Somerset Studio, Anew
Posted on August 17, 2008 - Filed Under About me
Here is the piece for the newest issue of Somerset Studio. I do not think this experience will ever get old, opening a magazine like this to see your own work, and I would recommend it! I first did it by answering an open call on their website that my friend Rosalba practically forced me to do, and thank goodness she is so pushy. It has been great fun and a pleasure to work with the people at the magazine.
This piece is binder’s board, watercolor, acrylics, gouache, copper, stones, and wax. Pretty much the kitchen sink. It is about 20″ x 20″. It feels good to the touch, not that it is meant to be touched. Just last night I realized how much I like the feel of things, and generally make surfaces as feel good as possible. There is some psychological profile that goes with this certainly, and it has passed to my daughter Sydney.
When Sydney was three, we tried out gymnastics. She romped around the gym with the teacher and other kids, then left the mat and sat next to me. She said “everything in here is hard and blue. I want to be somewhere soft and pink.” I know exactly what she means.
Cathedral of a Woman’s Day
Posted on August 14, 2008 - Filed Under Creative Exercises
cover and sunrise in the garden
juggling, martini glass and the village of women
the women taking the houses off into the night
I call this way of working construct/deconstruct/reconstruct. I start with designing one page, cut it up and rearrange it, often in some sort of book form. Makes for some interesting surprises, and surprises keep you on your toes. No attachment allowed, you have to cut it up. This makes lots of people really nervous. I say if you are nervous, it just could mean you are learning something brand new. I have never seen this turn out to be less than the original, in fact, just the opposite. Isolating the small bits, the precious parts, helps you see them better. I just love that part.
Art Unraveled 2008
Posted on August 14, 2008 - Filed Under 2008 Workshops
Lovely ladies painting
Art Unraveled in Phoenix was heaven. Despite the monsoons, despite the fact my husband got laid off the first day I was there, despite Frontier Airlines every attempt to dispute my luggage, it was wonderful. I met so many kind and interesting people everywhere I went: breakfast, classes, the hallway, the (hot) elevator, the lounge, heck, even the bathroom. At breakfast there was a cheery omelet guy, my room had a view, and the students willing and happy. What else could there be? It was so well run It amazed me, Linda and Chuck were stellar at the whole organizing thing and fun to boot. My only complaint is that I did not get more photos in the three classes I taught (for the first time, thank you Linda for the invite and honor!). Here are a few from the Sumptuous Sumi class, and wow, were they sumptuous.
Lots of cyber connections materialized into people. What a relief! Linda Abare went from a voice and an email to a real live lovely talented and funny woman. Mabel Dean, the first teacher of my fabulous friend Rosalba, turned out to be even more wonderful than I expected.
Check out the Copper Piano Hinge class on Susan and Don’s blog. They are hilarious, and really arty too. I had Joannah Merriman as a roomie, perfect timing and fun. She taught writing workshops that I would have loved to have taken. I could go on forever, but next time, go there! Thank you to all involved, it was a dreamy good time.
Vahana
Posted on July 26, 2008 - Filed Under Being an Artist
I just got an email from my friend Deedee who has both taken my classes and hired me to teach for the YMCA. We have been in discussion about trying to define my art, or how to explain what my classes are about. She suggested that for me, books may be a vahana of sorts. She included this passage from Wikipedia.
Vâhana or a Hindu vehicle, sometimes called a mount, is an animal, mythical entity or chimera (or sometimes a divine attribute) closely associated with a particular deity in Hindu mythology. Sometimes the deity is iconographically depicted riding and/or mounted on the vahana; other times, the vahana is depicted at the deity’s side or symbolically represented as a divine attribute. The vahana may be considered an accoutrement[1] of the deity: though the vahana may act independently, they are still functionally emblematic or even syntagmatic of their “rider”.
Oh I so love this! The image of me riding the books, them keeping me up, acting as a floating foundation of stories, having their own journey. I am thinking this is a painting I need to do. Again I am grateful for the friends I have, and how exciting their minds are. My latest Vahana is a book I am calling Cathedral del Dia. I started by translating a piece called Poet’s Journal by Wosene Kosrof into my own painting that includes symbols that represent a woman’s day. There are marks for the children, pets, husband, village, sunrise and sunset. This has since turned into a book structure that will be auctioned off at Art Unraveled next week in Phoenix. The money goes to a good cause, and will allow my vahana to carry goodness and generosity out there. And after the auction, someone else will be riding it.
The Artists that Show Up
Posted on July 26, 2008 - Filed Under 2008 Workshops
Well, I have been gone from here for quite a while! Since I last wrote I have been teaching in three different states, packing and unpacking in between. No computer access in a few of those places, so I am behind and scrambling. Ahhhhh. Most recently I taught in Taos, New Mexico, and have to say that one of the classes I did there made such an impression on me, for a number of reasons. One was that the people who showed up are so fine, so deep and lovely and willing, I appreciated them every single day. The art they made showed all their intentions, and confirmed to me that the ramblings in my head can manifest in just as wonderful results as I had imagined. I asked them to work during the week on their own symbolic language, based on rock art (a tradition in that area) and aboriginal art that I hung on the walls. Here are the papers that a couple of them painted, and the books they then made out of those papers. Aren’t they incredible?
The class the week after was co-taught by my friend Gwen. She did collage for the first 2.5 days, then I took over and we made structures. Most of the people in this rather large class had never done book arts, so they were mightily challenged. 
Some of them almost jumped out the window into the desert after such a hasty switch from right brain to left (my brain swivels, so I have to remind myself that I am “some kind of freak of nature” according to my friend Rosalba) but they stuck it out and I was very impressed with the final show. Here are four of the 15. Wish I had room for all of them! They really were wonderful, and so diverse. I will be there again next summer teaching in Taos, at the Stables Gallery the week of July 12-17. We have the casitas all set up, and a big room to work in right off the Plaza. If you like that part of the world, and I am now of the mind you would have to be without senses not to, come on down. We had art all day, a bit of rain in the afternoon, and a quinacridone sunset every single night.
A Book, by any other name
Posted on May 18, 2008 - Filed Under Being an Artist
Sometimes I ask myself what I think I am doing in the book world, or am I really in it? As a book artist I am not traditional, I do not make books with what is ironically called the “Simplified Binding”, especially after having made one with my teacher friend Laura Wait. That title is an oxymoron if there ever was one! I do not make on-layed leather covers, although I have tried that too, with Gabrielle Fox. Taking classes from highly skilled people has been a great challenge to me, and I am very happy with the books I made. That said, I do not expect to make them again. There is a current stream of conversation going about nearly every form of art out there, and especially with calligraphy and book arts, the two areas most applicable to me, about qualification. At what point do we admit our fellows into our fold? If they follow the “rules”? What if, like me, they know the rules and choose to break them? And when, as teachers, do we insist on adherence? My stance has been that you need to know the rules you are breaking. You can only “abstract” something that you understand. This thought occurred to me when I saw an exhibit of Picasso, years ago. The exhibit was set up chronologically, so you wandered through his life and process, finally to arrive at the ambitious purpose of cubism. Whoever set up the exhibit knew what would happen for some of us, and it did: we finally got it. Picasso never could have started with Cubism, he had to make that educated and studied journey through everything that came before it. He learned the quality of his tools and craft with the best teachers and materials available. And then, when he finally knew all the rules, he broke them. I just realized that I appear to be comparing myself to Picasso, holy cow! Wouldn’t that be nice. What I really am is a hybrid, a swimmer of the middle seas, an observer, and perhaps, a bit of a hypocrite. What I want to teach and learn is how to make art with quality craftsmanship and integrity, all the while expressing my innermost arty thoughts and ideas. And, I never want to make a simplified binding again.
Oh hi! to Ojai and spring off to Springfield
Posted on April 26, 2008 - Filed Under 2008 Workshops
September 24-28, 2008 I wander off to California to teach at a new venue called Artful Living, which is a victorian house on a quaint street near a beautiful B&B in a cutie pie of a town called Ojai (I am normally not much for cute, but I make an exception here). Ojai is outside of Santa Barbara, which is north of Los Angeles. I grew up in Orange County, raised by the only Democrat within many miles, and we vacationed in Ojai in 1964, when I was seven. Coincidentally Mary Poppins was released that summer, and I saw it at the Ojai theatre seven times. I also sailed high on my uncle’s broad shoulders off the diving board of the community pool and saw the entire world, and my life, pass by quickly. Those are my memories of Ojai. Oh yes, and the apple cider, and the cuteness. It appears that cuteness remains a strong selling point for Ojai. Leslie A. Westbrook from the SF Chronicle describes it well: “Ojai excels as an oasis of tranquility. Rural setting for ‘Shangri-La” offers peace, ‘pink moments.” I’m pretty excited about the pink moments, I think you see one here.
In Ojai we will be doing two days of painting paper with everything but the kitchen sink. Then we will transition into Artists’ books for three more days. In three days you can make one book, or lots of books. I seem to always veer in the “lots” direction since art and being surrounded by artists energizes me. So, if you come, be tanned, rested and ready.I am teaching a similar class in Springfield, Illinois at the Prairie Art Alliance also in September 12-14. In this case it is three days, and eight books plus painting up a storm. This is a very impressive place that began as a Women’s Art Alliance. They have everything there in the way of outreach, exhibits and workshops. And of course, Springfield is the home of Abraham Lincoln, so while Ojai will win for cute and pink, Springfield wins for presidential relevance and red white and blue.
Sam, the Seer of Beauty
Posted on April 15, 2008 - Filed Under About me
My son Sam has a profound sense of beauty. He noticed colors and textures as a toddler. One time in the car when he was three he suddenly shouted “Mama, it is SPRING!” Looking out the car window, trying not to crash, I see winter. How do you know it is spring Sam? He shouts “Because the GREEN is coming!”. Sure enough, tiny green shoots were coming from the otherwise bare trees. He told the next door neighbor the next day how great the color of her sweater was, and how it looked good on her. He was right, it did.
Sam asked a few weeks ago, right before a visit from Grandma Jo, if he could be in charge of “plating” while she was here. We watch Iron Chef and all of us love cooking, but plating is what Sam likes best. One night he ushered us from the dinner table so he could “plate” in private. He was given a huge lot of beautiful strawberries, and some chocolate syrup. He worked away in the kitchen for some time and then called us in. This is what we got.
My plate was a house full of furniture. I had an armchair, a bed with pillows, a swirly rug and a bedside table. Steve and Jo had sculptures, about five inches high. Sydney’s plate was architectural; a piazza surrounded by buildings, with a fountain in the center. All of this was fashioned from strawberries and chocolate, and every bit was beautiful.
This picture is one Sam drew when I was showing him how to use a pointed calligraphy pen. The story below he wrote for our Christmas card. I hope to keep the Samness in our house forever, even after he grows his wings.
WINTER
by Sam, Age 8
One fine day I woke up with a cold nose. It look like a painted white land of snow.
I yelled hurray, hurray it is Winter! I want to go sledding! I see small little snow flakes on the ground!
I hear crunchy snow flakes on the ground that I step on. They go crunch, crunch, crunch.
I feel the warmth of the fire. I smell and taste hot cocoa.
I see the hot cocoa bubbling in my cup that I slurp from when I am thirsty.
I see a big sled and a snow board. So I said, I will go snow boarding right now!
I hear a big owl who goes woo, woo, woo! I even hear a big coyote at night.
Sometimes I wake up and look at the coyote. I am lucky at night.
My blanket keeps me warm. I see a snowman who is the same size as me.
So, I go and play with him. I feel the snow brush a small cast of cold snow on my face that makes me laugh like crazy.
The snow feels mushy cool in my mouth. It feels nice having little snow flakes dripping from my face.
I feel icy cold Winter snow falling from the sky. The cocoa feels warm in my tummy.
I even feel a small glaze of cocoa on my lips. I know that Winter is my favorite season now.
Make it New
Posted on March 20, 2008 - Filed Under Written Inspiration
What an amazing roller coaster my life is right now. The good parts are wonderful, new and exciting, the bad parts are deep-in-the-soul painful. On the side of great things is my new exposure in print, more than four publications already this year, including Somerset Studio. Yesterday Jenny Doh at Somerset asked me to work with the following poem (her favorite, no pressure there!)
As the sun makes it new
Day by day make it new
Yet again make it new
—Confucious
Coincidentally I was drawing these houses that are scattered on the prairie that surround me. They are disappearing, in their numbers and in their bones. The wind blasts them, the sun bakes the stone and timber, the rain falls through their roofs and long broken windows. These prairies houses are sinking into the land that they came from, taking their stories with them. Nature will make a new soil for a new life. Yet again make it new.
Kindness and the Election
Posted on March 13, 2008 - Filed Under Artist Friends
I am having a complex time of it lately. First of all, I am an election delegate for the first time. Seems I have some rather strong views that, interestingly enough, are being satisfied by this process. It also means that the phone rings all day long from people who want my support. Add on a layer to this big cake: I am the mother of two spirited darlings, 8 and 9 years old, and I am trying to teach and make art. The layer on top of that is that my friends in San Diego suffered enormous losses in the fires there this year. My heart is full of concerns.
Driven by a strong need to help in some way, I decided to make ink from the fire remains and use it to make calligraphic prayer flags as a fundraising effort for my friends at Camp Stevens, a summer camp in San Diego that is dear to my heart. They have extensive fire damage, and serve so many people per year I am putting my effort there. One of the internet groups I belong to was helpful in the ink making recipes, and off I go to the races.
How do all of these subject hand together? Last week I had a long and very frustrating day of election and grade school issues. At the end of it, I arrived home to a beautiful package in my post box. I am telling you, it pays to have artists as friends. I open that package and inside is a flaming orange tie-dyed t-shirt from Virginia Tech. You know what happened there. It is from Ann Van Tassell, someone on my cyberscribe group I have never met. A student group from Virginia Tech made these shirts as a fundraiser for the San Diego Fire Victims, and she was moved to send one to me. She also made the beautiful calligraphy here, and sent a warm personal note on the back.
The note ends with these words “all it seems we can do is keep on being as kind as we can to each other.”
If Ann ran for office, I would vote for her. If someone like her was my child’s teacher, I would be happy. If everyone acted like she has, and kept the river of benevolence winding through the country, wouldn’t we all be dancing? Thank you Ann. I so very much appreciate your lovely gift.
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