Organic Randomness

Way back in January I poke around with color and stenciling on paper one afternoon, experimenting lightly with this and that, soon moving on to countless other undertakings both in and out of my studio.

I bump into that page of play off and on. I move it absentmindedly from one place to another in my studio to clear the way for other projects. In a recent studio clean-up, I accord it a more intentional space in a drawer where it can hang out companionably with other starts. 

Then, no sooner do I give it a designated space than do I pull it out again, lifting it today from the drawer up to my paper trimmer where I turn it face-side down to allow for organic randomness as I cut the start into several smaller pieces.

One of which becomes a birthday card!

Deep in Inner Space, Extraordinary Knowing

3 x 3.5"; acrylic and collage on paper,

mounted on card stock

abstract

2022

Another Then and Now

I take such pleasure in pawing through old pieces, looking to discover what will catch my eye for reinvention as a birthday card. I find an exercise I did as part of an interactive online Jane Davies class four years ago. I trim it down to a 4 x 6" size for a renewed composition, I fuss and fiddle happily with print collage, I rotate its orientation.

Happy birthday, Scott!

Go Easy, Be Filled with Light, Shine
4 x 6"; acrylic, oil pastel, and collage on cheap drawing paper,
mounted on card stock
abstract
2020 upgrade of 2016 piece

Welcome to the World

on this april day
sing a song of joy! of birth!
of celebration!

Some of the Hymns Reached into Me
All the Way to the Bone
4 x 5" greeting card; acrylic and collage
abstract
2019

Another Circuit

Another circuit
around the sun. Glad I am
to celebrate you.

Firecrackers & Festivities
4 x 5" greeting card; acrylic
abstract
 2019

Juxtaposition

The day before I went on vacation to Virginia and West Virginia, with all sorts of packing and other last-minute details and tasks crowding my every moment, I popped down to the basement to add a bath towel to the wash I'd just started.

Discovered an unfolding event. A jumbo-sized container of liquid laundry detergent had fallen to the floor, landing on and shattering its cap. I arrived to see a mess of concentrated (2x the power!) detergent spreading viscously onto and soaking through a piece of indoor-outdoor carpet, the 'lake' already larger than the circle I could make with my arms if I stretched them out.

Oh.

A welcome juxtaposition: making a card using a watercolor-turned-mixed-media exploration from my time on Mohegan Island in August. Sweet!

birthday card
4 x 5.5"; watercolor, acrylic pen, and water-soluble pastels on canvas paper,
mounted on card stock
abstract
2018
[gift]

Connection

Have you ever been at a meeting or presentation of some sort, or in a class, with facilitated exchanges of information taking place among people who've never met before, and you know exactly with whom you'll strike up a one-to-one conversation—and make a lasting connection—the minute the formal part of the event ends?

Yep.

That's how I got to know Bo.

A birthday bookmark for you, dear friend!

Small and Still and Tender
1.5x5"; acrylic, India ink, oil pastel, and collage on watercolor paper
abstract bookmark
2018
[gift]

Birthday Gifts

I set the bar way too high way too soon: When my dad turned 24 in 1950 I gave him the birthday gift of my own birth!

What to give him for his birthday this year on May 13, 2018?

More years than not, we bookmark our shared day with a father-daughter photo.

Bookmark, 1951:

Bookmark, 2018:

This year I'm further bookmarking our joint birthday with a handpainted bookmark. I love picturing my dad's going off to the library, as he often does, to get a new book to read, and then keeping his place in the book with this little bit of love from me.

Captured by Gratitude
5x1.75"; acrylic, ink, collage, and pastels on card stock
abstract
2018
[gift]

Skinny Little Big Magic

Today is my friend Martha's birthday*. We met fifty a number of years ago at the American School in London when we each moved from our respective Stateside homes to live in London for our last year of high school.

Because Martha is an active tree-loving member of—and top-drawer volunteer for—Friends of Trees in tree-loving Portland OR where she lives, I sent her a nifty book about trees to celebrate her birthday.

Because I am a painter who loves to paint bookmarks that coordinate with books, I also wanted to paint a bookmark to pair with her tree book.

So, the 'problem' needing a solution in my studio became how to paint a tree on a skinny little strip of heavy weight card stock.

My hubby Dave had recently brought home a now-outdated 2017 horticultural calendar, thinking I might like to add it to my art supplies. I had recently been been undertaking some serious household decluttering and thought, Add to the paper in our home? Have I not been trying to reduce and recycle? But I accepted his thoughtful pass-along.

And good thing I did, because it triggered such a fun creative adventure.

I pulled this unlikely page from the calendar, with its photo of a ground plant looking like no tree I know of in Portland (though what do I know about trees in Portland? not much):

I tore pieces from the calendar page and completely collaged my bookmark substrate, thinking to use negative space painting to … do something, though heck if I knew what.

This was one of those pieces, though, that then magically propelled itself forward. I showed up, and the universe and I collaborated.

So. Much. Fun.

Instead of painting negative space, I added loose, intuitive, India ink mark-making on top of the glued collage. 

Then pops of blue oil pastel to create depth. 

Next, more collage, this time tiny bits to create foreground. 

After that, hmm, needed some gentle differentiations in visual texture, wanted to maybe add some text collage, but the text I had was all printed on white paper—too jarring, what to do? 

Oh! 

The calendar—the calendar! the one I considered refusing!—offered up print on green paper. Awesome. 

I kept coming in close, stepping back, coming in close, stepping back. 

The bookmark eventually nudged me and said: Yo! We need a little contrast here. 

OK, OK. I grabbed a metal skewer thingy I have, poked it into the mouth of a tube of burnt sienna acrylic, thinking, complementary color …  or close enough. Dabbed bits of burnt sienna onto the bookmark with the skewer.

Stepped back.

Oh my gosh! 

I was in a tree.

This is one of my favorites ever—loved the process, love the product, love that it celebrates Martha.

Happy birthday, cherished friend : )

On a Hot Summer Day, You Turn down Our Street and Feel like You're Entering a Cool, Green Tunnel
1.5x6.25"; acrylic, India ink, oil pastel, and collage on heavy card stock
abstract
2018
[gifted]

detail

* Martha will want me to point out that even though we are now the 'same age' as each other, she is, in fact, nine months younger than I. Duly noted.

Placeholder

When our wild-child Bomb Cyclone Winter Storm was forecast last week, I wasted not one second before securing essential supplies—made an immediate beeline to my local library (not the grocery store for this gal). Because do not ever leave me without a stack of books at the ready.

Ever.

Transported my satisfying haul back home and indulged in a favorite followup activity—pulled out my stash of handpainted bookmarks and matched each book with just the right placeholder.

So satisfying.

---

Painted a new bookmark today. Actually, to be more precise, I took handpainted collage papers and cast-aside painting studies and collaged a bookmark.

Don't You Cut Your Visit Short on Our Account
1.75x6.5"; acrylic, oil pastel and collage on paper
abstract
2018

Slapstick 12/27/17

Ya know how some people look like a million bucks, even if they just got dragged out of deep sleep unexpectedly in the middle of the night, or if they just came in from a wind storm?

Not this gal. This gal came from who knows where, was overdue for a hair cut, hadn't run a comb through her hair, had bed-head somethin' fierce.

But she cleaned up pretty well. I took her to a hair stylist who pampered her with shampoo and conditioner, gave her a good trim, and blew her hair dry to a glossy shine. I bought her some eyeliner on the way home, gave her money to choose an on-trend outfit, and surprised her with some new jewelry.

Phew!

I Have to Put On My Face, Be Right Back
3x4"; acrylic, latex, India ink, collage, and pastels on paper,
mounted on three layers of cardstock
abstract
2017
[gift]

Painting Connections

I wrote about this piece's partner maybe ten or more days ago, in a post about staying connected to other artists, especially those who "express interest in and resonate with what you are doing" and whose work lights you up.

This post is also about connections.

First, I love when paintings connect to each other—when they're siblings, sharing considerable DNA but also having distinct personalities and experiences. Such is the situation for today's painting and her born-first sister. They now live in different states, have their own lives to live, and often go whole days with nary a thought of each other. At heart, though, they are still connected.

Second, I love the connection I have to my experience of painting this piece. It evokes instantly a day that had dawned chilly, at 42 degrees, but became a gift of bright sunshine, radiant warmth, yellow leaves that drifted occasionally to the ground, cloudless blue skies, and crisp dry air. My internal weather was more of the same. Happy. I was in my happy place—adding touches of paint, sorting through my scraps box for backdrop papers on which to mount the painting, applying matte medium, tucking the emerging card repeatedly between carefully designed improvisational weights to let one layer after another adhere as I assembled.

Partying with Norman and Sebastian
2.5x3.5"; acrylic, ink, pencil, and pastels on postcard stock,
mounted on card stock and wallpaper sample
abstract
2017
[gift]

---

Check out this awesome photo shoot that We Drink and Partying agreed to before their lives took them in differing directions.

Stay Connected

Another way to thrive as an artist, in the words of Nicholas Wilton, is to

3 Stay Connected

Your success, energetically, financially and even spiritually, is directly connected to those that support and follow your artistic journey. Never lose connection with those that express interest and resonate with what you are doing. Cherish them.

Yes, yes, yes! I do stay connected, I don’t lose connection with those who express interest and resonate with what I’m doing, and I do ferociously cherish them.

To wit, I first bumped into Simone Nijboer and her art two years ago online, and connecting with her changed my unfolding experience as an artist dramatically. A new friend! Someone with whom to talk art! 

She is a key player in my art life. We’ve had an almost daily blog-to-blog conversation in progress for two years now along with periodic personal email communication. It was Simone's art that, for the first time and to my complete astonishment, drew me to abstract art. I was mesmerized by what I saw in her work, and I was compelled to explore abstract painting myself. Life changing. Literally.

Simone was the direct spark that lit my speed-painting yesterday and today. And what joyful painting it was—I flipped to the blank side of what started its life as a professionally printed marketing postcard. I received it in the mail and transformed it in just minutes, minutes inspired by Simone's enduring belief in painting even if she has only the smallest snippet of time and limits her materials and scope.

We drink / one from the other / still
2.5x3.5"; acrylic, ink, pencil, and pastels on postcard stock,
mounted on card stock
abstract
2017
[gift]

Happy Birth Day

Oh my gosh, can I tell you how happy I am when I play with paint and all the other magical stuff in my studio?

So happy!

Every day is the birth day—the happy birth day—of something new that never existed before.

Wasn't there …  is there!

Magic.

Happy magic.

I especially enjoyed creating this card for the happy birthday of my friend Ruth.

Can you feel the celebration here for Ruth's spark, sparkle, integrity, energy, generosity, and vibrancy?

There Aren't Any Grown-Ups—Not One, in the Whole Wide World 3x3.75"; acrylic, ink, pencil, and pastels on paper, mounted on card stock abstract 2017 [gift]

Birthdays!

Not only am I the baby who initiated my dad into fatherhood, but also I had the great good fortune to be born on my dad's birthday on May 13, 1950, when he was 24 years old.

Here's a photo of us a few months after that birthday.

We've made a serious number of revolutions around the sun since that May 13th, but we're hanging out together this May 13th also, with daughters #4 and #5 joining in the fun. 

Although my dad most likely won't be tossing me up in the air as part of the festivities, I'd say we still lift each other up in countless ways : )

Happy birthday to us, Futh!

I took this playboard from April 2,

    

and fiddled around with it till I had a birthday card.

Daddy Tosses Me up in the Air
2.75 x 4"; acrylic, ink, pencil, and collage on paper, mounted on cardstock
abstract
2017
[gift]

Centerpieces

Today I snag one of the playboards I created about a month ago and start to play.

playboard

I am so grateful to have invited art to become a centerpiece in my life. To have committed myself to making space for losing myself in this moment, and this moment, and this moment. To be, here and now.

I pull out a china marker I purchased recently. Haven't used one of those for decades! I draw some circles and then bring them into high relief by painting negative space around them.

I bump into the acrylic skin I made sometime earlier this year, cut it into bits, and let its random marks find places on my emerging piece. That acrylic film experiment has made appearances in several paintings now. Very satisfying.

Then out come my Posca paint markers, and the house paint Caroline and Emmy gave me at Christmas, and a PaperMate pencil.

Making a record of what I did when creating a piece is just that—some words that tell what I did.

Art making itself is a string of moments of looking at things for the first time; art making is being what I'm doing.

I take such pleasure in having all of that—all of everything I've just articulated, and more—fit into a little 3x4" painting that I can share with a friend to celebrate her being a centerpiece in my life, too!

Looking at Things for the First Time
3x4"; acrylic, ink, oil pastel, china marker, pencil, and oil pastel on paper,
mounted on card stock
abstract
 2017
[gift]

A Fourth Something

All his life Scott's gift to me has been to open my eyes to see in ways they don't think to see on their own.

Happy birthday, Scott!

He Saw Art Where Other People Saw Nothing
3x4"; acrylic, ink, and collage on drawing paper, mounted on card stock
abstract
2017
[gift]

A Third Something

I am one of five sisters, the oldest.

Marj is one of the same five sisters, the youngest.

We are bookends, each holding a place in a sister lineup that spans twelve years.

Such a sweet time I've had painting up some colors and lines and scribbles and joy to make a card to celebrate my baby sister.

Happy birthday, Marj!

Maybe I Am Just a Kid, Only Older

3x4"; acrylic, ink, and collage on drawing paper, mounted on card stock

abstract

2017

[gift]

A Second Something

The second something from Monday's start, another birthday card:

Maybe Adulthood Is a Myth
3x4"; acrylic, ink, and collage on drawing paper, mounted on card stock
abstract
2017
[gift]

Birthday Card

Birthday card from yesterday's start:

this is the sun's birthday
3x4"; acrylic, ink, and collage on drawing paper, mounted on card stock
abstract
2017
[gift]

Simpatica

A young girl enters my home with her parents. A new tutorial student for me.

It is winter.

We have some work to do together. Academic tasks.

Decoding, spelling. That kind of stuff.

We're both willing.

And so we get to work.

Aside from that work, what would we have in common, we who are are decades apart in age?

Souls, that's what.

An inner string of vibration.

---

How long's that string been vibrating? Ten years now?

Inner String of Vibration
4x5.25"; acrylic, ink, and collage on paper, mounted on card stock
abstract
2017
[gift][birthday card]