Making Sense of it All

The Latest

2008-10-29T12:06:00.004-04:00

I seem to have big spells between posts. I guess I need to pile up experiences and thoughts before I think I have enough things of interest to share.

Since the last entry I have entered 3 different shows and won in two of them- Best In Show and Third place. "Fire and Air", won Best in Show in the Gaston County "Visual Harvest" Show and "Thinking on the Outside of the Box" won at the Mooresville Show.

I have a website- http://www.silvermosquito.com/ and I'm trying to keep up with it with the help of my webmaster- Richard Stevenson at Cobblesoft. If you need help with a website I would recommend him. He puts up with artistic timing and crazy creative thinking and makes it viable and readable. I really enjoy working with him.

I'm working on a large series for a client and am trying to figure out how to create unique pieces that will fit the limitations but will also have a my style represented. AND, I have to be able to have them done quickly. The client, of course, wants them yesterday. It's a challenge but one I am enjoying. I'll try to remember to post some of them soon.

I'm Refreshed and Thinking Again

2008-09-13T14:51:00.004-04:00

Took the summer off and traveled. I cruised to the Greek Isles, Egypt, Turkey, cruised New York to Nova Scotia, drove to the North Carolina mountains and Greenville, NC. Glad to be home but, I could still pack my bags at the drop of a hat!

I'm showing work this month in Mooresville, NC. with the Mooresville Artist Guild, 103 West Center Avenue It's an encore of my latest stuff. Good to get the work out there again. The Mooresville Gallery is in the old train depot in the center of town. The whole downtown is beginning to revitalize. The quaintness and history are still there but it is becoming a creative hub. Galleries, restaurants, small businesses. Nice.

I'm now gearing up for some new shows. I pulled out the portfolio from under the bed; dusted it off and dragged out some of the "almost there but don't know what to do next" artwork. If I let work sit for a while and revisit it at a later date I seem to see what I was missing in earlier viewings and can find a solution to finish it. Then again, I can also look at some of those pieces and, having no idea what to do, quietly slip it back into the folder. Or, I have also been known to tear out the "good" parts and and stomp the rest of it over to the recycle bin. In this viewing, I found several with potenial for completion, three with no ideas generating, and 4 that lost tops, bottoms or sides and are in the running for completion. I have to have the work ready for the framers by Tuesday so that they are back in time. Ha, Fat Chance!

Show- Haen Gallery, Asheville,NC

2008-04-29T14:07:00.002-04:00

Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. The work is framed and hung and ready for viewing. The show will be up at the Haen Gallery from April 24th through May 22nd.
My work is located on the left side of the gallery and is well placed and lit. Chris and Carol, the gallery owner and his associate, have been wonderful to work with - getting this all organized and advertised.
Thursday night, during the opening reception there was a huge crowd of patrons and well wishers. I recieved lots of positive comments and interest. I hope to see it pan out for both the gallery and myself.

Getting it Together...Slowly

2008-04-19T09:29:00.003-04:00

I deliver the my framed work to the Haen Gallery on Tuesday the 22nd. I'm anxious and cautious as to the reception. Of course, I hope Chris and Carol, the gallery owner and his associate, will love them and be excited about giving their clients a new art venue (and purchase opportunity.) I'm pleased with the work in "Pillars and Pedestals, 2008", some more than others, but all represent my perspective on the subject and use of media. I definitely feel they are less illustrative and more abstract which is a move in a slightly different yet parallel direction. Does that make sense? No, but who said I had to?

The work with the mural grant is still in progress. The third through fifth graders have finished the painting, printing and sewing on the panels. Now I take over and sew the edges and straighten out any flaws. Hopefully the book pages will be ready by the end of this next week and we can dedicate it the 1st of May. Cross fingers.

Still Trying to get There from Here

2008-03-10T16:21:00.005-04:00

The mural I am helping Villa Heights Elementary make is approaching completion and will be up sometime in April - at least I hope it will. Sometimes my best laid plans explode in my face so I am crossing my fingers and dotting my eye.
My work for the April show in Asheville, NC at the Haen Gallery is coming... just that...coming. I feel I am spinning out of orbit and I hope the "powers that be", whoever they are, find a way to slow my desent as I plummet toward overworked muddled masses of trite whatever. I keep finding myself screaming "Stop!" and then in my head I add "In the name of love... before you break my heart... Think it o-o-over..." It doesn't stop me from adding more to an already overworked image. What am I doing??? Pray I find my footing soon.

On to New Things

2008-02-24T14:02:00.003-05:00

Been awhile. Since my last entry I have completed two Artsteach grants and am working on a third with Villa Heights Elementary in Charlotte, N.C.. This latest project has the 3rd through 5th graders creating a hanging mural for the front lobby of the school with my help. It will be an abstract creation using North Carolina and community as the basis. I'll attach pictures when we are finished. The other two projects involved mural making with another elementary school and solar plate mixed media etching with a high school. I really enjoy this type of teaching. The students are a delight to work with and I can concentrate on one project at a time rather that four to six a day as a regular art teacher and best of all... I don't have to grade them.

Since the grant projects don't take up a full 40 hour schedule (another perk), I can spend time on my own work. I working on some new monoprint mixed media pieces in the "Pillars and Pedestal" series (see earlier blog entries). I probably wouldn't be still involved with this genre but Haen Gallery in Asheville, N.C. is interested in showing my work in this series but wants some fresh pieces. Since most of the original pieces have sold, this is not a problem. The show is scheduled for the end of April and I hope to be finished with 10 to 12 new pieces by mid March. This may be wishful thinking but what the heck... I can dream. The new pieces are more abstract and less cluttered. The statements are more embedded and the printing process is monoprint and gum arabic transfer. I have attached images for you to see. What do you think?

In DEEP

2007-10-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in writing. I never realize how much family vacations take to plan and execute. Our trip to Holden Beach, NC was fun but now I really need a vacation! Granddaughter loved the sand but was not much for the waves.
The October issue of DEEP magazinehttp://www.deepmag.com/ is out. It is not an easy magazine to find but it is a classy magazine. It can be found at Barnes and Noble in the regional or fashion section or at Books-a-Million in the fashion section. My work is on pages 46-51 with three of those pages being full color images of my work and the commentary makes me sound smarter that I am. I did say those things but the arrangement is extraordinary.Interesting enough the "Pillars and Pedestal" work is the only work recently to be accepted into shows. I shouldn't complain because they are winning awards and being seen but it does make me wonder if I'm just a flash in the pan and I'll never measure up to this series. I could continue on in the same direction...that is not my style. When I have had my fill of the subject it almost makes me ill to try to squeeze one more out. So, I will move on and brave the rejections. I make art because I love solving problems visually and expressing my thoughts symbolically. I hate repetition. I'm working in my head on a new idea based on the fact that I love working on paper but I dislike having to always frame it for preservation(costly and too sterile). so, how can I make art on paper and preserve it without framing??? I'll keep you informed about my ideas.

New steps- baby or big?

2007-08-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

Two pieces were accepted into the Schwa Show in Greenville, NC at the Emerge Gallery. One is a piece that DEEP magazine was interested in called "Nancy Hart". The DEEP October issue should have something pertaining to my work in it on the "Pillars and Pedestal" series. The issue will be out the 1st week of October. I'm so new at this stuff that I didn't even ask what the format would be for the presentation. I was just thrilled they wanted it. Could be good or could be bad... we will see.

I haven't had much time to create lately. I have a beautiful granddaughter that I need to play with and while I am playing I am planning my strategy for getting my work to be noticed and hopefully sold or represented by the right gallery.

Wrapping It Up

2007-08-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

This is my last week of studio time at the McColl Center. It has been great. One part is longing to stay the other is ready for a new challenge, maybe a little closer to home = the hour commute most days has gotten very old, especially with gas so costly. A couple of my works from the "Pillar and Pedestal" have sold and some of the others are destined for upcoming shows so I won't have to fill both guest bathtubs with artwork. My own walls are full and temperature controlled storage is more that I want to spend. Loaning out to friends might work but remembering who has what is another mind-boggler.

The newest work is about tying up all the loose ends when you start or stop something. "Containing Energy" is a monoprint using two different plates and miscellaneous stamps made from EZ-cut plates. I think of it as a visual reminder to save some (energy) for other things. I like the thick lassoing line and the energy in the background areas caused by purposely poor printing of the first plate.

Well back to packing. Soon.

Establishing Ground

2007-07-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a struggle to establish a direction in which to work. I think I over thought the whole issue. I do have a habit of making things difficult for myself. If it comes easily it is not good- what stupid thinking! But even knowing this I continue to do it. Well, anyway I finally just decided to play with art supplies, gawd forbid that I thought about the money involved in this "play". I began by printing large monoprints; sometimes, printing one or two other monoprints on top of the original image. Then I played storyteller and dialogued with each piece by printing and painting shapes and images to represent my story. Being just a slight bit off normal makes for some unusual tales. A couple of the finished pieces are here. They remind me of some work I did last year, a series based on joss paper. Check out http://www.gastoncountyartguild.com/ and look under the gallery for my name and view a few of them. Tell me if you see any similarities.

I really am attached to these pieces and wonder if its just me or will others appreciate and enjoy them. The value of each piece is in the stories that can be told through them. There are many beginnings and endings encapsulated in one image. Blended in the top and bottom edges are bits of the story I had in mind when I created them, you can see an example in the 4th image shown here, but, they are open to any story the viewer can access from the images. I think I am finding my way again...wonder where it will take me?

Coming to grips with it all

2007-06-30T09:21:00.000-04:00

I'm still floundering with my vision for my new work. Stepping back to an old theme only makes me want to run-sideways, in circles, back and forth- but, not ahead. I'm over it. I want to move on. I've satisfied my curiousity about the subject and even tho' many could argue there is more to explore I have had my fill. The ADHD has spoken!
The images are pieces of my recent work from my most recent two series, "Learning DisAballing" and "Pillars and Pedestals" hanging at McColl Center for Visual Arts in Charlotte, NC. It is a wonderful gallery/workspace for artists. The other seven affiliate artists at this time are so willing to share ideas, techniques and critical input. Unfortuately for me, I so often shy away from critiques about my work. Unless I want to stay stagnant I need to open up and hear views from other people in the field - this is not a profound statement but one that I find hard to explore. My fear is that in hearing other's approaches and ideas I will become less of me-not the 100% inventor of my artistic world. I could dilute the power of my vision by letting interlopers in. How egotistical is that! I guess I still have the college hangover of if you do everything the instructors says you will make a good grade, even if it is against your personal journey. Can you tell I made "A"'s in art class? Can you also tell I came out of school without a clue as to what my own style and purpose was? Right on both accounts.
In not inviting information from these knowledgeable people I admire and that have strong purpose and direction for their own visions, I might spend way too long coming to conclusions that are there for the asking. Hopefully, I will ask for insight and will take from it what I deem represents my focus.

Revisiting the old

2007-06-19T18:55:00.000-04:00

I feel I am not progressing in my work the way I want to. To be honest, I don't know where I am going - no vision on things to come or directions in which to go. When I get to this point I find revisting my old work can give me a foundation and with two steps back I can go at least one forward, not exactly ahead but in the right direction.
the series before "Learning DisAballing" was titled " Pillars and Pedestals" . The premise was based on an old friend of mine who moved from New York when he was 15. His vision was Southern girls were easy bait for a suave Northen boy. He stated he quickly found out that Southern girls were as easy to push around as cement trucks. This series of 16 mixed media pieces was based on that contradiction. I researched Southern women of the Civil War era because I assumed that most of the stereotype was based from that period.
Shown here are three examples of this series. Each piece is based on a Southern female maverick. I didn't want the work to be portraiture. Instead, I wanted to reflect the spirit and energy of the individual's personality. The stitching seen in each represents the schooling of the young women of that time period, needlework instead of reading and writing. But, the stitching is wild and the thread starts and stops in unruly mannergiving a hint at the feelings of these girls. The image of a pillar or pedestal is always in the shadows or background representing the standard for ladylike behavior; all these women abandoned their post and ran their own show. The tattered "shards" are the layers and hidden levels of these women. Each torn "piece of petticoat" has a part in telling the story of these more typical than not Southern ladies.
This concentration of work was exciting and had purpose. I need to find another experience or...maybe keep going with these "kin folk". There are more women to portray. Maybe I stopped too soon. At least until something else strikes a cord this could keep me moving artistically.

Finding the Way

2007-06-15T08:11:00.000-04:00

This piece of art is 30"x40". It is a mixed medium image in the LD series, titled "Which way is Right?". At the moment it hangs at the McColl Center of Visual Art in Charlotte,NC. The idea is that you are looking at the back of a canvas (see the board and hanger?), where the hidden message is. It also represents how people purseve individuals with different...creative learning challenges, backwards. The drawings are subconscious ramblings and seem to be drawn in the wrong direction for the way it is hung. Hidden amongst the drawings are statements about dealing with learning problems, specifically, knowing right from left. How many times have I witnessed or been the victim of the famous line," No, your other left"? Constantly I have to air write to remember which hand I write with so that I can distinguish which way is the correct or incorrect way to go. Paintbrushes in the upper corner, right corner?...left corner?..Who cares...are my symbols for creative problem solving, I learned, finally, that if I drew my notes in class I could keep up with the information and succeed in school. My disability definitely helped me in my pursuit to be an artist. Early on I found ways through unique visual cues to keep up with the majority.

Learning Dis-A-balling Series

2007-06-14T08:58:00.001-04:00

Alright. I got one of the images on. This work is a 30" x40" mixed medium piece titled "Decode This" and is part of a 5 piece series, "Learning Dis A balling". The series is based on the plaguing effects of learning problems in society. The intent is to make aware visually the learning flaws that are often misdiagnosed as stupidity or laziness. If you can't spell and don't use periods, you are dumb. If you change words, skip words or don't know simple words you are a moron. If you write numbers and letters backwards or reverse their order,"there is something wrong with you". You learn, as I have, to combat and correct the mental disconnects externally but the insults no matter how benign play havoc with your soul. This piece visualizes the problem of decoding symbols in everyday life. From styles of fonts to definition of words we constantly decode. When a problem in decoding these forms of communication exists the results can be devastating or hilarious or somewhere in between. Thank heaven for spell/grammer check

June 14, 2007

2007-06-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

I've done it. I finally conquered my fear of the byways and highways of the internet. My purpose for this milestone is to get my artwork out of my little comfort zone and get constructive criticism from others. Now to figure out how to get my work posted...