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.

Building 3 Little Houses

I traded a table I built out of vintage beaded board to an Artist who was my neighbor at Blue Genie. His name is Terrell Powell and I just loved his work. (Pictured is '3 Houses') He has a very distinct colorful folk art style and it speaks to me. So I've spent the last few days trying to paint like him, like me. In other words, not copy him but try to do what I do in his style. Color is always a challenge for me. I don't really have any sense of how to put it together. Unfortunately it shows in my lack of fashion sense! It's best if I stick to black and white (in clothing and Art it seems). But I'm going to be bold this coming year and try and break out of that. It's taken me several years to just add one color to my scratchboard drawings. Making a little 4X4 painting with multiple colors? Yikes...look out. The first 3 are a few of what I pushed out of me. They are crude, not really good but it's a start on a different path, and I had a great time painting them.

Happy New Year! I have hope that this year will be a better one for all of us. The bright spot of 2008 was Obama winning the election. The rest was pretty dismal. I am so happy that George Bush will be getting his @ss out of there!

Merry Freaking Christmas!

Ok, so I'm certainly not a Scrooge or anything but I really hate christmas. It's all built on the gift giving pressure and heaping loads of food and crazy family and expectations of winter wonderlands etc....and the pay out is usually disappointment. For the most part I do my best to avoid all of it. Even when you say, 'It's not really my holiday' folks try to suck you into it. Or they try to guilt you into believing that not wanting a "Merry Christmas" is somehow a terrible thing and you are an awful human for not wanting to participate. I'm glad it's over for now. I remain unscathed by any family drama.
Whew! That being said, things are good artistically for me. I made some money at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar. Mostly though, I made some money remodeling my neighbors bathroom. Went to Jerry's Artarama today and bought some paints and 4X4 canvas' to try my hand at that. A few of the artists at BGB were doing some really cool mixed media collage type paintings and I'm really drawn to that. We'll see what I can do. I'll post a few once I get down to business and make some. A friend asked me today what's next...and honestly I don't know. This economy scares me, but I still have to make art in some form or fashion. I may drive out to Marfa to do a little remodeling and art gallery exploration. I haven't been there in about 10 years and I've heard it's very hip and trendy now. Great. Hope to see good art and Marfa lights. My new year resolution is to post on this blog more. We'll see how that goes..I'd rather work and live than sit and type about it.