From the Studio...a new collage

NY Stroll

Here is the first piece of art completed in my new studio at the Lydia Pinkham Building in Lynn, MA. After working for years in a studio in my home, it's nice to have more space to spread things out and not be afraid to get dirty!

This is a digital mixed media piece. The background is a heavy mixed media paper lightly textured with gesso, random acrylic washes and mark-making. The foreground is a digital collage, comprised of photos I took in Central Park. It was printed with ultrachrome pigment ink on silk gampi tissue paper, and adhered to the background. The silk gampi allows the background to show through -- with a nice depth to it. I would imagine that multiple layers would be fun to play with!

Experimenting with Printing on Mica

Here it is nearly July 4 and we've enjoyed a beautiful spring. So much so that I've already taken a trip to New Hampshire and Maine, and came back with some sheets of mica that I thought I would try printing on. Of course my printer would never pass a warranty test at this point, but such is the life of experimental digital mixed media. I coated the mica with Golden Digital Ground, ran through the printer (on a carrier sheet), and added the printed mica to a work in progress. See...

Art Walk Weekend, June 5 & 6!

Hope to see you at either of these two Art Walks on the first weekend in June! 

SALEM ARTS WALK, JUNE 5

Enjoy a stroll through beautiful and historic Salem, MA and experience the Salem Arts Festival, a celebration all the arts: painting, photography, sculpture, dance, music, writing, new media, performance, poetry, culinary and more! I will be participating for the JUNE 5 Arts Walk at Urban Elements, one of the many Salem businesses graciously hosting artists for the day.  

BEACON HILL ART WALK, JUNE 6

I am also participating in the Beacon Hill Art Walk on JUNE 6 throughout the secret gardens and patios of Beacon Hill. Residents open up their private gardens, alleyways, and courtyards, creating a festive atmosphere with volunteer musicians playing in various gardens throughout the day

SoWa Art Walk Weekend, May 15 & 16

SoWa Art Walk 2010

I'm feeling a little sad that I won't be participating in the SoWa Open Market this year, but am excited that my co-op gallery Galatea Fine Arts is on the SoWa Art Walk, this weekend May 15 &16. So many galleries, studios and the open market... it should be a fantastic weekend in the South End! I plan on stopping in at Galatea, strolling through the market to visit some Boston Handmade friends, and grabbing a cocktail at one of the neighborhood eateries. Will I see you there??

Central Park, In Essence

Feeling slightly abstract this morning. This is a combination of three separate collaged and painted papers, digitally collaged with one of the pictures I took in Central Park. To be transferred to a textured panel at some point. I'm thinking of doing a series of these called "In Essence" because although they are not literal references to a place, to me they capture the essence of the moment when I visited.

Garden by the Sea

You might remember this but in a different configuration...I rearranged the collaged papers into what (to me) looks like a garden by the ocean. Another "different configuration" is the way I'm blogging...I'm sending this from my phone for the first time!
Sent on the Now Network™ from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Remembering Central Park

Digital composition using many of the photos I took in Central Park, combined with one of last year's textured collages.

Scenes from a Pond triptych

I was gallery sitting yesterday at Galatea Fine Arts and snapped this picture of my "Scenes from a Pond" triptych in the members area. It looked so nice hanging there with all the light streaming in. If you're in the South End, the solo exhibits this month by Philip Gerstein, "About Color" and Elizabeth Hathaway "Between Space" are fantastic - through April 30, 2010.

From the blue acrylic paintings, a digital collage

Here's a new digital collage that came about from the blue collage paintings that I was doing. By scanning the painting, overlaying some of my photos, and blending in Photoshop, this is the result. I'm planning on preparing some panels and transferring the images using Bonny Lhotka's SuperSauce technique. Will post when they're done!

Crystal on Martha Stewart - The Proposal

Just had to share this adorable clip of Crystal Hanehan (Vintage by Crystal from my Boston Handmade group) on Martha Stewart yesterday. It was her second time on the show demonstrating her adorable spun cotton creatures, but this time she had a BIG surprise, on LIVE television. Absolutely adorable. Congrats Crystal and Ben.

http://www.marthastewart.com/clip-of-the-day-the-proposal?video_id=0

Going wherever it leads

 

It's been a while since I've posted anything, or created much, to be honest. Maybe it's the winter, but I've felt pretty uninspired lately. A trip somewhere is definitely needed! But in the meantime I decided to do something...anything...just to see where it lead...and like most of what I do, it lead to the patterns, textures and colors of nature. I used paper, tissue, acrylic and prismacolor marker and came up with these bits of abstract collages and paintings which remind me of ocean, forest, roots, topographic maps. I'm enjoying the "play time" and going wherever it leads.

Winter Collage

 

OK, I give. Enough of winter in New England. 

Mixed Media 2010 at Lynn Arts Gallery

Mixed Media 2010
February 1 - March 12, 2010
Lynn Arts Gallery, Lynn, MA
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 6, 2010, 2-4 pm

Three of my works entitled "Hidden Spaces" have been accepted into this exhibit, curated by one of my favorite art bloggers, Joanne Mattera of Joanne Mattera Art Blog. She is a visiting lecturer in the 2D Department at the Massachusetts College of Art, and the founder/director of the Conference of Encaustic Painting at Montserrat College of Art, in Beverly, MA.

Voices: Mothers Who Create II

Just found out I've been juried into the upcoming exhibit "Voices: Mothers Who Create II" at The Little Gallery Under the Stairs in Lynn, MA. Small in size, but big in impact, the gallery has had some impressive exhibits, and I am pleased to be part of this one...doubly pleased that my image is representing the show on the gallery's website! Opening Reception: February 6, 2010. The show runs through April 10.

Maine Moonscape, digital mixed media collage

This new piece, called "Maine Moonscape" was inspired by the trees, evening sky, and other natural surroundings from one of my annual trips to Maine. Considering the winter we've been having, I'm feeling very nostalgic about a summer trip to the lake right about now!

Anyway, this is a 16x16x2 digital mixed media piece on gessobord. It currently resides in the members gallery at Galatea Fine Art, 460B Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA. Also this month at Galatea there are solo shows by Sean Palmatier "Mutations" {painting}, Alice Shafer & Wilson Hunt Jr. "Color/Form" {painting/photography} January 6 through 30, 2010.

Time to Reflect on...

What's Next...2010 (I will pronounce it "twenty-ten" as opposed to what I've heard others say "two-thousand and ten" ...that's just too long). So let me have my cup of coffee and think about this.

Are goals in order for this decade? Last year my goals were simple...more studio time (check!), get my work into galleries (check!), and license my work (still on the to-do list).

I am still keeping this simple list, but will work at it more aggressively. I now have a schedule of exhibits to submit work to on a regular basis, more gallery connections to pursue, including my own solo show in September 2010 at Galatea in the South End (check!), and a refined list of art shows to apply to, as opposed to art & craft shows. As for licensing, still a vague concept, but I have friends already doing so whose brains I will begin to pick.

Simple goals really, but lots of tasks to work at one at a time. Starting...NOW!

Boston Handmade Downtown till December 24

Still time to shop handmade at the Boston Handmade Downtown gallery in Boston's Downtown Crossing! I picked up this great limited edition print from my son's favorite new artist Thirteenth Story. We have lots more than art in the gallery...check out our varied jewelers, artists, clothing designers, and more -- HERE!

But hurry because we're only here till December 24!

Smaller Works at Galatea Fine Art

Above are three of my digital monoprints on display through the month of December at Galatea Fine Art gallery, in its "Smaller Works" exhibit. Galatea is the latest cooperative artist gallery in Boston's SoWa district.


The gallery is filled with works of contemporary art 16" or less, offered throughout the holiday season on a cash and carry basis. Paintings, photography, collage, assemblage and more grace the walls, along with a variety of prints and art cards perfect for gift-giving.


The Opening Reception for "Smaller Works" was held December 4 on an unusually warm December evening during SoWa's First Fridays when surrounding galleries stay open late, and artists open their studios to visitors. We had quite a crowd and seem to be off to a great start!


The images shown here were taken the day after the opening, when I could actually get a shot of some of the art. In all there are 50 artists participating, among which I have many new favorites.

The Pulse: The State of the Art

Seth Apter at The Altered Page is at it again. He is publishing the fourth edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals.

Although I've read many of the past editions of The Pulse, this time I'm participating! I'll let you know when I've sent my thoughts into Seth...it will be in the next week or so. He is publishing parts of it on a rolling basis. For a sneak peek, visit the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything!

Handmade Holiday Shopping