The Merry Merry Month of May...

...is almost over! Hard to believe! Our apartment here in Portland has this magical, hidden garden. It was designed and is tended to by a sweet man who lives in the apartment below us. This garden is his art.

Beauty!!!

Frames, Continued...

My prints are patiently waiting for their frames. I worked on them all day yesterday and again last night. They are all printed! Now I have to design and make the corner pieces. I added a little sprinkle of extra fine emerald green glitter to the printed leaves...

Frames

I said I wouldn't post about these prints again until they were installed in the window. Ha ha. Not so fast...

I'm making these "frames" (which are really extensions of the prints) out of ripped apart corrugated cardboard boxes I found in the recycle bin in the basement of my studio building, and Duck Tape.

I'm making a vine and leaf pattern on the frames, using some old clothesline rope for the vine, and the bases of the leaves are made from cardboard sleeves I've been saving, the ones that come with my daily hot cup of tea purchased at the Art Mart next door (I knew they'd come in handy!) I cut the sleeves into quarters and hot glued them into position, then glued a heavy paper leaf onto each one. So the frame has a nice relief quality to it. I painted the frames with some old latex wall paint, and today I will repaint them with a white acrylic that matches the print paper, and I plan to print a black leaf pattern onto each white leaf. I will be cutting the frames so that there will be a square in each corner, with another image printed onto those corner pieces. This is fun - I feel like I'm designing a set piece for a play! Once again, stay tuned.

And lest you think this looks all Martha Stewarty, with my little hot glue gun sitting neatly beside my frame, here's a video that gives the whole messy picture...

Fairy Tales and Surrealism

There's a fine line between attraction and repulsion.

Kiki Smith, Judy Fox, Judy Chicago, Georgia O'Keefe, Judy Fox, Hans Bellmer, Paula Rego, Hans Bellmer, George Segal, Hans Bellmer, Julie Heffernan, Judy Fox, Georgia O'Keefe, Hans Bellmer, Judy Fox.

Judy Fox

We've come a long way (baby) since Alfred Steiglitz made his famous exclamation, "At last - a woman on paper!" upon first viewing the drawings of Georgia O'Keefe. Posted here, some work of ceramic sculptor, Judy Fox. Her work brings to mind O'Keefe, and Judy Chicago, Hans Bellmer, George Segal, Kiki Smith, Paula Rego...

Who else?

Judy Fox:

Rapunzel, 1998

Venus, 2004

Snow White, 2007

Snow White (with Lust) 2007

Lust, 2007

Snow White and the Seven Sins, 2007

Embroidery

These images are from the book The Embroiderer's Flowers by Thomasina Beck. They bring to mind the paintings of Julie Heffernan - especially the last pic of the dress. You could hide an army under that skirt! But just look at the embroidery in these pieces (click to see details...)

I'm sure it took an army to do that work!! Fantastic.

An anonymous portrait of Elizabeth Vernon, Coutess of Southhampton, c1600.

An anonymous portrait of a lady of the Hamden family.

An anonymous portrait of a young man c1590, wearing a blackwork doublet veiled over the sleeves with transparent gauze.

Gown in the rococo style (1744).

Reg Kahoe and his Marimba Queens

...and if Marian the Librarian didn't make you smile, this oughta do it!

Marian the Librarian

Music I hate to admit that I love:
Marian the Librarian, from The Music Man sung by Robert Preston.

LOVE IT!

I have the soundtrack and listen to it while working in my studio...

Julie Heffernan

Several of Julie Heffernen's self-portrait oil paintings. My sister Sue saw this artist's work in RI a couple of years ago, and told me about her. Her paintings are AMAZING!!

Julie Heffernan:

Self-portrait as Booty, 2007

Self-portrait as Not Dead Yet, 2008

Self-portrait as Spill, 2007

Self-portrait as Slow Growth, 2008

Self-portrait as Quarry, 2000

Self-portrait as Ornament, 2008

Self-portrait as Wild Hair, 2008

Self-portrait as Big Idea, 2008

Blind Contour Drawing

While drawing, look at the object, not at the page. Let the pencil slooowly follow all the contours of the object, as if your pencil tip is actually touching all those edges. Don't look down except to occasionally reposition your pencil on the page. This is very meditative, and a great exercise in SEEING.

Blind Contour Self (with Cell Phone), 2007
pencil on Rives BFK, 15" x 15"

The Finish Line

Here I was trying to touch up these prints with charcoal and cray-pas, and I was not happy with the results. They looked awful. I was ready to start all over and print them again. It didn't occur to me to just use the INK that I had printed them with, until my studio neighbor, John Knight, came in and suggested it! Logic so often eludes me! Duh. So I painted over areas of the prints with the waterbased ink, and now they are ready for THE WINDOW. Yay. Now I have to figure out if I'm hanging them with clips, or velcro...

If money were no object I would have beautful big frames made. I also need to figure out the rest of the installation. The next (and last!) time I post about this it will be in the window!

Blackwork Lovers, 2008

hand painted linoleum prints, paper size 50" x 51", print size 36" x 36"