Really Close, Jack and the April Edmonds Art Walk

Jack
encaustic and oil on birch 24 x 60

Its close.  Really close.  Closer than I would like, actually.  Its been a long way away - but now its here.
Just a few more days - on Monday... its all different.

The walls in my home will be empty of my artwork.  All the paintings I have are going to hang in a public space for the month of April.  There are 30 total - I count them almost every day, in hopes that while I slept - they multiplied like rabbits and there would be more.  Many are small, a few are big and Jack here is by far the biggest.   Its my first solo event - my first event.

The paintings will be on display and part of an evening art walk on April 18.  I've been working hard and long hours in the studio to be ready.  Its a proud and scary moment all at the same time.  Am I really ready?  Could I use more time?  The closer the event, the less time... the less time, the harder it gets to bring something to completion.   I've come to realize that really, you can't rush art.  You can't.  The more I try to get things done - the harder and farther away I am from where I want to be.  Its like running backwards from the finish line.  Thankfully, I've come to understand the fickle thing we call art and I am able to take a breath, take a step back and let it go.  It is what it is - I have what I have and its just how it should be.  I have 5 that are in various stages of completion...  maybe they will make the event or maybe they won't.  But, there is no need for me to be anything other than grateful that I am doing what I love to do.  Maybe these last 5 will surprise me and come together in the end. (fingers crossed)

If you live in the Seattle area - come by on Thursday, April 18.  8 Bells Winery and I will be together at the Coldwell Banker Bain office in downtown Edmonds.  We'll be sharing our art with friends - they will share their beautiful handcrafted wine and I will share my wax art.   Stop in for the Edmonds Art Walk night 5-8PM, its free and you are invited.  The artwork will be hanging for the entire month at CBB office, so if you can't make the art walk - drop by anytime during office hours and visit Jack. 

New, Magic Nuggets and Processing Information

encaustic on birch 16 x 16

Sometimes, it takes a while to process information.  I"m there, I'm in the moment, I hear, I see, yet... it takes a while to internalize something and have it actually take hold.  Have you ever experienced that?
That's how I felt in my Faces in Wax class from Charlie Levin.  I was there, I totally participated.  There was information that I knew, stuff I had figured out on my own, stuff that was new and stuff that was not new.  I actually feel that we all hear and take away the one magic nugget of information that we need - the key to something that unlocks a whole new way/direction/method.  Or maybe, if we are lucky -  there are more than one magic nuggets that spur us on.  Yet, sometimes we don't process that information until a day, a week or even more... later.  It just sits there waiting for us to remember that we know.. all the information that we need is inside and waiting to be tapped.  The light bulb goes on.
My weekend class in California was awesome.  The information coming in was a lot to process and there are still things that are just coming out from my workshop weekend.  New ways to do things, new/old tools to use.  New artists to inspire. 
I have to stress to all artists - we all need to do workshops.  Get out and put yourself out there.  Meet others that share the same love.  Get fresh new ideas, new inspirations, new... just new.  Don't question it, don't hesitate - sign up for that class or that workshop or that project - whatever, just do it.  Its important as artists that we learn from others - in all kinds of ways.

Face in the World, Travel and Collabortive Art

Face in the World
start - charcoal on gesso, birch panel 8x10

In keeping with trying new things - I'm joining in a collaborative art project.  It is being hosted by Ayala Art and is a spin off from the 29 Faces project.  We are a team of 5 people spread across the globe.  Each of us starts a painting with a face theme.  We then send it to the next person in our team for her to add her magic, and so on through the 4 other team members and then back home to me in her finished state.

I've never done collaborative art before.  It teaches us as artists that we can let our work go and its OK.  That each and every piece we create is precious - yet, its OK to let it go out into the world and be altered by someone else.  I'm really excited to watch the progress of this as she travels the globe and lands on an art tables of other artists.  Travel teaches us to see things in a different way than where we call home.  Travel alters our view points and opens our eyes to new vistas.  She definitely won't be the same when she returns. 

From Seattle, she will head to the land down under - Australia.  From there, she will travel back to the US and land in California.  Then, she will catch a flight to the UK and from there to Michigan and then home to Seattle.  I hope to be able to show her progress at each stop.  Her journey will take a few weeks.  I will also show the other artist's pieces as they arrive here and what they look like when they leave from me.

Inspiration, Getting from A to B, and The Couple's New House

The Couple
This is their house - on the back side of their cedar block
encaustic and oil on cedar block 6 1/4 x 11 x 5 1/2

 Remember The Couple from last week?  Well, they have a house now.... and a picket fence.

I decided to leave the sides with only the fence for fear things would get too complicated and busy
encaustic and oil on cedar block 6 1/4 x 11 x 5 1/2

Ever wonder how it works to get from A to B? How does the creative mind work to get from the concept at A to the finished piece at B? I thought for fun I would show you all the inspiration that went into how this 3D piece of art came about and some insight on how my creative brain gets from A to B.

I saw Kathy Taylor's 3D encaustic art blocks Here



Kathy Taylor Fine Art





My cedar block came from a friend's scrap pile.  I went to Home Depot and cruised the knob selection and landed on the silver knobs for the feet.  I had two critera - smallish and ones that would sit flat once attached to the bottom of the block.  The selection was a little slim - but I decided the silver ones would work.
 
Next came the power tools - the drill and also the dremel.  I had to sheer off the top (head) of the screws for the knobs so that I had just the threaded portion left.  I used the dremel for this, but a hack saw would also work.  I drilled 4 pilot holes into the base of the block and screwed in the threaded screws leaving enough of the screw exposed to then screw the knobs on flush to the wood. Taped them for protection, then started adding the wax coating to the block.

Next, I needed a subject for my 3D block.  I tried a few horses a la Kathy Taylor, but they weren't working for me.  So, I turned to some other inspiration.

In my studio, I keep the art of others that I find inspirational.  Diane Culhane, a local Seattle artist, is one artist that I have a couple of her paintings.  She tends to add cute little couples in her artwork.  I have this painting of Diane's which put me on to the tangent of painting a couple.

Artwork by Diane Culhane

The Couple then, just sprouted from my imagination.  I set in their shapes and just painted from there.  But, I'm not well versed in painting men, so I searched Google images and found this couple for inspiration.  I really liked his suit and the 60's vibe.  Although, my guy looks a little like Mr. Bates on Downton Abbey.

More about them Here

Then, I needed a house - so, once again I turned to Diane's work - my other painting of hers has this darling red house (and a cute little couple). 

Artwork by Diane Culhane

Plus, I found this house in the newspaper the morning I was going to launch my house artwork for The Couple. 

Photo by J.D. Pooley

I still needed a little more house inspiration so I also found this house

Artwork by Warren Kimble

and this one

Artwork by Michael Holland

The picket fence also needed a quick reference to Google Images.  I searched on white house picket fence and found exactly what I needed.  I also remembered that David Hockney had a painting with a house in it - so I went on that tangent and oogled over Hockney's work on Google images.  Love his stuff and it was a fun distraction to spend some time enjoying it.

It's an interesting path getting from A to B.  Sometimes its straight forward and simple with one reference photo and other times, it takes a lot of little pieces to make the complete picture come together.  I'm curious to hear how you get from A to B.

Also, a big heartfelt thanks to all of my PPF friends and the lovely comments left on Eva and Kristin's site last week.  It makes me happy to have shared my story with you.  I'm away at my encaustic class this weekend - so please forgive me for not getting around to visit everyone this week.  Can't wait to tell you all about what I learned!!