If this lack of creative output keeps up I may have to just write another book!

Seriously, it's a disaster.

Every attempt at art making has been a frustrating and deflating experience. Impossible to cast my expectations aside. So I have stopped for the moment, loath to add another surface to the crappy picture pile. Feh.

So...I'm digging (both mentally and in the guise of spring cleaning) through my collections of stuff. Notes, old drawings, stacks of paper goodies, collage treasures and scrap papers.

What have I found so far?

That my grocery lists are terrifyingly identical, that I have a LOT of cool stuff, a LOT of pointless ugly stuff, and that despite it's breadth and range, there is some sort of harmony to my chaotic hoards.

Where will this take me?

I think into another book. One thing I have discovered through my time as a book maker (author still sounds not quite right), is that organizing my stuff and thoughts into the swirly business of a book project is just the type of energy that throws out inspiration as some sort of bonus exhaust.

Here's to hoping that if not some artwork that works, then perhaps a book to inspire other people to make artwork that works will come from this exploration.

And if I'm really, really lucky, maybe a decent painting too.

stencils

Handmade, store bought, improvised...stencils are a great break-through-the-block tool. Sometimes I just need to paint something, work with a texture, but I'm empty of shapes, of images, of anchors. I turn to the stencil and my gels. It may not be wholly original, however, it can be a starting point, or the tassel than finishes the piece.

Trapped

Acrylic "tread", trapping a metal object into a paintscape. Extruding high viscosity paints and mediums is a way of drawing, or creating textured, detailed relief. A past spent in the exploration of garments, sewing and costume design, has left a residual imprint. The stitch.

I am certainly not at the peak of my creative abilities right now, but I thought I needed a little visual, to help me keep reaching.

The day to day things that need to get done for shows, classes, the paint factory in general, (not to mention the family stuff) keeps pulling rank on art for arts sake. I'm longing for long stretches of uninterrupted time, to ponder, to try, to fail, to do. Think I need to learn how to back away from the multi-task monster, and compartmentalize my time in terms of days, not hours.

I've always like Thursdays, I think I'll make them my me days, my working towards a peak days.

Art for All Canada

Coming up in Toronto, ON
March 6th, 2010
Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Toronto
REGISTER NOW!

Jazzing the modern medium; understanding acrylics
With: Rheni Tauchid from Tri-Art
11:15-12:30 in R304

This presentation is a broad scope presentation on understanding acrylic paints and mediums, and an exploration of improvisational application methods and techniques. Acrylics are a revolutionary medium, an evolving material. Understanding how they work and how acrylic mediums can be used to manipulated and dictate the behaviour and appearance of the acrylic surface will enhance every painters creative process. The emphasis of this presentation will be on high viscosity and Liquid acrylic colours as well as a large array of acrylic mediums and additives.

The author of "The New Acrylics" and it's sequel, "New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook" (Watson-Guptill 2009), Rheni Tauchid has an extensive working knowledge of acrylic paints from the point of view of a painter, manufacturer and researcher. Materials consultant and Acrylic Education program director for Tri-Art Manufacturing, her passion is to paint, and to impart knowledge on the Acrylic materials.

Heavy Metal

I love metal. Being named after one may have something to do with this particular passion. Reflective or matte, strong, solid, substantial.

Painting on metal is something I've been experimenting with for years, but now there are panels out there, ready made, that just make my paint layers sing.

The fine people at Duho Studios produce silky smooth, robust and finely crafted art panels made with exotic woods and metals. They are a dream to paint on, though now my dilemma is how to use them and still showcase the beauty of my support through the layers and layers of acrylic. I've been painting on one zebrawood panel for months now, terrified of hiding the gorgeous grain altogether!

Experimenting with them now for almost a year, I am enchanted by their versatility and impressed by their resilience to my technique. I'm not the most delicate of painters, stuff gets stepped on, spilt on, sanded, chipped at, I am merciless when in experimentation mode...it's how I learn and how I test materials.

Painting on the wood panels is lovely, they absorb the paint uniformly and can be scrubbed vigorously without damaging the surface. It is the metal panels that have captured my interest for the moment, because of on thing, reflectivity. As a chronic glazer (is that even a term?), I strive to bring more light into my work. The depth and luminosity that is gained by this are what pull life into colour, and that, to me, is magic.

I've experimented for years with metallic pigments, papers and metal sheeting, but the Duho panels are the nearly perfect platform for my current expression. I say nearly because there is one small drawback. The panels are so smooth, and so flawless, that the paint can peel right off of them. Painting thinly is not a problem, but thickly applied coats can be taken clean off. This in itself, is actually a fun thing too, but may deter those who seek a more "permanent" platform. I'm sure if I were seeking improved adhesion I could abrade the surface, or treat it in some manner, but for now I'm quite happy to keep playing. The results are juicy and lush...and when I get more batteries for my camera I may post some pictures here.



If you are looking for beautifully made professional panels, look no further, these are spectacular. I'm completely hooked!

Artist grade materials in the craft world...building a bridge

On the heels of the CHA winter show in California, I have been thinking more about the arduous process of building a bridge between the craft and the fine art world. When did they become such separate entities?

I'm too tired to get into researching that particular question, but more to the point, how to begin to knit them back together? I have long toyed with the idea of writing an acrylic based craft book, and that may eventually come to fruition as I'm full of ideas. I would just have to be careful not to turn the thing into a big rant on the validity of being a successful craftsperson, regardless of the end product. It seems that to assign function to a work of art inevitably reduces it's monetary and artistic value. If you hang it on a wall, it costs thousands, but if it has a useful purpose it's relegated to the $68.95 bracket.

Does this seem wrong to you?

Perhaps it's the fault of the big box retailers, who spend more energy promoting the economical craft brand materials than fine art materials, that many crafters and artisans are unaccustomed to working with and understanding the merits of working with quality materials.

Its true in all fields, quality materials yield quality results. The foundation of the work holds up the end product. It's just common sense.

More on this later....