Endangered Species

The Smithsonian just released a photo of a Jaguar caught on night camera on an island in Panama. The last sighting was in 1983, so this is a wonderful confirmation that they are still around even though they have been hunted almost to extinction in South America.

It made me think again about the 100,000 plus gorillas found by the Wildlife Conservation Society over the summer in the Congo. No one knew they existed until 2008 because they live in such a remote and inaccessible area. It thrills me to no end that these animals have never laid eyes on a human being. What a beautiful thing for an animal.
I suppose that is over now, unless the government does something to protect them.

Here is the amazing story. Be sure to watch the video.

Revisting Older Paintings

I had a meeting with the wonderful Twig Murray from the NVFAA today. She came all the way out to me to have a second look at my work and, hopefully, convince her colleagues to put together a show of the work. It is such a blessing to see her enthusiasm for art and for my art in particular. She also gave me really good criticism, as well.

It is a strange experience to have all of my work on front me. There are a handful of paintings that I still feel are unfinished though they have been hanging around for awhile. This one hangs in my hallway, so I see it often. I have never felt it was complete, so I took it to the easel to see what to have a good look at it. The first thing I noticed was how off the drawing is. I did this one two years ago and my drawing skills are radically better, so the entire head has to be re-stated. My natural tendency is to exaggerate reality because I like the way it looks, but I wasn't aiming for that on this one back then. At first I had an "oh, crap, I just ruined this" moment, but I am going to keep working at it because I believe in the idea.

I am also going to return to this one at some point. I want to bring a few things up and take a few down.

Wise Words From Ariane Goodwin

Ariane Goodwin creator of the Smartist Telesummit and author of "Writing the Artist Statement" sends out a artist tips email each week. This section was particularly powerful to me today:

"Noticing a disconnect between the effort you put into writing your artist statement and its marketing impact? Make it more powerful by getting a little naked. Listing your credentials can be impressive... but how many times have you been drawn to someone because of their credentials? Facts inform, but they don't often draw people to you.Instead of using your artist statement as a recitation of bio facts, let people behind the canvas, under the clay, or into your darkroom. People might ask you where you learned your technique, but what they really want to know is....What's it like to be an artist? What time of day do you most like to work? What music do you listen to? What do you do when the muse deserts you? If you couldn't make art anymore, what would you do?Tell 'em what they want to know. Even you might find that your artist statement makes for more interesting reading."

You can read the entire email here. It is full of great stuff....

New Postcards

Last week I got an email from Overnight Prints advertising small quantities of business cards and post cards. The 4" x 6" postcards started at $4.95 for 25, so I figured that was cheap enough to try out several designs. The last time I tried to print postcards they came out too dark and I was not happy with them. I uploaded 5 designs and ordered 25 each. With the small (value) quantities Overnight prints specifies that they are printed on a digital press, when you order 100 or more they are printed on an offset press. I realized a couple days after uploading them that I had forgotten to change my files from RGB to CMYK, so I thought for sure they were going to come out awful. Boy what a pleasant surprise to find them bright, sharp and at my door in less than a week.

On Moon Garden I thought I would try putting the back of the quilt on the back of the card to show the quilting. It worked out pretty good. I really like how they came out.

Today's Painting

It is a nasty weather day to shoot, but this is very close other than the glare. Man, I am loving this.....

I took an oil painting class a few years ago because I had such trepidation about the medium, so I thought jumping right in would help. It was a typical beginner class with still life set ups weekly. One set up was a coffee cup on a fancy cloth and by the end on the painting I had added a handful of my own imaginings. My instructor looked casually over my shoulder and said "You are lying there" because I wasn't copying the reality of the still life.

I really love to "lie" in my paintings. Much more fun. And I am really lying in this one.

Norman Rockwell Exhibit

Morris Shapiro, director of Park West Gallery posted a really interesting and insightful blog post about the current Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Art. This is his response to a less than favorable review of the show by a critic (What a shocker. An art critic that doesn't like Rockwell.)

http://parkwestgallery.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/experiencing-rockwell

I give a hearty amen to Mr. Shapiro.

Mystery Animal

So the animal from my dream is taking form. The photo is a tight close up. I have defined some of the head but have mostly focused on getting that super realistic eye which is in some sort of "tube" and seems to be like a goat's eye. This sort of painting is pure joy to me.......it is all from the inside.

I suddenly became overwhelmed by the huge amount of work I have to do before Artomatic not only to get the space ready but also to get the paintings ready. Several are unframed, unsigned and/or unvarnished. They are all in various stages of drying, so I had to go back through my records to determine when exactly each one can be varnished. I also went back through my narratives as we have an idea to put them right under each painting directly on the wall. So....lots to do. I may have to give myself permission to set new work aside for we install.

Quilting Arts TV

While at quilt festival last week I taped another segment for Quilting Arts TV demonstrating painting with Tsukineko All Purpose Inks and aloe vera gel.

Dream

I had a dream about an animal that I have never seen before. I am going to try to recreate it in a painting relying solely on the dream. There are animals in every dream I have, but this one is clearly not seen in waking life. I rely heavily on reference photos in my work, so this will be a departure from my normal way of working. It will either be impossible, crap or be wonderful....if I can step away from my left brain a bit..move to the right, it just might come together.
(And I will add that I feel like the animal has of something to do with Soju and Etha....)

The beautiful math that links coral, crochet and hyperbolic geometry

Another fabulous Ted talk. I have a fascination with many scientific and mathematical ideas, although many times I have a hard time grasping the full concepts, none the less when there is an overlap of scientific and artistic ideas it so interesting. I am probably especially drawn to these kind of things because my dad was a Naval engineer and my mom is a research scientist. In my teens and early 20's, my mom worked at an aquaculture lab in Northern California and I spent a lot of time peering into salt water tanks filled with creatures from the Pacific. My favorite thing to do was help feed the baby lobsters and see them swim somersaults in their little cubicles.

Artomatic

Saturday we went down to M Street to pick a space for Artomatic. The raw building backs up to National's Park and is really close to Capitol Hill making it a great location for the event. After orientation we went up to the third floor where I chose a 12' x 8' wall that faces the park and has plenty of natural light during the day. We will need to putty, prime and paint over the next few weeks to prepare for hanging. The third floor also has the singer/songwriter stage and a lounge.
With eight floors of artwork, it may be inevitable that a few small works disappear without some sort of secure hanging. I heard a few artist's works walked out the door last year, so I found and bought a bunch of T-lock security hangers. This has been my main concern, so I feel better about having the work there with the hangers.

I will be posting photos with each transition of the space over the coming weeks and through the event.




Artomatic 2009 building.

My wall. Pretty raw, so I have plenty of work to do....I do have a ready made lighting beam.


Looking to th right of the wall.

180 degrees, facing ballpark.

Living next to Oprah

I live next to Harpo studios in Chicago, generally it is fairly quiet around here with the occasional squeals of excited woman in brightly colored clothing. This week there were a couple of groups trying to get Oprah's attention. On tuesday evening when it was chilly and damp there was a spontaneous concert on the sidewalk with a young boy singing.


On Friday, a group came down the street and around the block chanting "Oprah give us a voice". They were a group protesting the genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

It was a small gathering of people carrying Canadian and American flags. I did not realize the extent of the problem in Sri Lanka, this is something that really needs more attention in the media. I hope Oprah heard.

Painting

Another artist found me in space and invited me to become part of the BlueCanvas community. Many of the art sites I am on don;t seem to be very active, but since registering last night I have received numerous comments and made connections with other artists. So, my artist friends, check out BlueCanvas.

I don't feel like I got a lot done today and my product-bent left brain it firing. I worked on a few backgrounds and pushed paint around, but nothing really is coming to the surface yet. I have to constantly remind myself to go with the process, that this process has steps and that each step is not the same, may be unlevel, lead to a long flat surface....or grade quickly.

Back to work

After being away from the easel for a week, I find myself eager to return but with trepidation and frustration over not being quite ready to begin a new painting. This stag painting is still unfinished and I want to get on to narrowing down all the scraps of notes into cohesive images for new work. I have felt rather down and highly critical of my work over the last few weeks. I understand well the valley after completing well-done painting mountain experience.

Craig returns from a two week trip to Kansas City tomorrow and it is off to the Artomatic site Saturday to get my assigned wall. Here are a few photos of the building and the partitions being built.

Photos by Jennifer Beinhacker

Surviving the Runway 80's Prom night

The best Surviving the Runway yet happened at Festival this weekend. Prom Night got under way at 5:30 Saturday night, what a blast we had.

Laura Wasilowski was the official judge who had the difficult job of choosing the winners of the tiara making contest.

To get into proper 80's attire, one must have hair spray, and lots of it!
Barb got a little assistance creating mall bangs from Luanne.In preparation for his dance the prom king dons his mullet, constructed from two Brittany Spears, oops I mean Hanna Montana wigs, (thanks Robbi) bought at Target friday night, and a turquoise t shirt, splattered with paint in open studios saturday afternoon. Such a good sport, huh? It is amazing what Pokey can get people to do, lol!A few of the Prom Chaperons: Kelli Perkins
Belinda Spiwak modeling her 80's prom gown made by Glad.
This photo doesn't show my jeans very well, but I altered a pair of black jeans for that 80's look. I tapered them, painted and splattered bleach on them, then dyed them in teal RIT to give them that 80's overdyed look.

Melli Testa (above), Robbi Eklow and I were also chaperons but Robbi had to e put in time out by Pokey. Those who know Robbi probably understand why Pokey had to do it, lol. As chaperons our job was to advise participants for 5 minutes if they answered an 80's trivia question correctly.

Barb's getting her boogie down.
As part of a challenge to get feathers to adorn her tiara, this woman danced around the MIU area on the show floor, she even managed to find a man along the way and came dancing back with him, ultimately winning feathers for everyone.
Time to adjust those tiaras before hitting the runway.Second runner up won by being the class slut, proudly identified on her tiara. She even had the nerve to cut in on the Prom King and Queens dance!
First runner up.
The winner! The top prize was this huge box of Aurofil thread, is that a dream prize or what!
There were lots of videos shot, be sure to check out the video on the Quilting Arts blog.

Make it University Chicago

On Saturday and Sunday I taught a project for Make it University called Metal Magic.

This project gave participants the opportunity to try out Lesley Riley's transfer paper TAP (I pre-printed it with images from my paintings), hand sewing canvas to aluminum metal, embossing and cutting the metal with decorative scissors and painting grungeboard, a very cool hybrid of chipboard and some polymer type material to make a fun little wall hanging.

I like seeing how each person makes their project unique with embroidery
or special painting motifs.It was fun seeing my friend Lynne Croswell from Vermont in my workshop. Lynne and I first met in Houston a few years ago. The quilt show is always such a great place for making new friends.

Open Studios

Thursday I taught Tsukineko inks, it was a three hour class that ended just as the show opened, so people flew out the door and I never got any pictures.

After my class finished, I packed things up and headed for Make it University. I worked in Open Studios embossing the copper cover for my other mixed media canvas book.

Painting Whole Cloth Fabric Class at Quilt Festival

Friday I was thrilled to have a full class of 25 wonderful painting students, what a great class. Everyone worked enthusiastically applying paint to fabric while learning to control the flow of the paint, make smooth gradations of color, work with paint mediums for glazing among many other things.



So many beautiful paintings...


I would like to thank Cindy Kuo for taking many of these photos.

What's that Painting?

Abstract art in its different forms is a bit of an anomaly to me. I have decided to try to understand it better and in order to do that I have to understand the artists. I do appreciate the internal origins of abstract art and in fact put more value on it than the ability to copy what one sees. I cannot have any interest in hyper-realism or photo realism beyond an appreciation for technique and technique is not art. But this internal world, what is coming out of the artist is an endless fascination.


A few months ago we made another trip into the district to visit the National Gallery of Art which houses Jackson Pollock's "Number 1, 195o (Lavender Mist)." I went mostly to get my Van Gogh fix and to look at Rothko's work which I posted about earlier. I took a photo of Craig in front of Pollock's painting and reminded myself to put the movie "Pollock" in my Netflix que and finally received and watched it this weekend.


I can say I have a greater understanding and sympathy for Pollock and his work after seeing the movie which is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book "Jackson Pollock: An American Saga." On You Tube I found a clip of a movie made in the 50's of the artist working and below were at least 1oo comments marking every spot on the spectrum of opinions. Not much has changed. His work is still as controversial as it was in his time. Sometimes it seems the more ugly and hateful a critic is about an artist the more it appears that they are only jealous of the success and recognition of that artist. I can totally see right through that sort of criticism aimed at Pollock even to this day.

In thinking about the drip paintings, whether they are a mindless and reckless slinging of paint or carefully thought out paintings is up for debate, but one thing is for certain, they are original. Jackson was in the right place, at the right time in the culture with an original idea. Note that any artist who would paint that way now would be considered as copying Pollock because it was a style uniquely his. I think this is worth something. It cannot be repeated.


It is interesting to me that the drip paintings, or "action paintings", only encompass a portion of his work. Both his early and late works incorporated the figure and I suppose not many would recognize these works. I decided to post an earlier painting of Pollock's for this week's "What's that Painting." It is still abstract, but not of the drip period and thus probably relatively overlooked.

"The She-Wolf", 1943, Oil, Gouche, and Plaster on Canvas

MOMA, NYC

"Nee's Passing on the Third Day of the Spring Revolt"

A dark hour evokes a dark atmosphere...more about Nee to come.

Shearwater

Music is such a vital component to my creative work. The music of Austin band Shearwater has birthed such an epiphany over the last several months that I feel I need to give them a shout out for the measureless creative influence they have had in my painting.

Shearwater - I was a Cloud

Art House Co-op...and Nee

Art House Co-op Gallery in Atlanta has sent out the call for "A Million Little Pictures." 1000 cameras are sent out by request all over the world for participants to document their lives in 24 frames. An exhibit of the work will be held in Atlanta at the gallery and also in the city with the most participants. I love the projects the co-op holds. It really is an ingenious idea to get everyone involved and get their artist on.

I am participating in the co-ops "The Canvas Project" this year. Having received 5 tiny canvases and five words, I must paint a picture based on those words, and may the Lord help me, because my words are:

malaise
paradigm
pearls
exquisite
oology

.....any help would be greatly coveted and eagerly received.......

"Nee" is completed, but I will have to wait until the morning sun to photograph her. I learned over the last few days that swallows turn into creeping plants with tiny flowers as they die...Apparently, they also are of great use during a conflict since they are almost completely indestructable and will certainly destroy anything they fly into. Unless they are hurled by a Rook into rock as was the story with our Nee.

Bad doggy manners

Reuben James has a bad habit of doing this when I am watching a movie rather than paying attention to him. Pretty cute, though. It is hard to correct him. And he hardly EVER barks, so this is a rarity.

Funny

I ran over the the grocery store for a few things and tore off my receipt along with the sales receipt left behind from the person before me. Gave me a laugh. Damn those impulse racks at the checkout! A healthy snack can get ruined in an instant. Or maybe they thought the cantelope made up for the gross nutritional imbalance......

Question for your input.....

Why is it that one can be a terrible singer with no talent for singing but it seems impossible these days for one to be a terrible artist with no talent for art?
Not everyone can be a singer but it seems that anyone can be an artist.
I am not trying to cause division or attack anyone, I just would like to know other's thoughts about this question.
Thoughts anyone? Let's have a dialogue.

Today's Painting: "Nee"

I feel really focused today and very pleased with the way this painting is coming together.
I am having a hard time moving on the another one. I usually rotate paintings on the easel because I get a little tired, even bored. I have maintained a huge amount of momentum on this one. I have a goal of getting it completed by Friday, though there is a lot of detail work to be dome on that left wing. I noticed a few days ago the swallows have returned to our breezeway. I was "scalped" by one yesterday. Their arrival is an event I always look forward to since they have taught me some very valuable lessons concerning determination and commitment.

As I said before Nee is one of a kind. Of what kind she is, I am uncertain.

My dear friend Janie is coming for a visit in a few days. She is a singer/songwriter from Atlanta and is currently working on her second CD. You can check out her music here. Give her a shout.