Last Piece for Show

My show at La Vida Gallery opens tomorrow <gulp> - I made a quick trip down there this afternoon to drop off the last piece, and Matt had almost finished hanging the work. What a great job he did. The walls have been painted white and the pieces really stand out. Here's the final collage construction. It doesn't really fit with any of the the others although it is kind of a companion piece with the twig and silk collages. Those Da Vinci women's faces just mesmerize me. This one is called "Starling."

New Face Finishes

Totally inspired by what Ann Pearce did with the shard faces, I developed some new finishes for her. Can't wait to see how she uses them and how her clients like them. Here they are- the finishes are called Moonlight (light silver ivory), Oceana (iridescent green) , and Twilight (Raku purple).

The Guardians

Here are three new small constructions that I have just completed. I really like them. As with anything new, they seem a little undefined/refined, but the idea of a mythical guardian who helps us choose our lifepath has always resonated with me as it has in many other cultures. Here are the first three pieces. They are made of fired clay, paper, wood and gold leaf on stretched canvas. Each piece measures 12x12 inches, the titles are beneath the photographs.

 The Guardian of Gates

The Guardian of Bridges

The Guardian of Inner Journeys

  

Wonderful Workshop - Thanks, Everyone!

The first Sunday Studio workshop was a huge success - I was amazed at the beautiful work the attendees created - each one striking, each one different, each one well-crafted and thoughtful. Personally, I had a fantastic time and can't wait to do it again on June 17th. See the video of the afternoon, below. If you would like to know more about the workshops, visit my workshop page or email me to schedule a special session for your own group.

More Faces by Jewelry Designers

Janet at Silver Moon Designs ordered some shard faces, and look what she's doing with them - keeping them very simple, finishing them with Jacquard Powders - lovely work:

Ann Pearce Upscales the Lowly Shard

My friend Ann Pearce, amazing bead-woman and jewelry designer, called this morning, inviting me to her shop to see what she'd done with some shards she'd gotten from me. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. She'd transformed the little faces into Crown Jewels with her artistry.

She matched beads - copper, blue, crystal - to the finishes on the faces, truly elevating them to special one-of-a-kind pieces. I told her that I was temped to purchase them! Here are some photos I took at her shop this morning. Visit her if you want to see more. Her bead selection is amazing and she will help you select or put together real treasures.

Thanks for making me look good, Ann! I wish my photos did justice to the depth and shine of your gorgeous work.

 

Look at the matching earrings!

The one one the right is strung on lavender iridescent leather cording

Shard Face Adornment Workshop

Here's a video made in my studio that shows the basics of my Face Shard workshop:

Silk and Twigs

Two new pieces for the La Vida show, both started with a photocollage image printed on silk and adhered to stretched canvas. I wanted to give a feeling of constraint and longing to the images so I drilled holes in the frame sides and created a loose construction of twigs - artistic "burglar bars?" I like the effect and will probably explore this idea a bit more. Come to the show and see:

Passing Strange 

Mixed Media (Twigs, silk, walnut ink) 

15x15

Shutter Speed 

Mixed Media (Twigs, silk, walnut ink) 

15x15

Daybooks

These little books are perfect for experimenting - I'm working on several to take to Kathleen Sommers' shop on Tuesday. I start with a small (5x5) pre-bound journal and create a collage on the cover. This particular one, finished tonight, really mixes the media and metaphors - Peruvian textile photo, Japanese Noh mask, African beads, clay face shard. But somehow it all seems to work.

Faces and More!

Look at this totally original use of one of my shard faces from Linda Moody - she and her sister make my work look good! Thanks for the photo, Linda - this is wonderful. I love the industrial look of the screen and rivets with the softness of the face.

Kathleen Sommers and Shards

Kathleen Sommers, the best-known upscale clothing boutique in the city, had a call-out invitation for artists and designers to bring in their work for possible inclusion at the shop. I took some Scent Shards, some pins and some day books (see below). They really liked the work! Kathleen bought a piece for herself and then ordered some Scent Shards immediately and will be selling the day books in this fall. Best of all, I've been invited to participate in a five-artist exhibit and sale there in September. I am so excited!! Scent Shards are movin' on up to the top :)

More ShardFace Creativity!

Another great piece using one of my shard faces, this one from Cindy in Elgin, Il - I love the simplicity of this and the way the little face floats at an angle, kind of like a moon goddess. Thanks, Cindy! Lovely work.

What fun!

I opened my new shop on Etsy a month or so ago (EarthShards) and already I love it because I'm offering the little shard faces to other artists and crafters. I received my first example today of one of my shard faces put to creative use! Look!

The little copper wire loop at the top is great - I like the whimsy and the colors. Many thanks to

Linda Moody from NeeNeeandCheeChee for sending the pic. Be sure and take a look at her other creations in her Etsy gallery. Thanks, Linda - this is great.

Continuing . . .

I made contact yesterday with Dr. Ellen Baird, an art historian who answered my email with amazing promptness and with much excellent information about the Otomi books and Sr. Tellez. She wrote:

"I also have a book by Sr. Tellez that we included in an exhibit that I co-curated on the Aztecs and the Making of Colonial Mexico at the Newberry Library here in Chicago (http://publications.newberry.org/aztecs/)."  

She went on to tell me about her contacts with other scholars who have researched this somewhat obscure area of folk art. The research is almost as much fun as the collages!

Here's the newest one in the series.  She represents an offering to the Sirena Mala, the Bad Mermaid.

 This is one of the pages I just scanned in from Sr. Tellez's book - I think it's going to be my next collage - not too subtle? It's amazing what spells and emotions can be conveyed with cutout bark paper.

Progress on the series

The more I explore this subject, the more complex it becomes. My friend, historian and scholar Dora Guerra, is translating the Spanish descriptions of the paper spirits in the little book into English for me. It was written by a curandero from San Pablito in the early '70s. Here are the first three pieces in the series. At this point, I plan to do seven more.