Art at Stone Lake

New Work--2012 Launches!

I completed a new small collage--continuing to wrk the Secrets and alphabets theme.  Here it is.  collaged found papers.  acrylic paint.  oil pastels.

 

Completed a Commitment

I just wanted to post to the world that I FINISHED both of my Sketchbooks and sent them off today to the Sketchbook Project!!

I liked this project because it pushed me to do tiny experiments with different techniques.  The paper wasn't the best for wet media but I made do....

No photos--I didn't want to pause --I just needed to get them into the mail today to make sure I actually completed them in this calendar year. 

They have new projects coming up for 2012.  Here's the link to find out more!  You can also go to this site and see the digitized version of my journals when they are posted.

ArtHouse Coop Sketchbook Project

 

Happy New Year to Everyone.  Peace, Love and Blessings.

Carole

 

 

Working in Series: Scale

For the next assignment, we were challenged to work wth variations in scale.  I chose to dramatically increase the size of the letters in the first pieces. 

First, here are the two Journal exercises--I am so pleased that I slowed down enough to make 2!  Both are done using spray paints--one of my favorite mediums.  I used a limited palette that echoed some of the colors from the foundation piece.  The large letter stencils were created by me using Word and cut out by hand.

Here's number 1:

I only used a tiny bit of fancy stenciling in the upper right corner.

Then, here's number 2:

 I played wth Large scale letters (R, X), and then used the commercial stencil in the background to create smale scale letters and symbols. 

 

Finally, I made an artquilt working with scale and color.  Big letters--I find that I am intrigued by the effect.  I also painted some of the letters in colors as well as in black.  Acrylic paints and Spray paints.

TWO CLOSEUPS:

 

 

Working in Series: Color and Value

During this workshop, I decided to do studies each week in my journal. This is a sharp contrast to the way I usually work, which is to think a bit, maybe sketch out a general idea and then go straight to the design wall or the paint palette.

In this Assignment, I am exploring color.  I realized that in my Letters series, I usually default to creating the letters in black paint.  In my sketchbook, I used watercolors and experimented wth differnt pairings.  I deliberately chose not to pull out the color wheel.  I wanted to see what my eye would find through experiment.

I also played with the fact that letters create words by creating 3 new English words.  I don't thnk they exist...smile....

 

 

COLOR AND VARIATION:  Also, I did a Journaling page. First I floated watercolors and allowed them to blend by spraying the paper. (Wet on wet technique).  Then I wrote some thoughts about words and created stencil letters by hand.  Usually in my earlier work, I used commercial stencils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Mixed Media

Although I have been silent for a few months, I have managed to do some work.  Here is one of the 12 x 12 inch canvases that I created in April.  I used spray paint and stencils, along with some text from poetry by my nephew.

 

 

   More to come later!

 

 

Affirmations

In my 'other life', I am a consultant on leadership development. I often include art based/right brain activities in these programs. 

Recently, a colleague and I completed a 9 month program with a wonderful group of people at a government agency.  In our closing, I designed an art-based activity.  I painted canvases and collaged a piece of hand painted watercolor paper to each one.  I used a wide range of colors.  Each participant then selected a canvas, and drew their own hand in outline, and added affriming words that described their strengths.  The participants then added an affirmation to everyone' else's canvas--it becomes sort of a word portrait.  Here's mine--and the wonderful words that these great people wrote for me.  Thanks Everyone!!

Sketchbook Project

I've recommitted to do a LOT more visual journaling.  This is one of the projects I've taken on to keep me limber!   I signed up for the Arthouse Coop Sketchbook project a couple of months ago.  My theme is "The View From Up Here'.  I have to say that I almost backed out because the themes didn't initially call to me.  However, I decided that the challenge was to STRETCH my Imagination, so I jumped into it. 

Link to the site:  Sketchbook Project

The finished sketchbooks will be housed at the Brooklyn Library in New York City, and will travel to other venues.  Quite exciting!

I started out in this sketchbook by turning to my dictionary and playing with each word in the theme.  I collaged in copies of dictionary pages, wrote comments about the theme and even wrote a short poem.

On the left, you can see a piece of fabric that I just liked...nothing to do with the theme.  I just needed to start out with some texture.

This next spread includes shots from a moving train.  On the right hand page, I have a comment that reads: "From the train window, the horizon is clear, sharp.  It's only the near distance that passes in a blur."
 

 

Next spread--I collaged in a monoprint --acrylic paint on glass and then monoprinted onto watercolor paper.  One of the prints looked like mountains and forests from an airplane (left hand page). I made a note that this is an 'interior landscape'--one visible only in my/your imagination.   I love this type of monoprinting. The right hand page is also a monoprint, but the paper was crinkled quite a bit.  More texture.

 

 

I'll post more in a couple of weeks. 

 

 

Artquilting in Costa Rica!

Hi,

 

I think I mentioned on an earlier post that one of my quilts is being exhibited in Costa Rica!  It's part of an exhibit curated by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, who is a truly world class quilt curator, historian and artist. In addition ot the exhibit, several of the artists also traveled there to conduct talks and classes.  Here is a link ot the FABULOUS blog by Marion Coleman that is a moving documentary.  Please click below to share their amazing journey.

Costa Rica Blog

And, here's a detail of the artquilt that was in the show.

 

 

 

 

New Collages -- May 19, 2010

More new work!  Playing with painted papers, found text, purchased scrappy stuff and my own photos & poetry.

This one is a self portrait titled "Joy in the Music 5-16-10"

This one is titled "Doorway Dreaming 5-19-10".  It's a spiritual journaling page.  I love doorways....

My MiniStudio is Launched!

Well, I had an epiphany on Sunday.  Although we are in small, temporary quarters, I realized that I COULD make art!  I would simply have to focus on certain types of materials and techniques that would be easy to clean up, compact to store, etc.

I decided that using watercolors, pencils,  and the like would be safe enough in the apartment.  So, off I went to buy a few supplies, and a work table.  A couple of hours later, I was up and running.  I decided to focus on making collages using watercolor, found and purchased papers, other materials and my digital art.

Here's one of the first pieces:

Title of this one is simply #101.  I painted tissue and watercolor papers, collaged them and added snippets from an old book of Japanese poetry.

Here's another experiment that went rather well:

TRANSFORMATIONS: 102 AND 103

These two pieces are siblings.  I created 2 collages on watercolor paper.  Then placed one on top of the other, cut them into 4 pieces and reassembled them by using 2 parts from one with 2 parts of the other.  You can't see the cuts in this photo.  I like them both and plan to continue to transform them.

I am building my stash of painted papers and this weekend, I'll start working on photos that I will print on various papers to be used in collages.  I also plan to scan some of the painted papers to use in digital collages.  Wonderful!!!

Sometimes a limitation can lead to greater freedom.

Stay tuned as I continue on this Journey.