phase 5 - have the fortitude to try again (and again, and again...)

A busy week in Artlandia!

More parrots! I know, one might think that I have enough parrots already, but these are different (promise!) - they're printed in green ink on every shade of green paper that could find and marble (marblise?) earlier in the week. (And such a good example of trying again-again-again, haha) Next up will be adding ink and finding them an art home...

 This is a "representative sample," with more waiting to be cut out. 

I also printed a ton of birds (another "representative sample")

and some squirrels

 I also started this block which (fingers crossed!) may be really nice when it's finished...but right now - it's a little challenging (ok, or a lot challenging - there may have been tears involved.)

putting my flower photos to good use

It was my birthday this week! All my favorite things came together - talking to/ seeing family and friends, kitties (who I gave extra treats on the big day - they may not know "birthday," but they understood "happy day when we get lots of treats" - close enough ;) ), flowers, cookies, books, time spent outside with creatures - fun times! And, naturally, there was art!

My Penates gave me blue flowers.

Egon Schiele, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Standing
Edith Schiele in StripedDress),1915
Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands
http://www.neuegalerie.org/exhibitions/items/2841

Line going around the block at the Whitney -
pass! 

On birthday weekend, I was going to try to see the Jeff Koons exhibition at the Whitney before it closed, but the line was around the block, and crowds are on the "I prefer not to" list...so I went to see a different show instead (and I think I enjoyed it more!) The Egon Schiele: Portraits show at the Neue Galerie. While there, I also got to visit Klimt's Adele Bloch-Bauer (love, love.)

It's starting to get cold and dark, so I've been spending as much time outside as I can trying to fortify my memories of creatures and sunlight for winter.

Animals photographed this week

Also...I was really into boats this week (??? - who knows :p )

phase 5 - Happy News!

Exciting News: This week my piece Nocturne #1 received the Medal of Honor in mixed media and the Walinska Memorial Award  from the National Association of Women Artists (:)!!)

It's an actual medal! :)

Rock, Paper, Scissor opening at Greene County Council of the Arts
with two of my collages :)

Coincidence? - I saw this digital reprint of
Audubon's Snowy Owls this week -
I don't remember having seen this
before, but the similarity is a little creepy

In addition to the two openings, lots of new work:

putting the new train to good use :)

Also preparing a proposal/portfolio for a submission this week and printed these blocks in gray, heightened with black, white, and metallic ink, and collaged onto new marbled paper:

I wanted to see if I could use the blocks in other ways, so I tried these 'ghost' monotypes by pressing the block into white ink on plexiglass plate and printing them on black paper so that the image comes from pulling ink off the plate: 

More animals:

In para art news:

  

last harvest of flowers and veggies from the garden

my last rose of the season

phase 5 - have the fortitude to try again (and again, and again...)

 I especially like this one :). New block, new collage, 12 x 12" 

So...when I said I was going to cut back on carving blocks to work with the blocks and pieces I already have, I wasn't exactly lying (...what can I say? Self-deception is a powerful thing :P ). I did work with the parts I have - but also carved 6 new blocks (And I wonder why I can't seem to find my way out of the Forest of And, And, And?)

New blocks this week

Some of them are pretty tiny,
(and I'm pretty dirty, but  no worries; it's non-toxic, washable
 marker that I rub on the surface of the block
to see the marks better.)

with the quarter in the upper left for scale -
I can't wait to use my new miniature train!

This may look familiar - it's the inverse of a
 block from last winter, which, while beautiful,
  cracked and is unlikely to survive a run through a press ( :( )
 - Trying again! But this time with a more flexible block.  :) 

The new blocks were made for these lovely new collages (!) 

I've been getting a little overwhelmed (maybe it's being surrounded by fragments floor to ceiling?) I decided that the best way to confront this issue is by using the pieces up as quickly as possible. I set a few of the variables so that I'm not dealing with too many factors at once. The format is squares (and circles, later) and the backgrounds are gray marbled paper (which I made more of this week - I heart paper marbling!) 

The results: 6" (x3), 8" (x2) and 12" (1). They're displayed on the new magnetic white board (which keeps them out of paws reach - two thumbs up!) I think they're starting to look like a story board - Fun Times!

proud that I painted the frames to match and used a gray mat so that they coordinate :)

In addition to carving and making new things, I matted and framed these two pieces and delivered them to the Greene County Council on the Arts Gallery for the Rock, Paper, Scissor show, opening this week.

Mini approves :)

In para-art news, there was some studio organization. Since my walls are pretty full, the doors have started looking like good spots for storage and organization. I added a peg board so that I can see and locate my tools easily and put the "thing I like" list on the other side.

Thinking more about how the ability to switch back and forth between modes of thinking is a useful art trait, I decided that it's time for a new list! At first, I thought it would be a "things I hate" list, but then - do I really hate any art technique that will give me a result? (No.) So, I decided to call it the "I prefer not to" list (Thanks Bartleby ;) ). It's things that I'd like to avoid/minimize as much as possible (but will do as needed.)

So far, the new list  includes:
adhesive, heavy/unwieldy, and
 custom/$$ framing and/or transport. 

Ahhhhh

Working on the collages and blocks led to a lot of time inside focusing on a small area, so when I wasn't working, I tried to spend as much time as possible outside (gotta preserve the depth perception!)

no color adjustment to this photo :o !
It's Pink (!) - expecting the Lorax to walk by any minute 

High Falls 

Greenport ConservationArea