Saturday, January 31, 2009

Making Art with Hearts




Rachel of Wally Workman Gallery contacted me the other day and said folks had been calling and looking for lower priced art with a 'heart' or Valentines Day theme. So, being the practical gal I am I stepped up to the plate and threw together a few heart scratch boards. Fun stuff for me. Especially the 'Monkey dreaming of love'. I crack myself up sometimes! Now is this serious art? Is this fine art you would find in the History of Art books? Frankly I don't care. What I have discovered is I am much happier just making what ever it is I'm making at the time. Once I start thinking too hard or analyzing and critiquing I just lose the fun of it all. So, I stopped doing that, for the most part. Maybe you agree, maybe not. The bottom line is, I want to sell art. So I'm making what sells and loving it at the same time. I hope others love it of course, but some things are out of my control. So I have to love what I'm doing and leave it at that. Bliss, pure bliss! These two images are: 'Monkey Dreaming of Love' and 'Big Hearted Black Bird'. Hope you enjoy, and I always read and appreciate feedback!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Scratchboard drawings for the slow economy






















The Wally Workman Gallery is having a group show called 'A Grand Affair' this month. I've contributed 12 5x7 scratchboards priced at $100.00 each. The show features artwork under a thousand dollars, by most of the gallery artists. I think I've sold about 8 of the 12, 5 the first night. So, not bad for a down economy. Of course I'm barely making cost on these but what matters is I get to make and sell art! Life is good here. I'm going to be doing a demo at Jerry's Artarma in March. Scratchboard of course. I think it will be fun and maybe I will 'convert' some folks to this medium I love so much. Here are some of my pieces...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Paper Houses




Lately I've been making little 5X7 collages of houses. House after house after house after house...so far 4 and at least 4 more (god who knows, maybe more than that) in my future. I use either a canvas panel or hardboard with flat black gesso base. The houses are strips of vintage paper cut and glued. Some of the paper is vintage religious engravings that were damaged and so could not be sold at my antique booth. I find the cutting and pasting to be almost a religious experience in the sense that I 'go' to another place when I'm constructing them. Put the music on and before I know it hours have passed. No real plans or sketched out ideas...just the basic house shape and me with brush, gel medium and scissors. When they are done I throw a little acrylic red on the background, scratch it around and then give a good spray of fixative. Don't know what's going on with me. I guess it's the search for 'The House of Belonging' (David Whyte poem that I love)


Last night I had a bizarre dream about my Grandmother's house. I was there alone and had to climb in through a small window on the front porch to get in and out. While there a neighbor came over and pointed out to me millions of carpenter ants who were coming and going from a gash up on the side of the second story. I remember being amazed that I missed this (they were everywhere!)....and then I noticed that the house really needed painting. Grandma is 97, but hasn't lived there for about 20 years. What the heck does this dream mean? And how is it tied in with me and my current house making??? Or is it not...? Does everyone feel that sense of not belonging or longing or searching for a home? Don't get me wrong, I love where I live, and it has less to do with an actual physical home and more to do with the spiritual. So there it is. I make paper houses. Here are two of them.