Recently I've been creating lots of work with wild colors, patches of paint, a multitude of marks, and an abundance of ephemera. And while that kind of art is very soothing to my brain right now... I just needed a little break (very little!).
I had seen an assemblage in Somerset Studio magazine that used a turquoise, red and white palette and those colors made my brain sing! I decided to use them in the simplest way possible — adding a touch of black — so the colors were as much the star of the piece as the elements in it.
I wanted to make art that was graphically illustrative work with a strong message. Starting with a wood panel, I burnt in the outlines and then painted with a few layers of paint for each area to add just the slightest hint of visual texture. A bird, a heart, land, and sky. The simplest of elements with a mighty statement. Holding on to Love.
Recently, I took Flora Bowley's online class... Bloom True. The basis of the course was to take "a groundbreaking and transformational approach to painting (and
living) that celebrates intuition, connects body, mind and spirit and
allows unique and expressive paintings to emerge naturally and
authentically." Much easier said than done!
The first thing we had to do was... let go! Creating layers and layers and layers of color. Alternating warms and cools... not worrying about the end result... just paint strokes and mark-making. Whatever felt good in the moment. It was tough... but I went with it.
Then it was more layers. Layers upon layers. Alternating with the warms and cools again. Still trying to keep the end result out of my brain. Still hard! But I went with it.
Then it was time to add contrast to my canvasses using blacks and whites. Ooooh, I'm liking that.
But now... is it too much? Darn it! So I went back to making layers and layers and layers and layers. And eventually it was time to find some imagery and do some masking. Still with no preconceived images in mind.... these are what my 2 canvasses turned into...
The funniest thing is that I can't even tell you what canvas came from what original because there were so many different layers that I mindlessly created without really paying attention! And the coolest thing was that I learned to let go a little bit more. Just a little!
Well, no matter what I do, my worktable keeps ending up like this! I've tried to clean it up. In fact, right after this, I put every single tube and jar of paint — as well as my palettes, paper towels and brushes — away in their appropriate cabinets and drawers!! And in 10 minutes... it looks like this all over again!
I guess all that means is I'm really excited about these new circus sideshow-inspired art dolls I've been working on lately. Too excited to clean up after every color change. I mean... the eyes alone were a combination of 14 different colors... Sheesh!
But they're all coming along nicely, now that most of the painting is done. Dressing them up is the fun part....
One of the many recurring themes in my art seems to be that of birds, nests, and eggs. I'm not exactly sure why... I mean I love all kinds of big and little birdies. They're so colorful.... they're extremely intelligent... and they are definitely fun to watch.
But the thought of these wonderful creatures... putting so much creativity into building their nest of a home.... carefully choosing bits of grass, twigs, string, and other random trash that's readily available... well, it kind of reminds me of... me. Much of my art is making due with what I have, or — if I don't have what I need —finding something that will work just as well (if not better!).
Then there's the love and care that these birds put into protecting the nest of eggs and feeding their young once they've hatched. I love to hear that peep-peep-peeping of the oh so hungry babies calling for their momma bird. I mean... how cute is that?
And I really do love all kinds of animals in nature... birds being no exception. I love to watch how they interact with each other... how they go about their tasks for the day... or how they deal with unforeseen circumstances like Mother Nature.
But when I really think about it... I like the word nesting and the images it brings to mind in my own life. Building my own home... making it feel comfortable... surrounding myself with "birds of a feather"... and nurturing something I love very much... my creativity. And the birds, nests, and eggs just immediately inspires that personal image of mine. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
What recurring themes do you see in your life? And what do they mean to you?
Wow, what a spectacular time in Portland, Oregon! But I always know I'll have a blast at Art & Soul... no matter which venue I go to (did you know they have retreats all over the country?). I got to see so many of the instructors I've become friends with over the years... make new friendships with people as nutty as me (we're a special breed)... and learn from some of the best teachers from all over the world. Not too shabby, ay?
I decided to man-up and take a class called Yes, I Want That Drill Press & More by Tory Brokenshire. We got to learn how to use all kinds of power tools including a drill press, belt sander, jig saw, chop saw and nail gun! We were building our very own shadowbox from raw lumber. Our manly helper, Gil, was very encouraging...
Tory liked my finished assemblage so much, she encouraged me to want to make more! I think I see one in every color scheme, hmmmmm.... maybe starting with pink? As I worked on my piece everyone kept noticing that my art was matching me. Funny.
Next was Mechanical Flying Bird with Charley Slaughter and Kerin Gale, where we got to make an unconventional automaton-style assemblage with a bird that really flies! Here is a little video I made so you can see it in action (please pardon my awkwardness, I'm still trying to figure out how to record from my computer - it flips your image backwards!)
This full day workshop was a lot of fun and Charley and Kerin were so attentive and helpful... as making a moving bird is no easy "feet"! Didn't everybody do a fantastic job! We all got to sculpt our birds and "dress" them up so very personally. What a lineup...
Next I went to Julie's World, where students joined whimsical artist Julie Haymaker Thompson to make quirky little characters out of paper clay. She taught us a few tricky assembly techniques and a bunch of interesting painting techniques that I'll be using in my own work moving forward...
Judy Wise taught Let's Make Dolls... a fun and relaxing adventure into making a folk art style doll in under 6 hours! We worked with Sculpey—a bakeable clay—which was new for me. I usually work with paper clay, which air dries. I really liked the immediacy of creating with Sculpey. Make a head... bake it. Start the body... head's done. Attach it. Bake that... make some arms, legs, a dress while you wait. The possibilities were endless. And seeing what everyone else was creating gave me even more ideas! It was funny, but I had trouble naming my creations this time. When I made this one, I was creating her fingers and they kind of "fell" into a peace sign. So I think I'll call my little hippie chick Summer... after the Summer of Love!
The workshops were great, but having never been to Portland, I couldn't very well spend my entire time inside the Embassy Suites! Sometimes it was nice to just get outside... grab a few rays of sunshine... and watch the planes land. We were very close to the airport!
I also got to spend some time in the city, there was plenty to do...
I walked around and looked at all the beautiful downtown architecture...
Then made my way to the Portland Art Museum... two buildings worth of art from ancient times to modern contemporary. It was very inspiring...
Made my way to the Pearl District which has all the old warehouses, buildings and such...
I even got a chance to get over to Hawthorne which is a funky little area outside the city with cool shops, galleries, and eateries. They served coffee here... I swear!
Did lots of perusing... bought some interesting vintage clothes... and saw lots of art everywhere. On buildings...
And even on a retro VW bus...
All-in-all a fabulous trip. I am creatively inspired... finally well-rested... and ready to make my own creative dreams come to fruition. Thanks for joining me on my trip! Until next time...
Hey everyone... if you are in the area, come on down to Asbury Park, Saturday, May 29th for the Grand Re-Opening of Bird—an eclectic retail establishment with a brand new space 10 times larger! It really is "grand"! Owner Leigh Grahill will be your gracious host as you peruse the racks of her personal line of Artwear, as well as funky vintage clothing that she "rescues and re-designs." You'll also find a plethora of jewelry, accessories, artwork and decor items—in every flavor you can imagine... oh, and several pieces of my mixed media art will be there for sale.
To celebrate, Bird will be entertaining you at 8pm and 10pm with ever-so-talented vocalists, informal fashion shows, and plenty of acting out! Then finish the night around 11pm with Man Up, one of the most popular local Rap acts... This is one Grand Opening you'll want to leave the nest for!
Bird 707 Cookman Avenue (on the first block from Main St.) Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Feel like an odd bird lately... with my head in the clouds... Cleaning and organizing the house because I have to... Longing to create because I want to... Needing to exercise to feel fit again... And wanting time for relaxation to recharge... Life isn't stopping to give me enough time for all of this... My head is spinning... What's an odd bird to do?
I switched it up a bit this time. I wanted to play around with some of the pieces I created in Stephanie Lee's class. I found the bird text and decided to make a nest. Originally, I had tried Spanish Moss for the nest, but found it too bulky. And then I remembered that a real bird nest had fallen out of a tree in our yard recently. So I took a piece from that... added some freshwater pearls... and added a pair of earrings recently acquired at a flea market.
