Magic with a Flatbed Scanner - and winner of FREE ART!

MAGGIE TAYLOR’s work defies easy labels.



Trained as a photographer, she has largely abandoned the camera for another “light-sensitive recording device,” the flatbed scanner, with which she enters a menagerie of found objects into her computer. Though she may start with a photograph— one of her own or a rummaged tintype—she transforms it digitally, layering
and manipulating her palette of collected visual information in a meticulous process that pushes the limits of her medium, her computer’s memory, and the genre sometimes described as altered or fabricated photography.




The resulting concoction is a surrealistic, often painterly montage dis-tinguished by vibrant color and a rich symbolism. Although Taylor’s work is autobiographical, informed by childhood memories, anxieties, and television consumption, it also defies easy interpretation:




“I work very spontaneously and
intuitively, trying to come up with images that have a resonance and a some- what mysterious narrative content,” Taylor says.




“There is no one meaning for any of the images; rather, they exist as a kind of visual riddle or open-ended poem, meant to be both playful and provocative.”




Taylor began taking traditional photographs while pursuing a BA in philosophy at Yale University, altering her process ever more radically during and after her years in the MFA photography program at the University of Florida.





She has had solo exhibitions throughout the United States.





For a fascinating expose of Maggie Taylor’s work, please CLICK HERE





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FOOOOOOD ART!!!!

Stephanie Metz – Never Felt Better!

Stephanie Metz


I have only recently become interested in felting…and I don’t know why it has taken this long, because everyone I know seems to already know how to do it. I have seen some very cool results of this wool process…but none so cool as those created by University of Oregon grad, Stephanie Metz. Stephanie has chosen to sculpt in wool in order to explore and exploit its unique physical and conceptual possibilities and quite successfully, I might add. She creates some outstanding, albeit sometimes disturbing, soft sculptures.
Litter

About her process, Stephanie writes:
“To make wool into felt I begin with cleaned, brushed wool that has been prepared to be spun into yarn. I interlock the fibers densely together by stabbing the mass repeatedly with a felting needle (approximately four inches long, very sharp, and studded with barbs). “
Private Sphere

detail


In order to shape a piece I stab the wool all over or in particular directions, compressing the surface and making the felt increasingly dense. The process is extremely time- and labor-intensive, as every centimeter of the piece is stabbed to fasten down parts, add mass, and tighten the surface.
Shameless
detail


"I choose my subject matter in response to the wool itself, in a way. Working with wool has led me to explore concepts of hard and soft, starting within the confines of traditional sculpture subjects.”

Atavist


“For me the appeal of wool lies both in pushing its physical possibilities as a sculpting medium and in its suitability for the subject matter that interests me.”

Cat Skull - left angle


“ Felted wool is organic, soft, and pliable, yet strong and hardy—perfect for realistic studies of humans and animals that exemplify those qualities. A firm grounding in realism and an understanding of the form and physiology of living things is the starting point in my sculpture.”

Chicken Legs

"In my recent work two branches of investigation have grown out of my thinking about how human beings affect and interpret the natural world. The first is a series of animals that display the results of selective breeding taken to a ridiculous extreme. The attributes that make them useful, marketable, and convenient for human use are blissfully short-sighted and human-centric."
Lap Dog

Milk Cow


"Part of my wicked delight in creating such creatures is the awareness that these are not pure science fiction—for example, the proliferation of dog breeds specifically bred for a variety of uses and aesthetics is testimony to the way people very pointedly direct the evolution of species by determining which individuals will pass on their genes."
Study in Black

"My other investigation is a pseudo-scientific study of the morphology of skulls: the form and structures that differentiate one breed from another and give a sense of the story of the individual. My approach is to research, document, present, and interpret evidence in a formal manner. My subject species is the teddy bear: a creature made by humans (and made ‘alive’ by imagination) whose morphological history is tied to social trends."

Teddy Bear Skull - front


"My idea of ‘logical’ evidence (a stuffed animal would have a skull made of felt) becomes an emotionally loaded image that brings up a wide range of responses and proves to be ripe for further exploration."

Teddy Bear Skull - side

"As I continue to experiment with wool I find that the material itself fuels my ideas and my approach to sculpting. Using an uncommon medium draws attention to the qualities of that medium, and feeds into the subjects I choose, the process for realizing the forms, and the messages embodied in the work."

Lightness
Marble Portrait Bust

CLICK HERE to see Stephanie’s web site where you will find many other felt sculptures. Posters of her work is for sale on Etsy CLICK HERE

Stephanie is represented by Hosfelt Gallery

415-495-5454 for San Francisco or 212-563-5454 for New York.

For further inquiries, please email: info@hosfeltgallery.com.

Carol Hummel – Embellishing Nature

“The focus of my work in recent years has been on personal awareness, potential and choice as well as the forces and situations that attempt to demean, control, manipulate and destroy.

Contradictions -- comfort vs. confinement, pain vs. pleasure, freedom vs. restriction – dwell within my pieces as reminders that things are not always as they appear to be and making choices independently of external determining forces is essential to living.”


I chose the term, “embellishing nature” to describe Carol Hummel’s work because she not only uses nature in the sense of wrapping trees and utilizing the landscape as her canvas, she also embellishes human nature with food for thought. Carol puts a new twist on what is thought of traditionally as a women’s craft (knitting) and moves it onto a grand scale of nature itself to illustrate the juxtaposition between the ease and imprisonment that is life .

When she isn’t teaching sculpture at Kent State University, Carol is working on fascinating projects that give pause and challenge the mind. She told me that most recently, she was very excited about being selected for a residency at the the Colorado Art Ranch during their Artposium, a two-day event exploring the intersection of writing, art and land use.. She said, “I’m going to build upon the work I did in Wendover (the viruses in the mountains and on buildings, doilies, etc.. plus have a couple new ideas...”

Tree Cozy



Tree Cozy is a tree – a natural object representing masculinity and strength –covered with a crocheted cozy – an emphatically handmade blanket representing femininity and comfort. On the most obvious level, it is a piece of clothing, personifying the tree and keeping it cozy and colorful throughout the year, enhancing the beauty of nature.


On another, the brightly colored crocheted cozy wraps the tree in personal and cultural nostalgia evoking memories of bygone times and places when life was good. On yet another level, the cozy softens the strong tree form while also emphasizing it. It simultaneously caresses and encases the tree. The cozy covering the tree fluctuates between comforting blanket and suffocating cover-up; it conceals as much as it protects; it hides as much as it reveals. Tree Cozy was on display from 2005 through 2008 in Cleveland Heights, OH in front of Cleveland Heights City Hall.

Down Under


Down Under(s) 1
Tree, Underwear
XXXXXL
2006

“Dirt Divers” are a series of work that personifies trees highlighting human intrusion on natural objects.
Down Under 2

Instead of protection and care, this intrusion has the human element burying its head in the sand in denial of its impact. It raises questions about where human intrusion is appropriate when inflicted on our environment.




Project Schnee

Project Schnee
Yarn
Site specific
2007

In 2007, I worked with students at Schnee Learning Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. The project introduced the students to conceptual art and allowed them to participate in the thought and experimental processes involved in the planning and execution of works of art. Each student had the opportunity to work on a week-long project developed by the class as a whole. They created a maze that symbolized the challenges of life that utilized 72,735 feet of yarn. In addition, groups of 5-6 student artists completed two-hour conceptual artworks that represented a variety of concepts using 300 crocheted "cells" which I provided.


Confined Comforts

Confined Comforts (detail)


Confined Comforts
Yarn
Size Not Specified
2005
Confined Comforts, Kent State University/Stark Campus, Cantonk, OH - 2005

Confined Comforts is an installation by Carol Hummel, completed in conjunction with Kent State University/Stark’s “Women Cross Boundaries” yearlong series. Confined Comforts takes women’s craft (knitting, crocheting) out of the domestic realm and into the public environment. It addresses the tug-of-war between comfort and confinement. While each strand of colorful yarn is beautiful, it also binds the trees, the environment, space itself. It serves as an analogy about life. From the moment we are born, we are wrapped by influences imposed upon us by family, environment, and culture. We are continually transformed by these threads of influence, but are we freed or bound by them? It’s important to remember that although our cultural wrapping can be very comfortable, it is also confining, and it’s the choice of each individual to either accept or reject the influences that encase her or him. On a formal level, Confined Comforts is a visual discussion of line, light, texture, color, space, scale, and form. The installation was completed with the assistance of student and faculty volunteers. It took 500 hours to complete and includes 820,000 feet of yarn.


Unraveling
Unraveling
Yarn
72"h x 180"w x 3"d
2003 Student Annual Exhibition, School of Art Gallery, Kent Stte University, Kent, OH (juried) - 2003

Unraveling” utilizes an afghan with colors and patterns that are bright and bold – evocative of a particular era and social class, which I put in middle-class America in the Sixties and Seventies… basically my background. The material – yarn – is a feminine material and the piece is, in my mind, very much about females in the home. To me, the unraveling yarn is like some cryptic writing in a private diary or paint dripping from a melting canvass that is taking on new life and reforming into a new story… or a new masterpiece. In this piece, one strand of yarn is heading out on its own, searching. “Unraveling” is about something that is simultaneously ending and beginning… one of the basic processes of life and one of my favorite sculptural themes.

I wanted to include this last piece in this entry because it resonates so strongly with me, especially when I read Carol’s commentary. I felt empowered by its message of a personal declaration of independence from the demeaning negativity, control and manipulation of others. Brava, Carol!
You Are Ugly

Detail


You Are Ugly
Rice Paper, Wax
300"h x 8.5"w x .5"d
2003 You Are Ugly, Sculpture Gallery, School of Art Gallery, Kent State University, Kent, OH (solo)

You are ugly is about personal worth and freedom. To me, it is about the resilience and strength of the human spirit to cope with people and situations that attempt to demean, control, manipulate, or destroy. But it is also about freedom. Just as the scroll ends, so does the ability to reach the soul with negativity and hate. You are ugly is a declaration of independence, a realization that personal beauty and freedom cannot be destroyed.

You can see more of Carol’s work and commentary at her web site.

Tracy Broback - Many Irons in an Artful Fire

Tracy Broback creating a Darjit! sculpture of Ferdinand the Bull
After I met Tracy Broback, it didn’t take long for me to realize she was a woman of many talents. In fact, a real problem I have in writing this entry is in deciding which area(s) of her work to address. I have witnessed her seemingly magical garden arts. I have gawked at her awesome mosaic work. I have envied her ability to draw, and this week, she decided to share photos of her quilts, leaving me to wonder…..Is there anything she can’t do??

Cinco de Mayo

When in her presence, I have always noted a sense of peacefulness about Tracy…a contagious, calming energy. She is a dovoted mother of two beautiful children and includes them in her work whenever possible. The quilt in the background of this picture was made from their infant clothing.
Emma and Nicholas

Tracy and I used to see one another at work-related gatherings and I found it interesting that she almost always had a smile on her face. Then I saw her art and I realized that I would be smiling all the time, too, if I had that kind of talent!

Bar Code

Tracy is a superb artist who, since childhood, has not been afraid to explore new artistic endeavors. Her advanced understanding of color, rhythm & pattern has opened many doors for her artistically with her quilts and mosaic art. Her mastery of materials, technique, composition and imagery have placed her on a real track for success as an artist. I am honored to know her.
Fish Quilt

Tracy writes:


“I have always been an artist. As a child I worked at the craft table my father made for me while my family watched T.V. As a student, I filled every elective I could with art classes. As an elementary school teacher, art permeated my science, social studies, math and literature lessons. As a mother, art entered my garden, my home, my children’s clothes, rooms and activities. Though I never before believed it possible, art is now entering my life as a career.”
Sawtooth Star

Rainbow Quilt


"Recently, I have discovered mosaics. Many of my previous interests have merged in this ancient and evolving art form. My study of quilt design, ceramics, painting, drawing and sculpture coupled with the many precious items that pets and children have broken over the years and my innate love of shiny things, color and collecting provide me with a limitless pallet of designs and materials. I love to be surrounded by beauty in my garden and home. I love to look at and use objects that make me happy. I like to think about the person that I am and that I want to be. I create art that allows me to fulfill all of those desires."
Sweet Child of Mine
Change
Enjoy
Be


"My art is very personal and precious to me. I make things for specific people or to meditate on a particular theme. I am finding I want to fill more and more of my time with this work and I am discovering a desire within myself to share these thoughts with others. I hope that my creations can bring some peace or happiness to others."


They do, Tracy. They do!

Tracy teaches at Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland.

Mosaic Spheres

Skinny Love

More of Tracy’s work can be seen on flickr under the user name”tbroback”.
Tracy Broback

Mars Tokyo -A Universe of Fantastic Art

Mars Tokyo

I love this woman's art!

Mars Tokyo, is a Baltimore artist with whom I am acquainted through the online social network, Live Journal. Her work as a whole is so compelling that it is difficult to choose one specific area to write about. She makes pastels, jewelry...She keeps detailed and fascinating travel dairies and other visual dairies...She draws...There is just so much!! And I love all of it....so I'll write about several areas and trust that you will check out her web site at the end, but I have to warn you. Once you get started, you'll be there all day...

The current series by Mar Tokyo is called, “Black on Black” and consists of intricate mazes of graphite pencil over India ink that are inspired by her recent treatment for major depression which included treatments of Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT)which has has emulated in these works.

Number 7

“They are made on Arches paper, soaked with India Ink, and drawn or painted in graphite using one continuous line. The ennervation in the unsteady wiggles was the best I could do to convey the experience of getting ECT. These are the first phase of the series.”

Number 16


Mars also creates spirited pastel scenes from life replete with energetic marks disbursed throughout the surface of each piece giving each a sense of vibrant energy.

The Angry Dinner

Pinky's Bar
The Logistics of Divorce


The work by Mars Tokyo that I find most compelling is her creation of “tiny theaters”, each a miniature tableau created by combining images adopted from literature, film, politics and psychology. She works small intentionally, both as a challenge to herself and as an invitation to the viewer to peer deeper into what is happening in each scenario.
Tiny Theater
This photo shows the exterior of Teatro della Fenditura, with a penny for scale. Exteriors are finished with handmade marbled papers, hand painted columns, and feature a variety of insets in the skylight, including delicate embossed glassine papers. Rooftop lids are removeable for cleaning and inspection.
The Temptation

She writes, “My purpose with this series is to create 3 dimensional formal narrative compositions on the smallest easily visible scale, in order to invite the viewer to an intimate experience with the art.”
Good Girls Marry


“ By approaching work on such a tiny scale, the viewer becomes a unique participant. We move out of our everyday reality and are transported into fantastic worlds, a fraction the size of our common reality.”
The Greatest Greed

“Theaters provided a stage on which visual drama could be composed. They also draw the viewer inside, not only due to their miniature size, but by the idea that drama is taking place within. To some extent the subject matter is narrative, but to a greater extent the content remains open to individual interpretation, which I encourage.”

The theater assemblages range in size from
3.25"W x 4"H x 4.75"D to 1.25"W x 2.5"H x 2.75"D

Homage to Marilyn

“Each display is twice covered, first by a velvet curtain which is drawn aside, then by a miniature scale model door which is opened. Upon opening the door, the viewer is greeted by the lighted display of a single “theater” displayed against black for maximum impact. The anticipation of viewing the work and interaction required to do this, becomes an important part of the experience. “

The King of New Orleans
The Bird Cage

Hello Goodbye

“The 3-D miniature scaled assemblages have a second component, which is 2-D and greatly enlarged in scale. When the 3-D assemblages are completed, I use a digital camera with a macro close-up lens and photograph the interiors of the work. I then enlarge and print the photos, and also upload them to an online website devoted to viewing the 2-D enlargements of the 3-D miniature works.
The Arab

In using the camera to translate the pieces into 2-D illusions, I became much more aware of the shifting compositions within the pieces. Because the camera sees differently than the naked eye, and can only take in one perspective, that of the lens, the dramas become fixed formal compositions of light, color and shape.

The Grotto


With this second 2-D enlarged component, the scale shifts drastically and becomes ambiguous for the viewer who is no longer given an intimate and empowering experience. Now the viewer relates in the expected way most art is shown--without drama, or interaction, and at a distance. With the existence of both formats, this body of work plays with the issues of scale, intimacy, and empowerment within our process of looking
at art.
The Bride
The Bride (detail)

Subject matter for my theaters comes as a result of my ongoing inner dialog, and responds directly to personal thoughts, ideas or current issues I feel a need to address. “
The Cards
The Cards (detail)



Mars Tokyo is represented by
Barrister’s Gallery in New Orleans. Read more about Mars Tokyo and check out her visual diaries HERE.
Barbie in Love

Click around on the site. You won’t believe all of the fascinating art she has produced! She even makes jewelry!
Jewelry by Mars Tokyo

You can pick up all kinds of Mars Tokyo goodies at her Café Press store here: Mars Tokyo Designs . …but whatever you do, don’t stop until you have seen her HEAD MUSEUM!

Jacqueline Iskander - Mosaics with Meaning

Jacqueline Iskander

"There is something very appealing about coaxing fluidity and expression from rocks and glass, and assembling apparently unrelated pieces to form a single comprehensible idea.

My work, as well as work experience, is most harmonious to me when I achieve a sense of ordered unity from such chaos, and when I am in accord with seemingly rigid and unyielding base materials. May this harmony be reflected in my work."

Jacqueline Iskander

Jackie Iskander comes loaded with a hefty educational background in mosaic art. She studied at Chicago Mosaic School and Scuolo Orsoni in Venice…no doubt, the two best mosaic schools you’ll find anywhere.
L'entrata

She went on to pursue additional art endeavors in Italy,France, in Egypt, Ecuador…and these experiences helped inform her art to speak a universal language of unified beauty and appeal.
Jelly of the Sea

She works primarily with glass…Orsoni smalti, piastrina, 24kt mosaic gold...and the results are incredible! She is currently working on a series called, “Rhythms”.

Jackie writes, “I have started a new series which I am calling rhythms. I will make one piece for each month, inspired by the natural environmental rhythms happening around me at the time. This one is for January.”
January Rhythms

About her piece, “Pulse”, Jackie says:
Pulse

“There are 2 primary aspects to this work.

First, I wanted to explore texture in a relatively spontaneous fashion, using only materials on hand. The idea for the black and white, and shades of gray, with the pulse, just came to me in an instant as soon as I opened the door in considering the possibility of doing this piece. I tried not to question or doubt myself on this... which would have compromised the spontaneous spirit, and to approach the project with a sense of adventure and experimentation.

Secondly, inspired by the political, social, and religious climates of our time, this work is a meditation on extremes: right and wrong, good and evil, left and right, conservative and liberal, etc.

I find this poem by Rumi especially meaningful:

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.

There is a great variance in thickness of materials, which is very challenging. of course, i wanted texture, but i wanted controlled texture. beads can be very small... but they need to be raised high enough to catch the light... this is pretty tricky when working with other thick materials like marble. likewise, vitreous is thin and flat... how recessed do i want it for enhancing the textural look, without it looking sunken? and then, I wanted the pulse line to be raised above everything else.”

Jackie doesn't limit her work to flat surfaces. She is also crafts delicate and beautiful vessels. This one is called, "Skin Deep"
Skin Deep
“Beauty is but a mere skin-deep perfection.” Samuel Richardson

"I came across this vase... it was and naked and fragile... exposed for all the world to see. For beauty’s sake, I dressed it in gold and polished onyx. Transformed on the outside, yet inside it remains unchanged... naked and fragile."

Moonsong
This mosaic represents Jackie’s first attempt at the traditional, ungrouted smalti method.

“One of my objectives when attending the Orsoni mosaic master course was to get a better grasp of shading and color blending.

...nippers - often the cutting tool of choice for American mosaicists - are not allowed. a traditional technique using a hammer and chisel (i.e.hardy) is used, and can prove to be a steep learning curve for someone dependent primarily on nippers for 10 years. Needless to say, for the first few days, I felt somewhat incompetent, and struggled with achieving the fine cuts I crave.

Fortunately, I started with the leaf and stem. by the time I got to the flower, I had acquired some skill with the hammer, and was able to focus more on the shading. I used some red and orange colored gold in the petals, which is difficult to capture in a photo."
Work in progress
Orsoni Master Class masterpiece

To read more about Jackie and to enjoy additional photographs of her work, please click HERE to be directed to her web site.

Organizing Your Art Space by Stacy Alexander

Today, I'd like to talk about ways in which we can organize our work spaces. I have borrowed some suggestions from a writer on EHow.com followed by photos of my own studio, Stacy Alexander's Studio 44:

Step 1:
Top your must-have list with a taboret. This rolling cabinet, designed specifically for art and drafting, keeps a variety of supplies organized and accessible. Available in heavy-duty plastic or hardwood and in a wide range of sizes and prices, these smart carts are the next best things to live apprentices. Some taborets have foldout wings on the top to create more work space; others have pivoting drawers or integrated easels. Shop online at DickBlick.com and at brick-and-mortar art stores.

Step 2:
Set up one extra large multipurpose worktable in your studio. Cover it with replaceable, self-sealing plastic so you can cut on it. Regardless what medium you work in, you'll eventually be cutting something. Alternately, buy a large self-sealing cutting mat that slips behind a door when not in use.

Step 3:
Find copious storage space in flat files--the stacks of long, slim drawers found in architects' or engineers' offices. They provide superb storage for canvases, paper, mat boards, sketch pads and printing materials. Available in metal or hardwood, the units can be stacked and configured to fit your specific needs.

Step 4:
Store different mediums in separate areas if possible. It will help eliminate the tendency to grab your fine needle-nosed jewelry pliers to pull staples out of an old canvas.

Step 5:
Keep surfaces and work areas clean. Creative spasms get messy, but make only one mess at a time. There's nothing worse than oil pastel on your worktable getting all over a charcoal drawing, or spray-mount debris destroying a watercolor.

Step 6:
Install adjustable, good lighting over all work surfaces. Large, south-facing windows are a boon to any creative endeavor.

Step 7:
Hang nylon organizers with clear vinyl pockets. Some have small pockets only for paint tubes, while others add larger pockets for brushes, pens and sketch pads. Designed to hook over a doorframe, they can also hang on a wall hook near your easel. An added advantage: They're easy to hide in a closet if the room has to serve other functions.

Step 8:
Stick to a shoestring budget and still create great storage for art supplies. Muffin tins, drawer dividers, silverware caddies, earthenware crocks and plastic storage tubs can all do valuable organizational duty in the studio. Create an art cart similar to the ones teachers use in classrooms. Place casters on a nightstand or a small bookcase to make a movable storage piece.

@@@@@

I didn't follow the writer's exact blueprint for an organized studio. Here are some shots of my own work space:


This first shot shows where I keep most of my painting supplies. Since I work in a lot of different types of media, it is important to keep things organized for easy access.

Studio 44 - Picture 1

The next photo shows where I keep my mosaic tesserae, grout, adhesives and other mosaic supplies:



The following picture was taken from the perspective of looking toward the front of our building while standing at the rear garage-type door. The white bins in the foreground hold broken tempered glass. The shelves in the background hold assemblages ephemera and the large plastic tubs above hold textiles. The stairs lead to the upper floor which is our living quarters.



This shot is another taken from the same perspective. The stacked blond wood you see is a series of glass cabinet doors upon which I make tempered glass mosaics. The old, dark wooden shelving system next to the doors is an antique drying rack where I store flat work.



Next, we have a photo of my beautiful, solid wood drafting table. This piece was made entirely by hand...even the screws that hold it together. It is my pride and joy.



The next picture was taken from the perspective of standing near my drafting table looking toward the back of the studio. The white bins hold ephemera such as vintage photographs and tiny bits of metal for collage and assemblage. The table in the foreground is my sewing area. A big tub of handmade paper is sitting on top of it in the shot. You can see the sliding garage-type door and a Darjit! sculpture hanging upside down near the top of the door. You can see an old screen door near the sliding door that I use to go across the bottom of the door. I usually work with the door open and this screen keeps my dog, Tad, inside. His bed is nearby so he can keep an eye on passers by in the neighborhood.


Last, but not least, we have my work tables. This area was constructed from some handy solid wood doors that my neighbor discarded. I make big messes when I use the epoxys necessary for the tempered glass mosaics projects, so I cover the surface areas with heavy paper. That makes clean up a breeze....sort of.....not.

Goldsworthy - Rock of Ages...and eggs.

Andy Goldsworthy


"Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source. Nature is in a state of change and that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature."

----Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy, whose work is subject of the documentary “Rivers and Tides”, by Thomas Riedelsheimer, is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist living in Scotland. He produces site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings and involving the use of natural and found objects to create both temporary and permanent sculptures which draw out the character of their environment.




At first glance, some of his art appears simple, even childlike. A wet river stone covered with bright yellow leaves…. a block of brown mud, dry and cracked. Red sand tossed into the wind. However, these basic forms have evolved over the course of his career, taking larger risks and achieving greater depths of complexity, often at the very edge of failure.




His themes are movement and change, energy and light, growth and decay, the waltz of the seasons and our human role therein.




"Whenever possible," he says, "I make a work every day. Each work joins the next in a line that defines the passage of my life, marking and accounting for my time. Each piece is individual, but I also see the line combined as a single work."





Many of his efforts are intended only to last a short while -- for example, icicles frozen together at night to melt in the morning sun, or towers of beach stones balanced atop each other and left for the ocean waves to consume.





"I prefer works that are fashioned by the compromises forced upon me by nature," he says, "whether it be an incoming tide, the end of a day, thawing snow, shriveling leaves, or the deadline of my own lifetime." He captures these daily ephemeral works on film, in a collection whose numbers of arresting images now run into the tens of thousands."

The materials used in Goldsworthy's art often include brightly-colored flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, stone, twigs, and thorns.




Goldsworthy states, "I think it's incredibly brave to be working flowers and leaves and petals. But I have to: I can't edit the materials I work with. My remit is to work with nature as a whole."




Goldsworthy often uses only his bare hands, teeth, and found tools to prepare and arrange the materials; however, for his permanent sculptures, he has also employed the use of machine tools.


He says “I haven’t simply made the piece to be destroyed by the sea. It is given to the sea as a gift. The sea makes more of the piece than I ever could.”

He’s right, too. Driftwood carried out by the sea stays somewhat intact as it floats away, still art, but changed by nature. He makes long chains of leaves (pinned together by thorns) and lets the currents in a creek pull them downstream like a Chinese paper dragon, adding motion to his sculpture. “It doesn’t feel at all like destruction,” he says.





HERE is an excerpt from “Rivers and Tides”



__________________________________

For those of you who are celebrating Easter today, Happy Easter!



Modern egg master Franc Grom creates eggs which give Ferberge a run for his money. Grom uses a small electric drill to create approximately 2,500 to 3,500 holes in each eggshell. Inspired by traditional Slovenian designs, he has been known to pierce a shell as many as 17,000 times. They’re so fragile and beautiful. Imagine the patience!

Len Cowgill - Containment Beyond Assemblage

Len Cowgill



Assemblage is an art form in which natural and manufactured, traditionally non-artistic, materials are assembled into three-dimensional structures. As such it is closely related to collage, and like collage it is associated with (but predates) Cubism. As much as by the materials used, it can be characterized by the way in which they are treated. In an assemblage the banal, often tawdry materials retain their individual physical and functional identity, despite artistic manipulation.


I was first introduced to assemblage through the work of John Chaimberlain’s metal constructions made of wrecked cars at the Menil Museum in Houston. Fascinated, I soon familiarized myself with the work of Louise Nevelson and Joseph Cornell, two of the world's most notable assemblage artists. I have always felt a particular connection to Cornell’s work. My flickr friend, Len Cowgill’s assemblage work appears to be strongly influenced by Cornell.

Great minds think alike…

He also constructs some mighty impressive collage work!

You May Hear but You Don't Listen

This is an assemblage that Len created by meticulously rendering individual drawings of 86 deceased artists and attaching them to a vintage wooden type tray.

Len Cowgill - 86 Dead Artists

Andy Warhol detail

Len writes:

My work is about containment. I explore some facet of the human condition in a drawing and box it up or put it in a bottle.
Presenting P.T. Barnum

She Thinks She Was Adopted


I create a stage for the drawing and invite the audience to get close, look at and touch it.
I Wonder What Will Become of Me
Sometimes, the drawings are in the form of puppets and the viewers may tug the strings and make them jump. I put music boxes that the viewer can crank on some pieces or I’ll mount the drawing on a turntable so it will spin.

Monday Morning Turn Around


The important part is that the experience is shared, that a story has been told…perhaps not the story I had in mind. I’ve succeeded when the piece develops its own story.

Tully Doesn't Live Here Any More

Not all of my work does a jig or cranks out a song. Some of my work is very still, a moment caught and pinned down, like a butterfly in a museum exhibit, a cabinet of curiosity.
Waiting for Mother



But my boxes and bottles contain glimpses of ordinary moments and thoughts we’ve all experienced, a bit of the joy and pain of growing up, of being human.

I could look at Len's work all day long! It draws me in and makes me curious. The use of text with images is wholly compelling. It all looks so familiar...but I guess that's the point. Isn't it?

He is represented by the Tamarack Gallery

Look at that Art Car go!

Cars are powerful icons in our society. There are endless ways to take advantage of that. One of them is by creating art cars that express the owner’s personality, interests, likes, dislikes, taste ... and lack thereof. :-)





"An art car is a vehicle that has its appearance modified as an act of personal artistic expression. Art car artists usually drive and own their own work. They are sometimes referred to as "Cartists". Art car artists or owners often dress in a matching motif when displaying their cars. Art cars and car artists come from all walks of life, uphold a wide range of personal philosophies and beliefs and come from all political groups."




Through their plethora of ad campaigns, car manufacturers would love to convince consumers that "we are what we drive." Rebellion against this dogma has been reason enough for many people to want to create one-of-a-kind art car designs.



I was introduced to the concept of art car in Houston back in the 80’s. There was (and still is, I think) a big celebration and parade each year held by the folk art organization called, "The Orange Show", and a big dance afterward. (Ah, those were the days!) Then, when we moved to the SF Bay Area, we were delighted to find that the How Berkeley Can You Be celebration also had art cars. THIS is a little video I made a few years ago at their parade.



Most car artists are ordinary people with no artistic training. They are largely self taught and self funded, though some mainstream trained artists have also worked in the art car medium. Some consider their art to be created as a source of income or as "professional" artworks. Most others agree that creating and driving an art car daily is its own reward. Well known artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol etc. have designed BMW Art Cars and their work has been reflected in racing cars like the BMW V12 LMR.




Some cars make great flat canvases. Others just ask to be sculpted.
An artist who recognizes and works with the original shapes and lines of the cars yields an even more beautiful creation.




There are many considerations to make in designing an art car. Bold shapes, bright colors and wild imagery are great devices to use if the artist’s goal is to be noticed from afar.



Some car artists opt to use props, sound, light and maybe even smell as they design your car's personality. I recall a group of artist friends in Houston who got very upset with a member of the art coop who decided to glue dead fish to his car. Combine that particular element with the intense Houston heat and humidity and you get one smelly warehouse!




If you would like to make an art car but are a bit nervous about your artistic talents, ask your artist friends to get you started, then join in. Art cars are great "Tom Sawyer" type projects - everyone wants to help, and before long it's looking pretty cool.







If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you won't want to miss the next How Berkeley Can You Be art car parade. It will be held from 11-1pm, Sunday, September 28, 2008 on Shattuck in downtown Berkeley.

The next Houston Art Car Parade will roll down Allan Parkway on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 1 pm. The Houston Art Car Museum is located at 140 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77007

Got art? Look no further....than your coffee cup!

Art is everywhere.

At times, one need look no further than the morning cupa joe!


I used to live in the Pacific Northwest where the term, "My barista..." was commonly used to refer to that special espresso bartender considered to be expert in the art of making espresso in any given neighborhood. When they made lattes, many of them finished off the drink with a special flourish of coffee art. Virtually every barista in every coffee shop from Portland to Seattle boasted of having the competitive edge over the guy next door when it came to creative picture making out of milk foam on top of the coffee.

Now, some clever guy has built a machine capable of accomplishing this same task. Said machine consists of a used x-y flatbed plotter (Philips 8155) and a book by Matt Gilliland, titled “Inkjet Applications”...oh, and some edible brown ink. He put the three things together with a nice, frothy latte... and viola!

(Click HERE if you cannot see the video above.)
While the machine makes some pretty impressive renderings, my respect still goes to the folks who can make latte drawings the old fashioned way....the way my barista back in Portland made 'em.

Enjoy!

Vincent Floderer - King of Crimp

Models of their paper installations created by Vincent Floderer and the Crimp Team



I mentioned Vincent Floderer last week when I wrote the entry about origami artist, Arlene Elizabeth, and was excited to hear back from him this morning giving me permission to use his images to share with you in this entry.

Floderer is an artist accustomed to working in a variety of media. However, this entry is about his fascinating paper installations. He has gathered considerable interest in the paper folding world with his unique treatment of papers using methods different from standard folding techniques. He is also an ardent enthusiast of biology who uses his paper folding skills to express some of the more complex sequences involved in the unfolding to maturity of some plants. His work is inspired by his own observations of nature, where folds, creases and associated dynamic processes are to bee seen in many (sometimes unexpected) places.

Vincent's completed paper sculptures of mushrooms from single pieces of paper led to an invitation to provide pieces for the first ever origami exhibition at the Louvre, Paris in 1998. Since then he has gone on to expand on these techniques to create trees with branches and roots from single sheets of paper. He now works with a team of French artists called, "Crimp".

Here is a fascinating instructional video about how he creates these mushroom sculptures:

If you are unable to see the video, please click HERE


"Created in 1997, the basic model can be folded/crumpled with all types of thin papers
(brown wrapping paper from 25 to 40 gsm; tissue paper; paper napkins....) The first models were inspired by the study of the shapes of different mushrooms. Since then some elements of their architecture, a possible evolution process (Phylogeny*) for certain families and sometimes their consitency could be reconstructed. "



The image below is the PR for the latest Crimp exhibition in France, as Vincent put it, "in a nice castle in the area where I live". (I wish there was a nice castle in the area where I live!) Please click each subsequent image to enlarge. You don't want to miss a single, incredible detail in this work!




Vincent and the entire crimp team were invited to create different paper universes in this fairy tale castle. He wrote, "I've been manipulating large crumpled models with Manuel Madaleno for exhibition opening during a concert with Danielle Bouthillon -great french soprano singer- who performed poems of Emily Dickson (music by Aaron Copland )and early works from Alban Berg."
Jacquet Fritz Junior

Jean-claude Correia

Jean-Claude Correia

Jean-Calude Corriea

Vincent Floderer

Vincent Floderer

Manuel Madaleno

Manuel Madaleno

Although Vincent's webmaster is currently working on an English version of the Crimp web site, right now, there is just the French version available. If you are interested in seeing more images and/or you speak French and would like to learn more about this fascinating artist, please click HERE

All photography credit goes to CRIMP, Vincent Foster's art team of paper crimpers:
Jean-Claude Correia , Junior Jacquet , Manuel Madaleno ( a "new" crimp member) and Vincent Floderer.

Skin Deep Art

When I was a teenager, we used to write things on our skin with tape and then lie in the sun so that the taped area would remain lighter than the surrounding suntan. What a great way to protest war or advertise our favorite musicians ...or boyfriends. ;-) Along those lines, Ariana Page Russell does her own method of skin art. She suffers from a condition known as dermatographia. When her skin is lightly scratched welts appear. She draws various patterns on her body and then takes pictures of herself, thus works of art are born. She said that she was inspired by her skin condition and the fact that she had no control over her body’s reaction to scratching. Rather than feel sorry for her sensitive skin, Ms. Russell has taken control and used her liability to create an asset. This, and similar photos, have been selling around the country recently for upwards of $4,500.

Tattoo artists use the skin as a canvas, but their artwork is permanent. Scarification is another form of skin art that requires no ink but is also permanent. Perhaps the best part of Ariana Page Russell’s artwork is that the effect on her body is temporary and the photographs beyond the duration of the welts.

"Each body becomes an index of passing time. Bones shift, muscles loosen, freckles and wrinkles form, bruises appear; skin is the forum for these transitions. It may also evidence sensitivity, embarrassment, discomfort, fear, excitement, infection, health, attraction, and energy expended—reflecting vulnerability and conditions we’ve inhabited."






"My own skin frequently blushes and swells. I have dermatographia, a condition in which one’s immune system exhibits hypersensitivity, via skin, that releases excessive amounts of histamine, causing capillaries to dilate and welts to appear (lasting about thirty minutes) when the skin’s surface is lightly scratched. This allows me to painlessly draw patterns and words on my skin, which I then photograph."




"I also make wallpaper with photographs of my skin cut into various designs. The patterns I use range from adaptations of Greek and Etruscan vases, Medieval wall coverings, and Renaissance pottery to contemporary clothing and wallpaper found in domestic spaces.

Cut c-prints (of skin) mounted to wall

Attached to the wall or onto board, these skin designs form shifting crimson patterns embellishing the surfaces. Recently I’ve turned some of the patterns made from photographs of skin into temporary tattoos, adorning my skin with the translucent designs. C-prints, temporary tattoos, skin

These tattoo designs cover me like clothing, an intimate fashion. They also go on the wall or window after they’ve made contact with my skin, leaving traces of cells and hair, and holding a record of skin’s map. I share these designs with my surroundings."




"I am investigating where one surface ends and another begins, the bloom of adornment, and how shifting exteriors reveal as they conceal."






About her exhibition entitled, "Leather and Lace", Ariana writes:

"Leather and Lace is a collaboration with my studio mate Allison Manch. Allison embroiders music and pop culture references on vintage handkerchiefs, and I work with photographs of skin. Temporary tattoos became the intersection of our work. Utilizing embroidered images and text, along with my photographed skin wallpaper designs, we printed our own temporary tattoos. Our mutual admiration for Siouxsie Sioux, Kate Bush, Debbie Harry, and Stevie Nicks inspired us to use imagery and lyrics referencing the singers’ styles. Assuming the style and dress of these icons, we turned the resulting photographs into temporary tattoos as well. This series is an exploration of surface—skin, fabric, and image."
lts.

I'm your Steampunk, baby!

work by Christopher Conte

From Wikipedia:

Steampunk is a sub genre of fantasy and speculative fiction which came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term, "Steampunk" denotes works set in a 19th century-ish world where steam power is still widely used and often set in Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of Steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles or analog computers; these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or a presumption of functionality.

Two artists who specialize in Steampunk genre art are Christopher Conte (below) and Stéphane Halleux (whose photo is unavailable). Both artists create Steampunk sculptures of characters and objects that are reminiscent of Tim Burton or maybe Rube Goldberg.

Chris Conte

Conte's works tend to resemble insects, but sometimes, he takes his work in different directions:





Halleux's work turns more to the likes of junk-dealer robots and miniature cars, mechanized chairs and enigmatic “engines that are wonderful visual fun.






Both artists use textured and weathered surfaces, strange shapes, and arrangements of odd parts that are imaginative and entertaining. Their objects are mesmerizing in a way that makes viewers long to be able to view them from a wide variety of angles.
Halleux dog

Conte Insect

A favorite pop culture steampunk engineer named, "I-Wei" has created a tutorial on how to draw steampunk machines that contains both fantastic concept art as well as technical sketches for the actual steam-driven machines he's built. If you would like to try your hand at this nifty conceptual art genre, give a click
HERE.

National Public Radio has a nice radio piece on Steampunk that you can listen to
HERE .

BoingBoing TV does a little piece on kinetic steamwork
HERE

and another about a group of Oakland artists who built a Steampunk tree house
HERE.

For an entire photo album just chock full of Steampunk Tree House photos, click
HERE.

If you aspire to be a Steampunk Engineer, you might consider classes at
The Crucible here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Steampunk Tree House at BurningMan

That's all she wrote...

Christine Brallier - Mosaic Life Force

It came of little surprise to learn that Christine Brallier is into therapeutic energy work. It shows in her art. What was a surprise was when I learned that her mosaic skill is self taught!

Christine Brallier

Christine first caught “mosaic fever” in 2005 when she picked up a DIY mosaic kit. Since that time, she has been honing her skill through books and the internet and has achieved a real level of professional expertise.
Untitled


Apart from noting its beauty, I had two initial impressions when I first saw Christine’s mosaic art. I was taken by the movement, the “good energy” inherent in each piece, how it seemed to come alive and had such strength of design and vitality. I also found that her ability to manipulate color, weaving interesting threads of it throughout her compositions, really held my attention. Don't you just love this piece?!
Pears


Christine wrote:

When I was a child and people would ask me what I want to do when I grow up, I would say, “ART!” And that’s pretty much all I did (plus music) up through high school.



Christine is a multi-disciplinary artist. In addition to her mosaic work, she has studied water color, figure drawing, and landscape painting, and has taught herself cross-stitch and crochet.

“What I love about making mosaics is starting out with one piece of glass and watching it grow into a completed work of art. The process of choosing the colors and deciding how to cut the glass and how to lay it out, all of it fascinates me because there are infinite possibilities. All of my life I have loved every kind of puzzle, so mosaic art has been the perfect fit for me!”
Mt. Carmel


Piece-by-exquisite-piece, Christine creates mosaics for home, businesses and public installations, most recently, a public park. She characterized the process of creating a public mosaic “incredibly rewarding” and looks forward to creating many more in the years to come.

Joy of Life

Christine also has a knack for making pet portraits. She created the following piece, entitled, “Myndee” as part of the Steve Irwin Mosaic Tribute to be installed in Australia by Sandy Robertson of Oz Mosacs.
Myndee

Here is another:

Sleeping


Christine is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists, the Goleta Valley Art Association, Santa Barbara Visual Artsand the Artist Guild of Santa Ynez Valley.

In 2006, Christine was second runner up for the Mosaic Mercantile Holiday Contest and in 2007 received a William T. Colville Foundation Grant. Her work appeared in both the 2006 and 2007 Mosaic Art Yearbooks.

Portia

Christine Brallier’s work has been exhibited at the following venues:

Meisel Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, Feb-May 2008
Goleta Library, Goleta, CA, Feb 2008
Galerie Eye, Carpinteria, CA, Nov 2007
Karpeles Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, Jan-March 2007
Del Pueblo Restaurant, Santa Barbara, CA, July 2006
Fresco, Santa Barbara, CA, Nov 2005

Along the Shore

For further information about Christine and more photos of her work, please visit her web site at: CB Mosaics

Elayne Goodman - Trash to Treasure

Elayne Goodman

Colorful…intricate…fun….outrageous: these are adjectives typically used to describe the contemporary folk art of Elayne Goodman.

As with many folk artists, her art creations begin with found objects: a old cigar box, a thrift store figurine, a used globe or child’s doll…just about anything can be transformed into Goodman magic. She combines these objects into brightly painted creations that could charm your socks off. Complex patterns and whimsical verse of her own composition are some of her trademarks.

Big Fish

Elayne was reared in rural Mississippi near Columbus. About the genesis of her style she says, "in the depression era we had limited materials and time for creativity. I learned to waste neither. I have done this style of art since I was a teenager. Since I had never seen other art work of this nature, I felt it was unacceptable in the art world. I never showed it or offered it for sale until 1990. I am a self-taught artist but in my 40's I worked part time for a degree and graduated at age 49 with a BFA. The art faculty at MUW convinced me that my style had merit and encouraged me to show my work."

Switches

Goodman’s long-time interested in art was put aside in favor of what was viewed as a "more practical" first career choice. She was a surgical nurse until 1980, when she took a break and never returned. She earned that BFA at the Mississippi University for Women, graduating summa cum laude in 1989. But even her nursing skills affect her art. "Everything about surgical nursing is organization," she says. "And that's also true in the type of art I do. I have hundreds of plastic shoe boxes and they are labeled and somewhat in order and sorted. That enables me to work a little bit faster. The organization is basically how my work is done. I take this and this and this and put it together in some reasonable manner.

Goodman is best known for her intricately painted spheres.




Today, she has some fairly impressive collectors of her work. Most famous for her painted art balls that are created in traditional, colorful patters, Goodman’s work is owned by the likes of Julia Roberts and best selling author, Anne Rivers Siddons. It has been seriously eyed by actor Nick Cage who expressed an interest in one of her Elvis Presley-themed pieces.

Nicolas Cage spotted Goodman's "Altar to Elvis" (photo unavailable) in a New York City gallery and wanted it, the artist says. He was willing to pay the $15,000 price tag but balked at the $2,000 shipping fee. "If the gallery owner had called me, I would have driven to Nic's house and set it up for him," laughs Goodman. A photo of "Altar to Elvis" has appeared in Rolling Stone magazine. Here are photos of two of her Elvis themed pieces.




Julia Roberts bought one of her globes (photo unavailable) from the Red Piano Too gallery in St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The piece is covered, top to bottom, with witty maxims about art like "The artist will allow his mother, wife, and children to starve so that he can produce art."

Growing up on a working farm in rural Mississippi, Goodman learned to make do with what was available. "There was absolutely no money," Goodman says. "But my mother let us play with her sewing scraps, needle and thread, scissors, and razor blades, even when we were small. I sewed on an old treadle sewing machine from the time I was six, and the idea of using everything came out of that era of my life. They threw away nothing. All that did influence my art."

Clock

Goodman has lived her entire life in Columbus, except for brief stints in Memphis and Atlanta. The contemporary folk artist's work has been included in the books The Button Lover's Book by Marilyn Green and Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith, and Image by Erika Doss. Her art can be found in public and private collections across the country.



Goodman strives to make her art cheerful and optimistic. "There's enough of the other stuff," she says. "People tell me all the time, 'Every time I look at the piece I bought, it makes me feel good.' That's what I'm after.



Woman of Virtue

Goodman's work is featured in THIS video along with that of six other notable folk artists. Unfortunately, the quality of the video is poor.:

Tutorial - Record Bowl & Handy Screen Printing

Make a Cool Bowl from a Record




This is a tutorial on how to use an old vinyl record to create a cool, artsy bowl. If you can find one of the records that were manufactured in brightly colored vinyl, they work really great for this project...but black is cool, too.

Get some cheap and useless vinyl records. Thrift stores are the perfect place to find them....and garage sales.


Preheat your oven to somewhere beween 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit (100-150 Celsius).

Place your record on the center of an upside down pot or metal bowl. Put this onto a baking sheet.


Put this into the oven. Keep a close watch because each vinyl starts to "flop" at a different time. It usually takes 4-8 minutes.


Take the whole thing out of the oven (wearing oven mitts, of course) once you notice some real "flopping" going on.


Put your record into another bowl and shape it around that, or you can hand mold it. Sometimes, you might like the way it looks right as you take it out of the oven; if so, skip the molding.


Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
Flip it over.


Be cooler than your friends who don't have their very own record bowls!

AND....screen print your own...tee, potholder.....whatever you want with this very quick and easy method that anyone can do!

Take a look at THIS video!

Arlene Elizabeth - Peace maker

The idea for this entry occurred the other day when Nate, a member of my family, sent me this video about French origami artist, Vincent Floderer:



(If viewing from your inbox and you are unable to see the video above, please click HERE

While Vincent Floderer is, indeed, a fascinating origami force with which to be reckoned, his more spiritually oriented counterpart lives right here in the Bay Area.

I met Arlene Elizabeth at an art opening at Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland. Subsequently we became friends.

Arlene Elizabeth
Now, writing an accurate characterization of the woman is not a simple task. I've thought about this, and suffice it to say, Arlene has the persona of a gentle lioness, the intelligence of a physicist, and the artful inclinations of a genius all wrapped together in a peaceful, loving heart. John and I are happy that she and her partner, Ruth, and their son, Ian, live so nearby. They’re good folks (and good cooks!) ;-) .

A creator of high-end, sculpted furniture and cabinetry by trade, Arlene’s other art work is about peace and social justice. Her work is informed by her desire to see healing in communities and in individuals that have suffered trauma. Her iconic tapestries fuse the revered disciplines of origami and mosaic. The works are based on photographs that have been broken down into detailed grids of individual pixels.



Power to the Peaceful



I do not exaggerate when I say that Arlene aspires to some lofty undertakings. One project includes a grassroots effort to build origami mosaics in the likenesses of The Buddhas of Bamyan that were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. She wants to hang the giant mosaic in front of the destroyed icons until Hiro Yamagata, (the Japanese artist who has been commissioned to rebuild them) can complete this monumental reconstruction.
Site of the now-destroyed Buddhas of Bamyan


In other words….her art has something to say.

Arlene Elizabeth’s work illustrates and reflects the following insights:

* Art is a Healing Ritual: Each work is composed of thousands of folded peace cranes.

Both origami and mosaic are arts used to aid meditation.

* We Must Become the Change We Wish to See in the World: These works seek to exemplify Gandhi’s ethos of personal light transforming public darkness.



* Reality is Based on Point of View: Because each crane is a pixel, the viewer is challenged to focus on the individual parts making up a greater, meaningful whole.



* Complex and Simple Things Coexist: Both mesmerizing and challenging, the works integrate the idea that reality is something that can be easy to grasp and also impossible to describe.



* Life is Folding and Unfolding: Using origami and mosaic as craft and metaphor, these pieces play a mirror game with the viewer. One is challenged to see life a mystery to be explored and a gift to be accepted.

Arlene’s unique method of creating these pieces entails gluing hand-folded cranes individually onto canvas backing. The finished works resemble pointillist paintings or pixels viewed up close on a large screen. One has to stand at a distance to appreciate their full impact. I have yet to see a photograph that can capture their surprising visual effect.

Detail


The notion of 1,000 cranes as an international symbol of peace has been around since the late 1700’s. After 9/11, Arlene and friend, Daegan Reimer, utilized this concept to launch the World Trade Center Healing Project. With the help of other crane folders who contributed more than six thousand individually folded birds, Arlene and company hung strands of origami cranes at ground zero. They distributed others at Strawberry Fields, the memorial to John Lennon in Central Park.

Arlene said, "The crane is really useless to you until you give it to someone else" "The process of folding is important, but it really becomes empowering when you share it with someone."


World Trade Center Towers

Arlene now uses the medium regularly for creating art and teaching children about peace. She has, turned literally thousands of the intricately folded gruidae into elaborate, giant mosaics. Recent projects include a gift of one of her mosaics to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

WHY ORIGAMI CRANES


Someone pops a paper bag filled with air. That is a demonstration of violence. It is loud, it is dramatic and it got your attention. Maybe you saw it coming, and you knew that he was going to do something, yet you did nothing to stop him. You didn’t stop him because you really didn’t know what he was going to do, or didn’t want to believe that he was going to do it. This is because you expect him to behave a certain way, and that way is PEACEFUL. We are conditioned for peace…not violence. When violence happens, we are so surprised and taken off guard that we don’t respond. We just can’t move. Often we rationalize by telling ourselves ‘it must be a mistake’, because our lives are 99.999% peaceful. And yet when that .001% of non-peaceful activity occurs, we can’t get it out of our heads. Our realities become redefined by the violent act and we forget that we are—and the world is---99.999% peaceful. We want to deny “the violence” access to our psyche, but the image of it dominates our imagination and memory.

And yet, we cannot allow ourselves to become immobilized. We need to erase those images, by replacing them with their polar opposite. People want to SEE a demonstration of peace. We need to see it. And we want it to be as dramatic as violence.

People want to know how folding a little bird can help. It works like this: I want peace. I want my peace restored---my inner peace---my peace of mind. I want to feel good about people and not fear them or feel isolated. So I plant an idea of peace like a seed, and I water it with hope. There is no faucet handy to water it so I enlist anyone who will listen to help, and we set-up a bucket brigade to water and nurture the seed. Soon it becomes a plant, and then a tree. Finally, after a lot of time has passed, we have a tree with fruit that nourishes everyone, including the skeptics who asked “how can one tiny seed help?”

Folding a single bird helps a little. Folding a thousand birds helps you a lot. But contributing those same birds to a central movement helps you and everyone else tremendously, by creating and providing the physical manifestation of peace and love and thoughtfulness that we so crave. This is the demonstration of the antithesis of violence, and yet this too you won’t be able to get out of your head; you won’t be able to tune it out, turn away, deny it, reject it, avoid it, be unmoved, or unchanged. It will not be easily achieved, it won’t be loud, and yet all will hear it, and they will know that united we Americans ---and people from all over the world---stand for Peace.

By folding origami cranes we commemorate, we honor, and we show spirituality without being religious, and patriotism without politics. Just people honoring life.

Ian - Childhood and Nature


Ian, arms outstretched in front of mom, Arlene Elizabeth's work.



At this time, Arlene does not have a web site. However, I am going to build one for her in the near future….and when I do, she is going to give me this:
Blessing
It will be, indeed, a blessing.

How to Make an Origami Peace Crane

Dorothy "Dot" Edwards - SPARKLES!

******************************
Dot Edwards

Dot Edwards loves things that
sparkle …and so do I.

She created this glamorous mirror that hangs in my living room by utilizing a method in which she embedded the tesserae directly into the adhesive. Dot was kind enough to share information about the method with the readers of her Yahoo group, and I’ve had a lot of fun practicing with it.



Born in Louisiana, self-taught mosaic rock star, Dorothy “Dot” Edwards, lived in Houston for twenty five years before moving to Sacramento in 2001. Although she began making mosaics in her early teens, she seriously engaged with the art form about eight years ago and has since graced the world with her sparkly creations .




When she isn’t making mosaic art or teaching classes in the Sacramento area, she is dispensing valuable advice to participants in the California Mosaics Yahoo Group that I mentioned above. Dot graciously operates the group, which is an excellent venue for California (and other) mosaic artists who come together to exchange ideas, tips, advice and news about mosaic art. (Thanks, Dot!)




While Dot makes all kinds of mosaic art, an example of her work that stands out in my own mind as inspirational is this striking likeness of historical strong woman, Harriet Tubman. It is a small bust, not even a foot tall, and is one of my favorite Dot Edwards pieces. The very small, hand cut, irregularly-shaped tesserae is distributed in an exacting pattern that is absolutely characteristic of Dot’s trademark mosaic style. It caught my eye originally because of the intensity and concentration of the tiny glass pieces and I loved the idea of her choosing Harriet Tubman as her subject.



Dot wrote:

Much of my inspiration comes from my Catholic faith, incorporating Christian symbols into what I make but I also enjoy creating busy abstract designs. I admire artists such as Kandinsky and Klimt. Plus - I like shiny things.

Dot likes to comb the thrift stores for unusual objects to use in her mosaic work. A good example is this highly-detailed, beautiful, asymmetrical vase:




Her heavily patterned work gives the illusion of actual motion, exemplified in this sparkly abstract rendition of a dancer, followed by another piece that evokes images of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. Dot calls the second one, “Clandestine Meeting” :
Dancer



Selecting her pallet with the keen eye of a painter, one of her many strong points is Dot's ability to make interesting color choices. She isn’t afraid to explore. The colors she chooses are refreshingly varied as we see in this beautiful Neon Abstract:



Dot had this to say about this next mixed media piece called, “ Glitter Rock”:

“When I started working with these mixed media pieces, I accumulated a small fortune in costume jewelry. When I work outside, the neighbor children come by and look through my boxes. I have probably given away a lot of the jewelry and other bits to the kids, mainly because I am such a sucker.

One of the things the kids asked me when I was working on a door (still in progress), was what was I going to do with all this jewelry. So, I reached into my stockpile of substrates and this child's guitar surfaced.

When I finished, I just couldn't come up with a name. I asked myself, "Is this tacky?". "Is the Liberace-esque?" "Is this Elvis-esque?"

The thoughts that kept coming to mind were: opulence, glitterly glam and of course shiny . My gallery helped me settle on this name and I think it suits. “

Glitter Rock

Fortunately for all of us, Dot is available for commissioned work. She is represented by :

Phoenix Gallery & Framing
1801 L Street #211
Sacramento, CA 95814 (on 18th between K & L st.)”
Phone/Fax: (916) 447-1632

And, if it’s convenience you want, you can purchase Dot's work from her online has an ETSY shop.

Oh....and Dot’s talent isn’t limited to just mosaics. You can find her photography and paintings on ImageKind HERE.

...and, of course, if you'd like even more information about Dorothy “Dot” Edwards and her work, please visit her web site at: Diva Mosaic or her Diva Mosaic EBSQ Gallery


...and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that Dot has good hygiene and minty fresh breath....another plus!




....In other news...
I have just seen the most inspirational speech I'd ever heard. I hope that each of you will take some time to watch this. While I could say that it is unrelated to art, I'd be lying. Truly. Please take a moment to listen to it from beginning to end. You won't regret it. I am in awe. Please click here

Lynn Leahy - Reverse Glass Painting

This is a good morning. I've just made a big pot of homemade vegetable soup and am writing this as the aromatic fragrance of the accompanying rosemary bread wafts from my oven. Unrelated news, perhaps...Can you tell I'm hungry? ;-) I'm also introspective...thinking...enjoying the day.

Glancing back through past entries here, I realized how much I'm enjoying writing about all of of these artists and their art. It really drives home the whole notion of connectedness...how we are all connected to one another on this earth, and how our lives touch and effect the lives of others. I have met many of these artists through being connected to one art organization or another or through friends and acquaintances, and my life is so much richer for having done so. In keeping with this whole notion of connectedness, when I wrote the entry about Laurie Mika the other day, I was fortunately introduced to the work of her good friend and partner-in-crime, Lynn Leahy. I chalk this up to one more stroke of good luck!

A lover of art since childhood, Lynn Is originally from my favorite city, Portland, Oregon. She was educated at Portland State University but now lives and works in the San Diego area making a fascinating type of art...reverse glass painting.

Lynn is the artist who will be conducting the Mixed Media Mosaics; Window to the World workshop with Laurie in Cortona, Italy in September. If you have the urge to experience the thrill of a lifetime, they still have some room left, so you can join them in this art making adventure in one of the most beautiful sites on earth.
Lynn Leahy

Lynn will be teaching a contemporary version of the same European reverse glass painting technique that as been around for more than three hundred years. This style of painting is found in traditional Romanian icons that originated in Transylvania and in a lot of Chinese vessels. It was a specialty of the Czechs.

“This is a difficult technique that requires painting on one side of the glass knowing it is going to be viewed from the other side,” she explained. “You are working backwards, foreground to background.” Lynn Leahy

To create the rich, vibrant colors and intensity that are displayed in her beautiful hand-painted pieces, Lynn employs a variety of tricks that include the use of acrylic paint, collage and rubber stamping. This method gives each work a dramatic presence that is difficult to describe. The work is particularly beautiful when displayed in a well-lit area because light transforms it into a rainbow of color and depth that is literally immeasurable in a photograph.


The process of reverse glass painting takes patience and a steady hand. It involves a lot of advanced decision making and the application of layer after layer of paint, but the end result is well worth the effort. (Lynn paints her vases not only backwards but upside down as well!) A single vase can take up to two weeks to complete.

The traditional method of reverse painting is known to be challenging. Heat methods are used that are unforgiving. For example, in painting a face, one must put the pupil of an eye on the glass before the iris, exactly the opposite of normal painting. If an error is made, there is no way to go back and paint between the glass and the paint already applied because the paint is literally baked onto the glass. However, Lynn teaches students a more accessible, user-friendly way to create these lovely works of art.

Lynn says

My technique involves the use of water based paints and sealers only. Firing or heat processes are not involved. Three dimensional vessels are painted in reverse on the inside. In contrast, two dimensional work is painted in reverse from the backside. Multiple layers of paint are used in my technique as each color added can affect the color underneath. This quality gives depth of color and character unique to this art form. Each piece of my reverse glass artwork is original and one of a kind.

Lynn's current work is in an exhibition at

Galaxy of Glass (showing now until August 26th, 2007)
THE ART CENTER at FALLBROOK
102 South Main
Fallbrook, CA
info: 760-728-1414

For further information about Lynn and her beautiful work, please visit her web site her web site .






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CALL FOR ART - (The deadline is rapidly approaching, folks!)

DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2008
The May Day Show

NoneSuch Space is looking for original works inspired by or commenting on the traditions and meanings of May Day (May 1st), either in its modern celebration of Labor and the struggles of the working class and/or its historic celebration of the ancient Celtic and Saxon Sun god Beltane and later manifestations of goddesses and gods of hunting and agriculture. We are accepting works in all mediums, 2-D and 3-D, made by traditional and experimental styles; including painting and drawing, sculpture, photography, clay, jewelry, mixed media, video, and small installations. All interested artists 18 years and older and residents of the USA are encouraged to apply.
NoneSuch Space
2865 Broadway, Suite #2
Oakland, California
94611-5708

tel: 510-625-1600
fax: 510-625-1612
nonesuch@paragon-media.org

http://www.nonesuchspace.com/

Tiona Marco - What Color Crayon Are You?

What color crayon are you?
Click here to find out.





This entry is about Crayola artist, Tiona Marco, formerly known as Christina Nelson. Yes...you read that right...CRAYOLA artist...as in the same crayons you used back in elementary school. Working with only Crayola Crayons and construction paper, Tiona creates these amazing images in contemporary realism.

Another Sunny Day

In 2006, after completing a B.S. degree at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Tiona traveled to Guadalajara to teach English and art to children in elementary school. Because she didn't know what resources would be available to her at the school, before she left she thought to stuff her suitcase with hundreds of Crayola Crayons...and it was a good thing she did! Upon arrival, she was informed by school authorities that the children were responsible for their own art supplies. It was then, faced with limited resources as well as the strong desire to continue creating her own work that Tiona asked herself, "Can I create fine art with crayola crayons?" I think the answer is pretty obvious.
Short Stack

Just when she began to believe she had pushed the Crayola medium as far as she could, Tiona met Don Marco, a retired air traffic controller who is considered by many to be the master-of-all-masters of Crayola artists.
Don Marco
Don Marco's artwork can be viewed HERE

Tiona was impressed and excited to meet an artist who had done so much with this simple and commonplace medium. She apprenticed under Don for a year, and then opened up her own art studio in the spring of 2007.

Ripe Apple

In homage to her hero and art teacher, Christina Nelson changed her name to, "Tiona Marco" to honor Don Marco for his time, dedication and patience in teaching her the skill that she subsequently honed into a master-level endeavor.

See a video clip of Tiona with Don Marco HERE.


Old Toothbrushes

Small, Medium and Large

To see more of Tiona Marco's unique Crayola art, please CLICK HERE to go to her web site.

How do you spell Graffiti? A-R-T-C-R-I-M-E

Have a Heart - Sidewalk graffiti
When we lived in Western Massachusetts, we often took the train from Amherst into Boston or New York City. The trains were nice, the Berkshire scenery stunning and we always had a good time. I noted early on that a sign we were leaving the countryside to enter urbana would be when I began to see graffiti tags. They would begin small with maybe a word or some random letters and then grow in magnitude and quantity until the sides of the cement retaining walls would be covered in complex renegade art work as we pulled into the station. Sometimes the train cars themselves would be tagged. Most of the New Englanders that I knew hated it. They referred to it as "Art Crime" and didn't consider it to be "real art" decrying its aspects of illegality, incoherence, and nonstandard presentation. However, I enjoy it and believe that it speaks a real subversive cultural message from the streets.

Graffiti is the plural form of the Italian word grafficar. We know about legendary graffiti artists such as Basquiat, who tagged his creations with "SAMO" and whose works were collected by the likes of Andy Warhol and Julian Schnabel... and today, the elusive Banksy from London, whose highly sought-after work is the rage in cities around the world. Serious graffiti artists such as these have helped redefine creativity altogether in an urban context. (If you are an email subscriber to this blog, you'll want to return to the web site to see the video above about Banksy.)

It's hard to know whether this stencil graffiti in my former Oakland neighborhood was made by Banksy or by a Banksy-wannabe:


There are various forms of graffiti. One of the simplest forms is that of individual markings such as slogans, slurs, or political statements. Examples of this type of graffiti commonly are found in bathrooms or on exterior surfaces, and this graffiti is usually handwritten. Another simple form is that of the tag which is a fancy, scribble-like writing of one's name or nick-name. That is, tag signifies one's name or nick-name.Whenever I have my camera with me, I take shots of interesting graffiti that I see here in the San Francisco area:
San Francisco of HWY. 80W

The origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human, societal living. Graffiti has been found on ancient, Egyptian monuments, and on the walls of ruins in Pompeii. In plural, grafficar signifies drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Grafficar also signifies "to scratch" in reference to different wall writings ranging from "cave paintings", bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In reference to present day graffiti, the definition is qualified by adding that graffiti is also any unsolicited marking on a private or public property that is usually considered to be vandalism.

Here are some of my more recent graffiti photographs. (Click images to enlarge:
Oakland, California

Railroad Car

Railroad Car II.

Oakland Railroad Yard

I am currently working on a series of Giclée prints that incorporate elements of my digitally enhanced graffiti photography. Interested parties may leave a comment here and I will get back with you via email regarding pricing and shipping options. (Your comment will remain unpublished.) These are the limited edition prints that are now available in a 13" x 19" format printed on archival quality paper with archival inks with prices beginning at $50:

City Shark

Classified Information

Frenetic
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IN OTHER NEWS....


This is my latest mixed media mosaic.
Parapets and Battlements










Photography by Stacy Alexander
copyright 2008
All Rights Reserved

Laurie Mika - Expressive Mosaics...and everything else!

Last night, when art goddess, Laurie Mika, told me that she lived very near where I will soon be moving, I thought to myself, "Woo hooo! Easy access to eye candy!" I'll be calling her whenever I need a fix. I love her work! She performs real magic with polymer clay and other media turning it into artful juxtapositions between old and new...order and complexity ...with a look that is unmistakably Laurie.

Art Goddess


Adoration

Laurie Mika's work doesn't stop with just mosaics. This artist is as diverse as she is creative. She is currently on board with a number of collaborative projects that involve painting and collage without mosaics. She paints banners. She creates art furniture. Is there anything this artist cannot do? I'm not the only person who stops drop-jawed, dead in her tracks every time she sees a Laurie Mika work of art. There are plans for her artful endeavors to appear in four or five books within the next year or so and if you find *that* exciting, get a load of this! Laurie will soon be teaching workshop in Tuscany... and there are still openings! It will be held in Cortona (Think, "Under the Tuscan Sun") on September 20-27 and will be a collaborative workshop team taught by Laurie and her art-partner-in-crime, Lynn Leahy who does reverse glass painting. The name of the workshop is Mixed Media Mosaics: Window to the World. Participants will be working on a Mosaic Icon, the focal point of which will be a piece of glass that will be painted and collaged, etc. (ie, the "window") The workshop will include a day trip to Florence to visit the Uffizi Gallery and other fun activities. Pricing, itinerary and registration forms can be found at the Toscana Americana website HERE Oh...and wine will be flowing along with the creativity!!! Packed yet??
Renaissance Banner
Laurie Mika table

Although a worldwide traveler, Laurie has spent the majority of her life in Southern California.
Laurie Mika

She earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya in the early 70's, then went on to a graduate level Art History program at San Diego State University. During this time, Laurie worked in the Gallery at Bazaar Del Mundo in Old Town, San Diego. This work experience along with her education and extensive travels to places such as India, Nepal, China, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Europe, Mexico and South America have all informed the ethnic influences seen in her work today.

Heart in Hand


Laurie began making commissioned paintings in the mid-1970's. Since then her work has progressed toward embellishing a variety of different surfaces contained within her trademark geometric sensibility. The work that has caused such a stir among a lot of my own artist friends (such as Enchy in Washington State, who took one of Laurie's Art Fest workshops), is the eclectic approach Laurie takes with her own unique handmade tiles. She combines these in mosaics treatments that include beads, and jewelry to create the contemporary icon pieces that I've just shown you. They perfectly exemplify Laurie's interests in Byzantine art, Illuminated Manuscripts and Mexican folk art.

Aside from the many paintings and pieces of furniture that have been privately commissioned, Laurie's work has been featured at Trios Gallery in Solana Beach, Carlsbad Village Faire Gallery in Carlsbad and the Next Door Gallery in San Diego. She has also participated in many group shows including Designer's Workshop, Designer's Showcase, Carmel Valley Artists, Artwear, Artisans Del Mar, Talmadge Art Show, Art in the Burbs, Artwalk, and The Society of American Mosaic Artists show, Earth Elements, in Miami, Florida. At this time, she is participating in an annual show, Dia de los Muertos, at The Next Door Gallery and at The ArtBar in Santa Ana, California.

I happen to own a copy of her great instructional book, Mixed-Media Mosaics: Techniques and Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishments which is offered on Amazon.com

She is also published in the premier issue of Expressions magazine, 400 Polymer Clay Designs, a Lark book and in New Techniques for Wearable Art by Rice Freeman-Zachery, published by Rockport in 2004.

For more information about Laurie Mika, her upcoming workshops, current art for sale and photos, please visit her web site at Mika Arts...oh, and sign up for that Tuscany trip! I'm thinking of doing that myself. What fun!


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If you enjoy reading this blog and would like to be entered into a drawing each month to win a FREE piece of art by Stacy Alexander, please subscribe by entering your email address in the form to the right of this post. If you are already a subscriber, the video about Laurie Mika featured at the beginning of this post might not appear in your inbox. If you are unable to see it, please return to the blog web site at:Stacy Alexander- Listen to my Art Beat

Madeleine Boulesteix - Just my cup of tea!

click image to enlarge



I have written previously about how
wild for creative lighting installations I am... and anyone who knows me also knows that I love to re-purpose used materials to make my own art.... so when a friend forwarded me a link to Madeleine Boulesteix' awesome teacup chandeliers, I had to immediately write to ask permission to write about her work. These chandeliers are just my cup of tea ! She makes them out of discarded tea cups and other ephemera that she finds in local London thrift stores.


Having lost her brother, Toby and her long-time friend, Araba Mercer, to cancer, Madeline generously donates a percentage of her profits from sales of these incredible chandeliers to The Cancer Resource Centre in Battersea, South London, a small but vital charity that supports cancer sufferers, their families and friends.



Since she was a child, Madeleine has loved creating. Time spent in the Plymouth College of Art & Design and Goldsmith's College of Art, University of London (where contemporaries included one of my favorite artists, Damien Hirst) launched her on a journey that explored the creative disciplines of drawing, sculpture, photography and the study of textiles. She subsequently worked as a photographer, an art teacher and a theater prop maker. However, she found her greatest joy in creating these whimsical, yet beautiful, teacup chandeliers, a discovery made quite by accident after finding 40 facetted glass drops in a pile of rubbish.
Madeline Boulesteix
She wrote, "I was delighted to discover that people liked them and wanted to buy them, this enabled me to continue two favoured activities of collecting and constructing. It was never just about producing a product, I enjoy that I can blend making art that tickles people, pursue an ecological working practise and support charities all at once."



A member of Clerkenwell Green Association, Hidden Art and the Eco Design Network, Madeleine's work has been widely accepted across the globe. She has been featured in an impressively long list of international exhibitions. In 1999 she was included in Reclaimed, an exhibition exploring the use of recycled materials in contemporary British design. In 2002 she was commissioned by the British Council to make a chandelier for the British Council office in Brussels.


Madeleine says, "I usually start working with a really simple set of ideas, a colour combination, a shape, and the pieces I want to use but right from the beginning the objects develop their own character and I just follow. I find trifle moulds and crinkly pastry cutters very humorous. Toast racks are perhaps the most absurd - what better way to cool down your toast too quickly. Many of the objects I use have a very limited use in my kitchen but in my studio it's another story. Suddenly they have enormous potential. I have always admired inventiveness. I love the articulated toy cars that African and Indian children make. In the punk era a big zip could be used as a tie, an old kettle as a handbag, a bunch of safety pins a stunning brooch. Recycling was born from need but coupled with a human desire to create, reinvent and entertain. I like to think my work is part of this age-old tradition."


A full line of Madeleine's beautiful chandeliers, her commission work and unique jelly bowl lanterns can be found HERE

Berta Sergeant - Northwest Mosaics

Berta is a new acquaintance whom I am delighted to have met through a California mosaic group. I've just finished perusing photographs of her beautiful work and feel strongly that even though selling mosaics is a rather new endeavor for her, Berta is going to do very well.

This past January, she won the Mosaic Addict's monthly exhibition with her wonderful piece, Nassau House and she currently has works in progress for two galleries in Oregon.



Perhaps I was so instantly drawn to Berta’s work because she and I share a love for the Pacific Northwest. She says that her life and work are both influenced by this part of the United States, and since my heart still resides with my family in Portland and Seattle, I can understand why.

In the summer and fall of 2005, Berta worked with a group that was approximately one thousand volunteers strong to build a whopping ninety three foot mural in Toledo, Oregon. It turned out to be the largest mural in the entire Pacific Northwest. Named "A Street in Time", the Toledo Centennial Mosaic Mural was mounted on the concrete retaining wall next to City Hall at 206 N Main Street. More than 18,000 4-inch tiles were cut into strips and chipped into pieces and sorted by color. Through research into Toledo history, the “Street in Time” concept was developed spanning important elements of Toledo history and incorporating real folks who have lived or still live in town. What a great project!


Click image to enlarge


Berta was also a collaborative artist in the late Jean Destrade's years-long undertaking, "Concert d'éclats ", in Montpelier, France. The mural representing the cosmos, shows planets on a background of white dotted with ceramic fragments containing various stars, galaxies and other astronomical objects. The works submitted by participating international artists were round or disc shaped to represent the planets. Since I have a thing for spheres and round or circular objects, I was quick to notice that although her work comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes, a lot of it is represented in the curvilinear form:

Berta created this circular work using a tempered glass, shiny ephemera and acrylic paint:
Nautilus
Nautilus detail

Illustrating her skill in a variety of mosaic methods, this piece uses a more traditional approach:


This apoidea-themed mosaic is a burst of color made from precisely-cut stained glass:
Busy Bees

The logo for Berta's mosaic business is also in keeping with her propensity toward circular shapes:
Northwest Mosaics

Berta's work was featured in both the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Mosaic Yearbooks (available on CD). She is currently involved in a mosaic project to commemorate Australian wildlife conservationist and educator, Steve Irwin. Known as "mosaickid" on flickr, Berta has a plethora of lovely eye candy to behold! Take a look.

Berta is a proud member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists and is published in the Mosaic Atlas. You can read more about her on her business web site at: NORTHWEST MOSAICS


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On the home front....I have been working on more pieces using the crow images that I wrote about last week after having been visited by a white crow in a number of dreams. The image used in this mixed media piece is from a digitally enhanced photograph I took while we were visiting Southern California a few days ago.


Soul Alchemy Crow
9.5" x 13.5"
Mixed media on wood panel
Stacy Alexander
2008

The Black Crow is the beginning of the great work of soul alchemy. Since I lost a dear Uncle to a stroke this past week, I wanted to create a piece that spoke to his passing. The black crow indicates the initial stages of the alchemist's encounter with his inner space, through withdrawing from the outer world of the senses in meditation, and entering what is initially the dark inner world of the soul. Thus this stage is also described in alchemical texts as the blackening, the nigredo experience, and it is often pictured as a death process, as in the caput mortuum, the deaths head, or as some alchemical illustrations show, the alchemist dying within a flask. Thus in the symbol of the Black Crow we have the stepping out in consciousness from the world of the physical senses the restrictions that bind us to the physical body.

This piece was created using a variety of handmade papers which I applied to a wooden panel with gel medium. I then made two photo transfers from my own original, digitally enhanced photography and layered those with more paper, fabric and vintage photographs taken from a 80-something year old book. A glass gem was added and some hand cut Van Gogh glass tiles. The assemblage was unified with pink pearlized paint. It is for sale in my Etsy shop found on the right of this page.

Delaine Hackney - Mosaic Artist

Delaine Hackney


When my little dog died recently, Delaine was the first person I called. Her tender heart and love of animals are only two of the things that endear her to me as the closest friend I have in the Bay Area. Couple these qualities with her unique talent for capturing the personalities (doganalities? catanalities? ) of animals through her whimsical mosaic pet portraits and you get the real deal. Genuine in spirit and talent, I am fortunate to know Delaine. It pleases me to be able to share her work with you here.

Delaine and her husband, Fred, are seldom seen without their constant companion, Ichiban. One would have to search far and wide to find a dog who is shown more love and attention than this happy fellow.



Delaine loves the color green. She has captured Ichiban’s dogalicious personality perfectly in this beautiful mosaic portrait created in shades of her signature color:



She has a unique way of looking past the exterior appearance of an animal and straight into its heart to really capture characteristics of that particular animal. This distinguishs her mosaic work from all others. Delaine definitely has her own style.




A real strong point of Delaine’s talent is her ability to choose the perfect materials to convey the animals’ demeanors and expressions. Check out the eyes on this one!




People seek Delaine’s work as a means to preserve a lasting memento of their beloved animal companions that will endure for a lifetime.




In addition to being a portrait artist, Delaine is also a muralist. The Bay Area is fortunate to be experiencing a growing number of her beautiful murals that are unparalleled in their distinctive, free-flowing style. Her craftmanship is excellent without ending up with the more static results that you see so much in other murals.

Bay Street Mall project



Delaine's contact information is available on her web site at: Delaine Mosaic. She is accepting commissions and her rates are very reasonable. She has a vivid artistic imagination and is sure to create a mosaic that will delight your senses and make you smile.


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Star Fishing

I've just returned from a beautiful and romantic vacation in Southern California that was full of art and nature and hope and happiness. It was good to get away and back into nature for awhile to rest, recharge and be inspired for art making in the months to come.

Before I go any further, I want to share a little video that I made this past Saturday of wildlife along the La Jolla coastline. The natural textures that one finds in nature can serve to inspire backgrounds and patterns for a plethora of mixed media work. Note the incredible art patterns on the backs of the seal pups and the different shapes and textures of the rocks. Look at the contrasting colors inherent in the barnacles and muscles that are scattered about on the rocks. Note the subtle hues in the squirrel's fur and in the sand piper's feathers.



While in La Jolla, we paid a visit to the stunning La Jolla Museum of Contemporary art that overlooks the Pacific Coast.
View from the rear of the museum


An Andy Goldsworthy egg greeted us as we entered the property...(I'm a follower and fan of Goldsworthy from way back...)
Andy Goldsworthy

...and a Nikki de St. Phalle Ganesh statue bid us good bye from the rear garden.


A real treat was Erwin Redl's, "MATRIX II". This was the premiere exhibition of the artist’s theatrical scale light-emitting diode artwork what has received so much fanfare of late. The exhibit consisted of a room-size work that offered viewers a space that seemed to recede in all directions, as if the walls were mirrored. Floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall, the room is filled with grids of phosphor green LEDs in an otherwise dark environment. The effect was a web of light that totally immersed viewers. I was fortunate enough to be the only person in the room walking through it when I did. I think the experience wouldn't have been as great as it was if others had also been walking through the space. Doing so felt so other-worldly...ethereal and peaceful.


One part of the exhibit that blew my mind was called, Soundwaves: The Art of Sampling". The exhibit looks at a specifically late 20th-century manifestation of the conjunction of art and sound, and featured artists such as Tim Bavington, Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, Sean Duffy, Julio Cesar Morales, Dario Robleto, and Steve Roden, who appropriate the musical process of sampling in their work, either through the incorporation of found sound or through visual and material references. Boursier-Mougenot laid out three big blue wading pools that had pumps connected to them that caused the water to have motion. She then positioned various shapes and sizes of dishes in the water that clanged and tinged and chimed as they moved about bumping into one another. It was brilliant, I tell you! An entire room of musical dishes. I loved it.
Celeste Boursier-Mougenot

I couldn't find a picture to show you of another favorite piece in this particular exhibit, but I can describe it. The artist assigned speficic colors to individual musical notes, then air brushed them in narrow stripes across rectangular boards. He painted Rolling Stones songs and Mozart and other artists and the results were awe inspiring, to say the least. If I could have, I would have bought them all up on the spot!


Please click on this link to visit The Soundwaves Exibition for more information.

Out back overlooking the garden, Los Angeles-based sculptor Nancy Rubins' sculpture on the west side of the building. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Pleasure Point is an accumulation of rowboats, canoes, jet skis, and surfboards that shoot out in every direction. Attached to the roof of the Museum and cantilevered above the heads of viewers, Rubins' gravity-defying sculpture is held together under tension through welds and wire.

Pleasure Point

In the studio here...all of this inspiration from Southern California...the art, being out in nature, the incredible coastline...lead me toward creating a new series of digital photographs that honor that environment and the time I spent there. Here are three pieces from this new collection that I will be using in my mixed media work:





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