Postcard Friday - (a day early!)

Still on the postcard detour this week. I made this one for a friend who had moved into a new home. It's always fun to get mail at your new place!

Link of the day - Waste Land

We watched another art documentary nominated for an academy award this weekend! Waste Land is about contemporary artist Vik Muniz who creates his imagery out of unconventional materials. (chocolate, cotton, sugar, etc..) The film documents his journey to return to his home in Brazil and work with the garbage pickers of one of the worlds largest landfills, in Rio de Janeiro. With their help, he creates their portraits out of the garbage they collect, and inexorably they change one anothers lives.

I really wanted to enjoy this movie more than I did. The work he does is interesting, the story of these workers is compelling, and the relationships they create can be really touching at times - that said, the whole movie can felt a little flat and the pace is rather slow.

I still recommend it, but I wish I hadn't had "academy" level expectations when I watched it.

Art giveaway!

The Secret Keeper
This is a mixed media piece measuring roughly 2" x 1.5" x .5"
A whimsical matchbox collaged and painted. Open the box and you find a mini treasure trove of found objects encased in resin.

I'm having my first giveaway! This fun little matchbox could be yours - just pop on over to Giveaway Blogdom to enter. All current and new followers are eligible!

Receiving is available in the shop

Receiving
$45
15.5 x 8 inches
Acrylic on stretched canvas

This is a study that I did, as an exercise to triumph over the nuance of hands. I think that this piece came out beautifully, exhibiting an almost spiritual presence.

It's now available for purchase in my shop

(Tomorrow I'm holding my first giveaway!)

Last chance for Seed Pods

Seed Pods
6 x 8 inches
Acrylic on canvas panel


The auction for Seed Pods ends today. The price is still a real bargain - so if you were considering owning an original of mine, this is the time to snap it up. :)

Buy it here on Ebay

Beware the twine!

Just wanted to share the set piece that I finished for my daughter's musical. They gave me the frame and I cut and tied all the sticks together with twine!

She's in a local production of Seussical the Musical, and this is Horton's jail! :) It looks simple enough, but it took me two full days and I had some pretty raw hands afterward. (twine will rub your skin off if you aren't careful!)

Spring break is over come Monday, so normally I would be able to go back to working on my Dreams painting - but my mom is having foot surgery and will be staying with us for a week while she recovers. I have some small projects to work on and a whole lot of web work, so stay tuned!

Postcard Friday

Taking a different direction this week. I sent out this postcard to a friend who is working hard to be healthy again. I hope it brightened her day!

Spring break zebra fever

Its spring break for my kids this week, and I have been caught up in their activities. We've been watching movies together (started Twin Peaks with them!), spring cleaning the house, and enjoying each others company. Its a nice realization to discover how much I like my kids. :)

My daughter is in a park district musical and needed a zebra costume for one of her scenes. So this week I painted on a thrift store jacket to make it all zebra-y. I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

Link of the day - Chris Sauter

Chris Sauter from Mark & Angela Walley on Vimeo.

I skipped across this feature of Chris Sauter's work and was entranced. I so empathize about the pain he goes through during creation! Sometimes its only the promise of the result that keeps me going.

His juxtapositions are also sublime - the patterns of our universe from the tiny to the expansive being made of the same stuff, the literal framework of our world. I love it!

This feature was gorgeously created by filmmakers Mark & Angela Walley. Be sure to check out the rest of the art films on their channel, sooo worth watching.

Nora Chipaumire - Welcome to Zimbabwe

I feel very lucky to live where I do. We have a thriving arts community here, and there are so many free public events to keep me inspired and invested.

Last week we got the chance to see Nora Chipaumire. Shes a dancer from Zimbabwe who blends traditional steps with modern choreography. Her work draws from current affairs, feminism, and cultural heritage.

We were first treated to a screening of the art film based on her life. It was visually brilliant, the story was touching, and I enjoyed the pace and texture of the movie.

For me, the real prize was watching Nora dance. We saw selections from three of her works; Chimurenga, Welcome to Zimbabwe, and Black Swan. I found her style very powerful and seemed to draw from breath, dirt, and a guttural desire.

(you can see her in action, as well as some clips from the movie here)