Danforth Museum School Art Exhibit

It is up and running, Divergent Thinking, my one-woman show.  30+ works /  

 Danforth Museum School Gallery, Framingham, MA /

November 8 - December 15  /  Reception: Sunday, Nov. 18, 2-4pm 

In Her Shoes 

All favorite things mixed-media: found-object  assemblage, construction, painting, fusing, free-motion stitching... I even put a lamp I made on the desk.

Looking forward to taking photos and shmoozing with friends.

Counting Her Sunset Hours

Mystery of The Snowball Effect, awarded Honorable Mention in a juried show

Exhibiting Now in Concord & Sudbury

This assemblage sculpture, Divergent Thinking ---72" tall, can be viewed in full length at

 the Concord Art Association's competitive Francis Roddy show, now 'til mid October.

The copper-leaf swimmer (and other dials and knobs) dove into my suitcase from the west coast. The timber with its original paint and iron, was a gift  from the vintage barn next door after it collapsed last winter.

This acrylic painting, Interlopers, is on view at the Goodnow library.

 It is part of Sudbury Art Association's preview show for

 October's SAA Open Studios event, Art Around Town.

Plain Old Boxes

Take grimy old wooden boxes, a handful of shutter slats, sandpaper, paint and vintage hardware ... place all in a bag with creativity ... shake vigorously  ... and BANG! 

-------two sweet holders.

"Holders" of :

- hand towels 

-mason jars of silverware

-old soda bottles of flowers

-magazines and mail

-CDs and DVDs

... just to list a few ideas. 

These zesty handles were easily bent inside out.  Attaching was the tricky part.  I spent a little time in the fasteners aisle at a hardware store and discovered different lengths of what I call "eyebrads" --- similar to heavy-duty  bobbypins. 

Art Shoes

Some of my summer students created shoes ... from scratch.

No cobblers or shoe elves were needed.

These young teens looked at inspirational pictures of shoe projects 

in ClothPaperScissors, a mixed media technique periodical 

--- then they eagerly designed their own sculptures. 

by Mike

Sketchbooks held skeletal plans, along with lists of potential materials.  I also brought out an armload of my own shoes to muse over---though I have no 4-inch spike heels.

by Leah

 Patterns were drawn and redrawn, stuff was gathered.  "Stuff", as in styrofoam, Celluclay, paper mache' stripping, leather, heavy pliable plastic mesh, masking tape, photo-copied game boards and text, upholstery tacks and discarded plastic and wooden objects ...

My studio/classroom space holds a plethora of materials so nobody went wanting. 

by Mari

Following the order of sequential steps was the toughest thing to keep in mind.   To have a vision and not get there in a hurry takes patience and forethought.  I emphasized jotting down their ideas of what they wanted to accomplish each day and then planning and numbering them.  Not an easy thing to do when one has never been down this yellow-brick-road before. 

by Anna

Another important lesson to learn:  Be open to changing your  vision.
"That didn't work..." and then "This keeps falling off ..." is what I hear in the classroom studio.  However, I think kids can be more accommodating if Plan A or B doesn't work.  There are always Plans C - Z.   Never having gone down this art road before can be an asset to younger people.
Of course, my overflowing bins and colorful "drawers of potential" helped, too.

Repurposed Leather = Pillow Heaven!

Some sewn to sell

---some sewn to keep.

The fabric's natural color and linen/cotton woven texture is a perfect match for 

--- free-motion stitching and repurposed leather.
Did I mention that I bought the fabric at Home Depot?  Painter's dropcloths ---washed soft and dried .
Draperies anyone?

What a simple, cozy, fun, economical update for a living space.

Repurposed and Well-Traveled

We'll Keep the Light On For You

     

Road Trip

Been a little busy in the workshop.  Just wish I had stopped to take "Before"pictures.  These Fowl-Playhouses were remodeled.  The wheels on the left were actually on the house on the right and other elements were taken away with new things added. ... and now they both have treats on the inside to be viewed with a little flashlight!

This vintage sled used to hang on the front porch in the winter---now it has a much cooler purpose

The 3 front edge slats
have original paint
and the curvy side pieces
came from a sliced chair leg

This hanging cabinet's red topper came from a child's wagon wheel, sans the rubber tire.

 A neighbor gifted me with four old wooden boxes. They sat in her basement holding nails
for 40years.  My eyes dilated and my pulse quickened as I visualized their future in my studio.

This one attaches to the wall using the holes in the Flexible Flyer piece. If you look closely you can see hooks on the underside.

All of the above,
plus more, are going with me
to the Pettengill Farm
June 23-24. 

Layer It On Thick ...

... then take it away.

  

My new weapon of choice is rubbing alcohol.

Reduction is the technique.  Layers of acrylic paint are applied with knives, then ----after scraping, drying and contact letters are peeled away ---I attack with alcohol.  

I am addicted to THIS kind.

Not quite a triptych, Give and Take. (acrylic on board)

Four-Give

Double-Take

A Little Give
A serious lovely 3-D affect ... a horizon in the distance, whipping turquoise bits in the air.

Garage Finds

 This is what happens when I help clean out my dad's garage.
Cool little finds make their way across the US to my studio.

 6" copper leaf trophy head

)

 title: Divergent Thinking

Wheels, reels,dials, gears, rims, springs ... circular findings call out to me.













The 10', century old farming implement's original paint now glows
---only because I spent time gently cleaning off  years of grime and thick dust.
Its rounded edges were created (I'm supposing) from horses rubbing up against it.
Love that stuff.

Vintage Farm Timber Meets Fused Plastic Bags

Past Meets Present. (15"x 34"x11")

Pieced and fused plastic bags meet free-motion stitching for another mod transformation. 

Wheres the wiring?  Vintage grater gets magically illuminated.

I'm visualizing the original implement attached to a farming wagon.
Considering this piece has been weathering for a century,
perseverance was necessary to get the hardware loosened and off. A sibling lamp is in the works.
My vision came to fruition with the kind assistance of
acquaintances managing tall drill presses. (BIG sigh)

The Journey

I've said it once and I'll say it again, using power tools is empowering.  To cut thru the slats of an old shutter ... to drill holes in dense hardwood ... to slice chunks ... to sand flat rough-cut ends ... to make a curve from a straight edge ---physicality and risk are required.
To have an idea is good.  To make it happen is better.

Repurposed Leather ... So Soft

 After two years of scribbling designs for my scrap leather collection, I finally took the time to make these pillow slipcovers.  Think I'm going to attack a single cafe curtain soon with a similar touch.
 Note to self: clean-out and oil sewing machine ... leather "puncture pits" abound.

Standing at Attention: Found Objects Assembled

I think we are each entitled to a great fall once in our life.

Parents or masked crusaders might
come a-running.

A little "mental mending" is in order.

The Cabinet

      and

The Eagle Has Landed

---from the Noyes Farm series

Medical advice is at our keyboard fingertips.
---------------------------------------

In grammar school, science and I were miles apart, but an interesting textbook cover
could catch my attention for awhile.
These polkadots and tiny numbers were actually from the inside of a nuclear reactor.

Apollo, in the flesh.

Do you remember where your
 feet were planted as our Apollo spacecraft's
astronauts planted the US flag on the moon?

 The vintage painted timbers I used for the bodies of the assemblages were originally farming implements.  The farmer probably did not have this kind of repurposing in mind for them
---as they were stored up and away in barn rafters for decades.  Last winter's heavy snowfall collapsed that barn's roof and they landed in my creative hands.