Eva Macie ~ A Creative Life

Routine Interrupted

2012-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Above Below Eva Macie©

Deepak Chopra was on the ‘CBS This Morning’ show talking about internet addiction. I think I have found a cure for it, schedule a lot of appointments and unless you have an IPad or Smart Phone or other similar devices (which I don’t), you won’t have time, like me, to be on the internet. It seems forever since I last posted. All the demanding schedules and other things have taken over my life. I rarely go down to my studio and when I do, I find settling down to paint very difficult. The last piece I worked on, I manage to finish, only because I started it months ago. It is the above painting and is layered acrylic with lots of texture, stenciling and scumbling. The painting is on a 12”x12” studio wrapped canvas.

Helen Frankenthaler

2011-12-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Helen Frankenthaler

Yesterday I received this email from one of Atlanta’s premier art galleries, the Alan Avery Art Company, also known as Trinity Gallery . I am reprinting the email with permission from the gallery’s administrator, Maria Lundin

“It is with great sadness that we inform you that one of the great women artists of this century, Helen Frankenthaler, died Tuesday, December 27 at her home in Darien, Connecticut. She was 83 years old. As an Abstract Expressionist, her unique style and technique helped introduce what is known as Color Field painting and influenced artists such as Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland. Frankenthaler, whose 13 year marriage to the painter Robert Motherwell ended in 1971, is survived by her second husband,Stephen M. DuBrul, Jr.
Helen Frankenthaler is featured as one of the three great American women artists in our current exhibition, The Glass Ceiling Shattered.
Her long time assistant Maureen St. Onge phoned yesterday around 2:30 and stated that Helen was honored to be a part of our exhibition, believed to be the last while she was still alive. She further stated that Helen was humbled by my choice as one of the three great American artists. She noted that she intentionally left out the term "women." Knowing Frankenthaler's stand on this issue, I had to laugh. She will be missed.
Frankenthaler's work will be on view at AlanAvery Art Company through February 10, 2012. “

Helen Frankenthaler, has always been one of my favorite artist. Not only did I respect her courage to express herself in such a minimal way, but also because she opened doors for so many contemporary women artists. Helen’s recent passing, along with so many creative giants that have inspired me, is a reminder that my time is limited and I should make every moment a renewed dedication to creativity.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

' Look for the Joy' Eva Macie©

I have been slow about getting my Christmas greetings and gifts out this year. My posting has taken a back seat to everything. With only a few days left, I thought I should post before the Holidays are over. I created a digital card from my Citra Solv® papers and some photos along with a watercolor of a cardinal I created for my card last year.

I wish all of my friends, followers and those who have just dropped by for a look, a Very Merry and Blessed Christmas, Holiday and New Year. May your days be filled with love, good health and creativity!

Eva

Citra Solv Award

2011-12-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

Citra Autumn 8"x10.5" EvaMacie ©

I am so pleased to announce that my Citra Solv® collage ‘Citra Autumn’ recently was a runner-up in the “Falling into Art” contest sponsored by Citra Solv®. I am grateful for this award! This is the first time I have ever created a scene in collage, and I found it fascinating, but a bit challenging. It reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle, trying to find just the right color and texture in my stash of altered National Geographic™ pages. I used a black sheet of Arches cover paper for the base sheet and left some of the paper showing to create line and emphasis. I also drew some of the tree limbs with a dark Pitt pen. Maybe someday I will create something that will win a place award. It is always fun to have a goal isn’t it?

Shine

2011-11-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

'Flight' 5" x 5" ©Eva Macie

I missed the deadline for the Spruill Gallery Holiday Show. I decided to offer my entries online, as soon as I update my website. Since I am not a webmaster it takes me awhile. Here is the smallest piece I created. It is a 5”x5” acrylic on a canvas wrapped frame. I made the frame out of wood lathe so it is very lightweight. The back is covered with marbleized mat board and ready to hang. I rarely put a shiny varnish on my work, but since this is so small, I thought it needed a little attention, so I gave it a high gloss glaze. I think it will be a bright spot in anyone’s collection, especially during the Holidays. The price is $55.00 USD including postage.

Thankful

2011-11-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

"Fall Abundance" digital collage © Eva Macie

Every few years the sounds of acorns falling on my roof like a hailstorm invade my peace. My usual response is to be upset about the noise they make. However, this year, with all the storms and hurricanes, I am thankful that my oak trees are still standing, and that I have a roof over my head. I hope that in the spring, I will be able to hire someone to remove the branches hanging over my roof.

I have not been posting due to all the health problems I have encountered. While running some tests for the corporal tunnel syndrome, they discovered I have stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Needless to say, I have been in a state of shock and fear. I pray that with a proper diet, controlling my blood pressure, increasing my fluid intake and exercise, I can arrest it or slow down the progression. I guess when you get to my age everyday is a gift. Years of intense, stressful living and unhealthy habits have caught up with me. My advice to everyone is to watch your blood pressure, drink plenty of fluids, avoid NSIADs, if possible, and if you are diabetic, follow your doctor’s orders. Although I am not over weight and do not have diabetes, I understand that these, along with high blood pressure, are heavy contributors to kidney failure. Even though the doctors should have noticed this a few years ago, I am again thankful that they discovered this before it got to stage 4.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you see the gifts in everything!

Eva

Citra Solv Tapestry Collage

2011-11-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished this collage using paper textures I created with Citra Solv. I started with transferring a photocopy of leaves using Citra Solv as the transfer medium. I wanted the images on rice paper, but it did not work. I decided to scan the copy of the leaf that transferred well on plain paper, duplicate the leaf in Photoshop and then print them on the rice paper. Walla, it worked! Next, I printed the tree trunks on Mulberry tissue. I collaged the treetops with the textured papers I made using Citra Solv dissolved National Geographic images. Then I added the same papers for the bottom band. I was surprised how long it took me plus the frustration I encountered just to create a simple collage. However, it was fun and I am working on another one. This one was originally 12” x 12” as I planned to mount it on canvas, but there were too many tree trunks to suit me. I cropped it to 11” x 11” and will mat it for framing.

Halloween Portrait

2011-10-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Because of the corporal tunnel syndrome going on in my hands, I have been giving them a rest. I have kept my digital and online activity to a minimum. In my retreat I stumbled on to this speed painting video. I thought it was fitting for Halloween.

I also had lazier surgery done last week on my eye that had the cataract removed. I feel very much like the subject of the YouTube video. A bit bizarre. I am still not seeing as well as I would like. The other eye will wait until I cannot see out of it! For some reason, I am an awful candidate for any surgery.

Happy Halloween. May you be protected from ghosts, goblins, and all the Halloween mischief and your ‘trick or treat’ bags be full.

Kudzu Ties Us

2011-10-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Kudzu Flower Eva Macie ©

Southerners have been battling the Kudzu plant, (Pueraria lobata) since the Japanese brought it to their pavilion at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Southern farmers snatched it up, impressed with the promise of erosion control and its high-quality fodder for grazing animals. Little did they know the long hot, humid southeastern summers would work like super juice on the plant. Kudzu earned the name the "mile-a-minute vine,"or the vine that ate the South. It grows more than 7 feet (more than 2 meters) a week, resisting almost any efforts to stop it.

                                                     In Georgia, the legend says
                                                That you must close your windows
                                                At night to keep it out of the house.
                                                                                 …. James Dickey

Fortunately, in every situation, there is a seed of equivalent good. Southeastern landowners might be sitting on a gold mine, as kudzu is being used to produce energy. A new facility in Tennessee is turning kudzu into ethanol. Since it is not a food crop and does not require irrigation, it is a better alternative to corn. Furthermore, for years, some resourceful artisans (of course) have made friends with kudzu. They have created baskets, paper, and unique food items. Click here for pictures and more of the kudzu story.

So what does this picture of these smiling faces have to do with kudzu? They are a few of the members of Kudzu Art Zone. This is an art association in Norcross, Georgia. The association chose this name because:

Kudzu: it grows fast, stays constant & is endlessly adaptive.

Art: That's what we do.

Zone: That's we where live.

It is the perfect name for the organization and it has been over a year, since I have been to KAZ. When I arrived, it was as if I was there last week. Everyone welcomed me. We went to lunch at the Norcross Tavern (I think that’s the name or Iron Horse Tavern) and caught up on all the happenings. It was good to be around artists and art again. I have stayed so close to home the past year that I have become a hermit huddled up in front of my computer. The consequences of my retreat are corporal tunnel syndrome and tunnel vision, the price of digital addiction. I am glad I decided it was time for me to venture out and give my hands and fingers a rest. I plan to join them again soon. In the meantime, I just had to play with my new Painter program and Photoshop to create the digital image of the kudzu flower.

More About Collage

2011-09-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Nita Leland’s ‘New Collage Techniques’ book has a lot of good information in the ‘Getting Started’ section. The information included preparing the papers and the supports for collage. More often than not, we worry about acid-free glues, sprays, etc., but fail to think about the papers and ephemera we are using. Nita suggests we use a ph pen, found in art supply and craft stores, to test them. If the papers fail the test, we can spray them with Krylon Make It Acid Free® or encase them in acrylic medium. Artist Jonathan Talbot uses the encased technique for his collages. This involves coating both sides of the papers. When they are dry, he uses a sealing iron to adhere the collage papers to the support. This is all a little too labor intensive for me. I have collages I made over 15 years ago and they appear to be the same as they were when I created them. I did use acrylic medium for the glue and the top coat when I finished so maybe that was the reason they remained the same.

The collage I am showing is one I started in an introductory class offered at the Spruill Center for the Arts, located in Dunwoody, Georgia. Contemporary artist and teacher, Chery Baird, had boxes of the most unusual papers. Some she bought, others she altered herself. Digging through these papers was a treat in itself. Chery said she plans to write a book about altering papers for collage. I look forward to it. Chery’s two-day workshop will be held on October 15^th. Click here for details.

Chery was kind enough to let me bring some of her papers home to finish the couple I started. Chery uses ‘Yes’ glue for her collages. This glue is not acrylic base so it can be reactivated when wet. This is great for changing pieces around. I did put a final matte acrylic varnish on top to keep it stable. I am not sure that Chery would do this, as it was not mentioned in the class.

I would love to hear about your experience with using non-archival papers and the type of adhesive you use.

Collage Book and Creativity Workshop Contest

2011-09-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am very excited as two of the three books I won in the August Creativity Workshop Contest arrived! The one I am reading now is 'New Creative Collage Techniques: A step-by-step guide to making original art using paper, color and texture ,60 projects 62 artists ' The 60 projects in the book a beginning collagist will find invaluable as it covers basic collage techniques to assemblage and other mixed media. As a mixed media artist, over the years, I have dabbled in just about every technique in the book. However, I did find a couple of techniques I had forgotten, and I am feeling inspired to revisit collage.

Creativity Workshop has another contest for watercolor artists, and the entry date ends October 15^th. I encourage anyone who has a talent for painting negative space in watercolor to enter. Click here to read all about it.

The comfort of the familiar.

2011-09-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

One of my birthday gifts, instead of the recliner, which I returned, may be an upgrade to my old Painter3 program. I started out using Painter before Photoshop, but never got very far with it. At the time printer’s print resolution was so poor I could not see the point of fooling with it. I was too busy with painting art for shows and my agent's clients. Because of my brief professional affair with photography, I was determined to learn Photoshop, and I never thought about Painter again.

Surfing YouTube for new Photoshop techniques, I discovered the Painter12 video above. I was intrigued and downloaded a trial program. It is different from Painter3 and even more complicated. I tried referring to my old Painter books to navigate it, but the changes are not making that easy. This past week I just kicked back in my 'old recliner' (yes, the new one did not work out. It was really too short for my lanky legs). I have been watching videos at the Corel® site and on You Tube. The videos gave my corporal tunneled hands a rest, but my eyes and brain are stressed to the max!

My conclusion is Photoshop has the edge on some of the actions. Both programs, however, have techniques that the other seems unable to do without being a master of the programs. For that reason, Painter users often rely on Photoshop. I am wondering if Painter for me will go the way of the new recliner and rejected in favor of the comfort of the familiar.

Remembering

2011-09-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

"Remembering" Eva Macie©

I created this digital collage in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy. In addition, we must not forget the lives that were lost, and continue to be lost or injured, in the horrible wars that have resulted from this event. I wish they could be equally compensated for all they and their families continue to endure.

I created this collage in Photoshop from a photo of an angel statue and a Citra Solv ® manipulated page from a National Geographic® magazine.

I’ve Been Citra Solved!

2011-09-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have been chosen for the Citra Solv® Artist of the Month! When they asked me for a photo, I almost declined the honor. The last photo taken of me was at my grandson’s graduation, and I was in shock to see how the years are showing. My son agreed to take one of me in front of a large abstract diptych I painted a few years ago. Using Photoshop®, I layered the photo with a Citra Solved National Geographic® page and some freehand graffiti. I told the folks at CS that, “I now think the photo represents who I really am, someone with layers of paint, styles and time.”

The timing was great for this award as my birthday is on the 8^th of this month. My other gift that is arriving on that day is from me to me, a woman’s recliner. It has taken me a long time to find one small enough to fit in my bedroom and still fit my lanky body. The one I have is over 30 years old. It has been reupholstered, patched and slip covered to the point that is almost impossible to deal with anymore. However, it is like an old friend who has offered me comfort and place for afternoon naps for so long that putting her on the curb is not something I will enjoy doing. It is almost a metaphor for me.

Heart Dichotomy

2011-08-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

"Many Hearts" Eva Macie ©

The past few days have pulled my emotional heart in many directions. Watching Irene’s ravishing of our Eastern towns and cities is heart breaking. Brattleboro Vermont is the birthplace of my late husband and the home of many of his relatives. I think of our little house along Marlboro Rd next to the brook and wonder if it any harm came to it. My children spent the best part of their childhood there. Seeing the beautiful bridges being ripped from their foundations and washed away has brought up so many emotions that surprised me. I had no idea that my love of them remains so deep. I am sure it is more than the bridges, it is my history, and I am grieving. To everyone harmed in any way by all of this, I send my heartfelt love and prayers.

Along with the devastation of Irene, the other side of these emotions is gratitude for the awards and attention I have received lately. All together, these events led me to create the “Many Hearts” digital collage. The collage is a combination of a Citra Solv® image and thanks to Creative Catalyst Productions, a foam block print. A shout-out goes to Kelly Powers for writing about the process on her CCP blog. In addition, I am happy to say I sold the “Kimono” collage.

'¡Olé!

2011-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

'¡Olé! Mixed Media !4" x!4" ©Eva Macie

I am so proud and happy as I just won an “Watercolor Artist” Editors’ choice award! It was for the August ‘Creativity Workshop’ contest. The challenge was to create a work of art from some “repurposed” items based on the techniques used by Nancy M. Grisby, the author of the August ‘Creativity Workshop’ article.

The award was fantastic, $50.00 worth of Northlight art books and a 6 month subscription to the Artistsnetwork.tv. If you do not know about this site, I suggest you check it out as they have so many art instruction videos. You can view all of them online and at a reasonable price. I have been watching videos all weekend, and I am eager to try some of the techniques I saw.

The piece I created, shown above, started with an old water media piece I had not finished and put aside. I had some old ink jet prints I made from sections of a picture I took when I went to Spain in 1997. The picture was of a wall covered with old posters. I manage to tear a few pieces off this wall for souvenirs and I used some of them, along with the photo. The rest of the items are rice papers, old stamps, coins and other ephemera. This was a fun project that brought back many wonderful memories of Spain. Thank you Northlight and Watercolor Artist magazine for a wonderful contest and award!

CitraSolv Mixed Media Collage

2011-08-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

"August" Eva Macie ©

I have not been very hands-on creative the past couple of weeks. I am having some corporal tunnel issues from using my mouse too much with Photoshop. My other hand has also developed joint tenderness and pain. Strange, since my typing skills are so limited that I only use a couple of fingers to hunt and peck. Two of an artist’s worse nightmares; the loss of good vision (which I am still dealing with) and use of the hands.

The piece I am showing I created a few weeks ago. It is a mix of collage papers, created with CitraSolv and National Geographic pages. In addition, some computer-generated images, an image transfer done with CitraSolv, also acrylic paint and ink. Honestly, the actual piece looks better than this. As much as I use a camera and Photoshop, without proper lighting, I have not learned to duplicate the appearance of the real thing to my satisfaction.

Living with Expressive Art

2011-07-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

One of the comments on my last post about ‘Stacked Calligraphy’ was a question about displaying this type of art in a living room. I was a little surprised, as I believe one can display any type of art anywhere in their home. I personally have almost every type of art in every room in my home.

One of my abstract expressionist pieces, ‘Neptune’s Song’ (at the right) hangs in my living room. The colors and movement enliven the space and always command the attention of my visitors.

A quick search of the internet will yield many beautiful rooms that display abstract art. The two rooms that are not mine can be found at http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=1681 and http://designindulgences.com/2011/05/11/iwant-abstract-art/

Enjoy!

Stacked Calligraphy

2011-07-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

Judi Hurwitt © "Graffiti-esque"

In my search to find artists whose works, I believed, were inspired or reminiscent of Cy Twombly, I stumbled onto this super blog, Approachable-Art, by mixed-media and textile artist, Judi Hurwitt. Judi’s art is not only reminiscent of Cy Twombly, but also of the early and possibly the original, American ‘calligraphic’ abstract expressionist artist, Jackson Pollock .

Judi has labeled her work as ‘stacked journaling’. The layers of paint she says are “graffiti-esque” in style. I call them eye candy for those of us who enjoy this style of art.

Another favorite artist in this genre is Alex Echo and this painting.

Alex Echo © "Mozart The Soul of Genius" (detail)

It appears that Alex pulled his writing tool through the layers of paint, resulting in a wonderful woven tapestry effect. This is only a detail of the original and there is no reference to the complete size. However, judging from Alex’s other work I am guessing it is quite large.

I am very aware that there are many who do not consider abstract expressionism and other contemporary art as “real” art. There is a lively discussion about this in the ‘Art Discussions’ group on Gary Reef’s Ning site, Lovingmixedmedia.com This is a great site to join if you enjoy 'outsider art' and would like to push the envelope and create outside the box. If you decide to join, I would appreciate you mentioning that I recommended it. I want Gary to know I appreciate all his hard work and free tutorials.Thanks.

One of the contributors to the Lovingmixedmedia ‘Art Discussions’ group posted this quote, which I think, gives food for thought:

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." ~ Aristotle

Also a quote that I use on my web site, etc., is that we are;

“Making visual what, without the artist, might perhaps never have been seen” ~ R.Bresson

Betty Ford and Cy Twombly

2011-07-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Two great people passed this month. A hero for all women, Betty Ford, brought awareness to the disease of breast cancer and addiction. She championed women’s rights. Standing and fighting for what she believed, even if it meant opposing the President of the United States, her husband, Gerald Ford. Some may feel she was a bit too candid, but she was my kind of woman, and her husband loved her. I wish I could have been her friend.

III Notes From Salalah (Note II), 2005-2007 Cy Twombly ©

Cy Twombly

Twombly’s work has influenced many of today’s artists. His works are usually large-scale. Often they are calligraphic scribbles on backgrounds of mostly gray, tan, or off-white colors much like graffiti. According to Wikipedia , In the late 60’s Twombly made this work using an unusual technique: he sat on the shoulders of a friend, who shuttled back and forth along the length of the canvas, thus allowing the artist to create his fluid, continuous lines.

The layered or stacked drawing/ paintings are my favorite. The gestured marks remind me so much of the calligraphic ink writing of my Japanese sensei that I painted with when I was a young girl living in Japan.

Later I hope to write about some of today’s artists influenced by Twombly, but today I wanted to take the time to pay tribute to Cy Twombly and Betty Ford.

Anne Bagby Inspired Collage

2011-06-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

'Kimono' "12 x12" mixed media collage Eva Macie ©

My gift boxes arrived from Creative Catalyst Productions and I was thrilled with all the goodies in them. There were Golden fluid acrylics, paint applicators, Creatology foam sheets, Lineco Tissues, deli wax papers, a Moo carving block, alphabet stencils, a 12"x 12" streched canvas and a Shirley Trevena’s DVD to replace the Anne Bagby DVD that I had previously purchased. Wow! Like the boxes, that was a sentence full! Needles to say, I was eager to start using my new products, but I wanted some of Anne’s instructions to guide me. I immediately reviewed Anne’s wonderful DVDs, ‘Collage: Paper, Patterns & Glazing’ and ‘Pattern & Form: Advanced Collage Techniques’.

I decided to create a 12" x 12" foam stamp using the craft adhesive backed foam sheets. One cut into the buttery foam and I was hooked! I spent hours, totally mesmerized, cutting little shapes and sticking them onto a chipboard backing. Anne used canvas board, which would have been a better choice because the adhesive pieces may have easier to reposition. In addition, it also may have warped less with all of the wet paint applications. I mixed all of my paint as Anne suggested, cut and ironed a stack of tissue paper and began pulling prints.

After looking at the variety of prints I pulled from my foam stamp, I chose one with a circle shape that I blocked out on the stamp . It looked Asian to me so I decided use kimono as my theme. I applied a glaze I made, similar to Golden’s asphaltum, to the printed tissue and then I stenciled the words ’KIMONO’. I created the kimono from one of my Citra Solv papers, which I printed on a label and collaged this to the tissue print.

For some reason the pictures I took did not come out well. The colors were totally off. I tried to correct this in Photoshop, but only made them worse. Honestly, the actual print looks much richer. I will mount this either on the canvas I received or rag board, then coat it with a satin acrylic varnish.

You can see the techniques I used in the free preview at Creative Catalyst Productions

Citra Solv Altered Box Book

2011-06-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

A Citra Solv altered box book? That is a mouthful and really sounds odd so I will explain what I mean by this. I have been in an altered book class instructed by Gary Reef. Most of the lessons have really been more of a non-traditional way of altering of books. Gary’s forte is assemblage and this is the approach he used altering old books. To be more precise the covers of old books as he guts out the book and uses the covers to house his unique assemblages.

It took me forever to make my book. I decided not to use a real book. We only have a few places near me to buy used books and the only ones I found were either too nice to cut up or not interesting at all. One of the books I bought was an old copy of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book, 'Gift from the Sea'. Not wanting to cut it up, I was inspired to make my own. Mine is titled "A Gift from the Sea'

I constructed the book box from chipboard. A scroll design cut from mat broad and then glued to left edge of the chipboard cover served to create an embossed look. I scanned a Citra Solve page and printed it on label paper to cover the chipboard. Next, a book scanned on its side with rough pages to get the page effect. I printed this on label paper and applied it around the edges of the book. The frame around the opening is mat board. Inside the book is a scanned page from Anne's book, some shells and a small plaster bust from a mold I made for a mermaid doll. I sprayed it with copper and used turquoise acrylic to antique it. I did not glued the cover shut because hopefully I will finish the inside adding some more interesting shells that I love. At this point, I am tired of working with it!

Gary had four projects, but if I do another one, it will be a major surprise as these are labor-intensive projects. His energy and imagination are unbelievable. If I were a much, much younger woman, I would be in creative heaven knocking out all sorts of altered books and boxes.

Bamboozled Again!

2011-06-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again when the bamboo tries to take over everything in sight, and I try again to forgive my neighbor for talking me into to letting her plant it. It has now invaded my other neighbor’s yard and I know she hates me for it. Having my son here to cut it back is super, as I can no longer do it. I worry that there will come a time when he will not be able to. He is not as diligent about it as I was, so now it seems to be getting out of hand. Add to that the heat and threat of tornadoes, I feel like the little dog in the Travelers Insurance® commercial. Worry, worry, worry has become my mantra. In fact, I did call my insurance company to see if my coverage was enough.

My escape is Photoshop and my current fascination with Citra Solv®. I wish I could pour it on the bamboo and dissolve it like the ink in National Geographic® magazines. The best I can do is to combine my dissolved ink images with a photo I took of the bamboo.

Unbelievable!

2011-05-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

It is unbelievable and wonderful that Anne Bagby has released another great video,’ PATTERN & FORM: Advanced Collage Techniques’ Even more unbelievable is that I won one and other goodies in the Creative Catalyst Productions® drawing. I rarely win anything, and to win again after recieving a Citra Solv® honorable mention is almost unnerving. Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket. Okay, that would be pushing it and besides I would have to buy the ticket, which would constitute gambling. The most gambling I do is to put my blog and images out ‘there’ hoping that they will resonate with someone.

Anne’s new video is just as enjoyable to watch as her first one. Anne’s work is so intricate and layered with patterns that one would never guess she ever made a mistake, but she lets everything fly and does not mind showing her mishaps. She gives away all of her techniques for creating an amazing collage. Anne’s first video, ’Collage: Paper, Patterns & Glazing’ is also a 'must have' if you love Anne’s work as much as I do. I am happy that I now own both and I have some new ideas to combine with my Citra Solv® creations.

Journal Extensions

2011-05-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last week Roz’s assignment in the Strathmore Visual Workshop Course was to add extensions to our pages. I decided to continue with the pear theme. I started with spraying the background with watercolor and using stencils for the circles. I cut the page in half and hinged the loose edge with invisible tape to the page below it. I painted the pear with opaque watercolor and collaged the strips and print. The inside background is a combination of all the techniques mentioned above.

The assignment this week is ‘plein air’. This is not really my cup of tea. I may sketch something sitting on my porch sheltered from the sun and onlookers.

Art Journal Workshop

2011-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am not a journalist so I have been taking the Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop Series. I have many old sketchbooks with notes and ideas, but they were precursors to paintings. The idea of putting so much work in a journal seemed unrealistic, since I needed to put that energy into my paintings. However, since I quit doing shows the art journal has become more appealing. Unfortunately, I discovered I do not have the casual mindset to dive in and start creating in my new journal. It is like a blank canvas that intimidates me. I need to think and plan what is going in it. The first workshop with Pam Carriker was easier for me because I was not involved with another project and was eager to get started. I loved the idea that she used her computer and scanner a lot. She had a definite motif of faces, which gave me a starting point. The second workshop was with Linda Blinn and she taught ideas for enhancing the journal with extension pages, pockets, stenciling and spraying. The current instructor is Roz Stendahl. Roz is a fantastic graphic designer and artist. Her attention to detail and organization is over the top, which awes even a fussy Virgo like me. As a result, she is a wonderful teacher. Right there to answer any question asked, Roz goes beyond what is expected with suggestions and advice.

I recently went to Whole Foods and sampled the most delicious and expensive pear I have ever tasted. I bought one and when I got it home, I could not bring myself to eat it without trying to paint it. I have been struggling with an idea for a subject for my first journal pages. A painting of this pear seemed like the perfect solution.

I created my background with the watercolor spray and stencil techniques we used in Linda’s workshop then painted the pears with opaque watercolor. Roz’s lesson included using collage. So I created my collage pieces on the computer (ala, Pam) and printed them out on clear labels, (I could have used vellum) and pasted them in my journal. Of course, the writing was also computer generated. It is far too intimidating for me to write on a page that I put so much work in.

One of my favorite followers is Robin Samiljan, who recently asked me if I still paint or do I only use my computer now for my art. Her question really made me aware how long it has been, since I have used a real brush to paint. Creating these journal images were a small reminder how much I love to do that. Thanks Robin.

Confused Anxiety

2011-05-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

'Back To Square One Again' 4"x 4" Eva Macie©

The weather is great today! I am so grateful for all the good in my life and having a son here to help me, but as the song goes, “every form of refuge has its price”. I should be outside pulling the weeds and pruning back the shrubs and ivy that has vigorously grown in this glorious weather. However, a word that I use much too often, I am glued to the computer that my son just tuned up and upgraded to Windows7. I am back to square one trying to adjust to this new platform. To top it off the Serif desktop publishing program I have been using has gone wacky and will not save all the work I have done this past month! A nice person from Germany, which I met on the Serif forum, has helped me a lot and suggests I upgrade to the newest program. (The devil in me wonders if in the updates includes a bug comes so you have to upgrade??). My son insists that I should switch and buy an upgrade of InDesign. I have a very old 2002 one that I have never used and I do not want to deal with outdated programs again. I downloaded a trial copy and the learning curve is something else! Needless to say, I am tired, confused and full of anxiety! I believe the digital collage I created from some of my mix media images reflects my state of mine. I think I will turn off this computer, go pull weeds and meditate on it.

Realistic Abstracts

2011-04-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

I just received a book I ordered form Amazon.com titled ‘Realistic Abstracts” by Kees van Aalst. The title is a bit of a contradiction in terms, but it is a lovely little book with a wonderful section on design. As a southern American, I have a little difficulty with Kees wording, but as a reader of images, I manage to understand what he is saying when I compare the illustrations with the words.

I am eager to play with some of Kees suggestions, but they will have to wait for now. I have a writing project that is joyfully consuming all of my time. I have been told (I know “have been” is a passive voice, is there anything wrong with that?) not to mention my project to anyone, as it will take the steam out of my sails. I hope that I have not said too much as it is, but I wanted to offer my excuse for not posting that often.

Yupo Revisited

2011-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

'Mending' watercolor on Yupo 15"x 24" Eva Macie ©

At the risk of becoming a bore about my eye surgery, I will update you about it. In brief, I am mending, but because of some issues I am unhappy with, such as flickering, reflections and a change in the appearance of my eye, I cancelled the surgery on the other one. I have an appointment in July to reevaluate my decision.

I do not have any new art to post so I am showing an older painting I did on Yupo which I recently made some minor revisions. Maybe it is my state of mind, but the colors are not very pleasing to me. I desaturated the color in Photoshop and I think I prefer the grayscale version better. At least the values and the composition work for me. Artists today are so fortunate to be able to use software to do this. In my younger days, the only option we had to view the painting in gray scale was with red and green cellophane (acetate) to see the values or take a picture and wait a week for it to be developed! I cannot imagine where I would be as an artist today if I had all the tools I have now or even the materials such as Yupo.

Beautiful day today and I have errands to do. There is another big storm headed our way, which always upsets me. We have so many big trees next to the house and I have had two fall since I’ve been here. Not sure, what all of the awful recent natural catastrophes are all about, but maybe the Aztecs knew something when their calendar ended in 2012. *0*

Renewal?

2011-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Renewal 4"x5" ©Eva Macie

I had cataract surgery on my right eye Thursday and although it’s too soon to really judge, I’m not pleased with the results I have now. The doctor warned me that being an artist I may find the color change a bit unsettling at first. It seems as I aged the eye lens yellowed and became more opaque. When my old lens was replaced with a new clear lens, the cool brightness was unnerving! Not only that, for awhile everything was blurred! I was expecting fantastic vision as soon as the protective shield was removed. Needless to say I was shocked and upset when it wasn't. I’m feeling a little better about it today as the dilatation is returning to normal and my vision is improving. I’m praying that it will continue to improve. I created a digital image from my Citra-Solv papers, which probably was not the best choice, but I’m still hooked on the stuff. I wanted to show the difference in the temperature change in my eyes. The top is my interpretation of the right eye vision with the new clear lens and the bottom represents my left eye vision. Depending on the how much my vision continues to improve, I am scheduled to have the left eye done April 22. If it doesn’t, I may opt out for now.

Citra-Solv Tea Ceremony

2011-03-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Tea Ceremony 6.5" x 6.5" © Eva Macie

The ongoing disaster in a country that is near and dear to my heart, Japan, and the wonderful Japanese people have been on my mind. Looking through my Citra-Solv papers I discovered what I perceived to be a figure of a Geisha. With few added brush marks I was able to bring the ghostly image forward.

Please Help The Victims Of The Quake

© msnbc.com

I captured this haunting image of these precious children from the NBC nightly News. I hope it will inspire you to donate at least $10. to your favorite organization that is helping these people. You can find them at this link HELP. On behalf of these wonderful people I thank you!

Citra-Solv Collage

2011-03-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

'Wanderer' ©Eva Macie
The comforting sound of pots and pans rattling in the kitchen makes me proud of some of my accomplishments in life. This one is my son, John Allan, who is living with me now. He is a trained chef and is busy making vegetarian lasagna from scratch. I mean pasta and all! The sink is full of freshly wash vegetables that he bought at the farmers market and the counter is heaped with all sorts of goodies and a pasta machine.

The reason for all of this wonderful prep is that my grandson is coming for a visit. Branden has been interning at a Buddhist meditation retreat. We thought he would bring a friend along, but there has been a change of plans. After a few days in Atlanta, Branden will be on his way to work at an organic farm in Tennessee. He really has become a wanderer. I hope he finds the fulfillment that he is looking for. I created the above digital college from one of my Citra-Solv pages and I thought it was a fitting illustration for the current situation.

Steampunk Digital Collage

2011-03-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

"Better to see you with, My Dear" © Eva Macie

Because of my upcoming cataract surgery I have had eyes on my mind. The digital collage above that I created obviously reflects this. As I blogged earlier I took an online digital collage class to brush up on my skills. It was a Photoshop Elements class and since I use Photoshop CS5 there were some things I wanted to know about this program. Although it was strictly a PDF class and the focus was exclusively on extraction, I learned a lot and enjoyed it.

I decided to use ‘steampunk’ as my subject matter. It is very popular now and I love the idea of recycled parts and vintage elements to create something new. I used a model from a magazine so I guess this is the only place I dare show this. As for the goggles I was given permission to use them by their creator, a super craftsman and artist, Nicolas Chambon. You can see these and his other fantastic goggles and creations at his website atomefabrik.com. Be prepared for a treat if you like steampunk.

Overload, Magic Jack and Citra-Solv

2011-02-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

'Overload' © Eva Macie

This has been one of those weeks when everything has happened at once. I’m taking another online workshop to brush up on my Photoshop skills. I’m also trying to get my tax information together and deal with the State of Georgia’s new online filing system that doesn’t work any better than the employees. No one knows what they are doing so they just seem to make up stuff. Then they say they can’t understand why they are flooded with calls. This explains the sixty minute wait and longer on the phone. Thank goodness for Magic Jack! For $20.00 a year I have unlimited calling minutes and it doesn’t tie up my other phone. My son also has one so now we both have a private line. It was a bit tricky to install and if my son wasn’t here I’m not sure I could have done it myself. To add to the overload one of my email accounts has become un-assessable. I have spent hours in online Yahoo tech chats trying to solve it and no one knows what the problem is. (Apparently Georgia isn’t the only place that incompetency rules!) It looks like I may have to abandon it and try to notify those who contact me at that address. Ugggh!

The above Citra-Solv image really illustrates my state of mind. Overload! I was fascinated by the graphic elements and the distressed lettering. I could have digitally cleaned this image up but decided not to for now. The only manipulation I did to add a touch of clarity to the image, was to add the number 15 to an area that looked like a tag. I may have to take a break from my Citra-Solv fun as I have a full schedule ahead of me and looks like I’ll remain in ‘overload’ for awhile. I have discovered so many things that I can and not do with Citra-Solv that I think I could teach a course on the subject. Hummm.... another thing I could add to my overloaded schedule?

The Peekaboo Principle

2011-02-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

Robert Genn, painter and author of ‘The Painter Keys’, on February 10, 2011 wrote a great post about "The Peekaboo Principle”. This principle term was coined by V.S. Ramachandran, who is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, San Diego. Ramachandran, looking into various brains, including the brains of people who look at art, came to the conclusion that things are better when they are less visible. According to Ramachandran, concealment works because we are hardwired to solve puzzles. People get turned on by problem solving.

A friend of mine and wonderful artist, Susan Faircloth said “I've always loved mystery in a painting. It keeps me coming back to look for more in it. If it's all spelled out from corner to corner, I get bored looking at it really fast”. She also said it was the reason she enjoyed looking at my abstract designs. Thanks Susan, my goal of intrigue has been accomplished. Hopefully my above digital collage ‘Celestial Runner’ meets this standard.

You can read the entire Robert Genn "The Peekaboo Principle” post by clicking here.

Citra-Solv Collage

2011-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

After all of the excitement of playing with Citra-Solv, I came down with the worst cold I have had in years. I usually use Zicam nose swabs when I feel a cold coming on and it would nip it in the bud. Unfortunately there were a lot of bad reports this past year about people losing their sense of taste and smell from using them. Needless to say I threw away the remainder of the package I had. After three days of a painful sore throat and cough, I surrendered to the Zicam Cold Remedy Tablets. They helped my throat, but the cold had taken over my system so I’ve had to deal with it.

Confined to my room with my box of tissues and herbal tea, I decided to play with the Citra-Solv decorative papers I had previously scanned into my computer. Photoshop is my angel in times like these. I have had a great time creating digital collages with the scans. Inspired by the many circular shape in the transfers, I made a couple of an organic circle brushes to add to my brush collection. I went a little overboard with the new brushes as I put circles in every image! Above is one of the first images I created. There is no meaning behind it, just a collage of textures and shapes. I’m looking forward to the end of this cold and being able to venture back into my cold basement studio to do some actual collages.

Citrasolv Fixation ~ Affixation

2011-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

I became aware of National Geographic's image manipulation with Citrasolv last year. I had about a half a bottle that I had purchased several years ago. Remembering that it was difficult to find and that it was expensive, I sparingly painted a few of the pages. Nothing happened! After several tries I gave up and forgot about doing it. A friend of mine emailed me that she was hooked into creating Citrasolv pages for her collages. When I saw her wonderful collages I knew I had to try to master this technique. I went to the Citrasolv site and found some technique videos. One of the videos is by mixed media artist, Gary Reef. Gary has a great Ning site, Loving Mixed Media and I've been a member for a few years. Gary made me aware of what I was doing wrong. I wasn't saturating the page with enough Citrasolv. Too bad I didn't heed his warning about doing this outside. I love the orange smell of the product and thought it would be a great way to freshen my studio. It did that and more, it went through my return air ducts and took over my house! I woke up with a sore throat and my son had nightmares all night. My other warning is when you pull the saturated pages apart and see the results you become addicted! It is the most magical thing I have done in a long time.

Gary points out that if you are going to use these as a final piece of art, avoid using any with recognizable images as they are copyrighted. I have no idea how much of any image or type you can use, but I haven't heard of any law suits resulting from the thousands of pages all the artists have used doing this or other collages. I plan to use mine in my journals and as inspiration for paintings so I'm not concerned. Try it (outside) and you'll be hooked too. If you can't find it locally you can purchase it at Amazon.

Artists Journals & Sketchbooks

2011-01-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

As you know I have been consumed by a workshop I’m taking for creating visual journals. Everything has been put on hold since I started and continues to be the reason why I have not posted lately or visited anyone’s blogs. I am enjoying this course, but I have not created a page I care to show the world. I have given myself permission to create anything that occurs to me no matter how silly or lack of artistic taste it is. As a result I have created some awful naive images. I even tore two pages out of my journal because they were so trite they embarrassed me! With encouragement from the other students I glued them back in with the idea of returning to them at a later date and reworking them.

My dream journal would be like the ones found in the above book by Lynne Perrella, titled ‘Artist’s Journals & Sketchbooks’. You can explore and purchase it at Amazon.com. This book may not be for absolute beginners, as it is not a recipe or a step by step instruction book, but anyone who is familiar with mixed media techniques will benefit from the mini instructions and suggestions. I like this book not only for the well organized instructions and examples, but also that it covers everything from creating the pages to the cover and bindings. The showcase of other visual journalists creations are absolute eye candy. After I finish the Strathmore series of three workshops that I signed up for, I hope I will not be too burned out to utilize the ideas presented in Lynne’s book.

Anything Is Possible

2011-01-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

There is a wonderful art series on PBS titled ‘Art21’, which focuses exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists throughout the world. The series includes the Peabody Award-winning biennial series "Art in the Twenty-First Century." You will be able to observe the artists at work, and hear their thoughts as they deal with the physical and visual challenges of achieving their goal.... If you are not busy starting off 2011 creating new art, maybe this series will inspire you. Visit the ART:21 website

I am involved in the Strathmore Visual Journal Online Workshop Series which I wrote about in an earlier post. Journaling in this manner is relatively new to me. I have lots of sketch books filled with notes a few sketches, etc, but I would not consider them visual journals. This workshop is going a little slow as the lessons are posted once a week and we are just working on one page or two pages. There is no input from the instructor, except for the video, so we are at a loss as to what to expect or how far to take our pages. I am having trouble with the supplies we are using, i.e. oil pastels (mine are old) and covering my images with a light coat of gesso. I didn’t thin the gesso down enough and it killed my work. Someone said, “start another one, it’s just paper”…. What??? After all the work I put into it? I wonder if they would say that to Picasso? I don’t put myself in his class, but I do know that I worked very hard on this one and a do over would not be the same. The energy is lost. I’m hoping that the next step will salvage my pages, and as William Kentridge said, “Anything is possible”.

After Thought

2010-12-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me that my last post may have sounded like I was boasting, about the sales I had before Christmas. That was not my intention. I was meanly trying to illustrate, what I believe is, the importance of consistency if one is trying to build a reputation. I have had some budding artist ask me to look at their site and I am often amazed at the variety of styles. Although they obviously have talent, it appears they are trying to cover every market and taste. This may work for some artists, but I’ve never been that successful with it. Choose something you love to do, do it well, and then market, market, market! Do shows, get an agent, send slides to a gallery that features your style and by all means get a website with your name or business name, and dedicate it to your specialty. Forget about my sales, they are just a drop in the bucket as to what you can do!

Advice from an Old Paint Slinger

2010-12-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

'Moving On' 12"x12" acrylic on canvas © Eva Macie

The sudden flurry of sales the past couple months of my paintings and prints was a reminder how important it is to stay true to one’s style. I have dabbled in just about everything since I retired from the art circuit and will continue to do so. However, it has been the work that I created and made my living with that continues to sell. If there is any advice that I could give to budding artists it would be to find you niche and grow with it. The above painting, ‘Moving On’ is a small 12”x12” painting that I painted earlier this year and is typical of the work I have created over the years . It has been sitting in my studio waiting to be signed, while I’ve been playing around with other things. I spotted it the other day and said to myself, “you need to get those acrylics out again and return to your easel”…Self said, “Huh?” It remains to be seen if I follow my own advice. Not having show and commission deadlines to pressure me I tend to paint when the mood hits. This is certainly not what an aspiring professional artist should do. I have proof that years of hustle and bustle and sticking to your style, will continue to pay off down the road.

Exhausted

2010-12-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

The last greeting card went out today and I am exhausted! I always say next year I will start earlier and I did this year, but I had no idea I would run into so many problems and interruptions. I wrote about some of them in my last post so I won't go into them again. One pleasant interruption was my grandson's graduation from college last Wednesday. I was very proud as they recognized him for being the first to graduate (with honors) from Kennesaw State's new Interdisciplinary Studies. He majored in Environmental Policy. When they asked the students who had a cell phone and was texting and also who was on Facebook, he was one of a few who didn't raise his hand. He is a very quiet, sort of a New Age hippy. No computer, cell phone or any other electronic gadgets. He loves to meditate, paint and garden. He plans to be an organic farmer. Needless to say I'm pretty partial to him. He loves coming here to paint and talk about meditation. He plans to travel a lot. I will miss him when he takes off on his own.

If you are looking for a new project to kick off the New Year, Nancy Standee, a super artist and blogger, wrote about an upcoming free online journal workshop. It is sponsored by Strathmore journals and the first one starts January 1st. I signed up for the one that starts in March as I need to recoup!

Have a Merry Christmas or enjoy your traditional Holiday celebration.
Peace and Love,
Eva

Christmas Cards

2010-11-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to do something creative for my Christmas greeting. The past few years I have created a video, posted it on YouTube then emailed the link to friends and family. This year I did not feel up to the challenge and decided to return to the traditional way of sending cards.The image above is not my card. It's a copy of a Dover stain glass coloring book image. In the middle of creating my own cards, I switched gears as usual, and came up with an idea of making some Christmas ornaments using some old shrink plastic from my John Campbell Folk School workshop days. What a challenge that became! I guess the stuff is meant for small charms and jewelry because large pieces warp and fold on themselves when shrinking. Fun, but frustrating to watch my hard work shrink into odd balls of plastic. Then I tried Fimo polymer clay. I do not know why, but I have never been able to get that stuff to a pliable consistency and I have a pasta machine that I purchased solely for that purpose. I bought some soft Fimo and that was difficult to knead also. As a last resort, I am using air-dry clay. It is not waterproof and a bit fragile, but I tell myself that hand painted glass decorations are fragile too. I am still not sure they will fly, as I have not finished them. I am still in the experimenting stage. I may get this done by Christmas! Along with more Christmas shopping, house to clean and decorate, this is a busy, busy time so I may not be blogging for a while. Happy holidays everyone!

Autumn Walk With Me

2010-11-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

The last days few days of autumn in Atlanta have been beautiful. I decided to take my camera along on my walk to record the leaves before they returned to the soil. The video is a little bouncy, but I did not have a rolling movie cart to make the trip a smooth one. Our little neighborhood park is one of the joys of this the area. I told my son to spread my ashes here because it is where I have always found peace. Unfortunately, we live near the county airport and the planes seem to get louder every year. Along with the nearby traffic, peace is becoming harder to find.

The image at the end of the video is another Photoshop CS5 creation. When I am not out walking, I am deep into a stack of books by my recliner and working on the computer. I will be back in my studio next week to create some Christmas cards and gifts. In the meantime, I am wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Reality or Illusion

2010-11-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Sudoku is not my excuse this time for my absence. I have been reading and studying spirituality and quantum physics. I still do not understand much of what I am reading, but I am definitely fascinated. I am not going to defend or try to start a religious discussion, as I think everyone is entitled to believe as they chose, including myself. However, it brought up in my mind the illusion of art. I do not remember which artist, maybe Picasso, when a critic said his portrait did not look anything like a woman, replied, “That is because it is not a woman, it is a painting.” Even if the artist painted a photorealist image of a woman or took a photo of her, it is all an illusion.

Since one of my computers is next to my recliner, I took a break from reading to refocus my mind and for some reason I found myself creating a Photoshop image that was a first for me. I opened a file of a Yupo painting I did earlier in the year to see if it needed any further editing. I will post it in another post. After I played with it awhile, for some reason I added a new layer, filled it with white and began to erase areas with different brushes, some of which I created. Intrigued, I started cloning and painting new shapes. I am excited about the possibilities this opened up. My mind then associated all of this to what I have been reading, reality vs illusion. What I did was manipulate pixels, not paint, which are a tiny dots of light that are the basic unit from which images appear on the computer. For more information click HERE All of which, to my limited knowledge, consist of a binary code made up of 0’s and 1’s. I know someone reading this will say I don’t know what I’m talking about and they would be right. However, this much I do know; it is not acrylic or watercolor paint. Other artists, like Vik Muniz, who is using things like sugar and chocolate syrup to create images, and mosaic artist Ken Knowlton , who create portraits form various materials based on the pixels he generates in his computer, are masters of this art of illusion. A great book, which features these and other great artist, is Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali & the Artists of Optical Illusion .

Back to my books and disappearing into the world of words.
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Sudoku

2010-11-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have noticed as I age that my memory is slipping. Every time I hear or read about something recommended for memory loss I check it out. In one of the Real Age newsletters that I receive, the game of Sudoku was their latest recommendation. I went to their online game site and let me tell you I was shocked at how something that appears to be so simple was such a brain drain! It is like a Rubik’s cube with numbers! Not to be defeated I have spent days trying to master this thing. I finally was able to beat the beginner’s level and I stopped, since everything has been on hold since I started. I have not picked up a brush, or pasted a piece of paper. I decided to do a digital collage of the game to justify all the left-brain stuff that has held me hostage. If you are interested in escaping for a few hours, or like me, days, you can find the game here. Enjoy!

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Busy Minis

2010-10-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

This has turned out to be a busy time for me so I have only created a few mini paintings. The one above is on the back of an old business card. I do these in the evening while I am listening to the TV. For this one I used Caran D’ Ache, which is a watersoluble artist’s crayon. I love the intensity of these crayons and the ability to scratch into the color.

The rest of my time has been filled with going to appointments; getting my house ready for the winter, packing and shipping online art orders and my grandson visiting. The appointments have been for my eyes. A cataract that I have had for years is now at the point that it can be removed. As much as I want better vision, the thought of surgery on my eye, or any surgery, is unnerving. Getting my house ready for winter has involved adding more insulation and my son and I installing a pair of folding doors in the master suite to isolate the sleeping area. It is so warm today it is hard to imagine winter coming.

My grandson’s visit was fun. He is in his last college semester and is a new age hippy! He reminds me so much of myself when I was his age. We went to an organic farmer’s market to buy some veggies. He is writing a paper on fermenting vegetables and is pickling everything in sight! The last time he was here, the art books I am working on inspired him. He brought along several abstract paintings he painted and wanted to make booklets out of them. I showed him how to stitch them together and he took it from there. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed being with him.

My final duty today was voting. I hope you all have or will do so!

Free Art Class

2010-10-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

© Steve Aimone’s ‘Expressive Drawing Class sponsored by AARP

No, I am not teaching a class now and that lovely woman in the above picture is not me. However, earlier on June 4th -'Marks', I blogged about a book I bought by Steve Aimone, ‘Expressive Drawing’. As much as loved reading the book and looking at the wonderful drawings, at the time I was exploring painting on Yupo and I never got around to doing any of the exercises. I just received an email that Steve is offering a free online class. Here is a link to the class overview video and the info to join the free class. Looks like fun! Maybe I will set aside all of the other things on my schedule and try it. Possibly, you will too?

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More Black Gesso

2010-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Eclipsed © 8"x10" primed rag paper

This is the second black gesso painting, which I titled Eclipsed. It was not my intention to do a series of black gesso paintings and this painting did not start with it. However, I was not happy with the direction it was going and decided to paint over it with the gesso, saving only the areas that interested me. I scratched back into the gesso to relieve the opaqueness of the paint, and then added a few more marks and numbers. It works for me now.

Eclipsed is a good description of my HP computer lately. I have been having trouble with some of the programs and the email accounts not working properly. I have several email accounts for various purposes and I use a web mail notifier. Unbeknown to me it started dropping the accounts so some of my emails went unread. Then one of my favorite programs, Evernote, stopped working properly. The only thing I could think of that may have caused this was downloading a freeware program, Open Office. It is a huge program, takes up a lot of space, and since I have Microsoft Office, I decided to remove it with YouUninstall. This program is very through; it clears out all the stuff. I hit the start button and went on to something else. When I returned, it noticed the uninstall program was still running like crazy! It was wiping out my computer! I have no idea what the program or I did wrong. Fortunately, I had an old image of my c drive and a recent restore point. However, it did not have all the updated programs. I spent most of the week reinstalling programs and taking new images of my drives, then verifying them. Now everything seems to be back to normal. My son says I have not been a good steward of my computer and it is a mess. He wants me to clean it out and start all over. Uggh! I will put that off as long as I can and save copies my important stuff on my portable drive.

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Black Gesso

2010-10-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

'32nd Matrix' 8" x !0" acrylic on primed rag paper

Several artists have raved about the quality and many applications for Utrecht's Black Gesso. I recently bought some and decided to use it as a substitute for black acrylic paint. However, it took over my painting. I fell in love with the creamy feel of it and its opaque matte coverage. I do not know what my fascination with black has been of late. For example, my portfolio cover and the black ink of the touch drawings, (see previous posts). To my knowledge, I am not depressed. In this painting, I think it is the mystery of the color that is intrigues me. Possibly the way it ties the elements together. The negative space blends with the positive and flattens the picture plane. In any case, it is a change of pace from the watercolor paintings on Yupo and since I have retired, I am all about change of pace.

Portfolio

2010-09-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

I finally took the time to finish my portfolio. As I look at it now I ask myself what took so long. It was the cover. For some reason everything I painted was unsatisfactory, so I would put it aside. This cycle of repainting and quitting continued for weeks until I surrendered. Now it has grown on me and I'm actually happy with it.. I once read a statement by, Liz Lapious, an Atlanta art collector about collecting art, "I think it's important to challenge yourself. I've bought work I wasn't comfortable with, but now I'm in love with it. You need to have a collection you can grow with." I think she may be right. Better to grow than outgrow, which I have many times.

The portfolio is 17" x 24" and the cover is painted with acrylics on acid free mat board. I used acetate presentation envelopes for the inserts to hold my art. I have a supply of 32" x 40" and I cut them down to size with a Walnut Hollow Versa-Tool hot stencil-cutting tool. I used a metal ruler as my cutting guide and to seal the edges..

© Walnut Hollow

I have an antique double hole punch that belonged to my father. I love this old punch because it works so well, and I think of my father every time I use it. I chose brass brads because I could easily add or remove inserts. They were sprayed black to match the spine. I plan to make at least one more like this for some smaller work after I finish the artist book/portfolio patiently waiting on my mat-cutting table.

Touch Drawing

2010-09-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a You Tube video showing how to do touch drawing. Deborah uses her technique for mediation and art therapy. It appears that Deborah is using a light weight drawing paper instead of tracing paper. She writes about the different recomended papers and paints in her handbook ‘Drawing Out Your Soul’ that you can purchase from her web site.

Below are a three of the many drawings I created. I used acid free tissue paper for the personal awareness drawing, which I will put in a journal. I switched to old newsprint for some abstract designs since archival paper was not important. My digital files are enough for any possible future use. The other limitation of the newsprint was not being able to see what you are doing as well as you can with tissue. I found myself pressing little harder with my nails. As a result, you can see the ridges in my aging, damaged nails. It made for some interesting lines. The paint I used was water-soluble oil paint. Deborah also writes about the pros and cons of the different inks. I really enjoyed this technique and being surprised when I flipped the paper over. I want to do more non-personal insight drawings and use differant tools besides my fingers. My ‘to-do’ list is really growing! The portfolio, that I wrote about earlier, is almost finished. Just a few touch ups left to do after I clear my table of the Touch Drawing materials.

Celebration tissue paper

Absract Design 1 newsprint

Absract Design newsprint

Thanks for stopping by. Your comments are important to me. I would love for you to join my followers and I will do the same in return. Have a wonderful day!

Answered Prayers

2010-09-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

This moving image created by Deborah Koff-Chapin came in my email today from The Center for Touch Drawing. The technique is a finger drawing on a piece of tissue placed on an inked surface. The ink transfers to the back of the tissue much like other monoprint making techniques. I played with this technique a few years ago and got many interesting results. It has inspired me to get my inks out and play again.

One of the reasons I was so move by Deborah’s painting is that for the last two weeks I have been dealing with a breast cancer scare. Yesterday, which was my birthday, I had the best present ever, my mammogram and sonogram showed no signs of a lump only a very tiny cyst near the questionable area. I feel very blessed, as it was an answer to many prayers. We celebrated with a lobster, and Red Velvet cake with vanilla Häagen-Dazs Ice cream!

Artist’s Eye

2010-08-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Peggy Stermer-Cox commented on the composition of the steel cabinet photo in my last post. Peggy has a great artist eye as I was not consciously aware of the composition. I guess years of composing art and photography it becomes automatic. Intrigued, I decided to play with the photo in Photoshop. Who knows, I may use the results I achieved as a subject for a painting. The yellow shape in the upper left hand corner is a laminated poster I have had for years. It is a slightly tongue in cheek definition of an artist written by Kenneth Grooms. I am sharing it here. Enjoy :O)

ARTIST (ar'tist) n. 1. a) One who practices an art in which conception and execution are governed by imagination, style, and taste b) a person skilled in one of the fine arts. c) A craftsman that executes his art with individual style 2. Often their work is judged according to the culture and the attitude placed on art at the time. Although they may earn recognition during their lifetime, they are usually not recognized for their accomplishments until after death. 3. Lives a life of unstable economic means. 4. Many theories have been put forth regarding their creativity, the most common one being that it is inherent, although if not developed and tested will remain dormant. They seem to create during moods, often intense, mostly lasting only a short while. 5. They have a feeling of brotherhood with each other that is timeless. 6. Thought to be haphazard, having no sense of order, plan, or direction, yet are known to be perfectionists when it comes to their own work, a) They make decisions on feeling rather than reason, b) Have problems with concentration. 7. They are stereotyped as mentally unbalanced. One artist cut off his ear in a passion of creativity combined with frustration about his art. It has not been determined whether their creativity has anything to do with this. 8. They are sensitive, aware, and alert. 9. They are tolerated by society, which allows them to live in accordance with their own natures.

~Kenneth Grooms

Steel Derailment

2010-08-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

It seems more often than not something comes up to interrupt what I am doing. I read about an artist who bought a steel cabinet to store his flammable paints. The idea sounded sensible to me, but when I priced them, I decided I would have to find a used one. I started visualizing finding one. Shortly after that, a new thrift shop opened less than two miles from me. Low and behold, they had one and it was on sale for 50% off! I quickly said, “thank you” and plunked down the $15.00! The portfolio I was making for my unframed art became derailed as my son and I rearranged shelves to accommodate the cabinet. I am still sorting, throwing and giving away a lot of stuff as my project waits to be finished and my internet/computer time clipped.

Artist’s Books & Portfolios

2010-08-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I just checked out this beautiful book from the library. It is not a how-to-do-it book but rather an inspiration book filled with 500 amazing and clever handmade books. A couple of my many favorite artists were Lisa Kokin and Elysa Vishell. Not all of the artists have web sites so I highly recommend that you check your library for the book or you can purchase it online at Amazon.

In my current mood of bookmaking, I thought I would like to store my un-matted paintings in some sort of portfolio. Especially the ones on Yupo as watercolor on this surface is so fragile. I bought an Itoya Original Art Portfolio, which has lightweight recycled polypropylene sleeves in it. I stopped at a store on the way home and I did not consider that the heat in my car would ruin this portfolio! I have left my matted work in my van for hours, but I have always used acetate wraps, sleeves and envelopes. I went back to the store and pleaded my case and they were kind enough to give me a store credit. I would hate to think I would have to carry this with me at all times if I was on the road, no lunch or other stops. While I was in the store I checked the other ones and they looked rather suspect. (I noticed they put up a sign since then that all portfolios were non-returnable.) The clerk admitted that the heat might have damaged them in shipment. He went on to say there are certain products they cannot order in the winter because very cold temperature affects them. This is something to think about when ordering anything. I have some acetate envelopes left over from my show days so I think I will try to make my own portfolio using them.

I Rather Paint

2010-08-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Casting Up Stream

I have not been in my studio for the last week due to other business and illness. I needed to lose some of the lazy pounds I have put on lately. I decided to go the fresh veggie route. My first diet meal really worked. I lost 3 lbs. in three days! I got food poisoning! I could not eat a thing those three days. The pain was not pleasant and something I would not want to go through again, but hopefully I can go from here with a proper healthy diet and keep off what I lost.

Since I have not been able to created anything new, I am posting a painting I blogged about before. The painting "Casting Up Stream" won an Honorable Mention at an Atlanta Artists Center show in 2008 and Best in Show at Kudzu Art Zone earlier that year. I mistakenly believed I painted it on Yupo, because I used some of the same techniques, but actually, it was Aquarius coated with a watered down soft gel. I used watercolors in a simple complimentarily color scheme with the warm earth tones dominate. I lifted some small areas with water using stencils. The calligraphic jesters are often part of my work because of my early schooling with a Japanese calligraphic master. I did not learn calligraphy but the experience has lingered with me since I was a young girl and has greatly influenced my art.

Old Watercolor Challenge

2010-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Old Watercolor Challenge

While looking for an unused piece of Yupo I discovered the painting above that I created for a watercolor challenge last year. The challenge was to pour watercolor randomly on a piece of watercolor paper of any type then work from there. Subject was not important. I chose Aquarius watercolor paper that I coated with matt medium so I could lift the paint. I did not enter the painting because I thought it was a little unpolished. I missed covering some areas on the paper with the matt medium, which grabbed the paint. This added to the rough appearance. However, I still liked it well enough to keep. You might try this challenge for yourself.

It has been so hot this week that I have not felt like moving. We keep our air conditioner on 78◦, but the poor old thing has had a hard time keeping up. My last electric bill doubled so I am dreading the next one! We turn off, (not standby), the computers when not in use and watch all the other appliances and lights. I feel fortunate that I do have a way to stay reasonably cool so I really should not complain and I still prefer it to cold weather.

Back to the cool basement studio to paint on the piece of Yupo I found.

Collage Journal

2010-07-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

I may have confused some of you when I said I plan to use some of my Yupo paintings in a journal. I meant that collages inspired the last Yupo painting and I may cut up some failed paintings for collages. I am not sure I will do that now as I am working with old magazines and junk mail. I have my supplies in a plastic three-drawer organizer next to my recliner so I can collage while I am watching/listening to the TV. Yes, I watch TV in the evenings and enjoy dramas, Bravo and Food Network challenges. I love the new ‘Work of Art” series on Bravo. If I were twenty years younger, I would have been tempted to audition for it, as I can be a ham and I love a challenge. I won a TV art contest when I was twelve and it convinced me that art was my calling. The goal I have set for myself is to fill this journal. It has been waiting in my studio for at least five years. I bought it because I loved the heavy beige paper, plus it was on sale! Someone gave me a thick holiday edition ‘In Style’ magazine. It is filled with great colorful pages and it smells divine because of the scratch and sniff perfume samples. Very inspiring! The collage I’m showing was created from that magazine and the holiday dresses with a little green coliseum for contrast.

Art Journals

2010-07-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

I have been watching my friend Deb and other artists on YouTube create art journals. Most of the journaling I have done, with very few exceptions, are written journals or sketchbooks filled with notes, composition ideas, etc. I love book arts and even took a class, a perk for the instructors at the folk school where I was teaching. The booklets I made in class remain empty as I considered them art without my embellishments. However, making an entire art journal was not something I considered. I had to make a living with my art and to put my time and creativity into a small book was not a luxury I could afford. Only in the last year have I given myself permission to create just for myself. Now I am thinking about creating one. Who knows, maybe my children and grandchildren will also enjoy them. Because of my thinking, my Yupo paintings have taken on a collage like appearance. I have even considered cutting some of the good areas out of the failures, spraying them with an acrylic coating and using them in an art journal instead of wiping them off for another painting. Beyond that, I had this crazy idea that an art journal would be a good way to use up all the art supplies I have accumulated over the years. Of course, that has turn into a joke, because I have found myself looking for and buying the materials recommended by the artists on YouTube. :O)

I Won!

2010-07-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Recently an online friend and artist, Deb, held an art journal cover contest on her YouTube channel. My suggestion won! Not only did she send me one of the prizes, she also added the George James ‘Mastering Yupo’ video! There is so much information on this video that it will take me awhile to learn it all. I tried a few of the techniques, in my style, on a small piece of Yupo. It got a little busy for such a small area, but I decided to post it anyway in honor of my friend’s generous gift.

My son told me about a neat program for quickly transferring my files from one computer to another without having to use my risky network connection. It is called Dropbox. You can share your photos and files privately or publicly with other Dropbox users. You get 2gig of free space and you will earn more if your friends sign up and say you recommended them. I do not keep my files in the box for long so I have not come near to using the 2 gig, but if you decide to sign up I would appreciate the referral. You never know when you might need a little more space :O) Thanks

Unleashed

2010-06-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I apperciate everyone's input about ways to make my standing to paint more comfortable. I bought some interlocking rubber mats for my studio and I am amazed how much they helped with my leg fatigue. I don’t know why I didn’t do this years ago. I've been painting daily since I put them down.

The Yupo painting above,’ Unleashed’, came about by a different approach than I usually use. Instead of creating a composition by painting in shapes then working from there, I poured paint and let it flow. I laid another piece of Yupo on top and created a mono print of sorts. Meaning I only used the results as a starting point. I sprayed water, bushed and lifted paint, then repainted some areas again. Unless you are a master at painting on Yupo it is rarely forgiving. You can lose what you have done in a heartbeat. For me it becomes a real game as to who will win. Hours pass before I surrender and the next day I am back at it, often ruining my hard won progress of the day before. I have to say, “STOP” and then leave the studio!

Yupo Eclipsed

2010-06-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

I spent so much time standing lost in the fascination of watercolor on Yupo, that my legs could not take it anymore! This really eclipsed my painting time. My studio is located in my basement, which has concrete floors. I have a small padded rug in front of my art table. It has always seemed sufficient, but I guess my old age has caught up with me. Now any amount of time standing there turns into to pure torture. I have tried sitting, but I cannot get the fluid motion I want. I am going to try some of those interlocking rubber pads, but in the mean time, I have created a small platform from a door scrap. (I cut up doors for art panels.) Although it creates other problems, ie, table height and inadvertently stepping off it, I hope the platform will do the trick.

The painting above is the last painting I created before I had to surrender to my legs. I titled it Eclipsed, which seemed to fit the painting and the current situation. I used a limited palette again and my usual cruciform, axial obvious format. The energy of the ocean and other moving water has always been my favorite subject matter. Although I was not consciously aware of it at the time, I believe being horrified by the oil disaster in the Gulf, has influenced my work.

Yupo Artist, Sandrine Pelissier

2010-06-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Struggling with Yupo led me to look for ways other artists have dealt with this tricky painting material. I discovered Sandrine Pelissier’s website and blog. Not only has she mastered Yupo, but also she generously shares step-by-step demonstrations, tips and techniques Her nude painting that I’ve featured here is one of my favorites. Amazingly Sandrine is a self taught artist and is proficient in all media

Sandrine grew up in France and has been living in Vancouver for the last 10 years.. Since 2010, she has been an associate member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and exhibited in numerous juried exhibitions in Canada and in the United States. Sandrine had a feature article in the August 2009 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine. Her work has been published in several books including Splash series Splash 11 New directions: The Best of Watercolor, Splash 12, Watermedia: Best of Worldwide, Art buzz 2009 and 2010.

I hope you will visit all of Sandrine’s websites and her blog to see her wonderful creations.

Marks

2010-06-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Shaman's Staff

I am still painting on Yupo. The crazy stuff continues to fascinate and frustrate me. The slightest attempt to correct, lighten or darken an area usually ends up distorting it. I tell myself that in time I will master it, but I may be fooling myself. The other side of the coin is if I ever did, would I continue to be captivated?

I am reading,’ Expressive Drawing’ by Steven Aimone. Drawing and mark making was my first love. As a child, I scribbled and drew on everything. I hated coloring books, because I was too impatient to stay inside the lines. I envied the neatly colored pictures my friends would make but try as I may I was unable to do it. Steven encourages automatic drawing and expressing yourself with the freedom of a child. Yupo gives me that freedom by not allowing me to have total control over it. This painting, ‘Shaman’s Staff,’ illustrates that freedom. The ‘axial obvious’ composition motif that I used for this painting is a favorite of mine, which probably annoys some who cling to outdated rules and possibly color inside the lines :D

Art and Fear and Yupo

2010-05-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have been reading ‘Art and Fear’ and dealing with my “Artists’ Funk”. I am always amazed when I hear and read about those who have never experienced it. However, I have broken through my ‘funk’, but not without some frustrations. One of the suggestions in the book is “When things go haywire, your best opening strategy might be to return—very carefully and consciously— to the habits and practices in play the last time you felt good about the work. Return to the space you drifted away from and (sometimes at least) the work will return as well.” The last time I felt excited about my work was when I was entering local art association shows and painting on Yupo. In fact, painting consumed me to the point that I rarely posted as attested to in my June 16, 2008 post.

If you have never heard of Yupo it is a plastic surface that accepts water media paints but has a mind of its own. The paint slips and lifts at the slightest provocation. A Japanese firm created it for sign painting. When I saw the wonderful paintings done by George James, I knew I had to try it. The first time I tried Yupo I cautiously drop some watercolor on the surface and a weird little bloom appeared. I added other colors and before I knew it, I had a strange flower staring at me. With a few pencil accents and paint lifts, I decided it was finished. I signed and titled it ‘Yupo Blossom’. From there I went on to paint some award winning abstracts. After reading chapter V in the book I am cautiously on my way again. The Yupo and watercolors are set to go and my blogging will have to wait in line!

Nurturing Creativity

2010-05-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

In my search for inspiration I discovered this 2009 video on TED.com of Elizabeth Gilbert and the subject of "Nurturing Creativity". Elizabeth is the author of one of my favorite books, Eat, Love, Pray. Her talk is about (and I quote)" the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk". The talk is almost 20 minutes long, but I believe it is worth it. I worked on a mixed media piece while I listened. I smiled, was inspired and could relate to so much of what she said. Elizabeth gave me permission to keep on creating the weird pieces that I have been creating. Not sure what is up with my muse, but I am going with the flow. Olay!

A footnote: one could spend hours watching videos on TED, and another one I enjoyed is Amy Tan's video as she explores the creative process. This videos really needs to be watched rather than just listened to as she has a clever Power Point presentation

Easing Forward

2010-05-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past few days in my studio, pouring, splashing and wiping out paint along with doing some college. Nothing I consider successful, but that was not my goal. I just wanted to break my dry spell and move on. I gave myself permission to put the" shoulds" behind me. I think this little experimental wipeout watercolor on hot press illustration board, reflects my frame of mind. In fact, the more I look at it the more I like it; not as a work of art, but for the message it gives me. It is not like anything I have created before and probably not again. That is okay too. I am just easing forward.

Retirement

2010-05-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting blogs I follow is Katharine A. Cartwright’s blog. Katharine is currently reviewing a wonderful book, Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. I bought this book a few years ago and as with most books, as much as I liked it, I did not find the time to finish it. I have always felt guilty if spent too much time reading. I usually try to read a little before I go to bed and I end up falling asleep, so it has been great reading Katharine’s book synopsis… A book club online and that feels productive to me.
What does all this have to do with retirement? One would think that being retired I would not feel guilty about reading or doing anything for just the enjoyment of it. One word, “annihilation”. The subject of a section in chapter III in the Art and Fear book and Katharine’s May 12th post. it refers to how some artists feel and react to dry spells in their work. Since I retired and no longer do shows or have an agent, etc. I have experienced this feeling of annihilation. I do not have the energy or the good health I had a few years ago so my productivity, even for my own pleasure, has diminished. The guilt and feelings of hopelessness gets heavy at times, which seems to exacerbate the “dry spell” problem. I eat too many sweets for energy (counterproductive), and when I am not going to the doctor, I am grocery shopping and doing other chores, but not painting. My excuse all winter has been the lack of heat in my studio. I tell myself, now that the hot weather is settling in, the studio will be the coolest place in the house and surely then the creative juices will flow! Now I am whining, which I really dislike, but I thought if I came clean with my fears, then I could deal with them. I hear the clock ticking and avoiding my studio will not slow it down. Maybe this will be my epiphany. Today I will go down and just throw a little paint on some paper and hopefully the muse with appear!

An epiphany is the moment when you run out of excuses for yourself, and nothing is left but the truth. ~ Kenji Crosland,

Renewal

2010-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

For me spring is a time for renewal. A time to clean out the cobwebs of winter, plant seeds and get my house in order. It is also a good time to put my business affairs in order. With my taxes filed, next on my list was to finish my new website. The allotted space provided by my previous web host was limited and I had to use their templates. I tried to modify them to suit my needs for almost 6 months and finally gave up. I changed to a host with unlimited space and the option to create my own site. I am not that computer savvy so I bought a program to help me. It took me a little time to grasp the fundamentals (still not sure, I have done everything right), but I am now published online. I plan to add other images soon. www.evamacie.com The only thing still hanging is my domain transfer. It expires in 5 days so I am cutting it close. Fingers cross that I do not lose my domain name and all the work I have done...... Now I have tomato plants waiting for my attention.

Monitor Calibration

2010-04-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Do you need to calibrate your monitor?
I have been dragging my feet on creating a new website, but I think I am almost finished. However, when I checked the site’s appearance on my other computers, I was shocked at the difference. Two of my computers have LCD monitors and one has an old phosphorus monitor. Obviously, I needed to calibrate them, as I could not see the subtle harlequin pattern, shown above, on the LCD’s. I tried the calibration that came with my computer, but it did not work with all of them. I found this post on Flicker that really helped me. http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveward/262020865/. If you have any doubt about your monitor's calibration, I highly recommend that you read Dave Ward’s entire post and the comments as it has some great sites for monitor calibration.

Appreciation

2010-04-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Over the many years of my career as an artist, I have received letters and notes from my clients telling me how much they have enjoyed owning my work. I have appreciated each of them. Recently I received one from Tom and Rochelle McDonald. I must say it was a beautifully written note and it really touched me. I was surprised because the artwork is a painting on a 30” hand contoured, rag paper disc, which I created in 1995. Tom, only 25 at the time, commissioned it for his sweetheart, Rochelle. Tom and Rochelle are now married; they have a son, Quinn and live in a lovely home at Berkley Lake. Tom remodeled their home a year ago and built a fantastic custom niche to display the disc. He sent me a couple of photos, one of which I have posted here. Thank you, Tom and Rochelle; I feel honored, you made my day!

---------------------------------------- < O > -----------------------------------

Another note of appreciation goes to Barry H. who recently purchased a large acrylic painting, “Rites of Spring”. Barry saw a canvas giclee of another one of my paintings in a health club he recently joined in North Carolina. He found my web site and a painting he liked. Long story short, the buyer and seller are happy. Thanks, Barry.

Nuts!

2010-03-27T12:39:00.001-07:00

My absence from my blog was due to the issues with my heart since last fall. The cardiologist insisted that I have a cardiac catheterization, also called coronary angiogram. It is a test to check the blood flow in the coronary arteries, blood flow and blood pressure in the chambers of the heart, to find out how well the heart valves work, and check for defects in the way the wall of the heart moves. Fortunately, there was no blockage, but it confirmed my heart arrhythmia. It was a very painful experience and I pray I never have to go through it again. They did change my medication and all I do is sleep! Unfortunately, this could last up to six weeks with no caffeine or wine. Nuts!

Speaking of nuts, I really believe my constant snacking on raw almonds and walnuts are the reason my heart valves passed the test. I love them. They are great art subjects too. Since I have not been up to creating any art lately, I dug through my old drawings and found one I did when I was a young gal 43 years ago. Drawing was my first love. I have several that have survived the many moves I have made over the years, but I wish I had kept more.

Think I'll take another nap.......

Pat Dews Workshop

2010-03-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Pat Dews is one of my favorite workshop instructors. I own her DVD, ‘Designing Great Starts with Texture & Form” and I enjoyed just watching her work, She is so lively and creative that it is impossible to fall asleep watching it.

When I learned Pat was holding a workshop in Atlanta a few years ago, I quickly signed up. I was not disappointed. Pat stayed on “go” and demonstrated constantly all week long. I was exhausted, but pleased with everything she shared. She holds nothing back. I recently heard that she would be in Highlands, North Carolina, April 12- 16 at The Basocm. I understand they need a couple more students to make the class. Because of my health issues I cannot attend, but If you are near the area I highly recommend you sign up as you won’t regret it.

The painting above, “Sheltered View” is one of the pieces I created in a Pat’s workshop. The assignment was to take a very small portion of a photo and abstract it using monoprint techniques. My photo was part of an advertisement that featured a safari tent in the background.

Heart Awareness Month

2010-02-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

Although this month is almost over, most of us know February is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Knowledge about prevention is so important. I have blogged about this before, but I feel the story warrants repeating. Last fall my basement flooded and left it damp and moldy. One of my storage containers was my father’s old military trunk. When I opened it and attempted to clean it, I inhaled the mold that was covering everything inside. The following weeks I spent trying to eradicate the rest of the mold in my basement and taking Claritin-D so I could breathe. Long story short, I am now being treated for high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia! I cannot stress the importance of wearing masks when dealing with toxic paints, and materials. Also, read the labels of any medication before taking it!
The image above is part of the old truck, which is now in my garage airing out. I drew a little heart on it to remind me not only that I love my father, but also I need to love myself by watching my health and what I consume.

I Had To Ask

2010-02-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Atlanta, like most of the country, is covered with snow. Our subdivision looks like a fairyland and the roads are still a icy. Snuggling in by my electric fireplace, I decided to finish a blog post I started last week about some Jackson Pollock movies. Previously I emailed MOMA, Museum of Modern Art asking permission to use one of the Jackson Pollock painting images. They forwarded my request to an art resource company. This company informed me that I would have to pay them $50.00 a year to use the image and I needed to get permission from the Pollock foundation! With all of the images on the net I was shocked and wished I hadn’t asked. I decided to create my own at Jackson Pollock org. This online program is a very tricky to use, but once you get the hang of it, and learn some tricks such as changing the paint color in a corner, it can be fun. I have a screen capture program so I can copy it and edit in Photoshop. Now I have my own fake Pollock painting.
This leads to my post about movies. I recently acquired a movie titled, “Who the $#%& Is Jackson Pollock?” (2006). It is about Teri Horton, a 73 year old former truck driver from California, who purchased a painting from a thrift shop for $5, only later to find out that it may be a Jackson Pollock painting. It was fascinating, watching the experts trying to prove or disprove its authenticity. I will not reveal the conclusion, as I hate spoilers. This is not an award-winning movie, but it if you enjoy watching people’s minds at work and having a closer look at the Jackson Pollock’s techniques this movie is the one to see.
I also own the movie “Pollock” staring Ed Harris.This one is an award winner! I love this film and have watched it several times. I related to so many of the creative struggles Ed Harris portrays in this movie, from being annoyed at the critics to sitting on my studio floor trying to birth a new painting for a show. Some artists ease into their work, but others, like myself, struggle to find something that is original and satisfying. Like a Rothko painting, I am sure Jackson Pollock’s painting must be viewed in the real to truly be appreciated and it is my dream to do this before I pass.

Special People

2010-02-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Living as a single woman since 1984 and struggling to support myself as an artist, I have had more than my share of personal crisis. Several years ago when I was going through yet another crisis, a soft-spoken artist (angel), Clara Dodd Blalock, appeared. She offered me a show at her church, the Church of the Atonement in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Being out of the show circuit for a while, my mailing list was completely out of date. I was such an emotional mess that fortunately Clara and her church cultural team took care of all the details. It was a lovely reception, but few of my former clients showed up and I managed to sell only one piece. I still feel guilty, but grateful, about all the hard work that they did for me. Clara has continued to be kind and supportive. She is truly one of the special people in this world.
Clara is also a fantastic artist. Her awards and accomplishments are numerous. I particularly love her abstract paintings. (You can see more of them on her website)I share Clara’s love of drawing and line. Clara’s calligraphic brushwork reflects this. It is fresh and exciting. Her subdued color palette contrasts with the energy of her marks, the epitome of "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." Clara is an accomplished contemporary landscape painter as well. The TV shows, “Trading Places” and "Extreme Home Makeover," featured her work and she is represented in several galleries across the United States. You can view some of her landscape paintings online at the Tucker Gallery located in Evanston, Illinois. I hope you visit the sites and enjoy more of her work.

They Come And Go

2010-01-21T15:31:00.001-08:00

We live in such a mobile society. My artist friends are no exceptions. My friend, Beverly McLarty recently moved here to Atlanta, from Arkansas. It was such a delight to meet a new artist, especially after the departure from Atlanta of a wonderful painter and print maker, Susanne Clark. Susanne is now happily living in Toronto and from all reports (see her blog), I can understand why. I recently received a link to a Slide Show of her mixed media creation titled “Geisha”. The moment I saw it I fell in love. Having spent some years as a young girl in Japan, anything Asian grabs my attention. I asked Susanne to tell me more about it and she generously shared this information. “The painting is 48 inches square and it’s on board. I under painted in acrylic and then finished it off in oils. The board was textured with lots of tissue paper glued on in layers before I started to paint. It’s based on a traditional geisha painting but I have modernized the look of it etc.” I particularly love the little gold rectangles that are scattered over the piece. Susanne says they are gold paint put on with a stamp she made. This wonderful piece hangs over Susanne’s breakfront in the dining area of her lovely home. I hope that you will visit Susanne’s website and enjoy all of her creations.

A New Creative Year

2010-01-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

On January 2nd I received an email from an artist, Beverly McLarty, who just moved here from Arkansas and wanted to meet me. Beverly included a link to her site. I was very impressed with her work. The sheer volume of the pieces she has created amazed me. Her energy and productivity are unbelievable. In the short time Beverly has been in Atlanta, she has located and joined an art association, acquired a student and is now building a new studio!
Beverly’s paintings are very complex, with rich surface texture and color. Her figurative pieces are just as lush. The figures weave throughout the surface like brocade. Sometimes feeling like the works of some of the Symbolists such as Odilon Redon and Paul Gauguin’s painting “Where Do We Come From. What Are We, Where Are We Going?”
We are fortunate to have this talented, ambitious woman living in the Atlanta area. I’m looking forward to a rich friendship with Beverly and a very creative New Year.

Another New Year

2010-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Every year, filled with hope, I make my list of resolutions; tuck the list away, only to forget about it. It is as if just making the list would fulfill it. A wise person said, “The road to failure is paved with good intentions”. Although I do not consider myself a failure, I am often disappointed when I look at my list at the end of the year. I rationalize that maybe I set the bar too high, or that some other situation over shadowed everything, ie, the economy, family issues and health. Truth be known, I was just was not motivated enough to do the work. I find my retirement has given me license to avoid it. This year I decided to break with tradition and not make a list. I know what I would like to accomplish and if fate and my motivation stays with me, I will get it done. If not, at least I will not have another list to remind me that I dropped the ball again.

Recycled Again

2009-12-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite and respected follows, Egmont van Dyck, left a helpful critique (see comments) of my recycled mixed media piece “Recycled”. I agree with what he had to say, but I am not sure I have accomplished what he suggested. The red crosshairs are merely guidelines to show that I have moved the focal point by cropping the piece. I eliminated the large black area by adding more of the dark gray collage paper and added accents of the other colors. I left the large blue gray area untouched to maintain some area of rest and the sliver of black for balance. I think I can live with this for now and will put it away until the mood to revisit hits me again.

RECYCLING

2009-12-14T10:11:00.001-08:00

As another year comes closer to the end, prompted by an online mixed media class, I started reevaluating some of the pieces I had set aside to revisit. It is interesting to see these pieces with new eyes. Not worrying about the consumer market has freed up my thinking. The piece I am showing, titled "Recycling", was cropped from a larger piece and a small piece of additional collage was added to break up a shape.

Persimmon Season

2009-12-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

I spent four years in Japan as a military dependent and one of the many treats I enjoyed in November, were persimmons. Having never tasted them before I was pleasantly surprised by their sweet juicy flavor. It did not take me long to learn that one of the varieties of this fruit, Hachiya, if not ripe, will pucker your mouth with its bitter astringent taste. However, the Izu persimmons, which is of the Fuyu variety, can be eaten in its firm state like an apple and is my favorite.
Recently a new Asian market opened here and I was happy to see piles of these wonderful Izu persimmons in the fruit bins. I brought home my delicious find and decided to do a watercolor of them. I recorded a video of my efforts and posted it on YouTube. My camcorder is new and I have not learned to angle it properly or how to edit the clips. I have always taken photos and made slide shows, but I have to start somewhere. It is better to view it in HD. Here is the link. Watercolor Persimmon Demo

More Autumn Memories

2009-11-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

It is a beautiful autumn day here and like all good things, I would be happy if it would never end. Many years ago, I lived in Vermont and the autumns were spectacular. People came from all over the country to enjoy them. As the leaves would fall, we would rake them into large piles and, much to my husband’s dismay, our children would run and tumble into the piles, scattering them everywhere. Laughter and squeals of joy filled the air turning it all into a wonderful game. It was legal to burn leaves then so when the games and the raking ended we would make mini bonfires of our leaf piles. I loved the smell of the smoldering leaves. Later we spread the ashes of our happy day across the garden to feed the soil. Tired and happy, the boys, piled into our gelding pony cart, would ride to McKay’s roadside stand to buy crispy McIntosh apples, cider and apple turnovers. The day would end with a treat of warm, spiced cider and pie. Those days are gone forever, but the memoires are still vivid enough to inspire this digital painting below.

2009-11-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

October Memories

2009-10-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Every October when I see the piles of pumpkins at curbside markets, my mind and heart races back to a wonderful time in my life. I was a new divorcee and one of my first dates was with a delightful younger man. He was clay artisan, a talented potter, shy, blond and very attractive. We were exhibiting at the same art festival. At breakdown time, he approached me and asked if I wanted to join him for a snack and then see something wonderful. Who could resist such an offer? All through our meal, I kept asking what it was he wanted to show me. He would grin slyly and say, “It’s a surprise and it’s not here!” We popped into his van and drove out to the countryside. The sun was just fading to a sunset and then I saw it! A field rippling with colors of gold and orange created by hundreds of pumpkins! Never had I seen so many. The setting sun enhanced the colors and drama of it all. I was astounded! The scene and my date made a lasting impression on me. He picked out a small pumpkin, purchased it and gave it to me, saying, “This is something to remember our date.” Our paths went different ways after that, but I kept the stem of the little pumpkin in a small, decorated Altroids tin box. I recently rediscovered the pumpkin stem and decided to do this digital collage in memory of the occasion.

Celebration of Life

2009-10-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

This collage is combination of a collage on watercolor paper and a digital collage. I was never happy with the actual collage so I scanned the parts I liked and used them for this digital collage. Because I used Ginkgo leaves, I titled it “Celebration of Life”. The Ginkgo tree, to my understanding, can have a life span of 1,000 years or more. China claims to have a 3500-year-old Ginkgo tree and the Ginkgo, revered in Japan because one at a temple survived the atomic bombing, called it the “Bearer of Hope”. This has special meaning for me now. Apparently, the stress of a flooded studio caused an acute raise in my blood pressure and a pounding heart. I ended up in the ER having every test imaginable. I was happy to learn my heart is fine, but I do have high blood pressure and arrhythmia. I do not mind the medications, but I must confess my new tasteless, low sodium diet without a glass of wine is not appealing. Creating this collage reminded me of what is important and reasons to celebrate my life

After the Flood

2009-09-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

With my studio still piled with rescued stuff awaiting a new shipment of mold treatment, I am using my computer for my creations. Today’s image is a digital collage created partly from some photos I took when I was in New Orleans the spring before Katrina. The background is a photo of a section of the wall that surrounds the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on Rampart Street. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest existing cemetery in New Orleans. Seeing the devastation in our city and the little I experienced myself, fragments of New Orleans seemed appropriate for my collage.

Deep runs the water
A painful purging
Catharsis from the unknown

Nightmare Challenge

2009-09-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Atlanta went from drought in 2008 to flooding this year. Almost everyone is experiencing some sort of water problem. I feel fortunate to have only a flooded basement, some folks lost everything. For me it is the second time in the past week. To add misery to it, we lost our power all night. I did not sleep much worrying about the food in the refrigerator/freezer and not being able to wet-vac the water. Yesterday, during a rain break, I made some gutter and concrete repairs, but we still have water running in so it is coming from some other place. I know that I am not up to doing this anymore. I wonder if I will ever get back to painting in my studio instead of cleaning up mold and water. It is really a mess again!
I want to thank those of you who emailed me and commented on the Java Sunrise. Although no one sent an image to post,Layers , Leslie Avon Miller and Blue Sky Dreaming had interesting comments about their collages along with the insights of van Dyck. Check their comments and wonderful sites, you will not be disappointed and think sunshine for those of us who need it.Thank you!

Another Challege

2009-09-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

The latest challenge for the online art group was to use some household item as the material for our creation. I chose to create a collage with coffee filters and coffee in all forms. Although I titled this “Java Sunrise", some said it reminded them of a bouquet or a wild garden behind a fence. Either way, it was a fun challenge that will continue for the rest of the month. I may do another piece if time permits. What would you chose for your household item? Care to share? If so, email the image and/or the link to your site and I will post it here.

Masks

2009-09-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

I recently entered another online challenge. The challenge was to create a modern twist on Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Artists have done this many times over the years, so coming up with something new was a challenge in itself. Lisa Patencio’s video on YouTube was my inspiration, and possibly by the fact that lately I have not been able to work in my studio without a mask.

Because of the wetter spring and summer this year, my basement has been mustier than usual. A month ago, I decided to try to remedy it by cleaning up any suspect areas. I opened an old trunk filled with some old art booklets. I was shocked how musty everything was. Immediately I removed the books and dusted out the residue without gloves or a dust mask. Then I sprayed it with an aerosol Lysol. The spray blew the spores all over me and released them into the room. The next day I was wheezing, a rash covered my arms, and my basement was mustier than ever. I bought another dehumidifier, replaced all the filters with HEPA filters, and now I am preparing to fog the whole basement using a mold control fogger from Home Depot. I hope after this I will be able to work in my studio again without a mask!