Art
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Fred Miller, Visions in Metal
Fred is another Mellwoodian artist. He is located in Bldg. B #302.
Karen Davis: Tell us what you do and why?
Fred Miller: What? My art is metal sculptures. I primarily use aluminum. I buy the aluminum in sheets, cut the needed pieces, bend and fit them, weld them together using a TIG process, and then finish them with a wire wheel to give a rough texture or with a sanding disc to give a smoother texture with movement.
Why? Numerous types of relationships between both natural and manmade objects may encourage introspection. By their very nature, these relationships have some impermanence about them. While a sense of impermanence is minimal in very stable relationships such as that between a house and its foundation, others show a very pronounced uncertainty, kindle a meditative spirit, or induce an emotional reaction. Contemplating the many possibilities of emotion or change, especially present in tenuous or precarious relationships, gives me a strong sense and appreciation of the present. It is this feeling that I instill in my sculptures. It makes life interesting, gives life value and induces in me a kind of meditative appreciation for the intrinsic worth of relationships, now, at this moment in time.
On the flip side, I also enjoy happy pieces that simply make me smile or feel joyous when I see them. Doesn't everyone like to feel happy?
KD: What other mediums have you worked in besides the aluminum? And if so, was the answer to "why" the same for those mediums? What I'm curious about is whether there is something inherent about aluminum and your processes that induce the meditative/emotional reactions around impermanence and feelings of joy that you mentioned.
FM: I have worked in other mediums. I very much enjoy balancing rocks on top of each other so that they look like they will fall (have attached a picture of a few of them). However it is not something that I want to do as a continuing art focus. I have also worked in wood but for some reason I enjoy metal the most. Welding is a very meditative process requiring constant and extreme focus. When welding a long "bead" I can easily get lost in time. It is only precarious in that it is easy to make a mistake and aluminum is regarded as far more difficult to weld than mild steel or stainless steel. I think I enjoy aluminum because it has a natural bright shine to it that finishes well without painting, it is light weight so large pieces can still be easily moved around, it is strong, and it is challenging to weld. It in itself doesn't necessarily lend itself to happiness, precariousness or impermanence; the pieces have to speak to that. It is just something I enjoy doing.
KD: Tell us about the "well" you draw from for inspiration and design ideas; and along those same lines, share how ideas go from inside your mind to a finished piece.
FM: You are making this "little interview" very deep but I will give it a try. Inspirations come from my life, past and present. I think about things that give or gave me joy and why that was. Often it was a precarious circumstance or it might have been reflective. For instance, as a child I loved to run down hills and I think that love reflected the feeling of tremendous speed I felt while at the same time tetering on a disastrous fall. I have a few pieces that follow that theme (on the stage at Mellwood). I have always loved to cross a stream by running across rocks that would make for a dry crossing, jumping from one to the next without a planned route. That is also a precarious feeling that when successful, makes you happy to be alive. I have a piece that portrays this; it is a child in the act of landing on a rock after jumping. I tend to notice balances in nature (stable mountains vs rock slides; still ponds vs roaring streams, yoga poses that seem to defy nature or body flexibility, interactions among people that may be conflicts or very harmonious) and I try to put these thoughts into an art piece. I love to laugh and to make people happy and a few of my "happy man face" pieces as well as my whimsical pieces reflect that feeling. Sometimes the idea spontaneously lends itself to an art work, sometimes I have to think about how to portray that idea. I don't know what else to say; life just happens.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Basketball, Art, and Breakthroughs
My weekends are anchored by little league basketball. Both of my grandsons, ages 3 and 5, are playing. Before it turned cold (although today it was 61 and sunny, reasons for it be damn, ya know I wasn't complaining!), I was taking the 5 year old to his bus stop in the mornings and after his bus arrived, I would keep on going (most days) to the studio.
I took much of December off and January's days were filled with more Nana duties in the day and evenings with the other 2 grand-delights. As much as I love them, there is a very good reason for menopause...50something year old women should NOT have day in and night in care of small children. But we now have daycare!!!!!!!! (and the crowd goes wild!!!!!!!!!!). So now Nana and Papa just have the evenings with them. Ahhhh, much better.
Last Friday was an art reception for Hope and Healing. Twenty-one artists donated work to a non-profit that serves women, men, and children who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I sent Urban Exodus (formerly Urban Egression) on "permanent loan". (excuse the bad photography, it's the camera's fault ;D )
Carter and Anaya and my Mother went with me. I could not have had two toddlers in tow without my Mama's help!!! Here is Anaya saying "look look". This is the only quilt she responded to...It is a Penny Sisto quilt.
Carter was going through the exhibit saying "wow, wow, wow". It was mostly abstract work that he liked...the few he said he didn't like were realism in landscapes. Here are snapshots of the two that "wowed" Carter the most.
The work on top was created by Keith Kleespies and my apologies to not remembering or being able to find the artist who created the work on the bottom.
Negotiating Territory is now hanging in the newest gallery at Mellwood, The Kore Gallery. It will be there until the end of March or April.
I'll be returning to some semblance of what passes for normal at the Studio. I was there today for 6 hours...5 of which I hand embroidered 8 of the boats for a total of 13 completed...only 164 more to go. I have to mentioned a breakthrough I had while stitching (Obama is going to beat the pants off of ANY republican candidate! okay, politics aside). My breakthrough was this...I had been isolating embroidery thread colour within colour segments on the boats...and then I thought, why not use the thread across colour segments...use the thread to bridge the segments...here is my breakthrough in a picture:
Friday, January 13, 2012
A day with angels...Lauren and Penny
Last Saturday I met up with Lauren for breakfast at Toast and after some great catching up conversation we drove over the bridge to New Albany, Indiana to see the Form Not Function Exhibit. Just as we were arriving (and unbeknownst to us) the end of the juror's gallery talk was going on and we were able to hear the last comments being made. Tomorrow is a family workshop on freezer paper screen printing from 10-12.
These are just my general observations from a first time viewing, but it appeared that fewer quilts were selected compared to previous years and that the lowest percentage was representation art compared to previous years. I'll make more trips to the exhibit before it comes down in March.
After we left FNF, we went to The Gallery on Pearl where Penny Sisto has her latest solo exhibit, ANGELS. I would have missed this if not for the mention by the Director at the Carnegie. Penny has a diverse community inside of her and she expresses them so beautifully and hauntingly in her art. She is giving a gallery talk tonight that I had planned to attend but the temps have dropped down into the 20s with a below zero wind-chill factor and Mama (meaning me) just can't cut it.
Penny honored me by using one of the fabrics I made at the Crow Barn as a background fabric for one of her Angels. I didn't have a clue and would not have known if I hadn't seen the show. Here is a photo:
Penny is among the angels in my own personal journey.
A day with angels...Lauren and Penny
Last Saturday I met up with Lauren for breakfast at Toast and after some great catching up conversation we drove over the bridge to New Albany, Indiana to see the Form Not Function Exhibit. Just as we were arriving (and unbeknownst to us) the end of the juror's gallery talk was going on and we were able to hear the last comments being made. Tomorrow is a family workshop on freezer paper screen printing from 10-12.
These are just my general observations from a first time viewing, but it appeared that fewer quilts were selected compared to previous years and that the lowest percentage was representation art compared to previous years. I'll make more trips to the exhibit before it comes down in March.
After we left FNF, we went to The Gallery on Pearl where Penny Sisto has her latest solo exhibit, ANGELS. I would have missed this if not for the mention by the Director at the Carnegie. Penny has a diverse community inside of her and she expresses them so beautifully and hauntingly in her art. She is giving a gallery talk tonight that I had planned to attend but the temps have dropped down into the 20s with a below zero wind-chill factor and Mama (meaning me) just can't cut it.
Penny honored me by using one of the fabrics I made at the Crow Barn as a background fabric for one of her Angels. I didn't have a clue and would not have known if I hadn't seen the show. Here is a photo:
Penny is among the angels in my own personal journey.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A Day at the Fair....
Its not the rides, cotton candy, or deep fried butter...its not the horses, music concerts, or 84,000 ton tomato...for me, its all about the exhibits. I love seeing what people make, create, and collect throughout the state.
Last Friday, I spent the day browsing and even though I was there for 4 hours I can tell you it wasn't enough time. When I got to the quilts the first quilt I ran into was from someone I use to be in a guild with. Willie Pride, she had 2 quilts entered. She buys all of her material from thrift shops and they are mostly men's shirts...she loves plaids!
another Pride quilt below
Below are some snap shots of things I saw and liked...
aquariums exhibit...just loved the blueness of these fish.
walking/hiking sticks (2 have been stolen)
cake decor
and check out this cake meets political commentary
antique fine china (it was the yellow cake set that wowed me)
miniature kitchen in cross-stitch!
for Deb, my sister, you does heirloom sewing
art from recyclables (you might enlarge this photo to see the music conductor in coat hanger wire)
and art by LAFTA members
I was completely exhausted when I left there on Friday, so much so, that I was unable to make it to open studio for Trolley Hop. I slept most of the evening and stayed in most of the weekend and Monday to recuperate...but it was worth it...where else could I see so much diverse creations in a public event under one roof???!!!!
And I made it into the studio yesterday and finally snapped pictures of my special gifts...so this will be a 2 post blog day! ;)
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Valerie C. White, Artist Interview
Valerie White in her studio (2009 Courier-Journal Photo Image)
Karen Davis: Describe how your childhood as it relates to your art making and creativity? What were your influence and how do you think growing up in Somerset, NJ influenced you as an artist?
Valerie White: I grew up in Somerset New Jersey, then a very rural town in the northern part of New Jersey. We had chickens and ducks, Mom and Dad always had a big garden. It was their love and appreciation for the earth that will always be with me. They valued the opportunity to grow food and we always enjoyed fresh vegetables the entire year. The last series that I did, “Earthworks”, was all about my relationship with soil. The beauty of the root system held a particular fascination for me.
My early memories of trying to make art include attempting to create ceramic bowls from a natural clay deposit that was in the front of our house. I even tried to use our home oven as a kiln.
Sometimes I would gather weeds to fashion a kind of primitive weaving. Recently, I asked my Mother why I didn’t have dolls growing up. Her reply was that I was always drawing or making something and never asked for a doll.
KD: What are some of your memories growing up with art? When did the interest become an engaging one?
VW: My mother sewed Couture garments and practiced exceptional craftsmanship. That made a lasting impression. My early interest in Art was nurtured by some really good teachers. I took all of the courses that were offered in my small town. I received a scholastic gold key award in the 11th grade, that affirmation is all I needed to decide to study Art. I taught Art for 15 years in DC public schools. It was a rewarding experience.
Sun Goddess and Green Leaves, 2008 (c), Valerie C. White
KD: What led you to your choice of medium(s)? What/who were your influences in those mediums? How do they relate one to another, if so? What other mediums have you attempted?
VW: I studied many mediums before arriving at fabric. While at Howard University my second major was ceramics. In my sophomore year I changed that to Graphic Art and Printmaking. My work has some of the sensibilities of strong graphic art imagery. As far as influences in ceramics it was Winnie Owens and Martha Jackson. In Graphic Arts, Winston Kennedy.
I was blessed to study with some of the most important voices of the 20th century. My professors were on the cutting edge of developing and defining the new Black aesthetic to include: Lois Jones, Starmanda Bullock, Ed Love, Wadsworth Jarrel, and Jeff Donaldson.
KD: Describe your daily art making practices. Include how your approach to design.
VW: I try to work everyday. Recently, I hit a dry spot...seemed I could not focus or decide what I wanted to do next. However, I continued to work through it. I’m better now and on to some new work that I’m excited about. I like to begin by doing some research on my theme or subject followed by a small watercolor of the intended piece. That seems to work for me in that way I can work out any problems early in the planning, which doesn’t mean I don’t have any problems in the piece later but the extensive planning does cut down some design issues.
Sun Goddess and The Blowing Leaves, 2008 (c), Valerie C. White
KD: Artistically speaking, what challenges did (do) you face and how did you (plan to) overcome them?
VW: While in my “dry spot” I spent time looking at work of artist that inspire me …Lois Jones, John Biggers and Wadsworth Jarrell. Sketching some really lose ideas and concepts for potential piece. Often I will just turn on the sewing machine and quilt...it frees me and once I get in the zone I might get motivated to see something else.
KD: Do you work in series? Or does each piece stand alone? Share your reasons for either approach.
VW: I really like to work in a series. It sort of directs my thinking and gives me a course of action to follow. I find that a series is an opportunity to explore a topic. Using a variety of techniques can offer new ways to present age old subjects.
Sarah and Bird, (c) by Valerie C. White
KD: Share the milestones that mean the most to you as an artist.
VW: When my work, The Guardian, was selected to be on the cover of “Quilting African American Women’s History: Our Challenges, Creativity, and Champions” written by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi I was thrilled! The book is filled with many wonderful works. I felt proud to be in the book much less to be on the cover.
The exhibit that has meant the most to me was the Quilts for Obama show at the Historical Society in the District of Columbia. The exhibit was created to welcome President Obama and his family to Washington DC. The opening was the weekend prior to the inauguration and the city was alive with hope and pride….it was an electrifying experience and I will never forget it.
KD: Whether it is the intent of an artist to become an entrepreneur, artists are thrown into the role the first time someone wants to purchase something they’ve created. What advice can you share that speaks to the business side of art?
VW: I’m just now understand how that part of making art works, I had to pay taxes last year on the work I sold. Finding a good accountant that understands how I need to operate has been most helpful,...my advice would be to find a professional.
KD: Which Artists and/or Art Movements hold the widest influence on your art?
VW: My favorites are John Biggers, Lois Jones, Wadsworth Jarrell, and Elizabeth Catlett. I seem to like what was done post Harlem Renaissance and find my self emerged in the African- American experience during that period that would also include the works of writers as well.
KD: You are a member of a critique group. Is this something you would recommend for other artists? Why? Or why not?
VW: I am a part of a very successful group of Quilt Artists that inspire me to challenge my self. We support each other in creating the best work that we have the potential to create .The emphasis is doing your personal best. I think a critique group is good provided the group allows you to create in your authentic voice. The critique group should not be a cookie cutter for making art and should exist to promote the very best work from each of the members. The group I belong to has only 5 members and we find that it works well for us, we meet once a month and on occasion will schedule a play day to explore new techniques.
Blest It Be the Tie That Binds, (c) by Valerie C. White
KD: What are your future goals and what should we be on the look out for you in 2011?
VW: I am working on series that I am most excited about. I will be ready for show and tell soon. I will keep you posted.
Please take the time to view Valerie White's Art at her Gallery of Quilts.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Lisa Austin, Artist Interview
Lisa in her studio
Some weeks ago I spent a refreshing 3 hours in the Mixed Media Studio of Lisa Austin. Artists who embrace Mixed Media with the pedal to the metal, full throttle down, give me wide-eyed fascination. You see, they have serious collections of STUFF. Unlike us who casually put together a mixed media piece simply because we can't bear to throw away pieces of thread, or buttons, or even the Dorrita chip bag...noooo, they collect serious STUFF!
Lisa's space did not disappoint me...I hope you enjoy the interview!
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Davis: Describe how your childhood as it relates to your art making and creativity? What were your influences? And how do you think growing up in Louisville influenced you as an artist?
Austin: I had no influences growing up. In fact, my parents and family never encouraged creativity and made fun of it. I was not influenced by Louisville at all. I began to be influenced when I moved to New Mexico in 1977 and worked on a Navajo reservation.
Davis: What are some of your memories growing up with engaging art? When did the interest become a engaging one?
Austin: Going to the Speed museum with my boyfriend every time we could when we were students. He really encouraged my love of visual art. I did get a minor in art history but never took a studio class until I was 34.
Davis: What led you to your choice of medium(s)? And what/who were your influences in those mediums? And how do they relate one to another, if so? What other mediums have you attempted? What does it mean to be a mixed media artist?
Austin: I was a studio potter for twenty years and got arthritis in my neck and had to retire from that. I hated having to do that because I was at the top of my game. However, I always knew I couldn’t keep dragging around hundred pound bags of clay much longer and always said I would quit when I was 60. It happened when I was 50. In the back of my mind I thought I would be doing fiber…it reminded me of clay, very tactile and flexible. I love color but when I tried to work with fiber, I really missed the third dimensional quality, A LOT! I had been collecting cool stuff for years and as I looked around at the mixed media being done I knew I could do better, started and never looked back. I love Ed Klienholtz and Joseph Cornell. They make such contrasting things. Ed makes whole rooms and Joseph did small little boxes back in the ‘30s but they speak volumes. I had the great luck of seeing a Kleinholz retrospective at the Whitney several years ago when I was in NYC and I went nuts in there. I was talking to myself and running around. I did not look like a sophisticated New Yorker for sure. I saw the largest collection of Cornell in Chicago at the Art Institute a few years ago and was so disappointed. They looked dusty and beat-up.
Austin continued: What it means to be a mixed media artist is you get to be insulted a lot. I hear “I could do that” more than I care to and I think to myself “go ahead. You can’t.” It is much, much harder than it looks. There are lots of people out there who get magazines and get “inspired by them” but I can tell who reads which ones because their work is often very derivative. But they think they can do it. The problem is: they frequently don’t do it well and there is not much very original about it. People who have junk lying around think they can too but usually it just looks like junk on a piece of plywood.
Davis: Describe your daily art making practices. Include how your approach to design and what inspires you?
Austin: I work almost every day on my art. At least five-six days a week. But I never stop thinking about it and being open to things that interest me. I keep a journal of words or concepts that intrigue me and I often turn to it for inspiration. I am always writing down new things in there. That probably comes from my background as a professional writer back in the day. I like to work with a theme since it makes sense to me somehow to work that way. My approach to design is really intuitive. I go with my gut and one of my greatest compliments was Jane Dunnewold asked me how long I had been a designer? Then a graphic artist? She was really surprised when I said neither.
only a smidget of the cigar boxes stacked and ready to go
Davis: Artistically speaking, what challenges do you face and how to you (plan to) overcome them?
Austin: I probably work slower than I want but that is because I am very particular about what I do, what I use, how it is done, etc. So it usually takes me a good week to make one piece. Rarely, does it happen quickly and sometimes I will tear it apart and do it over because I am not happy with it. I must like what I do first before I hope anyone else does. I have no plans to overcome this. It just is how I am. I do not want to make mass quantities of something so it takes more time.
Davis: Do you work in series? Or does each piece stand alone? Share your reasons for either approach.
Austin: Usually I work with a theme instead of a series. However, each piece is one of a kind. It seems to focus me. I would be even slower if I didn’t do it this way!
the lazy susan method for button storage
Davis: Share the milestones that mean the most to you as an artist.
Austin: The first award I ever got many years ago as a potter. The first time I was in an international exhibit. The first time I was ever featured in a book.
Davis: Whether it is the intent of an artist to become an entrepreneur, artists are thrown into the role the first time someone wants to purchase something they’ve created. What advice can you share that speaks to the business side of art?
Austin: I have several things I guess. One is: if you get “precious” over something and you can’t bear to sell it, keep it. If you are keeping too much then you are getting too precious about your work. Two: price what you think it is worth and then price what you want for your labor and consider what the market value is of your piece. Often they are far apart. If they are too far apart, you need to consider a more efficient way to work or else consider the fact you will have these for a long time until they sell. Three: if you are selling too fast, you are selling too cheap. Four: this IS a business, make no doubt about it and always remember that. Keep good records. Promote yourself. Be business-like and professional with your customers. Be on time and keep your word.
frames hanging from the ceiling
Davis: What are your future goals and what should we be on the look out for you in 2011?
Austin: I have a show coming up in March at Tim Faulkner’s Gallery in Louisville that is called “The Art of Seduction” and it is vintage female nudes. I hope to start a wall hanging of my trip to Africa in 2006 and spend the summer working on techniques I have learned from Jane Dunnewold. I have half-screened stuff laying around that I have never washed. That is terrible but my knee replacement, this summer’s horrible hot weather, and then work has gotten in the way of my experimenting more with fiber. I am DETERMINED to work on that next summer so hopefully you will see more fiber work coming from me
touch the Buddha wall for inspiration
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Lisa's show, The Art of Seduction is hanging at The Tim Faulkner Gallery and will run through March 30th. The opening reception is this Thursday, March 10th from 6pm-10pm, 632 East Market, 502.381.1314.
Emma, by Lisa Austin
Monday, January 31, 2011
time...travelling
Yesterday we (Ade and I) finally got my supplies back into the studio. The weather improved over the weekend but its predicted to turn nasty on Tuesday. The studio is a 240 sq. feet of MESS! but it felt soooo good just to be in the space even though I wasn't there even long enough to take my coat off. On our way out I ran into a new tenant, Don, and chatted his head off. I'm a fairly reserved laid back person but there is something that happens to me when I'm inside Mellwood...I have these spells where I become a chatty cathy...when it happens I'm totally comfortable, but it always makes me notice myself because it is out of the ordinary for me. Anyway, Don is a painter, who has a corner studio with wonderful natural light. Mellwood has started a blog.
I also made it to hear Jane Dunnewold give a juror talk (she juried the LAFTA exhibit there) at the Patio Gallery in the Jewish Community Center with Mo and Petra in tow. It was a great crowd but not so much so that it prevented me from introducing myself. I identified with her perspectives on art-making and I have my fingers crossed that this will not be Jane's last visit to Louisville. She is teaching her second workshop today and tomorrow on lamination. I didn't feel the need to take that since that is what I did last year at the Crow barn and that is what I've been doing since my return. The exhibit itself is one of the most well selected exhibits I've ever seen and had me questioning my relation with colour...no answers...but it is a "bright" exhibit and I see my own work as "subdued". But I'm always reaching for intensity in colour which I don't think I've achieved yet.
As for making a prediction to returning to doing what I do at either the basement or the studio, I'm refraining. I'm going to try to be loose enough to go when the weather is less threatening to me health-wise and be satisfied with that 'til the season breaks. I'm still collaging and sketching and working through some of the exercises from The Learning Curve Curriculum here at home. Now that I'm home alone during the day I've been spending a lot of time travelling the 'net on all subjects that interest me, genealogy, furniture painting, junking, cooking, photography...whatever strikes my fancy for the day. Here is a recommendation from my travels: The 1st Annual of Iranian Contemporary Art. My personal favorites from this collection are the works by Hamed Behrozkar and Raheleh Filsoofi.
Peace,
"Art thrives in constraint but dies of liberty." - André Gide.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Rent!!!!...is too damn high...
This piece was dye painted last week. This is the fourth layer of over-dyeing. In this picture it is still wet so I know it will be a tad lighter once it dries. The effect is full of intrigue and mystery and I can see it paired with a smoky gray and a deep red for speaking to the root of turbulence that life sometimes holds.
I've been wanting to get that rich, saturated depth of colour that I see in some quilts. I purchased a red piece of fabric from Nancy Crow and she said she dyed it 4 times with 4 different reds to get it. My piece batched over the weekend and I steamed it today and will wash it out tomorrow.
Last week I batched AND steamed to see if it makes a difference and I think slightly it does but since I was not doing a controlled test, its hard to say for sure. I also was a little heavy handed with the dye powder too, again, not really controlled testing here. I also think I need to get a tighter woven pfd to get the depth I'm seeking.
Elmer Lucille reminded me that Ed Hamilton and Sam Gilliam along with Mr. Gilliam's older sister, Lizzie Miller, were in conversation last Thursday at the Speed. It was 6 when she told me on her way out and I was still dyeing, so hurriedly cleaned up and made it over 15 minutes into the program.
I wanted to introduce myself after the presentation...I know Mrs. Miller from my days of working as she stays active in her church and wider community organizations involving human services. I really would have loved to have a photo with Gilliam and Hamilton but folks swarmed the stage afterwards and I was physically beginning to drag.
These pieces are huge by Gilliam. He said this came about from a question he was asked by a bar mate where he hung out at the time who asked him "why bother to stretch your canvas before you know the painting is good". I recall reading that he kept wanting to get away from the limitations of the "frame" during his retrospective show here.
The other statement I took away from the presentation was the need for the artist to be larger than their art by getting about in the world in order for the art itself to have substance, the ability to speak to the human state. He felt that installation work has gone on too long and most of it lacks substance.
Hamilton still resides here in Louisville and one question he says he gets asked frequently is "why he never left?". His opinion is, "if the work is good enough, it will be found".
I never want to be guilty of over-romanticising the past, but one of the things they spoke of and Mrs. Miller validated about the early years here in the 50's was the comraderie and accessiblitity of artist in the community. I wasn't born until '60 but I grew up being able to identify, even if I didn't know them, artists, poets (who I would come to know) in the community. Is it the same today? Not really sure, but it doesn't seem so.
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I've been trying to upload this post since Friday...the problem was the browser...Peter switched over to IE9 which is still in beta and Typepad doesn't support it yet...I'm using Google Chrome and the problem is solved. I'm so very much an end user...I just want the computer to work the way I anticipate is should, ya know?!
Every day for the last 2-3 weeks I've woken up to a different resolve about moving from my current space in Mellwood...take the other space, stay where i am, take the other space, stay, other space, stay, yada yada and on and on. IF I do decide to take the space behind me, it will not be until the end of November. The Tenant's Council is promoting the Friday after TG and I wanted to stay in my current space for it.
Today someone cleaning out there space gave me a great desk that was on its way to the dumpster. I had to move stuff around to accommodate it and today I was like, moving around the corner isn't worth it. I was whooped when I finished and I really didn't do that much! I relaxed enough to clear my head and think about "whats next?" creatively which lead me to writing on fabric. There is a November 1 deadline I want to meet but I'm not sure I'm going to meet this one. I hate to blow it but my focus is split this week over items that require my attention outside of art-making.
The title of this post has nothing to do with what I've written...I just like saying it :). I'm really tired tonight...sleeping in tomorrow is on the agenda. Peace,
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Chitlins', Art and Holiness
Yesterday I had to absolutely go into the studio...although I was there last Friday, it had been 3 whole days without being able to be there or in the basement workshop. The longer I'm away, the more sullen and surly I become and then I am pressed to summon up energy in surpressing those feelings and behaviors in order to maintain some appearance of civility and sanity. When ideas are calling me I see stitching, design, quilt possibilities EVERYWHERE...on buildings, dashboards, road construction, billboards, etc, and getting back into my space becomes a near obsessive CALLING. After I left there yesterday to return back into the world, I felt like the best of me again and welcoming to interact with other human beings again.
I worked on one of the studies I mentioned in a previous post. A study that now has a specific vision. A couple of years ago I was enamored with making silk paper. Some time last year I started stiching on it just to see how it takes the needle and thread. I've shown snippets of this particular piece before. It keeps intriguing me but yesterday I knew the piece had found it's voice and I was listening. This piece was talking to me..."order the stitches a little bit more Karen", "redo that line of stitches", "repeat the shape below", "take it down further"...and then from my own voice a phrase from one of my poems came to me while stitching and I knew it was the title of the piece...PRIMORDIAL WOMB. When I picked this piece back up a few weeks ago I was working with the title of Amoeba and I thought the stitching would be a combination of hand and machine. But yesterday Primordial Womb said all hand stitching and I chuckled at the idea of me doing "slow cloth".
While winding down I pondered what I was experiencing...a conversation, a dialogue, with something I was creating, something that many may view as an inanimate object. From there I was led to how some cultures hold views that everything has spirit and everything is connected and when we, as artists, enter that realm and practice this belief, are we not entering Holy space? Estella, my sisterfriend, wrote "poets mostly talk to God..." I've read on blogs of visual artists and in conversations with artist-friends who speak of being in "the zone". Personally, for myself, that zone is a communion with God and my time in the processes of creating art is an offering, an invitation for God to enter. Even when I'm piddling (its a matter of showing up), even when things aren't working out (its an effort in maintaining belief), even when I'm doubting myself as an artist (its the questioning that leads to answers), even when my well seems dry and cracked (its the silence and space I need at that time for something fresh to enter).
I was thinking of changing the name of my studio to "The Chitllin' Circuit" which I think is brilliant on lots of levels. First, the space is housed in what use to be Mellwood Meat Packing, later Fischer's Meat Packing...the hogs where actually slaughtered there and the building is just a spit-throw's distance from the neighborhood known as Butchertown where historically, slaughter houses where located (they are all gone except for one). When my children where younger and we would pull up behind a 18-wheeler of live cows (usually on Sunday evenings the trucks would begin lining up to unload) and the eyes of the cows could be seen peeking out from the holes, I would say to my children, you are looking at your hamburger. I'm surprised not one of them are vegetarian but my point was to drive home the animal sacrifice that was made for them to enjoy their food. I had a ceramics teacher in college who lived on a farm in Indiana and they raised the food they ate including meat. He purposely wanted his children to participate in the slaughter of the animals so they would hold a deeper appreciation for what it took to get food to the table and not be ignorant to the facts. Conceptually, this city girl thought that was kinda cool.
But I was talking about "The Chitllin' Circuit". This was also the name that African American artists gave the route of venues mostly throughout the south that they could work in...months on end travelling from one spot to the next. It was a difficult and hard way to make a living in the era of racial violence and segregation. As a cultural, historical, and geographical connection, I thought the name to be perfect. But weighing my views on art and holiness, the current name will stay until a time, if ever, I can change it.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Standing Again
I returned to the studio last Friday for the first time since my father passed. Being there gave me back the feeling of standing on solid ground. I did a sheer lamination that put the be-bop back in my hip-hop. I used the same Adinkra symbol for law, order, authority, balance that went into Crowbonics:The Scroll and screened the medium through the design in soy wax.
The cloth underneath is a Jacquard that Peter brought back from Nigeria some years ago. Not sure if it was made in Nigeria. I'm recalling a documentary that discussed African fabrics being manufactured elsewhere. Peter pointed out that the jacquard is much more valued than the adire cloth I asked for. Adire is considered a "common cloth". (Being the peasant woman that I am, that figures.) I will put some hand-writing/symbols on the jacquard. I'm leaning toward this one being called The Songbook or The Hymnal.
I had "ummm moment" last Friday when I was in the studio. Two of the coolest women stopped in and enjoyed looking at the work I have displayed. One was a quilter from Columbus, Indiana and the conversation was uplifting and affirming. I invited her to come down and dye with me when she thought she was ready to start. I get pumped talking about my processes more than any other aspect of conversation about my art. I'm really not set up or focused on selling from the studio, so when she asked me how much for one of the 6"x12" pieces, I shrugged my shoulders and said "make me an offer" or something in that vein. And yeap, she thought it was just as strange reply as you're thinking it is right now. I've been thinking about my response since and I know I need serious help to get to the business side of all this, but I've said it before, my energy is limited and what energy I have, I'm devoting to art making. Its not that I don't value my completed pieces, I do, but its the process of making that is more relevant to my well being and it is a conscious choice.
There is an organization here that supports artists with disabilities and I've spoken with them back in 2008 when I was looking for space still. They've since moved and are closer to me and near Mellwood and I'm thinking I'll return before the year is out to see what marketing services are currently available.
This week I've been pushing boulders up a moutain...in the midst of a fibro flare and yesterday was the worst I've ever experienced. I had to use a cane to get up the steps. It humbled me. I had to miss a meeting I was looking forward to at the library for feminists artists. Its so rare to be able to hold discussions about art making and what factors come to bear as I live trying to be the strongest me possible.
Other than the lamination sheer, I spent time finishing up these postcards with beads. I'm undecided whether to complete them as postcard art or small art only.
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Crowbonics: The Scroll
detailed view (c)
by Karen R. Davis (Karoda)
2010
40.5 inches x18 inches
whole cloth with laminated sheer.
hand-dyed cotton; medium weight stabilizer; wool batting; Jacquard cotton; rayon , cotton, and metallic threads; polyester sheer; paper, textile medium; fusible web.
After hearing a 2008 NPR segment on the intelligence of Crows, I became captivated by the rich black birds and wanted to rescue them from their oftentimes less than favored status. My intent to represent the American Crow for this exhibit was further shored up by the sadness of the absence of information on James Audubon’s mother which I surmised was due to her race, class, and gender. I even went so far as to project Audubon’s love for birds and being in the wilderness as a spiritual restlessness caused by not knowing her.
Crowbonics: The Scroll is the first of what will be 3 pieces depicting the culture of Crows. The Crows are the marginalized birds with their own values and ways in the world. Those not privy to them, often see but do not understand. To the Crow, it doesn’t matter; they carry on, surviving and making their presence known through their distinguished song.
$2800
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There were 5 starts to the Crow piece before this became the one that felt completely right. It would not have been possible without attending the Paper Lamination workshop at the Crow Barn last month.
I will not have time to photograph the full size until its return, but the detailed image is a good representation of the entire piece.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Basting
Basting, it has to be basting. When I ask myself what is the least favorite thing about quilting...I believe it is basting. Its important but tedious...tonight I went with 505 temporary adhesive paired with saftety pens (pins?). Quilting the stones is my favorite pattern for the texture it creates although here on the screen it looks flat...could be due to the circles not being tight enough, thread colour too close in value to the background, or that the middle layer is commercial felt instead of batting, or all of the above.
This working intuitively with little to no pre-visioning on the outcome is working for me of late. It might change again sometime and I might go cerebral at some point but just flowing when I am here in The Basement is working. The painted fabric (above photo) is one that was eliminated from consideration for the Crows. Its my aim to have this finished by the last Friday in the month for F.A.T. (Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop) Friday which is designated as the Derby Hop. I'm not sure if Mellwood will do anything special but I'm expecting that they will...a tenant's meeting is coming up next week and I'll get the scoop then. I'm feeling a little gutsy (or just crazy enough) to hold a "Grand Opening" that night which gives me three weeks to plan. I spent yesterday, pretty much all of yesterday, trying to recall how to create and merge layers in Photoshop in order to produce one mock 4"x6" postcard...if you click on the page heading for The Beauty of Holiness you can see what consumed me in time and energy....darn near an entire day squeezed into a 4"x6 piece of paper!!!!
(sectional view) 12"x12"
Sorry, Ade, but I'm not going with Languid for a title. Try again.
Peace...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Small joys; Great happiness...
Most of my handiness goes into the making of art that when it comes time to get it properly photographed, hung, and even submitted to exhibits, I find I'm left deft and confused and tired. Multi-tasking has never been my strong suit and in fact I find it over-rated. The ability to focus and concentrate deeply on several closely related tasks is my gift (although in the last few years this has been challenged). I'm a slow thinker...it takes my brain a while to shift when its time to move on to another topic, task especially when it is a shift from generating creativity to pragmatic matters at hand. Thats the way I'm wired but I keep trying to learn to re-wire some parts that will allow me to complete the cycle of productivity. I don't know why I'm talking about this here other than to say I've spent most of the day thinking about how to display 4 small pieces. I want them matted and framed but without glass covering them. From there I think "I should learn to mat and frame my own pieces". From here I jump to "but damn, thats just another thing to learn and there is only one of me". I know, I know, I make myself crazy this way...but it always comes back to the thrill of the process of making the art and this is where I want to use my time and resources and all else let come what may and I'll deal with the consequences. Its is especially sweet and its own reward when I create pieces I love such as the pieces below. I forgot I had a 12"x6" series going back in the summer...it gave me joy to uncover them.
Crossroads
Sunset (how cliche a title?)
Copper Sun
Kindling
Peace,
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Retrospective in Photos
First, a cuppa tea.
My assignments from online workshop, Graffiti Chic with Alisa Burke.
And I thought it was finished.
The 5 images below summarize our staycation week activities.
Jefferson Memorial Forest
One of the many toys made by Marvin Finn for his children when they where young.
Another early Finn toy.
This is a small representation of what Finn is famour for.
Mr. Finn, I believe painted by his son, who carries on his legacy in wood.
Such an elegant shape in glass. The five above images were taken at the Kentucky Musuem of Art & Craft.
Family Funny Business at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.
A day trek to the Columbus Zoo
And finally...what is this? I picked them up from the ground at Yew Dell Gardens. Some type of conifer? I'm in love with the shape and colours.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What Happens to A Dream Deferred?
It is not often that I actually sit down and watch 3 hours of television but I was hyped about the new A Raisin in the Sun that aired last night. The time seemed to go by quickly which translates into I was pretty enthralled. The cinematography was fast moving which I think helped to conveyed the intensity and the life of this family, The Youngers, living in Chicago in 1959. Two of my mother's siblings relocated to Chicago from the south looking for better wages and a better life...this embodied their story and still embodies many stories of anyone immigrating to the U.S. today.
Even though I've watched the original version several times the newer one still seemed fresh...its a great story and hopefully introduced a younger generation to this classic. Ade, my youngest, made me smile when he recited the poem What Happens to A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes as part of the intro to the start of the movie. Up until recently, this blog turned up most frequently in searches for Langston Hughes...some time ago I posted one of my favorite poems by him. Now my blog comes up most frequently for searches on "skin carvings". I know that is from my stamp carving but what in the world is up with the interest in skin carving???
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Do you ever come across art that just makes you shake your head and wave your hand in the air and renders you speechless? And sometimes you have to avert your eyes because the vision is so breathtaking? Music, poetry, literature will sometimes get ahold of me like this and when I look at the artwork of quilter Valerie White I hear music and see poetry and literature. Yesterday I received word that she has finally established her place on the web. Check out her quilts at www.valeriecwhite.com . My prediction is that Wynton Marsalis will come across her work and give her a call to illustrate the cover of his cd...I think it would be a perfect marriage of her art and his music. Also, some talented children's writer should contact her to illustrate a story. Her quilts would be a wonderful accompaniment to a children's story. I would predict Virginia Hamilton but she has passed already. But this is a small portion of what happens to me when I view or hear something that gets me excited...immediately ideals start to flow about all the possibilities...sometimes I have to calm myself down. Valerie's work is exciting like that.
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Woohoo, I love getting goodies through the mail among bills and coupons. On Saturday I received a Pay It Forward gift from Nellie Durand . After I opened the envelope this is what I saw: 
wrapped with such care that I waited a day to open it until I could get a photo. Then when I unwrapped it and struggled over whether to save the paper for a future project, (this going green is not easy), this is what I saw: 
A lovely beach scene which is refreshing here in cold Febuary. Thank you Nellie! It is very textured which I love running my hand across.
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Speaking of dreams deferred...the last space I looked at for a possible studio was too small...it was a great location but wouldn't allow me to move all the stuff I want out of this apartment plus it squeezes my budget by 50 bucks.
The space that seems perfect is in a warehouse. It has 4 really giant-size windows that run across the front and is in a very long room that would be great for viewing a design board. The room is painted a stark bright white. Other artists are there, but the location gives me pause...the other locations I've looked at have some measure of being open to foot traffic although they were too small or way over my price range. This location is in a humungous warehouse that use to be a woolen mill that folded during the depression and since the 1930s through the 1960s was used as a warehouse by one of the tobacco manufacturers. The area is a combination of residential and old commercial buildings that I wouldn't feel comfortable working in after dark.
In the same neighborhood a few weeks ago a warehouse burned down to the ground. It housed about a half-dozen, maybe more, artists' studios and living space. A man and his dog lost their life. This put a chill in my bones about this "almost perfect space" and I knew that if I go this route I'd definitely want insurance which would be another cost I hadn't really given too much weight to. But this warehouse is about 100 years old or more and fixed up "just enough" and there is a glass artist who works in the undeveloped basement where there is a lot of "stuff" and dust. I hope these second, third thoughts are a sign of wisdom trying to seep in and not fear and procrastination...
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