The Little Ghost Girl Who Won't Go Away...

It's been said that the gallery in the Dole Mansion is haunted, but who would think my paintings would be too?

The site of our upcoming show was built in the 1860s and seen generations come & go. "Ghost" sightings abound. Both Joe and friend Angela Swan each experienced different mysterious sightings and sensations when we helped her prepare for her exhibition there last fall.

Sightings of inky apparitions and Victorian-era figures have been plentiful over the years. Many think Eliza, the widow of  circus magnate Lou Ringling (who helped purchase the building in the 1920s) is still roaming the halls.

So, keep your eyes open this 1st Friday's event on 4/5/13. Who knows, we might have an extra guest checking out the artwork!

 The picture on the right is a detail from the painting in progress for the show I talked about last post. To me this figure symbolizes looking into the future, just as the grown woman captures how we look back at our past. One is open eyed, confident and knowing, but the future is young before us, and sealed like a letter yet to be read. I've drawn her on a different scale than the 'past' figure, in the tradition of iconic symbolism, to express that even though we are constantly entering it, the future often seems distant, smaller than what has been.

The thing that puzzles me about this figure is that as I've started to paint it, I realize: she has haunted my paintings before. 

Another painting that will be in the show started with a very similar child figure that I removed from the its final composition and then there's this baffling piece:

This is an eternal work in progress, really, because Joe was so taken with it that he sneaked the painting out of the house to frame it before I had finished!  (He was afraid it would be painted over into another piece eventually.)  And there are other pieces where spirit figures emerge....

So, it seems the ghost girl has followed me for years. Is it possible to have haunted paintings? I suppose in time, I'll find out. I'll be on a search to find out who/what she is and why she won't go away. In the meantime, maybe I'll just call her Eliza for now.

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Please Don't Swing From the Artwork (we know you'll want to...)

Detail of painting on day one (looking back)

 Getting ready for our 2 person, solo show at the Historic Dole mansion...It will be great to see so many pieces of the new artbox series all hung in one space!

Joe talked me into creating a large artbox painting (24"x24" compared to the 12"x12" pieces) to go with a 7 foot tall installation piece....but I hadn't been working long before I found that he "forgot" to leave room for the painting!

...so it seems that this may not be one of our collaborative pieces after all.

close to finished, now - just missing a leg bone

  Right now, he's having enough difficulty making it stable...He has some advice for opening night:

"It's tall, it's narrow -- so please don't swing the padlocks. I know it's so tempting..."

"large" 24"x24" artbox painting in the studio, day one

The odd thing (ok, one odd thing) about these two pieces is that Joe, who usually has his artwork "completed" in his head before he even starts to bring it to life, this time has been experimenting as he goes. This is a constant source of amusement for me, since I'm usually the one struggling with creative serendipity in my work.

This time, however, he's been burning and  "reburning" objects over and over again in near anguish, while I actually have a fully realized composition from the start, for once. (Not my usual intuitive approach at all! Typically, my pieces unfold before my eyes.) So far, my difficulties will rest in deciding if the figure should be 'less pretty' to fit the allegory, and capturing exact look I want...more on that later.... 

Hope you can come see the final results! Maybe I'll talk Joe into making a companion piece for this painting after all!


See the finished pieces here... 

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Off-balance Artists Strike Again

 I've been busy sketching as we prepare for our Outside the Box solo show at the Dole Mansion this April...This is a piece in progress features two creatures from the north: a Flicker Woodpecker & a girl of Irish descent. (Guess I'm sensitive to being a yankee at the moment, since it's so cold!)

The woodpecker historically has been considered a symbol of 'divine work', connection to the spiritual and, in general, of awareness. (One reason the figure is meeting our stare.)

My original sketch (Yes, sometimes I sketch my sketches first - how crazy is that?) actually featured two identical birds, each on either side of her head. This is because woodpeckers have also been considered a symbol of balance.

In the end, I decided to make it a contradiction of terms by having only one bird because that sort of thing amuses me. I know. I have a quirky sense of humor... and because awareness and focus on the spiritual tends to give me a hyper sense of focus that feels anything but balanced!

Meanwhile, Joe has been busy balancing his own work - a madly, curvaceous solo piece that looks like he's doing 'fine art Jenga' as he creates it. (more on that later)  Can't wait to see plans Joe has for this drawing. His assemblage will make it truly complete!             


Getta Cuppa Joe!

Cook Street Coffee

Now through mid - February, the artboxes will be at Cook St. Coffee in downtown Barrington. A portion of any sales now through Feb from this show will go to Willow Creek's C.A.R.S ministry, which helps area single moms have safe, reliable transportation.

Cook Street is a great, cozy place to get fair trade "coffee ands". (In Joe's family, it's unthinkable to serve coffee alone. You have coffee 'and a danish', so we refer to this as 'coffee ands'.)  Cook St. Coffee locally owned, so if you go there, you get to treat yourself while supporting independent businesses near & far.

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What has 3 heads, a clear conscience & about 50,000 cups of coffee?

With Michael Shipley @ Conscious Cup...

. 

I was hanging artwork yesterday in Crystal Lake's own Conscious Cup. When I got home, my son asked me why it's called that. I explained that it's because many people are pretty much unconscious until they have their first cup of coffee in the morning.

But seriously, it's a locally owned, fair trade coffee shop/cafe owned by the Shipleys (Michael, Jason & Jack). If you believe in supporting local businesses, local artists, fair trade & good, old-fashioned caffeine, this is the place for you.

And, if you purchase any of our artboxes during the show there and mention you saw it at Conscious Cup, you'll be helping local kids and single moms in crisis. How? Read on...

Reasons to go to Conscious Cup during the holiday season:

1. Coffee
2. Coffee!
3. 20% of artbox purchases made there will benefit the local shelter Turning Point.

One of the artboxes now on display..

And if you're like me, and would rather drink hemlock than go to a mall on Black Friday, consider a saner alternative: cozy up with a cuppa joe, hang out with a newspaper, ipad or a friend & leisurely shop the original art (yes, that would be ours) or the Ten Thousand Villages fair trade gift selection at this local haven.

If you buy any of our pieces showing there through the end of 2012, you can be assured of 2 things...(Yes, I know, I'm into lists today.)

1. If you need a gift for the person who has everything, they won't have this!
2. Your purchase will help McHenry County's women & children escape violence and enjoy a season of joy and peace. 

I know I'll be hanging out with the occasional chai--hope to see you there!

+ Visit the Conscious Cup website
+ Find out about Turning Point
+ See the artboxes online

Who Wants to Gamble on the Sabbath?

This Sunday, Nov 18, come gamble the right-brained way...

If you haven't heard, then you haven't 'haven't heard it' from me: It's time for

The Affair of the Arts Fair
 in Spring Grove, IL.
Sunday, 10-4

In addition to shopping, food & live music, there will be a raffle. I know I brought this up before, but this raffle is extraordinary in that every artist showing will donate a piece to be raffled off. (That's about 40 pieces of artwork.)

This means that your odds of winning are WAY better than winning the lotto. And better yet, it's FREE. (and the government won't claim half the earnings)

**Please note that some flyers say there will be a free artist raffle at this event. This does not mean that Joe or I will be auctioned off. Hope you're not too disappointed, but believe me, the art will be a lot less trouble to hang on the wall.

So how do you go about winning your loot? Read the blog below or go straight to affairofthearts.org for the full details. Hope to see you there!

Ps. Don't forget to go to church first. ;)

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I'm Having an Affair.

No, I haven't left my husband of 16 years, but we're both having an affair...more on this below!

Our house has been a-buzz as we get ready for the upcoming Affair of the Arts fair Nov. 18...The hubby's been wood burning so much it smelled like we had an indoor campfire last night!

As much as I enjoy pyromania, I've been sticking to drawing/painting to prepare. (Here's a shot of a piece in progress...)

What, pray tell, just is this "Affair of the Arts" of which I speak?

* It's a unique shopping experience, with over 40 artists presenting jewelry, glassware, ceramics, paintings, photography, mixed media decor and more. If it's functional and beautiful, it will be there. If you've wondered how to make the everyday items (& moments) in your home inspired, then you'll want to put this on your calendar.

* It's outside in a gloriously picturesque fall setting, yet it's also inside for those of us who want to stay cozy-like.

* Artists don't really like that whole 'starving' idea, so snacks will be available. (I hear tell there will be a cash bar as well.)

* The show is Sunday, November 18, 2012  10 am – 4pm

 @ 

The Shores of Turtle Creek: 7908 Winn Rd. Spring Grove, IL 60081

http://www.shoresofturtlecreek.com/

Want to check out details and the artists who will be showing?  Go to the Affair of the Arts website.

See some of our collaborative work (& the burned stuff) here.

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Some Say Tomato, Some Say Tomorrow...

For me the hardest thing about making artwork is starting. That is closely followed by the struggles of continuing and actually finishing. Why is it that I'm so naturally inclined to post-pone what I love? And why am I not alone in this special brand of insanity?  I don't have the answers, but I do know that I'm definitely not alone.

So what do I do when getting myself into the studio feels harder than putting a cat into a suitcase?  (That's really, really hard, by the way. I haven't tried it--I have a high respect for cats & good suitcases--but I vividly remember my mother's attempt to get our feline to the vet without a proper cat carrier. So not good.)

Mostly, my technique is to trick myself. I'll work while listening to an edifying podcast (or WireTap, not edifying, but fun) or insist on working through all of a piece of music or playlist (classical for drama or rock/pop for energy). Or give myself a set time to work for. In that I find I'm also not alone. Painter Robert Genn uses a timer that looks like a tomato. We all have to do whatever we can to get through the night, right?

The Pomodoro Technique described by Robert Genn:

Just as people learn to spell words and add numbers, folks can learn how to gain intention. It takes a bit of character and a Pomodoro. A Pomodoro is one of those red kitchen timers that looks like a tomato. Pomodoro is Italian for tomato. You can buy them on Amazon for $7.99. The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The timer is set for 25 minutes and then you focus and go to work on your predetermined job. At the end of the time period, the alarm goes off and you take a five minute break. Then you start on your next Pomodoro. If your Pomodoro gets interrupted by a phone call or a request to go down and drain the lake, you'll have to stop and restart your Pomodoro later.

To rise and become a "Certified Pomodoro Master" you need to determine how many 25-minute segments you're going to need to do a particular project--say a 20" x 24" painting. You need a notepad and pen to list and keep track of your staged Pomodoros. Give yourself a check mark at the completion of each.  

Want more examples of this? Find out more about how to use this Technique 

If you have any helpful advice, leave a comment & share the wisdom!

  

Right now, my favorite playlists I use to keep me occupied are on Spotify. If you want to suscribe yourself, they're "42" &  "I Love the Smell of Wagner in the Morning." Here's a sample from each...