Painting

The Hand is Keeping Busy

“Surrealism is the magical surprise of finding a lion in a wardrobe where one is sure of finding shirts.” -Frida Kahlo

I haven’t been on here in a while.

I don’t know exactly why. But that seems to be the way with blogs sometimes.

Let’s skip the part where I talk about why I haven’t updated my blog in so long and I’ll just tell you what I’ve been up to.

I am working on a piece for THIS upcoming show. Painting on a mannequin is something new and I am enjoying the experience a lot. I cannot wait to reveal my piece and- even more- I cannot wait to see all the other pieces that my fellow artists come up with.

I just finished reading Frida Kahlo at Home by Suzanne Barbezat. So I am back in the Frida frame of mind that I sometimes fall into. I relate to Frida in many ways, even though our lives are so different. Her level of introspection and symbolism suits mine. And so, my thoughts go into symbolic places as I draw and the results are often deeply personal and odd. Things I don’t want to share here.

But the hand is keeping very busy.

(Me and Artist Sheri Hollenbeck of Downtown Handmade and Vintage talking about Frida Kahlo.
Photograph by artist Gary Stallsworth.)

I’ve been making funny little things out of felt. Unicorns and roller skates and flowers and crying eyes. Some I have turned into brooches and ornaments. I’m still figuring out exactly what my technique will become and what the ultimate goal will be. But it is fun to be working with such a tactile material to make little objects. I have ideas.

Felt flower brooch.

I joined The Hive Artisan Co-op as a member. This means I have a small gallery space to show and hopefully sell some artwork. it also means I am in a creative space surrounded by art on a regular basic, connecting with other artists and being inspired by them. This is good for me.

“Up for Air”
Watercolor on Paper
For sale at The Hive Artisan Co-op

“Home is Wherever I’m with You”
Watercolor on Paper
For sale at The Hive Artisan Co-op

If you live in the Lewiston, Maine area go check out The Hive. It will be worth it.

Paper Houses

This is a recent series of work that I completed. Very different than my usual work, in that there is no human present. These pieces happened very quickly, and I created them intuitively, without thinking too much. I started by painting freely with watercolor and then went over the pieces with chalk pastel. The spheres, houses, and leaves were recurring motifs and the emotions expressed surrounded my thoughts of what it means to be at home, both figuratively and literally.

These 10 works are currently hanging up at The Hive Artisan Co-op in Lewiston, ME, where they will remain until the end of May.