SouLodge by Pixie Campbell - Winter session

Hello Winter Solstice. We bid you welcome on December 22nd. And so starts a preview to the winter session of SouLodge with the Mother of All Releasing Ceramonies.

From Pixie's website:

SouLodge: Winter Session 2012
SouLodge Winter Session will cover the season in which we are typically withdrawn and resting, the time we embrace recharging, stillness and wisdom, and with a strong emphasis on Restoration. We will also be reflecting on the light that's making it's return and the celebrations associated. We will work with the post-holiday and New Year energies as the old has been shed and the refreshed is ready to be birthed. We'll be exploring the Upper World this term, with its associated guides, as well as journeying into the Lower World to commune with our animal guides, messengers and medicine companions.

roaming art journal

I just completed my next page for the Round Robin art journal I'm taking part in. For this one the art journal owner requested we use the theme "Love". I didn't use any words like the other artists in the book did. But I think I still conveyed a strong meaning.

And I dig her :) In fact I might transfer the idea over to canvas.

a few new paintings - from Serendipity retreat

I haven't blogged or painted much since I got back from Serendipity retreat in Nags Head, NC. (which was fabulous btw!!) In all honesty that could be because I've been sick for about a week and a half. Sneezing and a horrible hacking cough and fevers followed by chills. It's been horrible and I'm so glad I'm over it. I didn't make it to the gym for almost 2 weeks! Talk about stir-crazy!

I did find a perfect sick-day-craft though. I made felt in the washer machine using 100% wool sweaters I purchased at the Goodwill! I don't know what exactly I'll use it for but I do have a few ideas. Things we don't talk about until after Christmas. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Last night I painted for the first time since getting home from retreat. I really miss it when I don't paint or sculpt every day. Sadly, I can't. My schedule just doesn't allow it. But if I go more than a few days without it, my head explodes.

Seriously. It does.

I planned on painting all weekend but somehow got sucked into video games. lol So by Sunday night I packed away the computer, pulled out some acrylics (heavy body, fluid, acrylic inks), Adirondack alcohol inks, Stabilo graphite, oil pastels and a large sheet of watercolor paper and got to work.

The first three pictures below are ones I did at retreat. I did them in the class I took from Tim's sally aka Mindy Lacefield. What an awesome class! I have loved her paintings since the first time I saw them. She has such an interesting way of doing figures. Hints of my favorite artist, Jesse Reno, but much more whimsical.

So here are mine:
This is the first one I did in her class. We worked on several at a time. Well what we actually did was start several backgrounds. We worked on those all morning, applying multiple layers of paint, ink, paper, etc. Then we went to lunch. When we got back we started doing figures. The above is the first one I completed. She's cute :)

This is the second painting I did. Mindy demo'd how to use her techniques to paint an animal and I really wanted to paint one. Walking to the class that morning I had my own Zen moment as I stood quietly and watched a red fox trot down the street before running off into someones back yard. So the fox was on my mind when I painted this.

This is the last painting I did in her class. At first I told myself this wasn't complete. Duh, no hair!!! But the more and more I looked at her (him? it?) I heard a voice saying "Finished". I like the naive look on it's face with the bald head. It speaks of rebirth to me.

So that's what I call it: Rebirth.

Last night I wanted to take Mindy's techniques and paint something in my style. I'm not 100% convinced it was successful but I had fun doing it. I still need to pick up some GAC 100: Universal Acrylic Polymer. It's on my shopping list for my next Dick Blick's fieldtrip. I had to use a matte medium instead.

There are certain things I do that don't lend themselves to Mindy's way of doing faces. Mainly, my cheeks. And I'm in love with my cheeks so that might be hard to adjust. well, maybe.... I do like my face shaded using Mindy's color palette. In fact I really dig it. The eyes could use some work. It also needs more definition between the face and neck. I do love the background (well, all except part of the upper right; too busy. Need more resting spots). And of course crows are acceptable in ANY painting.

So the verdict? It needs work but I'm not unhappy with it. :)

Murphy Sculpture Garden

Last month we were in Malibu for The Man's graduation.

We took a few extra days to explore the California coastline. We went to The Getty Museum. Simply AMAZING!!! And we also went to the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA.

I didn't photograph every piece. Some I didn't love. Some didn't photograph well. But below are a lot of my favorite pieces.

this face stencil was painted on a wall at the sculpture garden. i'm fond of well-placed stencils like this one.

Mulier by Eric Gill




Mulier by Eric Gill from across the reflecting pool. just lovely!

Ptolemy III by Jean Hans Arp

Freya by Gerhard Marcks

Maja by Gerhard Marcks

Autumn by Henri Laurens

I don't see Autumn here At All!!! Hmmm, unless maybe the model's name was Autumn?

Heroic Head by Aristide Maillol

Pensive by Deborah Butterfield

I LOVE Deborah Butterfield's work. What a nice surprise to find one here.

Mère Ubu by Joan Miro

Two-Piece Reclining Figure, No. 3 by Henri Moore

Two-Piece Reclining Figure, No. 3 by Henri Moore (another angle)

The Walking Man by Auguste Rodin

Having just finished reading Steve King's The Stand, this one freaks me out a little.

I can't find out the artist and title of this one :(

Night by Anna Mahler

Standing Woman by Gaston Lachaise

I love how strong she looks!

Head of France by Emile-Antoine Bourdelle

Desnudo reclinado by Francisco Zuniga

Or Reclining Nude. I must tell you this was my FAVORITE! I love when artists play with proportions like this. And her face is very lovely.

SouLodge by Pixie Campbell

Only TWO MORE WEEKS till Pixie Campbells amazing SouLodge! Registration is open for one more week. Hurry Hurry Hurry to take part in this transformational energy circle.

A description of the class from Pixie's own blog:

This session will focus on the aspects of rebirth, renewal, ceremony and celebration of the season, using both traditional and purely intuitive crafts, meditations, journeys and tools to keep us feeling sacred as we lead through and up to the holidays.

It sounds like a great class! I'm planning on joining the winter quarter.

City of Suwanee SculpTour - part 2

A few of my pictures got left off the last post!

One thing I really liked was how they used vacant store fronts to display art. Here's a picture of some blinged out cats!

Free Spirit by Jennifer Freeman: "as the title implies, is meant to depict a free and joyous woman delighted by life. The sculpture is created from fiberglass and cement substrate, partially covered by mosaic. It weighs 60 pounds and its dimensions are 4’x4’x4’. "

This was my favorite!

City of Suwanee SculpTour

Sunday morning, 09/11, we decided to go check out the new SculpTour in the City of Suwanee. It must have been fate because we didn't realize that Suwanee has a piece of the World Trade Center as a centerpiece of their park. It was very sobering to see this piece of twisted metal on such a noteworthy day.

After paying our respects we went off to discover the beautiful sculpture scattered around the park. There are 15 pieces (I think... 15 or 17). I didn't take pictures of them all. Some of them just didn't do anything for me. Others were kind of hard to photograph. But below are a few of the most eye-catching of the group.

Dreams of Flying by Harry Zmijewski: "using a creative process much like that of a child: fresh, clean and, simple. The sculpture is constructed of reynobond with a steel frame and mount. It weighs 65 pounds and its dimensions are 72”x48”. "

Deconstructed Bolt by Andrew T. Crawford: "Directly referencing the techniques of collage, this piece looks as though it has been cut apart and rearranged creating a playful gesture in an otherwise stationary object. The sculpture is fabricated of galvanized steel and weighs 190 pounds. Its dimensions are 89”x 12”x 12”."

Arachnid by Damon Lusky: "Inspiration comes to Damon Lusky from memory of childhood toys. “You know when you see something and you have that moment of reflection and you feel a smile on your heart,” he says, “I think that’s what I'm shooting for.” Arachnid is around knee tall and 10 feet in diameter. It weighs approximately 200 pounds."

Amne by Harry Zmijewski: "Amne is a Tibetan word that represents a tall cloth-covered pole with tassels at the top. They are located in villages, monasteries, and parks, among other places. These poles are symbolic and made to protect the people where they are located from harm. In the artist’s version, he has used recycled car bumpers to form the contemporary abstract sculpture that resembles the Tibetan amne. The piece weighs 500 pounds and its dimensions are 15’x7’x7’."

Prayer Booth by Dylan Mortimer: plays on the idea of faith in the public realm. By morphing a telephone booth into a prayer station, the piece invites viewers to participate, or at least think about, the concept of prayer. It fuses humor with seriousness in order to ask questions about faith in public. Prayer Booth has been displayed in Kansas City, Chicago, Baltimore, Cedar Rapids and Dubuque (Iowa), New York City, Jackson (Tennessee), and Olathe and Lawrence, (Kansas). The piece is constructed of aluminum, vinyl, and plastic. The sculpture weighs 100 pounds and its dimensions are 110”x21”x24”. "

Mother and Child by Eluisa Altman: "represents the child as an extension of the mother. As the child begins to slip away, the mother stretches her arms as far as possible to hold on to her. The sculpture is minimally detailed but is meant to portray a strong family feeling. The piece is constructed of resin and weighs 78 pounds. Its dimensions are 33”x31”x12.5”. "

detail of Intrusion by Harry McDaniel

Intrusion by Harry McDaniel: "an exploration of the interactions and energy created by pushing three large irregular forms very close together. The composition conveys a sense of tension between the three sections. The matching curvature of the gaps between sections draws the viewer’s attention into those spaces. The middle section, differently finished from the other two, seems to be forcing its way between them, thus the title. The piece is constructed of steel, aluminum, and powder coat paint. Intrusion weighs 600 pounds and its dimensions are 7.5’x 9’x 4.5’."

How I spent my Summer Staycation

Last week we both took time off from work for staycation. Staycation is always our favorite! It's great fun to go on trips. But we love taking vacation at home; taking day trips and seeing the sights, doing work around the house. We love it!!!

Here's a few things we did on our staycation:

We went to Harlem, Georgia to visit the Laurel & Hardy Museum. We LOVE The Boys!!! Ya know, they do the same joke over and over (and over and over and over...) and I laugh EVERY TIME!!! It was a beautiful drive over on the back roads of East Georgia. And while the museum wasn't huge and full of memorabilia (not much left! they reused props in every movie back in those days!!!) it was still very cool. We saw lots of old pics of each of The Boys. Stan being Ben's favorite and Oliver being mine.

a mural in the center of town

Me with The Boys

Ben with The Boys

We also did a lot of things around the house. Here is our old porch rocker looking brand spankin' new with a fresh coat of black paint. The rest of the porch (and the entire house and barn!!!) will be painted next week. Can't wait!

We also did a LOT of work in the kitchen.

We had remodeled the kitchen about 7 years ago. We got 90% done and lost steam. We never finished the molding on one wall. We didn't paint the windows. We didn't paint the cabinets.

Then 2 weeks ago we had someone remove the horrible sliding glass door and replace it with a nice porch door with simple glass pane. We told them we'd finish the inside if they did the outside. So we used our staycation to finish up the kitchen. ALMOST! We still need to paint the cabinets. Well do that labor day weekend.

Here's a shot of our beautiful molding. I love how it came out!!!

Here's another shot showing the molding, New England Red walls and cream bead-board paneling. LOVE it!!!

We also went to Folk Fest the first part of our staycation. Saw tons of great art but didn't buy anything... well, except for one. We bought art for the dogs. We got this great painting from Bonehead Arts to hang above the dog door. I LOVE it. I think the pups do too!

And a bigger shot of our kitchen. Still lots we want to do, like new floor and new counter top. But those are projects for next year. Once we get the cabinets painted, we're done!

I did lots of art during staycation. Here's a sculpture I've been working on FOR EVER! And it's almost done now. A few finishing touches. But it's done enough to share I think. :)

Here's a piece I'm working on for Gary Reef's Sardine Can Challenge. It's no where's close to being done. But I think I can still share a peak.

I posted this yesterday but here it is again! I made this journal to mail to other artists for a Round Robin. Can't wait to get it back full of wonderful art!

Back to work we go!!! The Man and The puppy heading back to work on Monday.

And me too! Back to work after a WONDERFUL week of staycation!!!