Moving my site and blog

I've decided to move my blog and website to Wordpress which seems to suit my needs better. I hope you'll all bookmark the new site and follow me over there! The name is changing slightly to reflect my first and last name, rather than first and middle. It's now Christine O'Brien Art at http://www.christineobrienart.com, and my blog is there as well. I've enjoyed feedback from a lot of you on my blog here and hope to see you on the new site, where I have some exciting news to share about the new year! Hope to hear from you all soon. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of some new small works I've been working on.

Saturday, September 24, 2011 - 2pm to 6pm followed by a gallery reception

Don't Miss Porter Mill Open Studios! Please join me on Saturday, September 24th to celebrate the official opening of Porter Mill, the North Shore's newest artist studio building! More than twenty-five artists (including me) will be opening the doors of their studios for you to see into their working spaces and enjoy their newest paintings, photographs, jewelry, illustrations, and more.

2:00pm - 6:00pm: Studios are open to the public. Meet with the artists and ask them questions... about their work, snack on snacks and meet fellow art enthusiasts.

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Join us in the first floor gallery for drinks and live music by SWAY while enjoying the inaugural exhibition in the Gallery at Porter Mill.

Check out Studios at Porter Mill for more information!

Hope to see you all there!

Third in a trio of small collage paintings

Acrylic monoprint and collage painting

Another new small collage painting

Here is another experimental mix of mark-making, acrylic monoprint and collage painting. I'm enjoying the limited palette.

Happy to be back in the studio

So it has been some time since I created anything new in the studio. No excuses other than (as you all know by now) my studio location was in transition. So the question was, where did I leave off? Where do I begin now? I didn't really have an answer. But I had to start somewhere, so I just began mark-making, printmaking with acrylics, collaging, etc. Here's one of the first little collage paintings. More to come.

What is this mess?

Table drippings

What is this awful beautiful mess? It means I am finally in my new studio making messes!! The artists at Studios at Porter Mill are finally moving in and moving on with their work. It's been a bit of a challenge getting the old mill building up to speed, but things are looking great. I've met some wonderful artists so far and hope to meet some more next week (and see their studios) during a formal getting to know you gathering.


Here's a peek at how my studio is shaping up, kind of a before and after. Not totally "after" since it's still a work in progress, but I'm liking how it's coming along. Now it's time to make some art!! It's been too long.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHELDON SEEMS COMFY HERE!!

I am without a studio this month, waiting for my space at the Studios at Porter Mill space to open in June. I can't wait! I just found out that one of the artists whose work I know from my Boston Handmade days, Pressbound, will be opening a letterpress shop on the first floor there. Awesome!  Her cards and calendars and little books are amazing.

Anyway, while I am studio-less I thought I would re-vamp my graphic design resume and put it online along with a few portfolio pieces. You never know when someone will ask, right? So if you know anyone who needs some freelance design, direct them to http://christineobriendesign.blogspot.com. I have a very free month to work on things!

Printmaking without a press, with Bonnie Mineo

This past Saturday I took an inspiring workshop with Bonnie Mineo at Fort Point Studios in Boston. Bonnie is a painter, printmaker and and mixed media artist with a prior career in graphic design (hey, that sounds like me!). This was a "printmaking without a press" class using water-based inks and foam plates to create one-of-a-kind prints. It was fun and informative, and Bonnie is a fantastic instructor.

Before lunch Bonnie explained all of the supplies she uses, and demonstrated her process. Then we spent some time creating a variety of plates...different shapes and textures.

After a delicious lunch at Flour, it was back to the studio to begin creating. I had a tough time with the inks because even though I was using the same colors as the acrylics I use, they didn't mix the same, and the results weren't exactly what I had in mind. But, the process of layering different plates and colors was a lot of fun.

I think there were about 7 or 8 of us. Everyone had their own style and we had a little critique at the end. The prints above are a few of the pieces we had finished at the end of the day.

Of course, when I got back to my studio I wanted to continue with the process, but I didn't have any of the inks we used in class. But I do have Golden Open Acrylics, which I love, and thought would work in a similar way. So I made a few new plates and expanded on what I learned in the workshop. I can see that I'm going to like working with a variety of these prints and making collages with them.

Introducing the Studios at Porter Mill!

Does anyone recognize the entryway above? It is in the old Redbrick Studio building in Beverly...soon to be dubbed the Studios at Porter Mill in the same space. I am one of the first artists to have signed a lease on studio space in the building. And I am really excited about it!!

Stealing a bit of info from the Studios at Porter Mill facebook page:

 Porter Mill was first occupied in 1895 and was associated with Beverly, Massachusetts' rich shoe industry. Through the years the building housed Decoron Plastics, Superior Hat Company, Superior Real Estate, Criterion Shoe Company, Lion Leather and Plastic and recently Porter Sewing Machine Corporation. Now, Porter Mill is home to twenty-two artist studios.

In case you're wondering why I am moving my studio (AGAIN) so soon, it's located nearer to my home, within walking distance of the ocean, with many shops and restaurants nearby. The light in the building is fantastic. Studios range in size from 115 to 375 square feet, with plenty of windows, common areas, an on-site gallery and printmaking facility. I'm really looking forward to being part of an organized creative community. With room for workshops and other programming, the possibilities for gathering and sharing here are wide open.

My particular studio is on the third floor, and while it doesn't look like much now, I have six weeks to plan for redesigning this empty room. Move in date is May 1. Check back in May for Before and After pics!

And just to show how easily excited I am, the shelf here was left in my studio and I get to keep it! Hey, extra storage is always welcome.

Busy Art Weekend Ahead

So many things happening between now and Sunday! Let's see...

• Today I am visiting my future studio in Beverly. I know, I know...I just moved into my current studio, but those of you familiar with the old Redbrick Studio building will understand. As of May 1, I will be a resident artist at the new Studios at Porter Mill. More to come on this in future posts.
• Tomorrow is First Friday in SoWa and I'll be popping into Galatea to see vibrant works by fellow Galateans Marsha Nouritza Odabashian and Lieby Miedema. Hopefully it will be warm enough to stroll around to some of the other galleries and studios.
• Saturday I'm taking a printmaking workshop with Bonnie Mineo at the Fort Point Studio School.
• Most importantly, on Sunday I'll be attending the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Ceremony with my son Joe, who won FOUR Gold Keys for his portfolios in art and photography, and works in painting, and film. Go Joe!! More to come on this in future posts as well.

See you soon with updates from all of the above!

New Collages

UPDATE: These pieces are now on my Etsy shop!

A growing collection of collages exploring color and texture in advance of larger pieces.
Sent on the Now Network™ from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Monoprinting, digital printing, and stencils!

This is one of the pieces I had in Salem Arts' Octopus' Garden exhibit. The colors in the background were done by monoprinting with block printing inks. After it dried I coated it with Golden Digital Ground, and overprinted with a digital collage. I finished it by using handmade stencils to add the flowers. I love how the colors pop! Available on my Etsy Shop!

Two works accepted into LynnArts Annual Mixed Media Exhibit

The Edge, 24x24

Two of my pieces, The Edge (above) and Pod were accepted into the LynnArts Annual Mixed Media exhibit, which is on display now through February 16, 2011.  Stop by the Opening Reception this Saturday, January 29 from 2pm to 4pm to say hello. You won't be disappointed, I had a sneak peek and the show is fabulous. While you're there, check out "Lost and Found," a collection of prints by Linda Germain in the adjacent gallery space.

New Year, Expanded Directions

8 x 10 acrylic monotype & collage

January always gets me organized & energized for the year to come (so does September) and this year is no different. This past week or so has been filled with:

• gathering calls to art for the upcoming year (so many good ones already!)
• signing up for printmaking workshops (you are never too old to learn!), and
• joining a few more art organizations that interest me

I'm excited about the year to come. Between all of the opportunities for exhibiting, and the challenges of learning new techniques, I think it will be easy to stay artistically motivated.