April 2016 Wrap Up Post

Lyle and Shirley Throw a Party
11" x 14" collage/painted papers

Left Field
11" x 14" Collage/Painted papers
(not available)

What it Takes
20" x 24" collage/painted papers

Meander
14" x 18" collage/painted papers

This last month I celebrated my 46th birthday. I am happy to say that I am still here and even happier to say that I have some artwork to share! Here goes!

New Work:

Lyle and Shirley Throw a Party: This piece started out with just one large shape. As I started to add shapes I began to think about a book I had as a child called Lyle and The Birthday Party. Things morphed from there and I hope that the resulting collage gives a sort of playful and festive feeling.

Left Field: April is not only my birthday month but is the start of baseball season. While I am not a big watcher of the game, my husband certainly is. Baseball, at the beginning of the season, always makes me think of green fields, crisp white uniforms, and balls rotating through the air! Inspiration certainly comes from many places.

What it Takes: All things agricultural continue to be of interest to me. For this piece I considered some of the machinery that is associated with water used for irrigation of crops. I also wanted to include some very simple images of buildings and fields. I hope the resulting piece both references agricultural elements and reads as a fun design.

Meander: When I was a kid the color combination of pink and green was very popular. I decided to use those colors for this piece. I hope that the more organic dark pink shapes blend well with the more geometric rectangles and circles.

Collage and Process:

It's good when people are looking out for you! My artist friend Julie Ford Oliver suggested to me that I clarify the type of artwork that I make. Many people may not realize that these pieces are cut paper collages and not traditional paintings. This link here to the work of Henri Matisse provides a great explanation of the materials and the process.

For my work, I start with hand painted papers. I use artist grade acrylic paint to paint sheets of construction paper. Colors are selected to create a feeling that I have about my subject matter. I try for a range of light and dark hues and for colors that are bright and for colors that are a little more subdued. Very often I have no idea how things will turn out! I next begin to cut out my shapes using small, sharp scissors. Using scissors to cut the shapes helps me to get a very "clean" edge which is something that I find incredibly appealing. I then use artist grade glue to apply the paper to the board. The whole process is akin to using a brush to apply paint to a canvas. It's really just like painting. 

The resulting pieces can be considered as collages. Per my friend's great suggestion, I have updated my website to more strongly emphasize the term "collage" in my work. I have also changed the labels for this blog and have updated the language here as well. Thank you Julie!

***artist grade materials are those that are considered to be archival, of the highest quality and consistency, and are recommended for use by professional artists (my definition). I try to make quality work both with my materials and with my presentation. 

New Class:
Lastly I'd like to mention that I will be teaching a new class at ACME Art in Mokelumne Hill, May 13th and 20th. This is an outdoor sketch class designed to help intermediate sketchers get back into the swing of things if they have taken a break from sketching. I have some suggestions for how to add writing to your sketches as well as some basic tips on composition. Please join me for a fun morning if you can by signing up with ACME directly on the link given above.

Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting. I appreciate the continued support. Here is to a great new month!

Libby

New Work: Title Suggestion?

What It Takes
20" x 24" collage on board

New Work:

After arriving back home from vacation, I couldn't wait to get started on some new ideas. After a pile of laundry and sending the husband back to work, I got into the studio. I had a hard time starting though. I then recalled something I had seen earlier on. A while back I watched a video clip about Jon Imber, the late painter. At one point he is outside painting and facing a blank canvas. He is looking at the ocean and he says, "OK now, let's start with a yellow kayak." Or something to that effect. He just needed to get something down to get started and I wholeheartedly understand that idea. So that is just what I did. I got my yellow kayak onto the paper!

The above piece is something I really like. I chose colors that for me are representative of farming: blue for water, green for crops, and brown (red-orange) for dirt. I used the idea of a barn being red (local color) and I made the sun yellow. Why not? I have to laugh also because my little symbolic shapes are just so me. Diatomaceous filters (those are the shapes in the lower left corner)? There is a piece of equipment that tills the field and I included these cement towers that have something to do with irrigation. I see them in many of the fields that I pass by. And of course, I included an above ground pump. I hope it reads as a good design because I am afraid it is like the child that only a mother could love!

In Other News:

Over vacation, I received a rejection email from a show that I had entered. This is nearly it for me. I pay for all of my own art supplies and other art related things. I am not sure that I need to spend money to understand that my art doesn't fit in with the rest of the pieces selected for the show. (I get that all of the pieces need to fit together somehow.) And I am not sure that I want to help fund the show that I won't be in. And I don't buy that I paid for someone's time. Forget it and I am not just being bitter but trying to be practical and reasonable. I'd like the most bang for my buck is all I am saying. OK, all done.

OK, I am open to discussion on the title of the above piece. Any better suggestions?

Thanks for reading and commenting,

Libby