Cinnamon Studio

Love Much

2012-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

My Funny Digital VALentine

Queen Of The Digital Heart

Love Much

Handmade collage with vintage frame.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Digital Moon

2012-02-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Luna

Vintage Moon

" The darkened land, the brightening wave--

And moonlight slants through Merlin's cave."

Vita Sackville-West

Digital Vintage Journal

2012-02-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

Grocery List
(Check out the prices of these items! Click on image to enlarge.)

Vacancy

Woman of Letters: Patricia Highsmith

I have new art work for sale at my Etsy store.
See sidebar for URL.

Going Digital

2012-02-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Balloon Weather

Balloon Weather 2

I have been in the process of "cleaning up" and reorganizing

my computer photo files, a seemingly never ending task!

I've created a "Digital Art Journal" file

in which I am storing my favorites of the images I've made

in the virtual studio. I'll be posting from there for awhile.

The "Balloon Weather" series is a definite change of pace!

Madness

2012-02-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Bipolar

I have been reading Marya Hornbacher's

'Madness: A Bipolar Life', and have been moved

beyond measure at the author's courage, honesty, and ability

to express so vividly the harrowing experience of mental illness

as lived through the "bipolar" mental landscape.

The agony that this condition creates affects not only

the person experiencing it, but also the family
and friends that surround

and care for them.

The above "Bipolar" portrait appeared as my

response . It is 20/24 canvas paper, acrylics and fabric dyes.

There is little I can add to Hornbacher's words,

so I quote her here:

" I am who I am. This is the way it is: a balance, maybe

an uncomfortable one. ....I try to build a future out

of contradictions; madness is only a small part of my life,

yet sometimes it completely takes over and tries to destroy me.

So what if it isn't a normal life? It's the one I have. It's difficult,

beautiful, painful, full of laughter, passing strange.

Whatever else it is, whatever it brings---it's mine."

* American adults who have bipolar disorder: 5.8 million

(2.8% of the U.S. population)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2012-02-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

Snow Day

Two Feet And Still Coming Down

Big Announcement : Map5

I have really enjoyed my map making project, however

so far I've yet to get either a clear photo or scan of the work.

Neither the detail, texture or text is clear, which is
disappointing because I think the pieces are good. I have not had

any idea of where I'm going with any of the maps, and leave

it up to my instinctive guide to show me the way. Today

I spent several hours in the studio, ignoring the

blizzard winds outside and was enjoying the

blue space and land shapes forming. After I was finished

gluing paper and painting I felt that it was

perfect for the "big" announcement I was thinking about

making in this post:" Another Imaginative Leap!"

Well cousins, it seems that I have finally made it to the Etsy

bandwagon, and have started up a store.

It is called Kinspiration , and is a collective for artwork and

crafts from myself and brother and sisters.

I hope to successfully link the site to this blog's sidebar,

but if you would like to check it out the url is:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kinspiration?ref=ss profile

Have a look if you are so inclined!
Thanks.

All Over The Art Map

2012-01-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

Portrait: Colorado Native

Canvas Board 16x14, acrylics, CO atlas

State of the Art

14x14 paper, acrylics, paint pens

The art map above was not an easy project.

First of all, I brain stormed all the terms, biases and stereotypes

I could think of and then realized the many unresolved feelings

I have toward mainstream art!

There are so many sensible reasons not to do art

if your primary goal is to "get somewhere"!

Fortunately, there are many rewards

in finding your own artistic path, your own niche.

The territory of art making is vast

and there is room for every interpretation.

I scanned both of the images in this post

and the text is not clear.Click on the image

for a closer view.

Road Trip, Map 2

2012-01-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

Unnamed, the territory of mapped land

remains a theory of pictures,

a path of animal instinct,

and wind tunnels that carry the plains

across every direction.

I was raised at the edge of Southern

Colorado, where over Raton Pass

a new state is boundary.

I would like a road trip

as the crow flies

over valleys and hills

where ancestors appear

wise and welcoming.

I've been away this past week and am glad to be back to the studio and my mapping project along with a busy to-do list including getting an Etsy shop online. I really appreciate the encouragement and support I received on my last post, great wind for my mapping sails!

To Everything Turn

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Mapping A Mind

12x12 canvas, acrylics, alcohol ink, gesso

So, right out of the gate I have decided to make twelve "interior" map paintings!

The piece above is the first. It is an idea that has come to me from time to time

and it is very strong at present. Much of my previous abstract work I find, has
a cartographic influence, a definite longing to define
where I am both internally and externally. So when by serendipity,
I found at the library the book "The Map As Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography"
by Katherine Harmon and Gayle Clemans, I knew that what my art journey
needs at present is MAPS! (To know where I am going,
I need to clarify where I am!)
When I took the book back this week, I found
Jill Berry's new book "Personal Geographies", a double dose of muse calling for sure!
I plan to use all of my mixed media skills to focus on the map as a means
of developing my art in a self exploratory of the territory of my imagination
inspiration, experience and pure possibility.
As Katherine Harmon says:
"... a map is a cry from the wilderness, saying I am here."

"To everything turn, turn, turn, There is a season turn, turn turn,
and a time for every purpose under heaven."
song lyrics based on the Book of Ecclesiastes

"There is a time for innovation, and a time for development."

Carol Diehl

Trolley Ride Art

2012-01-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Trolley Ride

Another wonderful art date on Saturday

with my artist friend Paula.

She came bearing gifts of fluid acrylics,

paper pad, vintage star burst clip board,

wine, cheese, and she bought some of my collages!!

Who could ask for anything more?

We had a great time throwing the paint around

and adding stencils to the mix.

(It looks like mapping is going to be

part of my art focus for the year.)

Thanks Paula!

Baby Steps

2012-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I am floundering creatively,

photography steps up to the plate and lets me

gracefully see what surrounds me.

Antler With Pine Branches

Undercover

Baby Steps, Cousins, Baby Steps

Cheers!

'Round The Corner

2012-01-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

"Still 'round the corner there may wait,

A new road or a secret gate." J.R.R. Tolkien

I have been enjoying my exploration of the many definitions of gate:

gating, gated, gatedom,

gates of electronics: on/off switch,

gates of logic: and/or routes,

back gates, secret gates,

the gate keeper's booty.

I like my own interpretation that says: a gate is

an entryway that leads you inside another world. Once inside,

you may discovers many pathways, freeways, buildings,

windows and doors, people, places, and things.

Under that definition, many of my favorite things

are gates: books, music, movies and paintings!

This is my first collage painting of the new year.

It is 8x10 on canvas board, with acrylics, stencils and paper.

Very different for me, "other worldly", but cheerful, colorful

and inviting. Is it a figure, a sculpture, or plant?

I think it would fit quite nicely inside the red gate above!

The altered red gate photo above is from

"Garden Walls, Fences and Hedges" by Kathy Sheldon

The Gate As A Guiding Image

2012-01-06T16:42:00.000-08:00

One night this week I couldn't sleep

and so I was doing some visualizing/meditation

exercises that usually relax me to a nice drowsiness

that eventually leads to dreams.

I had in mind the question of where to take my art work

when I heard quite clearly the word "GATE".

It certainly got my attention, as I function best visually,

but this time, my hearing sense trumped the image.

I have been giving much thought to the word 'gate' since then

as a guiding metaphor for 2012:

*an open gate for the new year,

* a symbol for a welcoming, (if mysterious)

entrance,

*communication between one world and another,

*entrance to a fortress of defense and protection,

* protective sheltering aspect of the Great Mother,

* and magical, break through entrance where, if one believes,

a gate will appear when faced with a wall

of dense and unmanageable proportion.

I painted the first image, and then altered the photo

for the others using Paint Shop Pro.

I plan to continue to explore the gate symbolism

and what it might mean to me personally,

where I might follow it in the days and months ahead.

Priming The Pump

2012-01-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to spend a day in studio C

and after three weeks absence it was great

to be back even if the creative pipes are a bit rusty!

To prime the pump I made a January collage, a prayer really,

to find find my way towards discovering a path

for the new year. I know better than to panic

when I seem to be out of ideas, bone dry as it were.

Collage has always been a way for me to get started,

an intuitive groping that usually provides lots of material

for thought. I'm also working on several visual journals

that are always fun. I will probably be working with paper for awhile.

Getting Back

2012-01-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

I've just returned from the beautiful town of Boulder

where the gorgeous Flat Iron hills surround the west side.

I was grand-cat sitting.

Ramona and Suki are royally raised!

A cat's life is plush alright.

Whilst there, I was unplugged from the 'net and TV,

surrounded by a big stack of new books and art magazines.

(Next to painting, my favorite thing in the world!)

So far, I have been reading Annie Dillard's "Living by Fiction".

I am a big fan of her writing and am enjoying what she has to say

about fiction writers paralleled with the art process of painters.

She has some really interesting things to say about art today:

"For the contemporary modernist....art itself is the theme,

and ironic, self-aware surfaces are the method."

Ouch! I will have to think that through, especially after
devouring two art mags that were new to me:
'Juxtapoz' and 'Direct Art'.
'Juxtapoz' uses the interview format to introduce contemporary artists
and 'Direct Art' is filled with artists quotes about their process.
Both are filled with fabulous photos of their work.
I have been reflecting a lot about where I want to go
with my art practice in the coming year, and spending lots
of time reading about what other artists have to say
has really been helpful.

Winter Blue

2011-12-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

The winter blues around here have been breath taking!

Everything from the darkest ultra marine to turquoise

to the softest pastels and brightest cerulean.

The snow is too deep, (around 3 feet or so),

for the deer to come around, so the shadows

are the only thing tracking the ground.

The art of winter puts on quite a show!

Dreaming Up Winter

2011-12-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

Dreaming Up Winter Digital Self Portrait

From My Studio To Yours

2011-12-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

From my studio to yours: abundant blessings for the holidays

and an ever creative new year!

Angels I Have Heard

2011-12-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

This time of year I like to paint angels. As I've had

little studio time, I thought I'd share paintings I've

done in the past.

I love the idea of angels

as messengers of light that come and go

at warp speed,

easily missed,

rare to catch their drift

of comfort or wisdom.

I like this from Lord Byron:

"The angels were all singing out of tune,

and hoarse with having little to do

except wind up the sun and moon

or curb a runaway star or two."

And this from Emily Dickinson:

"God permits industrious Angels-

Afternoons- to play-"

One of my favorite scenes from a movie

is from 'City of Angels' where the angels are all

standing around in the balcony of a library, which is a perfect image for me

as I often sense the presence of angels in books!

Czeslaw Milosz had this to say "On Angels":

"They say somebody has invented you

but to me this does not sound convincing

for the humans invented themselves as well.

The voice no doubt is valid proof,

as it can only belong to radiant creatures,

weightless and winged (after all, why not?)

girdled with the lightening."

The guardian spirits hover over the child within,

inspiring the artist and the dreamer.

Anne Sexton said this in "The Fallen Angels":

"They come to my clean

Sheet of paper and leave a Rorschach blot.

....they want me....

to shove it around till something comes

Clumsy as I am,

I do it.

For I am like them-

both saved and lost,

tumbling down like Humpty Dumpty

off the alphabet."

These days I remind myself to listen to the silence

where angels tread

carrying letters or neon signs,

scattering the fleeting metaphor of winter's courage

to bear it's fate.

Winter Marks

2011-12-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Summit,

12x6 canvas, acrylic and charcoal

I was able to finish another painting for my black and white series.

This time I added a bit of ultramarine.

Looks awfully cold at the top!

I love the stark markings of winter.

And the long blue shadows!

I will be away for the rest of the week.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful December

& taking time for art!

Best Laid Plans

2011-12-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

I was unable to do any studio work this week

due to lots of family activity. I so wanted, (and needed!) to get back

to painting, but I know that the best laid plans often go awry.

Yesterday evening I found some free time

and made this collage in a couple of hours.

I pasted down lots of vintage text and old letter fragments

on an 8by10 canvas, and then did a quick sketch

of Da Vinci's "Testa" in brown charcoal pencil then finished it

with white paint. I'm happy with it and as always am amazed

at how re-energizing making art can be.

I had finished this painting last week. I like the look

on her face although I can't tell if it is cynicism or

disgust at waiting in long lines!

It is acrylic, gesso, and molding paste

on wood panel, 18x16.

I guess I'm in a face phase for the time being.

Let It Be

2011-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary

comes to me, speaking words of Wisdom, 'let it be'."

Lennon & McCartney

I've painted lots of faces of Mary. Here are a few.

This one is a altered photo of a painting

I copied of Tamara de Lempicka's Madonna.

This will be the last of my "Christmas Studio" posts

as I am anxious to get back to the studio and return to

my black and white nature series paintings.

Nostalgia

2011-12-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

I painted this winter scene years ago as an exercise in

picture plane perspective. I chose this little village because

it is dear to my heart.

When I was a very small child, my grandmother

lived "here" in Gardner, Colorado.

My parents lived some 30 miles away, but I often

stayed with her and loved it.

I remember, very vividly, a time near Christmas

when it snowed and snowed and snowed.

I was three or four, too young to realize things about time

or place or distance. But my Dad and Uncle Lawrence

braved the weather to come get me & Grandma

for Christmas. This painting is about that: filled with

emotion and good intention, nostalgia and the mind's eye

of experience: my vision of the little main street that I loved

one winter when it was important that I be with family at Christmas.

Big Lesson Learned: When I showed it to my Mom,

she had no clue of the place it depicted. In her memory and vision,

this was no place that she recognized. My vision

did not even remotely match up to what she saw.

Although it saddened me at the time, I learned a very

valuable lesson: intention and achievement are a long way apart.

What artists want to manifest, and how it is perceived, sometimes

never matches up, especially if the material is especially subjective.
My mother was not being deliberately mean,
she simply did not see what I was presenting.
The painting failed in that regard,
and I understood that what I wanted to show remained
inside of me awaiting some future work
that would cross every barrier to join my interior vision to the outside world.

What I see in my finished paintings has so much to do with

my own stuff, and if it "succeeds" or not requires

a very brave honesty about what I want to communicate.

And isn't that what art is about? Communication?

I realize that my painting was not a photo-real presentation & that

I had miles to go before expertise caught up with my longing.

But more and more, I understand that the painting

and the viewer of the painting are connected.

That is the ongoing work of artists: to bring the two together.

Blanco

2011-11-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

I painted this horse from an image in an old photography magazine.

The photo was of a group of wild horses encircled, as if

awaiting a storm. The white horse struck me, first because

it was the only light colored horse in the group, but second

because of the incredible sadness in the face. The wild/renegade

nature of its hard life is seen in the scars on the face,

and weariness in the eyes.

It is painted in black gesso, white acrylic, and charcoal,

16x12 canvas, continuing the black & white series I've been working on.

Places That Could Be Real

2011-11-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Canyon Wall 2

I recently read a delightfully imaginative novel by Ursula K. LeGuin, "Changing Planes".

In it, the narrator discovers that due to bad food, awful seating

and boredom, travelers awaiting their late flights in airports can learn

how to visit other "planes" or cultural worlds.

"She had discovered that, by a mere kind of twist and slipping bend,

easier to do than describe, she could go anywhere---be anywhere---

because she was already between planes."

I've been working on some imaginary landscapes using only black and white paint

and they seem to resonate to LeGuin's premise. Although I am not stuck in an airport,

I think that artists transport themselves to alternate planes all the time!

My only intention for these paintings was to open myself to the organic, the wild, the out of doors,

using memory of past experiences, and calling upon landscape painting techniques

I've used in the past.

Mud Season On Vetiver Island

They have become places that could be real!

The photos somehow add some bluish color to these 18x14 paintings on wood panels,

all done using only white paint and black gesso mix, and charcoal.

Under The Bridge At Winter Pass
The three pieces all feel a little dream-like but familiar,
as if I am indeed a visitor to landscapes that exist
peripherally and very near!

Altered Diptych

2011-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

I posted the above diptych, (12by6 canvas')on Cinnamon months ago.

It was made with painted tissue and old textbook pages.

At the time, it reminded me of ancient tablets filled with some

ancient wisdom. Since then, it has not aged well. It looks dowdy and fading.

I decided it needed a do-over with the new bold palettes that I'm working with.

And voila! A total transformation to be sure.

I think the two pieces have lost that secrets of the ages feeling

and are much happier without the burden!

The shapes and colors seem playful and companionable

and add a bright spot to the studio.

(I have been working on black and white nature studies.

Playing With New Palettes

2011-11-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

I have been playing with new palettes lately

and have discovered the wonders of ultra marine blue.

I may be in love but time will tell where this

new passion will take me!

This morning I discovered that when I

make a negative image of photos of my abstracts

and then pump up the color saturation

I can come up with new bright color arrangements

where ultra marine is dominant.

I can't wait to try some of these combinations

with real vs. virtual paint!

Seth Apter from The Altered Page blog

is currently running another survey on Sunday's posts where he asks

artists what tool they can't do without.

I was amazed at the number that said

the computer was their most helpful tool.

I can understand how images can be manipulated

and revision-ed on screen before committing to materials.

All sorts of problems can be resolved before and during the physical practice.

That said, sometimes I feel like I'm cheating a bit:

allowing the technical inspiration,

does my own imagination atrophy in the process?

It is certainly a relevant question for today's artists.

I wonder if the great modern masters, Picasso, Matisse, etc.

would have utilized the computer as a primary tool

if they had had access. Would their work have been

improved or hurt by it?

Would they have had as much fun as I did this morning

recoloring old abstracts?
For better or worse, the dye is cast, the media is here.

Catalpa Study

2011-11-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

I spent the week-end continuing my nature studies...

this time drawing dried Catalpa leaves. While their pungent scent

filled the studio, I was struck by

how unique each one was, their individual shape and curling,

the colors that remained, all individual presences.

I have not attempted such focused drawing in a long time

and it was not an easy process. The hand wants an effortless

depiction, while the eye insists on truth. At the same time,

trying to wrestle with detail vs. essence was frustrating and

I had to keep reminding myself to keep it loose.

In the end, I think I took the piece as far as I could.

Learning continues and practice is everything.

Oh Deer!

2011-11-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

I can't help but be inspired by the deer that wander

through our yard, grazing their fill of whatever

the land has to offer, resting in the scrub oak groves,

all with such an air of pure and confident "occupation".

I used to resent my bushes and flowers being nibbled on

but have over the years given up any hope

that there is anything I can do, (save high fencing), that

will keep them away. I've grown to look forward

to their presence and have made made many studies

of their bodies and faces.

The above collage is a photo transfer on sheet music,

"I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face",

I used acrylics to finish it.

In years past, just the sound of my camera

turning on would frighten these creatures away,

but now I can take close up pictures

without so much as a glance.

I think I caught this one smiling!

This is my usual morning view outside the window

of my office.

After The Storm

2011-11-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

We have beautiful clear skies today after yesterday's

foot of snow. The blue is breath taking!

This was taken from inside. The snow crystals

were white on the glass but look blue in the photo.

The last of the Catalpa leaves hang on mightily.

I am usually sad to see the giant leaves curl up and dry, (die) out

but today they get a last hurrah!

The roof line offers a gorgeous abstraction.

And another!

The Doodle

2011-11-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

From Doodle Mind, 14 in.sq. gallery wrapped canvas, acrylics, paper, modeling paste

I worked on this piece off and on over the weekend, the shapes

and palette kept changing until I finally scraped it. Surprisingly,

I liked the weathered effect and saw some direction to move forward.

I like the colors, they bring to mind comic books and old wooden toys.

The painting reminds me of young boys that like to doodle and draw, making up

narratives as they go along. I have taught children art and always enjoy

the students that plod along cheerfully with no hesitation as to where they

intend to go. This drawing appeals to me from that perspective. It is playful

and raw, probably overworked under a haze of unwavering optimism!

I can't help but quote the famous Picasso line:

"Every child is an artist. It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime

to paint like a child."

Ghosts As Familiars

2011-10-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

"All houses are haunted.

All persons are haunted.

Things of Spirit follow us everywhere.

We are never alone." Barney Sarecky

"I think we all have ghosts inside of us,
and it's better when they speak than when they don't."
Siri Hustvedt

(All images are digitally altered photos.)

Red Re-Make

2011-10-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

I always liked this piece, the southwestern colors, the textures

made with paper cut-outs and scraps, the size of it- 24x18, but

I never thought it was finished when I pulled it out from my stash

every now and again. It always felt off balance and too busy.

I finally repainted it. It was not easy getting rid of

some of my favorite parts but I did it, added some new shapes,

enhanced others. The texture remains although dimension is always

difficult to capture in a photo. The piece became

a triptych of Taos "moments", something that wanted

to come out & dance.

Golden Days

2011-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Golden Days, 16x14 canvas, modeling paste, paper, fluid acrylics, gesso

Thanks to my friend Paula, I am enjoying

lots of experimenting with Golden fluid acrylics.

I have posted about them previously,

how just a little goes a long way to achieve

vibrant and striking color. They are a bit pricey, so my palette

remains small.

This past Saturday, Paula came over for another

art play date & generously brought

her collection of fluids to share.

I made the above collage on 18by14 watercolor paper

with painted tissue, gesso, and the Golden's fluids.

I happily tried a bit of everything she brought over.

Thanks Paula!

In Studio

2011-10-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

To Labor, mixed elements, 24x18 wood panel

Photo detail of studio wall altered with digital mirror.

Call It Resonance

2011-10-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Call it resonance, harmony, or serendipity,

I find it interesting when images in my studio,

photos, and paintings all seem to be following

a theme or direction of which I am unaware until I see them

all together. The photo above is a waxed paper

scrap with black gesso markings.

This a photo of a wall of shuttered shadows

I took earlier this week.

And this is a painting I finished yesterday.

It is on a 30/24 wood panel, gesso, acrylics & charcoal pencil.

It almost seems as if I had to see the two images above

before I could paint this, although they are all

very different, the gray colors and lines seem to connect somehow.

I titled the painting Le Cave. A place I paint from time to time.

Re-Reading Nature

2011-10-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Transformation, 14x12 on canvas, acrylics, gesso, modeling paste

I have been re-reading Peter London's

'Drawing Closer To Nature/Making Art in Dialogue with the Natural World'.

London is also the author of

'No More Second Hand Art'.

Both books have been tremendously helpful to my art practice.

Here are two quotes from 'Drawing Closer...'

"Art is the language of meeting, of intimacy, of closely fitted things.

Nature , of course, is exactly the same.

We can learn to draw up our lives and our art

close to the ways Nature draws up the world.

See for yourself. "

"Art

The forgetting of Art

Things to have: pencils, paper, bows, paints, inks, clay, arrows,

targets, easels,

Space, time

Things to do: Breathe, center, balance, draw, release,

Things to be: patient

When the fruit is ripe it falls of its own accord."

Under Sky Lights

2011-10-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

"A studio, like a poem is an intimacy and a freedom

you can look out from into each part of your life

and a little beyond." Jane Hirshfield

I have so many photos of my studio and when I go through them

I am always surprised at how much it changes. The light, the shadows,

the art, always in flux. The two sky lights in the center of the ceiling exemplify

the transient movement of nature and all things.. I look up often from my work to see

what the sky is doing. It is calming and reassuring, always a reminder to look,

to go higher, to try harder to be wide open.

Sometimes I just have to grab my camera to catch a great angle.

And then that changes too.

Clouds on a windy day are wonderful.

And the recent darkening of snow on the glass

makes the room feel like a warm cave, a perfect shelter

to see inside myself, to imagine beyond what I have imagined.

Seeding The Studio

2011-10-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

Although I am always a little sad to see the summer end

I love the fall, the blazing retreat of grasses and flowers

and trees, the wild abundance of seed they leave behind.

This week I gathered seed heads from my garden

and brought them into the studio for a seasonal homage

to the earth's generosity.

I took lots of photos.

Of course, I had to play with them a little

on the computer using my favorite reflection effect,

the rotating mirror function.

As always, I love the genius of the balance

and order of every degree of perspective.

The instant compositions are thrilling for me

to see. The simplicity of arrangement reveals

a stark beauty and surprising and serendipitous images.

Like Miss Harvest here.

See here cone crown, the star seed of her eyes,

her collor of primrose pods and oregano seeds?

This is my favorite of the series,

a fancy light post

or a royal banner of autumn.

After The Dust Had Settled

2011-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Pearl Street, 30x24 canvas, acrylics, gesso, molding paste

After the dust had settled

and the old furniture carried up

the long staircase,

after the cats knew they were home
it was sundown, and

she walked with him to the town square

where bright music

spilled into spontaneous dancing

and folks seemed happy enough.

After that, the night walk back

was cobblestone steps and vague dreaming,

all bittersweet.

Design, Texture, & Tooling Around

2011-10-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Double Orchid

Here are a few new pieces I have to share.

The first is a graphic design drawing on 6x12 canvas board.

I copied the design from an image I created from a mirrored altered photo

then painted it with acrylics and charcoal pencils.

She Had Taped Herself Into A Corner

The second is a 14x10 canvas with lots of background painted textture.

The foreground has lots of small cut out shapes from painted papers.

Razor Assemblage

I made this image from an altered photo of paint stained razor blades

again using the Paint Shop Pro mirror function.

I use my "digital" studio when I want to play with outside the box images

that continue to inspire and amuse me.

Sometimes it's just all about enjoying seeing virtual possibilities.

To Bridge

2011-09-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Bridge, collaged painted paper with acyrlic painted figure on 24x20 board

I made the above landscape collage years ago but it always seemed

unfinished to me. Recently I added the seated figure that seems to both

ground and balance the composition as well as highlight the overhead bridge.

Often the abstracted pieces that I make

later serve as backgrounds for figures or studies

in the foreground which makes me wonder

how confident I am about the original compositions.

Can they stand alone? Are they too busy, too spare?

Always lots of questions until something gels in any given piece.

The Winds Of Change

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

The Sudden Winds Of Change

I have been out of town for awhile and have had very little studio or internet time.
The photo above is of a painting I have been working on for a month or more. It is getting heavy with gesso, paint, and molding paste. Before I left,I had decided to gesso it over yet again when I began to scribble over it with white paint and decided that the marks running through and over the geometric shapes created a feeling of flow and flux that appeals to me. I like the idea that change happens even through stagnation or rigid intransigence. Just when I feel like I am caught between a rock and a hard place with no hope of movement, the invisible winds of change move through my solid doubt. I was glad I had something "finished" on my easel when I got back.

Into the Maze

2011-09-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Digital Abstraction: Color Study

Hope everyone has an inspired and productive art week!

from Blessing by John O'Donohue

"may a flock of colors,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight"

Ashes, Ashes

2011-09-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Shrine of The Phoenix

Painting has not come easy this week.

Ashes, ashes!

Sometimes it is best not to try too hard.

But I get my inspiration however it comes.

The above is an altered photo of my studio floor

underneath my easel. It is a black paint stain

that transformed itself into Phoenix rising in Paint Shop Pro.

I took this as a good sign, a positive message

that life transforms in the most mundane of settings.

New Life Emerging

This photo is the negative image of a detail from

a painting I have been working on all week.

I am grateful that I can use the computer as a tool, as a mirror,

as a resource to help me to see what I cannot

when frustration and exhaustion paint me into a corner.

The "fetal" form is there for discovery, it awaits life, emergence.

Moon Landing

2011-09-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes Painting Is Like Bouncing Off The Moon"

Rec'd Ephemera

2011-09-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Rec'd Ephemera

I've spent lots of studio hours

over the long week-end with little

to show for it. My paintings are

becoming ephemeral as sand paintings,

gessoed over as soon as they are 'finished'.

I had some vintage ephemera collages

that I was never really satisfied with

that I thought I'd do over.

Here are the two results.

I added lots of color and sectioned them off.

I still am not entirely pleased with them

but there is only so much layering & painting

you can do with paper before

you've covered up everything.

It's been all about my ongoing study
of how to make the most out of layered textures
without wiping out content completely.
I'm just open to a new learning curve right now.

Family Circle

Digital Ruminations

2011-09-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Conversation

Old Man Weather

Assemblage

Rising

Invisible Art

2011-09-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

To Paint A Clown

I'm not a fan of the circus,

but I've always loved vintage posters of clowns.

I remember as a child seeing them in shop windows

and thinking I had to go to the circus

or surely die! But the event itself

was always a bit of a disappointment with diminished

expectations over the years.

I made the above college from a transfered image

of a 1929 Hagenbeck Wallace Circus poster that

I found in a delightful book, Invisible Art by the Art Brothers.

The inside of the book jacket says:

"The ART in this book is INVISIBLE in the sense that much of it

has been overlooked, dismissed, or forgotten. Further, a prevailing

notion that art is to be found only in museums and galleries keeps most

of us from the full enjoyment of the visual pleasures which life offers."

The book contains a variety of "invisible" vintage, classic, and iconic images

from postcards to coloring book covers.

Lots of stuff mixed media artists collect and cherish.

Fusion Study

2011-08-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Folds of Memory

Years ago I made this piece of "fused" paper

with layers of gauze, white ribbon and handmade paper. It is a mushy fusion process

of layering all the elements with white glue

gel medium and gesso and then

putting waxed paper down

and ironing it until it steams and bubbles and fuses everything together.

I never did anything further with it

but found it recently and it was perfect

for my experimenting with textures. I have

found it difficult to make the texture "pop" in many of my paintings

and sometimes lose it to color or composition.

I've had to repaint several pieces because the texture

that I want to emphasize just gets lost.

detail

This a good piece to click on for a better view.

I used lots of liquid acrylic paint to begin with

but was not satisfied with it so I used alternate light layers
of white spray paint and alcohol inks

and then used white acrylic to emphasize some of the folds

and texture. Eventually, it became very "molten" and
and took on a sculptural quality.

Exactly what I'd been after without knowing it.

I am hoping to repeat the process

on some built up canvases that I have been wanting to use.

Tracking Irene

2011-08-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Tracking Irene

More serendipity in my art work!

I was experimenting with vertical markings

mixed up with small organic shapes

and this is what I made.

My muse must have been listening

to the weather reports!

Here Comes The Sun

I hope everyone out in the affected areas

are staying safe, warm, and dry.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Bell Curve

2011-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Riding The Bell Curve

So far this has been an average sort of week

for me in the studio. Lots

of day dreaming and being side tracked

by various obstacles and minor details.

I finished the above collage

on 8x16 canvas board

using left overs from various water color paper

cut-ups of paintings done long ago.

I was happy to discover the bell curve

on the upper right.

It seemed symbolic

of the middling way I've been feeling

and I liked lots of the

shapes that found their way into the piece.

Mirrored Bell

So I altered the collage on Paint Shop Pro's

Rotating Mirror function

and found the whole bell

just as I'd imagined it would look.

I like the new image,

sort of mysterious

in an ancient sort of way.

Circus of Mirrors

Further altering brought up this colorful

and welcoming tent!

So many ways to see piece of art,

even on an average, normal working day.

Rectangular Spaces

2011-08-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Rectangular Spaces 2

I redid the painting, (Summer Landscape) of my last post

after a lot of contemplation and iced lemon water.

It needed something. I kept thinking of circles.

I love circles.

I love the work of Donna Watson, of layers,

and Leslie Avon Miller of textures, shapes and colors.

Their circles make me drool.
Sigh!

But it seems that circles are not my artistic forte.

The circle: of inclusion, unity, centering, cycles, and infinity.

Carl Jung considered the circle to be the geometric archetype of the psyche.

Alas, I am stuck with the sturdy and stout rectangle.

To the Navajo, the rectangle symbolizes the female form,

intelligence and Divine contemplation.

That's good! I'm glad I "googled" that!

Altered Cross

The symbology of the rectangle includes

the number four and the cross.

The number four has long been held to signify

what is solid, what can be touched and felt.

It's relationship to the cross makes it an outstanding

symbol of universality and wholeness and security.

Phew!!

Maybe I'm not as boxed in as I thought.

Maybe what the rectangle is trying to teach me

is something about being grounded and aware

of the here and now.

Something about what I am needing to go forward

with my art practice.

Something structural and lasting.

It may be all about

the essential foundation:

the way a good house is built.

Summer Landscape

2011-08-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Summer Landscape

Canvas board, 24x20, liquid acrylics, gesso

A Place In The Woods

by William Stafford

An early place- come near and look-

a place where light spreads its wide white hand;

from the air true shapes come- triangle,

circle, and a kind of line not yet found.

In your life you meet only flaws and whatever

drops into form by chance; and your hand

from chance reaches its way toward eternity,

performing its part of all your failures........

You get used to that, and most of the time

what comes is all right, but now your hand

here in this early place where the glow

of day passes a certain part of becoming-

Wants true dawn.

Drawing Out The Master

2011-08-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Picasso Blue

If I could travel back in time,

I would go to the Paris of the

early 20th century and hang around

for thirty years at least!

I am fascinated by that period:

the fashion, the folly,

the architecture, the art,

especially the art zooming in

to modernism on the tails of

classicism, the new versus the ancient,

the fresh versus the staid.

Pablo Picasso epitomizes for me

the cultural transformation of that time.

Although I was never a real fan of his work,

I visited the Musee Picasso in Paris

in the early 90's where I could not help

but delight in his obvious joy in making art.

The museum has 3000 of his pieces including

drawings, ceramics, sculptures in wood and metal

and paintings. It has the aura of

playfulness, a winking trickster,

a genius not taking himself too seriously.

Digital College: Picasso Young and Hungry

Since then, I have become a student of his work

and have delighted in making my own Picasso themed pieces.

Digital Mirror of Picasso Self Portrait

Icons

Picasso Digital Mirror Doodle

Aged Picasso, pastel on paper

Drawing In The Muse

2011-08-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

After Picasso's Marie Therese

Picasso said: "Copying another is not only helpful

to any artist, but a nesessity."

I have often copied Picasso's portraits of his muses

to "feel" his lines, to "see" his palette,

to "sense" his passion.

Last spring there was a special exhibition of Picasso's

greatest muse, Marie Therese, at the Gagosian Gallery.

"Picasso and Marie Therese: L'amour fou".

I would have loved to see the exhibit first hand, but have seen the photos

and read the reviews online.

I was unfamiliar with many of the paintings

appropriated by Diana Widmaier Picasso, the granddaughter

of Pablo and Marie Therese, and I loved getting

"to know" them.

Photo of Marie Therese in 1927.

Marie Therese Widmaier was the French mistress and model

of Picasso from 1927 to 1935. She was the mother of his daughter

Maya Widmaier Picasso.

This is what the art reviewer, Jerry Saltz, had to say about Marie Therese as muse:

"She inspires Picasso to infuse his art with color, pattern,

decoration, arabesques, solidity, lyricism, gentleness and sensuality......

which all lead to Picasso's arguably most powerful work:

the faces and figures, anguish and ectasies, that would become

"The Weeping Woman" and "Guernica", in which

Marie Therese appears three times.

In my next post, I will share paintings and digital work I've made

of the master himself.

Seeds Of Discontent

2011-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Sown Seeds of Discontent

Yesterday was a beautiful clear Sunday to work

and still my muse was in a decidedly dark mood.

Try as I may to shut the door to the volatile whirlwinds

of the crisis mode of current events,

it seems to paint its way in from time to time.

The photo above is of a 12x12 canvas,

using acrylics, gesso, and alcohol inks.

It's good to remember that all of life is a stage,

that drama will always hold us captive,

and that humor can always take the edge off!

Inventory

2011-08-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

"Marking Down"

I have not been very creatively productive

in the studio lately, but I have been busy

nevertheless.

"Taking Stock"

I've been spending lots of time

going through the pieces that have not

been placed over the past year.

I am not ready to let go of some

that I like, even though I realize

they will not meet the test of time

and/or fickle attachment.

Some things I had a great deal of fun making.

Some got me through difficult times.

Art has so many purposes,

so many reasons for being.

Some have a life of their own.

"Some things just want to be made."

And some things have their time

and place,

really do not mind being repurposed,

gessoed over,

and stacked in a corner

awaiting another go,

whether a magical transformation,

or merely playful experimentation.

Life and death goes on here,

ups and downs,

beauty and its negation,

the longing to manifest

something soulful

always beginning again.

The Party's Over

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

The Party's Over 1

I got back yesterday from a week long

family reunion & then some R&R

at my sister's new house.

I usually have a rough go getting started

making art after I've been away awhile

but it was so good to get back to the studio

and just play a little

with marks, blots, drips and dabs.

There is nothing more relaxing for me

than to focus on piece

and go wherever it takes me.

The Party's Over 2

I was away from the computer, TV, and radio

the whole time I was gone,

but I'm ready to search

the blogosphere to see what I've missed

and be inspired by ya'll!

Flow

2011-07-22T06:47:00.000-07:00

This is my last painting to post

for awhile. I will be gone

until Aug. 1.

I hope when I return

my passion for the drippy flowing

work wil be waiting for me.

This piece, "Flow" is on wood panel (36x24),

I used gesso, alcohol inks, liquid acrylic

and stencil, played my heart out!

I look forward to getting back to the blog

and visiting friends blogs.

ADIOS AMIGOES!!

Dancing Dappled Light

2011-07-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

After the first night at my siser's new house

I awoke at dawn

to dappled dancing light,

shadows of trees outside the window.

It was a mesmerizing show

that seemed to greet me

with pure joy and optimism

and my art for the day.

Summer Rain

2011-07-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

What looked liked a draught summer

has become a rainy, thunderous, lightning filled

July. (Thank you rain gods, amen!)

My latest mixed media painting,

(24x18) is all about dripping color

and wet imagination!

The rest of the month looks like it is going to

be soaked with family reunion activity

and thus my art will have to take

a vacation. (sigh! sigh! sigh!)

I will be in and out when I can,

stealing studio time,

yielding to painting passion

on the odd opportunity,

and always their is the dream state

that graces me with magic

and blessed reprieve.

HOW IS YOUR SUMMER GOING?

Busy Brights

2011-07-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

I got back Friday night very ready for some art

inspiration. Yesterday, my friend Paula came

over for an art date and brought her stash

of Golden fluid acrylics to share. I had a great

time playing with the busy and bright colors. They

can very well become my newest favorite thing. Just

a tiny bit goes a long way with this pigment rich medium

and its transparency allows fun "clean" layering.

Thanks for sharing Paula!

This is Cinnamon Studio's 200th post!

I am thinking of a new format going forward.

Something like "an abstract a day" kind of thing

but I am still considering other ideas to reinvigorate

the blog. I will continue to keep my posts limited

to my studio experience and process and whatever informs

and inspires my work.

As always, I am very grateful for those who follow my postings,

and for all who take the time to comment.
I appreciate your support!

CLOSED STUDIO

2011-07-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm off for the rest of the week,

so no new posts 'til I return.

Keep on making art cousins!

Shadow Land

2011-07-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Shadow Land (detail)

There are times when my usually colorful pieces

abstain from being born,

when grays take over,

when my interior shadow land

rises

with dull wattage

and places of painful process

that want to be revisited.

Shadow Land, 24x18 canvas, mixed media

The thing about making art

from an intuitive level

is that it is

sometimes uncomfortably honest,

there is no place to hide

authentic feeling.

All of which puts

the decision to paint or not to paint

up for grabs

when I'm feeling

rejection, repulsion, impoverished,

infantile, angry, or just plain

insane.

Anything can be used in the creative mix,

tantrum pieces can be good teachers.

The only thing that is a sure dead stopper

is apathy,

a heart that has been bolted shut.

Everything else is grist for the creative mill.

Fireworks

2011-07-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence

Day

to friends in the US.

Confetti

2011-07-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Confetti

Three collages going into

the first weekend in July.

Looking For Fun In All The Wrong Places

Media Circus

On The Wall

2011-06-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hung these 12x12 mixed media squares this weekend,

and finished the two pieces

I showed last post.

I call this 14 inch square canvas Hollyhocks

only because the colors remind me of them.

Painted Desert on table easel,

36x24, mixed.

I changed it quite a bit from the original

black and white piece,

(see last post photo).

TGIF

2011-06-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

No studio time this week as I have been

out of town.

I'm back and TGIF!

I was able to work on two abstracts

before I left, but neither is finished yet.

Both the above and the following photos

are details of what I am working on.

The first has a textured/map feel to it.

This is a very large (for me) canvas, 36x24.

I am liking its raw energy so far.

Today was estate sale-ing day. A nice reprieve

after a long hard week.

I bought more clips, gesso, watercolor glaze,

mat boards and a 18x20 canvas.

They were a little more than I wanted to pay,

but I like to support The Gypsy Boys estate sale company.

I'm hoping to get back to painting over the next

couple of days.

Yay!

Little Bits

2011-06-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

It is beginning to be too hot to paint

in the studio. My physical enegy drops,

the sun's glare casts a drowsy haze

over everything.

I have been caught napping

more than a time or two.

After a few winks,

I was able to complete the above

Little Bits this week, but that is all.

(Sigh.)

I seem to be wanting to move on

from the small surface, (center, unfinished piece in photo)

to the larger one in the background.

I am wanting to break free of the sluggishness

with big, bold expression,

join the nature frenzy going on outdoors.

Sometimes it is necessary to "jump" studio,

physically, get out of the confines,

pay attention to the voice

that says stretch a little bit.

Electric Calligraphy

2011-06-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've been away helping my sister with some house

painting. I know there is an art

to this, but mostly it is tedious

and time intensive, where preparation

is crucial,

and the reward

is a job well done.

(Hmmmm! Similar to studio painting!)

While there, I discovered

the calligraphy inside uncovered electrical

boxes, neatly wrapped wires

revealing the electrician's signature.

I enjoyed altering the photos

I took when I returned.

The lesson here is art

is where you find it.

The most mundane objects

offer magical inspiration.

To Choose

2011-06-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

To Choose, 22x30 on board,

gesso, pastels, arcylic, mixed media sewn cut-outs

To choose the road less walked,

a horizon newly framed,

to pick the unknown

response out of pockets

long sewn shut.

To choose the inquisitive mind,

the fragile heart that must be broken to know itself,

and the wise deep voice that says move on,

move on.

To choose interiors

over surfaces,

to know the outline and the empty space,

the signs, the climates.

To be there all at once,

to go from each to each fresh

and empty,

to release

room to room

what might belong.

Inklings

2011-06-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed assembling this new book art piece,

Inklings,

with a scrapbook cover support

overlayed with the inside cover of another book

and a vintage spine cover design.

I framed two miniature collages

made with ink, book text and handwritten letter,

inside antique studio cardboard frames.

OK, who remembers using ink cartridge

fountain pens in school?

I do!

Always have loved the blue ink.

Studio Desk Muse

2011-06-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

I'm back to the desk top drawing board where I

have an art journal to brainstorm

ideas for art work, and also

to critique pieces I've finished.

I try to be honest and not too hard on myself.

Here is what I wrote today:

Finished off the collage piece I constructed

on a small craft chalkboard and titled

It's Your Move.

I have taken it apart three times already

and am still not sure this one will remain either.

So what else is new?

I am beginning to wonder/worry

about why I continue to busy-ify my colleges of late

and the best answer I can come up with

is that in exploring abstraction

along with drawn marks, I am getting

a little carried away. I want to use

everything, and to simplify/unify

simply does not ressonate well with what I am after.

I can't even put into words

the rich detail of small spaces

that I am feeling,
(worlds withing worlds).

It is the small space that I have always

been attracted to

and can't really say why.

Perhaps that is the lesson working

itself through my work.

So for now, this is the direction

the arrow seems to be pointed towards.

(Altered Photo of the above.)

I "caught" this found collage

at a construction site, stapled

to a wall. It is GRACE

and I was happy to recognize it.

I'm trusting my own process more and more

and know that getting a little lost

or carried away isn't anything

I need to take too seriously.

If grace and simplicity is to come into my work

it will, by and by.

White Moon Rising

2011-05-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

I recently came upon a stack of 8by10 mats

with 4by7 openings

that I'd squirreled away a long time ago.

The dimension appealed to me when

I saw them and the price was right (clearance).

But I never could find either a print

or miniature painting to fill the space

until I began working with my stitched collages.

My goal was to "pack a punch"

in a very small space.

The above, White Moon

and the following Rocky Mountain High

both utilize more of my painted cutups

from old work and machine stitching.

Here's hoping that everyone

has a colorful, creative weekend!

Metallic Elements

2011-05-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

These three pieces have little in common

except the use of metallic elements in each.

The first is a stitched collage,

8by10, A Crow's View

using crochet, a button, sketch piece,

and various metallic and scrap papers.

I took this photo, Golden Spotlight,

at the construction site of my sister's

new house. I like the serenity

of the objects captured at the end

of a work day.

This is an altered photo of a copper pitcher

in my studio, Altered Reflections.

I fill the pitcher with lemon water

and sip from it all day long.

I love the changing reflections

that wash over it throughout the day.

The Inspiration Of Spring Skies

2011-05-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here in this part of Colorado

we are having a record wet May.

We have had everything from days of drizzle

to hard rain and hail,

and snow on Thursday.

The swiftly changing skies

offer artful inspiration all day long in the studio.

The above photo on the left

is a 30by6 collage on wood panel

made with inks, oil on tissue, gesso and acrylics.

The photo to the right is my pepper plant

in front of a studio window filled with falling spring snow.

We've had blue skies too,

filled with a great show of the art of clouds,

a bit of everything, like this 8by10

collage on board with molding paste,

inks, oil on tissues, gesso and acyrlics.

The Earth Will Survive

2011-05-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am late this year with my Earth Day, ( April 21) tribute.

Each year I try to make a piece of art

that pays homage to Tierra de Madre.

The above is 24x18 on board, with vintage maps

and book pages, cardboard and acrylics.

I believe
the earth will survive
against all odds,
will accommodate plastic
and pollution,
every form of human hubris.

The earth will go on
and heal its rivers and fracked frissures,
its monumental wounds.
I believe

that the earth will continue

to serve life

with or without us.

I am reposting this photo as the collage

remains one of my favorites. It is

20x16 on canvas, with crochet pieces, fabric,

photo transfers and acrylic paint.

from Oh Earth, Wait For Me
by Pablo Neruda

Return me, oh sun,
to my wild destiny,
rain of the ancient wood,
bring me back the aroma and the rays
that fall from the sky,
the solitary peace of pasture and rock,
the damp at the river-margins,
the smell of the larch tree,
the wind alive like a heart
beating in the crowded restlessness...

Tinkering

2011-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Paula gifted me with two new tubes

of acrylics: Golden's cp cadmium yellow and Windsor & Newton's

quin. magenta. I have had a great time

tinkering with a new, (for me) pallette.

Thanks Paula!

Tinker Toys, 9by12 canvas, acyrlics

I started out playing with a soft edged

background. (Next photo) A tiny bit of both of thes paints

goes a very long way.

I wanted to add a few marks and started scribbling.

I am not happy with it, but had some fun

using the photo for digital alteration. (See below.)

Entanglement is 9by12 on watercolor paper, acyrlics, ink.

Since the painting is on paper,
it will probably end up somewhere cut up
for collage. So all is not lost cousins!

This was the original. (Sigh!)

I'm glad I took a picture of it before the mark up.

It looks like Halleluia to me.

I layered this photo with a copied page of my

latest estate sale acquisition: it is an original
journal written in beautiful calligraphy

by one Flavius Augustas Affleck in 1867.

Penmanship was once an art in itself.

This is pure digital delight, transforming

my hard scribbled lines into a graceful dance.

Tinkering at its best!

Remnant Collage

2011-05-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Some years ago I took a tissue paper & oil class

that used a "sort of" silk screenin technique.

It's been so long that I don't even remember quite

how it was done. Anyway, I made about 100 very large sheets

and have used them in collages every now and again.

Recently, I dug out the stash once again

and have been using it in my work quite a bit.

I like the thin lines and marks in the paper, and find that

just a little goes a long way. At this rate I should have

another ten years worth! Remnants seem to multiply

in my studio!

I made these on gallery wrapped canvas, 6 by 12, using the tissue as well as

vintage book pages, modeling paste, inks and acrylics.

They remind me of ancient tablets:

Secrets of the Ages

This is also built on gallery wrapped canvas,

9by 12, and has the same "ingredients" as the above.

I call it Cinnamon Road.

Foreign Letters

2011-05-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Oasis Oil Company Collage: Letter purchased at an estate sale,

vintage magazine pages, 20x12 on paper

Dante Collage: book cover from German prayer book,

ink, clip art, photo transfer on page of Italian text

of Dante's The Divine Comedy, vintage photo, frame.

Earth, Sticks & Stones

2011-05-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Earth Tones

oil, tissue, charcoal on 8by10 canvas board

Herm

Weathered Wood

"We use the earth and its materials to create a life full of materialistic wonders, but we have lost an appreciation for the earth as a source of our spiritual development and the life of the soul. Oddly, if we want an intensification of spirituality, it might be better to become more intimate with the things of the earth than to build a self in the sky."

Thomas Moore/ The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life

Feeding The Mirror

2011-04-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Of all the materials I use in my art work

I love vintage book pages the best.

I love everything about this type of paper:

the aged coloring, the dryness, the smell, the text.

I've seen lots of fabulous work from book artists

on the net. Brain Dettmer exemplifies, for me,

the best of the best, the master of altered books.

(If you havn't found his web page, http://briandettmer.com/

I encourage you to go there!)

I've been experimenting with book pages for years,

have altered books & made book cover collages

but so far I have not been able

to satisfy my desire

to come up with a new way to use the paper

that is in the realm of my current technical ability.

So I decided to feed a sewn page

of a 1930's typing manual and

some tea bags to the altering angles

of the PaintShop pro mirror.

I so wish I had the expertise to sew like this!

(sigh!)

But I do get much pleasure at seeing the re-arrangement of text

and the remarkable order and flow

of the altered photos:

there are surprises of angels

to discover!

Making Art On A Gray Day

2011-04-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

It's a gray day

after a long gloomy and cold holiday

weekend...a good time

to explore nuetral colors

and simple uncluttered space.

These collages were made with sewn vintage papers.

The soft tones and lines mirror the landscape

outside and inside where the silent weather

offers itself as a graceful visitation.

I found this poem on Deborah Barlow's

blog Slow Muse that reflects perfectly my

state of mind.

from Umbrella Weather by Rachel Wetzsteon

"I throw up a curse and it comes back a blessing;

I look around and my love is pouring all over the city-

crude sighs, small tears are larger and finer then they first appear

when they came rampaging down as wind and rain."

Eggs By Design

2011-04-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

For those who celebrate the holiday, Happy Easter!

For everyone: A few chocolate eggs couldn't hurt!

The above is a photo of some translucent eggs

on one of my favorite vintage plates.

The egg basket and golden egg were created

in Paint Shop Pro using the rotating mirror function

on photos of a plate and a silver vase.

This is also an altered photo of egg shells

using the mirror fracturing.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Quote from C.S. Lewis:

"...you cannot go on indefinitely being just

an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or

go bad."

House Built With Rotating Mirror

2011-04-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Three altered photos using Paintshop Pro's rotating mirror function. While my sister oversees the real construction of her new house, I play with fantasy building on the computer with the photos I take of her place. The first is Level Upon Level.

Picture Window and Shrine

The last photo is an abstract painting. It seems to be a structure or a map:Something Built Of Longing And A Prayer.

(Note: I have been trying to learn Blogger's New Editor & am having some problems with post spacing and photo size. Bear with me while I get the hang of it!)

New Windows

2011-04-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

New windows in the old neighborhood

within a system of long held walls.

The wind is high today,

I realize that no structure is sound,

no ideal unwreakable.

The new house is going up, for now

the sky is its ceiling. The partitioned rooms

resound with April's apple blossoms.

There is a tentative conversation going on.

It feels familiar, and yet adrift,

dreamy, as if walking into the past

where the future has been stacked like 2by6 boards.

And I Say To Myself....

2011-04-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

What A Wonderful World

"I see trees of green,

red roses too, I see them bloom

for me and you,

and I say to myself :

what a wonderful world."

(Bob Thiele, George Weiss)

This new little crazy quilt reminds me of the Louis Armstrong song; it always reminds me, even in the midst of turmoil, what is important and how fortunate we are to be alive on this planet.

More Crazy

2011-04-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm starting off the week making more crazy quilt abstracts with brightly colored bits of painted paper. It's fun to grab a stack and see what will develop. This one is 8''by 10 on white card stock.

The Long Way Home

2011-04-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

1. Detail of new collage painting, "The Long Way Home": gesso, acrylics, alcohol ink, painted papers and cardboard, molding paste.

2. Detail2:I worked and reworked this piece so many times I thought for sure it was a scrapper until some nice textures and marks begin to appear .

3. Detail3: I kept ripping off paper that I'd glued on & discovered this "saved" photo transfer of a vintage cowgirl. Suddenly, the title of the painting was evident.

4. 30"by20 canvas board finished painting

5. On the wall! It's been a long week!

Out Of Focus

2011-04-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

1. Detail of an unfinished painting: canvas, modeling paste, alcohol ink, spray paint stencils.

2. Detail of an overworked painting: canvas, modeling paste, alcohol ink, acrylics, vintage magazine photos, spray paint, stencils.

3. Pieces from a ripped painting experiment with textures repurposed as a map painting.

4. Blotter paper underneath my table easel.

Anytime I make any "agenda" driven art, I run into trouble. This week I have been out of focus, trying to "steal" my way into the zone, wanting something new to show, knowing all the while I've been on the wrong track and pushing forward anyway. After taking three photos for this post, I looked down to the blotter paper underneath my table easel and realized that it had a more natural, uninhibited flow than anything I had consciously done. Another on of those moments when the art spirit is wide awake while I was dozing!

Marking It Up

2011-04-04T17:21:00.001-07:00

I've been looking through my collaging scraps for distinctive marks; usually when I try to paint them spontaneously, they reveal a stiff self consciousness. It's best not too try too hard, and yet, I would love to come upon an alphabet unique to something in me that is essentially wordless. This is an altered photo; a double dip looking for personal markings.

The Abstract Stitch

2011-03-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

Sometimes Life Thows You A Curve

I have been in a merry haze of stitching up abstract paintings after cutting up lots of old work stuffed away in a chest of drawers in the basement. I'm so glad I saved these not so successful (but colorful) paper and canvas pieces. They have provided me with lots of material to resee and renew. I seem to have lots of green which underscores my recyling effort.

Tanglewood

Landscape

Cross Roads

Anyone Lived

2011-03-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

It's finally spring! So far no peek of green here but it's in the air!
I finished two paintings; the above is 12" by 12, canvas board, and the below 30" by 12 on wood.
They both remind me of one my favorite poet's,
ee cummings, whose joy and passion for life is always inspiring:

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

anyone lived in a pretty how town

(with up so many bells down)

spring summer autumn winter

he sang his didn't danced his did

Vintage Photo Collection

2011-03-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sailor

Seth Apter over at thealteredpage.blogspot.com is featuring artist blogs that are posting about favorite collections or obsessions and I thought I'd join the fun.

One of my favorite things (among many) to collect is vintage photographs. I've got lots of sailors. I chose the one above because I think he looks a little like Seth!! (I'm just sayin'!)

Sally Spread Your Wings

This young lady looks like she is ready to take on LA!

Sally and Roberta

Looks like Sally and Roberta had a day of making mud pies.

An All American Girl

Such young beauty, the world awaits.

Setting The Bar

This is one of my all time favorite finds: a little boy doing pull ups. The lighting is gorgeous and the composition a little surreal.

The Little Prince

Just got this one on Friday. I love the face of innocence and the coat/cape. He looks like the perfect lad for Antoine de Saint Exupery's Little Prince.

We Are Cups

2011-03-17T15:30:00.001-07:00

I am still making the daily stitched paper collages and have added abstract paintings made with alcohol inks to my routine. I find it interesting that in each I am using similar pallettes and exploring similar shapes and compositions. There seems to be a definite dialogue going on..."add this, try that, don't settle for the familiar."

I found this quote on the whiskey river blog that reflects what I'm trying to do perfectly:

"....in the future I will relaxedly turn back to my secret mind to see what it has observed when I thought I was sitting this one out. We never sit anything out. We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip over and let the beautiful stuff out."

Ray Bradbury

Prayers For Japan

2011-03-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

This is the work I finished over the week end. Clearly my heART and prayers are with the people of Japan.

The Eyes Of Dora Maar

2011-03-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

Dora
I am finally painting again but nothing to show just yet. I am continuing to stitch up collage. It's become a meditative practice of sorts; very calming and intuitive. I like the sometimes surprising results and have an ever growing pile.

Book Pages

4 Abstractions

Face As Narrative

2011-03-08T16:15:00.001-08:00

I am enjoying working away again, still sewing up collages. I have a nice stack that might end up bound in book form.
I have not used many faces or figures in my collages in the past but since I had all of these vallum prints, this week's work has become a series of sorts. My current offerings contain vintage ephemera and black and white threshold portrait images. The face readily contains a narrative and any art that implies "story" feeds the imagination. I'm having fun fantasizing about the women in these pieces, especially on this day's celebration of the International Women's Day.

Starched

A Story For Girls

Spotlight

Smile Though Your Teeth Are Aching

Carbon Copies

Art Therapy On A Saturday Afternoon

2011-03-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

I spent a few days in studio this week prepping canvas with gesso and modeling paste and have been too low energied to put them to paint. Rushes of ideas go through my mind while I sit and stare at the stacks of white. John Irving referred to this as the "undertow" in one of his novels. Others call it the "black dog", the "big boots", "stormy weather". Today I name it "the wasteland on steroids." It takes a toll. The body wants to melt into the floor or crouch in a corner. Conversation becomes monosyllabic, work nonexistent.
Yesterday I'd had enough and decided to sew up some collage even if I had to crawl to the sewing machine to do it! (Yes it feels that dramatically disabling!)
I got together : a stack of 8 by 6 card stock,
a box of leftover painted paper and magazine scraps,
& some sheets of vellum that I had printed some portraits on, (the ink ran & I liked the affect).

After my third collage, I found my groove and the gloom finally lifted. Depression is a powerful force. I've lived with it a very long time and tried lots of therapies; art therapy has worked at times. Sometimes not. Yesterday it blessed me. Like the difference between night and day, like amazing grace that lifted me from a wretched place.

I made a bunch of collages, 18! I'm posting my favorites.

The back of one of the collages. Love the stitches.