot's Wife, Adam and Eve, Jezebel, Abel, David)

These vessels made with encaustic collage on paper will be on display at the Morgan (www.morganconservatory.org)
as part of their Workshop Instructors' Exhibit from June 23-July 29, 2017.
I will be teaching encaustic on paper techniques at the Morgan July29-30th.
It is always fun to teach or take a workshop at the Morgan.
Great people, great place, great learning experience.

The show opens on Friday June 23 with an artist talk by some of the exhibiting instructors at 7:00 PM.
Maybe I will see you there!

www.claremurrayadams.com
www.instagram.com/claremurrayadams

"Housecoat"

"Housecoat"
encaustic on paper
13 x 10"

When I was teaching college, I had a student in my Fiber's class who made several interesting projects where she repurposed clothing with silk screen and other surface design techniques.  One of her pieces was a raincoat where she silkscreened a row of houses onto the lining.  Of course she named the piece "Housecoat".

When I was looking for something in my studio one day...I spend a lot of time looking for things in my studio...I came across this drawing of a coat that I did a number of years ago. I thought of Amber and her housecoat project and added this house shape to my coat drawing transferring it to the drawing's waxed surface.
The house is from another one of my artworks that I photocopied.
Is that plant growing outside of the house?
Or is it growing inside?
A little bit of ambiguity and serendipity.

More "Sewing Ritual" Pieces

More from the "Sewing Ritual" series

I just looked at the date of my last post...middle of May!  Yikes!
But I have been working on these small pieces of encaustic monotype, collage and stitching.
Just behind in my posting.  As Spring and Summer arrive, more time is spent outdoors.
I would like to say that I will be more regular with my posting, but I can't promise.  I can only try.

For these pieces I am continuing to work with the same color palette throughout.
The size, 5x5", is a constant as well.
But the kinds of paper are a variable and affect the transparency of the colored wax.
In the bottom one, there is the addition of pen and ink so that the line quality can be more varied.

I am finding this work challenging in reference to the encaustic monotype and meditative when it comes to the stitching.
As I look at a grouping of them they seem to be taking on a naturalistic emphasis,
appearing like stones and leaves, land and sky.

The order of them will finally be determined as I see how the pieces interact with each other.
There may not be one definitive arrangement in the end.
I will wait for the pieces to 'speak to me' about that.