Scratchboard Demo Round MountainArt Group

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of demonstrating Ampersand Art scratchboard to a lively and highly creative group of women. I love teaching and even more, watching others discover how much fun scratchboard board is. Everyone has a different take on it...I think my next class may have everyone doing the same design, just to see how different they will all be. I'm so happy to be associated with this product, I never get tired of scratching away.

Yesterday I spent the day doing plumbing repairs at a rent house that I invested in with a few friends. This is a brief, really brief, return to my past life. After 30 some years of doing various home repair work, I can say I really prefer making art. Even on the bad days (and there are so few of them) when I'm blocked or not able to do what I want to do with an art piece, I can't imagine wanting to go back to the construction life. Although, in this situation, I'm glad I can do the repairs myself and save the big bucks.

Today is the seventh anniversary of the death of my father. I'm missing him, and yet, as they say, time does help to heal the loss. Fitting that I'm spending so much time this week on plumbing and fixin' as he was a brilliant plumber, and as it turned out, a pretty great human being. Two of his sisters, my aunts, died this month and it is hard to lose those connections to the family. It is a reminder to continue to live in this moment, doing what makes me happy and whole.

I'm off to build a wall, install a toilet, paint ceilings and put up ceiling fans.

I hope a few of you enjoy reading this blog. I'm still not sure if anything I'm saying or doing is beneficial, or adds anything to this crazy world. It's still a work in progress for sure. I'll just keep scratching through...

Scratchboard Demo at Round Mountain!

This is one of my older scratchboards...called 'Comma Monkey' (of course!) Besides making the art, one of the hardest things for me is coming up with a title. Thus, I usually just assign a descriptive title. I'm working on this. I sometimes let whatever gallery it's in make one up. Sad, eh?
Today I'm scheduled to do a scratchboard demo sponsored by Ampersand Art www.ampersandart.com at the Round Mountain Art Group here in Fayetteville Ark. Should be a fun, fun day. I've got at least 10 people signed up and I'm looking forward to bringing more converts into the fold. If there are any folks out there in cyberland who are part of an art group, or know of a great retail spot that carries scratchboard, and would be a good prospect for a demo/class, let me know and maybe we can book something in the next few months. One of my resolutions for 2011 is to do more classes, and make and sell more art. So, help me out here!
Concerning the above image...what can I say, this is from about 5 years ago, and I am so much better at this now. Really! Good golly almighty, this is such juvenile work! Thank the gods for maturity. I mean, I still make many, many, monkeys, many, many BETTER monkeys!

Best Of The Web Pocket Change Become.com

Hey, check it out...this blog is listed on the Become.com Best Of The Web today. http://pocketchange.become.com/2011/01/best-of-the-web-be-home-16.html I'm in with some very good blogs, oh my! I hope you'll take a look at them and explore the whole site, there's lots to see. Good stuff. I'm pretty amazed that I'm in there with the others, but I'll take it! One of my New Year resolutions is to learn more about the online world and make it work better for me. (yeah, we'll see if that happens, right?) I've got to get better at this blogging biz. I will stop at nothing less than world domination by Scratchboard! Check out the products at http://www.ampersandart.com/ If I can't have the world domination thing, how about at least a pretty good following of folks who like to scratch out art? Ok, I'd best calm down now. Way too much caffeine for me today. I would put up an image if I could get it together. My laptop (a very sweet blue and black Toshiba) is sitting at Best Buy waiting for the Geeks to fix it and I'm using a brand new equally sweet little Toshiba netbook right now, and so far, loving it. It's almost small enough to tuck in my back pocket! More postings and artwork to come in the next few days.

Scratchboard ala Cheryl Finfrock

Here is a really wild scratchboard by my friend Cheryl Finfrock. She says she gets some of her inspiration from dreams. Wow, some dreams! I don't know what it means, but I do know that I like it. Check her out at http://www.cherylfinfrock.com/ This board is made by my favorite art company. http://www.ampersandart.com/ I love their surfaces...is that crazy? I think not. Someday I will learn how to link websites to the highlighted name. Oh my, that would be fancy and all. But honestly, I'm too busy making art to worry about that right now. You get there all the same, right? So check her out, and if you know of some cool art that is or isn't scratchboard give me a holla, I'm always looking for new inspiration.

Scratchboard or Woodcut?

This is a woodcut of one of my favorite artists, Lisa Brawn, check out her website. http://www.lisabrawn.com/ I met her in Austin when she was there for her first show at Yard Dog Gallery. http://www.yarddog.com/ (this was a big honking, successful deal!) We had dinner with mutual friends and I totally enjoyed hanging out with her, and of course love the quirky gal that she is. Even more than that though, her output of these woodcuts is freaking amazing. Besides the fact that they are absolutely awesome...I'm sure she must spend every waking hour in the studio making these as there are so many! They are woodcuts in every sense of the word, and yet, she apparently doesn't print from them as is the tradition. They are painted and hung as the finished product. They remind me of scratchboards (so this is of course some of the reason I am attracted to them) when you see them 2D online or in photos. In person they have depth and texture. I've never seen anything like these, and most probably you won't either. Unless of course they start 'knocking them off' for sale in home stores and such. Please, for the love of pete, don't do that! But do go to her website and buy some!

More Things That Look Like Scratchboard

Not Scratchboard, at least not as I know it (www.ampersandart.com) but definitely Scraffito and most assuredly cool stuff. Ok, I have to admit, I know Billy Ray Mangham personally. Even if I didn't, I'd still love Eye of the Dog Art Center where he and amazing artist wife Beverly make really great art and have sweet classes. Check it out at www.eotdac.com Someday I will own one or two or three of these platters...a gal can dream!

Things That Look Like Scratchboard

Check out Fayetteville Underground for some fabulous colored porcelain works by Susy Siegele and Mike Haley. I'm always attracted to Scraffito, or things that look like Scratchboard to me. Go to www.fayettevilleunderground.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to January 2011. They are up in the gallery right now and if you are in the NW Arkansas area the whole gallery is really worth a stop and see. Amazing artists here. I hope to be a part of this gallery soon! More things that look like Scratchboard and new boards by me soon...

Artists Statements

I'm feeling like a little crazy, blue bird....of happiness!

Working on my resume, cd of images and artist statement to apply to be a studio artist at the Fayetteville Underground Studio/Gallery here in Arkansas. Check it out at http://www.fayettevilleunderground.com/ I went there last night for the 1st Thursday event and the joint was hopping! Full of really great art, snacks and people. Made me think that I really want to be a part of this group. If they'll have me.
So, the subject of today's post: Artists Statements. I have to do one for the application process and I'm really resistant to the whole idea. I've done them before under great duress. Always have been turned off by the 'blah,blah,blah, Art and subconscious pursuit of some weird collection of words and thoughts so that you think I'm significant, smart and special, blah, blah'. Can you tell I feel strongly about this? It's pretty simple for me, it's pretty much black and white with a smattering of color thrown into the mix. I make marks on paper or scratchboard or whatever else happens to be in front of me. I don't know if it all means something or some means nothing. I just do it because the doing of it makes me feel better about myself and the world around me. I of course hope that somehow it makes others feel something too, but I've long ago given up on the idea that I can make anyone feel anything specific just by the 'power' of my art. Of course I want people to enjoy it, and buy it, otherwise I have to go back to fixing houses and toilets. Any suggestions from any of you out there on constructing one of these statements would be helpful. I don't have any comments on this blog for the year 2011 yet, and always appreciate knowing that at least one person reads this (besides me) so have at it if you want. I will probably just cobble something together from my statement at Wally Workman Gallery http://www.wallyworkmangallery.com/ and my bio on the http://www.blue-eyedponystudio.com/ website. As far as statements go, I really feel I lack an original idea, kind of funny coming from a creative mind, don't ya think? The art at the beginning of the post is a 3"x5" Ampersand Art scratchboard http://www.ampersandart.com/ with clayboard inks. It's sitting in my studio and is for sale, as is everything I make. It comes in a sweet little gallery frame for $50.00 and is ready to hang. If you want it give me a shout here or email me at the link at my website. Happy, Happy Winter time!

Scratchboard Reunion

Just returned from a whirlwind trip to Dallas yesterday. I'm trying to make 'lemonade from lemons' as the purpose of the trip was to pick up my artwork from a Gallery that was closing there. Well, not really closing, but changing it's focus to carrying only the art of it's namesake. While this is not really a happy event, and in fact, somewhat depressing, I have to say I am delighted to be re-united with some older pieces I hadn't seen in a while. Above are "4 Red Daisies" and "Genial Dog". The former is a 14"x18" Ampersand Art scratchboard (http://www.ampersandart.com)that/ incorporates vintage paper collage with water based oil paint. "Genial Dog" is an 8"x10" Ampersand Art scratchboard with vintage paper collage and acrylic paint. Would I rather have sold both of them? Yes indeed, I sure would have. And if anyone reading this wants them I'd be happy to pack 'em up and ship them out. In the meantime I'm enjoying seeing them on my wall. New works are always great, of course, but revisiting old is pretty awesome too.

I've had an invitation to link blogs with this site http://pocketchange.become.com/category/home-and-garden It's pretty cool, I hope you'll check it out, I plan to spend the next few days exploring there. Connections...important stuff in this day and age.

My New Years Resolution is to post more here, in addition my goal is to have more followers (I'm an Aries, we LOVE to be leaders!) So if you just stumbled onto this blog, sign up and line up folks, please, I won't lead you astray (at least I don't think so). I promise to be posting every few days with new/old artwork and whatever amusing, informative text I can squeeze out of my self.
If you have comments, jump in...I spend a lot of time alone in the studio and it's nice to have social stimulation!