Dress Collage Inspiration

The life of the body is,
I suppose, along with
everything else, a lesson.
I mean, if lessons are what
you look for.

Mary Oliver

"The Part About Letting Go", mixed media on panel, 24x24"

Boat Show at Bainbridge Gallery

I've got several boats at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery this month. The opening night is Friday, July 6th, 6-8pm. 151 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, Wa 98110

Lots of other artists in this group show! Shane Miller, Denise Harris, Gillian Bull, Diane Culhane, Megan Drew, Woodleigh Hubbard, Sandy Hurd, Linda Jarvis, Pierr Morgan, Deborah Peek, Sally Robison, Lynnette Sandbloom, Cameron Snow, Jessica Spring, Diane Walker, and Ellen Wixted.

Hope you'll drop by.

"Bordeaux", Copper, enamel, mixed media.

A Few More Dresses

I've been continuing to work on the dress series this past month. Here are a few more. All of them are photo collage with a layer of acrylic polymer and then waxes.

"The Way She Wears Her Wisdom Into a Brand New World"
30 x30"

"Aspire"
24 x 24"

"She Came to Know the Wisdom of the Ebb & Flow"
24 x 24"

"This House of Belonging"
24 x 24"

Photo Collage

It seems as though in the last number of months that I've had a perfect storm of sorts in my creative likes and dislikes, boredom of certain materials, and an intuitive calling that I can't quite put my finger on, that has pushed me in a new direction. Metal has been my first love, yet the pull of photography, collage, a larger scale, and experimenting with new mediums has me off on another tangent for the time being.

Graciously, Patricia Rovzar (of the Patricia Rovzar Gallery in downtown Seattle), has been very open to taking these new pieces on. I'm a worrier, so, well, I was worried. But she said that she still sees me and my thinking clearly even in this new work.

The dress icon is a way of trying on concepts and emotions that occupy my head and heart - things that seem beyond me most days, yet also at the same time I understand how they are possible and probable. Like the idea that we are all born already knowing inside what our life purpose is, but have to go through the process of awakening it. Or the concept that we all carry the Universe inside us and therefore have unlimited knowledge and possibility.

Along with the photo collage is a coating of acrylic polymer that creates a depth I love, and then I coat the surface with waxes and demar resin. It's a way of getting a dream like murkiness that I am also attracted to.

"Some Say It Is Already Written, We Must Only Remember"
Photo collage, acrylic polymer, waxes, demar resin.
24 x 24"

"The Universe Inside Her"
Photo collage, acrylic polymer, waxes, demar resin.
24 x 24"

Upcoming Show

I've been working over the past number of months to finish up pieces for this next show. It's only a week away now (!). It never fails to sneak up on me no matter how prepared I think I am. Opening night is Thursday, February 2nd at the Patricia Rovzar Gallery in downtown Seattle, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. You are invited and I hope to see you there!

This show will have a blend of the type of work I've been exploring recently. Some shadowboxes, some photo collage imagery, and some of my found object conglomerates. Here are a few examples.

"She Came to Cherish Her Creative Life"
Copper, etched brass, enamel, silver leaf, mixed media.
12x9x4"

"Following His Instincts Into a Brand New World"
Copper, enamel, etched brass, mixed media.
12x24"

"Good Under Pressure"
Copper, enamel, gauge, lens, mixed media.
20x6x4"

More Shadowboxes

I just finished a couple more shadowboxes recently that have been shipped to the Visions West Gallery out in Denver for the holiday season. I'm very much still enjoying the process and this format. Perhaps a good place to hang out for a while.

"Imagine, She Said, If I Allowed This Temple to Bloom"
Copper, enamel, etched brass, mixed media.
12 x 8"

"Brewing"
Copper, enamel, etched brass, vacuum tube, magnifying glass, mixed media.
11 x8"

Shadow Boxes

I've been using Ampersand cradled panels lately for my work as a base, the ones with the 2" sides. The other day I realized that the back of these panels seemed WAY more interesting to me than the front. I suspect there are many others that feel this way too, but it was the first time my own brain went there. I really enjoyed working with the dimensional quality. Here are my first two and I'm thinking there will be quite few more...

"She Started to See This Whole Vast Mystery Is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts"
Etched nickel silver, copper, enamel, glass, mixed media. 8x8"

"This Small Temple She Calls Home"
Etched brass, copper, enamel, glass, mixed media. 12x6"