Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Songs from the Cacophony

I'd really love to use this bird again (each feather is hand cut, which takes less time than you might think). In-progress shots of this piece.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: All Lights but the Moon

Chapter 6

Many Seeing Eyes.

Or, what became of all those sketches for the many masks, which were rather fun to make.

Two New Finished Images

Over the next few days I'll be posting what I've been working on since December. I've been playing around with adding frames and texture in Photoshop. If anyone has any suggestions for things I should try in Photoshop in the future, I'd like to hear them.

Chapter 3: And Then Again
Chapter 4: Shadows & Small Trees

Two New Finished Images

Chapter 1: Death of the Spring Snails

Chapter 2: Footsteps, Feather & Bone

Sneek Peek & studio

On Monday I posted Chapter 9 for the Untitled & Unwritten exhibit that goes up in May. Well, there are eight other finished illustrations that you haven't seen in their finished form! May 1st, I'll link to all nine on the exhibit's official blog, but until then, here's Chapter 5: Two Feet to Dance.
And here's the painted filing cabinet... Yes, it's ridiculously bright. I love it. I used blank magnets for the drawer labels. It's allowed me to clear a lot of boxes out of my room (which is also a studio) and made everything more accessible. I also took the time to go through all my fabric and take at least a 6"x 6" swatch from each. These are collected in one accessible place and the rest has been put away; it makes a staggering difference in such a small place.
And here's a photo of a drawer of parts- mostly because I love the bag of hands.

A week's worth of jumbled images

We were driving down a street right outside of town when we spotted this beautiful filing cabinet for free! Precisely what I needed for my studio, with plenty of drawers for hands, heads, misc body parts, paint, found objects, etc. Today I cleaned and sanded it and tomorrow I'll spray paint it.


Here's the Chapter 9 illustration for the ACC exhibition. Title: Old Beginnings. None of the completely finished images for chapters 1-8 are posted on this blog, though I will be adding some in the next two weeks. Also, on May 1st our blog for the exhibition will be up- I'll link to it then. For those of you living near Glens Falls, NY, May 18th, from 6-8pm at Deerlove Hall on the SUNY Adirondack campus (formerly Adirondack Community College), is our opening. Both Rachel and I will be there (as will free food and wine).
Chapter 9 in-progress. I tried a number of different papers before finally choosing one.

I like to knit to relax or while I watch movies or television shows (no time will be wasted!) Last week I began experimenting with knit necklaces. The green strand is of Egyptian cotton yarn and the lavender of bamboo yarn.

As the exhibit is fast approaching, the tedious process of framing has begun. Here are some shadow box frames holding Sculpy masks used for chapter 6. Both prints of the finished works and actual objects from the photos will be displayed.

A day spent looking at art

K-12 art, that is. Today I volunteered as a judge for NY States' Olympics of the Visual Arts, which is put together by art teachers from the NYS Art Teacher's Association. I participated in the program as a student, and it was wonderful to go back and judge work; in my case, illustration.

The competition begins in January, when questions are released in categories of Drawing, Painting, Fashion, Architecture, Sculpture, Illustration, and Photography. Students answer the problem of their category with a work of art, which is brought to the competition. But students are judged on their research, sketches, and development as much as the finished piece. As judges go through the these long term problem solutions, the students are at work on a short term problem, which they get that day. Students come with standard packs of art supplies with which to solve the problem, and may not bring any additional supplies, effectively leveling the discrepancy in funding between school districts.

With a combined 20 entries in elementary, middle, and high school illustration, it was an intense day. Unlike Odyssey of the Mind, in which I've found parents often intervene, OVA is very much hands-off for adults (teachers and parents) and the spontaneous problem is watched carefully to ensure that the product is entirely the result of student work (it can act as a way of revealing if adults were involved in the long-term).

After the day spent judging, I've drawn a few conclusions. Firstly, those whose sketchbooks contain the most sketches, ideas, and research fair better in the end, both in the execution of their final product and in placing. Secondly, some of these kids are brilliant. One particular entry blew me away, the high school 1st place. Not only did the student include an essay in which he analyzed the poem before beginning sketches, but his hand, skill, and experimentation were admirable. The work, done entirely in Photoshop, was mind-blowing and I can only hope plans to continue illustrating are in his future. Honestly, his handing of composition, lighting, and perspective in Photoshop are as good if not better than some of the work I've seen at the college level. The middle school work awarded Most Creative was a three-dimensional piece with two sides. The students used mixed media to solve the problem and took into consideration light and reflection in their solution. If photographed, I could easily see one side of the piece as the front cover and the other as the back. But what really set this piece apart was the research and numerous sketches which allowed myself and the other judges to follow the students' thought process.

So, though an exhausting day, it was wonderful to be involved in an art education program that meant so much to me as a student. And, if you happen to be a teacher in NYS, please check out the program.

What's happening this week

Chapter 8. I had to share my lamp/ducktape/tripodbox/thread setup. I've actually designed a stage-influenced apparatus for lights and hanging objects, but lack the room to make this a reality. I'm pretty amazed at what I can get to stay up, though.
A photo of what I'm currently working on (not one of the lighting possibilities I'm currently working with).

Bosch

I picked up a book on Bosch from the local library and finding myself sick and unable to work over the past few days, finally had the chance to go through it. I was lucky enough to see some of Bosch's paintings when I was in Belgium in the fall. These are paintings you lose yourself in, zooming in on one detail, following it to another strange creature, until you've been staring at it for an hour and your head is telling you to get some air and some Belgian chocolates before looking at any more art. Okay, so this time I was minus the originals and the Belgian chocolates, but the insane detail is still there. What I found myself most surprised by was that the same artist who paints miniature perversions, can also paint scenes of surprising beauty. Take the robe above right, it seems more in keeping with Van Eyck or even Dinotopia than Bosch. If anything, the book has only strengthened my resolve to see more work of the Northern Renaissance....and return to Belgium.