Art Adventure Continues

  Here you go. This is a shot in L’s studio of all three artists’ work tables. Have to say I love this space! The third musketeer, S, joined us yesterday; we talked, caught up, explored, created, and laughed. S is set up over by the other window, in L’s  little daughter’s studio space.

S didn’t know what she was going to do so I gave her an article I had clipped from Cloth, Paper, Scissors about collage, along with some materials to play with. Here is what she did- she wanted me to point out that this is not the completed work; she is going to add other media to the image today. Her collage is on the left under the article and the source image (thank you, internet) is on the right. The collaborative project between L and I? It’s evolving. There are always SO many ideas at the outset of a journey like this. We feel like our ideas fit, and it appears our project will involve containers- boxes, tins, vials, packets. Can’t tell you the theme/topic/subject at this point because we just have too many potential directions to go in. But I CAN tell you that I am jazzed about it…anticipation, mystery, excitement, discovery…it all awaits.  I plan on using some of my favourite media- grease pencils (China Markers), Mylar, pencils, maybe charcoal, and WORDS!

L, me & S 🙂

I must go now – I have work to do!

 

Carri

 

 

Studio Musings

Here I sit, in my studio, surrounded by my creative “stuff”.

I can see works from previous series, photographs of my family, a scratchboard work from high school, knick-knacks, stuffed animals, art supplies, books (many books), my melting clock (think Salvador Dali), my doumbek, my husband’s plants, and pieces from my newest experimentation.  I’m thinking that tomorrow I will try to spend most of the day in here. It is a good space [even though I resent the ‘real estate’ that M’s Norfolk Island Pine tree takes up].

I must move forward with my new idea. It started at my summer art retreat with a whimsical thought, “What if I put fancy ladies’ hats on realistic ravens?” The thought made me smile. Then I thought of lines from P.D. Eastman’s children’s book, Go, Dog, Go! “Hello. Hello! Do you like my hat? I do not. Good-by! Good-by.” And I was off!

One of my goals at retreat was to try some new techniques from a recently purchased art book, Art at the Speed of LIfe by Pam Carriker. I tend to buy wonderful art books, rejoice at their arrival, page through them and then put them away. I swore this time would be different. So, I made a list of specialized supplies I would need and got them just before leaving for retreat. I had 4 techniques flagged but was only able to squeeze in two: Redefining the Blank Canvas, p 15. and Creating Multiple Backgrounds, p. 21. They are both multilayered techniques for creating multiple backgrounds for future works. Here is what the finished backgrounds from the first method look like (see below). You may be able to see Mona Lisa in there, along with a leaf, lace, a tarot card, my handwriting, etc, etc. The final effect is pleasing but I think, should I do this again, I will streamline the process some. There were just too many steps for me. 🙂    I have also included a detail shot of the first work to come from this new idea. The raven is drawn in black grease pencil, the lettering is done with permanent marker.

So, should I be outside in the brisk autumn sunshine, raking the leaves, or should I be here in the studio? Probably both. But for now, I am in the studio, leaves be damned. I want to continue on this newest creative adventure.

Have a great day, all.
Carri

Detail shot of Ravens in Hats #1

One of the layered backgrounds I made this summer.

My nevermore Artworks

I promised to post one of my pieces from the nevermore series, so like Horton (Dr. Seuss reference), I am true to my word.

This piece is called silence unbroken . It is about 12 inches square and is a good piece to demonstrate the mixed media I worked with for that series. The base image is a segment of a photograph I took in colour then had printed onto artist grade paper in black and white. The paper is mounted onto 1/2″ plywood/birch veneer with artist acrylic medium. I added colour to and manipulated the peeling wood by accenting areas of light and shadow with prismacolor pencil crayons. The raven’s feather is drawn on Mylar with grease pencil, cut out and glued on. I copied the photograph of the little girl (actually my aunt who is about 82 now) onto a transparency sheet, cut her out and glued her on. The curtain is is not part of the photograph but is cheesecloth that I added to the surface. The viewer really has to look to see which elements of the composition are part of the flat photographic base image and which have been added to the surface. For example, the ropes hanging down are not 3-D at all yet they look like they are.

It occurs to me now that I should post another image from this show as most of the other pieces have these elements and some charcoal and watercolour paint work.

  Here is a second piece, psyche: through an ether of sighs. See what I mean by the vine charcoal work in the corners that gives the work a pin hole camera look? The blue out the window is watercolour paint. The image of ‘psyche’ is a photo (transparency) of my paternal grandmother when she was very young. The raven image is China Marker on Mylar, like the single feather in the previous image. Again, all of the colour you see in the walls, window frame etc. is done with pencil crayon.

There. Now I have given you a peek into my process for this series. What do you think?

By the way, most of the work from this show is available for purchase (except silence unbroken ). If you want to check out the whole series go to my website:  http://www.CJMcKinnon.ca

 

All for now,

Happy Canada Day!!
Carri