dress, finished!

i couldn't wait.  i had to do the overprint, even though the ink was still tacky.  i just could not let that print sit on the table unfinished.

so here it is.  the dots (from the last post) went by the wayside.  i am not happy with the shadow color on the bow.  i think it's too dark.  but i guess i'm stuck with it.

it's a bit out of focus, as i took it with my iphone.

12x19 inches.

dress

i've been working all day.  good news is the idea is keeping me thinking of nothing else.  bad news is that i am half-way done, and need to let the ink dry to overprint.  two days.  that's how long it's gonna take.  i think i will go nuts in the interim.  the paper is taped on the table, and i can't remove it or it will be out of registration when i go to  make the overprint.  i think i better go make a margarita.

pink man

this is the print i have been working on for the past two days.  i started with a retro background, and then overprinted the male figure with white ink.  what i didn't expect was the white in to turn magenta-tinged wherever i used magenta ink in the background.  i wasn't sure if it looked too girly at first, but now that i've had a day to digest, i'm liking the effect.

what was most satisfying though, was how the arm and back leg worked.  i cut a different stencil for each, and like the dimensionality it created.

this guy is 9x30 inches or so.  oh crap.  i gotta get it custom framed.  

diagram m

flashlight

i worked on this new print all day.  it's about 9x30 inches.  i'm liking everything, except i may put in a bit of white in the light beam.  it seems just a bit too busy.  i'll overprint the white, and the it will take some of the letter jumble away, making it easier on the eyes.  the orange was not the best of color choices, i guess.  unfortunately it was the first color printed, and you really don't know how it's gonna work until the other colors are put in.  i may re-do the whole dang thing in a different color scheme...maybe a red flashlight?

let me know what you think...more white in the light beam, or leave it alone?

i'll post a finished shot once i resolve my dilemma.  for now it remains taped to the table so i won't lose registration if i decide to do something else!!

artist statement

handle with care, 2010

crappity, crap, crap.  i have to write an artist statement.  this is a hard one for me.  i am not into the "deep" stuff as far as statements (or art) go.  i make art, i play, i sometimes get a good result.  i like objects, people, shapes, patina.  i like all that stuff to look nice together.  i like color.  it's fun to put colors together that look beautiful.  for me, it's not about something higher.  it's just putting all of the elements together until i get just the right combination.  and then i'm done, and ready to do it all over again. 

here are things i like to use in my art over and over:

circles--they seem safe and comfortable.

stripes--they just look orderly to me, and i'm a virgo.  love order!!

lines--well, i don't know how you'd create something without at least an implied line...do you?

ordinary objects and people-- they are interesting to me.  i like the mundane for it's simple beauty.

red--it's happy.

green--it's safe and comfortable, like circles.

blue--i used to hate it, then i forced myself to use it because i hated it.  and now i love it.

brown--it's like green only safer and more comfortable.

texture and patina--i love things that are used and have the touch of a person or of mother nature.  if it's not there, i try and create it in a believable way.

handwriting--it's almost a lost art.  nobody writes letters any more.  and pencil?  it's just so beautiful!  smudgy, sharp or dull depending on the writer, and that shimmer of graphite.  wow.

numbers and letters--hmmm.  i like to use them as elements, and they usually don't say anything.  just elements of design.  3 is a personal favorite.  i think because it has circles.  i also like X.  so strong for such a tiny thing.

the virgin mary--she's an icon.  i'm not the religious type, but i have a huge collection of Mary in many forms.  she reminds me of my grandmother, who was such a kind woman.  she just makes me feel comfortable.  like circles.  and green.

here is what influences me:

pop culture--sometimes i just drive around and look at stuff.  i call it my artistic education.  it gets my brain ticking.  i look at people, buildings, products in the stores, old stuff, trash, fashion, advertising.

old stuff--back to the patina thing.

magazines--(all types including boring ones like consumer reports). i'm kind of addicted.  it's like driving around, only sitting still.  and you can bring them in the bathtub.

graphic design--letters, numbers, color combinations, flattening of the picture plane.

artists--oh god.  i look at everything i can.  how can i even make a list?  i could start today, and not finish for days.  it's impossible.  

i wish i were the kind of person who could take all of this information and make up a gorgeous paragraph or two that turns into an artist statement.  i guess i am going to have to do that really soon.

emerging from the plexiglass

i worked on some prints this week.  for every one that i kept, one went in the trash.  but it's nice to be back in the swing of things.  

here is the one i posted the other day, now finished.  for some reason i can't get it to photograph very well.  the colors are a lot richer and a lot more blue in real life, and the camera can't catch the patina of the ink layers.  anyway, here it is:

it's another image in the diagram series i had started over a year ago.

here is another.  this one photographed pretty well!

the smell of ink is in the air

the brayers are rolling, as are the ideas.

who could this be emerging from the plexiglass?

stay tuned...

showcase

one of the things we purchased for the shop was a wonderful antique showcase.  it was always a centerpiece in the shop, as it was made of beautiful dark wood and had neat details like this brass plate.  when we closed the shop, we tried to sell it.  i guess nobody was in the market for an antique showcase at that point in time.  so i ended up taking it home to store until it could find a new home.

the other day i got a wild hair, and decided to move some furniture around in my living room.  i had an inkling that if i tried hard enough, i could find a spot for that gorgeous piece.  it took me all day, but i got it to work.  in the process, i also installed a wall of new art!

i also found a spot for "chubby" a dressmaker's form that was also used as display at the shop.  inside the showcase john and i created a "cabinet of curiosities".  here's a closer shot of the interior of the case.

it seems a lot fresher, and even larger in the "new" living room.  it's funny because we added lots of stuff, and the result is a more open and functional room!  don't forget, you can click on any of these photos for a larger look!

drawers!

this cabinet is the coolest thing on the planet.  it was painted green by some person very long ago who happened to know just the shade of green i love.  this piece was found at a street fair, and i bought it for storage at the shop.  when we closed, i had the right of first refusal.  so it came home with me, and now lives down the hallway from my studio.  i really wish it could fit in the studio, but i will say that it looks pretty terrific where it is.

i spent the other day cutting up some old cards from a "flinch" game to make the numbered tags.

then i decided to put all of my printmaking stuff in the drawers.  i figured since the drawers come out, i can carry what i need down the hall to work in the studio.  the drawers are kinda small, but perfect for carrying.  one drawer is about the size of a ream of computer printer paper. 

here's some of my printing stuff:

warm colored inks,

brayers,

masking tape.

there are 27 drawers, so i won't bore you any longer. 

funny that i decided to make a printmaking station, and now i have lots of prints to make for the cherry creek arts festival!  i think tomorrow is the day i begin.  i'm still terrified, but i think making work will help.  i also started reading "art & fear" again, and that always makes me feel better.  if you are the creative type, it's a wonderful book to read.  it always makes me feel like i'm not so crazy.

the adventure begins!!  

cherry creek arts festival

posture

i woke up about 5 times last night, thinking that it HAD to be morning.  why all of the restlessness from an ordinarily heavy sleeper?  because today is the day that the selected artists for the cherry creek arts festival are announced.

at 5:10 i just had to get up and find my phone.  and there it was.  the email.  saying i got in!!  (for printmaking and graphics).  i really was stunned.  i really didn't expect it.  i was ready for the letdown, but instead i got a great big rush of happiness.

ok.  so now i'm scared.

if you want to check out their website, click the link below.

http://cherryarts.org/

almost there

things are looking better, no?

it gets worse before it gets better

it seems like every single surface of my studio is covered with stuff.  i think that in moving from the shop to home, my studio was dumped with everything that didn't fit elsewhere.  it's a real mess, and is making me crazy.  i went to the art supply store earlier this week to pick up some necessities for my imminent creative rush, but i can't even find a place for them in the hoard.

today is clean the studio day.

i am going to clean, put away, and organize until i have open surfaces on which to create.

i don't know about you, but i find it impossible to make art when my space isn't organized.  maybe another example of my virgo tendencies.  even if i clear the workspace, i can't get past the pile of clutter wherever i have deposited it.  my brain concentrates on the disaster waiting to be put in order, and nothing else.

i wish that this blog post was showing some amazing new artwork.  i really do.  maybe next post will feature the clean space with new work playing center stage versus the  tangled heap you see now.

waiting...

ok.  i am officially waiting with bated breath.

i hear if i am in the cherry creek arts festival in 7 more days.  

i'm not really thinking it will happen.  they had  2000 1983
applicants for only 280 230
 spots.

i've never done a festival.

it's kinda overwhelming.

i'll let you know when i hear the news.

if you are reading this, and it's not january 9th yet, would you please cross your fingers?  and toes?

thanks!