Keepsake Boxes

A few years back I started making a book for myself every year, and in it I would paste all of the ticket stubs, photos, and other sentimental ephemera that I picked up during the course of the year. At some point along the way I stopped doing this (probably due to the excessive number of ex-boyfriends that can be found in the pages).

This year I decided it’s time to restart that tradition, but in a slightly different way. Instead of books I made two boxes (that sort of look like books when on a shelf). Because I’m a bit of an art-supply hoarder, I managed to make these without buying any supplies whatsoever. And as luck would have it, I happened to have the perfect paper to cover both boxes! For 2011 I used a map of Paris (I celebrated turning 40 with a 3 week trip to France and Italy beginning and ending in Paris). And for 2012 I used this beautiful silk dragon book cloth I bought years ago when I was learning my bookmaking craft (2012 is year of the dragon, yo!). (Davey board, glue, handmade paper, map, book cloth, ribbon, copper, vintage button)

The Conversation Series

The Conversation is finally on display! You can view in person at Angle Gallery at the TK Lofts in Pioneer Square–312 S. Washington Street, Seattle, WA. (On view through November 26th–Hours Wednesday through Saturdays, Noon to 5:00pm & by appointment).

Conversation #3

Mike’s answer to my last painting  in the conversation series was this amazing photo of local cabaret performer and dancer Waxie Moon. As it happens, I took a Michael Jackson dance class at the Century Ballroom last year that was taught by Waxie. He makes dancing look so easy and effortless. It is not (though I highly recommend the class).

The movement of the feathers brought to mind wind, and the image of Waxie the figurehead of a ship. (acrylic, fabric, and copper on canvas)

The Conversation: Part 2

Based on the Conversation: Part 1,  Mike had the idea of creating a photo that had a three-dimensional/flowing/textural feel. He used a co-worker with some beautiful tattoos, great legs, and a ton of energy and emerged with an amazing, dynamic photo. The image made me think of a bird flying, metamorphosis, energy, dynamic change.

For my Conversation: Part 2 (official name TBD)  I painted the environment of the photo. Hardwood floor, white wall. The wall changes to a cloudy sky, and the girl becomes a bird flying with wings of ribbons. I used the very same cat mask, but painted over its face with an owl’s face. (acrylic, fabric, ribbon, and feathers on canvas)

Petrified Orange

About a year ago I brought an orange to work, put it on my desk, and on my desk it stayed.

Since then, it’s been the subject of much ridicule from my co-worker Erin, who thinks it’s is fairly disgusting (which I suppose it is).

This week I’ve had to pack up my desk to move into a new office (which my new office-mate Sean refers to as “the veal pen”). So what does one do? Pack and move the orange? Throw it away?

Neither of these options seemed appropriate… So naturally I decided to make some art!

Sadly, Erin is both moving desks and teams. So for a going-away present, I made this little orange nest to remember me by.

(acrylic, paper, copper wire, raffia, ancient orange)

The Conversation: Part 1

My good friend Mike Hipple, who also happens to be an amazing photographer,  approached me with an idea a few months ago. His husband Sam was organizing a big arts festival, Arts Crush, in Seattle during the month of October with weeks of visual art, books and music, theatre, and dance.

Mike suggested that we collaborate on a project for the visual arts portion of the month, which we decided to call “The Conversation.” The concept starts with a photo by Mike, which I use as inspiration for a painting, which Mike uses as inspiration for a photo, and so on.

Mike had an idea for the first photo, and he wanted to use me as the model and my bedroom as the set.

As it happens, the past few years I’ve been suffering with chronic insomnia and this photo makes me think of that in-between state that insomnia produces. Not awake, but not asleep. Dream state overlapping with reality. So that is what I painted. (acrylic, spray paint, fabric)

We didn’t quite pull it together for the 2010 Arts Crush, but we have a goal of creating at least 12 sets (and hopefully more) by October 2011 for the next Arts Crush!

Halloween 2010

This year I was invited to spend Halloween in New Orleans with one of my favorite people (Remy), who takes costumes very seriously. Last year before she abandoned Seattle for the east coast, she organized several theme days at work; stewardess day, Mad Men day, and dress like Rob Rosen day (think east coast business casual-khakis, blue shirt, sensible shoes). Costumes were definitely required for Halloween in NOLA and  I wanted to keep up my bird theme from the previous few years, but was at a loss for ideas. The best idea  I’d been given was Larry Bird (thanks Colin), and I was seriously considering blonde mullet wigs and tube socks…

Then I went  to Art Walk.

My friend Connor was showing some photos at his co-worker’s studio in the 619 Western Building. The co-worker, Tammy, makes amazing leather masks and had one that was made with gas mask goggles and looked like an owl. This sparked my interest and when talking to her about her masks, she mentioned she teaches a mask-making class. Which, obviously, I immediately signed up for.

For anyone who lives in Seattle, I highly recommend this class (I’ll be taking the Steampunk Goggles Workshop sometime in the near future if anyone is interested). Tammy is a great teacher and very giving with the knowledge she has mostly learned through trial and error. I spent an afternoon in her Pioneer Square studio and left with a new skill to add to the “I can make that” list.

Thanks to Tammy’s guidance, my mask turned out great. It is very crow-like and I ended up dressing as a Flapper (love a double entendre). I completed the outfit with a feather boa I got at the Mardi Gras Market on Dauphine which I purchased for $4.95. It was better than bread crumbs as it left a trail of feathers from our house in Bywater through the French Quarter and back.

Partly Cloudy

I took an encaustic painting class at Pratt a couple years ago and totally loved it. However, I never explored using the medium in my home studio because the set-up is a little elaborate (metal palette on top of a hot plate, heat gun and/or blow torch, melted wax), plus it’s a little toxic (but what good art isn’t a little?), and the supplies are expensive and hard to come by (again, what art supplies aren’t?). But after a trip to New York this past October where I spent the last hours of my visit drooling on the third floor of the MOMA over a Jasper Johns’ Flag painting (see above), I got the itch to try it again. And later, in a totally unrelated fit of spontaneity I bought a whole encaustic set up. So now I’m starting to explore the medium (with windows open for ventilation) and am planning that my new year’s resolution will be created mostly in this medium. I promise to share some of that work soon…

Meanwhile, I have a couple acrylic/mixed media pieces I’ve been working on. The piece in the photo below I’m thinking of calling “Partly Cloudy” It’s made up of cut up pages from an old book, wire frame and acrylic paint. I can’t decide if it’s done or not (which may mean that it isn’t?)

International Print Exchange Prints

Last month I participated in the first annual International Print Exchange (read the post). Today I opened my mailbox to find an envelope containing the 8 prints that were my reward for participating. I sent them a limited edition set of ten prints, 8 of which they sent along to participants such as myself, and I received 8 in return. The other two are for archives and a possible gallery exhibit. I’m really pleased with the prints I received, quite a diverse group of prints in both subject matter and technique. I’m looking forward to future exchanges such as this. Now I just need to find some empty wall space so I can hang them up.

International Print Exchange

A while ago my friend Jessica sent me a link to a call for submissions to an international print exchange organized by a printmaking studio in Derbyshire, UK (http://www.greendoor-printmaking.co.uk/). The deal is that I send them all of the original prints of an edition of 10, and they send me back 8 different prints submitted by other artists. All for the low price of 6 pounds. Can’t beat that for 8 pieces of original art (not including my own). The size of the paper is 5.5″ square, and the size of the print no larger than 3.9 ” square.

Finally, the very last night I’ll be able to create something to submit before the deadline, I decided to pull the trigger (procrastinator!) The prints I created are the first completed works in a series of mixed media pieces of art I’ve been thinking about for some time now. The themes revolve around using weather as a metaphor for feelings and states of mind. Partially because I see a lot of parallels there with my own emotional life, and partially because people here in the great Pacific Northwest (or the GPNW, if you like) are totally obsessed with the weather. If it strays in the summer months above 73 degrees, or in the winter below 42, people totally freak out… so interesting… I love it!

This piece is truly mixed media. Printed on Archival Fabriano printmaking paper. The first layer is a linoleum cut relief print, with a strip of handmade paper at the bottom. Then I used my Gocco printer to silkscreen a halftone screen on top of the blue, then another relief print for the house, and finally the roof of the house is a tiny piece of 22 gage Copper glued to the paper. I’m trying to marry all, (or some) of my skills together. This attempt may be a little expected… but that’s what happens when I procrastinate and have a strict deadline. One of these days I’ll be able to realize what I see in my mind’s eye on paper/canvas/etc.