You're Invited...

The new Washington County Museum gallery in the Hillsboro Civic Center is exhibiting Faculty and Staff work from the Focus on Book Arts conference.  The exhibit preview is Tuesday May 7th from 5 to 7 p.m.  Three of my works, Caution Hot Beverage, Dark River of Stars, and Undivided Texts, are in the exhibit.  The exhibit runs through June 2nd. 

Another of my works, Dinner with Friends, is in the 23 Sandy Gallery exhibit Feast!  The opening reception is Friday May 10th starting at 6 p.m. 

I hope you'll stop by to see one of these book arts exhibits. 

Playing with Gelatin Monoprinting

I was inspired to try gelatin monoprinting while at the March PAC meeting.  Diiane shared many pieces she had recently done.  I googled and read up on it and thought it would fit in nicely with my art style. My next 2 days off were spent playing with it. I have a frozen one in the freezer to try on Sunday! I am amazed that the gelatin is lasting so long just sitting on my garage studio table.

What to do with these backgrounds? Well of course make original cards! I tried using embossing with them and it works nicely. More ideas are percolating.

A Birth Painting for a Friend

EACH MOMENT A WHITE BULL STEPS SHINING INTO THE WORLD


                              by Jane Hirschfield




If the gods bring to you

a strange and frightening creature,

accept the gift

as if it were one you had chosen.



Say the accustomed prayers,

oil the hooves well,

caress the small ears with praise.



Have the new halter of woven silver

embedded with jewels.

Spare no expense, pay what is asked,

when a gift arrives from the sea.



Treat it as you yourself

would be treated, brought speechless and naked

into the court of a king.



And when the request finally comes,

do not hesitate even an instant –



stroke the white throat,

the heavy, trembling dewlaps

you’d come to believe were yours,

and plunge in the knife.



Not once

did you enter the pasture

without pause,

without yourself trembling,

that you came to love it, that was the gift.



Let the envious gods take back what they can.





I decided to do these pieces for my friend, Ed. In January of 2011, he visited me. He had just been diagnosed with throat cancer. Late one night he brought out a book of poetry and read this poem to me. It made tears come to my eyes as I grasped the meaning of the poem. I have revisited it many times since and each time I have come away with a new meaning. In October, 2012 he pushed me to let him go and I agreed. I "plunged the knife." During the time I've known him, he regularly told me that I was never out of his life even though I was not with him physically. I want him to know that I have come to believe this. He hasn't been out of my life since I met him. No one can take him away from me--not even him. He is still here and I will always love him. He touched me in so many ways and I have grown from that experience. "That you came to love it, that was the gift."

Thank you, Ed.

Beneath the Surface: Searching For Memory at Guardino Gallery

Portland Art Collective member Dayna J. Collins currently has a solo show at Guardino Gallery in the Feature Area entitled, Beneath the Surface: Searching For Memory. Dayna's artist statement for the show summarizes what the show represents:

Dayna works in layers -plaster, texture, oil paint, words, cold wax, edges, scritches, and scratches. She builds up a surface, then tears a portion away, never revealing all of what came before. Memory works the same way, we add to it, leave bits behind, create new stories, neglect small details. But what happens when we begin to lose our memory? How do we reclaim the past? Dayna invites you on an archaeological dig, searching through the layers, revealing color, texture, and what came before. Look closely and you'll see word fragments and decomposing texture. Dayna intentionally utilizes the concept of pentimento, where traces and shadows of earlier layers of paintings are revealed.

The show runs through March 24th. Here is a sampling of the 30 pieces hanging in the show:

 

Jill Badonsky: Muse to the Muses

I love learning new techniques for creating books and jewelry.  But I am even more intrigued by the creative process itself.  Over the years I've become certified in specialized coaching for creative types called Kaizen-Muse Coaching.  KMC helps to skirt creative blocks and overcome feelings of overwhelm.

I've also certified as a facilitator for Muse Groups.  These wonderful 'parlors' include a series of practical workshops to explore various facets of your creative process.

"And who is the genius behind all this wisdom?", you may ask.  Her name is Jill Badonsky.

Jill is the author of The Nine Modern-Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) and The Awe-manac.   Each of these books is filled with actionable ideas to help you express and enjoy your goddess-given creativity.  And, now, Jill has released her newest book, The Muse is In: An Owner's Manual to Your Creativity.

 
To celebrate, I invited Jill to an interview at my site, Third Thought.

We had a swell interview and I encourage you to visit and read her enlightening responses.  Plus, if you leave a comment at blog interview, you'll automatically be entered into our contest to win a free copy of Jill's new book!

Moon Garden

I've been working on a series of fiber pieces and finished piece #1.  It's titled "Moon Garden"and is 9"x34".

Besides a few handpainted bits, it's made entirely out of scraps I scrounged--old sari fabrics and scraps left behind at a quilting store.  Nothing makes me happier than making something for nothing!

I began this piece in a workshop with Sue Benner.  She is a fabulous teacher and artist, and I was inspired to try her technique of working with fusible web to create the spontaneous, painterly look I was after.  I ran into some challenges by trying to incorporate soft, frayed edges and handstitching along with the fusibles, but I like the effect, so will continue to experiment along those lines.

Warning: Assembly Required

An excerpt from the article in Salem Weekly by Helen Nute Wiens

I doubt that Aristotle had assemblage art in mind when he stated, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  However, the adage couldn’t better describe the art of up-cycled and found objects.
Looking at individual pieces, the found objects from treasure hunts – a wing nut, a jar of railroad nails, an old thermometer – are interesting no doubt, but rather meaningless on their own.  Mixing, matching, and moving the pieces until it feels right.  The objects become unified – meaningful.

Five accomplished northwest assemblage artists have come together in an exhibit entitled, “Sacred Scraps.”  Tory Brokenshire, Stephanie Brockway, Shelly Caldwell, Jennifer Campbell, and Dayna Collins have created more than a gallery showing of their work, but an exhibit that will take the viewer through the process of creating assemblage art.  You will find jars displaying raw materials, clay, metal, tools they use, books that inspire them, and unique finished pieces of art – all incorporated into the display.  Artwork will not be for sale through this exhibit, rather it is about the process of how assemblage art is created.  The goal of this show, says Dayna Collins, is to “share the love of creating and showing people how what some consider junk can become beautiful pieces of art.”

The exhibit runs February 1-28, with an opening reception on Friday, February 1, 4:30-6:30pm in the Hatfield Library on the Willamette University campus. For more information check out
www.sacred-scraps.com

If you would like to read Helen’s article please follow this link http://www.willamettelive.com/2013/arts-entertainment/sacred-scraps-art-highlights-for-11013-12313/

Please join us Friday for the reception- you will enjoy demos, participate in several drawings for art and assemblage materials, light hors d’oeuvres and plenty of conversations with the five artists- we would love to see you!

 

 

 

 

 

FOBA workshop schedule posted

The 2013 Focus on Book Arts conference will be held at Pacific University in Forest Grove from June 25 to June 30, 2013. 

Please check our website at www.focusonbookarts.org for workshop, instructor, financial, and associated activity information. 

We hope to see you there.

Collages up at Starbucks

Eight of my pieces are on display at:

Starbucks

12700 SW North Dakota

Tigard, Oregon 97223

This location is on Scholls Ferry Rd at North Dakota and 125th in Tigard