GET SPARKED!!!!!
Check out the show at the Del Ray Artisans gallery! I co-curated this show and we are super excited with the turn out! We had a fabulous opening reception. It will be showing until October 30th, so check it out if you have time!
DRA artists partnered with the SPARK Organization to showcase the Get Sparked process. A call for artists went out in July for artists interested in participating. Those who signed up received a piece of writing (poems and short stories) written by a member of the SPARK group. Each artist was free to interpret the writing as they saw fit and create a piece of artwork in response. The results were fantastic! (PICTURE TO COME). The show is grouped according to the inspiration writing piece, seeing all the different interpretations, how they differ and how they are similar is just awesome! This idea can work in reverse as well, the artwork serving as an inspiration to the artist.
I received this piece by Amy Souza, co-curator and the founder of SPARK.
Every Angel
By Amy Souza
Every angel is terrible. They like to remind us who we are, who we’ve been, show us who we might become if we could muster the energy to try again. For this we hate them, because part of our nature is not wanting to know the truth even as we seek it.
Define them as you will: heavenly creatures, ghouls from the depths, figments of an imagination poisoned by church-fed guilt. Angels exist, and they’re out to get you.
Don’t believe me? What about that time walking toward the park, when you stepped right over the legs of a greasy man slumped along a painted wall? The kind of man you normally don’t notice, but the deep blue façade made you look. You thought, he’s drowning and he doesn’t even know how to swim. Remember the tiny pricks that crept up the nape of your neck as you kept walking? How your breath quickened and suddenly you felt transported to the room where, ten years earlier, you’d looked your withered father in the eye and said, No I did not come home to help you? You flinched at the sound of that girl’s voice, spiteful and small. Tried to erase the image as you jaywalked across the avenue. You wondered why the scene came to you, blamed randomly firing neurons, as if science could deliver all mystery to its rightful place.
Yes, I’m saying that man was one. What he looked like is incidental. You maintained stride, pushed away the unknowns, but he’ll return. They are quick to disguise, angels, which makes sense. They couldn’t do their work otherwise.
Copyright 2011 Amy Souza
My Response:
Angels in the Garden
Mixed Media
NEW WORK!
Layering has become an obsession. I have begun looking at everything in my world in a new light. "Can I use this to print with?" "How can I use that in a painting in an interesting way?" I was waiting in the cutting line at the local art/craft store and caught a glimpse of this embroidery hoop. I was struck with the idea of using this as a stretcher for canvas. I stretched it, added gesso and was off. So far I'm very pleased with the results.
I started a few more pieces as well. Trying to push the boundaries with materials, and not getting stuck in doing the same thing over and over is tough. Not that there is anything wrong with doing the same thing over and over, I just need to stay interested and motivated. The other question I keep coming back to,when working is to know "When is the work finished?"
These are experiments with modeling paste, and using ink and pastels in the art making process. And working with a more concrete image. I'm very excited about this large flower piece!
Dyeing fabric! I use so much fabric in my work, it's time I start to dye my own, and figure out how to personalize it a bit more! This attempt was semi-successful. I used RIT dye powder, hot water and solo cups. I experimented with white cotton broad cloth, unbleached muslin, and printed cotton quilting fabric. I found the best results were on the muslin and printed fabrics. Wear gloves! My hands and nails are still stained brown.
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