Found Art Tuesday 5-1-07: Water

I actually finished this piece on Sunday. I wanted my husband to take it with him today. There was a huge Outsider and Raw art show at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago and I wanted him to leave it there at one of the gallery booths. Marc actually went to the show on Friday and he said it was absolutely awe-inspiring. With a gazillion galleries representing an equal number of artists, there was plenty of eye candy. Perhaps his most humbling moment was meeting Phylis Kind. She is the New York gallery owner who put together a retrospective of Martin Ramirez's work. It is traveling the country now and we plan on viewing the show in October at the Museum of Art in Milwaukee WI. Marc talked to her about this great artist quite unknown until just recently. I think he was in art heaven. And where was I? Working and shuffling kids to and from dance classes.

With water as a theme, I immediately knew that I wanted to try my drawing hand once again and create a mermaid. The ocean was made with a slew of scraps that were laying on my work bench.
I drew the mermaid on a separate piece of paper and then she became part of the collage. The substrate was a drink coaster from Chili's. She is kind of looking at a ship wondering what it is really like up there. I entitled the piece "From the Depths." I wonder where Marc will leave her....

k

Found Art Tuesday 4-24-07: TOY

What a day I had yesterday. While I did finish my found art piece, there was no time to blog it. My beautiful 14 year old daughter was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. This event pretty much was an all evening affair. I was the only Mom who balled like a baby as I congratulated her in front of an audience of class mates and parents. She was so embarrassed and did not understand my emotion even though I tried to explain it to her. You see, Kaitie has a reading disability. She is under the dyslexic umbrella. She and I worked so hard every single night for eight fricking years. Countless essays, tests to study for, books to read, assignments to do, projects to finish...I just about thought it was for naught. And now here she is, ready to graduate eighth grade, a top student. I think any Mom in my position would have done the same thing. I am so proud of her. I guess I have been pretty hard on her all these years...because I know she is capable of brilliance. But when you hate to read, I mean absolutely hate to read..well that does not get you very far in any world. So I rode her, and spoon fed her , and taught her how to memorize. We have been at each others throats for years. I guess this is sweet vindication! She can do it is she wants too, painful as it may be, she can do it.

So on to my found art piece. When I was small I would play with a variety of dolls. Barbie, baby dolls (Chatty Kathy, Thumbalina to name a few). The other thing I did was art. I had a big supply of color and paint by number sets, pastels, Crayolas, clay, and coloring books. My Dad loved to sculpt and paint. IT was one of his hobbies and I would sit with him and do my art. What I loved about my Father is that he encouraged this kind of "play." There were few rules (except clean up after or Mom will get you). When I sat down to compose a found art piece I wanted to combine the two, dolls and art. I can't sew..and regardless, to make an Art doll is out of my league. But I did have some polymer clay and so I fashioned a pin out of the clay. It is a Diva of sorts. She is painted with Lumiere paints and is enhanced with tiny beads and artistic wire.

I think I will leave this at a restaurant this Saturday.

K

Found Art Tuesday 4-17-07 : Travel

With the theme of travel, I immediately thought of all the places I would like to go in the world. I love to travel. It is just since we have a family, it has become prohibitive. So one of the first places I want to go after the kids are in college, is France. It is all about the art, the wine, the history, and the cheese :) Oh I wish I could go and just wander through the galleries and museums, sip wine at some quaint cafe....You get the picture. So when I sat down to create a piece about France...I came across in my pile of stuff, a piece that I had duplicated for a swap about a year ago. It is an original work, collage, about the size of a postcard. The piece is entitled: Travel France (duh). Someday........

I decided to use this as my found art work this week even though it was made about a year ago. Today is my twins birthday and my time has been very limited these past two or three days. Oh and from my little solo show I have a commission that is taking up brain space! I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day!

k

Found Art Tuesday 4-10-07: Connections

The connections theme at first seemed difficult. With so much cluttering my brain as of late, I could not get my arms around the topic. Sitting at my artists reception I had plenty of time to work out the theme. And what I thought about is sort of the bigger picture. We are all connected through Earth. IT does not matter what country we live in, or what we do for a living, or what color our skin is. We are the World. And that is my title. So to depict this kind of connection, I cut out paper dolls from a map. We can be linked today through the technologies of cell phones and computers so those are included as well. All we have to do is reach out. This was a simple straightforward collage done on watercolor paper. The paper dolls lend themselves to a book mark format.

K

Artist Recption 4-7-07

Today was my day, my very first artist reception. The owners of Conscious Cup were waiting for me when I arrived. I was somewhat overwhelmed by their "accolades." Mike really likes my work and is already talking about another show later in the year! My art has only been hanging for a day and a half! Anyway, it was rather quiet for the first hour and then my friends began to arrive. I so enjoyed explaining how each piece was "born." My 14 year old, Kaitie, told her teacher about this and I was so pleased to see Mrs. Gavula at my reception. She bought two pieces! I almost died. She purchased the ones you see here called "Heralds of Spring" and the smaller piece that I did in Dec. of 2005 called "Innocence Prevails." The store owner is considering purchasing a piece as well. Gosh I really was flabbergasted. I did not know what to say or how to react. My husband was there with my three children and the look on their faces was priceless. What I have decided to do for each piece sold is to write up a little explanation of my thought process behind the work and describe the materials used. I will sign and date that as a sort of certificate of authenticity.

For the Heralds of Spring, I was practicing drawing these fantastical faces and it was late in February, rather cold and dreary. I was wishing it was Spring and about 30 degrees warmer. The piece just sort of came together. This is a mixed media and collage piece after of the style of Misty Mawn. I love her whimsical works. Mine definitely pale in comparison. But at least I am attempting to draw again! Acrylics, oil pastels, inks, rubber stamps found papers and objects were used to create the work on 300 lb watercolor paper. The work is 11 by 14 framed.

The Innocence Prevails piece was actually one in a series of 4. The other three were sold through Ebay in the Art Squared listings. This work is 6 by 6 in size and is primarily watercolor and inks done on watercolor paper. This piece was done right before Christmas in 2005 and came into being because I was thinking of my religious roots. Through so much adversitiy, Mary still managed to give birth to Jesus, a true miracle.

K

Conscious Cup Gallery Show. 4-5-07

Last night I hung my 13 works at the Conscious Cup Roastery and Cafe in Crystal Lake, IL. I am nervous, the excited kind of nervous. I have to say this has been quite a learning curve and I definitely learned some of my limitations! Rosa Murillo was kind enough to answer some of my numerous questions about how to go about a gallery show. She also supplied me with an excellent resource: http://artistemerging.blogspot.com/ , chocked full of info for the emerging artist. I am so grateful for such a site. But after immersing myself in the information there, I felt quite overwhelmed. I guess that is normal for being a newbie at all this. So I decided to wing it, at least for this gallery show.

When I was contacted by the owner of the cafe, I knew I had to seize this opportunity. It has been my experience that in my little corner of the world, mixed media and collage is a bit of an oddity. I think it is time for the public to get a taste of this art form. The galleries here are chocked full of very traditional works, quite nice, but traditional none the less. You will also see some abstract paintings, some assemblage, a little collage, and some outrageous oils (which I am totally not a fan of). I wanted to create some new work but where to begin..... I thought long and hard about what would sell in our area, trying to figure out the market so to speak. Well, that was a waste of brain cells! When it comes down to it...I do not have to feed my family from the income of art sales. Thank God I can create art that means something to me. You can drive yourself crazy if you try to approach creating new pieces from a good marketing perspective. I thought about how I buy art. The pieces that I just had to bring home either reminded me of a special area of the country or invoked strong emotions in me. Art is so individual... My new pieces are for the most part, issues that really touch me both on an conscious and unconscious level. Some of the pieces are very light, as you will see.

My husband helped me hang the pieces. I was pleased with the outcome. Let me say one word about framing though...this is NOT my forte. I simply do not have the tools. I discovered that I can't cut a straight line even with a t ruler and square. I don't have a matte cutter so I had to purchase pre-cut mattes. Then the frames I purchased had to be standard size and so with coupons and 50% sales, I purchased black frames from Michael's. The work I created had to fit the frames so there were those limitations even before I began to work. Even with premade frames it took a long time to set the work in them because I can't cut a straight line! I do have a "chopper" paper cutter but that is totally inadequate for large sheets of paper not to mention is is just for paper. It would be nice to sell a few pieces so I could pay for the frames...and while I am dreaming, how about an extra $3-400 for a matte cutter! Anyway we did get them on the wall and while not perfectly at eye level, they looked fine up there.

While we were hanging the works, I noticed a group of folks in the back of the cafe. There were maybe 10 people all huddled around a computer screen. Well it turned out that they were some kind of art group meeting to discuss current work. Talk about intimidation. I did not have the nerve to talk to them.

The work seen here is 7 by 7 and entitled "John." It is a lighter piece, mixed media and collage on watercolor paper. I had this terrific old photo of an Italian relative. The picture is circa 1940s. I can't remember his name, but he was related to my Father. So I wanted to build a simple work around him. Sure enough I found this headline from a vintage magazine and then the work just came together. John has one of those looks that is really hard to read. Is he smirking because he knows something that we don't, is he just happy, or is this a more sinister look (mafioso). Now mind you, I don't think my family was tied to that organization but I can imagine!

More work will follow.

k

Found Art Tuesday- 4/3/07: Green

Green has always evoked strong feelings of Spring and rebirth for me. In the past when using green as a theme, I indeed used floral motifs in the work. But this time I kept thinking about envy and the saying "green with envy." This little shipping tag is what came out of my head. In general, women wish they had more diamonds or bigger diamonds than their friends. Diamonds are sometimes a status symbol. So I thought that a hand dangling a diamond in front of many eyes would cover the envy feeling. If envy has a color, green indeed works!

k

Found Art Tuesday 3-27-07: Birds

I kept thinking of Escher's work, the famous painting of the morphing birds...So then I went to bed and dreamt of the Wright Brothers. Hence the work: Final Draft 1903. Man has had some kind of "flight" machine on his drawing board over the centuries. Even the ancient Greeks sent Icarus on his own personal flight, although that was a disaster. I imagined the Wright Brothers and many before them, studied the dyamics of flight via the bird. And look where we are today.

The piece is about 4 by 5 and is a collage on cardboard. How is this for being bold...my family and I are headed to the Art Institute in Chicago today to view an exhibit of paintings from a gallery in Paris. There will be a sleu of impressionist works represented there. Anyway I thought I would leave this at the Information center. HEHEHEHe. Should be fun!

k

Found Art Tuesday: Passion 3-20-07

These past weeks I have been trying to make the most of my time in my studio getting ready for this upcoming show (April 5th -May 10th). I have been so focused on the work at hand that I have not had a real presence of mind for much else. With that said...most of my found art efforts have been small, rather straight forward pieces, this week included. ATC's , small post card size works, or book marks are about all the creativity I can muster right now. Yet, I do want to keep creating for this project because I believe in it. This week I so wanted to do an altoid tin shrine but time was not kind to me. So an ATC was about all that I could manage.

Passion...I am half Italian, passion flows in my blood. I have a lot of passions. Husband, kids, my hounds, animal communication, art, music, good wine, good coffee, etc.... to be honest with you, my passions did not come to mind when I first thought about this weeks topic. Rather, what I thought about was what would totally embody that word..Passion. So the people, the culture of Mexico came to mind. I love the flamboyant colors, rich traditions, and cultural heritage found in Mexico. The dances and celebrations are done with a passion not often experienced by the average person. The strong faith exhibited at shrines..pretty amazing. The Ballet Folklorico..you have to see and experience it to understand what passion is all about. Yes...Mexico could be included in the defition of Passion without a doubt.

My little ATC is a mixed media collage using acrylics, inks, rubber stamps, found papers, all done on watercolor paper. It includes an image of the Virgin de Guadalupe (she has a rather huge fan club in Mexico)...and a silly skeleton representing The Day of the Dead celebration.

Granted, I am just a gringo but every time I visit Mexico I feel so alive and invigorated. My art also comes alive. Geesh...now I need a vacation!

K

Getting out There!

I made that conscious decision to stick my neck out or should I say my Art out there. This came about in February when the owner of Conscious Cup Roastery and Cafe found my found art piece. He contacted me through my blog and currently I am preparing for that show. I have 4 almost 5 new works ready in addition to some other work I had been "saving." With that decision made, I decided to enter the second annual county wide art project for McHenry County. This is in conjunction with our library system, YMCA, and Northwest area arts council. The Involvement Advocacy of McHenry County started this initiative www.involvementadvocacy.org. The theme this year is Outside my Window. I finished my work and I am dropping it off today.

This is a mixed media piece, very light hearted, called "Take Flight." It is done on a gallery canvas 10 by 10 inches in size. The background of the work used rinse aid and alcohol (rubbing alcohol) as described in Claudine Hellmuth's book. The effect is exactly what I was looking for! In this work I used some of my drawings. I think it was about a year ago, in some magazine (I don't remember whcih one) that there was a spread done by an artist who used these fantastical people in her work. She drew everything but said clip art or collage clips would work just as well if you do not want to draw the faces and body. I remember she outlined her work in black. That just sort of stuck with me and so I decided to give it all a try. I really think, for the lightness of the work, that it worked OK. I guess I have given myself permission to draw as long as it is more fantasy and does not have to look like Andrew Wyeth's work. HA as if that could ever happen! Acrylics, masking tape, found papers and objects/stickers were used. My scanner is not quite 10 inches wide so some of the work is not shown...but it is mostly background.

The work will be on display all over the county in a sort of traveling show. Then there is a huge artist reception in May. Should be fun! I hope the work will bring a smile to the faces of those that view it.

k

Found Art Tues 3-13-07: Obsession

So what I am obsessed with? The first thing that came to mind was my weight. But that is another story. See if you can find my obsession of the moment in my found art piece. If you can't find it..the title of my piece will give it away.

I started to think of some of my favorite artists and do you think they were obsessed? I would say so...so much so that I bet if I were to list a dozen artists, you could rattle off their obsessions. How about Vermeer with those pearls and his very veiled feelings. Or Rivera with Frida or Frida with Diego and death, or Dali..well Dali is Dali, or Rembrant with his poorness. See what I mean. So hence the found art piece, "Greyhound." Yes that is my obsession. If I could I would have 20 more... These hounds are so in need of good homes. I have two and they eat healthier than I.

This work was done on a cardboard backing. The collage methods used were Talbot's. On the final acrylic wash, I dripped some alcohol as per Claudine Hellmuth's techniques. It is a little hard to see with this scan but it did turn out kind of neat. I just finished another collage for a traveling exhibit in McHenry County. I used this alcohol technique with dramatic results. I have to varnish it and then I will scan it.


K

Found Art Tues: Beauty 3-6-07

I think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this beholder's eye, I find beauty all around me...in nature, art, architecture, music, dance, a hydrogen molecule, a bacterial spore...you get the picture. But today I was thinking of my three children. They dance and soon will be in a spring production of the Sleeping Beauty. So then I started to think of how I cry, every time I see them on stage. The beauty of their movements, the grace, and determination, there is nothing like it for me. So I decided that my piece would be something to do with dance...a ballerina.

My found art piece is 5 by 5 inches and is a mixed media work. It is entitled Dance for Kaitie. I used some of Claudine Hellmuth's techniques including the infamous Vaseline resist.

Enjoy.

k

Found Art Tuesday: 2-27-07: PEACE

This topic is very timely for me as I am reading a book by one of my favorite inspirational speakers/writers: Matthew Kelly http://www.matthewkelly.org/. His latest book has made me realize that I have a lot of personal house cleaning to do. I especially loved his discussion on achieving an inner peace. One way that Matthew works toward this goal (of inner peace) is by entering the "class room of silence " daily. Take 15 minutes a day to listen in quite to your inner voice. Sit in a quite area, no music, T.V., kids, husband etc...just silence. By attending this lesson in silence, we can work through problems or decisions that need to be made because we can actually hear our inner voice. Fifteen minutes does not seem very long...but just try it for a week. I have challenged myself to do so!

It is no wonder that my piece is called "The Class Room of Silence." I created a sort of door hanger (like a do not disturb sign) that you can hang on your door during your 15 minutes. The work is a mixed media one using acrylics, inks, rubber stamps and hand drawn element (I seem to be a bit bolder with my drawing these days).

I plan on leaving it at hair salon tomorrow :) But maybe I will enlist my husband again to leave it in the big city.

k

Found Art Tuesday: Inspiration

Ah yes...just where does that ol inspiration come from? What is the process, where do the ideas come from.... I absorb a lot of ideas from other artists, both friends and the likes of Picasso, Schwitters, Talbot, Cornell, Kahlo. So those always tend to be in the back of my brain. When I need them, they are there. I will often go to bed at night with a glimmer of a thought on a particular piece. Then I will assemble it before I fall off to sleep and probably in my dreams as well. I just completed a work for the Conscious Cup gallery. My inspiration came out of my anger. A friend had just been diagnosed with breast cancer...stage III. At night, just prior to dosing off, I clearly saw what I wanted to do. Now mind you, it did not turn out exactly how I pictured it, but at least I had a good starting point.

My little ATC is called "I Dream." It works for me! This is a mixed media collage on watercolor paper. I then mounted it to a piece of glossy black card stock. I drew the sleeping me and the moon. Stars were punched out. I enjoyed putting this found art piece together as I was working on the piece I talked about above.

I will post those works for the gallery but I want to make a few more. I have a piece churning in my head now having to do with fair trade and coffee.

K

UPDATE:
I expanded my found art territory and enlisted an accomplice. Since last Sept. almost weekly I have been leaving a found art piece in my favorite watering holes, dentist office, orthodontist office, doctor offices, even church. I finally decided that I can't keep leaving the works in the same places. So I asked my husband to leave this ATC at his favorite watering hole in the big city of Chicago. The place: Intelligencia Coffee (another fair trade coffee shop). He left the work there on Friday (AM) in the sugar/napkin area and reported that it was gone by lunch. The loop area of Chicago is gianormous! Just think of the possibilities!

Found Art Tuesday 2-13-07: LOVE

Well my found art Tuesday will be a Wednesday this week. We are in the middle of a huge blizzard. I did not even take my kids to after school activities! The schools closed at 2 PM this afternoon. So I made a wooden pin, a sort of traditional valentine pin. I will leave it for someone on valentines day...seems appropriate. I used an ultra thick embossing powder to coat the heart and then just sprinkled in beads and heart confetti. The bauble was glued on.

Some good news...I did get an exhibit at The Conscious Cup coffee cafe for the beginning of April. I will be busy creating a few more pieces and we will see what happens from there. I am really excited about it. I just hope I can live up to the store owners expectations!

k

One of the last go arounds for ArtDecos

I am sad. One of the premier (in my opinion) deco groups, ArtDecos, is coming to an end. Our list owner has a fledgling new business and she has plenty of other yahoo groups to look after. It has been a wonderful journey. This group had some of the best mixed media artists around participating in traditional deco swaps. The owner kept the group by invitation only and we kept the decos within the group. The art was spectacular. When I joined, I was a deco newbie and very new to mixed media/collage. But by having my hands on these little gems, I quickly learned something about compositon, style, color, and technique. I really grew as an artist. So I am very grateful that I was part of this wonderful group of talented women. Here is one page from a deco booklet that I just sent out. The theme was travel and I chose spy capitols! I really like this page...

K

Found Art Tues. 2-6-07: Superhero

The topic of Superhero is just perfect for us Moms. Old Moms, new Moms, International Moms, you get the picture. When I think of what I juggle each day....I think we deserve the title of Superhero. Think about it...I am a retired research microbiologist but no amount of schooling could have prepared me for the grueling Mom schedule that I keep. I always have to be on. Get the kids dressed, fed and out the door to school, walk the dogs, clean-up the dishes, go to my part-time job, come home and walk the dogs, start to prep dinner, clean-up, pick the kids up from school, take them to after school activities, return home and walk the dogs, prepare dinner, feed the masses, feed the dogs, clean-up, help with home work, crash at 9:00 (after walking the dogs). Oh yea, then there is the wash, the laundry baskets are always full no matter how many washes I do. House cleaning you say...only when necessary! So that is my daily routine. Then there are all the volunteer things we do! Do I really do all that? I have not even begun. Do we get any thanks? Seldom for me.

OK so my little 3 1/2 by 5 work, titled Super Moms, is a tribute to mothers everywhere. My Mom is the woman on the left. She was my Superhero! The work is a mixed media collage on a heavy duty piece of scrap book paper and then I mounted it to cardboard. I want to thank my children for their homework papers :)

k

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