Women's Studio Workshop-Day 8

A bit of time has past since my last post, but still having a great time here at Women's Studio Workshop. I've been plugging away on my prints and sculptures, but in the meantime.....
We took Zoey (the other studio dog) on a walk up the mountain.










I drove into town to drop off a package. For those of you who have not been to Rosendale (which is probably most of you) it is the cutest little town that you ever did see!












My favorite place so far is The Big Cheese, where of course one can not only buy really good cheese, but vintage clothing. Woa, what a combo!

Women's Studio Workshop-Day 3

Well, I finally feel like I'm getting into a groove here. It's sort of strange, but a good challenge, working in a different studio than your own. It's interesting to see how they order and arrange things, like hanging the squeegees up(simple, cool, & organized, right?)Today I worked some more on my paper pieces. I tried pulp printing on them, but I think they pulp may have been too coarse to go through the screen. Tana worked in the paper studio a bit today. She is working on casting some bread sculptures. They are really cool (and realistic!)
There was a holiday card making party tonight. A good crowd showed up, despite the snow and 30 degree weather.

Women's Studio Workshop-Day 2

We got some serious snow last night!


Got a little help exhuming and moving my car this moring from Woody and Chris.
Worked in the paper studio-made abaca and gampi sheets, then layered in some pulp painting


The ladies at WSW are getting ready for a holiday card making party tomorrow night. Kristen scored some cards on the Chandler and Price Platen Press


and Lindsay worked on a serious lock-up




Wasn't so bad being indoors all day today!

Women's Studio Workshop-Day 1

Today was the first day of my residency at Women's Studio Workshop. WSW, nestled in the very cute town of Rosendale, NY, is a visual arts organization with specialized studios in printmaking, hand papermaking, ceramics, letterpress printing, photography, and book arts.


Today:
I woke up to see this great view outside of my cute little apartment
hung out with Dixie, one of the studio dogs, and the very cool and talented WSW interns













started working on art, but will have more to show for it tomorrow.
Here are some more photos

Sabeth (friend, coworker, and oh-so-talented printmaker/artist) and I are working on a public art piece that, when finished, will hang on an outside wall of Pyramid Atlantic's building. We decided to go with the idea of portraits of noteworthy Maryland people-activists mover and shaker types like Rachel Carson, Bea Gaddy, Clara Barton, Gustovo Torres, an others.
Sabeth and I both love vintage frames, so we enlarged some photographs and frames onto sentra board, then drew and cut them out
The public was invited on October 24th to help us out with the project. Our nextdoor neighbor, The Meditation Museum, provided some great food and beverage, and the Gandhi Brigade documented the event





























Now we are working on the finishing touches, that include printing some pattern in the background and some text.
I'll post some more pictures when it is complete and installed on the outside of the building

























Here are a lot more photos of the event and our work in progress

I recently was invited to be a visiting artist and lecturer at State University of New York, New Paltz. It was an unforgetable experience! First, I got to stay at the amazing, and full of fabulocity (it's a word; they use it on their website) Lefevre House. I would highly recommend staying in the red room (but I guess only if you really like red like I do).
I have nothing but great things to say about the students-grad and undergraduate- I met during my visit. They are driven, talented, and really pushing the boundaries of printmaking.
Many thanks to Lis Janes, Rimer Cardillo, Debra DeGregorio, Erin Dinan, and the rest of the Printmaking department for being such gracious hosts. Here are some photos I took during my visit

Today is my mom's 64th birthday. On the left is a photograph taken when she was in art school in Taos, NM, circa 1967, and on the right, a present day photograph of mom working in a friend's studio.
Here is to many more creative years, Mo!

Picaroon Press-looks good on paper

After viewing the NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST exhibition, we walked down the quaint street in The Plains, to see Fleming Jeffries' print and book arts studio and shop, Picaroon Press.
Located in one half of an old train depot, Picaroon has a distinct smell-musty wood with a dash of oil based ink. I really like the way Fleming set the shop up, a large high working table in the center and presses, rollers, and other equipment on the periphery (including an older, and rather temperamental riso machine).

Finding your way out of a paper bag

NORTHSOUTHEASTWEST
An exhibition of cartographic,
geographically-oriented,
and explorer-bound art.

19 artists both local and from around the globe move through space to collect place.

Vicky Mei Chen
Kate Copeland
Warren Frederick
Melissa Hronkin
Fleming Jeffries
Roberta Jeffries
Bonnie Morrison
Megan Mueller
Marte Newcombe
Robert T. Pannell
Christin Ripley
Allison Sloan Roberts
Gretchen Schermerhorn
Catherine White
Tugboat Printshop
Will Work For Good
Hand Print Workshop International

Thursday 10 SEPTEMBER to Sunday 4 OCTOBER 2009

RECEPTION
Saturday 12 SEPTEMBER 2009
4 to 6:30 pm

ZIGZAG GALLERY
6477 Main Street
The Plains, VA 20198
(540) 253-5364
zigzagtheplains.com
Wed - Sun 11 - 5

You can have whatever you like...

I spent last weekend at Emerson Landing Artist Retreat Center, in Wye Mills, Maryland. Expected to open in the fall of 2010, Emerson Landing is going to be an amazing artist residency/retreat center. Although a bit quiet-no sirens, no honking-which was a bit daunting, it was so relaxing and very beautiful. They have a great planning committee, so I'm looking forward to see it come to fruition!

Labano-what?

Inside Look: Folksay/Episode Three: Labanotation from CityDance Ensemble on Vimeo.

Citydance is Washington's preeminent modern dance company. Preeminent is a fancy word for bad-ass. I love them, I really do.
So, a bunch of artists (including yours truly)were invited to create an editioned artist book based on Citydance's 08-09 dance season. I've been thinking a lot about how we can map, chart and document our day to day movements. This labanotation thing just may be the ticket for the guts of my book. Stay tuned.
Oh, you can also read more about the project on Kelly's blog. Kelly O'brien, who is book artist, dancer, marketing goddess (don't all artists need such a godess?) and is the mastermind behind this book arts collaboration/edition. TurningPointe Press

Paper Future Universe

I'm really excited to be a part of this paper art exhibition in Japan. A catalogue of the exhibition is being produced which will include images of all the works along with introductory essays by Mina Takahashi(current editor of Hand Papermaking magazine) and Yasuo Kume, esteemed Japanese paper scholar, and head of the Washi Culture Research Group.
Click here Artists to view the entire exhibition.

Giant + Chrochet = Chrochiat

Check out Inga Hamilton, doing some arm crocheting. (You gotta love the music too)
I met her while I was in Northern Ireland last year. She is an amazing textile/fiber artist, and super funny to boot. I'm hoping that she and Andy will be visiting the states this year.
http://www.rockpoolcandy.com/sculpture/

Introduction

I dumped my winter clothes out on my bed this
morning because I needed the container.
Clothing Cast. Awesome.

I started thinking about why I continue to want to make art and what inspires me to do so. Three quotes came to mind.

“A plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit.”
-Kurt Vonnegut

"It's not about winning or losing, it is about sharing"
-Chef Anita Lo, Season 1 Top Chef Masters Contestant

" Sometimes I like the artist's preliminary work/sketches better than the final piece of art"
-Beth Schaible, while the two of us were recently snooping through
artists' studios at Penland School of Arts and Crafts

My intention is to share stuff that inspires me and how it informs my art making.
Stick around, you will probably like this blog better than my art.