The Same Thing, Only Different (Rust Never Sleeps)

I thought I'd share these photos I took at an old abandoned 'tractor graveyard' near our place in Lewis County.  Maybe it's because I feel a bit rusty, myself, these days, that I find these so interesting.

There is beauty in every thing, if we can only learn to see with the right kind of eyes.

Falling

Falling 

6 in x 4 in

ingredients: vintage book pages, magazine cutouts, watercolor pencils, Koh-i-noor pen

Give Away Winner + KMAC Show

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short, as my granny would say.  I tossed all the entries onto the floor, and my dog Scout was again imposed upon to choose the winner, primarily because she is stuck to me like glue 24/7.  The first slip of paper she sniffed was the one with the name (drum roll, please)---

 Egmont (The Artist Within Us)!  Congratulations to you, Egmont; I hope you will enjoy your prize!

As you can see, this chore was extremely tiring for Scout; she had to rest up for several hours.  OK, not really- this is what she did when I tried to get her to hold still for the photo!

A couple of weeks ago, when my son came to visit, we went to Louisville to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, to see the show "Moving Forward, Circling Back: Celebrating 50 Years of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen."  I was so excited to have my work chosen for the show, but was not able to go to the opening reception because it happened right at the beginning of the school year. 

   
                    In the lobby of the museum, there is a wall covered with "hubcap art", which I thought was very cool.

           On one of the gallery walls was this signed poem by Kentucky writer Wendell Berry...

Above: digital art "Metamorphosis" by Bruce Robert Frank; wood vase by Paul Ferrell; ceramic plate by Wayne Bates.

I was greatly impressed by the quality, beauty and scope of the exhibit as a whole, as well as the way it was displayed.

Above: Fused glass by Ann Klem.

Colin viewing some of the pieces in the show.

Ceramic and mixed media "Too Tall Voodoo Doll" by Gayle Cerlan.

Above: ceramic vases by Amelia Stamps; "Green Crystalline Bottles" by Satian Leksrisawat;  "Black and White Cream and Sugar", porcelain "Teapot on Tray with Cup" by Linda Bowman

 

"Things I Love About the New York Subway", silk, by Rebekka Seigal;  Hickory chairs by Brian Boggs; "Seventeen 1934" fiber by Alma Lesch";  "WABI: Living with Solitude & Simplicity" handspun wool by Dobree Adams; "Dysfunctional Spoon: Bird's Nest" forged steel by Roberta Elliot; chenille throw by Churchill Weavers

  

Quilt "Chasing the Rainbow" by Janet R. Serrenho

Above: ceramic plate by Patrick L. Dougherty; metal sculpture by Dave Caudill; wood sculpture by Gregory K. Williams; glass by Brook F. White Jr.

Above: "Spring Parrots" dyed papers, by Carolyn Whitesel; draped weaving by Philis Alvic; "Prayer" monotype with mixed media by Sharmon Davidson

I've shown only a small sampling of the wonderful art in this historic show.  There's still time to see it if you're in the area; it runs through October 15th.


Below, a peek at a few pieces from the museum's permanent collection.  If you like folk art, you'll definitely want to see it!

Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky

Stacks

I have photographed my stacks for Seth Apter's Stacks Project, and here they are.  These are my stacks of vintage books, which seem to be growing.ever taller. I'm kind of obsessed with collecting them.  Some of them will be used for mixed media and altered book projects, and others I just love to marvel at. 

Who doesn't have stacks of stuff sitting around?  If you're an artist, you're bound to have at least one- it must be some kind of rule, or law.  Or is it that we're all messy, or hoarders?  Anyway, we might as well admit it.  Seth's gone so far as to embrace it, and put links to all the hoarders'- uh, I mean- artists' photos on his blog, the Altered Page.  Check them out here.

And don't forget to sign up for my give away!  All you have to do is leave a comment on the previous post.

Hello, I Love You- and a Give Away

Hello all!  You may or may not have noticed my absence lately, but I wanted to explain.... There are several things keeping me away from blogland, but the biggest culprit is the increased workload at my job; the beginning of the school year has been overwhelming, taking up most of my "art-making" time.  Also, I've had computer problems, not least of which is the apparent comatose state of my printer, which means I cannot print out images for transfers, nor can I scan anything, which is how I usually get images of my smaller pieces, which is all I have time to make right now. (whew! did you follow that?)  On top of all that, my mouse was working only intermittently, and not without much coaxing and cursing.  The mouse seems to be all better now, but the printer, alas, must undergo more tests and possibly a hospital stay, if I can find someone to fix it.  OK, blah. blah, blah, whine, whine, whine- enough about that.

Now for the good news: I've wanted to do a give-away for a while now, so this seemed like an opportune time.  I so appreciate the wonderful people of this online community; your support and encouraging messages have meant so much to me, and always lift my spirits.  Whenever I ask for your opinions or advice, you invariably come through with insightful and practical ideas.  As my 8th-graders would say: you guys are BEAST!  As a thank-you, I'll be giving away one of my small collages, But Still (shown below),

 But Still

as well as a package of decorative papers and vintage book pages (examples shown below).

So, this is how it will work:  Leave a comment on this post, and your name will be included in the drawing.  You don't have to be a follower, just a commenter.  If you "like" my facebook business page, your name will be put in twice.  Then, on Spetember 30, I'll toss all the names on the floor, and one of my goofy dogs (whichever one is handy) will "sniff out" the winner.

 Arlo (left), Scout (center), and Sunny (right)

(cuter when they're asleep)

FYI, I'll be participating in Seth Apter's "Paper Stacks" fun on Wednesday, September 21 at The Altered Page.  Be sure to check it out!

The Same Thing, Only Different (Sunflowers)

Sunflowers.  Not exactly where I would have chosen to plant them, but there they are- so why not enjoy them, right?

They are the essence of Summer, in all its glory...

Their bright colors and happy little "faces" always make me smile...

 

even as they begin to droop...

and bend under their own weight.

This one almost reaches the gutter...!

Their centers, with that lovely complex pattern...

 made them Fibonacci's favorite flower...

 

 As the seeds ripen,

the birds will enjoy the feast...

 until all the sunflowers look like this, and then...

like this.

Goodbye, Summer!  I'll miss you...

The Whole Shebang

As promised, here is the finished version of my altered book cover.

As you can see, I've added a lot to the left side since I posted it here.  The biggest change is the little girl; she is part image transfer, part drawing, and the flower "dresses" are image transfers of botanical illustrations from a textbook dated 1899.  I've also attached a piece of mica, using eyelets and brads.

A word of warning: attempting to set eyelets in mica is not really a great idea, in case you're wondering.


Here are a few details of the piece:

When I was a child, I drew constantly, from a very early age, and loved to make things out of paper.  My grandmother showed me an amazing trick.  She would fold up a sheet of paper like a fan, make a few snips with the scissors, and when she unfolded it, there magically appeared a string of paper dolls, all holding hands.  She told me that when she was a little girl, her family was very poor, and they had no toys at all unless they made them.

I had plenty of toys, including all kinds of dolls, but I found it more fun to make my own. My other favorite pastime was to run around in the woods like a wild animal, exploring every nook and cranny.  Between my yard and the woods was our next door neighbor's yard, and it was here that I got some of my doll-making materials.  I would find just the right stick for the body, and use either one of my neighbor's unripe grapes or apples for the head.

Usually, they wore petunias as dresses, and snapdragons as hats.  Wouldn't you, if you could?

I liked to know the secrets of the earth, and how things grew.  My grandmother taught me these things, and she also taught me to sew.  All these images are woven together in my mind, a tangled collection of dreams and memories.  If you peel back the layers of years, that world still exists, inside me.

We all have these layers of memory.  How many of them are real, or have mixed with dreams and stories and other memories, slowly changing as that moment becomes faint and cloudy, as if behind an old, dusty pane of glass?  And does that even matter, when what's inside our minds and hearts makes us who we are, whether or not it's strictly "accurate"?  These are some things I've been thinking about.