I had a great time at 4 Elements Studio (Utica, NY) ART EXPO yesterday! It's always so refreshing to spend time with such awesome and talented folks. For any visitors who scanned my QR code, thank you for your interest and support! I expect that I will get even more involved with the arts community when I retire.
In 2010, a couple of friends of mine started a "new holiday" at our local watering hole (The Green Onion; Utica, NY). We called it "Thoughtsgiving". I have posted about this several times in posts on this blog. Like many other things, the COVID years put a damper on public events like Thoughtsgiving. One of the traditions of Thoughtsgiving was that I made small lapel pin collages. Folks were asking me about Thoughtsgiving this year, and I was very much motivated to make another set of Thoughtsgiving lapel pins. But, as they say, the raod to hell is paved with good intentions. Between getting two conference abstract submitted the week before Thanksgiving, and needing to get artwork done for today's ART EXPO at 4 Elements Studio, I "ran out of time" to make a dozen collage pins. When my friend and fellow Thoughtsgiving reveler asked if she could make crocheted lapel pins for the holiday, I said "absolutely!". And she not only did that; but she also composed and read to the folks at the bar, a beautiful and heart-felt "Letter to The Green Onion Family" -- which I think captures what a number of us feel about the establishment and the souls that make-up "the regulars". Thanks Maisie! I think Thoughtsgiving has been "officially" revived! See all y'all at next year's Thoughtgiving!
Eric Whitfield is an artist from the Utica area with whom I've recently been introduced. He creates these kinds of crazy, and well-executed animated characters; and also does more abstract works that are also well-executed. When he posted this piece recently on FaceBook, I contacted him immediately to ask whether he would be interested in me adding collage elements, as a collaborative work. He was not only interested, but excited to do it. I'm pretty jazzed up about it too! Now I hope that I can do the piece justice. So, here's the "before" image (already a great piece, imho).
I feel very accomplished today. I finished three new pieces for the upcoming Art Expo at 4 Elements Studio (Black Friday). I think I had a little 'beauty and the beast' thing going on with the transfer flower piece, compared to the weird skull piece. I had to add an additional pansy to the flower piece, because that corner was too "empty", if I left it out. It balances the composition better, but maybe I should have used a different frame. I like the rustic feel of the frame I used, though. The one with the gold frame is actually three-dimensional with a small box affixed with additional collage elements.
As most collagists know, transfers can be tricky. Positioning is perhaps the trickiest part (with incomplete "erasure" of paper, and ghosting a concern too). Last night, with a little skill and a little luck (gotta have some luck), I was able to accomplish one of my best transfers ever. I was trying to get the skull part of this element to line up with the yellow petals of the pansy. I was successful with that goal. I didn't realize the flower petal was going to look so good as a "brain" within the cranium. And I was "rewarded" (luck!) with some very nice additional alignments. One part of the underlying element ended-up looking like a heart; and other parts lined-up beautifully with aspects of the skeleton. I'm pretty excited about the way this came together, and will probably not do anything more -- I don't think it needs anything more. A beautiful two-element transfer collage.
I haven't posted in a while, but I have been busy in the studio. My time lately has been spent looking through magazines for interesting elements and doing some sketching (exploration and experimentation). I have one piece that is nearing completion, and several pieces which are still "emerging". Here are a few of the works in progress (which may or may not end-up ultimately being created and "put done" on the substrate).
