KING OF THE TOWED is one of the three pieces that were juried into the Northwind Art Center'sSmall Expressions 7 now showing at the center in Port Townsend through December 29. You can read about the first trailer I constructed in a past post, I GO WHERE I'M TOWED. Both were created with help from my husband.
Update 12/22/08: Just thought I would share that I was awarded the People's Choice Award in the show. Thank you to those who voted.
If you are a regular to my blog or have taken a glimpse through the various posts, you have witnessed my passion for crows and ravens, among the many other beauties of our wildlife. This piece was one of 5 pieces I completed for the The Gallery - Bainbridge Arts and Crafts exhibit, Function and Form: Art That Works. The mirror is on the top surface. I am pleased to say that this piece along with the Polar Bear Mirror found their new home at the opening reception Friday, Dec. 5th. See previous post. (My apologies for the quality or the lack thereof of these photographs)
I AM YOU AND YOU ARE ME AND WE ARE ONE TOGETHER This piece is the first of a few mirrors I have created for a new invitational theme exhibit at The Gallery - Bainbridge Arts and Crafts opening Dec. 5th. The show is Function and Form: Art That Works. Some of the artists, including my friend and artist cohort, Shane Miller, have been asked to bring to being, mirrors. Here I decided to create a mirror where I altered the shape. My subject, the polar bear, is of course, one that is dear and important to me due to it's overwhelming need for the worlds attention. As you gaze into the mirror you see your self as one with the bear. I feel the title expresses it all.
This short video, PolarBearMan is, by far, the most extraordinary commentary on our global warming plight. It will leave you with chills, but hopefully strike within you a spark to do everything in your own power to help shift the devastation. It stars the talented Lee Pace of the delightfully fanciful Pushing Daisies, the wonderfully artistic The Fall and the short lived Wonderfall, among other productions.
And, of course, I can't close this post without mentioning that I am so very enlivened and filled up by the voices and actions of our nation and the enthusiasm of our fellow communities around the world on Nov. 4th - we are creating cohesion - this is certainly something to be thankful for.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone around the world and those of you therein who visit these pages, I am grateful for your interest and support.
Click on the photo for a larger image.
ATTRACTED TO REFLECTIVE THINGS
As all raven and crows are . . .
SHELL-TER
Beautiful backdrop is a Kimberly Morris, hand-dyed, hand-woven wool rug, also showing in this exhibit.
To my delight, I was recently re-introduced to a beautiful coyote named Charlie. After being away from the site for a while I came back with a heightened interest this time. Maybe because I hear coyotes a lot where I live and it triggered my fond memory of Charlie.
This illustration, TRICKSTER, I created some years ago now, but I was inspired to post it today because of Charlie and his friend, Shreve. You can read about them and their endearing story on their web-site which I have been following titled Daily Coyote. Charlie was orphaned and rescued as a pup and re-parented by Shreve, a talented and wise young woman living in Wyoming. This link will start you at the beginning of their connection, then you can move up to present day as you desire. I have always been amused and in awe of these wonderful wild creatures and to have such a close relationship with one must be a rewarding gift and, of course, not without challenges, from what I have read from Shreve's writings.
Remember the wild things and treat them with respect.
The Gallery, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, is a wonderful artists' showcase in Winslow on the island of Bainbridge, WA where I have shown since spring of 2004. The executive team there, I call them my Three Artketeers, are always challenging their artists to wonderful theme shows. This current one is WORD where we had to explore a word, it's meaning or our relationship to it. The results are quite fun and if you are near this location I urge you to stop in and take a look. While there take the time to talk with the staff and volunteers, they are very friendly and forthcoming with answers to any questions you may have.
My entry was GATE. As usual I rummaged through my trove of various collected items and played with them until this is what resulted.
Sorry to have been away for so long . . . where did the summer go? A lapse in time occurred somewhere and I got lost in it. It has been filled with much activity of all varieties, some filled with light-hearted pleasures and others sad grievings. But, we take the time out to do what the moment brings us and then move forward to find more joy that life brings such as friends, family, new adventures and new art projects.
A new piece of recent endeavor is this one that speaks of the plight of our arctic dwellers, the Polar Bears. TRYING TO FIND A WAY BACK HOME is a look at the devastation global warming has been having on our Polar Bear populations. If they are lucky they reach a large enough piece of ice to then maneuver a way back to unbroken "ground" . . . . others are not so lucky and end up drowning from exhaustion in an attempt to find a larger base of ice in hopes they might survive.
In this piece it is my vision that their efforts successfully bring them back home with a beacon of hope guiding them.
Thanks for continuing to come back to view my blog. To see the images larger click on the photos.
I am a bit late in getting a new post up telling of our opening, Three Artists, Three Women, Three Friends. It was a fun day and a fun evening. We arrived at the gallery mid-day to hang and arrange the show. We helped each other get set up and a friend, Kristi, came to take photos of us and our displays. Then we four went off to have an early dinner before the opening at a wonderful restaurant, Green Leaf, a few blocks away. Wonderfully fresh and delicious Vietnamese food. It was also Shane's birthday so there was some celebrating at hand.
This is one of the photos taken during the opening in front of Shane Miller's work. That is Shane on the left, Helga Winter in the middle and I am the one on the right. It was a fun evening and we all had a great time hanging out together and answering questions from inquisitive attendees. We even had friends come across the water from the Port Townsend and Bremerton areas.
It was a lovely day that ended with a beautiful sunset during our ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island with the sun hitting the city of Seattle.
Since my two dear friends and very talented artist comrades, Shane and Helga, and I hang out together regularly to talk about art, our careers and how to support one another we thought it would be fitting that we create a show as a trio. Our work compliments each others so well it felt like a natural. We came up with the title THREE ARTISTS, THREE WOMEN, THREE FRIENDS as it described our relationship so simply . We will exhibit at KOBO in Seattle's International District through July 19th with the opening reception on Saturday, June 21st, 6-8 p.m. You can read a bit about our work and backgrounds here on KOBO's web-site. KOBO has a very interesting history and I encourage you to read about it. We are looking forward to see many familiar and unfamiliar faces at the opening, so hopefully you live nearby and can come by and say hello.
This photo was taken at Childhood's End Gallery in Olympia where this piece was in a grouping of several I was showing. The theme of the show, as you may have read on a recent post, was Stories, Myths and Legends. It was a wonderful show full of exceptional work by very talented artists from around the region. This piece has a story about an artist . . .
She lived near a small village at the edge of the thick woods on Constellation Lane. Being an artist of versatility, the notion of residing on a travel-way named after clusters of stars and planets inspired her to start painting the exterior of her house with her own constellations. Late one evening while she was painting, her brush slipped away from the side of the house and swept skyward into the black vastness . . . to her amazement new constellations began to appear. It was like magic or wizardry. She kept moving her brush against the sky like she was conducting an orchestra. Each stroke brought new stars to the life of the night sky and would forever remain.
Along with the other exhibitors were my two artist comrades, Helga Winter, with her sensuous, tactile turned wood vessels, and spheroids and Shane Miller showing her photo-etched metal, narrative boxes that will captivate you. Here are some examples of their extraordinary work.
PAINTING THE NIGHT SKY was created with foam chore board, dress pattern tissue, aluminum tubing, make-up brush wrapped inaluminum tape, hammered aluminum sheeting, mica, beads, tacks and o-rings.
Though the light of the beautiful silvery moon by herself will not be enough for the Ice Bears to find their way home, at the very least, they are now listed as threatened, but not necessarily protected . . . so, our work continues to do what is needed to keep their home land safe and free of the drilling rigs of the hungry oil-mongers. Learn what we can do to help. In tandem I will continue to hold onto a vivid image for a positive future for our arctic friends - that they all will dance again BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON. It is, however, up to us to make that vision true . . . thank you for your participation and support.
This magnificent being is created on heavy illustration paper with ink, acrylic paint and colored pencil. The silvery moon is hammered aluminum with metal pins, protected behind glass in a maple frame embellished with discs and beads and crowned with a maple wedge also embellished. (click photo for larger image)
I spoke about this fun event two posts ago (see below) and now the excitement is building. May 24th is the date of the auction and all, or at least a high percentage, of Port Townsend and the outlying communities will come to view and bid on these fun creations painted and/or made by local artists. The proceeds go to support great arts programs. To learn more visit PT ArtScape. If you live in the area please come by and join in the festivities. See you there!
As years pass and occupants come and go and family members move on in different ways, a house can gather numerous stories, on various levels, and store them within it's walls. If we are still enough we may be able to hear them or, as it is said, read the writings on the walls. What stories will your house tell?
THIS OLD HOUSE HAS MANY STORIES was built on and with metal gears, found objects, handcrafted paper, patinated metal, mica. An old wood stove element was used for the finial. (click on photo for larger image)
In the fall of 1998, a group of interested teachers, school administrators, and community members came together to apply for a grant from WSAC that offered funding for arts in the public schools. Visual arts, music, and drama were offered as electives only in grades 7-12. Limited levy funding supported one-shot arts activities in the elementary grades on a monthly basis. There was not a climate of collaboration between the arts specialists and classroom teachers, and arts lessons were not integrated into the curriculum.
The Consortium fostered a different kind of collaboration than had ever happened before. The Port Townsend Community Consortium, now known as PT Artscape, has transformed arts education in local schools through eight years of advocacy, programming and creative problem solving. The Consortium began to take shape almost a decade ago, when a team of arts advocates saw potential in linking local resources with the school district, and launched this effort with a Consortium proposal to the Washington State Arts Commission.
The annual fundraiser, “The Chair Affair” will be held on Sunday, May 25, from 5:00-7:00 pm at the American Legion Building in Port Townsend. Local Artists’ unique hand painted chairs will be auctioned off that evening. You can get a sneak peek at the chairs by visiting the businesses that showcase student work. All proceeds will support Arts programming in the Port Townsend School District, K-12th grade.
The 2007 event raised over $6,000 for the arts in the schools program. (above verbiage is excerpted from the PT Artscape web-site)
ArtWave 2008 and Chair-Affair-ing began last night with Gallery Walk. Student art has been placed along with all the artists creations in 40 participating venues!
Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers who work so hard to make this happen for two years now and to the artists who have joined the fun to help generate funds for this great program. I had such a good time being a part of last year's event and I am participating again this year. The photo at the top of this post is of my 3 contributions. The 3 photos below are these chairs individually. (click on each photo for larger images)
CAN'T SIT STILL RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME AS MY MUSE MOVES ME
The following photo is of my contribution last year. This photo was taken before it was completely finished. I gave it the title of FIND YOUR ART. The winning bid went to a very nice couple I know in Port Townsend who are both professional artists themselves and have it hanging above a small cabinet in their home (bottom photo).
ALMOST to the end of the series, but first . . . from The Beginning. These three pieces above were the first in this series I've been posting below. I was cutting small glass pieces myself before I went to using glass slides. (click on photos for larger images)
I was going to post the various pieces from this series by number, but I have discovered that the numbers in my photo archives are not corresponding correctly, so I am just going to add a few now and then to this post without numbers. Some of these pieces are available at Raven Blues in Poulsbo so they are not in my possession to reference the numbers. If you can check back every few days to see what I have added to this post (they will be above all of this text) over a few weeks. Thanks for your continued interest. For more details about this series read previous post. (click on photo for larger image)
I feel Spring today!!! So much activity. The sounds and sights and energy of Spring are all around me, on my morning walks, especially. All the bird's love songs echoing through the trees and all their scurrying about busily in the process of nest making is such a gift to watch and be a part of. It is an experience that brings to mind a series of small pieces I made of young children's hands with birds resting on or near their fingers. These are pencil illustrations on watercolor paper fronted by found feathers or other fragments from nature. Then the bird is drawn on vellum and sandwiched between glass slides. I covered the mats with handcrafted paper. I gave them numbered titles preceded by the word TOUCH. Young innocent life merged with the liveliness of Spring's life force. There was a sweetness there that surged up, as hope and trust, compassion and our connectedness to the natural world and each other. This piece is TOUCH #5. (click on photo for larger image)
STORIES, MYTHS AND LEGENDS - This will be a telling exhibit. All works are created with a story, a myth or a legend that may be from the world's rich literature or creative narratives made up by the artist. My fellow cohorts and artist pals, Helga Winter and Shane Miller, will be accompanying me in this show with their inventive creations along with 8 other artists from the NW Region. It will hang from April 25th through May 31st. The opening reception for the artists is Friday April 25th. (click on photo for details)
This exhibit and many others will be part of Olympia's Spring Arts Walk, a 2 day event, that will stimulate your whole being. All of Olympia is in festivity with their biannual Arts Walk. Plan ahead and come enjoy the Arts of all kinds.
TIME. How does one have a friendly and copacetic relationship with time. Can we stop time? I think when we are in a zone, like doing something we get lost in or is meditative we can suspend time as though it did not exist, where only we exist within that one moment, and then the next and the next...
Here time is put into a place of presence where it has no force or effect...TIME SUSPENDED...sits waiting within a structure of paper, metal street cleaner bristles, aluminum tubing, tacks, poly-board, vintage clock face dangling on threads, with a beautifully patina'd piece of metal for the back wall and other mixed media.
Does bear sing to the moon when she is full to lure the salmon to bear's feasting place? Only bear knows, as does the moon. But the salmon, do they know and simply gift themselves to bear so she/he may be sustained? All is in balance as it is until we try to balance it the way we think it should be . . . and what we are doing to them and to our planet, we are doing to ourselves. An insightful, profound and soul felt expression from our own wise man, Chief Seattle. He understood. They/we are all precious.
ROMANCING THE SALMON MOON is a window into a vignette where I use my illustrated salmon swimming in a sky of handcrafted paper and disc bead for a moon. Onlooking and singing is my illustration of bear all under glass, surrounded by a maple frame that I embellished with more flat disc beads and a wedge of maple wood. (click on photo for larger image)
One could say, as we journey on, that we find ourselves somewhere that makes us feel at peace, a place where we often find ourselves to be. Or we become aware of ourselves in a place that feels like home, where we find our being, where one often finds one's self...That place of being connected to it all, to nature, to each other.
Imagine opening a door and all we find are stairs or a ladder that takes us to a place of calm, a place where we go to feel quiet and peaceful or to contemplate, somewhere we can frequent regularly just to be.
If we were to keep going we might find that place called nirvana, perhaps, where there is no myself. Hmmmmmmm (click on photos for larger images)
MOMENTUM is another one of the three pieces for the DOORS show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. It started with a salesman's sample door that my husband brought home to me a couple of years ago. When I was asked to be apart of the DOORS show this miniature door came directly to mind. But how to use it. I covered it, as you see and the rest grew from numerous ideas in my sketch book. With the use of the pewter wheels I felt it needed the illusion of movement . . . Slanting the house backwards was inspiring - how to do the rest of it . . .
A clock to me represented movement, not only in how it works, but the passing of time, being here and now with the knowledge and inevitability that we are moving forward to the next moment.
The egg in the nest is nurtured now as a precious life, right now, within. And the potential for a new life in a different form, what it is going to become. Nature, life, there is always momentum if we stop for a moment. This moment turns into the next. We move from this now, right now, to the next now, which is always, now . . . Momentum. (click on the photos for larger images)
I’ve been an artist all my life, with very creative relatives leading the way. I started drawing very young sitting quietly in my room creating all sort of images, real & fantasy, that of nature & imagination. I elected to take as many art classes as possible through my school years & after finishing high school I went on to enroll in a commercial art school in Seattle, The Burnley School of Profession Art, now reigning as The Seattle Art Institute. From there I went on to work in an animation studio in Seattle, then on to Hawai’i to work in an advertising agency, freelance, display art & co-owned a small art gallery in Hilo. My gypsy feet & heart took me to southern California, Colorado, back to southern California continuing in display art, freelancing, pursuing galleries & outdoor art exhibitions. Eventually I wandered back to my roots here in Washington to be near my aging parents & various artistic opportunities available here in the PNW. I continue the pursuit of juried shows & galleries while practicing in my studio expanding my artistic abilities using mixed media creating paintings, assemblages, sculpture & whatever comes next. The ongoing evolution of the artist...
