the henhouse

watch me wip

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WIP: work in progress

This image is one of hundreds captured on timelapse. Savannah-based artist Troy Wandzel and I are currently collaborating on a triptych.  You may see Troy's timelapse is his first session here.  When we end work on these panels we hope to splice all the timelapseS of the painting sessions together.

 

katherine sandoz, session 2, sandoz|wandzel collab summer-fall 2015

katherine sandoz, session 2, sandoz|wandzel collab summer-fall 2015

feng shui and art

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Wondering about ways to consider hanging your art collection? There's the obvious "goes with" solution.  You might hang by subject or by size. For example, I know a Savannah woman who hangs small coastal landscapes by many different artists in many different styles and media in one area. Or hang by artist and by artist's region. In the last two years, I've been using feng shui principles.  

Because of feng shui's cataloging of colors, elements, characteristics and psychological and physical areas, your artwork can help to create harmony and balance in your home. I often switch out my artwork to create different "cures" for the season, for current business, personal, academic climates. Best part? Intellectually and visually stimulating.  

Here's a simplistic set of possible uses for this painting made in 2013.

(turtle island) over + under, 12" x 12" x 1.5, wbm on panel, 2013

(turtle island) over + under, 12" x 12" x 1.5, wbm on panel, 2013

This work features Turtle Island, sand, water, grasses, oyster beds, and blues and green with accents of white, cream and black.  It also has a small vein of orange red. The substrate and risers are lauan and poplar (wood) respectively. The image shape is square which corresponds to the wood element.  

Potential uses:

career:  put in north corner for augmenting career and or wealth.  water can bring movement and should present the water falling and/or incoming but it needs to feel as though it has movement.

communication:  because this painting contains a good number of the five element colors (green, red, yellow, white and black) it can also promote balance in communication and in developing business partnerships. add your intention as you hang the painting.

love:  if you love this painting and you want to heat up your love area, you will need two of these.  presentation of two things or "couples" is the key here.  pink is the preferred color for this area.  peony imagery in the bedroom is known to be effective.  water features and images are not recommended as water douses fire.  not good in the bedroom!

bathroom in wealth corner: feng shui specialists suggest using green, black, brown, wood, sand and earth (symbols) to create harmony and balance if your wealth center is in the bathroom. this can be a challenging area for a wealth center because of potential grime, clutter and, well, flushing.  above all keep the toilet covered and add green!

wealth:  you don't actually make money by feng shui'ing  (i say FUNG SCHWING - totally wrong, but this, ok?), but you prepare and support yourself for doing so.  this is how feng shui actually works - by consideration, preparation, practice and maintenance.  that being said, water is considered the money element and blue the money color. so bring the moving water to add kwan - the Cuba Gooding Jr kind.

You'd have to study a good bit to understand all the many ways this painting or any other could be used to help create the balance that you see in the feng shui chart itself. I have only mentioned a few uses for a painting that features the colors and elements that this one does.   The greatest challenge in using feng shui: evicting clutter and creating a balance between the elements in each area.  The range of possibilities becomes the challenge and the fun.

NOTE:  I am not a feng shui specialist.  Just started studying two years ago.  Please feel free to email me if you are and have additional suggestions or any corrections.  

making a cactus garden

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Seeing cacti everywhere. And making a series of squares featuring cactus with remnants from the 612x912 artist residency at SixTwelve in Oklahoma City. I saw a ton of cactus there. One ton!

On the subject, that seems to be the theme for this summer, here's a great quote from dancer Katherine Dunham:

“A creative person has to create. It doesn’t really matter what you create. If such a dancer wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that, but something that is creative has to go on.”

That's it, people! Something has got to go on!

driftwood + trees painting

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Now available through Spalding Nix Fine Art, "driftwood + trees" measures 38" x 48" and is based on the Cumberland Island landscape.  Its colors follow the palette of a recent Savannah historic district town home design and build completed by author, creative director Libbie Summers.

driftwood + trees, 38" x 48", water-based media on panel, 2015

driftwood + trees, 38" x 48", water-based media on panel, 2015

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janet + reggie jaime

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What a gift to find this most amazing couple when I chose their house and gardens to document (trespassing).  Janet works as an iconographer. Reggie makes sculptures and photographs.  Many years ago, they founded the Paseo Arts District Festival.  The Paseo is also home to SixTwelve and the 612 x 912 residency.

janet + reggie jaime

janet + reggie jaime

It's difficult not to see meaning within the fact that on my first night in OKC, I choose their gardens to trespass, that their name is love and that without an appointment, they welcomed us. 

612 x 912

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Starting tomorrow, SixTwelve of Oklahoma City hosts me as an instructor, artist-in-residence and consultant on programming and facilities and operations development for their artist residency program.

The community center offers camps focussing on creativity and sustainability. The center's residency exchange program brings one artist from Oklahoma City to Savannah and one from Savannah to Oklahoma.  I'm thrilled and honored to participate.

with artist Denise Duong of OKC, photo by Amy Young

with artist Denise Duong of OKC, photo by Amy Young

During the first "Art Walk" week, I will instruct in color theory, formalism and creating works using repurposed fibers-based materials. Campers exhibit their pieces Friday, June 5th.

The second week, "Garden Camp", community members of any age are invited to workshop with me while I create fibers works featuring Oklahoma flora to be displayed at the end of camp week vernissage on June 12.

SixTwelve's onion beds, source: @612Okc

SixTwelve's onion beds, source: @612Okc

During these sessions, I will discuss contemporary arts and arts business issues, developing course content and anything else that the group wishes to discuss.  If anyone wishes to studio assist/intern this week, please contact me using this site. If you wish to join as a "student", there are two or three sessions each day: 9-12, 1-3 and 4-6 (except for Friday, June 12).  Please contact me or SixTwelve if you have questions.

 

manners no. 17

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This is a response to a post titled "Things All Southern Women Know To Be True" by Haley Hackett.  Savannah women strongly disagree with the descriptions in this list.  Women who haven't been raised up native (that's called "natural born" in Georgia) but have the blood coursing through their veins and were raised by southern women disagree.  I'm one of the latter kind. 

To speak for myself, I found the list simple, a disgrace to the very obvious complexity of being southern and for that reason, rude.  I've reworked the list.  

I invite you all to breathe easier now that we have at least a starting point for a more broad and comprehensive lesson for non-southerners and those who may be underserved by their families and communities.

1.  Monogram usage stems from necessity and youth. Some of us leave school and camp by the time we are eighteen. Others have habits. But, regardless of having or not, please sit with us; we want to know all about you and please make it good! 

2. Those living in the southern clime don camouflage when harvesting supper. Because that's the fastest, easiest way. We might also have some cargo pants with camouflage print, but we don't think they flatter us best - which is the point of clothing. In summary, camou is for the garden and grocery getting (in the aisles, woods or waters).  

3.  No matter where a baby is born, the offending parent should not place a headband on "precious". Southern women trust that their baby girl's face shines "divinely beautiful".  In other words, true beauty, like angels, need not declare gender (please see our young boys at Easter). The only excuse; Halloween. We need a method for holding antennae or cat and bunny rabbit ears.

4.  If hungover, it's hair of the dog (bloody, anyone?), salt and butter eggs with deer bacon (see number #2).

5. Southern women appreciate real men so it doesn't matter if they are short, Lincoln tall, Jack Spratt thin, corpulent, odd or old looking or even named Ashley, Blair, Kerry or Kim.  We want to laugh, have doors opened for us and run wild in the woods. We choose the men who do this with us while they quietly and adeptly stoke the home fires. By the way, one should reread Gone with the Wind. Often mis-characterized, Rhett Butler does say "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" and that may not be very nice, but it was necessary. Ask him why, he'll tell you.

6.  The dress or "costume" (we still say "costume" when we mean outfit) mandates the hair. No, no and no to a frilly high neck and hair fussy and down. All black and minimal outfit?  That may call for a big hair day.

7.  Southern gals drink a "bit" of everything. Sometimes even in moderation.

8. Seasons (by the calendar) let us know more about our gardens and our china than our clothing. We have priorities and standards.

9.  Southern women realize that sexism isn't sexy. That's why our daddies taught us to read, ride, shoot and run in 5" heels.

10.  Really southern women shop the closets of their esteemed elders, neighbors and sisters. Waste not, want not.

11.  The final word on jewelry and food storage:  real. It's got to be guaranteed gold, silver, bronze, glass or China and preferably handed down or purchased while traveling.

12.  Story telling is a way of life. The truth should never get in the way of this discipline. Being an accomplished story teller negates judgement of the storyteller. In other words, the teller is not a liar or a gossip if we've been properly entertained (we know to believe - and remember - nothing).

13.  Being a lady is like swearing. Sometimes the most effective choice is the nastiest. The whip-smartest southern women employ nasty and four letters judiciously. Being a lady also means no hiding from momma, but fessin' up by outlining good reasoning and humor used while "misbehaving".  (see #9, #12)

14.  We feel grateful to be southern and we invite you to visit often.

olivia de haviland,8" x 8", water-based media on somerset, 2010

olivia de haviland,8" x 8", water-based media on somerset, 2010



willie nelson

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I return to draw Willie Nelson's face one more time.  I'm late to this as his 82nd birthday fell on April 29th. When I go online to check dates and facts, there are reports of his death.  But it's a hoax and this is a "normal" thing; it happens often.  What?

willie nelson at 82

willie nelson at 82