Saturday, April 30, 2011
WhaleFest Artwork Finished
The WhaleFest show has been up all during the month of April. Today is the last day of the show at Next Page Bookstore. Here are two of the three pieces I had in the show:
"Spawning Salmon" 11"x 7". Gouache on watercolor paper, carved, painted cottonwood bark, hand-built poplar frame, glass beads.
Sardine Escape" in progress. Gouache on watercolor paper, carved, painted cottonwood bark, repurposed sardine tin:
I'll have to post separately to a link to the photo album for the finished "Sardine Escape" album, which my sweetheart Jennifer captured beautifully with her camera.
"Spawning Salmon" 11"x 7". Gouache on watercolor paper, carved, painted cottonwood bark, hand-built poplar frame, glass beads.
Sardine Escape" in progress. Gouache on watercolor paper, carved, painted cottonwood bark, repurposed sardine tin:
I'll have to post separately to a link to the photo album for the finished "Sardine Escape" album, which my sweetheart Jennifer captured beautifully with her camera.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Whale Fest in April
Working on some pieces for the upcoming Whale Fest art show. We are allowed three pieces, up to 24" x 24". Size is not a problem for me, since I usually work small. First piece I've been working on, and am posting photos of work in progress will be a shadowbox - river painted in gouache on paper, with carved salmon sporting their spawning colors floating across it.
These are the little fish - carved out of cottonwood bark. The egg carton gives you perspective on size - the largest just over 2" long, the smallest about 1.5" long.
The fish represent salmon in their spawning colors. Kodiak is home to 5 species of Pacific salmon: Chum, Coho, Chinook, Sockeye, and Pinks. The fish are carved out of cottonwood bark, and then painted with Daniel Smith's new watercolor ground. I then painted them with gouache and pearlescent watercolors.
The salmon will float above the gouache watercolor river, that will serve as the background of the shadow box. I build my boxes out of 1/4" poplar, which I have to stock up on in Anchorage. Kodiak's only lumber supply store doesn't carry poplar boards. I will finish the box with a plexi-glass on the front, affixed with wire brads and decorated with glass beads. The finished box will be 11" long x 6" high.
Here's a similar box I made for Whale Fest a couple of years ago, called Sockeye Run:
These are the little fish - carved out of cottonwood bark. The egg carton gives you perspective on size - the largest just over 2" long, the smallest about 1.5" long.
The fish represent salmon in their spawning colors. Kodiak is home to 5 species of Pacific salmon: Chum, Coho, Chinook, Sockeye, and Pinks. The fish are carved out of cottonwood bark, and then painted with Daniel Smith's new watercolor ground. I then painted them with gouache and pearlescent watercolors.
The salmon will float above the gouache watercolor river, that will serve as the background of the shadow box. I build my boxes out of 1/4" poplar, which I have to stock up on in Anchorage. Kodiak's only lumber supply store doesn't carry poplar boards. I will finish the box with a plexi-glass on the front, affixed with wire brads and decorated with glass beads. The finished box will be 11" long x 6" high.
Here's a similar box I made for Whale Fest a couple of years ago, called Sockeye Run:
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Love Crush
"Love Juju", wood box, origami foil on cardboard, rusty nail, matches, metallic thread, found objects, Chinese news print, ribbon, hand-carved wood 'charm' "Lyubov/Love".
In February, I participated in the "Love Crush" postcard art show at Emerald Isle Framing & Gallery. Gallery owner Liz Mitchell sponsored the show & chose the theme: "Love", in honor of Valentine's Day. The show opened on Friday, Feb. 13, and runs through the end of this week. Despite our 8+ inches of snow turning to 6 inches of slush by Friday night, the opening reception was truly a 'love crush', and we had a blast!
The size restrictions were 4" x 6". My little shadow boxes for the show are:
"My Heart Burns for You", wooden box, paper clay heart, gouache on watercolor paper, origami foil, wood, feather, spruce roots, glass beads, brass pins, acrylic stain.
"Broken Heart", wood box, Chinese news print, carved cottonwood bark, electronics components, copper wire, glass beads, brass pins, acrylic stain.
"Love Struck" gouache and pen on paper, plexi-glass, plywood, copper rivets.
In February, I participated in the "Love Crush" postcard art show at Emerald Isle Framing & Gallery. Gallery owner Liz Mitchell sponsored the show & chose the theme: "Love", in honor of Valentine's Day. The show opened on Friday, Feb. 13, and runs through the end of this week. Despite our 8+ inches of snow turning to 6 inches of slush by Friday night, the opening reception was truly a 'love crush', and we had a blast!
The size restrictions were 4" x 6". My little shadow boxes for the show are:
"My Heart Burns for You", wooden box, paper clay heart, gouache on watercolor paper, origami foil, wood, feather, spruce roots, glass beads, brass pins, acrylic stain.
"Broken Heart", wood box, Chinese news print, carved cottonwood bark, electronics components, copper wire, glass beads, brass pins, acrylic stain.
"Love Struck" gouache and pen on paper, plexi-glass, plywood, copper rivets.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Running in Place
I've finally been in one place since December 15. I spent 2 weeks vacation at home in Seattle for Thanksgiving, and was back home for a week and a half before traveling to Anchorage for our Shareholder Christmas party and then our staff Christmas party. For Thanksgiving, it was just my partner Bren and our friend Dora & I - so I roasted a duck for our dinner. It was perfect! Turned out golden brown - using the orange glaze that came with the duck. I stuffed it with bread and apple stuffing, and roasted some garlic-crusted whole white potatoes around the duck the last hour.
I finished some masks early this fall. Last weekend I participated in the Last Chance Christmas Bazaar at the Alutiiq Museum. I made a selection of little wooden boxes, and a bunch of cards using 4 of my designs from the past years that I used for my personal holiday cards.
Here is my collection of little boxes for the bazaar. They are carved out of cottonwood bark - and range in size from 1" across x1" deep to about 3" across x 1.5" deep. They all have glass bead inset, and some are decorated with painted petroglyph designs from the south end of Kodiak Is. :
The three Alutiiq masks I finished earlier this fall include:
Alutiiq Whistler, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain; 11" h x 7" across (at base of hoop).
And Red Whistler, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain; 9" high x 5" wide:
Alutiiq plank mask: cottonwood bark, spruce root, copper wire, oil stain; 6" high x 5.5" wide at head-dress.
These are all replicas of traditional Alutiiq masks that were collected from Kodiak Island in the 1890's. An exhibition of Alutiiq masks was on display at the Alutiiq Musuem this May-September - a group fo people negotiated with the museum in France where the masks were place after being collected by Alphonse Pinart in 1890. Pinart took the masks back to France, where they are now a part of the permanent collectedion of the Chateau Musee in Bulogne su-mer.
The last piece I finished this fall was this one, which I call "Caribou Guardian". It's from a Yupik mask in the Smithsonian collection. I was searching on Google this fall when I came across this article: http://anthropology.si.edu/conservation/whatsnew_acl_2004-03.htm . It thrilled me, as my work on the mask was in progress - but it was based only on drawings from a Dover book. The notes about the piece in the book were few, and there were no color notations. I had made my best guess on which colors were used before I found the article on the Smitsonian work. It was really timely that I found this article just as I was finishing the piece - and made me appreciate it even more.
Caribou Guardian, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain, feathers; 8" h x 10" w. He bears two caribou on his forehead, flanking a seal. The hole in the center of the forehead signifies both the hole in the ice the seal came through, and a portal to a Spirit world. The mask face is flanked by 'doors', the one on the left illustrating two seals. The hands are typical of the 'spirit helper hands" of the tuunraaq, or spirits that were said to control the fish and game supplies. The holes in the palm allow some of the game to escape to supply food for humans, while the rest remains safe in the Spirit realm, so there will always be plenty.
I finished some masks early this fall. Last weekend I participated in the Last Chance Christmas Bazaar at the Alutiiq Museum. I made a selection of little wooden boxes, and a bunch of cards using 4 of my designs from the past years that I used for my personal holiday cards.
Here is my collection of little boxes for the bazaar. They are carved out of cottonwood bark - and range in size from 1" across x1" deep to about 3" across x 1.5" deep. They all have glass bead inset, and some are decorated with painted petroglyph designs from the south end of Kodiak Is. :
The three Alutiiq masks I finished earlier this fall include:
Alutiiq Whistler, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain; 11" h x 7" across (at base of hoop).
And Red Whistler, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain; 9" high x 5" wide:
Alutiiq plank mask: cottonwood bark, spruce root, copper wire, oil stain; 6" high x 5.5" wide at head-dress.
These are all replicas of traditional Alutiiq masks that were collected from Kodiak Island in the 1890's. An exhibition of Alutiiq masks was on display at the Alutiiq Musuem this May-September - a group fo people negotiated with the museum in France where the masks were place after being collected by Alphonse Pinart in 1890. Pinart took the masks back to France, where they are now a part of the permanent collectedion of the Chateau Musee in Bulogne su-mer.
The last piece I finished this fall was this one, which I call "Caribou Guardian". It's from a Yupik mask in the Smithsonian collection. I was searching on Google this fall when I came across this article: http://anthropology.si.edu/conservation/whatsnew_acl_2004-03.htm . It thrilled me, as my work on the mask was in progress - but it was based only on drawings from a Dover book. The notes about the piece in the book were few, and there were no color notations. I had made my best guess on which colors were used before I found the article on the Smitsonian work. It was really timely that I found this article just as I was finishing the piece - and made me appreciate it even more.
Caribou Guardian, cottonwood bark, spruce root, oil stain, feathers; 8" h x 10" w. He bears two caribou on his forehead, flanking a seal. The hole in the center of the forehead signifies both the hole in the ice the seal came through, and a portal to a Spirit world. The mask face is flanked by 'doors', the one on the left illustrating two seals. The hands are typical of the 'spirit helper hands" of the tuunraaq, or spirits that were said to control the fish and game supplies. The holes in the palm allow some of the game to escape to supply food for humans, while the rest remains safe in the Spirit realm, so there will always be plenty.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Dia de los Muertos Art Show
A local gallery and framing shop owner sponsored an ATC show for Dia de los Muertos. The show opened Friday Oct. 17, and runs through November 11. I actually took some time during my travel season to make a few pieces for the show. It was great to work on some art again! The holiday holds special meaning to me, as my twin brother, Guy, passed away in Mexico City on the Day of the Dead about 8 years ago.
My first ATC for this month's show:
"Calavera" - gouache on watercolor paper, mounted on poplar painted with acrylic. 3.5"x2.5"
"Frida" - carved painted cottonwood bark, copper wire, glass beads, mounted on poplar. 3.5"x2.5"
"Blue Skull" - collaged papers on painted poplar. 3.5"x2.5". This was my trade piece.
I have a bit more traveling to do - next weekend to Anchorage, the following week, to Anchorage again, then on Nov. 14, to Seattle one last time this year. I just returned from Seattle last Tuesday, and the week before, we were in Soldotna, then San Diego and Portland. I've sure racked up alot of miles on Alaska Airlines! At least now I'm MVP, so I can upgrade to 1st Class. That makes all the air miles a bit more tolerable!
My first ATC for this month's show:
"Calavera" - gouache on watercolor paper, mounted on poplar painted with acrylic. 3.5"x2.5"
"Frida" - carved painted cottonwood bark, copper wire, glass beads, mounted on poplar. 3.5"x2.5"
"Blue Skull" - collaged papers on painted poplar. 3.5"x2.5". This was my trade piece.
I have a bit more traveling to do - next weekend to Anchorage, the following week, to Anchorage again, then on Nov. 14, to Seattle one last time this year. I just returned from Seattle last Tuesday, and the week before, we were in Soldotna, then San Diego and Portland. I've sure racked up alot of miles on Alaska Airlines! At least now I'm MVP, so I can upgrade to 1st Class. That makes all the air miles a bit more tolerable!
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