Encaustic Workshop

Gold Stripe

A wonderful Encaustic workshop was held this weekend at the Rogue Gallery & Art Studio in Medford. Many techniques including building with plaster and burning shellac was presented by Patricia Baldwin (www.pbartist.com) from Seattle, WA. I tried many techniques and the whole group had great fun. Pictures on Patricia’s blog (gingerfetish.blogspot.com).

I have posted my efforts on my website under “Encaustics“, so be sure to check them out. All but one of these pieces are 5″ x 5″ which was perfect because it gave us plenty of chances to explore with the new materials and techniques, ones that I will share in a future workshop.

This spring and summer has been very busy art-wise. After my BFA exhibit and my entries in the juried exhibit at Coos Art Museum, the exhibit of the AMBUS Contemporary Art gals titled “The Shape of Memory” went up at the Rogue Gallery, and we all gave an artist talk/ gallery tour as well. The exhibit looks great, so if you get a chance, stop by and see it. Photo are on our website, www.AmbusArt.org. It comes down July 10 so hurry. Our next exhibit will be at the Stevenson Union Gallery (upstairs) in November titled “Learning Curve”. More info on my newsletter later this month. A trip to Los Angeles is coming up soon and I look forward to visiting my favorite galleries there. The work is usually very innovative and I love seeing what the artists in that area are creating.

Have a great summer, don’t forget to get to the studio and create. A steady schedule produces great art!

Wow! Things are a happenin’

First place winner at Expressions West, Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, Oregon

In my last post I mentioned that I had juried in two pieces. The photo on that blog WON FIRST PLACE! I was sooo excited, my hubby and I drove to Coos Bay to attend the opening, not knowing that I was a winner. So, I had my 15 minutes of fame! I was particularly pleased because the quality and workmanship of the art included in the exhibit was wonderful. The call was for all the western states. Local shows are a good way to stretch your audience, think about entering your art next year. One rule I have is to research the juror(s) and know what kind of art the do and/or like. This helps give you an edge for being accepted if your work is professional in execution. Even getting in to a juried exhibit looks good on your resume. If you are an artist, you are building your resume, aren’t you?

I graduated last Saturday from SOU with my BFA in studio art. It took me three years to complete two, but I certainly enjoyed the journey. I became a great-grandmother a few months before my graduation. However, I read about a woman who was 93 or so, who just graduated as well. Just goes to show, never to late to follow a dream. I have posted a couple of photos of my BFA Exhibit in the Thorndike Gallery at SOU. The tea bag wrappers were soaked in tea, dried, a bit of a found letter was placed in the opening, and the piece was then dipped in beeswax. They are attached to the wall individually (took me two days). The pieces on the panels are birch substrates on which I used acrylic paint, sanded, then applied absorbent ground (a product that renders any surface to react like watercolor paper) and laid the tea bags (and other items on the other two) down to dry. The effect is quite stunning.

Accumulation I, tea bag wrappers, found letters, beeswax

I’m looking forward to painting and experimenting with sculpture and installation now that I have more free time. That is, after I finish weeding around the house and in the garden. I’m also thinking I might continue giving workshops, sharing what I have learned and learning from my students as well. I would love to become more active in the local art scene so will look around and see what opportunities might avail themselves.

I hope everyone has a great summer, travels to worlds unknown, and generally enjoys the sun, which has been long in coming this spring here in Southern Oregon.

Exhibit in Thorndike Gallery at SOU

Juried In

Showing Off

It is always a thrill when artwork I have created is accepted into a juried exhibit. Two of my paintings, “White Gloves,” and “Showing Off,” will appear in the Expressions West exhibit at the Coos Bay Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon. They are both oil on birch, 24″ square, and taken from family photos. You can see “White Gloves” on my post of January 14. “Showing Off” is posted here.

The exhibit is April 23 through July 3, 2010. The Coos Bay Museum is charming, and an excellent place to showcase art. They have great exhibits all year long. If you’d like to see more about the museum, go to www.coosart.org.

Spring Break

Buzz Off, encaustic on birch, 24\

I’m writing this post during Spring break. Classes this quarter were a blast, painting and sculpture, no writing assignments just lots of work on art. I took an encaustic workshop last Sunday. I have been working on and off with this wax medium, but still have much to learn. This was a full work day with an instructor on hand for questions, lots of melted wax at the ready, and I’m very pleased at the results. These pieces are the best yet working with this medium.

I had a friend of mine build me a “hot box,” a box with light bulbs, a dimmer to control heat, and an aluminum top. With the plate heated, wax and oil sticks are used to draw on the surface and then printed on a piece of paper by laying the paper over the drawing and rubbing the paper until the ink transfers. I look forward to experimenting with these tools as soon as time allows. I’ll report on my progress.

In the next few days I’ll be posting my latest class work and the workshop pieces on my website. Check them out at www.DianneErickson.com.

Art for Good Causes

Being an artist is more than making art for purchase or personal enjoyment. With our talents comes a responsibility to use them, at least sometimes, for worthy charitable causes. Donating work, especially for art non-profit fundraisers, is something most artists have done at one time or another. We’re asked more that we’d like, but we give as much as we can. Every once in a while we are asked to actually create something new. Because it can take up a lot of time, often we decline. It may be worthwhile to rethink this knee jerk reaction…

When I was asked to do a birdhouse for the 20th Anniversary of the Jacksonville Woodlands Association, I said yes. I’ve done art birdhouses before and they are really fun to make and decorate. And I support the work of the Woodlands Association. I find it refreshing to work in a different way with different materials. It’s like a breath of fresh air, and a clearing of the ol’ creative tubes… a way of looking in other directions that may impact the way you see your usual art. It may be pushing your boundaries, but haven’t we decided that its good to do this occasionally? I also enjoyed putting to use many little items I had collected over the years. Much better for them to be seen on a birdhouse than gathering dust in my already cluttered studio.

Back to classes

White Gloves

As you might have noticed, blogs are not happening as often. Busy schedule with painting and sculpture classes. But so I don’t fall through the cracks totally, here is a new painting. I’m continuing my quest to paint “Snapshots,” moments in time from other era’s. My dad was maniac with his SLR camera, so I have many slides depicting a plethora of subjects. This particular piece “White Gloves,” is pretty telling in its look, I’d say somewhere in the 60′s. I believe they are cousins, but wouldn’t swear to it. I used the earlier technique I posted here when dealing with photos and making them larger on the substrate. Oil on birch, 24″ x 24″.

I’ll also be doing a blog for Southern Oregon University as the Art Major voice, and I’ll also write about being an older student. I’ll let you know once it’s online.

BlogCatalog

Painting from a Photograph

Birthday Boy

As promised, here is an additional post showing how I use a photograph as a starting point for the painting, Birthday Boy. (Also see earlier posts “A Good Day,” and “Developing Content.”) I started by finding a photo of my son Todd at his fifth birthday party holding a cake, to use as a reference. It is the first in a series of paintings I’m working on using family photos. I’ve been wanting to use old photos for figurative painting, so here are the first two pieces. Click here to see the individual steps taken in painting Birthday Boy, in a pdf file. Birthday Boy I used the same technique for the second piece, On Vacation. However, these paintings are not meant to be portraits of the people or replicas of the photo. I use them as a starting point to go wherever my mind and hands take me. Both are oil on canvas.

On Vacation

Site Piece

This fall, just as the grape vines were ready to cut back and were still tender, I made a site piece for my sculpture class. I took some chicken wire and made a form, then cut the vines (eating grapes so they were long vines), stripped them of their leaves, and wrapped them around the form. It took a lot longer than I anticipated but it was sort of meditative. And I got my vines trimmed earlier than ever before. Due to heavy rains I couldn’t put it on site until after the vines had somewhat changed to an all over brown color. Since it was fall and Mother Nature had already splashed the landscape with wonderful, wild colors, I decided I had to at least match Her splendor, so I used spray paint and gave the piece a coat of green, bright red and purple. I was pleased with the outcome and so was my instructor. In the photo it’s sitting on a knoll at Southern Oregon University in Ashland.

A Messy Studio

I always think it’s interesting to see an artists studio, the place they create all their great art. I have to say, since I’ve been taking classes I haven’t spent much time in mine. And it needs a bit of cleaning up. But in the spirit of messy studios, I’ve attached a couple of photos. Dog is Jackson, a real art hound. My other dog Max likes to eat my art if its on paper.

My problem is I’m not just a painter, but also a sculptor, collagor, assemblagor, and a collector stuff because who knows when I will need it! I do have some interesting slide shows to post here which I will do during this holiday break, from idea to finished piece. I think you’ll enjoy seeing the process. I’m also working on my BFA show using used tea bags. I’ll start posting the process of this project too, as I take photos along the way. Be sure to record your process as well. You never know when you might want to refer back to it. It’s also helpful if you go too far in a painting, which we’ve all done, to see where you should have stopped. Then next time, you’ll be that much more aware of the end point.