Salem Arts Association Events

I thought I would mention these two Salem Arts Association events, as I am one of their newest members! One New Year's resolution down (to join) and many more to go!

The Camera: Art and Craft show is going on Feb. 12 - March 16 at the Winfisky Gallery at Salem State College, where I went to college and eventually taught. Sadly, the chairperson of my department, Sandra Fowler, recently passed away. She was a wonderful woman & always inspired me to take my skills further. It's always surprising to find people in your life who for some reason have more faith in you than you have in yourself. That's the kind of person Sandy was. I digress.

The Art by Association show is a collaboration between the Marblehead and Salem Arts Associations, and will be on display at the King Hooper Mansion in Marblehead, MA from Feb. 2 through Feb. 24.

I do not have a piece in either show as I just became a member last night (!) but am looking forward to future events.

Play it Forward

I got this from Belinda Spiwak's Blog: http://www.alteredbelly.blogspot.com/ who got it from another blog...

I will send a handmade gift and some other art goodies to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog to this entry requesting to join this ‘Play It Forward’ exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it 2-3 months. It depends on what I am working on at the time.

The only thing you have to do in return is ‘Play It Forward’ by making the same promise on your blog with a link back to me at http://christinemarieart.blogspot.com/. So basically, if you comment, I’ll send you a handmade gift that I have made! Email me privately at chris@christinemarieart.com with your full name, address, and blog link. I will reply back and confirm that you are one of the first 3 people to comment and will be "paying or playing" it forward.

So, to be clear, the first 3 people who comment on this post will get a handmade piece of art from me. In return, you must post a similar message on your blog and send out 3 handmade pieces/gifties to other artists. Good luck and have fun!

Boston Handmade

I'm excited to announce that I've been accepted into the "Boston Handmade" group of artists. Founded in March '07, Boston Handmade is a group of Etsy sellers based in MA. Boston Handmade is a gathering of colleagues who support one another in the pursuit of each other's respective craft, who act as resources for each other, and who create opportunities for group promotion. I'm looking forward to being an active member of this group!

Search "Boston Handmade" on ETSY to see this more from this talented group of artists.

VASTabulous Valentine Treasury at ETSY

As a member of the VAST (Visual Art Street Team) at ETSY, I love the valentine treasury of handmade goodies and gifts that was just put together! Take a look:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=24315

Fabric Heart Quilties

So here's what I've been doing with my sewing machine. I joined a swap in one of the Yahoo Groups I belong to (mixed media art)that involves 4" x 6" fabric quilts. This was a challenge as I really haven't worked alot with fabric, and have NEVER used a sewing machine until last week. The easy part was creating the designs, which I printed on various fabrics from Color Textiles. The hard part was putting them all together, but I think they came out pretty well, considering. The surprising part was that I found out that I love using fabric, and the sewing machine!

Clueless buys a sewing machine

What an exciting day for me! Up until now I have been completely clueless about sewing machines. But I went out and bought one today! Well, I'm still clueless, but I was able to thread the bobbin, the needle, and make the damn thing work!!! Yay!! The model I bought was a Brother CE-4000 because it seemed non-threatening enough, and was within my budget. It's got 40 built-in stitches, and can sew through multiple layers of heavy fabric, which I hope means I can use it as part of some mixed media pieces. Anyway, just so I can remember this extremely momentous occasion (right!) here is my first practice stitch.

Moving Forward - Digital Collage

It seems like so long since I've done a digital collage. Really, it hasn't been that long, it just seems that way because we've been so busy with the holidays and some family obligations.

This piece I like because it seems to me the woman is leaving a threatening or oppressive situation and moving on to something more positive! On to a brighter 2008!

Having Fun with Color Plus Silk Fabrics from Color Textiles

I bought some of the Color Plus® silk fabrics from Color Textiles and I really love them! The color prints from my Epson 2200 comes out great and the feel of the fabric is so nice. I'm using them for a fabric quilt swap I joined...it's a bit challenging as I don't own a sewing machine (!)...but it's fun and I'm learning something new.

New Year's Art Resolutions

One look at this mess and I know I have some New Year's Resolutions to make.
1. Clean the studio. Organize. Use the cabinets and drawers I have. Use the wallboard for inspiration, which is what it was intended for. Clean up after myself (isn't that what I tell the kids all the time?)
2. Join some local arts associations. There are arts associations in all the towns and cities around me, which I've researched, and one seems more fitting to my style. So my goal is to join it, and apply to other local groups. My hope is that by doing so I will "get myself out there" both in terms of meeting other artists, and finding places to sell my work, other than online.
3. Make art every day - for a series or collection. Whether it's working on a digital collection for blank greeting cards, or textured or painted mixed media collages, I want to make pieces that work together. I've been pretty sporadic and inconsistent in the things I've done (I think because I like trying so many different techniques), but it's time to pull it all together.

These may seem pretty generic, but I have more specific goals within each larger one. I'm excited to see where the year takes me!

Winter Tree Collage

Anyone who lives in the Northeast knows we've had quite a bit of snow this past week! This collage was definitely inspired by the view outside. The background comes from a crayon batik piece, combined in Photoshop with an image I took last year at Endicott Park in Danvers, MA.

What some people in the Northeast may NOT know is that you can now search locally on http://www.etsy.com for pieces like this, and other great handmade stuff from local artists. Simply go to "Buy" and "Shop Local!"

Know what I love about snow?

Well, to be honest, there's not a whole lot I like about snow, but I do love days like this. The roads are barely passable, no one is travelling, you have to stay home, which means we can do things like: decorate the tree, make art, and watch the Patriots, with no need to feel guilty that we should be doing someting else! My very favorite kind of day.

The Shoe Collage

You are warned, this is a gross little story. Okay so a couple of weeks ago I left my shoes in the middle of the bedroom floor. High heels. Heard a god awful crash. Husband yells he needs my help. Gross, gross, gross. The most disgusting thing I have seen lately. My shoe took out a chunk of his foot. Like you took a spoon and scooped out a chunk. Took an Emergency room trip at midnight. This was after my daughter was sick all day. Well I warned you...hope that wasn't too bad.

Anyway, here is a more pleasant and cheerful view of a shoe! Something a bit brighter than I normally do. The purply-pink began with the crayon-batik technique Belinda has on alteredbelly.com. I have it on ETSY as a print, or card if you like.

Heart Collage

To be honest I'm sick of thinking about Christmas and winter in general. So I was thinking about the heart swap I signed up for and was playing with some ideas. I liked this one so much I'm putting it on ETSY as both a print and a card. It's a mix of two mixed media collages, blended and altered in Photoshop. There, I feel warmer already.

Wintry Birdhouse Digital Collage

Brrr...it's SO cold in the Northeast right now. I can barely get warm even in the house! I was thinking of the little birds that visit my backyard and wondered how they were doing while I did this little digital collage.

Paste-up 2008

An juried exhibition of small format collage to be presented at the Ayer Lofts Gallery in Lowell, Massachusetts. Karen Bettencourt, who is a fantastic artist, is one of the jurors. I had intended on participating last year, but life got in the way. This year I am excited thinking about what to submit...last year's entries were gorgeous.

What kind of flower are you?

I am an Iris What Flower Are You?

Cool! Considering it's about zero point zero degrees in Massachusetts right now, a little flower imagination hits the spot! Here's what it said about me and I'd like to think it's true:

"You are a very sensual person. You like to experience all the sights, smells, tastes and textures the world has to offer. Ordinary be damned, because you want to do it all."

Geneaology of Pop/Rock Music

Last week we took the kids and my dad (who was freezing because he lives in Florida) to the ICA in Boston. The ICA is the Institute of Contemporary Art, which has had an awesome makeover in a stunning building on Boston's waterfront. The actual gallery itself was a bit smaller than I had imagined, but was an interesting exhibit of the best in contemporary design.

The thing I thought was "coolest" was Reebee Garofalo's Genealogy of Pop/Rock Music chart. It covers "the time period 1955 to 1978, more than 700 artists and 30 styles of music are mapped in currents flowing from left-to-right." The piece is included in "As Below, So Above, 2007", on the wall as you enter the museum.

We bought the poster for my 14 year old son, who never complains when I drag him to museums.

1ST ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE PROCESS DIGITAL PRINTING EXHIBITION

Some of you might remember that I took a digital printmaking class with Mary Taylor. I loved it! Now Mary is juror for a digital printmaking exhibit. I think I'll submit something. How about you? The information is below.
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Booksmart Studio embraces the new digital printing technologies while holding on the old values of traditional craftsmanship, printmaking, photography, and the studio arts. The studio prides itself on blending these old values with new technology to create works that encompass both state-of-the-art printing and classic hands-on personalization. This upcoming exhibition will celebrate the combination of new technology with an enduring emphasis on fine craftsmanship and quality.

The exhibition, recognizing and celebrating innovation and talent in digital printing, will be juried by Mary Taylor- educator and award-winning vanguard of digital processes. Using an eclectic mix of found objects, handmade papers, hand coatings, and modern digital printing processes, Taylor creates fine monoprints, artist books, and mixed media digital prints. While not teaching digital printmaking workshops or managing the studio of Digital Atelier’s Dorothy Krause, Mary Taylor is advancing her own unique talent and pioneering the art of alternative digital printing processes.

Exhibition Application

Christmas Tree Mixed Media Collage

So can anything good come of having your kids home sick from school? Yes, because I got to stay home from work & make this Christmas tree collage. Aside from taking care of the flu kids, it was a good day. I'm going to work on this a little more then put it on ETSY.