PRECIOUS & CORVUS ENVY

Thanks to those of you who faithfully keep coming back to check in on what's new...I have been resting my muse for some time now so there isn't much of late to share other than images of pieces from my most recent show...read on

Firstly, I hope this isn't too redundant from my post about the opening night of this show...here I go nevertheless.

I created this piece, entitled PRECIOUS, for the show, CONSIDERING CORVIDAE, that I was part of back in October of last year for Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery, which was closed for two months earlier this year for remodeling and renovation. It is now referred to as The Art Project. Visit their website to see what's new.

I hope this photo captured the essence of PRECIOUS. It was the second piece I created for this show...the first being CORVUS ENVY, posted in the promo announcement previously posted.

As many of us know, the Corvidae family very much like to collect objects, especially those that shine and reflect light and it was my intention that this piece convey that characteristic of this amazing family of intelligent birds.

Both of these pieces found homes pretty straight away, which I am happy about though sadly I didn't get to be acquainted with them for very long...only the connection I made during the creating of them.

PRECIOUS measures 10 X 11.25 X 1.25 and was created in mixed media using acrylic paints and India ink and various found objects.

As you may recall, if you come visit to these pages regularly, this piece below, CORVUS ENVY, was the piece I used in the announcement for the CONSIDERING CORVIDAE show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery, that I mentioned above is now The Art Project.

CORVUS ENVY is a mixed media creation and measures 10 X 10 X 1.75
For more detail information on this piece check out the previous posts.

                                                         
Be sure to click on the photo to see a larger image.

Thanks for your interest, patience and continued support...

CONSIDERING CORVIDAE OPENING NIGHT

I was so delighted to be a part of this show, honoring the existence of the Crovidae family which is wide in it's variety of birds and covers so much range of our beautiful planet.  

I was unable to attend the opening to the CONSIDERING CORVIDAE exhibit at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery so I missed the pleasure of visiting with the other artists and attending gallery patrons. The upside is, through various correspondence with me, one of my collectors expressed she had interest in the piece I used in my show announcement (see previous post).  On Thursday morning I delivered my 4 pieces and shared with the staff about the interest in the piece and asked if the gallery would hold it till she could come over from Seattle to see it in person Friday afternoon. Graciously all the stars aligned as she was able to get there moments prior to the opening. It all turned out well for everyone as it seems the piece spoke to her and she is now the new guardian of CORVUS ENVY, pictured below. Thank you so much C.A.

CORVUS ENVY

PRECIOUS
  

PRECIOUS suggests this mischievous act when light reflected on these treasured items enhances the culprits chances of further irresistible appropriations. The title also comes from the perspective that the diversity of our natural world is precious, special and is of great importance to protect. Photo was taken prior to framing.

DREAMS OF FLIGHT

DREAMS OF FLIGHT - Again as I mentioned with the PRECIOUS piece, I often wish I had the ability to fly like our world of birds do, so since I haven't yet mastered that quality I created this piece, DREAMS OF FLIGHT, with that notion in mind. 

IDENTITY THEFT

IDENTITY THEFT - Stellar Jays love to vocally mimic other birds and are quite talented at it. In this piece a Jay is steeling the visual identity of a Raven assuming it may give it more muscle or authority and maybe even tone down the rather unsavory conduct and silence piercing calls it seems so proud to demonstrate. 

I revel in watching these savvy feathered friends with their intrigue and humorous behavior. I am also entranced by their remarkable intelligence and impressed with their genius and mastery of tasks.  This particular species of birds is one of my favored subjects in my work. One of my best-loved sounds of nature is when I am out in my woods and I hear the whu-whu-whu of a raven pushing air against it's wings, breaking the silence the moment it passes over me...what a gift!

In most, if not all, my 3 dimensional pieces, the achievement of depth is my goal. Cutting out my painted illustrations, positioning and extending them  through the matt opening and over the matt, thus overlapping them, brings the subjects a bit closer to the viewer to create curiosity and pique interest…I want the animal or person to come out of the space, off the background surface so as to appear more alive rather than exist on one plane.

Thanks so much to all of you for coming back to view more of my work and read my musings. Your interest is very much appreciated.

Stay tuned to see what may come out of the imagination next.

Also, be sure to click on each image to see it in a larger format.

THE NATURE OF THINGS

It always seems that when time is running short that imminent deadline rushes up and starts circling around me. But considering the limitations I am faced with I have made some studio time to get some new work done...two of which you can see in my last two previous posts.
The first weekend in May will be the opening of THE NATURE OF THINGS at Northwind Art Center in Port Townsend, WA. If you are in the area stop by for the opening on May 5th or sometime during the weeks this show will hang...May 4-27. I am delighted to show once again with these three talented artists, Rae Belkin, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow (our wonderful curator). This is the second showing of our work together and the previous one in 2010 was very well received so our hope is to dazzle the viewers again this time around.
I hope to see you there.
Return here for another visit again soon to see more new works.

What follows is the press release for The Nature Of Things...

The Nature of Things

Northwind Arts Center presents The Nature of Things, showcasing the work of four Northwest artists who draw their inspiration from their relationship to the world around them. Rae Belkin, Linda Jarvis, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow work in a variety of media including painting, drawing, assemblage and printmaking. Their unique works range from the poetic to the humorous. The show runs from May 4 through May 27, 2012 at Northwind Arts Center, 2409 W. Jefferson St., Port Townsend WA

Rae Belkin grew up is Minneapolis, Minnesota, looking forward to the Walter Foster drawing books she would receive as gifts from an aunt.  She has painted (for over 35 years) subjects as diverse as portraits to landscapes to chickens. A journey which started from art books, continued as an art major in college, led to her currently creating art using mixed media.  From once capturing a moment in time with a photo-realistic approach, she now captures thoughts and concepts with a unique style incorporating handmade papers, paint, ink, and acrylic mediums on canvas and paper.  Her work is held in private collections throughout the United States and in Europe.  Rae has also participated in many invitational exhibitions and garnered numerous awards.

For “The Nature of Things”, Rae is continuing the theme of birds (mostly crows) in unusual landscapes.  She likes the idea that they have other perches besides the ordinary tree.  Just to liven things up a bit, she has also added to the mix a surprise appearance of a rabbit and some geckos.

Linda Jarvis lives in a woodsy, rural area, drawing her inspiration from nature. “As an artist I have felt a personal responsibility to relay some sort of emotion by way of my work. My hope throughout my career has been to trigger an elemental awareness to our natural world, the delicate stability of our environment and the wildlife that live within,” she states. “It is this sense of interconnectedness that moves me to create work from observations of our natural surroundings.” Her fascination with animals, their interactions with each other, even with humans, their personal idiosyncrasies bring both beauty and humor to her painting, assemblage and sculpture. She works in mixed media, using acrylic, pastel, graphite and colored pencils, and gives new life to various collected found elements.

“I relish the opportunity to witness someone truly being pulled in, transfixed by a piece that perhaps portrays a crow manipulating an object in some way that bears witness to it’s amazing intelligence or, in a dream, the ability to grow wings and fly with avian creatures. If I’ve aroused laughter or thoughtfulness I sense I have touched their center to pause in their imagination for just a moment.”

Ellen Reichart is a painter and printmaker whose inspiration comes from her reverence for nature, the impact of relationships, universal patterns that connect, and the constantly changing nuances and light patterns of the Pacific Northwest.  Reichart works from memory and allows experimentation and dream images to guide her during the printmaking process.  She enjoys the surprise each time she pulls the paper from the plate and a reversed image emerges.  Though most her prints are monotypes, ( one time prints),  she will often run the same paper through the press numerous times, adding or removing inks and shapes from the plate to create movement and texture.  The artist is drawn to the challenge of merging inner and outer worlds.  Her works are often described as haunting.  

Kathleen Snow had worked in multiple media from fiber to polymer to painting, but her 30 year fascination with printmaking is her primary passion. “The endless variety of techniques from etching and lithograph to monoprints and relief printing provide constant challenge and stimulation.” Snow draws on inspiration from the life and landscape around her, images and forms evolving from realistic to abstract. Her current work reflects her continuing relationship to her neighborhood crows, cycles of growth, and her recent travels to Central America.

There will be an artist’s reception at Gallery Walk, Saturday May 5, from 5:30- 8:00 pm. The artists will give a talk on Sunday, May 6, at 1:00 pm at the Arts Center. Northwind is open Thursday through Monday, noon to 5PM.

COMMENTING ON A COMMENT

Time has escaped me once again, as life is full and demands are high, but here I am. A while back I mentioned I would remark on one of the complimentary comments I received back in the fall of last year. It was my surprise that they featured some of my corvid images on their site that they've dedicated to ravens and crows and the such, a site for corvid connoisseurs. It is quite a wonderful site so please be sure to visit AvesNoir.

You will find the link to my feature page bottom center of the nine image blocks on their home page.

Their comment: I am absolutely enchanted by your work! We have featured it over at AvesNoir. Enjoy!

Thanks for the feature Aves Noir! It is much appreciated!

The image above is a detail shot of a piece titled "Identity Theft".

FENCE PROOF RABBIT

Here is another wordplay as I venture to twist the original expression, Rabbit Proof Fence, into my own, in FENCE PROOF RABBIT. It seems that what we try to do to control nature or other situations we think we have control over, nature ultimately, in most cases, wins and possibly with catastrophic results. Basically, in this piece, I just like the notion that the rabbit is not confined or restricted by a man-made obstacle.

Thanks again to friend, Ned Schumann for taking the photo of this piece during the BIRDS OF A FEATHER exhibit. I like the shadowy quality as it shows it's depth.
Remember clicking on the image will enlarge it.

BEEFRIENDING AGAIN

This is a wonderful shot of BEEFRIENDING against the vibrant wall at Northwinds Art Center taken during the BIRDS OF A FEATHER exhibit, photographed by Ned Schumann, a friend and the founder of OlympusNet.
I love how the chair pops out off the vivid red wall and the shadows it creates from the gallery lights illuminating it. This is the piece that is on the pedestal that Ellen and I flank in the previous post's photo, also taken by Ned during our Artist Talk.

MASQUERADE GONE A-FOWL

Like most of my pieces, this piece metamorphosed and evolved as I created it. The mallard hen is painted on heavy vellum then cut out and set off the background. I was going to put the mask over the mallards head, but thought why cover her up after giving her life. So I decided to suspend the raven mask from string and add more dimension that made it look more 3D in it's form . . . it hangs over the matte. Ultimately, this title came to me after it had been completed. I was riding as passenger in the car with my husband when it hit me. I said out loud, "Oh! I think I've got it! Of course!". It rang a bell in my head so clear, it could be nothing other than MASQUERADE GONE A-FOWL. Playing with words creating a visual pun can be a lot of fun. Attempting to achieve that play on words successfully can only be known when I see the reaction in the viewers eyes, on their face or in their laughter. Therein showing me that the imagining effort and ultimate outcome was worth it. This is part of the BIRDS OF A FEATHER exhibit with Rae Blekin, Ellen Reichart and Kate Snow (see post below) at The NorthWind Art Center that hangs through July.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

From July 2nd through August 1st our local art center, Northwind Arts Center, will host an invitational show: BIRDS OF A FEATHER. Myself, (Linda Jarvis) Rae Belkin, Ellen Reichart and Kathleen Snow are presenting works in a variety a media. All four of us share an affinity for using imagery and themes related to animals and the natural world exploring various ideas often conveying a sense of mystery and humor. I am looking forward to my work hanging out, so to speak, with these other wonderful artist's work.

If you live near or around the Olympic Peninsula area I hope you can join us for the BIRDS OF A FEATHER Walk-Through, Friday, July 2 at 10 a.m. and the Opening Reception, Saturday, July 3, 5:30 - 8 p.m., at the Northwind Arts Center - 2904 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend.

The image of the piece above the map is titled IDENTITY THEFT. It has always intrigued me how blue jays can mimic various bird's songs and/or calls in the attempt to fool the other birds and scare them from their nests. It stirred up in my mind this image of a blue jay trying to steal the identity of a crow. It always puts a smile on my face when I hear a blue jay mocking other birds and I think to myself, how clever is that! But, then again, how deceiving. That being said, crows are very clever and intelligent in their own right. Seeing this piece in person will give you the full monty and energy of what it is depicting and the embellishments on the frame. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to get by the gallery during the shows duration through July. Remember to click on the image for a larger view and don't forget to stop back to find new posts now and then. Thank you for your interest.