Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Postcards from Paradise


My friend Karen knows I love to work with old postcards and photos and that I fell in love with western Montana when visiting her in May. She sent me these wonderful postcards she purchased in a shop in Gardiner across from the northern entrance of Yellowstone. What fun I shall have with these!!!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Projects


My art group's topic for this month was "drama queen"! I wasn't sure what I'd do with that and then remembered I had these early 1900s photos of seven Chicago-area women -- not in their long dresses but in men's suits and hats and holding cigars! Maybe not quite "drama queen" but dramatic and risque. I photographed the two pics on their heavy cards atop some handmade paper with a few old buttons next to them. I then collaged on a cradle board with a print of that arrangement and some papers evocative of period wallpaper and lace curtains. We drilled a hole into the wood cradle board to inset one of the buttons for a note of interest. (If you click on the photo, you can see the women better. I love it that they all have long hair in buns with men's hats perched on top and the soles of the two women's feet touching in the bottom photo is so fun.)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Landscape




After seeing some painted wood collages with large fields of color, I decided I'd try to make an abstract landscape with large areas of colored paper. I really liked a photo I'd taken in Montana of a grassy hill with a tree at the top, so I made a collage evoking that... and decided I didn't like it! I thought the block printed tree (cut from the same book the text came out of) would tie the piece together, but the tree was levitating and looked silly. So, a day later I collaged over it with large areas of color making it totally abstract. Rob and I lived with it for a day and decided it needed a few more linear elements. You can see the evolution of the piece from bottom up to the top photo. I'm going to call it "Surveillance #1" and plan to do a series of aerial view abstract landscapes to see what is revealed ....

Friday, July 10, 2009

Living with Art


Having had the pleasure of dining in the homes of two different artists in the last couple of weeks, I'm thinking "Artists Homes" would be a great coffee table book! It is so interesting to be in the living spaces of artists and people who collect art – every wall and nook seem to hold something inspiring or thought provoking. In our own dining room, we enjoy an ever-changing "wall of art." When I complete new work, it goes up on the shelves for us to study and live with. Every so often I change the art out for older works just to keep the view fresh. On the furniture beneath the shelves we have more art – a limestone sculpture and a metal art machine of Rob's, a platter by our potter friend Chris, a spirit keeper by our potter friend Mary, and a special bird box given to me by my friend Pat. It all makes a rich tapestry of color and memories that fill us with serenity. I cannot imagine living without art.... 

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Friends


Thinking today about the amazing group of people I have in my life and call my friends...
... I made the above 6x6x2 collage yesterday, in part because I wanted to try the grid/quilt experiment again after the 4x4 from last week, but also in response to reading my friend Penny's blog about improvisational quilting. She had posted about reading a "collection of essays by the composer Roger Sessions, Questions about Music.....The book includes two essays on composing; lots of analogies to the process of creating a work of art. For example, he talks about a composition being built on element of association and contrast. I tend to be drawn to fabrics closely associated with each other, and have to push myself to bring in the element of contrast of value and hue." I, too, had noticed the similarities in making music and art and wanted to make another piece that had a quilt feel, included music, and maybe a hint of a conversation about their associations. I'm calling the piece "44 notes."
... I set up my booth with over 20 small collages at the Seminary Street event last night. I received a lot of good feedback, but it seemed to be a crowd intent on trying the free food and drink samples, enjoying the music and looking at the art – not buying. I held one piece back for a potential buyer, and was feeling rather deflated by the whole experience. But, then good friends helped dismantle and pack up the booth and invited us over for a drink and snacks and lightened my mood (same dear friends who bought two collages from me last week!). My dear friend in Montana called this morning to give me a pep talk (same friend who asked me to send collages out for her to take to a couple Montana galleries on my behalf!).
... So, with inspiration, encouragement and support from my friends and husband, I'll keep making art and finding the right avenues to show and sell it so that I can continue following my bliss. Thank you.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Grid revisited


I thought I should have a few more little collages for the First Friday event, so I made this 4"x4" canvas with a grid of images. I really enjoyed making this and might have to do another!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

History...houses


These showcase four 1899 photos of Victorian homes that are still single-family residences in Galesburg, Illinois.