The Coloring Issue and a Skull Quilt.

TO COLOR OR NOT TO COLOR, THAT IS THE QUESTION...

I've done another self portrait! I like it best out of the three so far. Right now, it's only in the inked stage. I haven't gone any further, because even though at first my plan was to color it, now I'm scared to make the plunge.

Knowing when a piece is "done" (or ready to be "abandoned" as my painting teacher says- "I've never actually ever FINISHED a painting; I've just abandoned them!" So true, so true) is the hardest part of art making in my opinion. There is always the quandary of whether or not it could be improved. The problem comes because just as easily as it COULD be bettered, it could also be made worse (or totally ruined!) And overworked is never good; once you go too far there's no going back, unless you decide to reincarnate it as something else. I asked some people about their opinion on the coloring issue- most of them thought that it was worth trying out the color idea, but that I should try to make a photocopy so that I would still have a black and white version. The drawing is too big for a regular scanner unless I want to try to scan it in pieces, but I can fit most of it on an 11 x 17 piece of paper, which could be done easily on a photocopier. I'm pretty sure that my public library has one, so I'm going to make a few copies to try out different coloring techniques/materials, and keep the original just as it is. I'll keep you posted!

Do you recognize that little guy? (The gross white glare on his eye is from the camera flash. I hate flash, but I couldn't get a proper picture otherwise :/)

This weekend I also embarked on my first quilting adventure. I've never done any quilting, but as you know I love sewing (PLUSHIES!! PLUSHIES!!! ^__^) sew I though I'd give it a go (haha!) It's a skull quilt made entirely from 4 x 4 squares of scrap fabric. I found the idea on one of my favorite websites of all time, Cut Out and Keep. If you're a crafty and kooky person, you should definitely take a look. It has all kinds of great inspiration.

Yesterday I finished cutting out all the squares and laying them out where I wanted them to go. I may start sewing today :)

The skull isn't super prominent because I since I only had scrap fabric to work from, I didn't have many choices. But I think it's kind of cool that way. I had SO much fun cutting out all the squares, as monotonous as it sounds. I could remember what each fabric was originally used for...there were a lot of scraps from various shirts my mom made before I was born, and there are even some squares from some of my old pajama pants!

Self Portraits from Photos

I've been going absolutely crazy not having any kind of guided art projects. No inspiration, no motivation, no feedback, no people to bounce ideas off of. It's HORRID (gaha, that word makes me laugh. I feel like I need to say nasally while scrunching my nose up.) And my greatly anticipated metal sculpture class got canceled, because apparently there weren't enough people as excited about it as I was. Only 6 people signed up, and the cut off for running it was 12 *sniff, tear* (cue sad music: "OH NO, TEARS ARE FALLING" - I just so happen to be listening to Kiss) The only slightly artistic thing I've been doing since Mr.Waffles is painting the kitchen red with my dad, which doesn't really count. I went to my high school's art show last night, and it made me feel EXTREMELY guilty for letting my art making muscles emaciate. This afternoon I forcefully told myself that something must be done. I slapped on one more coat of red paint, cleaned up, and went upstairs to try to find the SOMETHING in myself to produce ANYTHING. As I have very little inspiration right now, self portraits seemed to be the thing (when you can't find a subject to draw, just draw yourself, 'cause you've always got you.) I used photographs of myself taken by my lovely Bloggie Buddie because I don't have a mirror up in my room, and I find her pictures of my face more stimulating than my "live" one. I have to say, for someone who is feeling less than inspired, I pretty surprised and pleased with the results. They're kind of cartoony, I know, as they were meant to be. I think I will continue along this self portrait path until I stumble in a new direction...

This one was actually done second. I used sharpies, crayola markers, and india ink (in pen and brush pen form.) It also has collage elements, like the ripped paper. I quite like it.

This was the first one that I did. Crayola markers, india ink (pen and brush pen) and prisma color pencils.

In Which I Discuss Mr. Waffles, Petunia, and My Bloggie Buddie..

**Foist things foist (wonky accent, don't ask me why): my wonderful plushie-making-amazing-photo-taking friend made a blog! We're bloggie buddies, yay. Look at her stuff, 'cause I think it's great. ----> (this is my digital finger pointing the way to...) DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR**

In fact, just yesterday we got together and had a major plushie making party at my kitchen table. She already made a blog post telling about the two characters that were born as we stitched and ate rock hard pears with peanut butter (yummy, but a bit tough on the jaw.) She also wrote about the joy (and incredible addictiveness) of making plushies. So I guess this is like a companion post. After all, like I said we're bloggie buddies :)

**Note: all photos taken by her**

PETUNIA AND MR.WAFFLES MINI BIOS.

MR. WAFFLES (or Waffles for short) - made by me:

Mr. Waffles is a very dedicated but modest shoemaker. When he walks, he swings his long neck back and forth for momentum, as his short legs do little to keep him moving forward. Although he is the sweetest giraffe you'll ever meet, his single (but massive) tooth and lack of tail make him self conscious. This shyness keeps him from getting out much, and the years of hiding out avoiding customers in his shoe shop have made him quite socially awkward. His girlfriend Maiibull-Eeen is the only one who understands and appreciates him, despite his bashfulness and insecurities. She shows her love for him by making him his favorite breakfast every morning: whole wheat waffles with freshly cut strawberries.

PETUNIA -made by her:

Petunia works from morning 'til night in her green house arranging bouquets of her most exotic flowers for distinguished customers. She is modest and reserved, and because of this she is one of the only people Mr. Waffles can spend time with (other than Maiibull-Eeen of course) because she doesn't overwhelm him. They especially enjoy playing checkers and working on piano duets together. Maiibull-Eeen never gets jealous, because she trusts Waffles with her heart and is thankful that he as at least one friend beside herself and his mother (she really is a fabulous woman!) Petunia's only sibling is her brother, LC who poops on people who he doesn't like.

And the plushie invasion continues...

THEY'RE TAKING OVER!

I even did a cute little drawing. I heart crayola markers.

I really need to do something about getting a scanner. We have an old one, but it's left over from our PC days, and it's not compatible with Macs. It's difficult to take good photographs of art work. I guess you don't have much choice with 3D stuff, but I think it would be AWFULLY NICE to be able to scan my drawings and such. Especially because when in comes to doing art on the computer a lot of the initial stages are done manually on paper and then scanned in to be worked on further...ahhh, wishful thinking...

Frankie Turp, Maiibull-Eeen, and others.

Now that my painting class is over, I've been scrounging around for projects to keep myself occupied with. I don't sit well with doing nothing. It makes me depressed. Luckily I've managed to keep myself nicely fueled with all kinds of bits of doings. And I'm starting a summer metal sculpture class the 26th which runs for 5 weeks, so during that time my whirring motor of a brain should be happy :-)

I find that I tend to go through phases of different art forms, where I get really involved in one medium. Sometimes these phases last for only a few days, but they can go on for months. I'll get really into sewing, knitting, painting, drawing...the list goes on and on. And of course there are tons of subcategories in each medium: plushie making, spinning, abstract painting, cartooning, etc. The possibilities are endless. It's almost like the phases are on a rotating schedule, each taking their turn, passing it on to the next...then later on coming back for the next round. Most of the time I have more than one area that I'm exploring at the same time, and the ideas kind of spill over so that even though the work I am creating in each medium is different materials-wise, it's all connected; one thing leads to another. Right now, I'm in a Plushie-Making-Graphic-Novel-Phase.

This most recent phase started about a week ago when I decided that a fun project would be reincarnating some of my childhood drawings. So down into the basement I went, dragging out a mountain of dusty folders stuffed with scribbles and potato people. Children have such freedom, and can put things on paper with natural ease...I miss that capability, that blissful liberation from art "expectations." Using my childhood artwork as a jumping point, I made sketch after sketch of revamped characters which were originally created by my 4-7 year old brain.

The giraffe/bear and bee/dog/rabbit on the upper page were among a group of marker drawings titled "MIXED UP ANIMALS." There was even an angel/skunk. Heh. Imagine that.

I love the all leg guy wearing shorts (written in carefully formed letters on the original drawing: GLAMMA ITS YELLOW AND HAS NO ARMS. I assume "Glamma" was some kind of invented species of mine?)

This is where the "graphic novel" part of this current phase comes in. I've always wanted to make my own comic books/strips/graphic novels, but in the past I've felt like it was very intimidating. Not sure why, since I lot writing and I love drawing. Bang those two passions together and voila. Why should I feel like it's beyond me? I found the book Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, and I'm planning on taking myself through that this summer (in fact, I've already started.) I'm excited. ^___^

On to PLUSHIES!!! Who doesn't love a good plushie? I know I can't resist 'em. My graphic novel excitement was interrupted by The Invasion of the Stuffies. All my attempts to hold my ground were futile. The first incomer was Frankie Thurp, a dignified used book salesman with way too much heart (he certainly wheedled his way into mine.) He also smokes a pipe even though I tell him he shouldn't. I stitched him together during a visit with a friend.

Remember about what I was saying about the ideas spilling over? Well, here is an example of that phenomenon. After Frankie Thurp, I began making another plushie, but this one I based off one of the revamped childhood drawings I did. SQEEEE!!! I named her Maiibull-Eeen (hey, what a poet I am.) Just wookit dat wittle buck tooth! And her toes :) I wuv her! She's got wire in all those bows to make them nice and bendable and to make sure they hold their lovely bow shape.

There she is, up at the top.

And there you have it- my life in plushies and cartoons since classes let out. Sorry about the length of this massive post. I seem to have a tendency to get behind on this blogging bidness, and meanwhile the art work that I do keeps on a pilin' up. By the time I get around to doing a post, it's a novel...

Artist Statements - Abstract Painting and Collage Projects

Abstract Assignment (Interstices I, II, & III and Their Twins)

Interstices I (right) and Twin I (left)

Interstice II (right) and Twin II (left)

Interstices III (right) and Twin III (left)

Knots in wood.

Steam rising from a hot cup of coffee on a Sunday morning.

A dead fly on the windowsill, legs frozen akimbo, fragile wings coated in a soft layer of dust.

Cracks in the sidewalk, shadows on the wall, peeling paint.

Rust.

These are quiet things. Their spontaneous appearances in our lives need to be caught and scrutinized, or else they will slip by unnoticed. They are soft-spoken and shy, we are deaf and too busy to listen. But even in their tranquility they are alive, and to me have a powerful intrigue, immense beauty, and grace.

in·ter·stice: A space, especially a small or narrow one, between things or parts.

I did not set out to create Interstices I, II, and III. Rather, I would say, they found me. I really feel as though these paintings knew from the beginning how they wanted to be. It was each of them who dictated where to paint and how to paint; I merely carried it out for them. In their entirety, these paintings are not part of the group of the quiet things of which I was speaking. It is in the spaces between all of the vigor, activity, and excitement that this simple placidness exists. Part of my method in creating these pieces was throwing water onto an already painted canvas, which caused an interesting eroded effect. I began calling these beautiful eroded areas “interstices.” I then filled in each interstice with white (or in the case of Interstices III a dark purple) so that their presence would not be passed by. I found this process very pleasing and not at all monotonous. As my brush traveled around each minuscule curve, I got to observe it and enjoy all of its tiny complexities. Despite the incredible individual attention that I gave each pocket of stillness, upon completion I felt strongly that they deserved further exploration and recognition.

I found and was inspired by Ingrid Calame’s paintings, which are the product of her stain, crack, and skid mark tracings. Employing her hard-edged painting style and bold colors, I created three “Twins” (one in conjunction with each original painting) inspired by the interstices themselves. Something that I find interesting is that once compiled and arranged into a composition, these interstices are no longer silent areas of rest. They become loud and bold. They want you to hear them. Showing the Interstices and their Twins together as diptychs rather than on their own acknowledges this transformation.

Collage Assignment (Currently Untitled)

Touching is communication with our surroundings. It informs us and grounds us; it lets us be present in the material reality that we exist in. For me, this piece is the embodiment of tactile impulses. Visually, it is mainly a formal piece as it is purely nonrepresentational. Contextually, it is the product of an exploration in materials based on their texture, consistency, or physical action done with the hands and fingers:

Texture: Burlap, stuffing, pillowcase, stitching.

Consistency: Paint, glue, various acrylic mediums.

Action: Hand sewing with needle and thread, stapling, forming the “body” out of chicken wire, Twisting the “arms” out of wire and stuffing them, rubbing paint and mediums into the burlap, pulling the threads apart.

Many of these physical sensations overlapped as I worked, creating a kind of compound tactile experience that mirrors our daily existence.

I am aware that its tubular-like appearance is anything but inviting to the fingertips. I am aware that it is gross looking. But I believe that many people have lost touch with what is real in favor for more “comfortable” things. Our society is becoming further and further removed. We talk/text on our phones or listen to our ipods instead of interacting with the people around us; our food is so processed that it scarcely resembles its natural form anymore. We are squeamish. We are sad - that’s what we are. When I engage in the making of pieces like this one, I feel connected somehow once again. Touch it. Feel it. Squeeze it. Reconnect.

Art Show Opening

In a few words, since I am tired and really just want to go to bed and read Dear Theo:

The opening of the juried student art show was yesterday from 3:00 - 5:30, and it was very well-attended. I wasn't expecting so many people to show up and support the student artists, but they did (which I think is great!! :]) Awards were given to several pieces, including my triptych painting! And "Hank" sold!