A Tour Through

My friend and talented colleague, Liz Zunon, invited me to a blog tour, which I am very excited to hop on... It's wonderful to participate with the artistic/illustrative community in this way, and to be considered by my fellow artists. 

It has been quite a while since I have posted, mostly due to the fact that lately I have been spending my non-desk job hours creating new work, rather than going to markets this year.  In fact, I have only participated in one market/festival this summer--Troy River Fest.  I have found that refraining from doing markets limits the amount of time I have to be "on," in a sense, selling something (my desk job is very customer service oriented).  Not adding a sixth "on" day has greatly contributed to my ability to reserve energy and sanity.  I have also provided myself with self-evaluative time, to let the creative process work. 

I've been very interested in birds lately-- colors, meanings, songs... I have been noticing the cardinals flitting about, and am excited every time I hear a "pretty bird" warble in the distance, or see a glimpse of red flutter in the green.  I've begun a triptych, three 4"x4" wooden panels, each with a different bird of a primary color (yes, indeed, a cardinal is one), to create a complete piece about happiness, self-worth, and abundant creativity.  It is the most commercialized I've been able to make my artwork, and still maintain my convictions about the work I do.



So what are those convictions?  How is my work different than any other artist out there working in the field?  A lot of it has to do with the material I use.  I take fashion magazines like Glamour and Vogue, as well as pop gossip magazines like People and US Weekly, and cut them up to use their color and texture like paint.  By doing this, I differ from other artists in a few ways.  The first is that I choose these magazines for the very fact that they are exploitative-- not just of women, but of people.  They promote an idealized, consumerist, wasteful, over-sexualized approach to life, economics, and social interaction, that is devoid of love, connection, and humanity.  Some of this is through the articles, especially in the case of the gossip magazines, but most of this approach is conveyed through advertising.  So I cut it up and turn it into something else.  The second way I differ from other artists through my use of materials, is that many collage artists will reappropriate images in their work, which I do not do (although most illustrators who use collage do create their own images).  The third way I differ from other collage artists is the scale of the work and the exclusive use of magazine paper -- the tiny cuts, without paint or other media to layer or fit them together.

So what is it that I illustrate?  What is the new content of these colors and textures?  All of my artwork contains the four natural elements in some respect-- earth, air, fire and water.  This is the backdrop for all my work.  All of these elements exist in the world in which we live, all working together, and we can view this cooperation as a model for ourselves.  Although, like in the game rock, paper, scissors, one element could trump another in some way, this natural intertwining is not how the elements play.  Rather, new phenomena are created-- storms, smoke, creatures... and rather than any force winning, these phenomena add layers to our world.  The foreground of my work focuses on totem animals.  I cull meanings for animals from various Native American cultures, choosing the ones that best fit the piece and the meaning I want to convey (occasionally I will draw from other cultures, i.e., African, East Asian, when an animal I want to use is not native to the Americas).  Sometimes I will juxtapose two animals together, or have their meanings run alongside one another.  For example, in the piece "To Know Bounds," I wanted elements that represent not only relationships and the deepening of them, but also elements that work together to suggest an intuition about boundaries and knowing one's limits within a relationship-- when to move forward, to prod, and when to sit back and let things go on their own.  The moth and rabbit were perfect for this. 

Progression for Keeper of Secrets © 2013.

To create a piece, I first start with a sketch.  I use many reference photos before I get a sketch I'm really psyched about.  Then I start cutting.  First I go through magazine after magazine to form a little bank of colors and textures I want to use.  If I'm lucky, I may already have a pretty good bank from the last few pieces I've worked on.  Then I choose an element (usually the animal in the foreground) and start with the tiny cuts.  I paste them together with acrylic medium.  Once the animal elements are done, I start with the background.  This part is difficult.  If not done correctly, it can fall flat, or be too chaotic.  And oftentimes, the paper can get bubbly and crinkly, which doesn't lend itself well to reproductions, so those pieces don't get printed.  Once I've completed the piece, I go over the surface with an acrylic varnish, to protect the paper and keep all the little bits together.  Then I scan the piece into the computer, for later use in reproduction, and just to have a record of the work.

So... to further this blog tour, I invite you to take a look next week at the work of Ali Herrmann.  Although not an illustrator of books, she is another artist who is illustrating our world.

The Measure of the Artist

The question of artistic success is one that has plagued artists for centuries, and often weighs heavily on me as an artist.  I wonder whether what I'm doing makes a difference in the world, or whether the simple creation of a piece of art is valuable absent a monetary amount that someone is willing to pay for it.  Of course, pricing one's work is a whole other animal that is similarly problematic, and I recently faced this when I created a commissioned piece for a fellow Albany-dweller. 

We had spoken of the piece and I produced a rough sketch along with a discussion of the work's meaning, as well as a ballpark price.  Once I had completed the work, I realized it did not take me as long as I had projected, and, having used an hourly rate as a basis for pricing my work for a number of years now, I quoted a lower price.  My commissioner (and artistic supporter) immediately let me know how foolish this was, and told me to leave the hourly rate for my "survival job," stating that as far as the artistic work goes, if I can do it, I can, whether it takes me 15 minutes or 15 years.  Quite encouraging, I'd have to say. 

So back on to success -- certainly, having had a piece of art commissioned and sold, I felt momentarily more successful as an artist.  But does this mean that if several months pass from this point without another commission or original piece sold, that I will feel less successful?  Possibly.  Or will I feel successful as long as I am creating work?

In 2012 I completed two pieces.  For this, there were a number of factors.  In 2013, I created 12, one of which spanned three large canvas panels.  I figured that as long as I am creating one piece a month, with a full-time job that is unrelated to my artwork, I'm doing pretty well.   It is now March of the next year, and I have created three pieces, one of which I am not completely sure is finished.  This is my first experience of having to put a piece away in hopes to come back to it later with fresh and clearer perspective.  Does this mean I have reached the depths of what it is to be an artist?  Or does it mean I am working at too surface a level?  I don't know.  But I do know that in 2009, when I was not working full time, I created 20 pieces of art, and none were as sophisticated as the work I am doing now.

And I guess the biggest measure of personal success is really only individual feeling, anyway.  I just keep reminding myself: art is slow. 

And I do feel successful.

"The Time Is Almost", 4"x4", cut paper on wood panel

 

"Song Springs Devotion", 6"x6", cut paper on wood panel

Happenings

This past holiday time I ventured to Nantucket for my first encounter with this island... A beautiful place it is, magical and filled with delicious-smelling flowers and salty sea air. During my stay, I was pleased to have another summer moth encounter. This moth did not fly at my head, and was slightly smaller and more traditionally brown-colored, though not to mistake the brilliant orange when it opened its wings. Remark how you will upon that... And it has been quite a while since I have traveled on a boat, on the ocean, and never that I can recall with white-crested waves rippling on top of blue. Always it had been dirty brown. Without further detail, I experienced much for art inspiration. 

Tonight, I return to Albany, for 1st Friday art openings, and I hope you come out. I will still have work at Mingle, but I will also have artwork at The Cheese Traveler, and in the "Midsummer Night's Dream" show at Upstate Artists Guild. I'm excited for the shows.

Tomorrow morning I'll be back in Delmar, selling cards, prints and stickers at the Delmar Farmers Market, and I hope you'll join me in the sun.

Monday I turn 30.

New Collage - "Let the Spirit Take You"

I began my most recent piece in April.  I finished it last week.  Five months may seem like a long time, but sometimes art requires that an artist let a piece simmer while doing and experiencing other things.  In the last five months, much has happened.  Lessons have been learned.  Time has moved both quickly and slowly, things have been gained and lost, and hearts have been broken and mended.  This piece speaks to all of that.

The animal totems that appear in "Let the Spirit Take You" (2012) are hummingbird, tortoise, and dog (Golden Retriever).  The hummingbird is a symbol for accomplishing the impossible, and finding joy in all things.  The tortoise represents longevity, persistence, patience, slowing down enough to identify what's really important, and finding the abundance in simplicity.  The dog generally represents faithfulness and protection, and the ability to love.  The Golden Retriever in particular holds qualities of confidence, patience, friendliness and domesticity.

In this piece, all of these totems surround a woman.  She is relaxed, yet vulnerable.  And with vulnerability comes fear.  The hummingbirds are flying at her head, sort of kamikaze-style.  Perhaps they are trying to make most apparent that she can accomplish anything, and that she doesn't have to think about the how but rather just feel the joy of wherever the Spirit takes her.  The tortoise provides stability for her to recline, but it is in her face, talking to her, making a point.  Perhaps it is telling her to slow down and, again, not think so much, but rather watch, be patient, make it through.  The retriever is lying on her feet.  It doesn't worry.  It loves.

Recently I had a conversation with someone about the nature of love.  It is immutable, flexible, infinite, expandable, and unoppressive -- and solid.  Love isn't fleeting, contrary to what many may think.  Love allows us to break, and allows us to mend.  It helps us complete the cycles we experience throughout life.  Where would we be without it?  Likewise, Love's friends -- Patience and Persistence, among many -- are also our helpers.  They all work together to help us accomplish what we never thought possible.  And when we let them help us out, things like how and time -- well, how shows up, and time moves without us even realizing.  Perhaps that's part of the key -- don't think so much.  Let the Spirit take you.

"Let the Spirit Take You"
2012
paper and acrylic medium

Market Saturdays

Just a reminder - I'm at the Delmar Farmer's Market every Saturday morning, 9am-1pm, at Bethlehem Central Middle School.  I will be missing the next two weekends, but I will be back on September 22nd.  Please feel free to email me in the meantime about any artwork, prints, cards, sock monsters, or jewelry -- I can always arrange to meet you during the week for an exchange!

This past Saturday, three small butterflies flew in or through my tent -- two white ones, and the third one was brown.  Any hazards at a guess for the meaning on that series of encounters?

Below is an image from market.  Thanks so much to the customer who snapped this photo!

Yesterday's Market

So a few people have asked me how I did at market yesterday... every Saturday/Sunday I get this question. 

My answer for yesterday is:  "I don't even care about the money. I had a butterfly, a bumble bee and two honey bees fly into my tent!"

The bumble bee flew right toward my face, then up into the top of my tent.  I told it it needed to come back down in order to get out, and then I went about selling.  All of a sudden, it dropped itself onto the table with a bang, right in front of a customer, then flew out.  The honey bees came and went and buzzed around me like they always do.  The butterfly was yellow and black, just like the bees.  It flew right on in, and then got stuck between the top of the tent and one of the sidewalls.  It was missing one of its bottom wings, but after I helped it out of my tent, it just kept on going, like it never knew it was wounded.  

Now, that is a good day. 

Additionally, yesterday I had a meeting with my niece, who is collaborating with me to write the story for my children's book that I mentioned in a blog post a few months ago.  Slow moving, some things are... but they shall still get done.

Delmar Farmers Market

I'm surprised I haven't posted about this before, but you can find me at the Delmar Farmers Market every Saturday, tomorrow through the end of October (with the exception of August 4th and September 15th).

Tomorrow I'll have three new sock monsters... one is a cat monster!  Come check it out, and buy some veggies, fruit, eggs, meat, and... local and artisan cheeses from Eric at The Cheese Traveler!

Art on Lark

Come check out Art on Lark 2012 this Saturday, June 9th, 10am-5pm (tomorrow!).  There will be music, food, and of course, lots of art!  I'll be hawking my wares closer to Madison Ave, offering fine art prints, card prints, original artwork, handmade jewelry, hand sewn fabric bags, and, of course, sock monsters! 

I'm looking forward to the weather getting rain completely out of its system today so that tomorrow is bright and calm and balmy, with nonexistent wind action.  Let's see the power of positive thinking!

An Opportunity for Consciousness and Community

My grandmother (my dad's mother and my last surviving grandparent) passed away last Saturday, so my sister and I flew down to Florida for her funeral.  On the flight down (and after being frisked by the TSA for having done nothing at all -- is this breach of constitutional rights something we're going to continue to allow to normalize?), I was worried about missing three days of work, and my sister had to remind me that in a year I will not remember missing work at all, but will remember attending my grandmother's funeral, putting family first, and reconnecting with my dad's side of the family, who I hadn't seen in over twenty years.  She always has a nice way of putting things into perspective. 

Over a day and a half of spending time with and getting to know family I never got to, I learned that my cousins and I actually have a lot in common, and they're really kinda cool and my family is pretty fun (and funny).  Though I may be mourning the loss of family for a period of twenty years plus, I have the opportunity now to create meaningful relationships with my aunts, my cousins, and their children.

After my grandmother's funeral and internment at Bushnell National Cemetery an hour and a half away (the wake was the evening before), my sister and I went back to the hotel to rest and print our boarding passes for the next morning.  Arriving in the hotel lobby, we realized the printer was out of paper.  The desk manager, a mid-aged African-American man, came over to see what we were doing with the computers, and we asked him for more paper to print our boarding passes.  He brought us paper and recognized from our story--which we offered freely--that we were our father's daughters (he apparently had had conversations with our dad about the loss of his mother), and he offered his condolences.  After printing our boarding passes, my sister and I noticed the complimentary happy hour beer keg offering next to us in the lobby.  It seemed a sort of free-for-all; guests were approaching and pouring cups of beer for themselves, and returning two or three times over, in front of the concierge/desk manager.  My sister then approached to pour herself a glass (now, my sister is six and half years older than I am, and I am nearly twenty-nine, and though we may look younger than we are, we both certainly look older than twenty), at which time the desk manager asked my sister for ID.  Who brings their ID with them from their room to the lobby to print boarding passes?  There was no signage near the keg saying the hotel would card anyone who looked under thirty, and my sister doesn't look under thirty in any event.  No one else was being carded.  So while all the other guests can freely pour themselves glass after glass of beer, my sister has to trek back to her room to get ID for a man who is participating in the perpetuation of three oppressions: adultism (agism), sexism and racism.  Not to mention the fact that he left the desk and keg area for upwards of ten minutes while a child's high school graduation party was going on in a conference room twenty feet from the then unattended keg.  Priorities?  My sister was very upset, and I offered her the suggestion that she stand up for herself and let him know just what he did, how it affected her, and how it will affect other people.  We went to the room and got our IDs, then headed back to the lobby.  We waited patiently until the desk manager was free, and my sister approached the desk.  She placed her ID on the desk and said to the manager, "now you know what a 35-year-old woman looks like."  He tried to explain himself away, saying that he had to card anyone who looked around thirty or younger (which he had not, for any of the near-thrirty men in the lobby), and that she should take it as a compliment that she looks young.  She responded that it is not a compliment, and that she would be filing a formal complaint for discrimination.  It is discrimination when an unidentified rule is applied to only certain people because of the way they look.  And I will have every reader know that a woman being told she looks young, particularly when she is being condescended to, is not a compliment.  Nor should I be pleased when whistled at or catcalled "because he thinks [I'm] hot" (and whistling -- really?  I am a human, not a dog).  We women all have the ability to stand up for ourselves, and all men can take the opportunity to be conscious of events like these and end oppression in its tracks.

After my sister took her stand, we walked out of the hotel lobby and proceeded to the bar/restaurant across the street.  My sister and I had been having a relatively blithe conversation at the bar, and after my father awoke from his nap at the hotel, he joined us.  After a little while, one of the hostesses, a lovely Dominican woman, approached me at the bar.  She told me that a customer had offered her coworker two dollars to go up to me and slap me on the back.  To preface this, I was still recovering from a bright red sunburn I had received from working hard in my garden four days before, and it was visible above the backline of my funereal sundress.  Who offers someone two dollars to do something cruel to someone else, something that would clearly hurt, and because it would hurt?  Not to mention the sexism that plays in -- the assumption that because I'm blonde, young and pretty, and wearing a sundress, that I would be stupid and lay out in the sun or play in the sun without sunblock, allowing myself to get badly burned, ha ha ha... (insert seething sarcasm).  My first instinct was to ask the hostess where that customer was so I could go up to him (I not incorrectly assumed it was a he) and slap him on the back for free.  The hostess tried to explain away the comment of the customer who had at that point left the restaurant, saying he was just trying to be funny and didn't really mean it.  I told the hostess that I wish I'd gotten my sunburn from laying out on the beach having a nice vacation in Florida, but that my grandmother had passed away and there was no vacation here at all, that I received my sunburn working in my garden in New York.  She immediately felt sorry and perhaps partially responsible for the customer's behavior, because she stopped trying to explain his behavior away and became rather apologetic.  Rather than letting it go and instead opening myself up with the story of my grandmother, the hostess changed demeanor and in turn opened herself up for sharing of her story.  She remembered losing her grandfather two years before, and spoke of her feelings for her grandfather and what that memory was like, as well as other memories.  Her perspective on the situation had changed, and and the three of us (my sister, the hostess and I) made a connection in that moment, so much so that my father (who is severely hard of hearing) thought that we had known each other from some time before.  Taking something really wrong and turning it around, allowing oneself to be vulnerable for a time while standing firm with what is right and true and human, gives us the opportunity to create real connection and closeness with another person -- to foster consciousness and create community.  I believe that something changed for that hostess because of our interaction.  It certainly made a difference for my sister and me.

So I guess my grandmother continues to help to take care of us and bring us together, and be a good person, even in her death.