happy new year folks! and yes, again, time has flown and i have neglected to properly keep the old blog updated. however, so many of you have been asking me about my current work (and about my website) and all that has transpired in the last six months i thought it high time i put a little "recent work round up + upcoming" post together for you.
leading up to the holidays i prepared for and painted eleven new "passage and pattern" works for a show at Sewn to the Sky, a gift gallery specializing in locally handmade, crafted gifts and art. the show was a great success because so many of you came out to support me, the night of the opening. i want to officially thank you all, my friends and family for the enthusiasm and kindness. i felt like the show gave me the opportunity to share some of my new work and a new direction. i cannot imagine a better way to jump start my pursuit of art as a full time profession. i am always grateful and humbled to share with you and this provides a fantastic amount of strength as the new year unfolds.
there are still a few works still available for sale or to see in person. and the perfect time to do so is during the Open Studio nights, on the first Friday of each month in the Chattanooga Workspace building. the next Open Studio night is Friday February 7th, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. i must add, this is a fantastic family friendly free event each month. for those of you interested in how artists work, how they produce and the spaces they create for making, there is nothing quite like Workspace. it means a lot to me (and to the community of artists) to have the time to talk with folks about what we do and how we do it. i will look forward to seeing and meeting you there soon!
the following work is based off the idea of the "passage of water through the plant". the idea came when i was working on a piece for the Southern Lit Alliance's (formerly known as the AEC), annual silent art auction and benefit, Art.a.ma.jig. The word/theme given this year was "passage". i knew i wanted to shift my focus and had thought about the idea of painting plants, specifically succulents. so i created the second piece, pictured below for the show. when i was asked to show at Sewn to the Sky it was a no-brainer, i'd carry out and explore the "passage" concept even more.
in the piece above, i decided to start with an entirely black (tissue paper) background. this only became a challenge when i couldn't decide how to balance the black background with the plants in the foreground. i think it all landed in the right place and am pleased with the outcome.
this was my first attempt at "passage" and so much of it, i painted freehand, meaning there's less of a pattern for me to paint, i simply created and painted the plants as i moved across the canvas.
the above piece was the second in the series and i think there are a couple of really special parts to this painting, that i love. first is the red polka dotted tissue paper i used, which was included in a purchase i made from anthropologie 10+ years ago. so in fact, the red dots are not painted but are the "underpainting" of applied tissue paper. the second special part of this painting for me was to apply the squares of color at the top of the painting. this was my way of illustrating the water, and it allowed my to create a bit of 3 dimensionality that i do not typically subscribe to. it also is reminiscent of a much earlier piece i created here.
in this piece i was inspired by a small sketch that i had made on my husband's iPad, using the Paper App. it harkens back to more of my tree landscapes and is a bit more whimsical, not sure that it really translates as well as i wanted it to, but i am at least pleased with the color combinations and pattern.
oh gosh! the colors in the one above are far out! this is definitely my idea of a lovely succulent, in terms of the pattern, but the red background still blows my mind.
and this little 4 x 4 pieces were so much fun to create. i have absolutely no recollection of ever painting anything this small before. i was pleasantly surprised that it was not any more challenging than painting on a larger scale. and i am really pleased at how they look together, as if a pair.
so ~ to the future, to 2 0 1 4, i will soon begin working on a new body of work for an upcoming solo (if not solo, dual/co show) out of town. i am going to be producing 20-25 new pieces and i am pretty sure i am on to a plan. this will be the largest body of work i am being expected to produce in a short period of time, ever. i have started some sketches and notes and hope to be updating and posting regularly. for now…here's a little something to whet the appetite.
