Sculptue, Gigantic Sushi & Scarey Clowns

Of course I brought my camera along when my husband & I took a day to explore the intriguing culture of "antiquing". Which in my opinion is a very loose term. Via my artistic eye I saw a sculptural elements in many of the displays. And what a clever concept...to draw the attention of shoppers who are searching through a mecca of knick-knack-patty-whacks. This piece can stand on it's own for too many anti-depressant needing clown faces in one spot may set some people over the edge (Eddie B.).

 Of course when encountered with an emotionally disturbed hand painted clown figurine, one cannot help but recall their little brother hiding under a Moose Lodge family picnic table with a death grip on his grandfather's leg, screaming out in fear that the clown hired to entertain children may torture and destroy his very existence...or something to that nature for he was six and really couldn't articulate under such circumstances. Moving on...

 Then there are pretty things. And lots of them. Which are typically the pieces you have to budget in, for their sparkly esthetic attraction comes at a premium price. After claiming one of these must haves you may realize to your dismay, that they are much more appealing in their group setting...a sculptural setting was the hook.

 Speaking of sparkle....who cares if the label "antique shop" was on the store front??? Silver glitter grouped in perfect little glass jars all lined up in stadium format as if they are dressed in their best and out on the town in big high fashion, brings a twinkle to any gals eye. Reflective as they are...again....not as glamorous as a single representation. Almost like seeing one Rocket during a NYC Christmas performance. Around the corner...

 ...you hit these babies. Several family members used to paint these in many cigarette smoke filled dining rooms (with protective plastic table clothes of course). Here they rest as if a country club graveyard of hang-able flat backed ceramic existed in this very glass case. They still appear to be as happy as the first day they were cast so I don't feel too disappointed that they all ended up here. They aren't cheap either. Over 100 bucks and you too can bring this treasure home. I think the optimal place should be eye level next to a commode. You may not notice it at first but in your peripheral vision your propriosenses kick in and you turn your head.....oh yeah...super-c r e e p y-perfect.

 I'm a sucker for metal objects. The more patina'd the better. These little jewels are sculptural enough to stand on their own. I purchased the one in the middle front and use it as a business card holder for my art cards. On my next trip I'd like to get a larger one to help store my paint brushes. That too will be an appeasing sculptural element on my over crowded desk. When you look up...

 ...you take a gander at this beauty. How can you not resist concocting a story when you lay eyes on this?!?!? I'm guessing it's a 1950s - '60's era costume and crafted exquisitely. It was hung high above, out of arms reach. No touching this relic of someone's life journey...see the clerk at the front counter. At the booth across the isle...

 ...here sits (awkwardly but maybe that's how he maintains his cut abs) the one armed Ken with white rubber low-heeled shoes and high wasted matching pants. Hmmm...if I only remembered where I placed my Ken doll arm collection from the 70's. Damn. I missed out on this one. But the counter down the hall....

 ...flashed me back to fifth grade. I had this exact style rotary phone in bright red to match my red & white room, complete with red looped carpet and canopy head board my creative mother designed. My room was so cool that I didn't even take into consideration I shared it with my sister eight years my junior. I was pretty bossy, I took over the space. I prominently displayed this classic piece of sculpture on my dresser next to my bed. Hands off to anyone who wasn't me. Well...I may of allowed my friend Lisa D. to use it when she needed a ride home after I got mad at her for not wanting to do things my way. And after experiencing several years of missing or damaged clothing during my sisters pre-teen years, I'm pretty sure she touched it any chance she got when I wasn't looking. After feeling pretty special about my red phone I glanced over at....

 ...this epic concept. I should of had one of these when I was talking on my red phone....I should have one of these now. Yet another project to indulge in when time allows. I couldn't purchase it. That would of been way too easy and demeaning of my artful essence of being. That silver glitter will no doubt be the perfect glitz to my new crown. Just when my mind was in the narcissistic zone of self centered bliss...

 ...I looked up and saw this. Really??? A  pipe smoking baby in a top hat & ascot. What part of art history is this in? It's obviously created from a mold which means someone thought it was a good idea to make more of these. It's large eyes do have a familiar resemblance to the Greek limestone Archaic funeral memorial kore/kouros figures of 600 BC (less the contrapposto pose of course). Could that be a hint of an Archaic smile? All this stimulation calls for...

...gigantic sushi the size of your face from Saburo in SE Portland. No joke. You get more for your money than any other sushi place. I chuckle each time my order is placed in front of me. The best approach is to have at least one person wait inline 30 min. prior to their opening. The line forms fast (People know this, it's no secret. You can tell by the expressions of woe & defeat on the drivers faces pulling up out front to drop of their chosen line person, when arriving just minutes late). Which leaves one or more of your party free to get Starbucks from across the street. This is particularly handy when it is winter and raining. Have your mind set prior to being seated for the competitive ordering has now begun and if your completed sushi menu isn't raised in your hand within a few minutes...bummer for you...you're now at the back of the sushi assembly line. The process is so worth it. You'll love it. Even the part when you're the one freezing in the rain in January. But no...you're the smart one and made sure you wore your PAC-NW layering system of clothing and protective gear and have your smartphone charged with plenty of entertainment on it. That way you won't be thinking of nasty names to call your companion(s) when they come back from the warm swanky atmosphere of Starbucks.

Direct.

Post it note art for a Gala event.

 Charcoal markings for a class project.

 An acrylic painting from a tree sketch in the park.

My studio for a day...

 ...to paint a mural.

A busy schedule packed with freelance work, full time school, two part-time jobs plus my family has me running on a tight schedule. It's refreshing to have a spot to just be short, sweet & to the point.
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A MINI ART NOTE

I have recently been

introduced to the painting

of Andrew Wyeth.

An American artist

who's work I am

drawn to

like a

vortex of 

creative

inspiration.

I'm excited to see

how my next

painting turns out.

[CLICK ME]

Glass Drunk

Hello my name is Dawn & I'm a glass-aholic.

 

Sometimes I save, sometimes I purchase but now I'm on the wagon.

I can't tell you when or how it began. All I remember is one day....

I realized...I had a lot of glass.

 

I have "collected" & "stored" several pieces in kitchen cupboards, just waiting for the right moment to use them in fused glass art projects. I'm not sure if "saved" household glass is something that can effectively be melted & fused but I have a friend that will support my glass habit in conducting this experiment.

 

Sometimes my glass reminds me of my great grandparents.

Other times it's my glass that may remind my great grandchildren of me.

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[CLICK ME]

Herb & Dorthy Aspirations (sort of) & A 3 Day Paint Job

How can one not find art in the garden? OK...in my case, containers on the front porch with plants in them. Nature has a skillful process of producing perfect color palettes. In the case of the tomato plant, a hue of green that has a close value range paired impeccably with it's complimentary yellow orange in the cherry toms. Blackberries develop into a deep rich purple (slightly shifted to the red side in my opinion yet maintaining a strong blue) contrasting it's green surroundings. This time of year they are a light value of green w/a bit of yellow but representing blue in a delicate way. Mid August will bring delicious berries gently warmed by the sun, of which I will flash freeze and enjoy all year long. In the PacNW we have a love-hate relationship with these aggressive fruit barriers. They are monsters that consume all vegetation, buildings and space. There's no stopping them. The birds "release" seeds after they are finished dining on their sweetness, which covers just about every bit of land. They are everywhere and grow in an instant. After harvesting this summer I will put on protective gear (nasty huge painful thorns) and hack them down as far as I can. 

As I've been spending a lot of time on my front porch these past few weeks, I decided to fill a space on my home above the porch swing with a canvas. I have a habit of seeing voids and filling them. I am careful not to cover every inch of space, rather, create a balance in conjunction with the voids. Only time will tell if I can maintain this practice. Who knows, in 30 years I may have filled every square inch, inside and out. My imagination recalls the story of Herb & Dorothy Vogel. My space will be filled with my own art and the hope of it being worth even an eighth of their collection. In the mean time I will paint when I'm inspired and rest in the space until the process cycles to fill another space.

This painting is on top of another, one I didn't care for and even taped sheets of paper over areas I was so displeased with. This canvas was resurrected well after a year. With a closer view (or a more skilled photographer) hidden textures reveal shapes of the old mixed media painting. I think I've stumbled upon a concept for my next creation after zipping through this free flowing piece. Having no expectations and releasing the mind of clutter is an amazing place to create from.
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A MINI ART NOTE

 On my flight home from a recent AZ trip I busted out 

my sketchbook. I think the first sketch pretty much states 

my subject and the other....I was wingin' it (no pun intended). 

The image is clickable so you can get a closer look. 

I capitalized on my captivity in the middle seat 

while listening to this [C L I C K ME!!!!]. I find my 

sketchbook to be a great source of inspiration for I am

typically creating (read doodling) without an intent. 

Being sandwiched between a solo eight year old well 

rounded traveler and an older gentleman who seemed

to enjoy my progress, made for 

the perfect recipe for 

uninhibited 

masterpieces.

Does this have to have a title? I don't think so.

The kitchen chalkboard is a forever evolving substrate of random creativity by heterogeneous artists. It always begins with a grocery list and my own impromptu sketch. It's handy exposure is like a magnet to my children and their friends. Little by little the space gets filled with bits and pieces of peoples minds. As I've mentioned before...the grocery list, in time, gets buried in the artiness of it all. 

My lavender is just about to fully explode! I tried to capture this visitor but am still getting to understand the many functions of my new camera and didn't get as good of a shot as I had hoped.

I've added a little reuse-sculpture above my fence mural. I'm so attracted to things that rust. The bright contrast of it's coiling wire against the black post pops with interest. It's one of those things that will patina in time, forever changing how it exists in the space. It's neighboring post calls for something more substantial. My mind is churning for the perfect elements...in rust of course.

Mid month during the full moon I spent some time on my front porch...with my camera of course. After the one I love turned in for the night, I was left to explore one on one with my new toy/tool/appendage/eye/?. Most images turned out blurry (could the vino have been an accomplice?). Too intrigued to go upstairs and get my tripod I found that holding my breath while leaning against something sturdy pacified my need for a clear, flash-less, glowing composition. Next time...the tripod.
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A MINI ART NOTE

Above is a final for an Art History project I did
at the end of last semester. I chose 1920's soft-cubism
artist Tamara de Lempicka to represent an artist
between the Renaissance and WWII in a composition
depicting a modern use (a cover of Portland's Willamette Week
news publication). I used my 20+ years of graphic
design skills in Illustrator to complete the piece. I was
informed WW's editor Richard Meeker became fond of
it as it was displayed on a gallery wall at school. The
school purchased it and gave it to him as a gift.

Such a cool thing.

I am truly honored.

What is it? What's it all about? Who cares.

I have an old 1920's bungalow home that provides the perfect canvas to create amazing works of art on, in and around. The whimsical fence mural now rests on my fence, basking in the summer sunshine. I have no idea what it is, all I know is that I had no expectations with the process and tried my best to keep my mind clear of thoughts in any direction. I was on auto-pilot. Perhaps from a psychodynamic perspective (Freudian) this concept came from my subconscious. Even so...I still have no idea what it is. I do know it is balanced within the space with it's wiggling multiple lines heavy on the left-view side and it's solid open deep black space on it's right and it has texture in it's many black intersecting lines which sends your eye back allowing the vibrant yellow-green to jump forward. 

So who really cares what it is? It's one of those images that has people looking at it in wonder. The kind of public art that breaks up a person's daily routine providing them with a brief moment in time to focus on something other than where they have to be and what they have to do next in order to be producing responsible organized time. It's almost like a psychological mini vacation and they don't really realize exists. Of course this is my subjective interpretation of what it could be for others and I'll truly never understand how it places in the dynamic of it all. For me it was a process of letting go of expectations and authorizing myself to be in the present moment. If it can alter someones chaotic day for just one minute of peace or creative thought, then all the better.

I have a new camera (on the art barter system!) and had fun snapping shots of random Portland things over the weekend while getting familiar with it's functions. I was on Mississippi Avenue exploring it's wonders when I came across some hens in a quaint garden shop. After returning home, the inspiration remained strong and I captured small spaces of my own garden. The mural photos were taken with my phone. I'm still getting to know my new Canon but so far we're getting along just fine.

Un-hung Art.

What does one do with un-hung art? I seem to be stashing mine under furniture, on top of art storage bins and neatly filing those that fit next to one another against the wall in my studio. I recently sifted several pieces out to display for a friend in hopes of hanging the un-hungables in local windows this summer.

The charcoal and graphite tree is still a work in progress (as most art can be). However the bottom two panels can be omitted if I were to chose this piece to hang. It was designed to fit into a corner of my living room where a kennel once was tucked away for our Basset Hound Bogart (RIP Aug. '10). I created it for a final project in a drawing class fall semester.

The encaustic collage diptych was another final project in a 2D Design class this past spring. I am bartering the right panel for a camera. The process these panels provided was one I hope to practice more often. The careful planning and assemblage of the lightly painted water color paper rectangles brought a sense of productivity to my work. Encasing each shape in encaustic wax and carving details to enhance their depth and character was hypnotic. A definite present moment experience. It's not often I do just one thing a a time.

I've been working an afternoon each week this summer in a friends flower shop. The stunning selection of floral and fauna never fails to inspire me.