A Workshop At Atlantic Center for the Arts

During a week-long workshop focused on Abstract Painting, Fran Gardner and I developed some fantastic work. Our art coach, Steve Aimone, conducted the workshop at ACA and it concluded on February 13th.

Fran also delivered her art for Across the Universe for storage and safe-keeping until it is delivered to the Art League of Daytona Beach. Seeing her work first-hand, I can assure you that it is phenomenal in 'real life'. The texture lost in two-dimensional photography is evident when one sees her art. And we realize that our respective bodies of work have bridged our geographic distance: the dialogue between our bodies of work is as fresh and easy-going as it is between the women who created them.

Across the Universe - You're Invited!

Also, anyone who would like to observe Fran and I working together may stop by the studios of the Art League, 433 S. Palmetto Ave., Daytona Beach, on Monday, Mar. 29th and Tues., Mar. 30th. We will be there between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and will happily provide private tours of our exhibition, which comes down on Mar. 31st.

The Aftermath

I've been contemplating the consequences of the earthquake in Haiti, the rains in California, the blizzards in the northeast... The endless accounts of devastation, rescue, survival and mankind's stubborn ability to rebound from seeming annihilation are spilling into my work.

In Storm Warning, left, I reflected on the stories of Floridians affected in 2004 by a stormy summer of hurricanes, starting with Charlie. Lives were upended, people uprooted, and yet, folks survived and moved on.

In Aftermath (left, below) completed this past week, I reflected on the stories of unspeakable loss and the tenacious endurance of hundreds of thousands of Haitians and the compassion of millions more who came to their aid. There is indeed light at the end of every tunnel and we are truly never alone in the world: we have one another.

Some New Work to Share

After a bit of an absence from the blog, here is some new work. I'm getting close to my goal of 30 pieces to take to the show. The above pieces are titled, Pentimento I & II. I've almost disguised the stitchery in these pieces, at least in the pictures of them. The stitchery is on a segment of canvas that Pat painted and sketched and then passed to me. There is an earlier post with more of this type of integration. There is much layering of paint and embedded images that are hard to see in the photos, thus the title, Pentimento. These two pointed me in a new direction and I began to treat the painted part of the image quite differently, doing an extreme amount of editing. I really like this idea and wonder how far I can go without making the entire image completely disappear. Much more to explore here.

In this piece I went back to my fabric collection and for some reason was drawn to an embroidered fabric, a remnant from when I had my dining room chairs re-covered. I combined it with a screen printed fabric from a great little store in Madrid, NM. I tried to locate the store again and found it had closed. The person I spoke with did not know where the former owners had gone. I would love to get more of this fabric, randomly printed with lizards, birds, horses, frogs, etc. In this piece, I've forced the relationship between the two divergent fabrics, creating one piece, then further forced the relationship between the fabric and the painting. It reminded me of the blending of two (or more) very different objects into one, thus the title "Fusion." This piece, to me, fuses.

Remnants of a Retreat

Jean Banas & Krista Harris pause for a critique: Last weekend, I was invited to attend a retreat at the Atlantic Center for the Arts by one of my favorite artists, most gracious friends, and mentor: Jean Banas. Jean is an energetic, accomplished action painter whose work never ceases to fascinate me. Twelve other gifted, supportive artist friends joined us, including our colleague, Krista Harris, from Colorado.

While at ACA, I produced some of my own work, but continued working on collaborations with some of Fran Gardner's tapestries. I am still finishing up the wooden boxes and boards on which I've painted my own work and will now install Fran's Gardner art on platforms that I have constructed. Another friend and art diva, Robin Moore, has suggested a name for this series of collaborations: I will be using her concept of "remnants." Here is Remnants of Past Lives:

Remnants of Evidence (below):

And, lastly, Remnants of the Journey:

continuing the dialog

As I mentioned earlier, Fran has sent me some of her exquisite stitched masterpieces, most on cloth and some on paper or without a material support. I've been puzzling over them, turning them over, examining both sides. Even the reverse sides of her samples are fascinating.

A friend of mine, "Scottye" Cohen and her husband, Larry, make wonderful art boxes in wood. A few months ago, I commissioned a box from them, with an inner window. I had been drawn to this concept by the art of another friend and accomplished artist, Audrey Phillips. But, unlike Audrey who seemingly whips out creations from highly imaginative worlds, I've been puzzling for months about what to put in the window of the Cohens' box. Since that time, I had ordered some unusual acrylics from a heretofore respected oil paint manufacturer venturing into a new medium. Well, when I spied two of Fran's stitched samples, I found my answer and incorporated the unique acrylic colors.

Here is what I've assembled. I think that this piece is getting close if it isn't already done. As I was painting the box (the overall dimensions of which are about 16" X 40"), I focused on the texture and line evident in two of Fran's stitched works. I kept touching Fran's stitches and glancing over at them from afar as I painted on an easel. I found the "reverse" side of one of Fran's little tapestries far more interesting than the "right" side and have decided to show the "wrong" side instead. For this Gardner-Zalisko collaboration, I was thinking of titling it Tree of Life.

throwing the ball (or fabric) into my court

After seeing Fran's marvelous collaborative pieces, I was prompted to ask her for some of her stitchery, much as she did with my huge linen sketch some months ago. I have the kernel of an idea, and can't shake it! Thanks, Fran, for mailing me those marvelous swatches while I was away and for giving me permission to take these down another road. I will be incorporating her sewn fabrics into my paintings for yet another spin on these mixed media pieces. I can't wait to try this out when I'm next in the studio....