Installation at the Urban Studios

I was invited to display several of my abstract paintings at the Urban
Studios, a fitness center owned by personal trainer Kevin DeMarco.
The Urban Studios is located at 805 N. 4th Street -- downtown in the
Brooklyn Arts District. I'm very happy for the chance to exhibit my
work here.

Installation at Cafe Diem

Visitors to Cafe Diem, a cute little coffee shop downtown in the growing 4th Street Brooklyn Arts District, can now see some of my colorful abstract paintings on display. I was recently invited to exhibit my work by owner Suvann Loeung, who is joining the gallery circuit during the fourth Friday activities. This is my first solo exhibition in Wilmington so come on by. There will be a reception and
wine tasting on August 22nd. There's also a free trolley that runs past the shop every day.
Cafe Diem is located at 805 N. 4th Street and is open Monday through Saturday 9am-9pm.

Mask: Stage 4

Today I'm coating the mask form with structure gel, a heavy bodied gel medium. This will seal the plaster and protect the form when it comes in contact with the wet leather. Yesterday I ordered a side of light weight vegetable dyed leather from a whole seller on Ebay.

Mask: Stage 3

Mask form in development stage #3. I added "head feather" shapes to
balance the large beak. I used scraps of mesh door screen to build up
the "feathers". The form is very heavy now and has been drying
overnight.

Mask: Stage 2

Mask form in development stage. Layering plaster infused gauze strips over the styrofoam head and wires.

Bird Mask Armiture

So far, the bones of my bird mask is coming along nicely. This is the
basic structure for a Venetian style leather mask to wear/display with
my wooden wings. I've never worked with leather outside of the shop
class I had in highschool...a number of years ago. But I really want
this mask to be authentic and unique.

Seagrove

Today I'm at Seagrove, a unique coastal community, beautifully nestled in Carolina Beach. There's an open house tour of the new homes and condominiums today, and the sales agency invited about 25 artists to exhibit our work during the event.
That's one of the great things about Wilmington...artwork is a part of every community event and there are creative people everywhere.

Feminine Perspective in Print

No boys allowed in Black Door Gallery's latest exhibit

Thursday, July 3, 2008

By Cherish West
Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Beth Thomas, who owns the Black Door Gallery with her husband Craig Thomas, is hosting and participating in an all female art show that opens Friday. (AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com)

The Black Door Gallery in Cape Girardeau will be presenting art from "The Feminine Perspective," when women of all ages and from around the United States display their artwork for the first women-only art show at the gallery.

Organizer Elizabeth Thomas said they were looking for a different type of show and one featuring only women was a good idea.

"This was not only different, but I also saw it as a way for women artists to celebrate what they do," Thomas said.

Thirty artists, some from the local area and others from Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky, and even as far as North Carolina, are showing at the gallery. These artists have created graphic designs (3-D or 2-D), sculptures, fibers or ceramics, and will each have one piece of art on display.

While the show includes professional artists and art educators, such as Pat Reagan, Louise Bodenheimer, Sarah Riley and Katherine Smith — all art professors at Southeast Missouri State University — some younger female artists will be featured also.

"We even have an emerging artist — our granddaughter," Thomas said. "Of my family, there are four generations in the show: my aunt, myself, my daughter and my granddaughter. So I think that's pretty neat."

Thomas said another great thing about this show is that some of the artists have never shown their work and this gave them an opportunity to do so. "Over the years I have come to respect the art of professors, students and my friends, so I am happy to have their work displayed," she said.

After hearing the excitement from the women she asked to participate in the show, Thomas said they will probably have a women only show every year.

"The Feminine Perspective" will have two openings, 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and again July 11. The latter date will also feature female vocalist Julie Walker from 6 to 7 p.m.

Revisiting an old image

One of my favorite paintings, "Katie with Wings", (above) was sold in an art gallery earlier this year. I kept the original drawing and recently decided to do a silkscreen design and reuse the image. Obviously, I wasn't trying in any way to recreate the feel of the original oil painting, but using it in a new way appealed to me.

I used the drawing fluid/screen filler method and "drew" on the screen using a paint bottle with a tiny opening. This allowed me to have a bit more control with my lines. Once the process was complete, I printed the image onto flour sacks. The first is the off-white organic cotton sack and the second is a white sack that I distressed with two colors of ink. The ink adds an interesting effect but I'm not totally sold on it.

Flour sack towels

I am very happy with my fern design! I decided to do a print in three
colors onto organic cotton flour sack towels. I printed on white
towels and off white. Both look good. I also printed dark ferns onto
several bright white cotton napkins. They look very crisp and will
make the perfect addition to a picnic.

Wheel prints

I tried printing my wheel design and decided to add another layer of
screen filler because my first layer was thin enough that it allowed
too much ink to pass through the silk. I like the second one a lot
better. It still has the look of a freehand drawing and a slightly
distressed feel. The lines aren't perfect and that's what I was going
for. Someting more like a random sketch than a finished drawing. I
decided to leave some of the blotches and drips that occurred when I
applied the drawing fluid. Feedback anyone??

Manic Monday

Today my efforts in the studio were, as usual, a mix of trial and
error. I am trying out a new method of creating a silkscreen design
using drawing fluid and screen filler instead of photo emulsion. I am
working on several screens at once because I am so impatient. The
first screen took about an hour of my time to paint the fluid on and
unfortunately it wasn't thick enough and didn't wash out as I
expected. I felt like a failure but used my new knowledge on my other
"wheel" design and drew on thick lines of drawing fluid. After it
dried I brushed on the screen filler...let that dry, I took it outside
to hose it off, the drawing fluid washed out with no problem as you
can see from the photo. Tomorrow I will try again with the other
design. Stay tuned to see a print of this design tomorrow. Of course,
this single wheel is only a portion of a much more elaborate finished
product.

Kayaking Slideshow

Our kayaking excursion to the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin was a blast. It was our first "family" vacation and I think it was a success. We are already planning something fun for next year. We had a great guide named Joe, who helped us overcome our fear of death and extremely cold water.



Check out the rest of the photos....

Today's Progress

I decided to try creating a new silkscreen design by using drawing
fluid and screen filler instead of photo emulsion, which is my usual
way. So far so good....

Time Lapse

Here's a cool little time lapse video of me creating "Emerging Surfaces #1"....

Fern Patterns

While exploring Basswood Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin, I was surrounded by ferns. I brought some home and have been experimenting by using them as a screenprint design. It feels great to be back in my studio.

Alive

Well, we made it back from our kayaking excursion unscathed. I wasn't eaten alive by any bears or my in-laws!
I'll be elaborating on the trip in full detail with visual aids soon but for now, we are making our way back to Wilmington, NC.Yesterday we drove 7 hours from the Northwoods to Chicago where we
spent a wonderful evening catching up with more family. We had a great swim before dinner to loosen our muscles for the 14 hour drive today. Our goal is to make it to Greensboro, NC by 7pm so we can go to our favorite store... REI, then tuck in for the night and push on tomorrow.

Living Adventure

This morning we're up early enough to enjoy one last cup of coffee...or at least one last "proper" cup, before we hit the frigid Lake Superior water on our three day sea kayaking excursion. Needless to say, I decided not to take my iPhone so I'll be out of touch until we return. I'll be researching waterproof cases for it after this.
Although I pride myself on embracing every kind of adventure that comes my way, I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous because I've never tried it before.
On another note, last night for dinner we ate fried White Fish Livers. They're a specialty here in Bayfield and although everyone else was hesitant, they were awesome...however, only slightly better than the fried chicken livers I grew up on in Southern Missouri.

Driftwood

Our stop at the Big Bay State Park on Madeline Island, WI was well worth the trip. It was a bit chilly but once we dug our bare feet into the sand and started collecting the smooth round stones and gnarly, sun bleached driftwood, we became child-like and forgot about the cold.

Devil's Island

Devil's Island is the northernmost point of land in Wisconsin and by far the most interesting of the Apostle Islands to me. It rises about 60 feet above water and is uniformly round. Most notable about the island, other than its remoteness, are the sea caves which undercut the shoreline. In some places, the sandstone cliffs on the northern half of the island look almost honeycombed.

Map of Islands

All Aboard

We're cruising around the Apostle Islands this morning on a Grand Tour aboard the Island Princess. Departure time: 10 am.

The smell of used books

A used bookstore has its own unique smell. Its both offensive and
delicious all at once. This morning after breakfast at the Egg Toss Cafe we popped into What Goes Around, a little shop filled to the brim with stacks of old books. Heaven!!

I'm a big fan of Pearl S. Buck's work so I was thrilled to find a trilogy of books she wrote under the nom de plume John Sedges. I also grabbed "Reading Lolita in Tehran". A copy of Lolita was also on the shelf and I was tempted to buy it but I've watched the movie and so I'm familiar with the story. It's intriguing but disturbing so I decided to pass.

Getting pickled

Enjoying a little break at the Pickled Herring. Yum

Bayfield

We made it to the beautiful town of Bayfield, WI which overlooks Lake Superior. It's breathtaking.

View

Overlooking Lake Superior from Black River Harbor in the U.P.

Gorge Falls

Potawatomi Falls

Conglamerate Falls

The Conglamerate Falls on the North Country Trail in the Ottawa
National Forest. Day 1 of our Pearson/Stockbridge family
adventures...not unlike the Grizwalds I'm sure!

Chain Skimmers

Last night we watched the "chain skimmers" water show. The average age of the kids in the show was 13-17. They were able to do four tier pyramids....here's me making my debut. Ha ha

Conde Nast

There's nothing better than a little coctail cruise before dinner.
This is my cutie pie hubby!

Backwoods livin'

What a beautiful cabin my in-laws have in the middle of the Ottawa
National Forest.

Family integration

Here's a picture of me having an argument with my mother-in-law.
She's a real "bear" of a woman! Just kidding. My father-in-law is a
big game hunter so the cabin is filled with animals of all kinds.
This is just one of several bears in the house. It's like a museum.

Big one!

Apostle Islands

I'm about to set off on a three day kayaking excursion. Wisconsin's northernmost landscape juts out into Lake Superior as the scenic archipelago known as the Apostle Islands. The national lakeshore includes 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland Lake Superior shoreline, featuring pristine stretches of sand beach, spectacular sea caves, remnant old-growth forests, resident bald eagles and black bears, and the largest collection of lighthouses anywhere in the National Park System. Let's just hope my arms hold out...I've never actually done any kayaking before!!

More cowbell???

Check out this video on YouTube:

Don't Fear the Reaper

Out for a spin

I had a ride in a dune buggy for the first time and it was a blast! The weather in Indiana was awesome. Now we're on our way to the north woods in Michigan to visit family. I'm tucking in for another long car ride. Luckily we packed the entire collection of audiobooks by David Sedaris...he cracks us up!

Indonesian delights

We're visiting some friends in Indiana this sunny 4th of July. Most of their time is spent living on a beautiful island in Indonesia.
They operate a wood floor business and import all kinds of wood that eventually makes its way into the homes of millions of Americans.
Yesterday we toured the warehouse and saw some amazing hand carved imports. If I only had more room in my apartment...

Feminine Perspective Exhibition

My painting, "Out of the Box" is in a group exhibition at the Black Door Gallery in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Gallery owners Craig and Elizabeth Thomas invited several established and emerging women artists to participate in "Feminine Perspective", which will open to the public on July 4th with a reception on July 11th.

Installation in Charleston

Tuesday I installed 7 paintings in Charleston, SC at the North Charleston Meeting Place. The huge windows make a great display opportunity in the up and coming downtown area of North Charleston. The paintings are from "Sowing and Reaping", a series of allegorical fruit and vegetable still lifes. The two month long exhibition was organized by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department.

Having lunch at EVO, an organic pizzeria just down the block, was a real treat.

Edge of Urge

I am really pleased that some of my screenprinted tote bags, tee-shirts, and cards are now selling at Edge of Urge, an awesome shop at a primo location right downtown in Wilmington (18 Market Street). The store was recently featured in Coastal Living Magazine.


Here's one of the tote bags that's in the shop...


and here are the cards...