If I don't like pink, why is it in all of my work!?

As I remember it, I wasn't a fru fru child.  For some reason, I associate this with the color PINK.  I didn't want to be surrounded with pink - pink clothes, pink toys, pink sheets, etc.  Pink was just so girly.  For the most part, I didn't want to have anything to do with that.  My best friends were boys, or tom-boys.  I would rather play tag and hang from the monkey bars upside down.  I had two older rough and tumble brothers, so i'm sure this played a part in shaping my pretentious opinion of pink.

I would never like pink.  Never say never!  I was thinking about colors in art the other day, and came to this somewhat shocking revelation:

Now as an adult my artwork that surrounds me is, you guessed it, mostly - pink.

And at that, it is not the in your face fuscia or magenta, or the deep scarlet that attracts so many birds and insects.  It is light pink - the most girly of all. 

"My" pink is diluted cad red.

        

(Cad Red + Raw Sienna)                     (How it all Began)

There are good things about this pink:

Pink is the color of skin.  We would feel lonely without pink and its multi-generational bonds.

© Jon Genius - Creative Commons license. 

 

©nojhan, CC-BY-SA license.

Skin is translucent until layered, pliable but strong, penetrable yet protective.
                                        

Pink is life giving.  Pink represents vitality - our cells, entrails, and innerworkings.  

 

(Langerhans)

Our heart is pink with the pulse of life.

Pink is the color of sunrise

and sunset.

 

Pink links us together,

( Wind and Water)

whether we're in the Orient

  

or on November Hill.

   

Pink is about connections, emotions, softness, flesh and spirit.  It is comforting as our breaths Rise and Fall.

Lee Thomson - March 6th 2012 Circle A Day

I recently joined Flickr to relish in the artwork being made and posted there.  I was greatly surprised when a wonderful artist asked if I'd be interested in one of her one a day circles. - Absolutely! :)

Lee Thomson from Dancing Crow Designs has graciously given away this "Circle a Day."

Currently it is hanging on my desk.  I plan on mounting and framing it in a black frame.  Trees are such an important part of my life.

You can see all of them here at circle a day 2012.

I'm especially transfixed by her black and white (mainly tree) series for March.

She and her lovely work can be found at:
http://dancingcrow.typepad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Thomson/294384890601512
http://www.DancingCrow.etsy.com

Contact her:
lee@dancingcrowdesigns.com

Thanks Lee! :)

Sewing Sunday

Spring fresh w/ vintage, new (from the stash, not bought new recently), and t-shirt fabric mix

(still needs ironing)

My afternoon. Art always takes longer than expected.  Enjoyed exploring with my new sewing machine though! :)

Night I

Starting with washes of color begins the process of association. Reading frequently brings vivid visual images derived from literature to mind when painting. These words, fraught with emotion, help me to develop and define my artwork.

I have been reading the book Conversations with Elie Wiesel by Harry James Cargas, which I definitely recommend to you. Elie Wisel’s words are powerful.

These words from the book turned this piece from pure abstraction and the joy of colors mixing and layering to something deeper:

"They took a people and turned them into flames and the flames, in turn, turned them into clouds. The only way for the Jews to come back and haunt our memories is as clouds. Whenever I see clouds, I remember them. Here, too, it's ironic because in Scripture the clouds were meant to protect the Jews. In the desert, after the Exodus, there were clouds and they protected the Hebrews. But now they did not protect them. How could they? They were the clouds."

Black contrasts yellow - definitely an unusual pairing for me. The color yellow often represents hope, and works well in this piece. From the drastic contrast of comforting homes to war torn strife, seeing their beloved turn to ashes.  Through extended pain and suffering, these resilient people still held hope.

The painting also reminds me of this verse:

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
if I die before I wake,
I pray for Lord my soul to take."

A Work in Progress

I, like most artists, have an exponentially growing art supply collection. 

This collection mostly consists of:

• papers
• yarn
• wool
• fabric
• pens
• pencils
• and paint
• and of course randomly prized objects that were too neat to pass up.  

In other words, my husband says, I am a hoarder. (We artists just know that we most definitely can probably use that later for something... It'll be perfect!)

With limited art space and not much storage, (pics here) I have decided not to buy anything new.  Hopefully for awhile, a long while.  I had come to this conclusion several months ago, and it is going better than I expected.  

I am limiting myself to creating with what I have. With one exception - paint, if absolutely necessary.  This little piece is something that has been ruminating in my mind, with all the essential elements in a pile sitting on my desk, untouched.  I pieced them all together last week.  I came to a stopping point here:

The only thing missing?  A pink strand of yarn layed atop the pile.

This little piece needs the pink yarn.  I've tried several variations, none to my liking.  Here's the latest,

which was inspired by a screen shot from the movie Death By Design.  (Most of my artwork relates to cells.  I am completely taken with the imagery and their parallel to life as we (humans) know it.)

Do you think the pink yarn fits? Or I should try another variation? (You can click to enlarge the images)  Feel free to leave a comment below.

2012, A Resolution

Communication is very important, whether it be through words, visually, or intuited from other actions. Communication is a large part of our daily life, even more so as an artist. Communication is our business.


Myself, I prefer visuals and actions. What makes me most comforted, especially with trust - knowing that what you say is what you're going to do. One backs up the other. You do what you say; you say what you do. However, I know that everyone interprets and needs to receive communication differently in order to understand and feel comforted. Some people need words. And with art, they need that left brained introduction to seeing and communicating without words. A verbal thought to propel them to create and see in their own mind - a comfortable stepping point for them to make the leap to connect emotionally with artwork. With abstract art, a lot of people think there must be a "right" answer, and if they can't find "it" they dismiss the artwork, and miss the great reward and depth of feeling that can be had from delving into emotion via the visual mind.

I find that it is quite hard for me to effectively communicate through words. At least I feel that way, whatever you, dear reader, may think. Words never seem to confer exactly the meaning I want, or are often interpreted differently than my intentions. The same wording can mean so many different things, depending on the readers/listeners experience or what they think they "hear" or interpret through their lense of reality.

Even though I'm more of a "visual person," especially through literature, I find words very affecting and strong. I would love to be more articulate, and able to write as Robert Louis Stevenson is quoted, "The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish."

Writing this, I realize that even my artwork has been more open ended as my words have. In certain situations that is what I want, so people can share their own experiences with each other. There is no "right answer." Yet, in other situations, articulated and pointed is what I would prefer - affecting precisely as I wish. I want to be known, instead of fearing to write anything in case I'm misunderstood.

Since it is never too late for healthy resolutions, I intend to work on my writing and verbal communication this year. I started a journal several years ago, only to realize that I had mainly filled it up with quotes of other people. I feel it is important to keep up with my blog and write about myself and my art to truly connect with others and express myself more thoroughly.

So, here's to 2012!

Macrophage

My piece "Macrophage" is about finding that certain balance.  There are attributes of order and chaos each that are beautiful, but a blending of the two is ideal.

Another pic from Art In The Square, Gainesville, 2011

Odis working the apron/booth :)

Go Wild...

Check out Go Wild...  a diverse Etsy treasury curated by CLAMORED.  They graciously featured my Landscape painting, pictured below.  In their shop, this husband and wife duo concentrate on "upcycled repurposed reused recycled objects" creating new and unique "ecofriendly objects for the body and home." They are based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Landscape Small II

For example, this magnet is upcycled from salvaged paper clippings.

Human Lungs Magnet

At CLAMORED, they state:

"We are dedicated to quality, original artwork.  We are serious about recycling and cutting down on our household waste. We take great pride in using recycled materials for our projects. RECYCLEry was created from salvaged items that were on there way to a landfill.  All items here have been cut, drilled, & put together by us."

What a breath of fresh air as opposed to copious consumption and almost immediate tossing out.
Other items from their shop:

Ball of Yarn Magnet

Fabric Scarf Necklace

Their shop ranges in items from necklaces, to pendents, to earrings, bookmarks, magnets, mirrors, wall art, and vinyl.

Orange Pendant

They also have two other shops on Etsy you might like:

HIS: http://www.customeyes.etsy.com/ Vintage, Retro Treasures, Collectibles & more!

HERS: http://www.luminouscreation.etsy.com/ Unique. Original. Handmade. Jewelry.



Pastiche

Pastiche, an Etsy treasury curated by Worksonpaperart's Denise Ryan who currently resides in Wellington, New Zealand.  Who couldn't be inspired from nature when living in such a beautiful place!?

With a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, strong interest in botanical imagery, portraiture, and crafting, this artists shop is full of beautifully detailed illustrations.  I'm always impressed by acute observations.  Here are a few of her works that are favourites:

Autumn Leaf

Vitex lucens (Puriri)

New Zealand Kowhai (Sophora) Flowers

Fatsia japonica Leaf



Check out her blog Hedera where she includes inspiration photos and works in progress.
Etsy shop:  Worksonpaperart

In Love with the Natural World

Heather McCaw from HeatherMcCawArt curated this lovely In Love with the Natural World treasury.  She features my piece, Wind and Water, with equally luscious creations from other Etsy shops.

Wind and Water

Happily shedding her gray federal office cubicle, Heather's soul has come alive again with the joys of creating colorful, observant, and inspiring still lifes of "small but portentous objects with electric colors like toys, souvenirs, and heirlooms."  She deftly employs "a very unique form of realism born of a craving for intense color and the slow, meditative practice of truly seeing [her] diminutive subjects." She currently resides in Navarre, Florida.

Heather has made me see a different side of the still life.  I have not been a very avid fan of them in general, until I saw her Etsy shop, Heather McCaw Art.  I love her colors, translucent objects, and came across her very touching story about the feelings behind her works.  Here is her painting that really speaks to me.


Blue Betty

You can read about it here on Etsy or here on her blog. It is definitely worth reading.

Here are some more of my other favourites from her Etsy shop:

Glass Marble Art

Beech Tree Seed Pod

Waiting

About this one she says, "This is one of a series of paintings I did featuring Heisey glass collector's figurines handed down to me from my grandmother along with other personal objects. In these, I am seeking to really push the definition and possibilities of still-life painting to provide a mood and a narrative. "

Visit her blog here:  http://heathermccaw.wordpress.com/

and Facebook Page here

Working it out...

Regular desk. Fairly organized (compared to this morning)... Paint is in basket on bottom right. Fabric in other bins.  The nice part about the smaller abstract embroidery paintings:  I start the paint on paper parts here, and then can stay or go anywhere in the house and sew.

Handy dandy holder Odis installed works awesome! (he put the whole desk tog. actually :))

In wall storage cabinet. SO thankful for this! It holds an ENORMOUS amount of art stuff.  (I think a person could actually lay down stretched out up in there.. without all my stuff of course...)  The back shelves stay organized (loom yarn and wool roving), the front stuff I take in and out often.  Flat paper storage here too in the middle back.

Paintings in their infancy... Can't seem to work on only one at a time.  I put protector over carpet when painting.

Same window area as above yr and 1/2 ago.  All the art stuff is taking over.  Need. Bigger. Space.  But this set up actually works well, and is more space than I've had previously. (That is actually heated and cooled.)

Sew Good

Check out the Sew Good treasury on Etsy by Jay of Red Road Design.  She chose one of my newest abstract embroidery paintings, Cauda Equina, to be included in her mostly hand sewn collection.

Cauda Equina (Sold)

Jay Anderson is located in Fife, Scotland (where I have always dreamed of going).  She graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, and has worked in all sorts of professional arts positions - childrens fashion illustrator, graphic designer, textile designer, and mixed media artist - which is evident in her current work on Etsy.  She is most interested in texture, fabric, typography, pattern and paper. These are some of my favourites from her shop Red Road Design!

Natural Forms

Crying Trees

and From The Outside

Jay and her artwork can also be found on Facebook here and her blog here.

Blue Orange X - All About the Details

You can find my newest artwork in my shop on Etsy here http://www.etsy.com/listing/85014858/pink-and-purple-abstract-fabric-art

Fabric, wool yarn, and acrylic on paper

Sunset clouds along the horizon. I love the color nuances in the painted "clouds" and the orange golden light from the sky that casts its spell over the landscape so often seen at sundown across the fields. The fabric, woven texture, and painted paper's warm skin like qualities are intriguingly seductive.

From my time intensive weaving series that came about from a box of my grandmother's crewel embroidery yarn and fond memories of her.

The paint on the cold pressed heavyweight paper gives it a leathery skin like appearance in places.

Completely fascinated with the cotten fabric and wool yarn blown up large from the scanner.

Looks so different small, and large with more detail.  What else are we missing on a daily basis?