Area photographer Jim Via spent time at the Arts & Cultural Council Gallery with me on Tuesday afternoon and shot numerous images of the exhibition. I think you’ll agree that he did an excellent job:
Now I can go join my husband at our cottage and have a relaxing weekend on the water and let all the tensions go.
Yesterday was “installation” day at the gallery for my solo exhibition “Off the Page: Reinventing Alphabets” that opens – today!
I’ll be posting some images of the beautiful gallery space and installation soon, but first, the pieces that I raced to complete this past week and include in the exhibit. I was working on these up to minutes before we loaded the vehicles and drove to the gallery.
Writing in Air III, 24” x 48”, collaged papers on synthetic polyester fabric, cut, manipulated and tacked to a gold-leafed, painted, stretched canvas frame. The usual disclaimer that the photograph does not capture the true colors. I’ll post a better image later once it’s been photographed professionally.
“Book of the Ancients”, 48’ 48”, gold leaf on synthetic fabric, painted, cut and mounted to fiberglass window screen.
Here’s your invitation to the exhibit:
Please come visit if you are in the area! The opening reception will be Friday, June 3, 5 –9 PM at the Arts and Cultural Center for Greater Rochester Gallery, 277 North Goodman St., Rochester, NY.
Perhaps I could cast myself as a news reporter “reporting live” from a battle zone. Perhaps I could choose to identify with Richard Tuttle, the experimental artist in the “Never Not An Artist” documentary I just watched (done by the amazing Paul Gardner), drawing a line on the wall and then carefully tracing that same line with a length of wire to make a minimal and exciting work of art.
Whatever Walter Mitty fantasies pop into my head, there are eight days left to work until I must stop and mount my show – and of course there are still several pieces that I MUST complete.
Unlike the news reporter, I’m not in danger. although I do feel the tingles of risk and uncertainty. Unlike Richard Tuttle, I am not a famous experimental artist. Actually, in my imagination, which god bless it is free of all limitations of time and space, I am soaring with the focus and determination of a hawk hunting for its next meal. The work I’m making is challenging and stimulating me. It’s not perfect – is anything ever? – but it’s heartfelt and innovative and true to my artistic voice.
I’m collaging the whole surface at one time on this 40” x 72” piece – a new variation in my process with this third “Writing in Air” work -- and now that it is dry today, will add suggestions of handwritten texts. After that, I’ll cut the large collage into rectangles, form the tubes and mount them to the prepared canvas.
These two details show how the large surface will break down into rectangles that will become each tube.
Once the rectangles are all composed, this sample shows the cutting pattern I’m planning to use. More loops and flourishes than in the two previous pieces to suggest cursive “writing in air.”
Today I’ll complete the compositions for each rectangle and then begin printing, cutting, composing and mounting.
The following are professional images of the works you’ve seen in process on this blog. Thought you might enjoy seeing the images done properly.
Pages: Crumpled, 48” x48”, 2011
Pages VII, 48” X 48”, 2011
Pages VIII, 48” x 48”, 2011.
These next three will hang together as a triptych on one wall.
The Fluttering Pages of My Life I, 48” x 60”, 2011
The Fluttering Pages of My Life II, 48” x 60”, 2011.
The Fluttering Pages of My Life III, 48” x 60”, 2011
I still am working on completing two more of these vertical “tube” pieces. The one below will be the image I use for my postcard.
Writing in Air, 24” x 48”, 2011.
If you live in the Rochester, NY area, please come hear me talk about my work and inspirations at the Memorial Art Gallery on Thursday, May 12 at 7 PM in conjunction with the FiberArt International exhibition that runs there through July 3, which includes one of my pieces in the collection.
As a rule, there are in everyone all sorts of good ideas, ready like tinder. But much of this tinder catches fire or catches fire successfully only when it meets some spark or flame from outside, i.e. from some other person. Albert Schweitzer.
Stuart Low, a thoughtful, insightful arts writer from the Democrat & Chronicle, our Rochester newspaper, interviewed me recently because my work is included in the Fiberart International exhibit that will be opening at the Memorial Art Gallery on April 30.
The interview left me revisiting familiar questions, in an effort to flesh out clearer answers. Why DO I work in fiber? Why DO I work with language as imagery? What is it I wish to express as an artist? Why do I make the choices that I do? Talk about an encounter generating sparks.
As far as I know, my profile will be a brief segment in a larger article about the abundant number of fiber-related exhibitions that seem to be happening concurrently in this area. What light will his summation of our hour and a half talk reflect back to me; how will my work be seen through an arts writer’s eyes?
In and around the enjoyment of being interviewed and photographed and looking forward to a special opening night VIP preview reception for Fiberart International this coming Saturday evening, I just keep working in my studio. I appreciate these interactions and the ideas they stimulate; that energy ignites new ideas and refines existing ones.
The inspiration for the new tube pieces that I’m currently working on is “writing in air.” Here’s the first segment for the next one;. I almost hate to roll it into a tube and attach it to the substrate. Maybe it will stay an open cylinder instead so the substrate is visible behind it.
There is less dimensionality plus sharper value contrasts on this piece than on the first one. The added fragment of found handwriting also is working.
Here’s the prepared substrate for attaching the completed tubes.
whirr , definition of whirr , meaning of whirr - 1 ( verb ) whir, whirr, whirring, birr sound of something in rapid motion "whir of a bird's wings"; "the whir of the propellers" 2 ( verb ) whizz, whiz, whirr, whir, birr, purr make a soft swishing sound "the motor whirred"; "the car engine purred" 3 ( verb ) churr, whirr make a vibrant sound, as of some birds
Work progresses on “The Fluttering Pages of My Life”, so here is a quick update detail of my design wall with more contrast being added to the pebbly, textural surfaces. The rippling aluminum rods for hanging these will work beautifully to make the pieces gently undulate.
This week has been filled with sampling and re-visioning, which from the outside may look a bit tame, but inside it feels very much like a swashbuckling Errol Flynn swordfight.
Happily I am casting myself as Errol Flynn aka Captain Blood in this fantasy!!
The three pieces now have a name, "The Fluttering Pages of My Life”.
After a lot of samples and fancy footwork and sword parrying, I chose the idea of painting directional “swooshes” across the surface to suggest movement and motion.
I’m also adding subtle bits of invented text to help convey the idea that these are “pages”. Don’t ask how many other ideas I ruled out before selecting this one.
Using more strongly contrasting values in this sample also made me realize that I want to amp up the contrasts on these pieces. I need to complete these revisions before I add the swooshes, so I spent all day yesterday painting elements that I can collage to the current works.
Here’s another idea still to be tested out. I’m bending a set of aluminum hangers for both the top and bottom of each hanging in the hopes of creating a gently undulating surface, as in “rippling in the breeze.” Will I like them rippling when I get to my studio again on Tuesday and see what it looks like? Or will I decide to keep the pieces hanging flat?
Hey, there’s always the option of a giant fan in the room blowing the heck out of the work -- and my neighbor the sculptor is more than willing to teach me how to mechanize the piece with small motors so it undulates!
