I have a show coming up in LA called Mars Bizarre: An Alien Show at the Rat Factory Gallery, in a few days. I ordered a wood panel canvas from Cascadian Canvas Craft last week and then got to work painting it. It sat in my studio with just the green on it for days as I thought about how I was going to pull my thoughts together. I wanted to make this piece about more about how we are all aliens, strange, and not belonging that about little green men from space. It still has an other worldly quality, but the mirror helps reflect the viewer and the room they are standing in. I hope it is received well in the art show. This piece definitely has a piece of my soul in it.
"We Are All Aliens" Watercolor Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 30x15 inches, 2014.
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I have been thinking about how China seems to be running things around the globe, how our own American economy is getting worse, how the oil companies fighting for world domination and the wars the US is involved in with drones to keep that oil. I read a New York Times article, "China Reaps Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom", that helped pull my thoughts together, so the majority of the quotes in this piece are from that article. I then went on a hunt for the major oil/energy companies Mission Statements. Unfortunately, they don't exist under the label Mission Statement so I had to read between the lines to figure out what each company was about. I looked into ExxonMobil, Shell, and TransCanada and was intrigued to find they all think they are the world leader in oil energy. Their websites are full of "feel-good" phrases and key words with no real meat to their statements. It is a PR writers heaven.
I did a series of searches today to gather inspiration and pull together a final art piece. Some of my searches included "drone strike aftermath", "oil fields", "US War for oil", "Keystone oil", "Chinese Sweatshops", "American economy", and a few others. I just plugged it into google images and it really gives you a reality check. This is really only the snowflake on the tip of the iceburg, showing just how much is wrong with the politics and corporations of this world. We have a long way to go to make things right.
Yesterday and today I worked on a new Steampunk inspired sculpture. I decided to make a bee. So I strung together some beads from old pieces of jewelry, attached feet, wings, eyes and other bee elements and mounted it on a golden rose. The bee and the rose then were mounted in a broken vacuum tube and mounted in a hand turned hardwood base. The result is this enchanting little bee resting on a flower. So much love went into this little sculpture.
As I was running errands today I was suddenly hit with the thought of all of my incredibly strong lady friends out there. I know friends who have been in horrible car accidents, stayed strong through cancer, dealt with trauma and death, and were raped. They have gone through the tragedy and come out with scars to prove it.
Then, I began thinking about the wars that are going on right now, the genocide in Darfur, and the rapes that happen so often. This breaks my heart to think that women all over the world are being victimized by this and so much more. I then thought about the "rape culture" in our own US media. Over sexual and oppressing ads featuring women in compromising positions and pop songs saying "no means yes" all contribute to looking beyond a woman as an individual. You all have seen the articles on Facebook about something on this subject, I am sure. This painting portrays the eyes of a rape victim. They are sad and painful, broken and strong. I want you, as a viewer, to feel something when you look at this. "Do You Understand?" Watercolor and ink on stretched Watercolor paper, 18.25x22.25, 2014. Today I created just to create. I have been dealing with some serious writers block which has turned to a creative block. I think I am putting too much pressure on myself with this project and my life. It is really hard for me to post something EVERY DAY. That alone has frustrated me. So I have worked myself up to this spiral of doubt.
This piece is a mixed media piece made out of paper I painted. It is a paper sculpture with thread. It is completely free form with no real purpose. I just wanted to see something come to life. There are 4 little cards hanging from some of the strings. It says "I am so confused lately. My mind is a jumble of thoughts, ideas and emptiness. It is frustrating. I can't stop creating, but nothing inspires me. I need a project or commission. I need to just calm down and not put so much pressure on myself. Your ideas are good enough. The right story will come to you. Then you need time." This piece isn't for anything particular. It was just an exercise to organize my thoughts. A bit of art therapy. I have had some guests in town, so I am a bit late on these next few posts. But here is the art for Day 19. This was the first day I could get to my computer to scan it in. I will try and get the others scanned in by the end of the week.
This piece is something I have wanted to paint for a while. A map of the world in drippy watercolor. I added the astrological constellations in ink over the top. I love how colorful and energetic it is.
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Just Because
I am going to post some of my experiments and thoughts. It can be anything from photography to art to mycology Archives
July 2020
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