A Passion For Creativity

self-portrait collage

“Artist/Woman Thinking About Stuff”

That is, art business, paperwork, facts & figures.

Red sky in the morning,

sailors take warning.

digital painting

Do you remember the old weather prediction rhyme?

Mornings this winter often arrived under rosy skies, followed by rough weather. We welcome rain here in the high mountain desert. After soaking soil, it brews up as creeks, and gushes into the rivers and lake.

Right now, snow powders the mountains from the latest, ongoing drenching. Smoky white and ominous gray shapes surround me, a line of silver gleams when the sun blinks.

I never tire of looking at these Sierra ranges. Whiteness is but a temporary disguise. Their appearance changes with the seasons’ light and time of day. Underneath the cold mantle, blues, purples, grays, browns, greens, tans await.

How can an artist resist?

Red sky at night,

sailors delight.

Sorting through a kitchen cupboard, culling long unused, or worn-out pans and utensils, there’s an unfamiliar plastic object. See exhibit A.

Exhibit A

It’s very likely a piece of an appliance, the round part is about 2″ diameter, but WHAT IS IT? Oh, just throw it out!  Yet, what if it’s something important that something else can’t work without. It doesn’t fit on existing kitchen appliances. Now I’m intrigued. How did it get here, did the parent get tossed out long ago?

So I take many photos of it, and post it on my FaceBook page as the “alien object”. One of my helpful friends thinks it looks like a coffee filter part. Then another friend, Shari Downhill, is certain that it’s a wall bracket for holding an immersion mixer. Mmmmm, OK, makes sense! Although not working as hanging device with the mixer I have. See exhibit B.

Exhibit B

It’s definitely “an extra”, but now a compelling extra, having spent surplus energy on it, so now the creative brainstorming kicks in. A resolution is needed before I let it go.

There are sculptural possibilities; the object fitted into a glued construction, white or painted? What about an installation, an old kitchen drawer filled with other unknowns, leftover pieces and parts of appliances and tools long gone-a puzzle to figure, and a comment on our consumerism.

More immediate and accessible are the images, the photos, let’s do something with those.

PhotoShop is my go-to virtual tool. The photos are already on the computer; I cut, paste, reorder, manipulate, and filter. Absorbed with it, often I can’t recall the paths while immersed in the process.  The object takes on a bit of personality. See exhibit C.

Exhibit C

Then, more ideating follows. It’s a logical step take this image and create an ArtiStamp with it since it’s offbeat and the design would easily fit the format.

Briefly, artistamps are faux postage that mail artists create as an extension of their ideas and run the gamut of subject matter. The creation method also varies, from hand-drawn, painted, etched, photocopied, rubber stamped, to the easily created computer/personal printer version. We share, trade and use them on mail art. See exhibit D.

Exhibit D

Designed as a sheet of 24 stamps here’s a close-up.

Have a wonderful holiday!

photo collage of studio journals

There’s that quick little note about something inspiring that I read or saw. Several labels from favorite art materials. An article about block printing that intrigues. All this and more is gathered in my studio journals. There’s a binder for articles and such, plus a smaller notebook for quick sketches and writings. As you can see there’s lots of documentation about colors. Color mixing can be very experimental as I try out new colors, such as Daniel Smith’s Duochrome and Interference acrylics, and play with fresh combinations. Keeping a record of colors created and what was used in particular paintings is helpful. In the back of the notebook there’s a running inventory of numbers and sizes for stretcher bars, frames and glass on hand. Couldn’t do without it.

What does an artist’s working space look like?  I’ll be posting some more shots of the studio here. This is the steel rolling cart that holds brushes on top and paints underneath, and it’s where I mix colors.

Many of the brushes in the background are for oil paint. Yes, there are separate brushes for each medium. Love your brushes-take care of them. Good ones are pricey and using them is like playing a beautiful instrument; there is no off-key twang, just harmony and control as you sculpt paint with them. Even less expensive brushes can last a long, long time with care.

In my younger days, I’d let paint dry on brushes. Even after cleaning them, pushing those around on the canvas later was like wading through gritty mud. No matter what hand-eye control there was to muster, the brush could not respond fully.

Let me say it again. Love your brushes!

In working with acrylics, I use a sheet of framing glass on top of a piece of white paper as a palette (it’s actually white palette paper so there’s a coating on it, water doesn’t soak through if it gets sloshed). The white paper gives good contrast for mixing colors. Acrylics dry quickly so I cover them with reused plastic snack cups and just pull out a bit at a time. That way, I can mix a good amount and it’s usually good to go the next day also.

The three jars are filled with water for cleaning the brushes: first wipe off excess paint; swish off excess paint in water; rinse, and rinse again. It’s become automatic between colors or when switching brushes. At the end of the painting session, the brushes are washed with “the Masters” brush cleaner and preserver soap.

With early morning light flowing in from the East, here’s a pic of my painting space in the studio. The working easel is on the left. Two more easels behind with a completed landscape on the right. The foreground shows the palette and mixing area.

photo by Sherry Gaskin

From the “make art”  table. One little girl’s version of a prayer flag, sending a positive message out on the breeze.

What have I been up to lately?

Several months back, my friend Elaine across the lake, had a terrific idea about assembling an event celebrating local women artists, and hosting it in her backyard at the time of the Summer Solstice.

Getting involved would distract me from immersion in studio work, but it sounded SO RIGHT, particularly at this point in time, when so much is doom and gloom, and people are holding back. This is exactly when we need to brainstorm, and realize that we possess many resources for creating new directions. Also, it would create a fine venue for art display, which is always welcome, so I committed to the idea.

We discussed the artists we knew. There’s an incredible wealth of female talent in this community in the Fine Arts. Besides, we could identify many cool ladies who would attend and enjoy such an event. As individual artists’ names came up, it was apparent that this could be expanded to include singing, dancing, and poetry, in addition to visual art, creating a balanced day of the arts. This also meant being selective about participants, keeping physical space and time in mind.

From experience, I know that a select group of women can produce a supportive, encouraging, co-operative, and inspiring atmosphere. That was the intention for the Celebration, and that attitude carried through all the planning.

Color framed the day, heavy on burgundy and reds, as reflected by the postcard invite.

photo by Sherry Gaskin

Out  Of  The  Question kicked off the festivities.

Music was by the group Out Of The Question, with Pat Seamount, Katharine Edmonson, and Kris Wilber. What’s more, most attendees contributed their music during a later percussion fest.

photo by Ellen Schafhauser

Keeping the beat with gourd shakers. In the background, art displays line the entry.

Visual Artists participating were Eve Laeger-watercolor, Sherry Gaskin-photography, Elaine Shrader-painting, Ellen Schafhauser-photography, Katharine Edmonson-assemblage, Pat Seamount-painting, Marjorie Carroll-sculpture, and myself.

photo by Sherry Gaskin

Jill shares her short stories

Ann Beman with a poetry workshop, and Jill Sloan reading her short stories represented literature.

photo by Sherry Gaskin

Ann drums everyone in for the poetry workshop.

photo by Ellen Schafhauser

That’s me introducing drummin’ fun.

photo by Ellen Schafhauser

Friends Hannah and Emma collaborate on a frame drum.

photo by Sherry Gaskin

Graceful Heather from Tribal Moon Rising

Day flowed into the evening with individual dance performances by Pamela, Marluna, Ankhet; and members of the troupe Tribal Moon Rising- Heather, Melynie, and Kristie. The grand finale was everyone on their feet dancing, celebrating our common abilities and potential.

The June 26^th issue of the Kern River Courier, page 12, has a lovely article by columnist Donna Fitch, about the Celebration, titled Show fetes Midsummer Moon Art

Recycling…considering the process

An 18″ x 20″ collage created from recycled paperboard which is part of the Arvin Green Arts Festival Juried Show in Arvin, California,  May 16-17, 2009.