Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., painting, printmaking, Sewing | Tags: Cy Twombly, fabric, painting, pouch, sewing, watercolor
Yay! Spring is here! Get out the lightweight mittens! Get out the waterproof, yet non-bulky, knee-high boots! Get out the gauzy, cotton scarves!
Just kidding…
It’s in the mid 20’s and I’m bundled up like an Eskimo. Right now, I’m wearing a down coat in the house. My feet feel cold.
Beyond the perpetual climate woes in the Northeast (did I mention that Boston broke its snowfall record this year? Yay/Boo!), I sprained my knee recently, which is beyond annoying. I’m not a good patient, as I avoid seeing the doctor, do internet research, and hope for the best. I have a perfect excuse for laying on the couch all day eating bon-bons with my leg elevated, and yet that seems like a tedious way to spend the day. Instead, I hobble around trying to do stuff, wondering WHY my leg doesn’t feel any better. It’s kind of sad that I’m not even 50, and I’ve already started moaning about my aches and pains. Would you like to discuss the pros/cons between three different types of knee brace? No? Do you think that if I wore all three at once, it would heal faster?
In spite of my aching leg, I’ve managed to play around a bit with sewing, printmaking, and painting. I made a little pouch for my SIL:
It’s cute, right?
Here is one of the annoying things about photography that I struggle with…COLOR CORRECTION. Here is the same pouch in direct sunlight:
Looks pretty different, right? AAAARGH. I hate dealing with trying to reproduce accurate colors. It wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t listing things on Etsy. But because I am, I’m constantly struggling to get accurate color. It’s truly maddening. Well, it’s not as bad as cooking and grocery shopping, but a close second.
I took a 6 hr printmaking class on reduction printing. It was fun, even though I made some serious disaster prints. We just used those cheap styrofoam plates to print with. Here is a tutorial on this kind of printing. I was sort of content with this print:
You can do this kind of printing at home without a press, so give it a try! Do not accidentally lean your elbow on your styrofoam plate because you will:
a. get ink on your elbow
b. make an indentation in your plate which will affect your print.
Unless, of course, you’re into elbow prints. Who am I to judge?
I was also mucking around with watercolors too. In grad school, I took a VERY ANAL RETENTIVE watercolor course. We were doing Beaux Arts watercolors like this:
I know. WHY was I learning this in architecture school, as it’s soooo stodgy and traditional? I wanted to learn how to do this as it was an actual SKILL. Have I used that skill since then? No, but whatever. ANYWAY…I brought this up because this is my only experience with watercolor. Very rigid. So, this week, I started to just play with watercolors…generally making a mess.
I kind of liked doing these! Just blobs of color. Look at the cool effects you get with watercolor:
Neat, right?
I have basically spent the majority of my life trying to be precise and perfect in what I do (except for cooking and cleaning). Now, I’ve realized that this is total B.S., and it’s better to be messy. Notice that my fish print is completely anal retentive, YET AGAIN. Okay, so I fell of the wagon a bit. Clearly, I am still struggling to stop being that way, but I am working on it.
There is a reason that I love Cy Twombly’s work:
THE MAN
I love his work because it is SO free. That may not be the academic interpretation of what he does, but it’s mine. I love how visceral and messy his work is. LOVE IT. As a recovering perfectionist, I yearn for this…
Sigh! (Cy!)
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing, etsy, Helen Payne, Mary O'Malley, New Art Center, painting
We had a lovely drive out to central MA for Thanksgiving!
I love Thanksgiving. It’s like Christmas’s non-crazy twin, or family without the frenzy. That sanity is short lived, as Black Friday follows (Christmas’s eccentric and unstable Aunt), and today is Cyber Monday (Christmas’s left-brained, introverted second cousin who won’t put down his phone, and hasn’t actually communicated with another human being using his vocal chords for a least two years…) Thanksgiving is the only somewhat NORMAL member of that holiday family.
Is it bad that I haven’t started to do any holiday shopping, or even any holiday PLANNING, for that matter? Probably. Let me help those of you who are also behind schedule by making some gift suggestions:
Mary O’Malley on Etsy:
O’Malley is a fantastic artist who creates intricate paintings that are exotic and gorgeous. Please take a look at her Etsy shop HERE. You can either get a lovely reproduction of her work, or you can splurge and get an original. A brilliant gift idea!
AlmostSundayInc on Etsy:
My friend owns this store, and there are TONS of cute options for gifts. I like the idea of either personalized stationery or a cool print.
Nicole Porter Design on Etsy:
Aren’t those wooden plates/bowls AMAZING? Please check out her shop HERE. Again…unique and beautiful gifts abound…
OrangeLadyBird on Etsy:
For those of you who don’t want to fool around with shipping anything…my friend (who is a graphic designer) has lots of DIGITAL items to buy in her shop. You can get a download of her digital creations…which you can print at home to your heart’s content. Check out the cool “infinity banner.” I like the “home scavenger hunt” cards as well…especially if they had a drawing of my husband’s house keys, which he seems to lose constantly.
I’m basically suggesting that instead of heading to the infernal MALL to buy generic gifts for people…that you buy stuff that is UNIQUE and HANDMADE from brilliant and crafty people. What would you rather have in your stocking?
THIS?
Yes, that’s for real.
or THIS?
Seriously. That drawing/painting is divine.
In stark contrast to that gorgeous creation, my son and I have started a comic strip. It’s kind of hilarious. It’s mostly me doing the scribbly drawings, and he colors it in and laughs. Here are the first two pages:
We made up this ridiculous clam character. He took the drawings to school today, so I’m sure that they are wadded up in the bottom of his backpack by now. Sigh. Stay tuned for more.
While this is the kind of drawing that I’ve been up to lately, my friend, Helen, recently had a show open and is the artist-in-residence at the New Art Center in Newton. WOO HOO! Her show is titled, Becoming Four Women. Here is a brief description of it:
The New Art Center is pleased to announce the opening of Helen Payne: Becoming Four Women. This exhibition centers around four female characters that Payne has been developing over the past several months. Payne imagines these women at different stages in their intertwined lives. Taking on their disparate personalities, Payne journals, paints and draws in character to create a series of work that tells a multi-media story from several points of view.
I was lucky to be able to go to the reception. Here are some of the images of her fantastic work:
Helen Payne, Becoming Four Women at the New Art Center
Helen has done many beautiful drawings on tiles, such as this one.
Helen Payne, Becoming Four Women at the New Art Center
That is a gorgeous oil painting of one of the characters that Helen is exploring during her residency. You can stop by the New Art Center, and find Helen busy at work. Please stop by! It’s an amazing opportunity not only to see her work, but also to TALK to her about the work. How often do you go to a gallery and have the artist right there? I should tell you to bring her food as well, as she probably forgets to eat (unlike me).
Helen Payne, Becoming Four Women at the New Art Center
This is Helen’s desk in the gallery. You can see numerous sketches and drawings scattered about, with notes about each of the four women she portrays.
Helen Payne, Becoming Four Women at the New Art Center
Helen is a virtuoso of both painting and drawing. Please go to learn more about these four characters and the fascinating narrative that Helen has created between them. The show is up until December 20, so you have PLENTY of time to go, (especially as I have already done the planning for your holiday shopping!!! You can thank me later by sending me some of these.)
REMEMBER:
Spit upon mass-produced/generic junk!
Bring a snack and say “hi” when you visit Helen!
AND…
Send me peppermint marshmallows! (just kidding…sort of…)
Enjoy the holiday season without needing to be put in a Santa Claus themed straight jacket, as January/February will be here soon…and that just sucks!
Ho Ho HEEEEELLLP!!!
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting | Tags: Amy Sillman, art, boston, drawing, ICA Boston, Kindergarten, painting
I’ve managed to make it through this holiday season with most of my sanity intact. The snow day today and tomorrow, however, has REALLY made me borderline cray-cray. If it hadn’t been 15 degrees outside, I might have just bundled up my son and shoved him out to get him some FRESH AIR, and me some SANITY. Alas…I was fearful that his cherubic cheeks would ice over, so we’ve been inside all day. ALL DAAAAY.
I may have to go for a walk/trudge to Trader Joe’s tomorrow…just to get out. I’ll just hang out there all day, eating samples and commenting on what people are buying, until I am asked to leave. There’s a Starbucks next door, so I’ll just move my insanity show over there. I suppose I’ll return home when I’m no longer welcome there either.
This has been a particularly busy time. Not only was it Christmas…but my son’s birthday IS Christmas day, which adds complication and hysteria. Not only that…just a few days before, I drove out to Cohoes, NY for the opening of a two-person show that I am in at The Foundry. The show is titled, “The Human Condition + Communication Technologies,” and my series titled, “Are You Still There?” is on display.
Elizabeth Kostojohn at The Foundry
The work of the other artist, Nancy Daly, was SO interesting…
Nancy Daly, Status Update, at The Foundry
Nancy Daly, Looking for Love, at The Foundry
Her work comments on social media, its simultaneously transient yet permanent nature, and the vastness of it. It’s just a coincidence that her work is as monochromatic as mine. The pieces looked good together!
My best Christmas gift this year was not a nap or a box of chocolates, but an amazingly funny poster that my son’s teacher had him fill out. I guess this poster is supposed to be an “about me” type of thing. I love the fact that my son didn’t even ask for help in any way…he just grabbed a marker and set out working on it. Here are some of the things that I learned about him:
He is six years old and his favorite animal is a “pekok.” REALLY???? Since when does he like peacocks??? Look at his crazy self portrait….I love his arms. He’s kind of “groovin'” along like he’s on Soul Train, or something.
Yes, that’s our happy family. I’m just glad that we’re all smiling. Let’s hope that he remembers his childhood this way. Mommy looks so relaxed and happy! Look how wiggly I am! Please also notice that his favorite color is white (wht?), and that his favorite food is “hot dog.” So true.
Here is his favorite place…no surprise here. I notice that he omitted including the lyme disease infested deer ticks in the long grass, which he so lovingly drew. Good call. He also doesn’t show mommy yelling, “AAAAA!! GET OUT OF THE GRASS!!!!!” Nice.
Make the treehouse? WHAT??? I think that he and his dad must have come up with some idea about this. I’m staying out of it so that I can’t be blamed when he falls out of the tree and DSS arrives.
Oh, joy. He wants to be a demolisher when her grows up. Greaaaat. Well, judging by the looks of our living room, I’d say that he’s going to be a natural.
Okay, how friggin’ cute is that???? He’s wishing for Christmas. Notice that all that’s needed is himself, a present, and a tree. Notice also the enormous grin on his face. Mommy is probably still asleep upstairs in this image. I know…I know…he didn’t wish for “peace on earth” or anything thoughtful like that. We’re working on peaceful at home before we move onto the whole dang planet.
Besides this fantastically funny poster from my son, my other treat this holiday vacation was to get myself to the ICA to see Amy Sillman‘s show, “One Lump or Two,” JUST before the show closes on January 5. I LOVED IT. Sillman is a wry, master of color, and supremely talented. I bask in her artistic brilliance. Here are just a few of the highlights…
Any Sillman, Ocean 1, 1977, Oil on Canvas
So gorgeous. I love the use of primary colors…the contrast between the saturated background and the bold, graphic waves…the layering and transparency…ahhh.
Amy Sillman, The Umbrian Line, 1999-2000, Gouache on paper
This series of drawings is so beautiful. Sillman’s colors and her mix of almost collage-like flatness with delicate linework in these works is amazing. I felt like I could have stared at each one for an eternity.
This series of portraits was fantastic. I love the distortions in the figures…they seem more real, as a result.
Amy Sillman, Psychology Today, 2006, Oil on Canvas
She has many large, bold paintings with a combination of discernible figures and loose abstraction. I think that one of the things that I really love about what she does is that she is always mixing unexpected colors, images, shapes, and ideas. She can create both minimal drawings of great humor and enormous paintings with visceral intensity. This show feels as if it gives a very rich view into this artist and her world. Perhaps that is more a result of her willingness or desire to have herself revealed in these works? Not sure…
Amy Sillman, A Bird In the Hand, 2006, Oil on Canvas
Amy Sillman, Shade, 2010, Oil on Canvas
Amy Sillman, Drawer, 2010, Oil on Canvas
This is a MUST SEE show. I’m sorry that I’m writing about it so late! Sigh. Now, I’m getting panicky that it’s closing soon…it would take a small miracle for me to be able to see it again. Best not push my luck…but YOU should see it. I know that there is a blizzard outside, but if you head out now with your team of sled dogs…you’ll probably make it to the ICA in time to see this before it closes. Hey…while you’re at it, pick me up along the way! I’m lovely company, and I’ll bring you a bunch of extra samples from Trader Joe’s. I PROMISE.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, sculpture | Tags: art, artist, decordova, deCordova Museum, drawing, museum, Orly Genger, painting, sculpture
This has been a rather rough week. A friend of mine, her two sons, and her husband died this week. I won’t go into the details, as those are even worse. I want to say something profound about the whole ordeal, and about her, but I’m at a bit of a loss. I feel as if my brain stopped working this week…my thoughts have been stuck like a needle skipping on a record, repeating the same awful refrain. Short periods of heartache and angst have been interspersed among longer periods of numbness.
I tried to find solace this week by going somewhere that I love: The deCordova Museum.
I have been coming here ever since I moved to the area in 1998. I find it to be peaceful and beautiful. It truly feels like an escape to me. This week, it helped provide me with fresh air and a necessary, albeit temporary, distraction. While I walked around like a bit of a zombie, there were things that made me smile and appreciate that there is still beauty in this world. I don’t mean beauty in a superficial sense, but beauty of thought and sensibility. I present to you what I saw at the museum…because I can’t talk or think about my sadness right now.
Orly Genger, Red, Yellow and Blue, deCordova Museum
It was a cold and clear day. I aimlessly meandered through the grounds and was drawn to this new installation by Orly Genger. I first saw her work at Mass MOCA. This specific piece was originally commissioned for Madison Square Park in NYC.
Orly Genger, Red, Yellow and Blue, deCordova Museum
I love to knit, so the loopy, monumental, yet somehow furtive, quality of this work appeals to me. I like that it becomes taller than a person at times, defying knitting’s typical scale and delicacy.
Orly Genger, Red, Yellow and Blue, deCordova Museum
It winds its way around, changing from red, to yellow, to blue.
Orly Genger, Red, Yellow and Blue, deCordova Museum
See how it winds around the grounds? Knitting is very meditative, and I looked at all of the silent stitches and wondered about each one.
Inside the museum is the biennial exhibition…
Ethan Morrow, Flotilla (detail), ball point pen
Morrow’s work fills the main staircase at the museum. His drawings are amazing. Detail:
Ethan Morrow, Flotilla (detail), ball point pen
Isn’t that breathtaking? He has drawn gorgeous, ethereal ships floating up the expanse of the stair wall. He included historical details and text along with his drawings. I bask in his drawing brilliance. You must go see this.
Bahar Yurukoglu, Primodial Future, Mixed media installation with projection
Please take a look at Yurukoglu’s website…it’s very interesting. I like bright colors and transparency, so I liked where this was going. Everything was wall bound…and I kind of wished that there was even more, somehow. Look at his website…lots of beautiful images and stunning photographs.
Laura Braciale, Rods and Cones, Mixed media installation
I liked this piece. I liked the translation of these odd objects into flat, 2D paintings. It looks like some kind of research project to me…an experiment in perception. I also like all of the white space (of course.) You’ll see that there are quite a few installation pieces in this biennial.
Xylor Jane, Magic Square for finding missing people, Oil and colored pencil on panel
I really liked Jane’s work. It felt very different to me. At times, it almost seemed to be like a textile, with seams. Her work was very bold.
Xylor Jane, Via Crucis XII, Oil on panel
There is something both dark and menacing, and happy and lighthearted about this piece. Overall, it’s chromatically dark…but you can see the sort of rainbow palette with almost heart shapes throughout. What you can’t see in this photo is the beautiful use of textures…the main background is a matte black, and the colors are glossy dots in a grid. So cool!
Xylor Jane, 2,3,5,7, Oil, graphite, marker and colored pencil on panel
This was really fascinating. This painting in particular felt like a quilt/textile…and yet it had such depth and transparency at the same time.
Xylor Jane, Nox Rex #26, Hypnos, Oil on panel
This is an amazingly detailed pointillist painting. I can’t help but think of The Matrix. (Perhaps, I shouldn’t admit that? Does that automatically make me a total philistine?) Again, the grid and precision are rigid, but the undulating colors brings some levity to the piece. I love how her four pieces worked together.
Petrova Giberson, Tree Flowers, Mixed media installation
I really liked how this piece and its shadows interacted. It’s kind of like a sad, old comforter that somehow went to heaven. It’s hard to see, but there is a line of threads hanging from the ceiling to the right of the comforter, which created an interesting threshold. The whole piece had a very intriguing way of occupying the space.
Upstairs, there was more to see…
Rachel Gross, woodblock print and acrylic
First off, I want to apologize to Rachel Gross because I did not keep track of what the title of this piece is. In any event, Gross’s work is stunning. Her woodblock prints are some of the most beautiful that I’ve seen. Please take a look at her blog. I love the layering, textures, color palette, composition…everything.
Rachel Gross, Pink Box, Woodblock print with spray paint
I love the simplicity of this. I love the crinkled paper and flat texture of the wood grain. (I also love hot pink…)
Hamra Abbas, Kaaba Pictures 1-7, archival pigment prints on dibond
Again, my apologies to Hamra Abbas, as I don’t know which number this work is in the series. Abbas does miniature paintings of the Kaaba, contemplating its historic, religious, and everyday influence. She then has the miniature paintings photographed and enlarged to form these prints. They have a mysterious and atmospheric feel to them.
Hamra Abbas, Kaaba Pictures 1-7, archival pigment prints on dibond
This is so luminous…with both flatness and three dimensionality…
Hamra Abbas, Kaaba Pictures 1-7, archival pigment prints on dibond
This has a fairytale feel to it…beautiful!
The final artist that I’m going to show is someone who’s work I love, and who I managed to meet at an open studio that he had.
Anthony Palocci, Jr., Empty Fridge, oil on canvas
Don’t you love it? He just looks at everyday household objects and reinvents them. Brilliant.
Anthony Palocci, Jr., T.V., oil on canvas
I love the cold glow of this T.V. So amazing…
Anthony Palocci, Jr., Phone Call, oil on canvas
I love this too! It’s sort of humorous…but there is something “vacant” about all of his work. The viewer is looking at these objects distilled to pattern and value. They’re so ubiquitous, yet now they have a sort of uncanny feel to them…
Anthony Palocci, Jr., Window Fan, oil on canvas
This is a large painting. Take a look at his website to get a sense how how large it is. It’s as if something that is normally forgotten and silent has somehow been given a voice.
Anthony Palocci, Jr., A/C, oil on canvas
I took a photo of this painting with context, so that you can see some of what I perceive as the humor in this work. It doesn’t look odd to see an A/C unit sticking out of a wall…but this is a painting, of course. I thought this was a wry location for the work…
Well, I’m signing off. It’s been a long week.
On Tuesday, there will be a vigil held for my friend and her family. If you’re in the Arlington, MA area and would like the details…let me know.
Peace be with them…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, travel | Tags: 40th birthday, art, artist, cambridge, drawing, painting, PUERTO RICO, travel
This past Wednesday, I got back from a fabulous FIVE DAYS IN PUERTO RICO. No, it’s not April 1, I’m serious. This was a birthday celebration that my friends and I did because we are all turning/have turned 40 this year. SCARY! Luckily, we still have the maturity level that we did back in high school, so we had a blast.
Before I left on my trip, however, my son made me this birthday cake:
I think that it says “Halloween…40…For Mom.” I thought this was hilarious. Isn’t it creative, and adorable??? Look at the candle he drew! Awesome. It was pretty odd to be leaving my family for 5 days, as I haven’t gone anywhere since my son was born. For me, a trip to the grocery store is a big to-do.
Umm…let me just say that the oddness quickly went away as I was in pure Mommy heaven for those five days. Sitting by the pool…sitting by the beach…going for a swim…reading and finishing Orange Is The New Black…and gabbing almost continuously with a cocktail in hand. WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE????
This was my view one morning. I know. Ridiculous, right? If I didn’t have a son and husband, I might not have come back! Sigh. I had to swap my flip flops for socks and boots when I came back to the Boston area. BRRR.
Okay, while we were outrageously decadent and lazy, we didn’t sit around the WHOLE time. We did go zip lining one afternoon:
This was beyond fun. (This is a photo of one of my friends…who shall remain anonymous…gracias.) I have no idea how fast you go on these, but it feels like 40 mph. Actually, when you’re midway…the wind is whipping past you and you’re looking at the amazing scenery…you don’t really notice how fast you’re going. BUT, when you are hurtling towards the end, then it gets a bit disconcerting as you can’t imagine how you could possibly stop without crashing into the cable support. Luckily, they have some kind of braking mechanism that kicks in during the last 20 feet. It’s kind of like how a roller coaster stops at the end…jarring, yet efficient. Most of the photos I have of people coming in are just a blur.
Okay. So, now I think that we need a zipline in our yard. Right??? (You must agree.) I’m a housefrau re-evaluating the laundry line for alternative purposes. During the day…it’s mommy’s koo koo adrenaline ride… but when my son/husband is home, it’s got clean towels on it again. Brilliant! I think that the neighbors already think I’m crazy, but this will ensure that they never come to my house to borrow any butter. Now, if I could only zip line to Starbucks and back, then I’d be a happy camper…
While I didn’t see ANY art on my vacation…I went yesterday to see the opening of the small group show that I am participating in. It’s in Harvard Square, so all you locals have no excuse for not stopping by…
Cambridge Art Association show
Let me just say that the work by the other artists is really amazing. I’ll show you some of the pieces:
Ann Strassman, Singularities IX – (Woman with cigarette)
Strassman does these fascinating portraits of people about town, often on a park bench. She uses discarded boxes as her canvas. I love how the people are caught in these familiar scenes…unaware of the viewer. I also love the cardboard with it’s own mundane story. Amazing!
Patricia Schappler, Coming and Going
Schappler does ENORMOUS, phenomenal drawing/collage/paintings. Mind blowing. I love the mixed media…the layers, the beautiful way that she draws. So gorgeous.
Daniel Kornrumpf, Mr. David Lasely
Kornrumpf does GORGEOUS portraits that have an unfinished and open ended feel because he often doesn’t paint parts that he has sketched in. There is a beautiful mix of complete/incompleteness to his work. Even his line drawing/painting is amazing. His sense of color, composition, and overall skill is breathtaking. I love that the subjects are often pensive and relaxed…aware that they are having a portrait painted, yet real and at ease. His work reminds me of Alice Neel, whose work I also revere.
Yair Melamed, The Extrovert
Melamed is a physician AND a photographer. I couldn’t find a website for him. I absolutely love the contrast between her gray hair/background and her warm face. I love how her face fills the frame. He has a series of really compelling photographs…a must see.
My own work is minimal in comparison:
Elizabeth Kostojohn, Are You Still There? series
Because my work is so small, I think that it’s good that they are grouped together. I wish the lighting was a bit better, as there isn’t direct lighting on the drawings…just the downlights for the hallway. As a result, I think that the drawings look slightly washed out. Hmm! In any event, I am super grateful to be participating in this show with these other, talented artists. The show is in the University Place building, at 124 Mt. Auburn Street. Go see it!
Now, you’ll have to excuse me as I’ve got a clothes/zip line and a latte calling my name…
Starbucks, here I come!!! Make mine a double!!!
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, Photography | Tags: art, artist, drawing, Fitchburg Art Museum, Georgia O'Keeffe, museum, painting, still life, visual art
I know…I know…it’s been TWO WEEKS since I last posted. Sigh. Things are just so busy. Hopefully, to make up for missing the past two Fridays, this post is an image-filled extravaganza, so hang onto your triple espresso…(and get me one while you’re at it! Make it a decaf though…I have plenty of self-induced stress, so I don’t need to rely on caffeine to put me in a state of hysterics…)
So, my big news is that the group show that I’m participating in (Still Life Lives!) opened last week at the Fitchburg Art Museum. WOO HOO! I was thrilled to see some of you come out to see it. Thank you!!! I totally appreciate the time and energy it took to head out there. I hope that everyone found it worthwhile, as I think it’s a very interesting show.
Elizabeth Kostojohn, Nameless Problem #2 & #1, 2013
Here are two drawings from my new series! (Yes, that’s food.) I think that they looked pretty good. It’s hard not to panic when your work is on the wall. But, as I wasn’t wearing a name tag, I managed to calm down a bit…
Elizabeth Kostojohn, 6 drawings from Hurt & Damage series
These are more of my drawings! I’m happy to see them up. This show is kind of a big deal for me, as I’ve got two bodies of work up…never mind being amongst the super talented people that are also participating. I kind of wish that we had name tags, as I would have liked to have met some of the uber talented artists!
But enough about me…here is some of the AMAZING work that is up…
Emily Eveleth, Snake Eyes, 2000, Oil on Canvas
I wish I had a wall in my house big enough for this painting. It is stunningly beautiful. Eveleth’s mastery of oil painting captures the soft and sticky essence of her subject in an intense gaze. This painting alone is reason enough to come to the show. This painting is breathtaking and mesmerizing. It’s gorgeous even on this lousy computer screen. It will blow your mind in real life…
Mary Kocol, White Crabapple Blooming Branch, 2011, photograph
Kocol had several photographs from her Ice Garden series. These are AMAZING. In spite of being frozen, there is something very dynamic about these images. I think that’s particularly true of the images where you can clearly see the sky beyond. I keep thinking, “POW!” in my head. (Please don’t ask me to explain myself…I am neither a writer, nor an art critic…) So beautiful. I love it.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Untitled (Pink Camellia), 1935, Pastel
Oh yes…I forgot to mention that this show also features work from FAM’s permanent collection! Amazing, right? This work by O’Keeffe is in the same room as the Kocol photos…brilliant! It’s like rubbing elbows with celebrities!
Elisa H. Hamilton, An Apple a Day, 2013, Mixed media on paper
Hamilton has an amazing talent with color. Each of these drawings really pop with vitality. Please take a look at her website!!! I also love her drawings of domestic interiors and objects, especially “Vermont Studio Portrait.” Very impressive.
Cynthia Greig, Nature Morte no. 18, 2010, chromogenic development photograph
Okay. This is a PHOTOGRAPH. I kid you not. I believe that the artist paints everything white, and then actually outlines the objects with charcoal…THEN photographs it. My brain still can’t wrap itself around this. It’s so clean and beautiful! I’m amazed at her analog virtuosity.
Victor Schrager, Untitled #7 and #472, 2011, Pigment print
These gorgeous, saturated, soft focus still life photos are the work of Victor Schrager. I love the vivid colors and in focus/out of focus combinations. Amazing, right?
Kathleen Volp, Wan-Li RUMBLE and Still Life with Impostor and Wan-li, 2008, Mixed media, oil and aluminum on panel.
These pieces are enormous, glossy, and embossed METAL. No joke. Volp’s work always amazes me…it is always compelling, masterful in technique, and truly impressive. Please take a look at her website so that you can appreciate the range of work that she does. Mind-boggling…
Evelyn Rydz, Gulf Pile I, 2012, Pencil and Colored Pencil on Drafting Film
This is an AMAZING and delicate drawing. Rydz is my “drafting film god.” She and I both use pencil/colored pencil on drafting film. I bask in her drawing brilliance. Her work is so delicate and GORGEOUS. She often draws piles of objects that have washed ashore. I’m sorry that this is not a good photo…it does not do her work justice. I just checked her website, and it says that she is having a SOLO show at the MFA in 2014. So impressive!!! That is MUST SEE show. (I’m not kidding. Check her website. Mark your calendar.)
Mary O’Malley, Altar #4, 2010, Gold Metallic Ink on Paper
Ahhh…this drawing is SO beautiful. I am in such awe of O’Malley’s work. I was lucky enough to meet her at the reception. She is a lovely person. I hope I conveyed to her how much I love what she does. Her work is so timeless…it feels both historic and yet so contemporary.
Shelley Reed, Ribboned Flowers, Ribboned Fruit (after Mignon), 2010, Oil on Canvas
These paintings were really breathtaking. I love how dark and intense they are. I believe that she looks at historic works and then interprets them in her own artwork. Please check out her website. I pretty much want to own all of her work. Maybe if I eat ramen noodles exclusively for a year, I could swing it? Hmm. I’ll still need that fantasy house with enough wallspace, though…more noodles for me, I guess…
Janet Rickus, A Bird Painting, 2012, oil on canvas
Yes, that’s a painting…not a photo. Rickus’s work is hyper-real and beautiful. Beautiful composition…color…light…realism…I love it. Her work will definitely make your jaw drop. I feel almost like they are views into a gorgeous world that I WISH I could be a part of. The elements in the images are unpretentious, yet they are so perfect that they are still awe inspiring. I might have to get this for my house so that I can meditate upon it, and somehow be inspired to make my disaster-area home be marginally more lovely.
On this note, my son (5 yr old) has decided that we should make our house a museum. He doesn’t seem daunted by the fact that we have nothing museum-like in our house. I’ve told him that no one is going to want to come to see our “junk.” We joke about this. He’s still determined to do it, somehow. In fact, he’s trying to entice passersby with this “advertising” at the front of our house:
Yes. That says, “MUSEUMOPNEG TADAY.” Yes, I allow him to do this to our house. Yes, those are little purple flowers stuck to the tape for aesthetic effect. Oh but wait…there’s more:
He wants to make sure people understand that they are “WALCAM” to come in. And:
Just in case there was any doubt that we were “OPEN” or not…
If you do stop by to check out our “Museum”…please note that the mess inside is what this museum is actually all about. Imagine taking a Joseph Cornell box and shaking it vigorously…it kind of looks like that, but with more Lego. Just try not to trip on it all whilst taking the tour. Currently, we’re working out the “gift shop.” Brace yourself…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting | Tags: art, artist, cape cod, Gonzalez, mini-golf, painting
No post last week because we were at the Cape. AHHHH. I spent a lot of time vegging out, trying not to get sunburned, and struggling to maintain my sanity with my five-year old. I thought about trying to exercise in some way…maybe doing a pushup or two. I couldn’t be bothered, and so I continue to look like the “before” picture, in spite of my exercising somewhat consistently for two months. SIGH. Nobody tried to harpoon me or ran away screaming, so I guess that means a successful beach trip.
We had good weather…too much ice cream…and mini-golf…
My son felt that we needed a “mini-golf action shot”, so this is it:
Perhaps photojournalism is not my callling? Does it kind of look like that lady in the background is walking along the club? Or, is that just me? Don’t all photojournalists hope for that kind of quirky coincidence? Probably not.
At what age is it possible for a child to eat an ice cream without THIS happening? I’m hoping by 12. Only 7 more years to go. Hey, at least we were using my husband’s car for the week…sorry, Honeeeey!!!!
I didn’t bring my latest drawing to work on at the Cape. What a slacker! I thought about it…saw the packed wad of luggage in the back of the car, and decided against it. Do I really need sand and sunscreen smeared all over it? No way. INSTEAD OF BEING TRULY PRODUCTIVE, I worked on this little sewn pouch, which I am SUPER excited about…CHECK IT OUT:
Eh? Not bad, right? Lookit all the tiny fabric pieces I sewed together and quilted! And the back:
I attempted a sort of “sashiko” stitching to relate to the front. Nice!
The inside:
And a detail:
This was my first little pouch like this…I loved making it! There’s something seriously wonky about it, but if I make another…I’ll try to do better next time. The majority of it is hand-sewn…with just the zipper and overall construction done on the machine. Now, if I could just sell it for $1000, it will be worth the time/energy/materials I put into it! Ha ha! Just kidding! (Well, sort of…sigh…)
So, this week hasn’t been totally unproductive, as the previous week has clearly been. (Unless you consider getting all of the sand and ice cream off of my son at the end of the day “productive”.) I managed to get to the South End to check out a couple of galleries yesterday. Naturally, I had to stop by Carroll and Sons to see who they’re showing…
Raul Gonzalez at Carroll and Sons, Boston
The work of local artist, Raul Gonzalez, is in the main space. Two words: LOVE. IT. PLEEEEASE, go and see this show. It’s only up until Aug. 31, so leave NOW…esp if you are coming from Australia (that means you, Ruth…)
Raul Gonzalez at Carroll and Sons, Boston
Gonzalez paints exquisite scenes of horrifying depravity, decapitation, and dismemberment. Each painting could capture your open-jawed attention for an hour, at least. In most scenes, you’ll find a skeleton, possibly a lucha libre mask, and a pitiful character who is often simultaneously dishing out and receiving some heinous crime.
Raul Gonzalez at Carroll and Sons, Boston
The linework is amazing…the bright, yet dirty, palette is amazing…the composition is amazing…never mind the content, which is fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Stunning.
Raul Gonzalez at Carroll and Sons, Boston
I’m sorry that this one is blurry. I love how the bullet is ricocheting around the drawing perimeter. Naturally, it had to shoot out the eye of the snake…
Go see this show NOW. Just don’t bring the kids, lest you want to spend your whole time explaining why that guy no longer has a head, or why this guy’s eyes have fallen to the ground. I don’t know either, but it’s awesome. Gonzalez is oozing brilliance. I bask in his artistic glory. His work is AMAZING. A must see.
Speaking of oozing, THIS is what my son brought home from camp this week:
What in God’s name is that lumpy stick, you may ask? Why, it’s a “magic wand” of course! It apparently has a few coats of plaster of paris and paint on it. Hmmm. I’ve tried using it. It doesn’t work. My house is still a mess and I still look like a “before” picture. I might have to ask the camp for my money back…
My son drew this this week. What is it? I have no idea…but perhaps he’s a burgeoning Raul Gonzalez? Does anyone else see a lucha libre mask in this???? No? Maybe that’s for the best. Actually, maybe I need to get out of the house more than once a week…at least for fresh air, or something. I’ll be sure to bring my son’s magic wand…just in case the thing decides to start working. It may help me to finally find the fast moving line at Stop & Shop, or something non-existent like that. If nothing else, we can serve it to daddy after dinner and tell him that it’s a vegan cookie. Good times…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, arts, Cambridge Art Association, godzilla, iced coffee, Mixed media, painting, toast, Visual Arts
Is there anything more annoying than a sluggish computer mouse? I think not. I may have to fling this one into the backyard with the lawn clippings…
How has my week been? Perhaps I can summarize by asking if you can you guess what song my son has had on repeat today? No, not “The Wheels On The Bus.” No, not “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” He’s been playing the brooding Godzilla theme song all day. Why…WHY, you may ask? Well, because he listens to it (with the volume WAY UP) and then pretends to be Godzilla knocking down a block city and stomping on matchbox cars, that’s why. Most of his peers are interested in Skylander Giants, Ninjago, or Spiderman. My son finds those marginally interesting, but his heart belongs to Godzilla.
Sigh. He’s kind of a social outcast with his Godzilla obsession. As a worrier, this concerns me. Why can’t he just like Batman like all of the other kids? In addition, I am concerned that he will want to BE Godzilla for Halloween. This would be totally beyond my non-existent costume-making ability. Maybe he’s settle for a green sweatpants/sweatshirt combo with some strategically placed tie-hangers on his back?
No? Oh well. I give up. I’ll worry about that again in half an hour…
So, I had a meeting this week at the Cambridge Art Association about an upcoming group show. While I was there, I got to see the New Member Show that was up. This is an exhibit of the people who were recently accepted into the Cambridge Art Association. Congratulations all! There was some great stuff to see:
Elizabeth Hardjono, Silence, Magnesium Plate Etching
Ahem. I love this. This print is sooooo beautiful. I wish that the artist had a website. (HINT HINT) I’d love to see MORE of her other work. Don’t you LOVE the delicate figure? Isn’t the composition amazing? I love it.
Lynne Klemmer, Intuit Images: TD Woman #5, Gouache / Pigment
This painting is so different, yet also beautiful. Great colors…great form and markings…I love how it fills the paper…look at her face! I’d love to see more in this series as well. You can check out her website, but it seems that this series of paintings are not up yet.
Tom Stocker, Tom + Sally, Acrylic on Canvas
No, these aren’t fabric, they’re paintings! This artist’s technique is inspired by textiles, as I learned from his website. The images are comprised of tiny blobs of multicolored paint, gridded much like needlepoint. No joke. Isn’t that amazing?
Conny Goelz Schmitt, Luftschloss, Mixed Media
I was SO excited to see this beautiful piece, as I know this artist! (Does that somehow make me more important?) She participated in the Artist’s Professional Toolbox program with me at Montserrat College of Art. He work is amazing. She often works with materials from old books as well. Great job, Conny!
What have I been up to? Well, not much…
I’ve discovered how delicious cinnamon toast w/ butter and an iced coffee is for breakfast. I may have to make this my meal of choice for the whole day! Who needs vitamins? That’s what Flintstones are for!
I’ve also rediscovered how I love to make weird stuff and mail it to people. My latest:
This is one of those “fortune tellers” that we used to make as kids. I kind of made mine a photomontage. SO MUCH FUN. I know. I’m brilliant. What? The living room is a mess? No one has fed the fish today? Why is there spilled iced coffee on the dining room table? Pshaw. Don’t bog me down with such BANAL matters. I’m makin’ STUFF.
What’s this mess, you may ask? MWAH-HA-HA!!! It is an INSANE little patchwork project that I’ve started. LOOK AT HOW TINY THOSE PIECES OF FABRIC ARE! The small squares are 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm. I kid you not. CRAZY. Luckily, I’m nearsighted.
Umm…if you’re wondering how my latest drawing is going…it’s coming along. Sloooowly. Well, I don’t like to rush perfection. (That’s a joke). Actually, the truth of it is that I have A.D.D. when it comes to MAKING STUFF. Does anyone else have that problem?????? What’s the opposite of A.D.D.? O.C.D.? Sometimes, I do wish that I had O.C.D. about cleaning stuff, as I’m particularly weak in the housekeeping department. (I’m not making light of O.C.D….that’s serious, and I’m not.) I do SOMETIMES make an effort not to be messy. But, as I just finished reading, Coming Clean: A Memoir, by Kimberly Rae Miller, I feel like the queen of clean! Please read this book. It is a heartbreaking memoir of a woman growing up with a father who is a hoarder. Not just messy, like me, but an actual hoarder. It’s an AMAZING read.
Hmm. Maybe I will go and clean up something just to reassure myself that I’m not a hoarder…starting with my spilled iced coffee and the fallen block city that my son so lovingly toppled over this afternoon…then I’ll likely get distracted and start making stuff again…SEND HELP!
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., painting | Tags: abstract, Adria Arch, art, Art Complex Museum, artist, flowers, painting
Is it Friday already? How did this happen?
Well, this is the FIRST week in a month that I’ve actually gotten a chance to DRAW. I almost forgot which end of the pencil to use! Just kidding…luckily, my friend got me a deranged pencil sharpener to help me out:
Yes. There it is. (except that mine is black.) Did I mention that the cat meows when you use it??? SICK. Actually, having this thing around pretty much ensures that all of my pencils will remain dull. I’m also keeping it away from my five-year-old, who will want some kind of explanation that I cannot possibly give him without him needing years of therapy, which I don’t want to start him on until he’s at least eight. I think that my friend would have preferred to have given me this in person, as my horrified reaction is really the priceless part of the gift. Thanks, TB. I’m going to have nightmares tonight…
Besides eating my weight in chocolate chip cookies this week, I also went to the The Art Complex Museum in Duxbury to see the work of my advisor, Adria Arch.
So exciting!!!! She has her work in the main room of the Art Complex. Her work is large and has a lot of impact, so it’s great to see it with the space that it needs.
The show is titled, “Iconic.” She plays with the subconscious markings of other people and magnifies and intensifies them into monumental glyphs. The forms, compositions and colors are very compelling. I can’t help but wonder who made each of these marks? I love the mysterious quality of them.
Adria Arch, I Love You More, 2013, Acrylic on canvas, 96″ x 96″
In her words, “These elements, spattered across and extending beyond the picture plane, bring to mind galaxies and explosions of energy. The compositions suggest randomness, belying an intentional painting process in which I project and then paint enlarged pencil lines onto canvas, wood panel, or walls. My practice grows out of the tradition of mark-making. I am drawn to the expressiveness found in unselfconscious pencil doodles – some I find and some I elicit from other people. The eccentric lines derived from these marginal marks are, for me, metaphors for boundless physical energy: floating, spinning, and falling through space.” So fascinating! Please go and see this show. It’s up from May 36 – August 18.
While I wish that I had a modicum of physical energy, I have managed to do SOME productive things this past month.
Look what I grew! Actually, I should say…”Look what I didn’t kill!” Yes…that’s an ORCHID. The flowers fell off a couple weeks after I bought it, which made me sad as I thought that was the kiss of death. BUT NO! I discovered that if you WATER it…more flowers will grow. Imagine that! I am convinced that plants hate me, so I am happy that this one didn’t get the memo. My other plants are probably blowing it raspberries in their own plant-like way.
Speaking of blowing raspberries, my son is back at school this week. SANITY. He was NOT happy about that, but I felt that I should not mislead him by thinking that school is “optional.” He says that he is besides himself with boredom. I nod.
Welcome to reality, kid!
This is what he would prefer to do all day, rather than “boring” activities, like making bumble bees out of construction paper. (can crafts EVER be boring????) He told me that this is a hotel. Perhaps my son will become the next Donald Trump? As his mother, though, I would not allow him to have the Donald’s hair, though. In reviewing his design, I feel that the penthouse unit has a catacomb-like quality to it. Thoughts? Perhaps a skylight would help? Maybe he’s catching onto the micro hotel thing in Japan?:
There must not be a word for, “claustrophobia” in Japanese. Those wouldn’t work in the States anyway, as they’d each need to be the size of a shipping container to work with our girth.
Speaking of…I’m going to go and look for more cookies. Let me know if you need me to sharpen any pencils for you.
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: architecture, artist, arts, concord, painting, Room of One's Own, Visual Arts
WELL. This was an exciting week because:
1. I got some work done.
2. It didn’t snow.
Is the bar set a little low here? Probably. Wellll, as long as I can rest my drink on it, it’s fiiiine with me! Did I mention that I did three loads of laundry today? YES!!! WATCH OUT, MARTHA STEWART!!!
Now, I’m sure that some of you performed brain surgery, or split an atom or two, or whatnot. I drew and did laundry. (so nyah!!!) Such is the life of the hybrid housefrau/artist. No, I didn’t draw my laundry, (I barely folded it for Lord’s sake) but that’s definitely going to be my next series. I’m trying to keep this new series under wraps until I have TWO drawings done, as you don’t really have a much of a series without at least TWO, right? (Or is that just to make a thing go right, a la Rob Base?)
Are you still reading??? AMAZING!
So, tonight I went to the opening of my advisor’s new show at the Concord Art Association. The show is titled, “A Room of Our Own.” On exhibit is the work of a group of female artists who regularly meet to discuss the profession and support one another. The title of the show is, of course, a reference to Virginia Woolf’s, A Room of One’s Own. These artists and their careers have been enriched not just because they each have “a room of one’s own” (a studio), but also because they have had each other. Lovely! The show is curated by Merrill Comeau. I have some images, but not many…as it was a crowded event!
Adria Arch, Red Blue Diptych
So THIS is the work of my advisor! Don’t you love it? I’m sorry for the weird angle of the photo, but it was impossible to get directly in front of it and back up far enough for a good shot. Her work is inspired by the subconscious mark-making of others. She plays with scale, color, layering, etc. It was great to see her and hear her talk about her work.
Kathleen Volp, The Town
You might recognize this artist’s name, as I featured her in another recent post. It was great to hear her talk about her work as well! This piece was about the universal pain of loss. Very beautiful. She’s really masterful with both material and image. I was hoping to chat with her, but she wasn’t feeling well and left soon after speaking.
Margot Stage, Water Words
This artist described herself as a bit of a scavenger…taking delight in the often overlooked objects that she finds on her walks. This series incorporates driftwood in a study of repetition of form. I should have taken a close up so that you could see the detail of her work, comprised of driftwood and brass rods. I like how she’s arranged them, not in a linear was as a sort of “sentence,” but as almost the visual representation of primordial sounds. I also think of the scratchy marks of a polygraph, revealing what is invisible to the eye.
Ilana Manolson, Navigation I
Ilana Manolson is well known for her gorgeous, watery landscapes. Here, she is also incorporating some image transfer of what must be nautical charts, reminiscent of ripples of water. It’s fascinating to see her subtle painting overlap and interact with the clean lines of the transfer.
Jeanne Williamson, (Fence) Shirts and (Hot) Flashes #1 – 6
Now, I was lucky enough to be introduced to this artist. I’ve seen her work in many other shows, so it was really nice to finally meet her. I love how graphic these are, but if you could see them up close, you would notice the delicate stitching throughout each piece. They are compelling on many scales.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get photos of all of the artists (not even close to getting it of all of the work.) SO, you’ll have to GO and see the show yourself! Ahem, that’s an order. Since quitting my job to be a better mommy, I’m good at dishing out tasks, but not so good at completing them myself…I used to be the opposite when I was working, so I feel that this shows some “growth.” Again…pulling myself up to that LOW bar…
Did I mention that I did three loads of laundry today?
Okay, besides laundry, I also finished knitting a hat that I’ve been toiling over for a few weeks:
Cute, right? I had to rip out 1/4 of it, when I decided that I didn’t like the colorway of the second ball of yarn. AND, I made a pom pom. Check THAT out, you atom-splitters out there…
My son brought home this creation from school today:
He tells me that it is a house. I love it. I love it not because I’m an architect and I’m partial to buildings, but because this lumpy, misshapen thing on the curling paper plate is my son’s design. I’m wondering what the significance of the yarn halo is at the top, but I’ll have to ask about it tomorrow. No, my son is NOT a first year student in an MArch program…nor was this a study model for Selfidges by Future Systems:
That’s fondly called “Blobitecture.” NOT my cup of tea, thankyouverymuch. I’m all for design that pushed the envelope, just not quite like THAT. Push it back. Please.
No, my son is in preschool. By the time he’s old enough to be in an MArch program, we’ll all be living in blobitecture pods, eating synthetic meat, and using a 3D printer to make everything from our clothes to our houses. I’ll be crabby and sullen and complaining that he doesn’t come to visit me in my retirement pod, nor does he bring me any synthetic meals, nor does his online avatar ever call. Ever. Actually, by then I’ll probably not know how to even answer a phone…so i’ll just end up accidentally turning on the robotic lawnmower instead of accepting his call.
Sigh.
At least I”ll HAVE a robotic lawnmower…
slightly wonky 