Art!

Latest studio rut is at a standstill! I've been hard at work by re-working old pieces. My latest studio epiphany? More layers!! Back in the old days I use to pile on layer after layer with a little help from silkscreen flats. Nowadays I don't have silk screens to fall back on so it's up to me and a big bucket of gesso. I finally learned how to make it my friend while I doodle and draw and then paint everything white and start all over!

Here's my messy studio to prove work is being done.

Truth be told I actually hate working in this kind of mess but there is so much of a mess that I'm a little bit overwhelmed. Anyone want to come over and organize my space? Or else just submit me to be on a TLC show where they do it for me?
Here are bad iphone photos of in-progress work.

I'm not totally totally sure where I'm going with this work but I'm thinking a lot of healing crystals and cemeteries. Weird combination I guess. And as always there are ghosts! I'm excited to see where this takes me.
And here's an ice cream cone from Dairy Dogs. They really do put eyes on all the cones! Happy Summer!

Small Art World

Remember when I was in the Molded Heroes show? Well I met someone from the show at a wedding yesterday. Small world, right?

I met Jaime Torraco whose prints I love. It's always nice to meet artists in person. Jaime's pieces, not surprisingly, sold out but there is still plenty of work for sale at the Sixty Bones website here.

You can still find my Jem prints as well as many other great ones.



Dreamy, artful couple Don Picton (above) and Joanna Goss (below) can be found there as well. Wouldn't it be dreamy to have their pieces hanging side by side in your home? If you hang them above your bed it will give you sweet dreams.
Buy yourself some summer artwork and go out and meet three artists today!

All Together Now

I was recently asked to be in a group show in Nashville, TN and it has been quite an honor to be among such amazing and talented artists. Adrienne Miller, who you may remember from many posts in the pasts including a dreamy, artful post, curated the show "All Together Now" at Space 204 at Vanderbilt University. This is Adrienne's write-up for the show.

This exhibition will focus on the growing trend of pattern and proletariat influence in contemporary art. This show is not drawing works together by concept or message, but through form, color, materials, and the repeated mark. Elements of “lower art forms” are sneaking back into contemporary art in significant ways. Artists are using methods such as silkscreen printing, hand lettering, collage, and other unlikely material combinations with an awareness of current trends and culture. This type of work bridges the gap of playful, yet intelligent, having experience and personality without becoming pedantic. The rise of the rock poster, the influence of folk art, graffiti, craft elements and commercial design are infiltrating traditional gallery shows and should be seen as significant influences for the upcoming generation of fine artists.

The opening reception for the show was July 8th. I wish wish wish I could have made it for the reception but if you are in the area please stop and see it. It will be up until August 8. If you are like me and are too far away here are some beautiful images taken by Aron Wright. A big thanks to Aron for taking such beautiful photos. See more of Aron's photography here.

(my pieces are the two house shaped ones and the large one with the houses in it. click the pics to see larger.)

Here is a list of all the artists included in "All Together Now." I will hopefully get to do an interview with Adrienne soon about the whole process of curating a show. Meanwhile, enjoy the photos!

Artists:
Laura Baisden
Kelly Bonadies
Clare J. Bowers
Will Bryant
Andrew Burkitt
Chris Cheney
Gregory Scott Cook
Ann Flowers
Tate Foley
Alyson Fox
Chad Kouri
Bryce McCloud
Michelle Ramin
Stacey Reason
Sonnenzimmer
Brad Vetter
Betsy Walton
Lindsey Warren

Lulu Wolf

If you have facebook here is the info if you are in the area and would like to stop by and see it.

Oh!! And a write-up here!!

Thank you thank you, Adrienne, for being so dreamy!

Summer Beauties by Mari LaCure!

We're in the thick of summer and it's hot! For those of you who have jobs and wear uniforms you wouldn't normally wear (me) you may need a little relief for your eyes. I'm not sure what I'm really trying to say other than.... here's some great great art and a fun interview with Mari LaCure! I met Mari like I meet most of the fantastic artists I know, at Frogman's. The famous print and paper workshop is currently going on right now and I'm beside myself with sadness that I'm not there. So I'll fill up my time with beautiful art and swimming.

Here's Mari!

A: Hi Mari! Thank you so much for doing this interview. I've been such a fan of your work ever since we met! If you had to explain your work in the amount of time it takes to ride the elevator from the bottom floor to an eighteenth floor in a fairly slow elevator what would you say about it?

M: My work is abstract and I draw mostly from my imagination. I build up lots of small, repeating marks to make a larger, more complex picture. I’m inspired by images of nature, both microscopic and macroscopic, such as plant cells, tree branches, stars, and galaxies. By layering different structures and using unifying patterns, I try to convey a sense of interconnectedness between all things.

A: When I first met you you were working on a very small scale. At Frogmans you started making a really large piece. Did making that piece start to change your work at all or did you continue to work on a smaller scale?

M: I think that the most valuable thing that I took from that workshop (Monoprint with Anita Jung!) was the idea to combine mixed media with traditional print processes. Because I had been focused on making etchings, I was limited in part by the size of the plate. My MFA thesis work which followed the workshop did end up being larger in scale, and combined woodblock printing with mixed media drawing.

A: Now that you have graduated from grad school what are you doing? How are you finding the world post-school?

M: I have been enjoying myself quite a lot since graduation. I think there are opportunities for artists, but it takes a lot of applying and rejection to find the right ones out there. I’ve been finding residencies to be a great way to travel and meet other artists, while keeping a home base in Lawrence, KS. This summer, I’m participating in an artist in residence program at Emmanuel College in Boston. Part of the program is to talk to students about our creative process and influences. So although I don’t currently teach, I do find that I use direct experiences from graduate school to share my work with others.

A: Do you have any advice for post grads who are trying to figure out what to do with themselves now that school is over? Someone like me?

M: I’m afraid that I will always be trying to figure out what to do with myself! I couldn’t have anticipated when I graduated doing any of the things that I have been in the last year, but I really think that you find your place eventually if you are flexible and have an open mind to new experiences. For example, I recently started working for a local craftsperson painting lawn ornaments, which is not like any job I’ve ever had before but I enjoy it a lot. I try to find work that I feel brings me a little bit closer to what it is that I really want to be doing.

A: What are your future plans? Where do you see your work going in the next five years or so?

M: Working for a small business has encouraged me to put more effort into selling my work. I hope to have some sort of way to make work available for purchase online in the next year. For the long term, I try to keep learning as many new techniques and skills that I can for my art. Right now I’m trying to become more skilled at Japanese woodblock printing methods. I’m also enamored by the possibilities of the artist book format and hope to make more.

Isn't Mari's work fantastic? It was so inspiring being in a workshop with her. Go to her website here to see and read much more!