Fragile Industries

Many apologies to my tenant this week as I am late with introductions...caught a nasty cold from me better half. Fragile Industries is a varied and dynamic site with posts about exciting assemblage/altered art work as well as website issues and philosophy...a post with Talking Heads song Once in a Life Time. Ironically this song was running through my brain all day to day. Was also very intrigued with book selections, esp CS Lewis' C.S. Lewis: "The Weight of Glory"
"I am trying to rip open THE INCONSOLABLE SECRET in each one of you -- the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence." There is much too this blog and I am sure to go back many times. And so should the rest of you.

Hollow Tree

A small painting on board that I did in Landscape class, for some reason my instructor really liked it. Product did not actually coincide with my vision, but it does have a bit of a zing on some level. The perspective is looking down into this hollow tree that has a triangular hole in the back where bright light comes through. Was quite tough to paint as a subject, for me anyway. My paintings will also get more color bang if I switch from Winton student grade paint to Windsor and Newton professional...or so I am told. I added the frame and border, makes me like the painting a bit more. Maybe I will go back and paint it again another day, did learn a bit from this one.

Buffalo Gals

This is a journal, I altered the cover, but the inside is blank. The photo is my grandmother's aunt Liza...the pretty one of the 5 Sykes aunts that she was so fond of. As a military wife she was able to travel the world, living for many years in the Philipines, and is buried in Arlington cemetary. I have a number of photos of these sisters from the early 1900's as the older brother was a photographer. My grandmother us to say that family was not especially wealthy or poor, but they were "good livers." Seems we should all aspire to be such.
Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed sang "Buffalo Gals" coming home from the school dance in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." t An appropriate journal for a Buffalo Gal to record events leading up to and after dancing by the light of de moon.

Mama Makes Stuff

My tenant this week is a Florida artist, "Fidget." Her site features her work, guest artists, as well as tips and how toos. A very expressive first Altered book is a must see and there is a link to her gallery as well. She is very supportive of the visual arts and crafts of her fellow moms out there, and wants to feature them in her blog. Creating is great therapy especially at a time in your life when demands are high...I started painting and creating when my kids were toddlers and it was the best thing I ever did. Keep it up!

A Bit Chilli Tonight

Indeed. So here are some chilies in a bottle that I painted in a class on light and shadow in Still Life. Spent a great deal of time on the background before I even began painting the objects, three hours. Then next class painted the rest, did a raspberry glaze over the table that the chilies were on. The box behind the bottle was one of those gold godiva chocolate boxes. Hope to take a class on glazing over the summer. Tomorrow is landscape painting class, it is very rainy here though and we may have to meet in an alternative in door space. My canvas is stretched and brushes are cleaned, must remember to take a real break at lunch tomorrow and not try and paint the whole time.

Philadelphia from Bartram Gardens

A close value painting I did in Landscape painting class. From a distance and with a soft and fertile landscape spread before it our city of "Brotherly Love" appears welcoming and still obtuse. So far I have only been able to paint it from a distance and feel a strong compulsion to include urban elements in all the landscapes. Capturing light is the most gratifying experience, although when I do finally get it, it is almost by mistake. So far the wind has been the most biggest obstacle in painting "en plein air." Oh, and a wet black lab that ran by and licked my painting of the inside of a hollow tree.

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mother was born 66 years ago today. She was and educator and an accomplished water-color artist who lived most of her life in a small town in Eastern North Carolina. More than that she was so kind and compassionate, that most people she knew loved her dearly. Her spirit was joyful and she loved to sing and dance, especially tap-dance and filled the air with delightful energy. She always helped women going through difficult times, and was never judgemental of anyone or there situation. Through her actions she taught me never to listen to gossip and to give everyone, no matter what their circumstances, a chance. Our home growing up was full of friends who were always stopping by, she cherished her friendships so much.
On Christmas eve of 2003 my mother died very peacefully in her home surrounded by family and friends of breast cancer. Every year on her birthday I plant some white iris and have birthday cake, chocolate with white icing...her favorite, with my family. We watch some videos of her and dance around the livingroom...we did that growing up. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her, but on April 29th I hope to always celebrate her birthday and her spirit....there are no others like her.

Since the education of children and the visual arts were so important to her I have set up an memorial challenge with Donors Choose to contribute money to several art related programs in underfunded schools in eastern North Carolina. Clicking the button at the top of the page will take you directly to the program where you can make your donations.

Bridesmaid Revisited

This"altered doll" is entered in the Art Dolls competition in Houston. She is made from a seed pod, wooden vase, cabinet handle, scrap cloth, some tissue paper from a Christmas present and other bits and pieces. She looks like she is forever walking down an aisle, head bowed dress flowing. Only 16inches high she attracts lots of attention, probably upstaging the "bride." Personally, I preferred the role of bridesmaid to bride, and the role of wedding quest even more. Perhaps that will be my next doll, the wedding quest accompanied by Ancient Mariner. A Special Thank You to my husband for taking these and many more photos!

THE WINNER IS.................

JILL! Really hard choosing from all
those excellent entries. Basically I
wrote everyone's name on individual
pieces of paper, folded them,
put them in a coffe mug and
picked out Jill's. So there she is in virtual top drawer form.
Cheers to you all and thanks again.

Assemblage Portraits Contest!

Here is my first virtual assemblage portrait. "Once I was a queen, now merely a threadneck" She was made with various cut and paste from Printshop and some of my own art. Soo, how about a contest. Go to your top drawer and describe some of the junk or treasures inside, maybe even a few details about you or your stuff...PG rated if you please. After a random number of people have commented on this post or e-mailed me I will randomly pick someone's entry and make a portrait of you out of your virtual stuff. You can post it on your website if you like. If you are simply mad about the whole idea we can talk about creating an actual portrait of you from your real stuff, or some close facsimile stuff and you can hang it in your office, or at home, or give it to your mum for mothers day. So start your pilfering.

Turtles, Volcanos, and Masks

Never ceases to amaze me what people want on their drums. Have many orders for these, must be spring fever or something. Have not had a call to do any dancing ladies, tropical fish or flamingoes, which are typically my favorites. Not sure about this big yellow mask on the drum, he is new and a bit unnerving. Hopefully will photograph more of the assemblage works later in the week.

This little guys is having a grand time. Wish I was swimming in the sea.

Welcome to Winsome Gunning my new tenant.

From down under, an Australian acrylic painter dedicated to the Creative Spirit. Really beautiful pieces of art as well as art exercises and spiritual points to contemplate.
"The paintings I produce are about working from the creative spirit within. At different times themes emerge which I feel drawn to develop but always my work is about discovering this spirit and listening to its promptings. It is a daily walk to keep myself clear of the blocks which stop me connecting to this creative flow."
Her site is a nice place to visit as well and some of her paintings are available for purchase through the ebay store.

New Drums

Parrots and Kool Katz are going out today. One to Florida and the other to California. The cat drum was a custom order to paint a yellow drum with black cats. So this is what I came up with. I kind of like it even though it took a very long time. Perhaps I will do a painting of it as well. There are more drums to paint so off I go.
Clicking on the title of this post will take you to the ebay site we have to sell the drums. Have had a few requests of late.

Ms Hopewell Hand

The Hopewell hand is made of mica and
found in Ohio in a Hopewell Indian burial site.
For me the hand represents healing, or the
laying on of hands. Ms Hopewell hand
brings health and well being to anyone
fortunate enough to have her in their home.
Originally she was a cutting board that
I covered with Thai paper. I made her a
lovely shaw out of a vest I wore in the
'80s and her head is from a brass picture
frame that I put a collage face made
with bits of colored paper. Her "hand"
is water color paper cut in
the exact shape of the hopewell hand...
she has a heart of "gold."

Blues and Golds

Still Magnolia

Japanese ink brush painting on bamboo paper. Completed in 2003.

HAVING A BALL!

New Painting finished in class several weeks ago. Oil on Canvas.

Whiter than Rice

Assemblage of mostly "white" found objects as well as original Japanese ink paintings explores the relativeness of color, shadows, and shape as well are compartmentalizing thematic associations of still-life, portrait, and landscape....empty, full, crowded and sparce, revealing and witholding. This photo is warmer than the actual piece, will post another image later.

Auction February 10th

"Pomegranates" 9x11 oil on canvas

Up for auction at Furness Library Fund Raiser

Old Mill
7:30pm

What a lovely little creation this one is....one of a kind and a true delight. Selby Olivia welcome to the world! We will enjoy seeing the assemblage that will be you!

Drums with Feet!

These are the drums that come with feet, pick your own toenail polish color. They are made to order and start at around 150.00 or so...definitely ready for your hubby's birthday. Let me know what sort of design you want.

MINI PANS PAINTED

The mini steel drums painted with various caribean themes always please from Florida to New York! They come complete with stand, songbook and sticks, and in a month or so will be cranking out large numbers of these puppies.

Girl From Ipanema

Stella Nets the Moon!

Joseph Cornell's "Cassiopeia 1"

Cornell, Joseph (1903-72). American sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage.

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He had no formal training in art and his most characteristic works are his highly distinctive `boxes'. These are simple boxes, usually glass-fronted, in which he arranged surprising collections of photographs or Victorian bric-à-brac in a way that has been said to combine the formal austerity of Constructivism with the lively fantasy of Surrealism. Like Kurt Schwitters he could create poetry from the commonplace. Unlike Schwitters, however, he was fascinated not by refuse, garbage, and the discarded, but by fragments of once beautiful and precious objects, relying on the Surrealist technique of irrational juxtaposition and on the evocation of nostalgia for his appeal (he befriended several members of the Surrealist movement who settled in the USA during the Second World War). Cornell also painted and made Surrealist films.

Assemblage (A san blazh`)

1.A sculptural technique or organizing or composing into a unified whole a group of unrelated objects, fragmentary or discarded objects. 2. a work of art produced by this technique.
Collage and Assemblage art covers a wide gamut from modern art to pop art to abstract art, it can show up in mail art, avant garde art, constructivist art and often is the preferred medium of the revolutionary artist through the juxtaposition of elements to create a jarring or shocking effect.

Pinky

The History of Pinky the Watering Troll

She was rescued from a flea market in Princeton, New Jersey in July 2005. Her hair was a mess and her dress was wrinkled....and there was nothing to water. So I made her a place where the flowers never die, and there is always a mother's eye to watch over her. Her hair is combed and styled and she digs her slick black frame, of course, I included a helping hand if she ever needs one. Now she is just hanging and happy like a troll should be.