New drawing - Mother

A newly finished drawing!  Actually, this was finished and photographed nearly a month ago, but I am just getting around to posting the photos (so it goes…): Mother

63 x 50 inches

Graphite, gouache & hand-stitched glass beads on Arches paper, cross-stitched with embroidery thread onto stretched canvas

Here are details…glass beading and gouache (click on the photos for a larger view): 

 

And this detail shows some of the cross-stitched edge on the raw canvas:

 

And a close-up of the cross-stitched text:

A new work is in progress (a detail is below), but I have been splitting my studio time with a volunteer design project, so this one will take me a bit longer to complete…

 

Thou Art Mom

Thou Art Mom is a project that focuses on artists who are mothers. Conceived, organized, and curated by artist Susan Evans Grove, this project includes interviews (as well as exhibitions) related to the “exploration of the process of creating art while raising children”.

My interview/slideshow video is here.

Interviews with the other artists can be seen through the Thou Art Mom website.

The first of the Thou Art Mom exhibitions is currently on display at the Broadway Gallery of Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ.

Thou Art Mom

March 7-April 24, 2014

Reception March 13, 4:30-6:30pm

 

Artwork in progress, studio mishaps, and a Strange Tale

So… after months of drawing, painting, sewing, and beading, I am happy to be nearing the end of my current drawing with only a few milliliters of blood here and there (thanks to sewing needles and X-actos), and only one major mishap.  For the most part, it has come together beautifully…. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men. Apparently, paper is not always as predictable as I want it to be and can have a mind of its own, so one of the last steps of my drawing fell to pieces – or, rather, it did not work as well as it should have, so I tore it to pieces – and I had to rethink on my feet.  Fortunately, my two favorite studio pastimes are 1) drawing and 2) figuring out a problem, so the mishap turned into a breakthrough.

I am really enjoying the process of finishing this piece, but I am resisting the urge to post full pictures until the piece is done (there could always be another mishap).  In the meantime, here are some snapshots of the beading and stitching throughout parts of the drawing (click to see these pictures larger):

The good thing about working with paper is that if my current solution does not work, I can always tear it apart and start again.

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The False Mirror show at Artworks in Trenton continues through this Saturday, February 22. Here is a review of the show.

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And, lastly, a Strange Tale that was completed in December, "Equinox" graphite on Moleskine sketch paper, 8.25 x 10.5 inches:

The higher quality jpeg is on flickr.

Well, here’s to the prospect of finishing a drawing and being very thankful that I do not work under deadlines…hopefully I will be posting the completed drawing soon.

The False Mirror – Surrealism Forward and Back

 

Several of my drawings are included in a Surrealism exhibition that opens this Saturday at Artworks Gallery in Trenton, New Jersey.

THE FALSE MIRROR – SURREALISM FORWARD AND BACK will be on exhibit from January 11^th through February 22^nd.

The opening reception is this Saturday, January 11, 2014, 6-8 pm.

From the press release:

Almost a hundred years have passed since classical Surrealist works were first shown, and their irrational “snapshots” of the impossible were surely quite shocking back then.  Today, however, we appear increasingly attracted to similar oddities: computer-altered talking babies, life-sized combative tacos, and flying cars probably now seem both plausible and trendy.

Its important to consider that current ways of thinking and seeing are largely the result of visual and conceptual efforts by classical Surrealists. Early and mid 20^th century works by de Chirico, Magritte, Ernst, and Dali forever loosened the look and logic of thought and vision, and they forever twisted and morphed all that we now view and accept as possible.

To facilitate the curator’s idea of historical context and its forward/back idea, recent works will be grouped near prints by Surrealist masters.  For example, Magritte’s EMPIRE OF LIGHT (1950) will hang near original new works which deal with the subjectivity of time and light.  Visitors unfamiliar with art history will hopefully find this placement important for making thoughtful observations and connections.

Curator Frances Heinrich will present a short PowerPoint talk during the opening which relates famous historical works to the current “special effects” now surrounding us in film, tv, advertising, and fashion.

More information about the show and directions to the gallery can be found at the Artworks website.

Paper Work Exhibit

My drawing “Selfie” will be on display from November 16^th through January 5^th at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in an exhibit titled PAPER WORK: Exploring the Many Ways Artists Use Paper in Their Work. The opening reception is November 16^th from 7 – 9 PM and an artist/curator talk is scheduled for Sunday, December 15^th at 2 PM.  More information is below and at the Ellarslie website.