By all these lovely tokens September days are here,
With summer's best of weather And autumn's best of cheer.
- Helen Hunt Jackson
By all these lovely tokens September days are here,
With summer's best of weather And autumn's best of cheer.
- Helen Hunt Jackson
A selection of my paintings travel to the Houston Fine Art Fair courtesy of Spalding Nix Fine Art, September 9-12.
Over the Vernon River:
Painting session 2, time-lapse 1 on a triptych with artist Troy Wandzel.
Stitch-n-fish? File these puns under "same old jokes." What's not punny or funny; the privilege of sitting with the boys while they fish, Lego, analyze the world (and bicker) while the tide and the season shift.
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.
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.
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.
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:
That's it, people! Something has got to go on!
All about driving these days(ies).
Sometimes called Cow Lily, you can find spatterdock all over the southeast. You'll know it by the heart shaped leaf and a yellow flower that looks more like a tuber than a bloom.
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.
The playwright and author shot in the studio at the 612 x 912 residency at SixTwelve in Oklahoma City.
Ten years in business as a full time artist, ten years married, twenty years in Savannah, thirty years of driving with only one front fender and one back bender-ed. Forty years of good information (mostly) and still tumbling!
This locally made, green, native installation hangs in the trees on a drive in Vernonburg, Georgia. All of the materials are sourced within feet of the installation and are biodegradable.
Project Assistants: KS Wheat, SR Shuford
Forklift: Frank Dubberly
Grip: Slim
Amy Young hired me to style her clothing, makeup and hair for this recent photo shoot and article. I use the terms "hired" and "styled" loosely as I was lucky enough to be on hand during Territory OKC's recent photo shoot at SixTwelve of which Ms. Young is co-founder.
Amy's love for the city, education and community shines in this photo. Great work, Amy, Chad and Territory OKC. Of couse, I also use the term "work" loosely.
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.
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.
the most divine cactus garden thrives near the paseo arts district.
SixTwelve's "Art Walk" 4-12 year old set tackles materials, formal aspects and concepting with enthusiasm and diligence.
For the next two weeks, this community center within the Paseo Arts district will be my workplace. My visit completes the first exchange between Savannah and Oklahoma City artists.
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.
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.
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.