mug shots

two new monoprints.  i am further playing with the concept of yearbook mug shots.  maybe my years as a high school yearbook staffer are coming full circle.  anyway, these are a bit larger and more detailed than the ones i previously created.  these are about 9x12 inches.  as you can see, they are similar, but still have some differences.  it's kind of like that game you played in the dentist's office, looking at the two almost identical pictures in highlights magazine.  (i was always so mad when some kid before me circled the answers!!).  can you see the background has come through in different place on each print?  which one do you think works better?

nina lindgren, cardboard heaven

i want to make this.  unfortunately, nina lindgren went out and did it first.  it's the perfect balance of re-use, texture, and theme for me.  i mean, she must have thought it up just to make me happy.  first, she used all of that cardboard.  and then she assembled it just right.  and she made houses.  they are just about my favorite subject matter in the world.  there is something about roof tops that are especially appealing to me.  and look how many she included on my behalf!

here is a link to her site.  click here to see it!  

so much for focus

what?, you say?  no photo with her blog entry today?  that's because every single piece of art i did went in the trash yesterday.  i will call it a "cleansing" day, to make it sound like a positive learning experience.  but it didn't seem that way.  i had to go home and vent to my poor dear husband for an hour, then have a glass of wine, then take a very long walk with the dog and husband to clear it all out.  but i feel better today.

this whole artist thing is very exhausting.  don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because they are just lying.

ok...on to a better day.

focus, focus

this is a print i made that is part of a series i am working on that is loosely based on yearbook pictures of 8th graders from 1953.  i am experimenting with merging non-objective backgrounds with snippets of the mug shots.  the idea is that it is recognizable, but still not completely representational.  i am also playing with color schemes and overlapping many layers.  

here's another.

the colors are not exactly as they are in person.  i can't seem to get the colors right on the scans.  these are pretty tiny, only about 3x4 inches.  i have been making very large prints, and needed a change in scale to get myself re-motivated.  all are oil-based printing ink on 90 lb. watercolor paper.

submission

shoot out, 12x12x4 inches

this is one of two pieces i will be submitting to the all colorado show.  i know i have posted this piece before, but i'm kind of in a strange place as far as work goes.  i have 3 new boxes that have never been seen in any venue, but am saving them for a show in october.  i have also been working on prints, but am saving them for october as well.  i made this box a few months ago, and thought it might be a good fit for submission.  john was nice enough to make the actual box.  he uses plywood, and then runs it through a dovetail jig to make the joints.  these boxes are very strong because of the dovetail joints.  i think they could probably survive just about anything.  anyway, on this particular box, i used old yard sticks for the trim on the front, and also to line the inside.  you can see the usual suspects in my choice of materials...old stuff, objects with numbers, metal things, boxes, toys, and old handwriting.  i'm not sure why i am drawn to those particular themes, but they show up over and over in my work.  i also like circles, and the outside of this piece is covered in them!  they also show up in the old ring toss target.

i read lots of artist statements, and everyone seems so smart, so deep, and so introspective when they write them.  writing the artist statement is really tough for me.  making art to me is explained simply.  i'm not trying to make a huge statement.  i like things with age and patina.  i like color.  i like to put elements together like a puzzle to make things that are beautiful.  i choose stuff because it calls to me, not because it is saying anything that is particularly significant in the world.  i also like a bit of humor, but not too cutesy.  hence, the headless cowboys, taking aim at one another, obviously beyond the point of no return.  i call the box "shoot out", but the name is really for identification, not to inspire deeper meaning.  

i don't mean to suggest that my work is uncomplicated.  i spend hours and hours getting just the right combination of elements.  assemblage, i think, is highly misunderstood.  many think you just stick stuff together, but it's a lot more difficult than that.  the magic word is puzzle.  it's a puzzle with no picture on the box top to help you get the pieces in the right order.  that's up to the artist to figure out.

taos

i got back from new mexico today.  it is always a constant source of beauty and inspiration.  here are a couple of photos (thanks, tina) to let you see some local color.  the drive is about 4 and-a-half hours from denver, and i always think it's long.  that is, until i get out of pueblo, and the sky opens up my body and soul to another place altogether.

i went to new mexico for the first time about 20 years ago.  and the magic has not faded.  sometimes i feel like this northeastern white girl should feel like a stranger in a place so far removed from my upbringing.  but somehow i feel so at home with the landscape.  so i am selfish, and i soak it in.

here you go:

santuario de chimayo

offerings at santuario de chimayo

rancho de chimayo

san geronimo chapel, taos pueblo

cemetery, taos pueblo

question: what do these have in common?

answer:  you can eat them at our show tomorrow!!

if that isn't a reason to come, i don't know what is!!

Show runs May 20-May 28, 2011

Reception: Friday, May 20, 2011, 6:00-9:00 pm

New Works, Good Company, and Twinkies!

Sk3tchbook!

5743 S. Prince Street

Littleton, CO  80120