in the studio - tulip fields

"Tulip Fields"

7"x7"

shredded magazine pages on paper and ink collage

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I wanted to challenge myself and use shredded paper for a more abstract piece. Sticking with the overall topographic map idea I decided to create a bird's eye view of the land. My intent was that from a distance, the viewer would see farmland - spreading out in front of them. However, on close inspection they would see texture and pieces of images that they could recognize. 

Finding these textures and colors that would translate when shredded proved more difficult than I had anticipated but overall I learned a lot on the way to finally completing this piece - which took a lot longer than I had thought it would. 

I first laid out the grid of farmland and had an initial sense of the balance of colors needed. I originally planned to use only "natural" images; trees, grass, flowers etc. But that soon proved itself to be very one dimensional and ..... boring. 

Some things just become uninteresting blobs after shredding. Who knew?!

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in the studio - looking forward

"No Noise"

7" x 5"

digital photo prints on vellum, pencil, mixed media collage on paper

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I find that I keep returning to my photos for inspiration and use within collages. This last piece began with a series of photos from Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland possesses a quiet stillness and is quite haunting - in a Hitchcock-ian kind of way. Like all collages this went through many permutations - having first laid it out one way I then found myself trapped and unable to resolve the focus of the piece and had to rethink the piece, adding new elements and changing placements. 
I am learning that the art of collage, for me, is best when I let creativity happen - not will it or force it - but sense the groove and, trance like, just let it flow. I do believe that it is very important to have that initial "picture" in your head - how you think the piece should be and how you think you may get there. But, I need not be stubborn and try to hold on to that first vision too long. The art itself will tell me what it needs as long as I listen to it.
Ahhh... something new and different for a control freak like me!

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When I was in NYC I finally met a wonderful artist, Ruth Gorton, whom I had previously only known through her work - by way of mutual friends. Tim and I had been given a pastel of hers, "Morning Bakers", last year. 
I have to thank her for being the creative impetus last February for me to get back to my art work. I had been told that she does a painting a day! 
That commitment, to complete something... whether in the "mood" or not, whether it ends up good, bad, whatever.... that blew me away. 
For myself I vowed to begin this journey and to work at my art everyday.

I also have to thank Ruth for the time spent with her as she looked at my artwork. She asked me questions - some which I still do not know the answer to but I am searching for - and overall her words were most encouraging to me.

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I did finish the shredded paper female figure.

"Woman Wearing a Slip"

13" x 9"

shredded magazine pages on presentation board

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on the street - fog and conversation

mid town street, NYC

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New York was cold - a mix of fog, snow, and rain. However, our 3 days there were spent surrounded by friends and lots of warm and interesting conversations.

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Specifically we went to see the Apple family cycle of plays at the Public Theatre. 

“Hopey Changey”, “Sweet and Sad”, “Sorry”, and “Regular Singing” were run in rep and over the course of 2 days we were fortunate to be a part of this family’s/our country’s dialogue on politics and our human purpose. The plays are small windows into the life of one family, how they deal with each other, death, change.… every day issues, surrounded, as we are, by the noise of our political machines and shaped by history. The plays aim to provoke conversation - they actually beg us to talk to each other, to work out ideas, to say things that surprise even ourselves, to be truthful and honest. It is the dialogue within a community that ultimately fosters and allows change.

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in the studio - shredded art

the start of shredded project #2

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Not sure how it began but somehow I have recently become fascinated by shredded paper.....

 yeah, from my home shredder.

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You know when you are looking out of an airplane - flying over farmland and the ground below looks like a crazy quilt of color; or you are looking down onto a city and the patterns of the streets and rooftops create a brand new city never seen before? 

Both the farmland and the city always exist at the ground level when you are viewing them on the surface. But they get a new life when viewed from above - the farm land is more diverse, more colorful.  The city is potentially much more interesting. 

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What about people seen from a new perspective? 

What happens when we "deconstruct" a map and create our own? 

Right now, I think these are the concepts I'm looking at right now.... and they are subject to change.

All I can do is follow the path and see where it takes me.

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"City-scape"

8 1/2" x 11"

shredded paper - map and magazine pages

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Detail - "City-scape"

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I started down this road a few weeks ago and finished the above piece made from a shredded topographical map and pics from magazines. I had wanted to do another piece based on cities but felt like I did not have the right photos of my own to use/draw on so I wondered if I could somehow re-purpose other people's pics. One thing led to another and suddenly I was shredding!

Needless to say - this activity requires a certain amount of crazy and a lot of anal retentiveness!!

I did start by shredding everything I was going to use all at once - oops. I then had to go thru and separate; buildings, sky, ground, dark, light....... one shredded piece after another.

I have since learned to organize prior to the shredding process. I still have to go thru the pile to organize by color but the piles are MUCH smaller.

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Yesterday I began a new piece.  This one is really about trying to master capturing the various skin tones and the direction of the light source.

Beginning of shredded project #2

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I try to imagine her seen from above and the crazy quilt of pattern and color that lies there unnoticed.

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in the studio - scattered

leaves waiting to be collected

Providence, RI

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Like the leaves that are quickly mounting up and blowing around the yard today I am feeling ever more scattered. The last few weeks have found me beginning new projects, tossing them aside, picking up something new … completing some things, but more often than not just staring at them. Lost. 

Thinking I need to go back and look at pieces that were working for me - point of view, subject matter. Hopefully I will find the new path.

in the garden - planning ahead

Dried zinnias and seeds

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It looks like we will be getting our first overnight frost later this week.

Over the past month I have watched my new garden begin its slow pull back into winter dormancy. It is as beautiful and captivating a process to watch as the bloom on the other side of the calendar. 

Last bursts of color from the cosmos, dahlias, coneflowers, and foxglove. 

Final waves from the last tall blooms in the lilies and hostas. 

A glorious shout from the red leaves blanketing the dogwoods.

In this newly quiet garden I will rake, mulch, and prune. 

Time to plan for next year. 

in the studio - photo collage

"Child as Man"

8 1/2" x 11"

digital photos on vellum, digital photo on map, mixed media collage on paper

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Have been experimenting a lot with the printing of photos onto vellum and loving the ethereal quality of the image and being able to layer them to create depth. I decided to try a portrait collage done using only  images printed this way. It was an interesting challenge to select only photos that related in some way to the subject matter, but also photos that would help create the right values for the skin tones and shadows. I did have to adjust the color quality before printing many of them - trial and error. For the background I wanted a texture so I created a repeating image from part of a photo and printed it on a 2 color topographical map.

I feel there is a lot to explore with this technique and have begun 2 new pieces that I am slowly working my through.

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on the street - birthday by the sea

View from the Cliff Walk

Newport, RI

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"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." Loran Eisley

I have lived on or near the ocean most of my life. 

It’s force, it’s calmness, and it’s rhythms are part of who I am. 

I recall it’s sound when I need to relax, I picture it’s open vastness when I need to understand the world, and when I walk along it’s shore I am at my happiest.

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self portrait - 10/08

Newport, RI

within the familiar - end of season

a change of seasons

Eastham, MA

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it has been over a week and yet there was still traces of sand in my shoes this morning 

like a gentle poke quietly reminding me of

five brilliant days and star filled nights 

each one easily rolling into the next

each day signaling the last of the season

in each grain of sand I have purposely saved a snapshot to savor at a later time

an autumn sky’s color reflected on the surf

the cold steel sharpness of a just opened oyster

a crisp breeze that carries the familiar briny scent of every day

and the simple joy of just being

and with each step I shall begin a new journey every day

in the studio - city musings

"and you think you know me"

7" x 7"

digital photo prints on vellum, marker, mixed media collage on paper

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I am fascinated by the buildings in a city and the patterns that they create as you walk. Looking up, there are layers of architectural styles and layers of shapes all pointed at different angles that totally shift as you move through them. And then I imagine what it must look like from above - all the structures set on their own map of intersecting streets, grid lines; the ways in and out of the city. 

 And within this ever changing structural collage are the human beings adding their own ephemera ..... trying to find their way.

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I wanted to experiment with a collage built in layers using my photographs. After some experimentation I found a vellum that gave me the right amount of transparency and was also a good quality to print on. Putting some restrictions on myself I wanted to use only photos I had taken in NYC over the past year and have all the images be black and white. Once I found the underlying map it gave me a unifying motif as well as a direction for color. I think I will use this transparency/layering idea more.

within the familiar - graffiti

graffiti "participation" wall

Lippitt Park, Providence, RI

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A graffiti wall had been set up for the music festival. Cans of spray paint, markers and paint were supplied to whomever felt the urge to express themselves. Over the course of the day children, teens and adults all took stances on either side of the wall. Layers upon layers of individual moments each one hiding the last - constantly changing.

I took this picture around 4:00 - the sun filtering through the canopy of trees softening the edges. The layers suddenly had depth and the balance of colors sang out to me.

It stood still for just that moment.

in the studio - facing a new season

untitled

12" x16"

inkjet photo transfer, pencil, and marker on paper

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I have been experimenting with photo transfers on both paper and board lately - trying many different techniques; mod podge, gel medium, Purell, and none of them have been 100% successful - never being able to replicate the effect with each new piece of the collage. Maybe that is the "art"of it? That it is always 'just a little different'? 

I printed pale colored maps for the areas of light and I love the translucent quality that it gives to the skin. Ultimately, I need to be more careful with the map color choices for the medium tone and shadow areas ..... just learning on the job.

But I do think it is worth continuing the experiment - just have to find the right combination of subject, image to transfer.

Continue looking, continue exploring, continue learning.

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It is now officially September - and from years of teaching - I guess it seems like the beginning of the year and the time to start fresh. I found an open figure drawing class at AS220 in Providence - meets every Tuesday evening....tomorrow. Planning to attend at least twice a month to get my eye/hand back in the groove and maybe possibly meet some artists/interesting people. 

Feels like the first day of school.

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at table - a recipe for memories

Apples at the Lippitt Park Farmer's Market

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A Recipe for Memories

1. Take a wooden carton filled with fresh red apples. (seen at the local farmer's market on Saturday)
2. Add the just completed visit from my sister which included a 4 day road trip to see family.
3. Finish with the news of the sudden passing of a friend.
4. Once all the emotions have settled - finish with the promise of remembrance.

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Apple Soup

It was so naive and innocent yet it is truly my first actual memory of food. It  was fresh, delicious, and it was made with love just for me. I do not recall the first time I had it but I do know that I asked my sister to make it for me again and again. I would sit there at the table, patiently waiting, while she prepared this heavenly treat for me.  Finally she would place the bowl carefully in front of me and then sit down next to me. She never made it for herself but she would stay with me and wait while I ate it. 

I remember how delicious it was, the sweet and the tart flavors mixed in every spoonful, the variety of colors in each bowl, how cool and refreshing it was. 

I loved this time together - simple, unconditional, watchful, and caring. Was it the soup I really requested over and over and remember so well? 

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Midnight on a Summer Night

It was an afternoon BBQ with extended family at the start of our road trip. A beautiful summer day sitting around the pool enjoying family and seeing children all grown up. As always, the food was outstanding. Hot sausages and steak tips on the grill, salads, eggplant parmigiana - more food than was necessary but somehow, over the hours, we consumed it all. Table hopping with each course so that we were all sure to get time with everyone - to catch up and reminisce. As the day came to a close one by one everyone left to attend to families or other events but four of us remained sitting outside allowing the sun to set beyond us and the crystal clear night to envelop us.

My sister, our 83 year old aunt, our cousin, and myself sat under the stars till midnight sipping wine and beers. Voices in the dark sharing stories, sharing lives - none of it important yet all of it important. 

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Dinner in a Garden in the Country

The garden behind the little rented cottage was wild with flowers, bees, butterflies and the rich pastiche of summer sounds and scents. My husband and I had driven out to western MA for dinner with friends. We had not seen them in over a year so there was much to catch up on. The four of us sat in Adirondack chairs so comfortable in each other's company - the conversation bouncing between the present, the past, and plans for the future.  Dinner was simple - grilled salmon and vegetables. Well after dark the four of us gave up on the garden and went inside to eat berries for dessert. And then our goodbyes and a plan to get together next at our new house in September.

It is the conversation, the setting sun on his relaxed face, his crisp windowpane check shirt, his laughter and the comfort of our friendship that I will forever remember.

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At table...... Yes, it is the food that might beckon us there but it is something else that keeps us there long after the food is gone and the dishes are cleared. It is then when memories are made and friendships are cemented. 

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Apple Soup

1 - 2 ripe apples (variety dependent on the season)

Cold water

1. Wash apples. Core and dice into 1/2" cubes. 
2. Place in bowl. Add cold water - enough so that the apples are "swimming" and not over crowded. 
3. Sit back, take the time, converse and make a memory.

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in the studio - patterns in a city unknown

"Patterns in a City Unknown"

mixed media collage on paper

4 1/2” x 6 1/2”

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I have been working on a number of pieces about, in, and surrounded by city elements. This piece came together relatively quickly. I had been wanting to include 2 figures in a collage - connected, yet separate and they seemed to come together in this mash up of cities.

I have not been in the studio for the past 2 weeks - visitors and road trips filling up my days, yet the weeks have been filled with inspiration and some new and interesting material findings. While showing off my new neighborhood I discovered an old bookstore and found 2 amazingly beautiful and interestingly colored maps. Then while on the Cape I was directed to a few antique stores and there I found some great antique maps - Lisbon, Dublin, Germany - all of them with terrific colors - missing so much from more current maps. 

Newer maps tend to be practically mono-color..... is it the cost of the ink?

Come mid-week I'm really looking forward to working with some of the new map finds and getting the chance to re-look at some of the works in progress. Eyes rested it will seem like seeing them anew.

Time off can be good.

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in the studio - an august rhythm

“Amsterdam by air and on foot”

mixed media collage on paper

4 1/2” x 6 1/2”

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“In a corner magnetic north”

mixed media collage on paper

6 1/2 ” x 6 1/2 ”

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Two new pieces that I just completed in the last few days. I began them both within a day or so of each other - both very different in what I was trying to achieve and for the restrictions, or lack of, that I established in the process of their creation. 

As of late I have found that I enjoy having a number of different pieces going at the same time, each in a different stage of development. It gives me the opportunity to look at each piece with a different set of eyes and I can choose which to work on by what mood I am in, what I feel like tackling that day. I like that - it feels less constrained and allows me to be more open to serendipity.

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Beginning to find a rhythm to my days and weeks - I need that. I am spending a few hours every day in the studio - sometimes fully productive and sometimes not but all good and worthwhile time spent. Lots of exploring, trying, failing, and learning! Original ideas sometimes pan out exactly as planned and others take all together different routes and end up somewhere new and interesting. Maybe that’s why I love to work with maps as my base ..... each takes me on a journey. 

in the garden - life and death

I found the robin’s egg mid June lying beneath one of the oak trees in the yard  - fragile and smooth it was almost stepped on by a red sneaker and then just as quickly averted being a tasty treat for a dog. 

I held the egg close.

I wondered if the mother had pushed it out - knowing possibly that the egg was not fertilized? Could it have been by dropped a squirrel racing home with dinner? Or simply the winds of the nite blowing it out. 

No matter..... no longer in the nest it will never hatch.

We have seen 2 broods of our robins since the egg finding. The ones that made it.

When allowed to venture out of the nest, the hatchlings scurry after their parents -mouths squakling and open for food. They are well protected and cared for.

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Hiding in the garden lilies sat a tiny sparrow making noise all morning. I watched as it stumbled, tried to fly, and then retreated again into hiding. It was clearly in distress. Other sparrows lighted on the fence and the tree above him. They answered each of his calls.

The morning was filled with an operatic duet of suffering and hope.

The protecting birds stayed with him all morning. They scared away the nosy squirrels, and they dive bombed the neighborhood cat - both of whom saw this as a great opportunity. The birds took care of their own.

By early afternoon it was quiet and I went out to the garden to bury the sparrow.

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The robin’s egg sits by the window looking out over the side garden. Still smooth, still perfectly blue.

in the studio - experimenting with transfers

Contours

5" x 7"

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The heat has made it almost unbearable to be in the garden so, in ernest, I finally got back to the studio to work on pieces that I had begun before the move. My organized self created a list of "TO DO's" - and I dutifully fell into line.

A few hours into it and I finished one map collage that had languished in a closet for at least 4 years. It was finally done .... and it was less than inspiring.  I really don't like it - so it is back in the closet where it belonged.

At that point I told my organized self to take a nap...... 

Then I put the To Do list away and allowed my time in the studio to flow organically.

I pulled out my notebook, looked through old sketches and the many ideas of things I had noted to try that had accumulated there and pulled out different kinds of maps I had been fascinated with. I began with experimenting with ink jet print transfers. Trial and error**,  impatience and not quite having the correct mediums not withstanding, I did successfully transfer a colorful contour map print on to a smooth clay board surface using Mod Podge as my transfer medium. The Mod Podge held on to a very thin layer of the printer paper making the colors look milky white so I had to carefully wet my finger and rub off the excess paper. I then added a thin layer of gloss acrylic gel medium to help enhance the color. Once dry I added a contour map of a female figure.

I am very satisfied with the look of the transfer and the possibilities that the technique holds.  I will be experimenting more with this.

**One of my trial/errors resulted in the non-transfer of an antique map print that tore apart - leaving me with absolutely beautiful, delicate and shiny ripped pieces of a skin pale map. I have saved all the pieces.

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work in progress

20" x 20"

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Also began a new piece using a navigational map of the Dry Tortugas. I have been looking at the face in this map for a long time! And, while perusing my notes I found the perfect "eye" in my sketch book that I had drawn from a Raphael painting while visiting the National Gallery in DC a few years ago. 

I want this piece to be about light and shadow - althou I am finding that it is very difficult for me to add black; I keep erasing it back to gray, should the whole left side of the piece be in shadow?; incompleteness - I want to be true to the map itself, so how much color or line is too much?; connections - does the baby distract? should the baby be closer to the adult?

Lots to work through - but, as long as I don't make a list I think I will get there!

within the familiar - another trip to Småland

Parking Area

Ikea, Stoughton, MA

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There is a 285 square foot display home in Ikea that I love. 

Every time I go there I visit it and wander thru my little "house" imagining my life within those "walls". Quite liveable, so contained, peaceful even. I get impatient when other people are wandering in there too, looking thru my cupboards, exploring my bathroom..... none of them really wanting to make the commitment to the space, they're just browsing. 

 I have needed to re-think what possessions would make the cut in order to live there - whittled it all down to the most important, the most practical, and the ones that contain the most memories. No need for 3 sets of dishes or the case of wine glasses. No need for clothes that I haven't worn in over a year. 

It can be done.  

I would want to make a few modifications. Maybe I could sacrifice one row of storage for wall space to hang a favorite art piece.  A fold out desk/work space would be nice and I would definitely want a little porch - out my imagined front door - and some space for a tiny garden. One needs to be honest about what is really important in their life.

Getting one's life to fit in 285 square feet is a good exercise. It forces you to think small, forces you to decide what you really need to live, forces you to think about the future. It frees you.

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on the street - windmills, bicycles and beer

Tyler, Toni, Tim, Amy

Biking in the countryside, Amsterdam

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It started as a suggestion - I wanted my family to see Amsterdam because I thought they would love the city as much as I did. It was small, very walkable, surrounded by water, filled with great museums and great beer, interesting people.... what was not to love?

And like all great ideas one begets another.

I always wanted to stay on a houseboat in Amsterdam.

Everyone wanted to have bicycle adventures.

Well, we are so close to Belgium and none of us have been there - think of all that great beer and chocolate!

Oh, and since we have to change planes in Reykjavík - let's check out Iceland.......

It was the perfect family vacation. 

Okay, the weather was not perfect - much colder than expected, overcast and often rainy. But it did not hinder us. And - whenever we biked it always seemed to clear up.  But what made it perfect was the easiness of it all - no over arching schedule - we made it up as each day unfolded. Most importantly..... we were all together.

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Iceland was like a moonscape. Moss covered lava stretching forever surrounded by a blue gray sea and flat topped mountains covered in snow. The city of Reykjavik was compact and made up of mostly small corrugated steel houses and shops - white, gray and pops of color which stood out starkly against the steel color skies. It was damp and blustery outside but inside the shops, pubs and restaurants the people were warm and friendly and the atmosphere inviting.

The local beers were really good too!

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Outside Reykjavík, Iceland

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Reykjavík, Iceland

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As I expected - everyone loved Amsterdam.  The houseboat, located in the Jordaan, was a perfect choice for the 4 of us. We walked, walked, walked and walked ....... exploring all the areas of the city and savoring the atmosphere. Amstersdam is so comfortable and easy to get around it allowed each person to "take charge" at some point and lead us to a new adventure or sight. We visited all the important museums - including the just re-opened Rijksmueum, which was spectacular! Also on our stops were a few small museums that turned out to be amazing and informative - including the Museum of Bags and Purses, and the Canal Museum. 
Eating in small cafes and pubs, an impromptu lesson on Absinthe in a tiny liquor shop, discovering La Chouffe and comparing apple pies all added to the adventure  - as did our bicycle tour through the city's parks and out into the polders that surround Amsterdam. Amid the canals, windmills, history, and art - we had a perfect family time.

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In the Jordaan, Amsterdam

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Bulbs at the flower market, Amsterdam

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The medieval city of Bruges was strikingly beautiful. Cobblestone streets, canals, horse drawn carriages and a magical bell tower with working carillon bells make you feel as if you stepped into the setting of a fairy tale.  The city is filled with chocolate shops, waffle vendors, and the best beers I have ever had! 
Once off the main square one can wander for hours and rarely see the crowds that congregate within the city center and you just may discover a few hidden parks. Visiting the Memling Museum for its amazing collection of Flemish primitives is well worth the stop as well as seeing the ancient artifacts on display (for free) in the basement of the Crowne Plaza hotel - which was built on the foundation of a former 12th century cathedral. 

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A street in Bruges, Belgium

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Biking in the polders outside of Damme, Belgium

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in the garden - starting anew

My new garden

Providence, RI

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Imagining and building a garden is a life long affair. Understanding your yard, the path of the sun, what the earth will grow or discard, the flow of color - all this takes time and ....... patience. I have been digging out grass to create beds, moving bushes and established plantings, and of course adding new color and variety. Covered in dirt at the end of a very arduous day I feel a great sense of accomplishment and in my mind's eye I can see the daisies, coreopsis, salvia and others filled out and fully occupying their places in the garden. However, in reality ...... it still seems so empty. 

Time and nourishment will allow it all to fill in according to plan and I must simply wait and continue to tend it daily. 

in the garden - up close and personal...again!

The garden at Church of Saint Luke-in-the-Fields

New York City

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New York was sunny, warm and full of blooms last week. There were manicured havens of colorful repose, wild patches of indigenous growth and tiny curbside gardens filled with tulips. Flowering trees were everywhere and Central Park was filled with pale white sun bathers and the summer sounds of children. Life returning - on all fronts!

Once again, I too will have a garden to grow and tend. Our new home has a terrific yard - albeit a bit more lawn than I would like - but it is a yard with great potential and, over time, if I have my way there will be much less lawn. There are 2 flowering dogwoods on the side and some very tall maple trees out front. Immediately upon possession of the house 2 weeks ago I began the spring clean up! I uncovered hyacinth, tulips, vinca, hostas, forsythia, iris, peonies and lilies. There are flowering bushes that I do not know (yet) and there are 3 hydrangea bushes that I have already moved to make way for an herb garden by the back door. 

The plan is to expand the one dimensional "row of plantings" that was along the fence and the house to create a real garden of textures - with a small walkway through it. (Someday I hope the walkway will be something other than grass...) I will plant the herb garden, left foreground, at the end of May and finish edging and digging out the rest of the lawn area marked by stones. Then I will begin to add new plantings - shasta daisies, more lilies and tulips (of course), and some taller shrubs and plantings for along the fence. I am SO looking forward to the dirt days ahead - summer mornings spent weeding, planting and planning followed by the sunsetting ritual of watering, gazing and imagining.  (with a cold beer in hand) 

Life returning!