From the Studio/Porch

I am working on some big wooden panels this week. It is so much fun to work big again! The weather has been really beautiful, so I am working on my porch. It has been great to have such terrific light, and lots of fresh air. The windows in my studio are painted shut, so until we get them open I am trying to work outside when I can.  Here are a few in process shots:

3X8 ft. panels - I brought these home in my Vibe! 

Sometimes the most gorgeous things happen by accident

The red is a base layer for gold leaf 

After the first day - base layers 

 I have been working wet on wet to get lovely drips and bleeds 

At the end of day four 

Text in the center

Text along the sides

Today I am applying gold leaf over the red, as long as the wind stays calm that is. On Friday I will have pictures of the finished pieces for you. I can't wait to see how they turn out! I love that not matter how much I plan, the end result is always a surprise for me as well. 

Catching up

I really need to write fifteen blogs to catch up on everything that has been going on this past month, but here is a start at least. My little Friday/Monday blogging schedule crashed and burned when we left town for a retreat at Laity Lodge and I am just now recovering! Here are some photos from the retreat. We had a terrific time out in the Texas hill-country: hanging out with like minded pastor/artists, making art, and soaking up the great talks and panels. Most of these photos were taking by the super talented Erik Newby. Thanks Erik!

We spent time in the great hall listening to David, Luci and others talk about mentoring and naming. 

Luci talks about thumb prints. 

Steven shares on Sunday morning before communion.

Luci, Andi and Vito discuss naming and names during a panel. 

People lining up to put layers of wax onto their encaustic pieces. 

Jeff Guy takes a look.

Brain storming and making plans.

In the studio with Shannon. Happy teachers are we! 

Works in progress.

Finished encaustic pieces. 

Ceramic demo in the next studio over. 

The Welcome Wagon gives us perfect bedtime story songs on Saturday night. 

Miriam and Charlie inspire us on Friday night .

Happy campers! 

Friday in the Studio

Wedding Cross Detail

Friday ended up being one of those days where nothing worked. I think I learned a lot but, at the end of the day certainly I did not have much to show for all my hours. I told David when I picked him up from school: "Making art is hard!" The myth of the artist who, sized by inspiration, creates something amazing in a flurry of subconsciously fueled activity, is pretty damaging. It is especially offensive to those of us slogging through the hard work of trying to pull something interesting, beautiful, meaningful, AND unique from our minds and hearts.

I ended up working quite a bit on Saturday and Sunday, trying to recover something worth showing. Here are four pieces that came out of my little Friday of Frustration, and one quote that is perfectly encouraging for times like these.

The final version of the wedding cross

First Lenten piece - "My Child"

Sketchbook pages for "My Child"

Second Lenten Cross

Lenten Cross Inscribing Detail

Third Lenten Cross

Third Lenten Cross Detail

"On a final note, for any of you pursuing something that you feel deeply, something you know you need to do in order to be truly alive, something that requires every iota of courage you can muster, something that makes you at times forget there is a clock meticulously ticking, something that requires you to risk losing everything familiar, something that excites you so thoroughly that is sometimes becomes impossible to sleep, know that it will make perfect sense to quit hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times along the way and get on with something else. Know that you will certain days be numb and exhausted and joyless. Know that perseverance is infinitely greater than talent. Refine the work. Hone the work. Mercilessly cut away the parts that are not vital. Then  let your growing body of work speak for itself. And hang on for dear life."

- Linford Detweiler, Over the Rhine

Amen to that! 

Susie MacMurry and Olivia Jeffries

Argus - Made with peacock feathers

I am having a rather slow start to my studio day this week. This morning I got distracted by, of all things, my bible study! Who knew you could get so lost in Judges chapter eight and nine? Well I did, and now my head is full of all kinds of crazy old testament goings on.

Now I am trying to bend my brain back into the pieces I am working on, which have absolutely nothing to do with ephods, brambles, or millstones.  Although those things together might make an interesting piece all on their own. Hmm, I'll just file that away for another day.

So, without further distraction, here are some artists that inspire me, may they inspire you also:

Susie MacMurry's work was sent me almost two years ago by my friend Kate Van Dyke. I continue to look at her pieces when I am in need of something visually interesting. I love her use of materials, and how very ethereal all her work is. The portfolio on her website is only updated to 2008. I so hope she is still making work!

Echo

Echo (detail) - Yes! These are hair nets.

Shell

Shell (detail) - Velvet filled mussel shells - Why did I not think of this?

Gauze Bandage - Can you believe this is a drawing? Gorgeous. 

Olivia Jeffries is another artists whose drawings I have been enjoying. She draws on pages from old books, how could I not love it! The way she keeps thing so simple makes her drawings wonderfully mysterious. I think I would use the word ethereal for her work also. In a world so over-stimulated, I love looking at quiet whispers of things. 

Something so Utterly Sublime

My Secret Self/At Rest

Everyone Wants a Piece of You When You're Pretty

Surely I Don't Exist if You Can't See Me

Drawn

Enjoy these two talented ladies. I smell my melted wax, so I am off to tackle my own creations. Have a happy Friday!

Friday in the Studio

Friday is my studio day. It is the only day I have to spent entirely working on art, and I am trying to be militant about protecting it. I had a great time last Friday because I had just rearranged and reorganized my space. I love a fresh and clean space to work in! I am working on a new encaustic that is a wedding gift for some friends who got married last fall. Here are a few shots from Friday:

Starting my inspiration page in my sketchbook

The Beginning

Trying something new on a second layer

At the end of the day ... not finished yet!

I am also working on an encaustic piece for Lent. It is still in the incubation stage, but I am excited about the ideas that are tumbling around in my head. I am thinking on the text from some Lenten Hymns; using purples, violet-golds, and red-violets; and looking at a small collection of nails I have from the 1900's.

Lenten inspiration on my cork board

Hymns