Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., painting, Photography, Sewing | Tags: art, Christmas, Fashion, John Singer Sargent, Peabody Essex Museum, Watercolor painting
Okay, just kidding. Sort of. I seem to be the only member of the family who is interested in making a wide variety of Christmas cookies and eating them. Meanwhile, my son is still sloooowly making his way through his Halloween candy. I kid you not. He gets to have 2 pieces per day. Is that bad? Probably. Anyway…his memory for what candy is in his plastic pumpkin is like a steel trap…I don’t dare throw out the candy or eat some, lest I be willing to bear the tsunami of vitriol that I’ll receive from him. He’s definitely my kid.
What are those, you may ask? Well, I’m the over-achiever mommy who had to lovingly hand craft with a glue-gun these delightful gifts for my son’s kindergarten class. Not only am I up to my eyeballs in Christmas nonsense…my son’s birthday is Christmas day, so I’m also managing birthday nonsense. BTW…craft fur is pure evil…I may have a sort of mild case of “craft fur mesothelioma”, as a result.
In the true holiday spirit of giving, I bought myself this book recently:
LOVE IT! Not only are the Gee’s Bend quilts amazing…but the architectural photos and references are beautiful enough to satisfy this lapsed architect. These quilts seriously put to shame all of the boring, traditional quilts and fabrics that are today’s norm. I bask in their artistic and crafty glory.
So, I did manage to shovel my way out of the house to see some gorgeous art & fashion. (No, I wasn’t looking at what’s stuck on our kitchen refrigerator or at my son’s mismatched/backwards outfits.) I went to the MFA and the Peabody Essex Museum!!!
First…the Sargent show at the MFA:
John S. Sargent, Alice Runnells James, 1921, watercolor
Oh. My. God. Sargent’s watercolors are STUNNING. Look at her hand! Look at her face! Look at the smushed pillow! INCREDIBLE. (Please remember that this photo looks like complete garbage in comparison to the actual painting.) His watercolors are phenomenal. Watercolor painting, for those of you who have never attempted to tame that wild beast, is VERY difficult. It’s difficult because you’re trying to control pigmented water over the surface of paper…the pigment can settle in weird ways (if you’re incompetent, like me)…the colors are translucent, and thus every mark is indelible. There is so much that is so amazing about these works. With the most minimal of marks, he creates images that are luminous and, at a distance, appear nearly photographic. In a way, his painting are simultaneously abstract and realistic.
John S. Sargent, Venice: I Gesuati, 1909, watercolor
Can’t you just get a sense of the cloudy day in Venice? Look at that doorway!
John S. Sargent, Magnolias, 1908, watercolor
The shadows and dappled light on the water are gorgeous. You can practically see this bough, weighed down with its enormous blooms, bobbing in the breeze. MUST SEE.
Be warned…it might be crowded. It was when I went. I feel that when you are at a crowded exhibit, you need to be hyper-vigilant about your gallery etiquette. For example…please don’t stand directly in front of a painting chit chatting with your friend about what so-and-so said the other day. Go stand in the middle of the room and do that. Better yet, go get a coffee. Please don’t stand in front of a painting for more than, literally, sixty seconds. Come back to it if you need more time…there are thirty other people who’d also like to see it before the museum closes. Need I say more?
There was also an amazing photography exhibit: She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World. These images were gorgeous, albeit often disturbing.
Rula Halawani, Untitled I from Negative Incusions Series, 2002, pigment print
This negative image is so frightening and intense. These is something so eerie about the tone reversal…it does make it look like an electrified night scene. I also can’t imagine how Halawani felt standing right there to take the picture.
Rula Halawani, Untitled XIII from Negative Incusions Series, 2002, pigment print
Again…look how horrendous the subject matter is. She looks in danger of being crushed by a falling chunk of concrete. Was this her home? Did she know the people who lived there? So unbelievably sad.
SIGH. And now…to lighten the mood…besides making myself a cup of tea and eating my 27th holiday cookie of the day, I’ll show you the exhibit: Future Beauty: Avant-Garde Japanese Fashion at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Issey Miake, Dress & Coat from Spring/Summer 1995
As a complete addict to Project Runway, I was GIDDY at the sight of all of this STUNNING couture. I have also dabbled in sewing (i.e. struggling to sew a straight line), so my jaw dropped with so many of these fashions.
Junya Wantanabe, Comme des Garcons, Autumn/Winter 2000
For some reason, I wish that they had chosen mannequins that were more “abstracted.” Maybe that’s too “Sears” of me? Who knows. Look at that collar!!! Even the skirt, so plain in comparison, is gorgeous.
Tao Kurihara, Comme des Garcons, Spring/Summer 2010
Luckily, they did have some videos showing runway shows. This was good, as you miss how the clothing moves if you only see it on a mannequin. This dress would probably be pretty fantastic worn by some moody model stomping along. It becomes less so when I imagine myself in it (especially after my 27th holiday cookie for the day…) DRAMATIC SIGH.
Happy holidays to everyone! I hope to make it to 2014 with my sanity intact…albeit in a larger clothing size…
Oh well.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., Sewing | Tags: art, arts, boston, colored pencil, crafts, Donald Trump, drawing, Machine quilting, quilt
My current excuse for not having seen any new art is that it’s sweltering hot here. I guess it’s going to be 97 deg F tomorrow with tons of humidity.
I know…
It gets hotter in Texas…the Sahara Desert…the surface of the sun, etc. But does it get hotter than the dark interior of my dark blue car???? Nooooo…I think not. I’ve been feeling too lethargic to cook lately, and I’m wondering if there is some way that I can prepare dinner by cooking it IN MY CAR??? Fried eggs on the dashboard? No, those aren’t vegan…damn! Tofu pups instead? What IS seitan anyway? It looks like a wet, sweatsock turned inside out. No? Well, I hope that it doesn’t TASTE like that. Anyhoo…as I can’t afford a real convection oven, or at least one that doesn’t have four wheels and an engine, I was thinking of possibly doing a lasagna. Do you think that it would cook faster in the glove compartment, or on the dash? Tough call.
So, I recently finished a drawing. FINALLY. I’ll show it to you in a minute, but before I do, I had to celebrate it’s completion by making a baby quilt. My FIRST quilt…mind you. Needless to say, the quilt is done, but the sewing machine is in the shop. I think that I scared it half to death with my shoddy sewing skills. The feed dogs won’t go up anymore. I think that they’re either hiding, or on strike.
So, here’s the quilt!
I know. It’s sooooo basic. Hey, at least it’s a friggin’ rectangle. This is machine quilted entirely. I’m much too impatient to even remotely consider hand sewing. Besides…the binding was hand sewn, and I nearly made a pincushion out of my left thumb with my incompetent needle handling (yes, I’ve heard of a thimble). I can’t imagine doing a whole quilt. (Patty, I bask in your quilting glory.) I feel itchy to do another quilt! Is that normal? (Don’t answer that.) Actually, as I am a mosquito and poison ivy magnet, I tend to be itchy in general.
The back:
Super simple!
While I was working away on this thing, my son brought home one of HIS creations from camp. Here it is:
Do you know what that is? No, it’s not vermin. It’s a PET ROCK!!! He proudly told me that it will require no feeding and care. He also explained that after adding the first piece of brown fur, he felt that his rock was cold and needed the black fur as well. It’s like a bad toupee…or if Donald Trump somehow found himself in the story of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Anyway, I love it and think that it’s hilarious. I’m also a sucker for anything with googly eyes.
Speaking of googly eyes, after months of slaving over the minutiae of my drawing, it’s finished.
Nameless Problem #2, Elizabeth Kostojohn, 2013, colored pencil on mylar
Sorry for the glare…photography is not one of my strong suits…
No, I have not gone off the deep end. I’m just expressing my domestic angst. I’ve already started another one in this series, and I am seriously hoping that it does NOT take me months to complete. I’m also hoping that I don’t decide to ever draw Doritos again. Don’t get me wrong…they’re delicious and I love orange, but really…
Okay, I will make a SERIOUS effort to see some art next week. Until then, I’ll just have to wander around the yard in a heat induced stupor. The hydrangeas are about the only things that haven’t completely shriveled up and died in this heat.
Speaking of withering neglect, my son correctly used the word “languish” in a sentence this week. He’s five! Well, he only get’s half credit…as after he commented on how our unused British pound coin will “languish”, he said, “What does ‘languish’ even mean?” What does “languish” mean??? Just look at mommy trying to bake lasagna in the Toyota!!! I’m glad that my culinary failings can prove useful by enriching my son’s developing vocabulary. Next, I’m going to teach him, “exasperate”, “lethargy”, and “ennui…”
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, Sewing | Tags: 13 Forest, arlington, art, artist, boston, graduation, Massachusetts, preschool, visual art
So, I recently started exercising. I know. Don’t laugh. I truly forgot what sore muscles feel like. Actually, I forgot what muscles feel like altogether, so the whole thing is pretty shocking, to say the least. I haven’t succumbed to the lure of Ben Gay, though. When I was in high school, the heady aroma of Ben Gay would waft throughout the school in the week of “sports camp” leading up to the start of the Fall season. I’d rather hobble than smell that stuff again. (God forbid you rub your eye with some of that on your hand….YEEOUCH.) In order to nurse myself back to health, I’ve decided to just lie on the couch whilst eating an ice cream sandwich. You know…just like the pros do.
Besides moaning about my aching, yet seemingly nonexistent muscles, I did get out to see some art. This is lucky, as my own artwork continues to plod along at a glacial pace. I didn’t venture far, mind you. My hobbling limited the scope of my search. I decided that I would FINALLY go to 13 Forest Gallery here in Arlington, MA. (It’s kind of ridiculous/embarrassing that I had not been in before.) I met Marc Gurton, the owner, who was super friendly and has selected some really amazing artists to represent. Right now, they have a show titled, “Tangent,” which features the work of Mary O’Malley and Rebecca Roberts. Here are some views of the show:
13 Forest Gallery featuring Mary O’Malley and Rebecca Roberts
And another view:
13 Forest Gallery featuring Mary O’Malley and Rebecca Roberts
O’Malley creates intricate drawings with metallic ink and gouache typically on black paper. They are beautiful. The repetitive and abstract qualities makes me think of Islamic art, while the gilded palette makes me think of an illuminated manuscript. They have an opulent, yet understated quality about them. Very impressive.
Roberts creates gorgeous abstract fabric paintings in a mix of both bold and subtle hues. She not only plays with beautiful color palettes, but the texture of the fabric also varies. My favorite pieces were those with a color field surrounded by an unsymmetrical white background. Two of those pieces are in the photo above on the right side.
Here are some better shots of their work:
Mary O’Malley, Relic #10, Ink and Gouache on Paper, 16″ x 13″
The reflection is obviously not doing the work justice. But you can see the gorgeous palette and beautiful detail.
Rebecca Roberts, Pfeiffer Falls, Sewn Cotton Fabric, 18″ x 20″
This is one where an irregularly shaped field of color sits within a minimal, white background. I love it!
Anyone local to Arlington, MA should stop by to see the show. IN FACT, TONIGHT (June 21) BOTH ARTISTS ARE GOING TO BE SPEAKING AT THE GALLERY. There is a reception from 7-9pm. Go see what they have to say! (And please tell me what they say, as I don’t think that I can make it.)
Today is my son’s LAST DAY at preschool. He has gone to that school since he was four months old. (No joke.) So, we’re taking him out for a “graduation dinner.” to celebrate. This is also to ease the fact that he is NOT happy about leaving. Actually, he’s not happy about change of any sort, unless you mean adding a new toy to his collection. THEN, he embraces change completely and with zeal. Also, he’ll “embrace” the change in my purse, and add it to his ever expanding piggybank if I’m not paying attention. Naturally, if I ask him where the money is from…he’ll tell me that he “found it.” I guess that’s sort of true…
Actually, the whole concept of “truth” still does not register with him. He’s only 5, so I hope that there’s time to learn. Sometimes, he’ll blatantly lie about something. I’ll ask him, “Did you and Grandma get some ice cream today?” His response is an emphatic, “NO!” However, when I say that I’m going to call Grandma just to check, he changes his response to, “Wellllll, at least I don’t THINK that I had any ice cream…I don’t reaaaally remember.” He even scratches his chin quizzically for effect.
Hmmm.
I’m hoping that this does not indicate some future life of crime for him, but just a phase of development that he hasn’t quite reached yet…kind of like facial hair. Now, if the facial hair comes in BEFORE his understanding of “the truth”, THEN I will be concerned. Actually, there’s probably some correlation between the onset of facial hair and a regressive trend to actually forget what it means to tell the truth. Like, “No Mom, I didn’t take your ironing board and use it as a skateboard ramp. I don’t know where those wheel marks came from.”
HMMMMM.
I’ve decided to stop worrying about all of that now and just go ice my sore muscles with another ice cream sandwich…
So, I met with my art advisor this week. THANK GOODNESS. I’ve been stressing about what OTHER brilliant thing I should be trying to do…(assuming that what I have been doing is brilliant). After much discussion, it seems best for me to just continue with the series that I’ve been working on. I hope that through this, a new direction will slowly emerge. That, or I’m never going to want to see another pear in my life.
I got some postcards made of my work. See?
That’s what the front of the card looks like…and the back:
Snazzy, huh? I think that it turned out pretty well. 50 was the minimum quantity to print, so I’m going to have these hanging around the house for awhile. I see a large house of cards in my future, or perhaps this is what I will send out as holiday cards this year…
In true fussy, or “binky”, fashion (as my friend used to call it)…I’ve created a rather elaborate routine chart for my four-year old. I’m actually taking a parenting class now, and it’s our homework for the week. This chart is supposed to let your kid take more responsibility for taking care of themselves in the morning. Kind of like a sticker chart…but a little more “permanent”. Check it out:
I know. I have a problem. Could it be any more fussy? This is what happens when you let an architect do a project…it gets WAY fussy. Naturally, I like it. ANYWAY…each photo is supposed to show him what he’s supposed to do next, in order to get ready for school. THEN, when he completes each task…he flips over his picture as such:
Seriously, though…don’t you think that I’m ON to something here??? (No, I didn’t say that I’m on something…pay attention) I see a future etsy store selling these…although I’m not sure that I really want to make another one. Therein lies the challenge of hand-crafted commodities…
I also have this notion that I’m going to sew a dress from a vague (not Vogue) pattern, which is completely in Japanese. Basically…I had to hem two pairs of pants this week, and now I’m itching to sew. Part of this is also just a general need to “make” things (as evidenced by the ridiculous routine chart above). I love drawing…but I think that sometimes I have to switch gears and just MAKE STUFF. Here is what the dress is supposed to look like…(the one on the left):
Cute, right? Kind of summer-y and casual…note: I am likely NOT the size of that diminutive Japanese woman in the photo. No matter! Here is what the pattern looks like:
That’s it…one page on the left. Did I mention that I can read not an iota of Japanese? Pshaw! I like a challenge! I also had to guess on fabric yardage. I pray that what I have will be enough. I wanted to get linen for the dress, but linen is SO EXPENSIVE. I think that it was around $17/yard. What??? I think that’s out of my budget. So, I’m trying to make the “econo” version. I am naturally concerned that this will look like an enormous tent on me, and I’ll have to chalk it up as another fail…but who cares. I’ll make curtains out of it (LOTS of curtains), if needed. Actually, I’m worried that when I’m done with it…I’ll look like some kind of birkenstock/hemp-wearing hippie. That’s NOT the look that I’m after.
If it looks only semi-bad, I’ll post a picture, ok???
Filed under: painting, Sewing | Tags: abstract, acrylic, art, artist, curtains, figurative, painting, sewing
Yes. I can’t believe it either. After a year from the date that we first pulled the building permit, we finally got it signed off today. The basement is DONE! I am so excited to move ALL of my art-stuff down there. FINALLY!!!!! No more stacking tupperware containers of inks, papers, tools, etc. in the dining room!!! Ahhh…I won’t know what to do with all of that space! I have a sinking feeling, though, that I will quickly fill it up. Hmm. But why dwell on that now? I may have to have a celebratory iced latte today.
I also FINALLY finished a house project that I have been planning on doing for practically a year as well. I finally made a little curtain for our front door. Yes, I know…not a big deal. What is a curtain, anyway? Just a rectangle of fabric, right? Well, yes it is…and I finally did it. Here it is:
I think that it looks great. I love this fabric. It’s kind of pricey…well, not Marimekko pricey, but a little expensive. It’s actually from Japan. I have some other fabric from this line as armrest covers on our hideous couches. Nice!
Not much going on art-wise. I took a stab at acrylic painting. Not so good. Luckily, I am taking a painting class this fall…so I should get some pointers! I know. Why have I spent the past year developing my printmaking knowledge, only to switch gears and start painting? Because it’s ALL so fun! So, I’m back to square one…learning how to paint. I did take painting in high school…and I have had a watercolor class and an oil painting class since then. Needless to say, I am at the bottom of the learning curve. I hope that there is no where to go other than up. Here they are on the wall:
I know. Stop laughing. Overall, they make me cringe…but there are ASPECTS of them that I like. Here is a part that I like of the first one:
That’s kind of appealing. I know…nothing earth-shattering. Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Here is a closeup of the other one:
I’m happy with how the guy turned out. The woman bothers me and has some issues. This painting is based on an old photograph, so I can’t take any credit for the overall look to it…only the crude execution. So, I am facing this challenge head on…I hope that by the end of the year, my acrylic painting skills will have developed. If not…well…I don’t know what, if not. Drown my sorrows in lattes…
[I may have to work on that woman some more…she’s really bothering me…]
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., printmaking, Sewing | Tags: Charlie Brown, Chicago, Christmas, Christmas tree, crafts, hand made, Holidays, ornaments, Real tree, Shopping, Tree
Hello all! I’ve been asked to try to provide progress images of what I’m up to. Here’s a serigraph (screen print), that is in progress:
Here some images of my holiday cards…relief print:
And here is something in progress…tree ornaments! This is a good segue to my next topic: tree debate!
Okay. When I was growing up, our family would sometimes get a real tree at Christmas time…and sometimes not. When we didn’t get a real tree, we used my mom’s FABULOUS silver aluminum tree. I believe that she and a girlfriend bought the tree when they had a tiny apartment in Chicago. Anyway, I loved that tree. Much to my horror, she threw it out one year WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST. I know…get a life. Whatever. So, I’ve wanted one of those trees for ages. I got a vintage one from ebay last year, and I was SO excited. I think that my mom’s tree was better.., but this one is pretty cool. Okay, so the debate is: the rest of my family is not fond of the idea of a fake tree, never mind a silver one. So, I’m posting photos to get more opinions. Am I crazy, or is this thing kind of cool? Be honest. The first photo is just the plain tree…bare bones:
I know…it has a sort of Charlie Brown sparseness to it. But wait! What if I add some lights?
What if I go crazy, and add some PINK lights? (as we had in my childhood…should explain a lot about me)
I know. My husband is NOT going to go for this. But whyyyyyyyy??? Isn’t it COOL? No? Hmm…okay, I also made some silly, pillow ornaments for the tree. You may hate these as well, but give me your opinions on them:
And now, in the silver tree:
So, what do you think? Creepy? Cute? Blah? Yucky?
I like them! I know. Mies van der Rohe would throw up.
My son, inspecting the tree:
Filed under: Sewing | Tags: craft, quilt, quilting, sewing, sewing machine
So, I have MOSTLY finished the mini-quilt. What do you think? I think that it needs something…messy, added to it. I haven’t decided what, though. So, in the meantime, I’m just going to leave it. Let me just say that finishing this little thing was a serious effort, as my sewing machine was NOT cooperating. Luckily, when I took it to Marie’s Sewing in Woburn, they were so helpful and got me back on track. That machine is VERY temperamental/fussy/prone to pouting and refusing to work. Much like me! We’re a perfect fit! Anyway, I’d like to keep going with the quilting. Maybe if I make enough of these, I can join them into one big quilt. Notice that I do not yet have the energy/gumption to make a big quilt in and of itself. Someday…
slightly wonky 
