sarah's latest blog post

I have been adding pics to my blog, with a bit of difficulty. It seems that my pics are all too big! I will keep trying!

Sarah

http://sarahsartjourney.blogspot.com/

sarah's latest blog post VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL ADD MORE PHOTOS This album has 1 photo and will be available on SkyDrive until 07/28/2011.

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FW: My final projects - Christine

 

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From: mrisavenger@hotmail.com
To: aoliver2@vcu.edu; no-reply@blogger.com
Subject: My final projects - Christine
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:11:35 -0400

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These are not all the prints that I have made, or plan to make. The last print in this set includes three new linoblock prints that I haven't played with much yet, and hopefully I will get a chance to before Tuesday. If not, I'll bring them. Oh, and I made a little book of samples of the first bunch of experiments. Christine

This was the first print from the linoblock that I created after the first 24 exercizes. It was to be the beginning of my final works. It is 24"x24"

This is one of three intaglio prints that I made from the linoblock printed in the image to the left of this one. It was imbedded with oil base printing ink in a dark warm color, wiped off, printed on Stonehenge, dyed with fabric dye, and then shellac-ed.

This intaglio print was ugly, so I covered it with gesso and then wiped it off. On green canson pastel paper, shellac to soften the white gesso.

This was the first intaglio print that I made after traditionally printing the linoblock. I was washing the linoleum and it looked so cool with the color in the carvings, I decided to print it on the press.

This one was so bad I decided to play with it, used dye and glitter. I love it.

This is a double print - not intaglio, but on white synthetic paper. I dyed the colors around it.

These are small linoblocks. 3" each and there are two to the complete pattern. These are printed and then layered with gesso and wax.

This is the same as the previous, but the second of the pair of linoblocks.

This is the very long synthetic print with an underlayer of tempera  and the 12 inch linoblock, again. This is still all about Irish Walls, you know.

This is a closeup of the bottom section of the photo to the left. It shows the background and print more clearly.

This has the original 12" linoblock at the center of the print. It is surrounded by new 3" blocks, and then on each side, 2- 6" blocks of an arch in the Irish walls. The background is acrylic and tempera, with oil base printing ink.The total size is about 34" square.

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Sarah now has a blog!

OK, I am trying out the blog thing, http://sarahsartjourney.blogspot.com/. I am still trying to figure it out! I wish I could post all of my photos as once, as I now have over 40 and I think it will take forever to get them uploaded. I have posted my first two from the class, and the one that I just finished.

Sarah

Richard's work : Some I'm working on now

Richard has sent you a link to a blog:

Newest ones.

Blog: Richard's work
Post: Some I'm working on now
Link: http://richardswork.blogspot.com/2011/04/some-im-working-on-now.html

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Some work:

The attached works are pieces I started over a year ago, but was unable to finish until taking this class.  I cannot bring them to the critique because they have been juried into the May exhibition, "Abstractions", at FCCA.   Bob

Words of hope:

I found these words online in a "Meet Up" group and they made my day.  Let me share them and maybe make yours?    "I want to keep the company of artists; the brave people who have the courage to pursue a dream in a world where everyone is waiting for another life and another God to do that...and hence I might be known by the company I keep..."   Bob

one more cow

hope this works

norma's pantings

hope these post!

Retta Robbins works in progress

1st picture is 20x20; 2nd is 27.7x25.5.

I chose 2 photos of what I thought were classical sculptures for my 24
experiment project. Then I realized that they were the Statue of Liberty.
The iconic nature of the image then influenced my approach to the project.
I found in this current political climate that the liberty of the Statue of
Liberty was in question. The subsequent works I have done involve my take
on this subject.

I have used political posters as a support and have used collage and paint
and words in carrying out the works.

Linda's Revised Artist Statement and 2 works in Progress

Revised Artist Statement:

When I was young I would wait for that "light bulb" moment when things suddenly made sense and an idea would drop into my lap. Now, I am more interested in naming "problems" and finding solutions.  I am inspired by the forms I see and the sounds I hear and then enjoy figuring out the "how" and "why."  It is Kandinsky who inspires me most with his modern forms that assert themselves unconditionally.

My art tends to create itself while I work through my discovery process.  Sometimes, actually most times, I enjoy interacting with the work more than the final product. I enjoy attempting to show simultaneous contradictions in both media and subject matter. The exploration of materials is a vital part of my process. I enjoy experimenting with layers and creating contrast between textures. In my mind the materials used often outweigh the content, or perhaps, the materials speak as part of the content.

Series Specific Addition:

My series focuses on a simplistic form.  It was with nature and water ripples that I started, but moved into the creation of fluidity, movement, and depth by repeating this basic shape. I drew from nature when choosing wood as my base and found a beautiful contrast when choosing a square format.  Throughout my process, I created layers of acrylic, paper, ink, and water based medium.  It was through the layering of media that I discovered the contrast and transparency that I was seeking.  

Sarah current experiments

I am experimenting on Yupo paper. The jury is still out on how I feel about it. The first image (the lighter one which is unfinished) is acrylic on yupo. The second is watercolor on Yupo. Working with acrylic this way has been very interesting, not sure I like it. I am having trouble with the colors muddying. I am thinning with water, I will try acrylic medium next.

I would like to know what you think!

Sarah

libertytown directions

Hi all:  

 

 The street Christine was looking for is "Barton" 

 

Here's another way to get to Libertytown--little bit longer, but maybe a bit easier for those who don't know the convoluted, one-way madness of the Fredericksburg city streets.

 

From  Rt. 3 East  see (Downtown Fred, MWU signs )

 Left at the light onto William Street.

Take William St.(pass fire dept & park) to Right on Prince Edward Street

One block take Right on George St.

One block take Right on Liberty Street.

Liberty Street is only one block long

 

The Arts Center is right there.  Large purple building.

 

We look forward to seeing all of you, please let us know if you need any further directions. Betsy

 

 

next...Christine

Well, I'm making a book and carving another portion of wall which I will use to make a larger portion of wall. They will both be a surprise....to us all! I will photograph them and put them into cyberspace at some point before   THE THIRD OF MAY, so as not to sacrifice myself to the revolution.  I promise. I am no goy ( a ). I'm really sorry. I couldn't resist.

 

Nita's and my studio is upstairs at Liberty Town in Fredericksburg. There are two easy ways to get there. If you take route 1 north from points below Fred'burg,  you turn right onto Princess Ann street just before you get to the Falmouth bridge. From above Fred'burg, turn left on Princess Ann just AFTER going over the bridge. Go down Princess Ann street until you get into town and pass the intersection with William Street. The next light is George street. Turn right onto George street, and continue until you get to Liberty Place (or street - I don't know which)and turn right. Liberty Town is just up a few hundred feet on the left. It's a very dull mid-dark neutral purple. You can park in front, or across the street - wherever. Go all the way to the back of the main floor and follow the bare footprints to the hallway and stairs. Go up the stairs, through the door, and on your right you will see Betsy's studio. diagonally across from her studio is ours. Welcome, after such an arduous journey.

The other easy way to get there is if you are coming from I95. Get off at rte 3 east to Fredericksburg, and stay on it. You will go under rte 1, and get into the left-most lane to turn left at the next light. That takes you onto William Street, past the Catholic Church, UMW, and a couple of lights. At the top of the hill, past the confederate cemetery (which is on your left) you will see the back of a dull purple building on the right - turn right at that street (I have no idea what it's name is). Go to the stop sign, which will tell you you can't turn left. Well, you have to go left, so you head down to the next opportunity to turn left, which is just past the monument to our fallen heroes. Turn left, and then left again - there will be a sign that says "to Liberty Street (or Place)". As soon as you complete the full two left turns, you will see Liberty Place on your right. Turn into it, and Liberty Town will be on your left. Continue as explained in the first set of directions. There are other ways to get there, but I'm sure you agree those are more than sufficient. See ya. Bring food. Were we going to figure out who would bring what, and how are we going to do that ?, which you all know and I'm sure I missed. Will we tell each other on the blog? I'll bring Texas Caviar, cups for it, spoons, and are we each bringing our own drinks, or are we having wine? Am I being a pest? So shoot me.

Christine

Sarah's revised artist statement

I remember the first watercolor painting I ever saw. It was a wedding gift, presented to friends of my family. The image was a rendering of the couple's home. I was astonished at the contrast between the colors of the building and landscape and the whiteness of the paper around it. My greatest desire as a 12 year old child was to figure out how to capture the feeling of sunlight as that artist did.  I love to begin a piece and see where the materials take me. I think that I am drawn to watercolors for the reason that others seem to be repelled: the material is unpredictable, difficult to control and unforgiving. Experimenting does not mean that I do not plan, a watercolor (or acrylic treated as watercolor) has to be planned ahead so that the whites can be reserved. Colors can be scrubbed away if mistakes are made, as proven so successfully by Winslow Homer, but as the pigment stains the ground, the paper looses its pristine whiteness, and will never be the same. I feel that the negative space in a composition invites me to play with color variations, cool against warm, red against green, with the colors mingling then separating. 

Sarah

norma's artist's statement again

What motivates me to work?  Seeing other artist's work, the music I listen too, life and what is thrown at me. My drive seems to come and go like the tide. At times, I frantically paint with an energy that is hard to keep up with. It leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. Large paintings, painted in a day. These are the ones that are my most successful. They are vibrant and energetic paintings. Just as often, I struggle to meet my goals. I start a painting only to abandon or not finish it. At these times, I lean on friends, family and fellow artists for advice and encouragement.

I think of how the impressionist painters functioned as a group of artists. They met, talked and compared their artwork. They supported each other when the public did not appreciate their work. They motivated each other.  They learned from each other and advised each other. This is how a community of artists should function and how I function.  When I am frustrated, I turn to others, for support, advice and inspiration. When I am successful, my colleges congratulate me.

norma's revised artist's statement

this is the latest of my artist's statement

revised artist statement, Christine

Rauschenberg, Klimt, Ernst, Vuillard, Kandinsky, Matisse. These men inspire me. I love color, pattern, texture, collage, atmospheric mixed media. These are the buttons that push me to work. When I paint reality, it's because natural colors are much more complex and sophisticated than any I can imagine, so I use reality to create layers of complex color. I'm not really a realist at all.  I love mastering techniques that are a challenge, creating surfaces that are tactile and deep in their look, and sometimes even their feel. I enjoy experimenting, and since I'm about the process more than the product, I never get so attached to a work in progress that I'm afraid to try something for fear it will be ruined. As I tell my students, "faint heart never won fair maid."                    

 I love it when people love my work, but I don't really do it for anyone but myself. It satisfies something intrinsic to me, and I know this because I chose, for a short time, not to do art, and ended up painting rocks with shoe polish. It's something I have to do, that's all.   

Christine Long                                                                                        

 

My Artist Statement

 

Where does an artist begin? At the beginning I suppose. I was born in England, the middle child to an ordained minister in the Church of England. The church was our life. We moved to the United States when I was eleven. I was the head acolyte which was a strange experience because I felt like an outsider yet I loved the mysticism and visions it gave me. The traditional religious stories and beliefs I was exposed to were very different to the visual images I enjoyed and created. From, Andrea Mantegna's emotional St. Sebastian as one source of inspiration, and H.R.Giger's fantasy as another, emerged my St. Sebastian. Clad in a black leather bondage suit complete with straps and buckles, fixed to a metal column and pierced with hypodermic needles attached to tubes running back into the cylinder he is bound to. My religious expression continues.

H.R. Giger inspires me with his demented elegance, Salavador Dali encourages me to take my viewer to an alternate universe, Caravaggio spurs me to use strong values to pull in my viewer, and just as Yves Tanguy leaves me speechless I strive for the same.

My artwork begins as a concept, vision, or statement to the viewer. Often the message is obvious and other times more subtle. My mental image and overall intended mood of the work guides me. My work is deliberate and bold, illustrative but expressive. I move while I work, walking back and forth from the canvas, squinting my eyes to illuminate the values and exclude the details. When am I finished? Well I imagine a writer asks themselves "have I said what I needed to say?" I ask myself the same question.

Richard

Richard's work : One I started and the finished orchid

Richard has sent you a link to a blog:

Here's the finished orchid and a new one I started over the weekend

Blog: Richard's work
Post: One I started and the finished orchid
Link: http://richardswork.blogspot.com/2011/04/one-i-started-and-finished-orchid.html

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Sarah's acrylic experiment

I have been experimenting with using acrylic paint in transparent washes to give the appearance of watercolor. Here is a crop from my painting that I am working on (apples with grapes). I am trying to focus on layering colors to create interesting negative space.

Sarah

picasso exhibit and artist statement

   Going to the Picasso exhibit is similar to visiting family or old friends.  Many you look forward to seeing, some surprise you at another encounter, others you move by quickly and many delight you with verve and invention.  You know the various wives, the women running across the sand, still life studies piled up or fractured, his ink/wash and graphic work  - but still the out and out gusto of paint and composition wow you once again.

 

   There was no way to visit with those old friends intimately while surrounded by a diverse and large crowd in the museum.  A second look is necessary.  From the early collection in Barcelona to the larger Picasso museum in Paris - and all over the world in magazines, posters pottery..Picasso prevails. He is a show off, he is subtle - let's face it - he  is a major spark of 20th century art.

 

I was drawn to his his smaller works, especially a series of aquatints of Dora Mar containing a variation of form,color and multifacited view of the face.  Also a lithograph of Women of Algiers after Delacroix  showed his draughtmanship - in fact, I return to the strength of Picasso's graphic works.  Like Goya, there is great strength in these pieces.  I anticipate a return visit with Pablo.

 

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Artist Statement

 

Art is a process that often presents an unexpected outcome when one carries on a conversation with the canvas.

 

My work encompasses a variety of subjects...figurative, realistic, imaginary and often with a social comment.  Materials at hand ..and I keep an eclectic assortment around me....offer me the tools to find my way to a solution.

 

The poet, Horace, said the "Purpose of art is to inform and delight", which for me is an impetus to do art.  I also take the advice of Paul Klee, who said that  "art does not reproduce the visible: rather it makes visible." This is something that informs my work because  I do not make an exact replica of objects but work to find the essence of the object or  idea.  There are numerous artists that I have looked to over the years...Piero della Francesco for his classic calm and overall clarity of color; Vuillard with his subtle patterns, deceptively simple compositions which evoke strong emotion; Modgliani's color; the power of expressionist color; and finally Goya for things dark and light--especially his black paintings of the "Quinto del Sordo" and his social comments on war.

 

Art is hard work but offers an infinite scope of joy- frustration- and satisfaction.

Richard's work : Basically finished

Richard has sent you a link to a blog:

Here is the orchid which is almost finished

Blog: Richard's work
Post: Basically finished
Link: http://richardswork.blogspot.com/2011/04/basically-finished.html

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more cows

I used paper bags and tissue paper with cool cow patterns. I might not even paint on this one!

Casey's gone off the deep end.

I've just had a serious revelation, and I'm embarrassed that I didn't realize it until now: I've actually be working with dirt for a while. You know how I said I hadn't made art since college? I forgot to mention that time I covered a girl in dirt and had her sit in a gallery under a trickle of water. AND the time I made and distributed 400 seed bombs. Yeah. So thats something to think about.

 

PLEASE watch this clip of Anselm Kiefer, its completely and udderly awesome. 

http://www.overyourcities.com/watchClips_1.html

 

 Amie, you win: I'm a fan. Also, I just saw that this film about his work was just shown at the National Gallery on March 20. AUUGHH!!!!

 

-Casey

the orb, Norma

I worked on this some more today. I think I'm done with this one.

another cow from Norma

Amie suggested that I paint more cows so I did one today. It's 2 1/2 x3'. I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

Bob's Statement:

Making art is a spiritual experience for me.  It is an experience involving both acceptance and acquiescence. It becomes a matter of trusting and letting go.   Trusting myself to be the best artist I can be and then allowing myself to be that artist. The act of creation, while problem solving by nature, is also an act of faith and intuition. My best art happens when I surrender myself to the creative process and let the art make itself.

Many artists have influenced my work over the years but influences for my figurative work include Nathan Olivera, Manuel Neri and Raine Bedsole.    A mixed media approach is fairly new to me because I consider myself a painter, but an exploration of the transfer processes has led to a ten year adventure into mixed media and collage.  Working spontaneously, I use found papers as the base element of my collage pieces.   Once transfers are incorporated I use gesso like paint to mask and define images.   Charcoal and graphite conceal and reveal images and add an aged/vintage feel to the work.    What results is not always what I expect to happen.

Revised artist statement. Christine Long

 

 

Rauschenberg, Klimt, Ernst, Vuillard, Kandinsky, Matisse. These men inspire me. I love color, pattern, texture, collage, atmospheric mixed media. These are the buttons that push me to work. When I paint reality, it's because natural colors are much more complex and sophisticated than any I can imagine, so I use reality to create layers of complex color. I'm not really a realist at all.  I love mastering techniques that are a challenge, creating surfaces that are tactile and deep in their look, and sometimes even their feel. I enjoy experimenting, and since I'm about the process more than the product, I never get so attached to a work in progress that I'm afraid to try something for fear it will be ruined. As I tell my students, "faint heart never won fair maid."                    

 I love it when people love my work, but I don't really do it for anyone but myself. It satisfies something intrinsic to me, and I know this because I chose, for a short time, not to do art, and ended up painting rocks with shoe polish. It's something I have to do, that's all.                                                                                           

 

Christine Long-
Posted By Blogger to A Mixed Media Studio Practice at 4/03/2011 09:11:00 PM

Casey's artist statement

Okay, I'm finally getting somewhere! In some ways I've reverted back to the media experiments- I'm now working primarily with images of the barn, and experimenting with different processes of drawing and painting with dirt mixed with metallic paint. I finally got away from paper and am working on canvases and masonite. I'm having a good time! I'm motivated and even a little confident. Hallelujah! Seriously though, here's my attempt at a statement:

 

I'm interested in memory and the passage of time; how things change and how they stay the same. I'm creating a series of images of my grandfather's barn, one of the primary settings of my childhood. I'm factinated with how it remained exactly the same for 30 years. On the day he died, it looked and smelled and felt just as it had when I was a little girl chasing chickens. Over the last 2 years, I've watched it deteriorate rapidly without his care. So these are the photos I took that day in May 2009, and drawings from this Spring. I've experimented with a few different water-based and acrylic processes, focusing on value and texture. I'm painting with soil from the barn, using the actual land that is so precious to my family and will be sold in a few months.

 

-Casey

Linda's Artist Statement

The exploration of materials is a vital part of my artistic process. I enjoy experimenting with layers and creating contrast between textures. In my mind the materials used often outweigh the content, or perhaps, the materials speak as a part of the content. 

 

In a letter to Will Grohmann in 1926, Kandinsky wrote, "You mention the circle and I agree with your definition… …why does the circle fascinate me? It is (1) the most modern form, but asserts itself unconditionally, (2) a precise but inexhaustible variable, (3) simultaneously stable and unstable, (4) simultaneously loud and soft, (5) a single tension that caries countless tensions within it. The circle is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. It combines the concentric and the eccentric in a single form, and in balance. Of the three primary forms (triangle, square, circle), it points most clearly to the fourth dimension."

 

My series focuses on this modern form.  It was with nature and water ripples that I started, but moved into the creation of fluidity, movement, and depth by repeating this simple geometric form. I drew from nature when choosing wood as my base and found a beautiful contrast of shape when choosing a square format.  Throughout my process, I created layers of acrylic, paper, ink, and water based medium.  It was through the layering of media that I discovered the contrast and transparency that I was seeking.  Through this body of work I am able to experience Kandinsky's ideas of simultaneous contradictions.      

Norma's artist's statement

My drive seems to come and go like the tide. At times, I frantically paint with an energy that is hard to keep up with. Just as often, I struggle to meet my goals. What motives me to work? Seeing other artist's work. I thrive on watching another artist's process. It drives me forward. I think of how this must have happened with the impressionist painters. They met, talked and compared their artwork. They motivated each other! I think this is a very important aspect of my process. Even though I am nearing the end of my MIS classes, I think it is very important to continue working with my fellow artists.

Sarah's artist statement

 

I remember the first watercolor painting I ever saw. It was a wedding gift, presented to friends of my family. The image was a rendering of the couple's home. I was astonished at the contrast between the colors of the building and landscape and the whiteness of the paper around it. My greatest desire as a 12 year old child was to figure out how to capture the feeling of sunlight as that artist did. Upon working with Ray Kass at Virginia Tech, I learned the beauty of experimenting with watercolor. Our lessons frequently began with a "patchwork quilt", playing with color just to see where it would take you. I frequently repeat this exercise.  I love to begin a piece and see where the materials take me. I think that I am drawn to watercolors for the reason that others seem to be repelled: the material is unpredictable, difficult to control and unforgiving. Experimenting does not mean that I do not plan, a watercolor (or acrylic treated as watercolor) has to be planned ahead so that the whites can be reserved. Colors can be scrubbed away if mistakes are made, as proven so successfully by Winslow Homer, but as the pigment stains the ground, the paper looses its pristine whiteness, and will never be the same. I love the juxtaposition of colors that are unexpected and strive to use unusual combinations.

Sarah

Sarah's second work

Trying one more just to make sure I have figured it out. Resized and changed file type to Jpeg in Photoshop. Hope this works

Sarah

Sarah's image

Sarah's latest work

I haven't been able to post anything lately, let's see how my resizing is going. See you tomorrow.

Sarah

My artist statement

Rauschenberg, Klimt, Ernst, Vuillard, Kandinsky, Matisse. These men inspire me. I love color, pattern, texture, collage, atmospheric mixed media. These are the buttons that push me to work. I love mastering techniques that are a challenge, creating surfaces that are tactile and deep in their look, and sometimes even their feel. I enjoy experimenting, and since I'm about the process more than the product, I never get so attached to a work in progress that I'm afraid to try something for fear it will be ruined. As I tell my students, "faint heart never won fair maid".                                                                                                                                                 I love it when people love my work, but I don't really do it for anyone but myself. It satisfies something intrinsic to me, and I know this because I chose, for a short time, not to do art, and ended up painting rocks with shoe polish. It's something I have to do, that's all.                                                                                           When I paint reality, it's because natural colors are much more complex and sophisticated than any I can imagine, so I use reality to create layers of complex color. I'm not really a realist at all. I'm not interested in teaching in my art, and it carries no message greater than it's surface, at least not consciously, for me. My work is all about materials and what they can do on surfaces. Not abstract ideas or philosophical profundities, and certainly nothing greater than what can be seen or felt. What you see is what you get. That's about it.

Christine Long

Studio Notes for Tuesday, April 5

Artist Statements
The time is NOW to blog your artist statement - ASAP if you haven't already done so!

Please note the following when considering your artist statement:

Less is more.
Reference your artistic influences and choice of media.
The rest is up to you. I recommend finding a few statements by artists you love and
note what you like and don't like about their commentary. It is an arduous, essential task... determining and sharing what and why you do what you do with others... but necessary!

You may plan on bringing materials for working on Tuesday as well as new/revised artwork to share and receive feedback on. We will focus on the good, the bad and ugly world of artist statements during the evening.

Please email me or comment here to confirm your receipt of this post and, always, if you have any questions or concerns.

The Picasso Show

It's been almost a whole week and I still am not quite sure what to say about it.  There was so much to take in.  There were lots that I loved looking at and some that were not as interesting.  On the one hand there were so many different great examples from his life but at the same time there were almost too many.  As I walked around I kept thinking of the same question over and over again.  How can I as an artist today produce artwork that can captivate a viewer and also be seen as an original concept?  Has it all been done before?  Pablo Picasso and those of his time shocked the world because the artwork they were producing had not been attempted before.  Almost like Houdini performing some brand new death defying feat.  Will people be amazed, proclaim it a success and be in awe or will he crash and burn.  I don't need to be famous I guess(too much trouble comes along with that anyway) I would just like to produce artwork that people enjoy looking at for whatever their reasons.  Most of my artwork is for me meaning I do what I like, the way I feel it should be done.  In that respect Picasso and I are, in my opinion alike.  As most artists are, aren't we. 

There was one photograph of Picasso which I looked at for a while.  I'm not sure where it was, probably in the long skinny room, but it was of him laying on the floor with a couple of children and they were doing some drawing or something.  The look on the childrens faces of inspiration and on Picasso's face of pure enjoyment.  There is nothing better than passing on a love of something.

 

Richard

norma's paint

These are the two paintings I brought with me to Richmond. I am really enjoying working on them. Not too sure how much I like to look at them but I'm finding them very therapeutic to work on!