Fine Tuned and Secured

Fini....someone I know is suggesting I make lots and lots of these...a collection...not sure what will happen once there is a collection but the joy just might be in the journey.

Passages

Sometimes too much of a good thing is - well - too much. I've come to realize that I have closets and drawers filled with art work. Some of it interesting, much of it mundane. I've also come to realize that while I may be a jack of all trades I'm not really a master of any. I think it's time to take an art break. Time to take stock of this art filled life and consider what is or what is not - worth it. I could use a bit of R&R.

Second Secret

Today a gallery in Warwick, NY was so incredibly validating of my assemblage pieces that it brought tears to my eyes. They WANT as many pieces as I can produce. They couldn't say enough about this art work...even The Husband Person (who lives with my flighty creative self so all this art stuff doesn't impress him all that much) was taken with how thrilled the gallery owners were about the pieces I brought in for show and tell.

Pictured above is "The Second Secret". It will be on display at the Collage Gallery in Warwick, NY in the near future. Oh...and...by the way....The Husband Person named this body of work I'm doing - "Reclamations". Perfect.

It feels like Christmas already!

The Newest Passion

Last night my totally awesome husband walked in the house with a gift for me....a new, top o' the line Dremel tool kit and work station. My very own power tool! What more can a girl want? Assemblage creation heaven, here I come!
This piece is a WIP (work in progress). The box is prepared but nothing else is secured or hooked together so changes could still happen!
Does anyone out there have a favorite assemblage artist? I'd love to hear whose work you find interesting.

The First Secret

I am a yard sale scout, antique hound and junk connoissseur. People sometimes look at me as I'm picking up old broken parts of stuff and I bet they're wondering something like "Is this woman crazy? Does she live in a small house filled with 43 cats?" Noooooo (well maybe a bit on the crazy part) but what does happen is these old items are realizing a new life in art land. This piece is called The First Secret. I already have ideas for The Second Secret and The Third Secret. Perhaps they will help me to discover the meaning of life....

Take masonite board, coat it with gesso, apply torn pieces of gelatin printed papers, scrape on some modeling paste, layer on acrylic paint, rub back and pull up said acrylic paint, layer on more paint, pull back (you get the idea), add a final image of torn paper and call it a day...or rather a night, yesterday at about midnight.

The Secret

Quite a number of years ago I spent some time messing around creating assemblages. I've been trying my hand at them again. The assemblage I'm currently working on demanded the creation of a potion in a bottle that would appear other-worldly and mysterious but not creepy. This is the result. I'm happy and work will continue....by the way....The Husband Person has given me great suggestions to use in the assemblages....maybe we should consider a partnership?

I haven't painted in - like - forever! Last night I went to WRS and joined in on the Thurs evening pastel studio class. It felt really good to be with a bunch of other people doing what we like to do. Have I ever told you how much I love, just love, the texture you can get with pastels? Soooo luscious.

Building

Rust with shimmer, worn wood with patina, the old, the vintage and the interesting...these are things that I am drawn to and covet in antique stores, estate sales, auctions and junk piles. I have been inspired to create an assemblage for months. Today I gathered some treasures, started altering them a bit and attaching them together. The finished piece measures about 9" long & 6" wide. It looks kind of cool hanging on the wall.

Roots

I spent most of the weekend steam cleaning carpets and upholstery - wheeee...lots of fun....but at 4pm this afternoon I started messing around with a gelatin plate that I had stuck in the fridge this morning. I was going after imagery that would evoke remind one of this time of the year. I think I'm going to call this Song of the Shawangunks.

Yesterday at the Wallkill River School I gave a class on abstract painting that turned into being more of a Mixed Media abstract art class. We had a ton of fun and the 6 hrs (whew!) flew by. The participants were amazing. They were adventurous and dug right into creating texture and images with found objects, rubbing alcohol, plastic, molding paste, etc. I brought my camera but - of course - forgot to take photos. The piece above is what I created. We're going to do the class again in November and they want to mess around with the 'fabric paper' that I make. I heard a few "oooohs" when I described this mixed media 'paper' that is made from sheer fabric and can be either machine or hand stitched. I'll try to remember to take photos during that session!

Sometimes it's a good idea to let things set for awhile before deciding if they are done or not. Case in point, I added more to this painting afterwards - after wondering if it was done. It's much better I think than before...looks more like my voice....lots of layering and complexity.

How do YOU know?

I started this acrylic painting yesterday and arrived at this point today. I never know when or if enough is enough. Is this painting finished? Or should I go for more layers? Are there rules? If so, what are they???? When I started this I was going after a textured painting with an organic nature. I'm contemplating layering more organic shapes and marks but I dunno...I just dunno.

Yesterday we went to a benefit show to raise money to help maintain the arts in the Saugerties school district. Saugerties and Woodstock are sister towns and, as such, can lay claim to being the stomping ground of many fine - very fine - musicians. Besides other world class musicians Theresa Williams, Larry Campbell and Amy Helm performed an incredible set of their gospel inspired music. Larry Campbell (do a web search) is a 2 time Grammy winner who has toured and played with Bob Dylan among others. Amy is Levon's daughter and a founding member of Ollabelle whose gospel/roots music brought healing to the NYC's lower east side right after 9/11. Apparently Ollabelle's music reasonated with so many people seeking solace that every Sunday night the club they played at would be packed with a diverse crowd ranging from punk rockers to financial execs. Theresa's clear, strong and gutsy voice and her strong stage presence added a depth and dimension to the trio that made you sit up and listen.

I love Ulster County and, while there are many other beautiful places, I really can't imagine living anywhere else. This morning I was inspired to create a roots type of painting. Other than the music that comes out of these hills, what evokes Ulster County more than the Catskills and a red farm building?

Yes! Some more gelatin plate monotype prints. Today, two of my great art buddy friends came over and we got up close and personal with the j-e-l-l-o stuff. I'm going to try sandwiching these pieces between glass and soldering the edges with copper. Yes! Yet another technique/skill to learn.

Gelly Adventures

All of these are gelatin plate prints created with unflavored j-e-l-l-0, acrylic paints, stamps, and paper resists on watercolor paper. Try it, you'll like it!

Not Just For Jello

Last night while watching Precious (yes, I like intense movies and stories) I stiched this. The base is gelatin printed fabric - if you click on the photo it will get HUGE and you can see more detailing. At the end of this month the Wallkill River School will have its annual Starving Artists Sale (side note: starving - I'm not) and I've been asked to participate. I'm going to offer small textile pieces attached to painted canvases at good (great) prices since these seem to popular whenever they've been presented at the school. Also, today I plan to mess around with gelatin printing on paper and see what ends up happening....and then if I add a few pastels and oil paintings to the sale, I just might end of offering a real mixed bag of art. Can you say multi media?

Seeking Olana

There seems to be an insidious mentality that has invaded the working world environment. It is the "be thankful you have a job" culture mindset. Now, don't get me wrong. I do understand that in this economy, where 1 out of 10 people are out of work and some of the other 9 are working at jobs that pay them chump change, my day job affords me a decent salary and benefits. What is difficult to accept (and I try to always live in a either a state of acceptance, joy or enthusiasm) is the fact that many of us are working longer hours and trying to stay on top of work loads and living up to expectations that might be accomplished easier by 2 people. So....last night I was looking at an unfinished painting of my dearly beloved Catskills wishing I lived the quiet relaxed life I always envisioned for myself there...inspiration hit and I grabbed the oil paints and went to it. I am constantly searching for beauty, peace and serenity....Olana embodies all of those elements and if I can't literally live it, I can be there in my mind.

Finished with hand stitching just about ready to be mounted on a painted canvas. Have a great day everyone.

People have told me that the art I create...whether in fabric, mixed media or pastels is filled with a sense of emotion. The first time I was told this I was a bit taken aback and considered it a lone remark. By the 3rd expressed observation in this same vein I started to believe it. Then I started to analyze it. I like earthy. I like organic. I like real. I like heartfelt. I like substance. I like deep thinking. I find these qualities attractive in people and in art. The work in progress above is constructed from my own surface designed fabrics. It may not be a masterpiece but a lot of real work, effort and feeling went into its creation.

'Tis the Season

What better thing to do with this beautiful warm weather and committment free weekend than mess around with surface designing cloth? I was inspired to try potato starch resist dyeing and I'm pretty darn happy with the results. The pieces above and below might end up as whole cloth that I'll add stitching to...maybe...I don't think I can bring myself to cut them up...not these....

Still messing with the oils. This is a work in progress - have to get up the nerve to finish the porch. This is painted from a photograph that was taken by my friend at Olana. Olana was the home of Fredric Church, who along with his buddy Thomas Cole, did some very famous paintings and become quite prominent in the late 19th century art world. They are quite the ticket around here in the Hudson Valley.

My creative life has been quiet the past couple of weeks although I recently began working with oil paints. This picture is my second oil painting, done in class yesterday. I find oils very freeing. I seem to be able to work with them quickly - much more so than pastels or textiles. The instructor works without mediums so we just put the paint on our palettes and go for it! I'm in love.

My latest work in progress pastel painting. That pink fruit is known as dragon fruit - very cool color! On another note...I have some batting in a dye bath right now and plan do some intuitive hand stitching on it tonight. I miss those quiet evenings where I would spend hours meditatively stitching.

I have a friend who takes some great photographs. She often catches images of old, rusted antique and vintage items. Many times when I see a photograph of hers the first words out of my mouth are 'can I paint this?'. She recently emailed me the photo above wondering if I found it of interest. Yep. See the outline drawing below. We're considering creating a show that highlights her photographs and my paintings of them. Might be kind of cool.

This Magic Moment

This past Saturday was the reception for my show at the Wallkill River Gallery. As the emerging artist (or emerger as I like to joke) my work was featured in a separate room right across from the main gallery. Shawn Dell Joyce and Carrie Jacobson were showing in the represented artists rooms.

The photo above were my pieces highlighted on the mantel. The 'stack' are small framed textile pieces.

This is another wall with more pastels and a textile piece.

A wall with textile pieces.

The wall of abstracts. While I received many, many wonderful thoughts and comments on all my pieces it seems as if the abstracts were a hit with both men and women. People wanted to know my techniques and how I created all the layered effects.

And the three of us (from left to right) Carrie, Shawn and me. Oh and that magnificent painting of cows behind us? Carrie's.

The same framing method (like I used for the ATC in the post below) works just as well for larger pieces. The textile focal piece on this one is about 13x14"" and it's secured to a 16x20" painted canvas that's inserted into the black chunky frame. I really do like this presentation.
Hanging my show today in the gallery today!!!!!

I finally found a way to display ATC's that take them beyond their small size. I stumbled upon these frames that work perfectly with a 3/4" thick painted canvas inserted into them. I think this presentation looks clean, polished and modern while showing off the textural elements of this mixed media piece perfectly.

On another note I hang my show at the Wallkill River School tomorrow. It's been a creatively busy last couple of months trying to get art finished for this. All told I finished 4 (or is it 5?) acrylic abstracts, 9 (or is it 10?) pastel paintings, 2 largish (for me) textile pieces and 6 of these small textile/mixed media studies. I wish that I had a few more things but it is what it is!

A little mini painting I did yesterday...measures 5x6" from frame edge to frame edge. I think I'm going to post this for sale in my Etsy shop and see what happens. I haven't updated that shop for ages - time for some new merchandise!

American Beauty

Fini...or just about...now to figure out how to get it to a framer in 12" of snow.

Getting there but haven't quite arrived yet....need to work on the headlights, the front fender, tire, background and a few other places. So far I have about 7 hours of work in this with - maybe - another 2 more to go. Whoever believes that painting doesn't require dedication and work is very wrong. But it is - most definitely - a labor of love.

Beep, beep...work in progress coming through. What's better than an image of an old rusted truck? Especially a big hunkin' 24x24" image? I think I'm going to call this one Americana Baby. Two wishes....1.) I don't screw it up as I continue and 2.) I get it done in a week so I can beg the framer (and pay him way too much money, no doubt) to have it framed in time for my show.

Inspired by a photograph of a marble! I love the textures and portal feeling of this piece I did tonight. I was experiencing painting withdrawal...hadn't done anything all week...so I came home sketched this out and proceeded to add the pastels. Layer upon layer of pastels.

A difficult photo but you get the idea. Art quilt mounted on a painted canvas and then set into a plain black frame. It really does present very well when seen live.

Scored these marvelously rustic and cool watch parts yesterday during an outing with my friend Art by Canace . I'm seeing them embedded in painted and distressed modeling paste on a canvas, with some handstitching and other added textured elements. I see it in mind although I'm not quite sure how I'm going to go about executing the vision. Creating art can - sometimes - be a series of problem solving steps. How well the problems are solved tends to determine the final success of a piece.
On another note, it seems many other people (myself included) are spending time in FaceBook land. If any of you have FaceBook pages and want to connect I'd love to receive a 'friend request' from you. I'm on FB as Denise Aumick. I know FB is the latest social site and...no doubt....soon there will be another social site that comes on the scene but - hey - flexibility can be a great trait, don't you think?

Yes....I still do textile work! This piece is now ready for some hand stitching with some nice chunky natural linen thread. I surface designed all the cloth used in this piece by dyeing, gelatin printing, silk screening, breakdown printing, painting, discharging and/or a couple of other treatments that I can't remember right now.

All together now.....awwwwwwwww. What stories are hidden in an old, worn pair of baby shoes? The unconditional love, the hope, the promises, the devotion, the paths that will be traveled.

Work in progress....What is sweeter or tells a better story than an old worn pair of baby shoes? I hope I can do them justice - stayed tuned.

I actually did some textile work the other night. I started free motion quilting on some surface designed silk and it seems to be coming out kind of well. I plan to finish for the gallery show in March. Meanwhile I'm on such a pastel kick. I can't put them down. Pastel dust is flying all over the sun room. Finished this bleeding heart interpretation tonight.