Mothers Day

I am revisiting this Mothers Day post from several years ago, with an update. I hope you enjoy!

With Mother's Day approaching I thought I would share my most memorable one with you all. I think three years have past since the beauty parlor chair incident.

I like unusual things...things with unexpected possibilities...and chairs, I love chairs.
Driving through back streets on my way to church, I noticed a chair sitting in the side yard of a little block house. The neighborhood is one block from the beach, lots of rental homes most of them built in the 50's and 60's. I was immediately intrigued by the beauty parlor dryer chair with a elongated bullet-shaped dryer; definitely "vintage". I continued to notice the chair, week after week, and commented to my sons that I loved the chair...and wanted to have the chair. I lamented on rainy Sundays, that my chair was getting all wet. I said that I was going to ask for the chair. Many months passed by and on one Sunday...no chair. The chair was gone.

I was so distressed...physically, when you heart starts pounding and you get that pit in your stomach.
I believe it was the following day...I drove to the house, knocked on the door and introduced myself as a local artist, who had noticed the chair that "used to be in the yard" and inquired if something had happened to the chair. Well...the young surfer "dude" that I was speaking with explained that they had moved the chair to the back patio, "yea it's still here...why"? As nonchalantly as I could reply, I said I liked old things and thought I could do something with it. He said that the chair belonged to his roommate, who wasn't home, and I should check back. I nervously wrote my phone number and handed it to him...I asked him to please have his roommate call me about the chair. I was trying not to get too excited...look too anxious.

I waited for that phone call...at least two days. I drove back over, but no one was home. The Friday before Mothers Day I got up early and couldn't stop agonizing over the chair. I woke up my two sons, Jay and Tom and asked them to pay close attention. "I am your mother, and Mothers Day is this Sunday, I want one thing for Mothers Day and I will be disappointed if I don't get it". I remember this moment...I am not proud of it...but I remember it. My oldest son was still in college and the youngest one was in high school; neither of them had any money. I had recently sold some art and still had some of the cash in hand. I counted out $115 and told Jay to take the money and drive over to the chair house and negotiate the procurement. I suggested he see if they would like to give him the chair to humor his mom...and to take it from there. Tom was going along to help with loading and delivery. They returned with a tale of the garbage truck showing up...and the chair was in the truck and they followed it but it turned...a lie. I could tell by their faces, a mother knows. No, no...they had the chair! I was sooooo excited.

How much did they charge for the chair, I asked? Well, Jay says, I asked the guy what he would take and he asked what I thought it was worth...and before I could start with a low price, Tom says,"didn't mom say she would pay $115? Sold...$115.

I still have big plans for the chair...I have had it upholstered in hot pink glitter vinyl, and the elongated helmet top has been repainted, I still need to re-do the chrome legs. I want to call it the get plugged into art chair, or something like that and give it a prominent place at my studio. Regardless...I love the chair, I love the boys who got me the chair, and I can't imagine a more wonderful Mothers Day.

the update...I did get the legs refinished and put it all back together. There are still plans to "customize" it...do a little painting inside the dryer top...perhaps. I love seeing it in my studio! It inspires me to slow down and observe all the exciting possiblities each day brings; and to, not forget to have fun and smile whenever possible.

moving forward

Sometimes things seems to progress soooooooo slooooooooowly. In the past, while preparing for an upcoming exhibition, I have been able to maintain a crazy schedule of working feverishly to create new pieces of art. It surprises even me when I think back to last year and the Road Trip exhibition. I sketched, painted, collaged and printed almost 30 new artworks in the span of 5 months. That was pretty crazy.

Everything comes in cycles. After completing a large series of work, I have to take a break. Put down the brushes and paints and spend a little time in observation. Explore the art world around me and let the creative juices rejuvenate.

I am still playing around with new techniques for acrylics. I want to be challenged and expressive, always learning more about how to communicate through paint and paper and canvas.

Seascape

start and nearly finished

I have overcome the fear of showing unfinished work, too. I hope I convey just how much I love what I do.

Comments Welcome.

I Lost it on Tuesday

"Gnarly but Nice"
It is so exhilirating to paint in an intuitive manner, at least for me. I know one thing for sure with each canvas..."this will be a challenge." It helps to have painted for a while. One of my favorite artists, would tell his students that to be a good painter you had to paint for miles and miles. I think it was a famous quote. I would have a great painting coming along and he would say, "now go home and start 10 more like it". I tell my students that they must paint a lot of paintings before they learn how to develop as artists. You learn something new with each painting. The next one forces you to recall the lessons of the previous. It's sort of like that muscle memory you learn about when you play a sport. Practice, practice, practice.

I don't pre-plan my large paintings. I work on them a while and eventually they ha, ha..."speak to me." Tuesday, I saw this wonderful alligator. He was slithering around on my canvas, part of his head, two eyes, one front leg...I know he was there. It was a colorful abstract canvas with texture and all those alligator parts. The next step is to "capture" the subject. I work out the composition with chalk or paint and try not to lose the little surprises I find so appealing. I have learned that not all paintings proceed in a orderly manner. I have to be willing to change directions or let alligators go. I lost my alligator Tuesday, he just refused to cooperate. All the work of the day was lost.
So today, I start again to capture that magic...just to relax and paint big shapes, color, line. Tomorrow the search begins...

"Swamp Thing"
a previous alligator that didn't get away

one is good, five is better

I am always working on something, or several somethings, at one time. I hear about artists who are intimidated by the big blank canvas, but perhaps because of my process I look forward to starting new work.

Spring seems to inspire new beginnings. I have been looking through some old canvasses that either didn't develop as planned, or did not fit with the project I may have been working on at the time. Some of these were pieces that I was very excited about. I set them aside and wait to see what happens. If after several months, I don't get back to the canvas, I cover it with texture and color and start again. I almost never work on one painting at a time. I like to take a break from a painting I am working on and look at it with fresh eyes. If I have two, or five painting to work on, I can rotate from piece to piece and give them all the time to develop. Started new work is exciting...texture and color and no plan whatsoever. Finishing is the hard part. A favorite artist/teacher once told me that you know a piece is finished when you can take a large painting and visually divide in into many small paintings, and all of them are interesting and finished. That is what I try to do with each canvas.

I will post the progress as I go.

a new triptych I love the colors in this piece

my lovely palette I draw with chalk once I have the colors I want

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Still Working

I have a brain full of thoughts and ideas for new artworks to create. Just don't ask me any questions that require me to recover a long lost number or memory. My brain is too full with diversions of reality. I am still in that gathering mode, which goes hand in hand with spring cleaning. I hope to tackle some of that soon.

I am trying to play with a lot of new materials and reviewing my sketchbook to see where that takes me. The following pieces are in progress. Some are barely started and some are near completion. I love books of all kinds and I am hoping that they will be an outlet for some magical little images.

book cover and book spread (in progress)

summer days (in progress)

More to follow...I am actually working on about 10 art projects right now. Juggling the order, according to my mood after a good cup of coffee each morning. I hope you will stay tuned...

a new path

I have always loved mixed-media. I did quite alot in my show last year, Road Trip, impressions of a memory. I was somewhat restricted (self-imposed) working with subjects that pertained to the Road Trip experience. I have been gathering...aren't all we women gatherers? Rediscovering the oddist objects saved from all kinds of places and events. Sometimes you step out of your vehicle in a parking lot and behold a treasure. I have lots of those. I have a hard time leaving them lying there. I always presume they were waiting on me to retrieve them.

I am starting work on some new mixed-media pieces. I actually loved working on the book project for Hopes and Dreams, (check the previous post for more info) and want to do more, more, more.

As I get started, I am working with a sketch on acid free paper, the number 2, a fairy drawing clipped from an old book, a die-cut tag, an old painted piece of canvas (I couldn't throw away), some yellow plastic binding and assorted papers. I will be applying all of this to a board I have prepared with gesso.

I will try and remember to post new pictures as I work. Let me know what you think.

Still working, it is coming along...

Hopes and Dreams Opens Friday Feb 6, 2009

Finally,

I probably shouldn't say finally, since my artwork for the show is not framed yet. I need to refinish my frame, and it is too cold to use the spray paint. I am hoping for lots of sun today. It is sold though, an area artist stopped by to get a preview of the show, and purchased my entry, "Dream".

Hopes and Dreams, the exhibition to benefit Genesis House opens tomorrow night at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. I am so pleased with the exhibit! We hung three strands of the hand pulled prints yesterday. Artists and visitors were asked to write a hope or dream on one. They are hanging above the exhibition's artwork. Several artists friends and I printed almost 200 of them. They are so lovely.

Visitors to the gallery during February 09 will have the opportunity to write on a print and share a hope or dream.