Found Art Tuesday 1-30-07: Music

With Music as a topic, I wanted to make a statement about how I feel about Jazz and one of Jazz's great innovators. Music throughout centuries has had certain sets of rule, if you will, to follow in terms of composition and performance. There were certain ways to do things or a convention with certain styles of music from baroque, classical, modern, even rock n roll. Every now and then a true innovator invents or reinvents a style, throwing convention to the wind, and releasing musical moment resulting in freedom. Jazz is that style and Duke Ellington is that innovator. If you have ever listened to his work, you can't help but feel like you are floating on air. Jazz in and of itself is a musical style that is free from convention but the Duke really made sure every one knew that.

Freedom is a mixed media piece using inks, acrylics and found papers. It is about 3 1/2 inches by 4.

k

Found Art Tuesday 1-23-07: ART

Art, a difficult topic believe it or not. How does one interpret? I was once asked to define the word Art as a sort of challenge. Jonathan Talbot suggested to me that it might be a good exercise. Well after about a full page dissertation, it came down to a little quote from my daughter which went something like "Mom, Art is something you make that you like." Mr. Talbot graciously shorten my definition from one page of typing to "Art is something you make." Deceptively simple I think.

I admire a variety of people "who make something." They include artists both living and dead. My new art friend, Rosa, is one of those people (living of course). Two of my favorite non-living artists are Paul Klee and Georgia O'Keefe. My little pin is a tribute to both. I took Rosa's lead from last week and decided on a three dimensional piece. I love to make domino pins, and so this little piece came about. The background is a transfer of a Klee painting and the silhouette is Georgia O'Keefe. I will attach the pin to this little card with some arty thoughts. I am not sure where to leave it yet :)

On another note. I am thrilled to say that I finally received a response from someone who found my found art piece from last week. I left "15 minutes" at a new coffee shop in Crystal Lake. Conscious Cup is a fair trade shop and the coffee is absolutely wonderful. In my neck of the woods...well lets just say the competitors don't come close. I really love the idea of fair trade and am only to happy to spend my dollars there, knowing that the product is superior and that more dollars wind up in the growers pocket. Anyway, the owner found the work and he left a message here. It was so nice that he acknowledged the work with a compliment. And as a complete surprise and bonus, I may just get a gallery show. I am really excited. I will meet him him on the 30th and we will see where this all goes. Meanwhile I am going to do some pieces with a coffee theme...and then maybe a few more with a theme of my choice.

K

Found Art Tuesday 1-16-07: FAME

Well, I actually finished this piece in 15 minutes. I decided to challenge myself and give myself a time limitation for this piece. The idea came to me almost instantaneously after learning what the theme was. I could not get the thought out of my head...that everybody wants their 15 minutes. The piece is a mixed media and includes inks, found papers, and rubber stamps. The main image, at the bottom of the page, was found as I was flipping through a magazine. She represents how fleeting fame really is. I call the piece "15 minutes," and will leave it at a local watering hole :)

Check out Rosa's piece (her link is listed on the side). I really like the idea of doing a wearable piece of found art!

k

Found Art Tuesday 1-9-07: Judgement

The topic this week is Judgement. All week long I could not get the final judgement out of my mind. So today I sat down to compose my version of the final judgement. I call the work "Finality." I kept seeing God's hand picking and choosing who He wants to bring home, hence the phone book and the fingers. Anyway the work is straight forward collage using J. Talbot's methods. I am not sure where I will leave it, but I am thinking at my daughters dance studio. There are a lot of artsy types there.

K

Happy New Year and Found Art Tuesday Topic.

When December began, I went incognito! My three children were once again in a charming, local production of the Nutcracker. We had rehearsals and more rehearsals, regular dance classes, and my oldest had yet other rehearsals going on for an appearance in Dance Chicago ( a huge celebration of the dance and is by invitation only). I honestly don't know where this month went. When all the performances were done, Christmas was knocking at our door. I had not even completed the Santa shopping. Gosh how I hate crowds! Then I had to do one of those power cleaning days to get my house ready for the onslaught. Today was the first day I had time to write.

I wrote to Rosa, when the December began, and told her that free time was a premium. I really did not do anything artistic except make a gift for Rosa and do a few hand done Christmas cards. Today, being the first found art Tuesday in 2007, I squeaked out this little ATC that I call "Healing Light." Rosa suggested a theme of newness or a new beginning, or something to do with a New Year. When I begin a new year, I often think of healing my emotional wounds from the previous year. I hope for white light from stars to heal my spirit. So I did a collage that included a lot of candles and stars. I often hope to become more innocent like a young child. I think I captured those feelings. The work itself is on matte board and I used a glue stick to affix the candles. Then I added a beautiful yellow embossing powder and heated. This created a great texture. The little girl looked very innocent and pure. She was added using matte soft gel medium. I also used some acrylic paints. I plan to leave this at my oldest daughter's orthodontist this Thursday.

Wishing all of you a New Year filled with white light and hope.
K

Found Art Tues. Topic for 11-28-06

The Topic this week was Button. Tough topic, I thought, because my mind just wasn't that creative over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I found a red button that "spoke" to me. And here is the work, called "Redeye." It is in a bookmark format again. I used bits and pieces of papers that have been littering my workspace forever! Just cut them up and began to adhere them using Talbot's method. The bird was and drawn on a catalog page. Acrylic paints and media were also use to lend texture.

Since my 11 year old daughter has a dentist appt. tonight, I thought that would be a good place to leave the work. The reception area is large and it should be easy to leave it without getting caught!

k

Found Art Topic for 11-21-06

This past weekend, and Monday night, I was on homework duty..particularly studying for tests. I don't understand why teachers cram 7 or 8 tests into a short week for the kids. I mean that they have a 1/2 day on Wed but on Monday and Tues we had a boat loads of tests. My oldest was just loaded down and she is only in 8th grade. My twins are in 6th and had a major examine today and hours, I mean hours of home work! Gosh it is so ridiculous! NO one can succeed under those circumstances! I can't wait for the week before Christmas break! OK...off my soap box. I did manage to finish a work for found art Tuesday.

The topic this week was Cloud. My work is a mixed media piece done on a strip of watercolor paper about 2 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches. I used those artists tissue papers again to give shape and color to the sky. The cloud is Golden's tar gel and the image is something I found in a magazine ad. The piece is called "I can only Imagine." It is just about the right size for a bookmark. I am not sure where I will leave it yet...

K

UPDATE: I left this work at a local Borders in McHenry, IL last Tues. It did get found :)

Found Art Location for 11-14-06

I really loved Cancion por Espana and decided to keep the original. I do want to do another couple of 4 by4 squares on impressions from Spain... So what I decided to do was make a reprint of the work on a good quality photo paper. I affixed it to a piece of white cardstock and then left it at a Doctor's office in Lake Forest, Illinois. I had an annual exam and my Doctor is about an hour from my home so I thought I would expand the found art area a little :)

I will be very busy the next week or two with the holiday and quests (staying at our home). I don't know how much time I will have for art. But I do hope to at least turn out another Found Art piece for the Thanksgiving week.

k

Fount Art Topic for 11-14-06

SONG. Rosa described an exercise she did in one of her art classes where she listened to different kinds of music while paining to see how it influenced her work. She suggested that we listen to a song of our choice, playing it over and over again to try to get the essence of it. In other words, how it feels, what emotions come out, what color is it, what images come to mind etc.. . Well, I often listen to music when I do my art but I never consciously listened to it for inspiration. I thought this would be a good experiment to try. I even had an idea in mind as I was reading Rosa's journal. Naturally the idea did not pan out but it did lead to the work you see here.

I am going to digress here and talk about a piece of music that is on the Mission Impossible 2 music CD and I do not know the name nor composer of the piece. I heard it at the ballet school where my children dance. My 13 year old daughter danced to this piece (along with other members of her ballet class) in Dance Chicago. I was so proud of her! Anyway the music is filled with urgency, passion and vibrancy. It is a modern piece with a very Spanish flamenco flavor. The images that come to mind were wild eyed gypsy women dancing in a very passionate and sexy way. And that is pretty much what their dance looked like. So I thought I would use this piece for my Found Art inspiration. You think I could get my hands on a copy of it? Naturally not when I was ready to sit down and create. So I left that music behind. But the images of Spain were still with me.

In 1992, my husband and I traveled through Spain. We began in Madrid and headed south through many memorable areas over a 15 day period. Those images returned in a flood as I was mentally shelving the piece I described above. So I decided to pick out a song that reflected some of the images I held close. Spain is not only a country filled with passion, energy , and color but also great happiness, joy, and sunshine. So the song I chose is absolutely one of my favorite works and reflects, not so much the passion typified in Spain, but rather the joy and happiness seen on the faces of the Spanish (be it in Madrid, Ubeda, Granada, Sevilla, Toledo...well, you get the idea). This work is by Antonio Ruiz Pipo'. It is called Cancion and Danza Numero Uno. I believe he wrote it in1933. It is a guitar work that absolutely embodies the joy I felt each day I spent in Spain.

My work is entitle Cancion por Espana (Song for Spain). I used a postcard, trimmed to 4 by 4 inches, and altered the surface using gesso. The initial background was artist tissue paper, bled and the dye was allowed to run in various directions on the substrate. The color palette I chose were those that I felt as I listened to this music; reds, yellows, some blue. Acrylic paint was used as well to enhance some of the tissue dye colors. Then I added some interesting clippings of colors from magazines. The work just seem to evolve as I was listening to the music. And I ended up with an abstract collage. Really a first for me.

I am thinking that I may do a series of my impressions from Spain in a 4 inch by 4 inch format. So I am not sure if I will put this work out for someone to find. Maybe 2 more works.... I have a variety of music from Spanish composers which reflect the moods, emotions, colors of the their world. So thanks to this little experiment...I may just have to interpret those :)

Thanks again Rosa for a great idea. It was a wonderful exercise and one I would recommend to anyone who feels in a rut. Let the music speak to you.

k

Found Art Location for 11-7-06

After I picked up the children yesterday and dropped them at various activities and helped with home work (each child had 3 tests to study for,that would make a total of 9), I hit Panera Bread for a latte! I just wish it had something stronger in it! I left my flower work underneath (near the top) a stack of napkins in plain site (if you pick up a napkin). I could not stay because I had other things to do, like collapse on my sofa! Anyway. The kids have today and tomorrow off from school so we are working on some social study projects (creating Egyptian artifacts) and a family tree done in Spanish. Anything where we get to create is just great and these projects are right up my alley!
Looking forward to the next found art topic and getting some deco pages done!

k

Found Art Tuesday Topic for 11-7-06: Flower

Well I am really late on this one. I had no time from Friday up until about 2 PM today to work on any kind of art. I literally put this together in 15 minutes and it looks like it! It had been a while since I played with artist tissue paper, the kind that bleeds, and so this work incorporated tissue paper both into the background colors and main image. I topped off the piece with a variety of rubber stamped images. The piece is about 3 by 5 inches and is on a heavy glossy cardstock. I forgot how much fun it is to work with this type of tissue. So I think I will use it for the next couple of things that I do just to re-familiarize myself with it. As far as where I will leave this? Not sure yet but I will get it out tomorrow in my runnings around.

k

Found Art Location for 10-31-06

So just where would I leave La Bruja? As I posted yesterday, I thought about putting it into a trick or treater bag. By the time I finished my entry yesterday, I had decided the tick or treat bag would not work because there was too much risk it would be thrown out by the child before it ever reached home. I had a hair cut appointment today and thought that the studio might be a good place to leave La Bruja. Abbey Road Studio is located in Crystal Lake. It is one of several small stylist businesses that share a beautiful building. When you enter, there is a reception area with a nice long table. I laid the work on the table with a hand written note that said Happy Halloween. Of course on the back of La Bruja, there is info about found art, my blog site and a cute little poem. It took about an hour to get one fab hair cut and the work was still there when I left. Hopefully someone will get an extra nice treat today!

Happy Halloween to all.

K

Found Art Topic 10-31-06

How fortunate that found art Tuesday is Halloween this year. One of my favorite holidays, I was hoping that Rosa would choose Halloween as a topic. Sure enough, logic prevailed and Halloween is our topic. One of my fascinations with Halloween is the lore. Witch stories were told to me when I was young and I remember being so frightened. The witch in Hansel and Gretel really kept me awake at night for some time. So I decided to conjure up my own witch for this weeks found art. I drew and painted this witch! I am trying to incorporate some of my own images along with the many found papers used in my collages. Found art topics allow me to practice my drawing without the intimidation. After all, no one knows me! This is a mixed media piece using found papers, inks, acrylics, and stickers. La bruja's warts are green brads. The witch, as mentioned, is my own creation. The substrate for this work is a mail post card (5 by 7 inches in size). I entitled this work La Bruja (witch in Spanish) and it is dedicated to my new found internet friendship with artist Rosa Murillo. Muchas Gracias Rosa, para la opportunidad found art!

k

10-24-06 Found Art Location

Today I had only one errand to run. I needed to pick up dog food and a few snacks for my pups. I purchase all my dog supplements, snacks , and food at a local store named Thomas Tails. It is in downtown Crystal Lake and specializes in holistic approaches to pet care. I love this store and am so grateful to have such a wonderful resource for my greyhounds. I must say they eat healthier than any of us. Anyway...I had my found art work, Secrets, in my pocket and decided to leave it in the store. I found a very obvious and safe place to perch the work. There was a wire shelf that contained dog food lids (to use on open cans of food so that they can be stored safely in the refrigerator) and I just slipped my Secrets in with the lids. I could easily see it from across the room. The store was very crowded but even with the work in plain sight, people just walked by without even noticing it. I finally had to leave or I would look too obvious. I will be returning on Thursday for a few items that I forgot and check out the wire shelf.

So another found art week has past. Maybe this time the finder will visit my blog!

k

Found Art Topic for 10-24-06

This week the topic is Secrets. Rosa gave some serious thought to this. I felt I had to meet her "challenge." When I started to really think about what my secrets are...well, lets say I am not ready to divulge any..even in an anonymous format. My secrets are locked away where only I can access them. So the work came together very fast after I realized that. I actually drew something! My heart! I think the rest is evident. The work is mixed media and I used acrylics, cut out words from various sources, inks, and black tape... all done on a coaster that I think I nabbed from an Olive Garden restaurant in Santa Fe, NM. I titled the work "Locked Away." As far as where I will leave this work ... I am still working on it. Stay tuned.

K

Found Art, Found at Starbucks 10-17-06

So today I left my altered coaster (see below) at a Starbucks in Crystal Lake, IL. I put it in front of the napkins in a napkin holder. Then I set myself down with a vanilla latte and waited. Starbucks always has traffic and so the likely hood that someone would see the art was pretty high. I watched as about 6 people walk right by the napkins (what is it about people and napkins...Doesn't anyone use them anymore, are people using their sleeves or what)? Then a young man, who I recognized as an employee, went straight to the napkins and picked up the work, read the back, smiled, and walked off. At least I know it was not trashed! Well, I hope this young man enjoys the work. I did get my smile. And that says something!

k

Found Art Tuesday: 10-17-06

This week topic, Coffee. How perfect considering I only have a bazillion coasters from Starbucks. So I grabbed a coaster to alter, laid down several acrylic washes, stamped images, and added a napkin from Starbucks as the background. Had one of my favorite Rembrandt images, his self-portrait, on hand and decided to use it. I am not sure if Rembrandt ever had a cup of coffee; but I bet this is how he would look on a Monday Morning if he was caffeine deprived (which is why I call the work "Monday Morning")! The coffee stains are real. Used a concentrated solution of freeze dried coffee to paint some areas and to make my coffee rings. So I will leave this at my favorite Starbucks in Crystal Lake, IL this Tuesday. Art for the week will include some deco pages and a collage for a friend.

k


K

Spooky Mood

Here is a deco page I finished a while back but saved until now to post. I had to be in that kind of spooky mood! My children and I just completed the finishing touches on our Halloween decorations and so in the spirit and mood....BOOOOOOOOOO!

This work is a mixed media collage. The moon is a magazine page that I altered with De-Solv-It product. You never know how this type of alteration will turn out but in this case..it was perfect for the moon. The trick or treat bag I made from a lunch bag. The substrate is 140lb cold pressed water color paper. A variety of acrylics were used as well as inks and stamps.

K

A Message for Robyn

I received a lovely message from Robyn in Dekalb the other day. I think the Found Art bug has bitten her. Robyn, this is really a lot of fun and I enjoy the challenge of making a piece very quickly to get it out there (so to speak) in just a short time. I usually begin my found art piece on Saturday, in between transporting my children to and from dance, homework, laundry, and such. If I get time, I finish up on Sunday. If not...I finish on Monday after I come home from work. I am hoping Found Art will catch on in our area. There is so much nastiness in our world, that I am sure a small piece of art, found unexpectedly, will elicit a smile. At least that is my hope. As far as the other art that I do, well, one day, I hope, to have more exposure. I know it takes time, but one day maybe....

k

Found Art Tuesday 10-10-06

My family and I went to a local Borders in Crystal Lake, IL last night. They have a coffee bar called Seattles Best Coffee and I left my work, "Feel The Warmth," just under the first couple of napkins in the napkin dispenser. It was obvious to the eye if you picked up a napkin. Then I settled in with a latte to watch. Well, I bet 20 people went to that self serve station (with the napkins and lids and such) and not one took a napkin! After about 40 minutes I was discouraged and then the waitress walked over to wipe down the self serve area. I thought for sure this was it...WRONG. Oh she wiped near the napkins but never even looked down! I gave up and left. So we shall see if who ever finds the work, emails me.

If you go to Rosa's journal, you will see that someone who found one of her works, did indeed email her. How exciting is that!

k