Two shows!

Everything seems to be happening at once right now.  I have artwork in two different shows that are both having artist receptions tomorrow night.  I am happy to announce that my piece Reflections will be shown at the Art Students League of Denver.  I took at class last year with the wonderful Jo Fitsell, who invited me to participate.  I honored that she thought of me!

Summer of Art: ASLD Students’ Exhibit

Invitational- Faculty & Students
Exhibition Dates: May 25 – June 22, 2016
First Friday Artist Reception:  June 3| 5:30 – 8pm
The Art Students League of Denver is an inclusive and inspiring art community where artists of all abilities are guided by professional artists to reach their highest potential. This exhibit highlights the talent of beginning to advanced students chosen by their instructors to represent our artists’ community at its best!

A couple of years ago I took a class with Katie Pasquini Masopust.  The class was about painting canvas and then cutting it up and reassembling it into painted canvas quilts.  I was so inspired by the workshop that I went home and painted several canvases.  Unfortunately I was not struck by inspiration at the time and never came up with any ideas for what to do with these painted canvases.  Until now!  40 West Arts announced a call for entry with the theme of Drip!  My painted canvas had been largely painted with dripping paint so I knew this was the time to get those canvases out and make something.  The following piece came together and I'm excited to say it was accepted into the show.  It is titled Polychrome Rain.  The reception for this show will be at the 40 West gallery on June 3rd, from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.

24" W x 43" H  Painted canvas and silk, collaged papers, acrylic paint, gold cord.  Machine stitched.

Inspired!

Not long after I took that workshop with Deborah Fell, I heard about an upcoming call for entry for a show that will take place in 2016.  I don't want to say too much about this because I'm not sure what the status of  this show is at the moment, but between the techniques I was using after the workshop and the call for entry, I was hugely inspired!  The "theme" I chose to interpret was my personal vision of Colorado.  There was a ton of leftover material from the workshop that I wanted to use, but in the end I had three large pieces in mind and had to make even more materials.  A surface design superstorm hit my studio when I got out the Gelli Plate, stencils, stamps, and any other mark making tool I could find.  When I thought I had enough collage material I painted some canvas and began collaging.  When everything was dry I cut the collaged canvas into 6 inch squares and combined the colors into the background for a quilt.  I forgot to take photos of the original canvases but I did take some of the second round. Here are some pictures of the uncut canvases and one of the backgrounds that I assembled.

I had 3 thermofax screens made & you can see all 3 image in this photo.

Mixed Media Collage

Last September I took a workshop with Deborah Fell.  The workshop was a blast, and while I'm not sure I learned anything new in terms of technique, I did seem to get a lot of inspiration and I came away feeling like I had "permission" to do some of the work I've always wanted to do.  At the workshop I got started on several different pieces, but no where near finished on any of them.  When I got home I continued to work with one piece in particular.  I mostly took apart what I had begun at the workshop and revamped the whole thing.  Something about this process really spoke to me and I completed this piece in record time.  I began with color washes on a piece of canvas.  Then I collaged papers and fabrics on top with glue.  These collage items were created in a frenzy of mark making and painting until I had two tons of materials that I began randomly tearing up.  So fun!  When I had a collage I was happy with I added batting and backing and began stitching.  There is more paper in this "quilt" than fabric, and quite a few layers in some places but I had no trouble stitching it.  I love everything about this process and I'm thrilled with the result, although not so thrilled with the photo, LOL!  Here is the final piece.

View fullsize

BOP Abstract 2015