My Cabins in the Woods

My recent trip to the country was awesome, but not so restful as you might imagine.  While it was certainly beautiful, and quiet, I actually went out there to work. About 6 years ago, my husband and I bought 60 acres of forest on the Kinneyconnick Creek in Lewis County, Kentucky. The original cabin on the property was built by the man who owned the place in 1959, from redwood that he had shipped from California.  When we purchased it, the cabin was in terrible shape, complete with a partially rotted roof.  Since then we have been renovating it, and it's now structurally sound and looking pretty good, but not completely finished.

Then, I guess because I missed the two log houses we had built and just sold, or possibly because of incurable insanity, I decided I wanted a log house.  So we found one somebody wanted taken down, and moved the logs- several times.  Then we started construction. Believe me, none of this is as easy as it sounds; sometime I'll gather all my photos and give you all a more detailed account.  This picture shows how far we got on our own, before we had to enlist the help of a crane to put up the second floor logs.  This is actually the second time we did this, because the first time, it sort of... fell down.  But that's a whole other story.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a little tour of the "yard", and the progress made this past week.  The redwood cabin is on the right, and at the time this was taken (2005), had been stained, a new roof put on, chimney repaired, etc.  For directional reference, you (and the photographer) are standing in the driveway.   Let's come back to the present, and walk down to the redwood cabin's nice shady porch.

We're looking at the porch, or side view of the cabin.  Let's step onto it and turn around to look out toward the driveway.  You're now seeing the only (that I know of) redwood tree in Kentucky.  It stands just between the driveway and a very steep drop to the creek.

Planted in 1958, it's just a little baby, for a redwood.  It's a bright yellow-green color in the summer, and I believe it's about 100 feet high, give or take.

 Here's the path leading down to a huge part of the Kinney that everyone calls the "swirl hole".  It starts behind the redwood cabin, so step off the porch and turn left.  This is so pretty, with lots of lush mosses and ferns.

Oops, I forgot, we're not going to the creek right now.  We have to work on the log house!

Due to the magic of the internet, and you not really being here and stuff- voila!  We finally put the doors on the log house.

We're now standing in the "back yard", looking at the french doors we just put in, and the opposite end of the redwood cabin.  Let's walk around to the front and check out the other door, which we put on yesterday.

Doesn't the door look nice?  And to think, only one person was injured putting it in (guess who?).  Let's go inside.  Wow!  It's starting to look like a house in here!  There's still some chinking to be done, and of course, the floor...


Finally, after a dip in the swirl hole to cool off, we're sitting down under the big pine in the front yard to admire our handiwork, and maybe have a beer.

It's a beautiful evening; lean back and relax, enjoy the peace and quiet.

Isn't it great that the sky has been this color the whole time we've been here?

Recent Developments

Transformation 43 was chosen by my client to go with her other two pieces, and will be shipped off to its new home next week.  Yay!

 Transformation 43

Five pieces of my work have been accepted into the 12th Annual Collage, Digital, and Mixed Media Juried Online International Art Exhibition at the Upstream People Gallery.  Transformation 42 won an award of Special Recognition. The exhibit can be viewed here.

 Transformation 42

My work will be included in A Summer Collection: Works from the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen  from August 6th through September 10th at the Scott County Arts and Cultural Center, located at 117 North Water Street in Georgetown, Kentucky.  This show runs in conjunction with the World Equestrian Games, so hopefully it will be well attended.  The opening reception will be on Friday, August 6, from 6:00 until 8:00 pm.

My solo show at the Artspace Gallery in Richmond, Virginia will be in the Frable Gallery from October 22 until November 21.  That's all I know right now, but I'll share more details as things progress.

  Frable Gallery

While visiting Berea on Tuesday, I found out that another piece had sold, and I need to take more work down to the Promenade Gallery!  I guess I'd better get to work!

currently on my easel

Now, I'm off to my place in the country for a few days of R & R.  When I come back, it's time to get serious!

Collage Workshop with Randel Plowman

What could be more fun than learning new techniques from collage artist Randel Plowman?  You're right- nothing!  I had the privilege and pleasure of attending Randel's collage workshop at Northern Kentucky University yesterday.  The time flew by as we learned about possibilities for collage materials, various types of glues and mediums (I love glue!), image transfers, and lots of other cool stuff. 

Our first project was a series of 2 1/2" by 4" five-minute collages, using materials given to us in a little plastic bag- yikes!  Just the thought of having to do anything in five minutes is scary for me, as I am normally a perfectionist with two speeds: slow as molasses in January, and slower than molasses in January. This was a great loosening-up exercise, and I actually started to enjoy it, because who expects greatness in five minutes?  Here are some of my results:

We also learned an interesting technique for making collages using heat from an iron.  It was kind of labor-intensive, but I liked the results because the pieces turn out so nice and flat.

Then we tried some image transfers.  The piece below was my best attempt; I call it "Happy Rooster" because I was so happy with how it turned out!

Randel was extremely generous with both his knowledge and materials, and gave us lots of freedom to play and explore.  I also enjoyed meeting and interacting with the other artists at the workshop.  There were graphic designers, teachers, print makers, hobbyists, writers and who knows what else, all there to learn about collage.  What a great way to spend a hot, humid Saturday!

The Product of Matter Times Light...

The product of matter times light

 equals something far beyond the sum 

of their parts (if we knew what those were)

a question incandescently answered 

by selected sudden instants

of time,

and written in unnamed colors

so unexpectedly right

you can forget to breathe;

 a random unraveling

of particles or waves,

science has no name for what this is

it's a synergy of secrets

beyond parameters of ordinary sight,

it's a matter of mystery

when you multiply by light.

Another Baby Step and More Possibilties

I've been engaged in some artistic explorations lately, in hopes of stumbling onto a new artistic path, which I discussed in more detail in a previous post. I feel like I've been hopping willy-nilly from one idea to another, but I guess that's okay for now.  Here's the result of my last couple of days of exploration.

I was just looking at some scraps I had laying around; this was a piece that I cut off the original piece that became the Buddha "Paradox" piece.  I'm not sure if that made sense, but I can't think of a better way to put it.  As I was thinking, "should I pitch this scrap or keep it?", I suddenly began to see a strange sort of landscape image in it.  So, why not?  I scribbled a bit here, liked it, and scribbled a bit there; I glued on some bits of map and other papers, and added some more color, and... a kind of semi-abstract imaginary landscape emerged.

It seems to be an amalgamation of all the ideas I've been playing with over the past year or so:  the collages made from more collage-y things (as opposed to just my monotypes); the maps from my "Traveler's Tale" series (which isn't finished yet, btw); the landscapiness from my monotype collages; and a bit more of an abstract quality.  Also, it occurs to me that my trip to the Rocky mountains last summer has impressed itself  on my subconscious more strongly than I realized; I can see the shapes of the Rockies in some of these landscape elements, for sure.

I'm intrigued, and could maybe see myself doing a series of these.  If I do, I think they would need to be larger, with more saturated colors, and perhaps pushed even more toward abstraction.  What do you think?

BloggersUnite for The Gulf & Save Our Planet // Bloggers Unite

I have always tried to keep politics out of my blog as much as possible, but I feel this is the time to make (sort of) an exception to my rule.  I'm not going to give you my political opinions, or try to persuade you to adopt my views; I am only doing this because I think there are others out there who might be wondering how they can help in any possible way.

 The horrendous and unimaginable disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has left me feeling helpless, and at a complete loss for what to do.  Yet I so desperately want to do something.  So I have joined Bloggers Unite in their efforts to do what they can to help.  If you want to join, and/or send an email to your legislators, click here:
BloggersUnite for The Gulf & Save Our Planet // Bloggers Unite

 Another thing you can do is to donate to the Sierra Club.  Apparently, Rush Limbaugh asked his listeners, "When do we ask the Sierra Club to pick up the tab for this leak?" and blamed "the greeniacs" for driving oil drilling offshore.  So Sierra Club started a campaign to collect at least $125,000 for the cleanup in his name:
Help Rush Limbaugh Become Sierra Club's Top Fundraiser


You can also sign this petition to let our lawmakers know you're in favor of finding alternative energy sources NOW.
Let's Move Beyond Oil

The Audubon Society's Action Page also gives good information on ways you can help.  To volunteer, sign a petition, donate, or help in other ways, click here.

Thanks for indulging me; I'm just trying to help.

Two of My Favorite Things (revisited and updated)

While working on my new website, I've discovered that old blog posts are an invaluable source of content. I've even found myself re-reading some of the posts because they're - well - interesting. So I've decided to update and re-publish some of the good ones, since I don't having a lot of time for blogging right now, and a lot of people, especially on facebook, never read them before anyway. So, here goes!

No, it's not raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, not that either one of those is bad.  It's paper and books!  These have probably been two of my favorite things almost all of my life.  Of course, they are closely related, since books are made primarily of paper.  Also, I recently got two great books about paper, which I'll review in this post.

One of my earliest memories is of kneeling at a coffee table, drawing on a piece of paper.  My grandmother, who cared for me while my mom was at work, tells me that I was about two years old at the time. What I remember most is that as long as I had paper and a pencil, I was happy.

Photo from Analyzing Children's Art, by Rhoda Kellogg

Paper!  I love everything about it: the way it feels, whether rough or smooth; the flexible ease of folding or manipulating it; the emptiness of a fresh sheet of paper, waiting to contain the world of my imagination.  The smell of a fresh sketch pad is inspiring to me.  As a child, I was delighted by the discovery of construction paper- so heavy it held its shape when folded, and all those colors!  Little did I know that it was only the tip of the iceberg.

It wasn't until much later in life that I realized the extent of the huge variety of papers that are available.  In each of my college classes, I was gradually introduced to different types of paper: non-bleed layout paper for graphic design, cotton rag watercolor paper, and printmaking papers such as Hosho and Rives BFK.  When my printmaking instructor gave me a Daniel Smith catalog, the wide world of paper was suddenly opened.  I had never dreamed there were so many kinds, and I wanted all of them!  Now, even far more exotic papers are available to us because of the internet and an expanded import market.

These are some of the papers I purchased recently from PaperArts.Com, a great source of handmade and decorative papers as well as other cool collage stuff.  Many of these yummy papers are beautiful works of art in their own right.

Closeup: Most of these are handmade, with wonderful textures and inclusions.

 An assortment from Blue Sky Pink, one of my favorite sites for ordering paper ephemera.

* Addendum: I have just found out that, sadly, Blue Sky Pink is closing down. Everything they have left is on sale super cheap, if you feel the need to rush over there and grab something - I did!

Books are another of my favorite things, and I can't remember a time when I didn't love them.  I was never bored if I had a book; they transported me to unknown worlds, and opened my mind to new ideas and possibilities.  I used to get in trouble in school because I'd finish my assignments before everyone else, start reading a book, and become so absorbed that I didn't notice that the teacher had gone on to the next lesson!

Of course, books about art are my favorites, and I'm always adding to my already vast collection.  I recently bought two books featuring art that's constructed strictly from paper. The first is Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut by Raven Smith, published by Black Dog Publishing.

This isn't a how-to book, but rather "shines a light on the beautiful world of paper in art, fashion, and design"  (from book jacket).  The first section deals with the history of paper, giving an overview of how it was invented and made, and the evolution of its various uses and methods of manipulation.  (Did you know that papyrus is not really paper, even though that's the origin of the name?)

 Studio Glow by Riki Moss

Icosahedron by Richard Sweeney

The rest of the book showcases a wide array of work by 44 artists working in every imaginable style and genre that could possibly be constructed from paper, including but not limited to sculpture, advertising design, installation, book arts, fashion, and furniture.  Some of it is unbelievable, all of it is beautifully crafted.  The photos are gorgeous, really a joy to look at; each artist's section is accompanied by text interpreting the work and giving us a glimpse into their processes.

Papercraft: Design and Art with Paper by R. Klanten (author, editor), S. Ehmann (editor), and B. Meyer (editor), published by Gestalten, is my other brilliant purchase.  The text in this book is pretty much limited to the preface and introduction, both written by R. Klanten.  The premise of the book is best described by these excerpts:

"Faced with the deceptive freedom of digital creation, the "anything goes" promise of virtual tools, many designers, artists, and illustrators have (re-)discovered tangible means to convey information... In this spirit of DYI and discovery, the artists and designers assembled in this publication re-translate their skills, styles and stories to a huge range of 2D and 3D paper creations that transcend their material's humble origins.  With just a few folds or drops of glue, the basic sheet morphs from flat plane into an actual body that represents and defines its occupied space."  

The rest of the book's 249 pages are jam-packed with photo after photo depicting every kind of art and craft made of paper by 70 talented artists.  Some of the artists push the applications of paper beyond anything I would have previously imagined- for example, a paper forest and even paper shelters!

Newspaper House by Sumer Erek

This book also comes with a DVD/DVDROM which features 17 very cool paper animations/videos, as well as templates for making some of the paper objects. Here's a sampling of one by Javan Ivey.

I cannot understand how anyone could look at either of these books and not be inspired.  I highly recommend both.

* Addendum 2: I also feel I would be remiss if I didn't recommend one of my favorite ever documentaries. It's called Between the Folds, and it may not sound interesting, but believe me, you'll be surprised at how utterly mesmerizing and mind-blowing it is. It treads the boundary of art and science, which is exactly where I like to live!

Here is the trailer:




You can watch the entire film on YouTube here.  I hope you enjoy!