How goes it for you?

I'm past a weird pall that came over me for a day and a half and feeling myself once again. Whew!

Fun day in the studio absolutely abandoning anything going on before and trying the new. Since more pictures of my in-process desk would be tedious I'll just wait to post whatever evolves later. Yesterday, with the warmer weather I was able to fling the winter curtains aside and let some light in and work in the larger studio space. Thank goodness! I'm not much of a mole. Today the cold brought the curtains back down but I'm solarly charged for a while.

I've heard from some (who have yet to post here, *poke, poke*) simply the idea of art a day and attempting it as best they might has bvrought images, ideas and fun back into their work. Very cool. Another friend was inspired to join a take a picture a day for a year online challenge.

Laura G (day 12-13)

This little painting is still in progress. I started it last year, but stalled out. My student noted that it looked like he was wearing "britches". Sort of a Peter Rabbit look rather than the "serious" bunny I'm after.  So today involved a bit of research to find the right stance and expression. Hopefully I can get that adjusted tomorrow....and get my brushes back in the paint.

Yesterday was a day of art-sharing with my book artist's friends. We shared stories of "sacred spaces" and what that means to us. Quite a lovely conversation. I came away with such a fullness and peace. Spent an hour or so on a bench by the river just studying the horizontal and vertical lines cast by poplars and the ripples from a passing boat. (Can you just barely make that out in the iPhone photo I snapped). I discovered that this Art-a-day blog is more about "being" an artist and the way that feels inside, than it is about merely "doing" art.

randomosity

Did you check out old I am? It says 1963. That's old! Started new portrait. You won't see this one. No show tonight for my pottery class. wonder what happened to them. Could have gone to CBC show for D. Gast. Wish I had. Carnegie said the reason they are closing is the usual. Not enough volunteers, not enough money and the City of Walla2 won't cough up maintanance on building. It really is a cool bldg. The Pottery Place Plus in Spokane has OK'd a show for me. If it happens I''ll get you all a post card. Cool huh! Did you know my wife is named Pat? Pat and Pat, isn't that cute. She is going to show me how to post pics of my work just like everyone else, soon. One of my film cameras died so we are thinking about a digital camera for me too. It seems odd that a gallery wouldn't charge enough commision to cover expenses. I would have paid a rental fee if it meant keeping the gallery. Some galleries are charging a membership fee. It doesn't matter how much it costs as long there is enough sales. The best outlet I ever had charged 55% mark up. That means for every $1 sale I got .45 and they got .55. I wish I had something like that now. The sales were 3 figures every month. I am really bad with names, that's why I married a woman with the same name as me but has anyone invited You&I frameshop to 509art? Thanks Pat (the guy)

Day 8 - 12

Day 8
Too much wine at Ashbeck’s when I realized I hadn’t done any art for the day. Erin showed me around Photoshop. I did do a graphic…which the world need never see.

Day 9
Mostly computer research and physical recovery today. Noht Kabuki is proving time consuming. Since I rarely do anything twice I spend much of my time climbing steep learning curves.

Day 10
Progressing on projects and starting others. Maybe complete something tomorrow???

Day 11

Woohoo! Something done! A while back I punched holes into copper sheet then dropped it into an acid bath to see what it’d do to those holes. Not much –will leave it longer when (if) I try again. Then patina’d, or rather, allowed a patina to happen, cut, filed and hammered. I have some meaty handmade watercolor paper around so decided to make it into sketchbook. Drilled, punched and assembled.

Day 12
Today was much brainstorming, idea-trying and mess-making though nothing much overtly productive. I have about 10 pounds of fishing lures I pull out at least once a year and still haven’t found their purpose yet. I want to paint on a piece of a bamboo placemat though am so frightfully intimidated by brush and paint.
Things I’ve learned today:
*I absolutely resist imposed directions even when I’m the one imposing.
*I might need to reduce my expectations of Noht Kabuki if I hope to complete it this month. Still hope to produce at least a working model.
*Epoxy and resin will be a learning curve item for some while yet.
* I simply cannot complete a simple project. I have to make it complicated, time consuming and far beyond my current capabilities.
What I hope from today:

Crunky days like this often translate into very creative firestorms if I stick with it.

IS

Another little collage. these are about 5 inches square.

What's happening with everyone else? Haven't heard much lately....

Laura G (day 9to11)

Some more sketching on this second weekend of the new year. I am missing the scratchbord because it is fun to cart around and work with quickly. (Best follow Rastovich's advice and get it ordered). I realize how much I miss drawing. This scary doodle showed up last evening. 

Also have been working on a logo. I will show it to you soon.

Here's some progress on painting that I sketched out in my last post. I'll get it finished up soon. Just a bit of refinement and "shadow patrol" is necessary. How is everyone else's progress progressing?

hello

I redid the tile that I broke yesterday and it is drying. Fired the tiles that were ready. Retouched the portrait of the girl, finished the still life and the rattlesnake mountain pic and am looking at the crane pic & worked on my proposal. The crane pic is unsatisfactory so far. Groomed what will be the second pasture so that I can rotate the horse's pastures to help with the quality of feed and worms. You can grow 7 tons of grass per acre if you do it right. Tomorrow I go to Walla2 and retrieve my pics and pots and then swing by my sister where I will photo the step I made for her from brick that I made. I am really sorry that Carnegie is closing. I started there in the 70's. I won't have time,probably, to swing by Kennewick High School to photo the monolith and vats that I made for an application for a grant. I have been approached by the Old Hotel about being on their board. Maybe a practitioner on the board can stop it from going the way of Allied and Carnegie. If we don't have a gallery maybe there will be nowhere for locals to exhibit. The Zen in me says maybe that is the way it is supposed to be. I once had a painting instructor who said "If you are not a little embarrassed about what you are doing it probagbly isn't worth doing." Thanks Pat

why

Why do I have to have the e-mail address to comment on a fellow art-a-day person's work? I wanted to tell Luann that her work is marvelous. I am barely in the 20th century much less the 21st so can someone tell how to comment on art? Thanks Pat

WOW this is cool

Wow this is great! I actually got on this sight without help from my wife, son or daughters. What a marvel. And it has speel chek too. I finished the still Life from Thursday's class and started the sandhill crane pic for the Old Hotel. I told them I would do one. It's has it's problems. I broke a tile last night as I was loading it into the kiln so I will have to redo it. Mike, our son, was over tonight and through conversation he reminded me that you can put up to 50% pulverized paper into your clay. I am planning on doing that for my tiles and brick as I can. Othello clay is easier to get than newspaper. This formula makes clay a minority ingrediant in the clay mix. I'll put in 25%paper 33%perlite and the rest Othello clay. I have a bunch of brick and tile to make so the paper thing will help. It actually makes the wet and dry strength of the clay better. I am in italics now and can't get out but it looks kind of cool so I'll leave it. So far I have two paintings and a bunch of tile for the March show. This is going to be sweet. Deb wants us to open a walk in co-op gallery in her space on Auburn st. Me too. Tom was right. Carnegie missed me with their announcement but they are closing for good. I'll go up there Monday and retrieve my work. I am sad. I loved being in Carnegie. I was in before,about 25 yrs ago, but got busy and couldn't fulfill my obligation so we parted company. My youngest child got a role in a sci-fi TV program where she plays a "robot diva." It will be a streach for her because she has always seem a deva to us. Thanks Pat

Warrenton Estuary

This is one of my abstract digital photographs. I took this shot of a weathered metal panel behind Tommy's Steel and Salvage in Pasco. I printed it up in a 24x36" size. I decided to cut down to 11x36 to give it a nice landscape look. I have been texturing my pieces with extra heavy gel medium, but I'm not sure I like them so shiny, so I've ordered semi-gloss gel medium to tone them down a little.

I've completed two more collages and modified and existing one, but they are similar to the others posted so I won't bore you with more of the same for the time being. However, they still are a source of enjoyment, so onward I go. I did spend Friday making this bowl. I was curious if I could bend them then weave them and if they would retain the curved shape. They did. I trimmed the ends to about 1/2 inch and then bent it over the last piece to finish the edges. The shape is graceful, slightly irregular, and certainly functional. I may do more but the time involved to complete one and the sore fingers and scratched forearms made me just a tad cranky.

Laura G (day8)

Today was a sketching day ... here are a few I am working on. One is just a doodle from a long conversation with an old friend. The other is a painting commission for upcoming wine event. 

"Inside you there's an artist you don't know about...say yes quickly, if you know, if you've known it from before the beginning of the universe."  -Jalai Ud-din Rumi

Laura G (day7)

So I ran out of the black scratchbords, but did find this small 4x4 claybord. I coated it with prussian blue watercolor ink and after letting it dry awhile, went ahead and started scratching. It doesn't respond in quite the same way -- the clay surface seems softer. This one will have to be coated with a clear protective coating to prevent smearing. It reminds me of the ocean. And may be part of a larger ensemble at some point in the future. This process makes the creative mind whirl.

Here's another artist who does scratchbord. She explains the process quite well if you care to peek: 

http://www.dmdgallery.com/aboutartwork.html

Blue Karma

My latest Art-A Day is titled Blue Karma. Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences; making one responsible for one's own life...and the pain and joy it brings to them and others. The results of actions are called karma-phala. In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well.

okay here is the day 7 last one. I'll keep making these until I weary of them. I have other things rumbling around in my head that want expression, so I may try doing both, if I can find a clean spot on my desk that is.

and another. did i mention i'm having fun???

titled so because the old picture stated thus on the back. The copper wrapped cylinder is a shot gun shell, again to be used as a vase if one wishes. Recognize those tiles underneath? They are left-overs from the fire place hearth from former dswatkins gallery. Sigh.