Filed under: Collage, Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, artist, Collage, print, printmaking, Visual Arts
So, I did a bit of a crazy thing. I signed up to have my “portfolio” reviewed by professionals in the local art world…gallery owners, curators, etc. The Cambridge Art Association has organized this. Each artist gets three, 20 minute conversations with three different reviewers. This seemed like a great idea when I signed up. Now, I’m panicking.
I realized, after signing up, that this is a very formal interview. Think of it as a job interview for artists. I thought that I could casually bring a pile of my work, and just talk about what seems to have potential. This is NOT what is supposed to happen. I am supposed to have a clear, coherent portfolio of around 8 works/images to discuss. I am presenting myself and my work, as if I was trying to get them to offer to show my work. This is…serious.
As a result, I am in a bit of a panic. What am I going to show them? Which one of these varied things is going to be my “thing”…my “artistic vision”? My vision feels blurry right now. I now believe that I must create something BRILLIANT in the next couple of weeks. When I puts this kind of pressure on myself…a kind of paralysis ensues. I’m freaking out. I also realize that I CANNOT mention this blog, lest they read about my panic. That wouldn’t be very professional, I think.
So, I somehow have to get my act together very quickly. I do wish that I could miraculously come up with some brilliant things in the next week or so. I have a feeling that’s not reasonable.
Sigh. Now, onto other matters of panic…
I’m taking a collage class. This also stresses me out. In graduate school, I took a collage class. It was traumatizing. I think that I have mentioned it before in a previous post. Anyway, I am hoping that this class is more relaxed, and doesn’t make me break out in a cold sweat every time I see a glue stick.
Here are the random things that I did in the last class:
We were supposed to do a collage about ourselves…in 20 minutes. That’s what I came up with. Hmmm…I won’t explain.
This is the next collage, where we had to use one entire page of a magazine to make the collage:
I kind of liked that one. This next one was supposed to be an “all text” collage. I was in a rush, as I ran out of time because I was chit-chatting with my classmates.
Kind of silly. This was sort of refreshing, though, as our collages in grad school ALWAYS had to be rectangles with clean edges. Yawn.
Here is the other color scheme of that lino print from before. I’m disappointed with it.
Okay, pay attention:
Has anyone out there done an “artist interview”? Any words of wisdom? I know. Don’t panic. Seriously…besides “not panicking”, anything else to think about? How do you decide what to present, when your work is so varied? Don’t say, “avoid participating in interviews”, or “get your act together”. That’s obvious, and not helpful.
Maybe I should wear a disguise and use a fake name…KIDDING (I think).
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., painting, printmaking | Tags: art, india ink, Ink, lithography, painting, pinecone, printmaking, pronto plate, Visual Arts, winter
Today, an odd thing occurred…I was driving along the highway, and, for a brief minute or two, there was sunshine. But this didn’t look like winter sunshine. It looked like spring/summer sunshine. I actually had a momentary feeling of it being summer. HOW BIZARRE. I’m sure that you know what I mean…there is just a feeling associated with each season. It was so strange to have that feeling of summer for a minute or two, in spite of the fact that it’s February and we’re up to our armpits in snow. It was like a deja vu: “Oh…this is so familiar, yet weird…” I know. Just keep my eyes on the road and pay attention! But still…it was SO nice! I wish that it didn’t disappear…
Well, I’m still experimenting. I’m starting to feel that I need to work on something “bigger”. Everything that I do has just been little sketches. Perhaps I need to try to tackle something…MORE. Who knows what that means. Can one get loopy from the smell of ink? gum arabic? banana bread? (I made some yesterday).
Here are some of my latest sketches. I’m trying to think of things to potentially make a solar plate from. The black and white ink sketches are some thoughts. The color image is my first pronto print at home! Yay! It sort of worked! It’s one of those procedures that is a bit temperamental. The first few prints went well…then for some reason, things started to not work well. The ink wouldn’t stick to the plate, so that later prints are more faint. Sigh. Well, not bad for my first at-home attempt.
Did anyone else see that sunshine today? It was hovering over route 95 in Waltham…
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: Big Bird, drypoint, new england, printmaking, snow, Snow removal, weather
The snow is…ridiculous. I have done nothing productive this week…on account of the blizzard/ice storm/feverish & snotty preschooler. I have some pictures of the snow nonsense to make all of you not in the area cackle with schadenfreude. I’m glad that I also got a parking ticket the other night for being PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. Apparently, I was interfering with snow removal. Maybe we should have our driveway shortened. I wonder if the telephone poles nearby also got a ticket, as they are as close to the road as my car is…
I will hopefully make it to my TWO art classes this week. I may actually be able to do something productive, besides shoveling, cleaning up, being Big Bird, cooking, reading stories, and general domestic nonsense.
The igloo:
my husband’s car:
our street:
the neighbor’s house:
our house:
Okay. So, I have done some work. Here are a couple of drypoint plates in progress. They may be printed tonight. Right now, my son is laughing to himself. I have him home because he’s “sick”. I must go check and see what destruction is afoot…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting | Tags: arts, chicken, Collage, drawing, Igloo, Ink, painting, Rainbow Brite, sketching, watercolors
Well, this just about does it. Apparently, we are getting MORE snow. I’ve heard between 4 and…21 inches??? What kind of estimate is THAT? Anyway, all of this snow has put me over the deep end. I’m bracing myself for two days of winter ugliness. My husband has possibly embraced this whole snow thing more than I have…this is the IGLOO in our front yard that he built for my son:
Yes, you know it’s bad when you have an igloo on your front lawn. Hey, at least I’m not LIVING in an igloo. Sometimes, I am so cold in the house that it feels like an igloo. I’ve typed the word, “igloo” so many times now, that it’s starting to look weird. Hence, I am losing my grip on reality with all of this ice-hut-building/snowball-eating/northeast-cursing/blood vessel-bursting/stir-crazy/cabin-fever weather.
I’m trying to fight S.A.D. by using obnoxious colors. I’m not sure that it’s working for me.
Do any of you remember the toy, “Rainbow Brite“? I feel like I’m channeling her…
These are my neurons when I heard that we were getting more snow…
Now, I’m completely regressing…
I did this ages ago, and never wanted to post it. Well…I think that this is the time to post such randomness…
If this week is a series of snow days…you may not hear from me in awhile. I’ll be holding a plastic Elmo figurine and mumbling to myself in the corner of the room while my son asks me to “make Elmo talking…”
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: abstract, art, drawing, Ink, printmaking, sketching, snowday, Visual Arts
This week I had TWO printmaking classes! Yes, I know. I am so lucky. I am also so grateful!
In one class, we experimented with trace monotypes. This is where you ink up a plate, gently lay a paper on top of the plate, then rub/draw/scribble on the paper, thus picking up the ink from the plate underneath. This can have cool results…some of my previous posts have some of these monotypes. However, a lot of it has to do with getting the ink consistency perfect on the plate. My attempts during my class on Thursday night did not yield the results that I’d hoped for…sigh. Back to the drawing board, or printing plate, or whatever…
In my second class, we are doing solarplate etching. This is using a copper plate coated with a light sensitive emulsion. You create an image on acetate, then put the acetate on the plate, expose the plate to UV light, and then the image is “burned” onto the plate. When you print this plate (intaglio), you smush ink into the recesses of the plate, and wipe of the excess. Then, the ink in the recesses gets printed. Neat! We only managed to make some test plates today. No printing until next week.
So, in spite of the fact that I did have two classes this week, I haven’t a lot to show for myself. Did I mention that we also had a snow day? Below, you’ll see how our outdoor table looks, and the lego creation that my son made on our snow day…
I’m in one of those phases when I have an expansive awareness of how much I don’t know, and how little experience I have in printmaking. I hope that there is a place for me in this art world…it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with other people’s talents. I know…you’ve got to start SOMEWHERE…I’m trying not to feel that I should just stick to architecture, or finger paints, or lego…
Can you BELIEVE this snow??? Doesn’t this look ridiculous???
The lego creation in process…very 2D…
This is what my solarplates look like…you can barely see that there are marks on them…
And some other sketchy stuff that I kept myself busy with…
Sometimes, I wonder if I should just stick to drawing! Or maybe architecture…this is what I used to do…
Hmmm. I remember that world…no room for errors…lots of information/people/details to manage…nice people…lots of stress, though…LOTS of it. Things are still stressful in my new situation, but they aren’t unhealthy. Plus, I get to see my family! 🙂
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: abstract, art, Brayer, colorful, Ink, monotype, printmaking, red, Visual Arts
I was about to write, “it’s amazing how much frozen water can disrupt everything”, but then I thought of the Titanic. Hmm. Makes our perpetual cocoon of snow seem less formidable.
It’s hard to keep a schedule now. Snow days abound. Our thermometer read -6 degrees one morning this week. 15 degrees is starting to feel pretty good, and 32 is positively balmy.
I hope that in spite of the snow, I can make it to my two classes this week. I can see why taking classes in the winter can be a bit of a challenge. But, the light outside can be so great! When the sun is setting…all of those mounds of snow glow with a pinkish light, while the shadows remain a purplish-blue. Throw in some black, jagged branches, and you have quite a scene! I’ll try to remember to take a picture.
I’m continuing with my printmaking. I worked with the new brayer technique that I was shown in my last class. The teacher actually paints/draws like this. In fact, during class she “drew” a remarkable hummingbird with her brayer. (A brayer is a hard, rubber roller used to apply ink). Pretty amazing. I like working with lots of layers of ink.
I would LOVE to own a press someday. I know…dream on. They are $$$$. The images are just so much more saturated and crisp when you use a press, instead of hand burnishing/rubbing the back of the paper. If you know of someone who is somehow TIRED of their exquisite press, and would like to see it go to a good home…let me know.
Here’s my recent work…stay warm!
It feels like such a relief for me to be taking a break from straight lines, clean drawings, neat everything…In architecture, drawings are legal documents, or instructions. No extraneous or unclear information should be provided. CLARITY. Well, obviously…these kinds of drawings/prints have an entirely different purpose. How refreshing!
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, cabin fever, cambridge, education, printmaking, snow, Visual Arts
Today is a snow day here. Schools closed…cars buried…cabin fever…
This is the first moment that I’ve had to think…my three-year old son is not one for just lazing around. He’s a man of action, and he expects a partner in crime at all times, namely, me. I’ve been Big Bird, Elmo, someone named Harry, Richard Rabbit from Peppa Pig, and countless other characters during our playing today. In other words, I’m fried.
My snow day today also meant that my printmaking class today was cancelled. Oh well! But I DID have my other printmaking class last night. It’s at a fairly new arts center called Maud Morgan Arts in Cambridge. I’m taking a class called Print Sampler…with FOUR different, highly respected printmakers. Each teacher will teach two, non-consecutive classes. Last night, we have a fabulous teacher named Jan. Her last name escapes me right now. [edit 1/26: Jan Arabas] Truly, in one class I already feel that I learned SO much. Who knew what kind of fun stuff you could do with a brayer? I do wish that she had brought some images of her work, just for inspiration. The group seems varied and nice, so I think that it will be great…assuming that I can attend all of the classes.
Last night, I also had a drink with my dear friend KP. She’s the one who finally pushed me to get this blog going, and who is a constant font of thoughtful and kind guidance. Anyway, she pressed me to have my posts share more information…not just the images. One question she asked was, “why printmaking?” Good question…I don’t have an eloquent answer. So, what is printmaking? In essence, it is transferring ink from a matrix (copper plate, wood block, etc.), to another surface (typically paper). This impression from the matrix is a print, and it is this process that sets it apart from painting, drawing, etc. etc. So, why printmaking? There is something amazing/unexpected/mysterious that happens when you make a print. Until you actually press the paper to the matrix…you don’t actually KNOW how the print will look. Obviously, skilled printmakers probably have a highly refined sense, and know exactly what they will get. But even then, I still think that there is something (and I hate to use this word) “magical” about peeling back the paper for the first time to look at a print. You control so much of the process, but there is a final toss of the dice that adds a fascinating twist. This twist can be VERY frustrating. NUMEROUS times I have imagined how I believe the print will turn out, only to be surprised by the actual result. Again, with years of experience this surprise lessens/disappears, but undoubtedly the excitement of pulling the print remains.
Here are pictures of the snow, the toys we played with endlessly today, and the print from last night…each a moment in my past 24 hours…stay warm!
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking | Tags: art, drawing, Ink, printmaking, Rilke, Visual Arts
I’m still on this microcosm theme. Tiny things…organisms…swirling around together…there’s something about imagining that miniscule world that is fascinating. We all rush around in cars, in subways…talking, laughing, frowning…and the whole time there are little worlds like this bumping around…inside of us? (Hopefully not on the grab bar on the subway…gross!) I remember peering into microscopes in high school, searching for that paramecium or ameoba. The ameobas were slow, but the parameciums could really move! Sometimes, we’d have to stain the solution that they were in, so that they were more easily seen. I guess these are the types of images I have in my head…peering and searching, appearing and disappearing…
So, this evening is one of my first printmaking classes! I am very excited. I am somewhat concerned, though, as there is no materials list. I’ve never had an art class with no materials list, so I’m hoping that all the materials will be supplied. If not, I’ll be bummed..either because I don’t have what is needed, or because we are just going to TALK the entire first class, which is NOT ideal. I know. Some talking is good.
I had lunch today with an ex-colleague. She’s wonderful, and it was great to catch up. It was definitely STRANGE to walk into my old office. Everyone is SO nice there, so it isn’t because I didn’t like being there. It’s just so odd to walk in as a spectator, not a participant. I remember the intensity of my existence there.
Wish me luck on my class tonight. I found a lovely poem about being a beginner:
If the Angel
deigns to come
it will be because
you have convinced
her, not by tears but
by your humble resolve to be always
beginning: to be a
beginner.
– Rilke
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, Calvin Coolidge, Collage, drawing, Graduate school, inspiration, Manwich, President, United States, Visual Arts
Hey all…not much free time lately…on account of there being SIXTEEN INCHES OF SNOW outside. Seriously. Our two lane street, is now a 1.5 lane street. Sidewalks? We don’t need no stinkin’ sidewalks! Can you tell that I’m a bit crotchety?
So, I’ve not had the free time that I dream of lately. As a result, my work has been minimal…mostly black & white. I did attempt a collage at the end…you’ll see my Manwich reference. I am sort of scared of collage. I think that I already told the story of taking a collage class in grad school, and the teacher not liking any of my stuff. This kind of stuck with me. I didn’t disagree with him, really.
I also have to say, going to the Leonard Drew exibit was so amazing, yet so depressing. I mean…seriously, when I see stuff like that…I just wonder WHY I bother at all. No joke. I’ve been feeling rather uninspired and droopy lately, on account that I am not a brilliant artist. Go figure. I know…I have to pick myself up and just keep going.
I’m going to share with you my favorite quote of all time. It typically helps me pick myself off the floor when I often find myself there. In all honesty, I have basically built my life around it:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are alone omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
– Calvin Coolidge
And so I press on…
slightly wonky 
