Continuum

Continuum (2009) 10 x 24 in.
mixed media ( photo transfer, acrylic mediums &paint) paper) on board

There is inspiration in the simplest things. How many times do people walk by aspects of nature intent on their own inner world and completely miss what is happening around them? At times I feel I have the opposite problem - a continuous bombardment of stimuli that must be filtered out or it becomes overwhelming to process. This rose shrub is a good example of my usual " nature experience". I was strolling along in the Millennium Garden, Birr Castle Demense, and was beckoned by both the buzzing of bees and a glorious smell. Drawing nearer, I could see that some rose blooms were still in tact serving as landing pads for bees busy playing out their role in nature. The thing that really interested me as I looked more carefully was the presence of every stage of blossom development in a rose. It was like the passage of time caught in action and I was there to experience it. Two days later and all the blooms would possibly have disappeared, an hour before the bees might have been busy with other concerns.

This was a difficult painting to execute. It lay around my studio for six months in various stages and configurations of elements. There were so many elements to include that I could not get the composition to work. I used a great deal more paper than in the other paintings in this series. The evidence of the original photo transfers is almost totally obscured by the inclusion of additional information from my memory. The work grew to be much more sense bound and less about the actual rose bush itself. With the addition of each element, I felt I was building my own understanding of the the passage of time.

Screen

Screen (2009) 10 x 24 in.
mixed media (photo transfers, acrylic medium and paint, paper) on board

Layering is a prominent aspect of every garden I have ever visited. This design concept is used to move a viewer/visitor visually through a space, to look beyond what is the closest and most obvious feature. Sometimes these invitations are "man made" but more often than not nature is the designer.

This work does not represent one particular place; it is a combination of three different views in Birr Castle Demesne. I thought I would try my hand at garden design.

Change

Always observing

There is one constant in life- nothing stays the same. Sometimes change is so subtle it is almost non existent to the casual observer and sometimes it blares like a horn. With the passing of time, physical changes in our bodies become more obvious, but our inner worlds remain vibrant and multi-layered.

Change

Sitting with tea
cooling into death,
contemplating,
clinically aware of passing days
charted through body changes,
life's tracks on skin,
elasticity once supporting
grows tired from other uses -
holding raging emotions
supporting a smile with no inner voice
dropping tears for no obvious reason
linking inner and outer worlds
fueling creative juices
rejuvenating a smoldering love
silently remaking myself
in ways not obvious
to those who critically assess
my outward package.

2004

We are works of art.

What's in a word?

locked

secured
obstructed
confined
restricted
contained
imprisoned
enclosed
impeded
____________
gate

I've written previously about naming/titling artwork. Sometimes the right title comes to you immediately and other times you may labour over it for days. Too many choices is just as bad as having few ideas. That was the case with this painting which is part of the Reading a Garden Series currently in exhibition at Cube Gallery. It is one of my favourites in the series and no name was good enough for it. I went through the list above and finally settled on Gate. It says it all.

On my summer vacation I took this shot in Copenhagen and it has all the same connotations as Gate. I especially like the door knob on this one. You could switch it up and call it Access.

Same but different

Time flies and I'm not even having fun! I'm late posting this link to the group exhibition I am part of at Cube Gallery in Ottawa (my work is the first panel on the left.) Thanks to a travel grant from the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, I was able to travel to the opening. It was an honour to see my work among that of five other artists who were all using photography in some way to inform their work.

This show is about a merging of aspects of modernity (photography) and tradition (painting) which is one of the cutting edge genres in contemporary art today. The artists' use of both media asks the viewer to consider what is original and what is representational, what is real and what is not, what is tradition and what is modern.

One of the things that is limiting about living on an island is exposure to different types of art and artists. After awhile you get to know what many artists are creating and it all becomes too predictable. It was interesting to see five artists who, on paper, were working in a similar way to me, and then to discover that we were all quite different in how we were using photography. There was certainly a continuum of how obvious the use of photography in the works was. My photo transfers were very integrated into the composition and you had to spend a great deal of time looking to see what aspects were photo transfer and what was painting.

I discuss this in my artist statement...

My work begins with image transfers from photocopies of my photographs. I consider this "the real", knowing full well the limitations of photographs. Through a series of manipulations using paint, mediums, papers and sometimes ephemera, the image transfers are altered in varying degrees or totally subsumed to reflect my memory of the event. These memories are diminished in specific details in favor of complex meanings associated with sensory experiences that evolve during the process.

As time passes what I actually remember from my two weeks at Birr Castle Demesne is fading. With each new work completed there are less and less of the actual photo transfers evident. I am synthesizing my impressions and often adding new information that feels like it should be there. In summary, my process of creating these works mimics the actual process of remembering (and forgetting) over time.

If you would like to explore the work of the artists in more detail check out their websites: Katherine Jeans, Jennifer Lawton, Amanta Scott, Karina Kraenzle and D.H. Monet who is the owner of Cube Gallery.

Preserving history

I'm developing a name for myself as "the wallpaper lady" around the area where my summer house is. Someone knows someone who knows me and the news of another house being renovated brings me to a new doorstep. Sometimes I'm expected/invited and sometimes I have to knock and own up to my rather odd interest. I've gotten questioning stares, but I've always left the house with a part of its history in my camera.

Ever since 2006 I've been photographing the layers of history in torn wallpaper. In a way I feel like I am preserving the history of these houses which have been sold to people who are renovating them for summer homes. Even though my Remnants series formed a solo show last May, it seems my love affair has not ended with the creation of this body of work. This summer I was introduced to the King house in Dunfield, Trinity Bay. Here are some of what I like to think of as "natural compositions":

What about these?

There's nothing like a trip to spark your creativity. Everywhere you look you see something that either fits with your perception of the world or causes you to questions it. I have many favourite shots from my recent visit to Europe but these are a at the top of the list.

Inside looking out at the Aquarium in Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen.

Part of a beautiful wall in Tallin, Estonia. I never pass a grid of any type without photographing it.

Combining old and new in a seamless design in Tallin, Estonia.

This is not your usual form of insulation.... Folk Village in Oslo, Norway. You know from my banner pic that I am attracted to gardens on rooftops but I thought this one takes the prize.

This is not something I would ever consider. We were standing right under this twirling plane at Tivoli Gardens when my husband reminded me that we were not in the best spot for the possible side effects of this ride. We moved - FAST.

Silver thaw

I seem to have an attraction to metallic paints this year. At the recent encaustic workshop where we used R and F encaustic, I was drawn to the these encaustic colours:

Pearl Encaustic, R & F Paints

Silver Encaustic, R & F Paints

German Silver Encaustic, R and F Paints

My favourite was pearl. It really did have the look of crushed pearls. It is great used alone but you can also use it with other encaustic colours to make iridescent colours.

I would like to say that I had a well thought out idea for the work below, but the truth is I just wanted to use these three colours. As I gathered my materials and began to work an idea formed. The colours made me think of silver thaw, a weather condition that we are all to familiar with in spring in Newfoundland and away I went.

Silver Thaw (8 x 10) metal mesh, paper, encaustic on board

Why pink?

Why do little girls love pink? At three my granddaughter has specific colour preferences and pink is at the top of the list. I am so amazed by this. I've looked back through her history to see if there were specific instances I could connect this choice to, but such subtleties can't be traced. Perhaps it is all the pink that society foists on little girls and we perpetuate the choice without even thinking. I can't say I am that concerned that she loves pink; I have never gotten tied up in stereotyping debates. I think it's because I made my way in life and everything about my upbringing was stereotypical!

In honour of her love of pink I've purchased pink sparkling shoes to go with her princess outfit I'm making for Halloween. I couldn't resist. The cat is out of the bag. Nana loves pink too!
I also created this piece of artwork at the encaustic workshop which will be a Christmas gift for her. She already has four artworks in her collection.

A Fair Balance ( 8 x8 in.) encaustic, paper on board

At the encaustic workshop t here were so many beautiful colours to try out. The hot palette allowed me to create monotypes with the encaustic. This was a natural approach for me with my background in traditional monotype. I drew a design with the encaustic blocks on the hot palette. Of course it melts and blends beautifully and you can never quite predict what the result will be. Then I laid a piece of gossamer silk paper on top and created a monotype. After drying, I attached it to a board that I had previously fixed with watercolour paper. The layers of clear encaustic that completed the piece gave it a muted, watery look. It was very satisfying.

Endless possibilities

Encaustic provides a wonderful world for experimentation with mixed media. I've only just begun to explore the many applications possible.

This image was created using a gum arabic transfer process in the printmaking part of the encaustic workshop. It started out as this ...





I cropped it tightly and applied it to plywood 6 x 8 board that had been primed with R &F encaustic gesso. This is a wonderful product that was created specifically for use with encaustic painting. It is a brushable white ground that dries to an absorbent surface. It works like standard acrylic gesso, but it has a lower proportion of binder to solid and remains very absorbent. I applied two layers of encaustic medium and then laid the print in a puddle of encaustic medium on the palette and quickly transferred it on top of the encaustic coated board. I used a piece of matt board and the heat gun to smooth it in place. I found it is best to start at the middle and move toward the edges. I like how the gesso enhanced the light areas of the print giving the work more contrast.

This work was also created from a gum arabic transfer process and was applied over a coat of clear encaustic medium. When I applied the print the white areas took on the cast of the plywood colour underneath giving the work a warm patina overall.

Here's the original print that I cropped.

While I was pleased with my efforts in encaustic, I liked both prints better before I cropped them. It was a case of working to fit the boards I brought along. I saved the cuttings from each so maybe there might be a way to make a second piece to keep the dialogue in the work going. With that in mind, I still consider both pieces successful. I haven't decided if they are finished yet. Time will tell!

After the encaustic workshop

Well, my four day printmaking and encaustic workshop is officially over. We had a special visitor or two to the workshop to liven things up. Torbay Bight Studio is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in the town of Torbay, Newfoundland. Two humpback whales kept us company just outside the studio window giving us glimpses of their size and blowing prowess. I'm sure no other instructor has this kind of competition in their workshop history. The whales put on quite a show that caused participants to forget about their work in progress.

On close inspection I see the instructor, Laura Moriarty and her husband/assistant Wayne on the right whale watching! Not to mention Carol Bajen-Gahm who I partnered with to organize the workshop. Everyone needed breaks outside.

The workshop is over and its time to clue up and leave. Some participants stay around to unwind with a glass of wine/beer. Neighbours from up the street stroll down to chat and everyone gets in on the excitement of the day.

The following evening we had a BBQ and a bonfire on the beach below the studio. What a great way to wind up four days of sharing. The whales were still in the harbour and provided a calming backdrop to the crackling of the fire.

Being with the same seven artists for four days and having three different instructors gave great exposure to a range of techniques and individual applications. There's nothing like a workshop to get the creative juices going.

This is where all my creativity was unleashed. We had the best of materials, equipment and instruction for the workshop through the sponsorship of R&F Paints. I am excited that this partnering will continue for future encaustic workshops at Torbay Bight Studio.


It's good to know some of the participants are hard at work. Evelyn Peyton Murphy and Tara Bryan are enjoying their introduction to encaustic

I can't say that I produced any masterpieces in the workshop, but I did hone my skills in encaustic. I've done enough work in the medium to know what aspects of my application I needed to improve. I created small boards to allow me to do that . Some of them I will develop further into a finished art work, others will remain evidence of learning. I like to attach a sheet of paper to the back of work created in workshops to record what I learned and any new questions I might want to find answers to.

I'm in the process of photographing my work so it will appear in a later post.