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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 13

I have been listening to the book "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. It is the story of her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe and their evolution as artists (Thanks for the loan M.B.!). I listen on my daily drive to my son's school to make that time more valuable. It has been a tremendous help for me to see behind the curtain of fame and learn what their process and struggles were as young, undiscovered artists. It makes me understand how an artist must create regardless of sales or recognition, and that success only comes after much hard work and the luck of being in the right "circles". I don't think I'm in the right "circle" out here in suburbia, more like a square. I try to remind myself that true success is being able to share my work — to have someone see it, read it, and react to it. Without that, I am in solitary confinement.

I identified with their need to be eclectic with their art. I always saw that as a fault of mine, I like to dabble in many different creative projects instead of staying focused on just one, but they were the same. Robert Mapplethorpe used to weave necklaces. I ventured off into embroidery this week using a Hair-Raising Thought I transferred onto linen. 

And then I played with various transfer/collage techniques to develop ideas for The Face Book project. I don't know where I am heading with this, but experimenting (aka: making mistakes) is the only way to reveal which way the compass points.

Barrette Girl has a passion for reading, but not returning her library books, so I purchased old library checkout cards to create a background for her. I photographed them and then created a double-layered transfer. Not quite working yet. Need to keep experimenting to find my way.

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 12

Overdue

I took a week off from blogging so that I could clean my house and get ready to have family over for Easter. Ya miss me? Wait. Don't answer that. 

Reflecting on the last two weeks, I realize I don't have much to show, but I can tell you two things. The character descriptions of Barrette Girl and Duke (See entry 10 & 11) have led me to write a full blown love story which may result in a handmade story book. I can't share that yet because it's in the incubator stage. It needs to gain some weight, but stay tuned. 

The other news is that Barrette Girl and my Pretty Pigeon photograph are on display at The White Weathered Barn in Greenport. I am thrilled to have my work officially out in the world. A validation like that is worth a million bucks to me. (Shout out to Rena!)It's the coolest store. I highly suggest you check it out and then have lunch at the Blue Canoe as you watch the Shelter Island Ferry go back and forth. I wish I were there now.

But enough daydreaming. My reality is I sit in a fuzzy bathrobe bathed in the light of my mac. Other than writing, it's been a lean time for my visual art, and I am very frustrated with that. Time. Time. Time. It slips through my fingers as I put a chicken in the oven and do the 5th load of laundry. My work occurs in between the moments of my life. Otherwise, it doesn't happen. And some weeks, like this week, it is just a few sketches knocked out while drinking a cup of coffee.

Before Coffee

  Tattooed with Truth

 Pushy Lady Shopping Next to Me

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 11

Laundry Prison
Instead of fluff and fold, I feel fluff and old.
Living more the life of a maid than an artist lately, but I do love to have a homey home for my family.
Always trying to figure out how to strike that balance.

Being Mom.
Standing nervously at a closed door, straining to hear my son's NYSSMA performance—I become a living, breathing stereotype. After weeks of driving to lessons and ordering extra strings and the right sheet music, I believe I earned the right, thank you very much.

All a Glow

After the meter was turned off on my Mom Taxi, I decided to "fill the well", as they say, and wander through Anthropologie. Love this display of dried oranges and lemons. I'm eager to try this myself. So beautiful!

So what's that you say? 
Oh, right. I'm supposed to be sharing art. Right, right. Well after a delightful routine mammogram and food shopping, I have returned to my studio 
(really just a corner of a room, but let's ignore that fact.)

Experiments in Framing
Playing around with framing up Barrette Girl and the shot of last week's pretty pigeon. Just waiting on more prints to arrive tomorrow and I will add them to the mix.

My work on "The Face Book" continues.
I have continued dreaming up the lives of Duke and Barrette Girl as they meet working at MaxMart. (Ya know, the big box store with the tagline, "GO TO THE MAX!")
I now introduce intimate details from the life of 
Duke Francis Stein:

The Incarnation of Duke Francis Stein

Duke’s mother, Margaret Stein, died when Duke was eight. He often visited her grave where he would refer to her as Regret Stein, an inside joke with himself. His attempt at making light of all their lost opportunities. It wasn’t enough to fade the sadness tattooed in his eyes. He lived with his Aunt Lu, a chain-smoker with a passion for reality TV. He prefered to be alone, but lived a textured inner life. A poet clothed in a cashiers smock, he scratched out spontaneous phrases on the back of forgotten MaxMart receipts, and thrust them into his pocket to be smoothed out later that evening. A book housing backward receipts could be found on his bedroom floor, the binding cracked from the added burden of paper and tape.

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 10

SuperSize It!

My husband keeps encouraging me to work large scale. So I am going for it, even though my studio is quite, shall we say, petite. I created a 16"x20" Duke canvas and now I'll be going up to 3'x4'. Exciting!

I've been living with Duke and Barrette Girl trying to get to know them, reproducing their images using different materials and techniques. I had fun playing with a new transfer technique a fellow artist shared with me(thanks Iwonka!). An artist with a new technique is like a kid in a candy shop. I transferred onto bristol board and linen and even enjoyed my mistakes 

(see smear below).

And then my art had to wait. 

Life took over.

Mom needed TLC and it was important to spend time with her. I visited a new friend — a prominent artist who relocated from Ohio. 

So much fun to visit a REAL art studio.

(Ah. Someday…)

Then off to visit a friend recovering from surgery — after my own oral surgery! All the while keeping a teen boy fed and taxied to several destinations.

And my art waited.

I often turn to observe nature to calm my nerves. I have been hearing the sad call of the owl pigeon as spring nudges itself back in. The hoo hoo of this bird brings me back to my childhood. I searched for it out my window, and as if it knew, it landed on my porch and stayed for over an hour during an April snow shower one morning.

A few days later, I hear the hoo hoo again. It sounds very close this time. I turn to look out my bedroom window and there is the pretty little pigeon once again.

 

 

According to my Animal Spirit Guide, pigeons are a symbolic reminder to honor homelife and family. I find this to be a comforting thought.

And finally I return to my art.

Duke and Barrette Girl have been living in my head all the while and their personalities are starting to come into my consciousness. Along with the large canvases and hanging book art I plan to make, I'm thinking a story book may also be in order. So I have started down that path with much enthusiasm. It will be called The Face Book and will bring to life these little faces that were born on the pages of my journal and sketch book.

Here is a sampling of the 

character development for Barette Girl:

 The Incarnation of Barrette Girl

Barrette Girl had worked in the Stagnantville Memorial Libray for two months until she was fired for reading behind the stacks. Moby Randolph had complained after juggling a line of cranky suburbanites at the circulation desk. She took the job at MaxMart to begin to payback the late fees piling up from all her overdue books. Her red uniform top had two pin holes where her name tag used to be. She was not quick to share her real name and nobody thought to ask. Just another new cashier eating a vending machine muffin in the break room. They simply referred to her as Barrette Girl, and she was content to keep their attention focused on her iconic hair accessory.

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 9

This week, I continued getting to know Duke. I did a small study of him. Since he is my "Frankenstein", I pieced him together using 100% cotton paper on canvas. I wanted him to look like a graffiti sticker left out in the rain. I then discovered that his full name is Duke Francis Stein. (Get it?)








He has trouble getting up in the morning.

And has to wear glasses while driving, but he doesn't like to dwell on that.

I then got sidetracked, much like a dog chasing a squirrel. 

I started experimenting with a paper chain I made months ago from old book pages.

And speaking of dogs, I procrastinated further by making quick sketch of a dog walker I spotted on my street. I just loved the matching outfits!

I need to return to Duke now, and Barrette Girl. She seems like a tough character to get to know.

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paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 8

 And now I introduce Duke.

After feeling down from last weeks painting endeavor, I conversed with a few friends—a tiny community of artists existing in the netherlands of suburbia. Coffee and words. I returned inspired and ready to leave Umbrella Lady in limbo.

I decided to revisit my Duke sketch. There is something in the expression of his face that keeps me coming back to him. Exhaustion, compassion, disappointment, hope. Everything I feel at mid life. 

He is my Frankenstein. I pieced him together and brought him to life.I enlarged him 600%. Not easy in a tiny studio with an 8.5x11 printer. But i wont' let that stop me. 

He's ALIVE! He's ALLLIVE!

My husband finds his presence creepy during his 3am walk to the bathroom, but "I've grown accustomed to his face". 

Enter Barrette Girl.Every Frankenstein needs a bride. She's only a mere 200%, but I have faith that she will "grow" on him.

P  R  O  J  E  C  T     N O. 3 

paintings & procrastinations

ENTRY 7

And the painting begins! 
Spent all day Tuesday painting. I had planned on doing a whole painting series based on vintage photos. What do they say God does when you make a plan? Oh right, HE LAUGHS! 

Things started out okay...

Started with my Umbrella Lady
(circa 1910, I guess).

I should have stopped here. 

This is far more interesting, but I kept painting.

 
Somethings not right. 
This looks like a faded print you would see hanging in a Best Western.
 I was going for a monochromatic look and it turned all pastelly on me. Reminds me of a couch I bought in '92.
Let me tone it down and take away the background.


Now she looks like a giesha girl lost in the fog. Maybe I should have cropped it differently. Like this? 

 

But that means starting all over again.

Several hours of painting and nothing to show for it. "It's all about the process," right. Who came up with that? 
I'd like to kick them in the stomach right now.