Thursday, April 24, 2008

Solo Duet

Solo Duet, aprox. 5 x 3 ft., mixed media



This is another improv piece. With this gallery opening looming I needed to do something without a plan. It felt good to do and thats what I needed. I plan to cut it down to be a diptych (which I did to my first improv painting). Visit viddler or youtube to see the process of this painting!

(I recommend viddler quality wise but it takes a bit longer to upload so go to youtube if its not up yet!)


Accidents are the best part of being an artist. I learned this when i worked as a ceramics studio assistant. Now whenever something I didn't plan happens I know the piece will be special. In this case I took an oil pastel and drew something, didn't like it and used water based materials on top of it. This created a vein like effect underneath the skin of the figure.



Another happy accident is the figure highlighted in this painting. I sketched her from a Lucian Freud painting while I was collecting visual data of different kinds of body-types. In my monoprint class I ended up trying to make a print from my drawing. It failed but I liked the plate I used. This particular process is a xerox transfer process, so the photo copy of the chosen image is the plate.



Underneath this woman is a quick sketch of a framed portrait of a man in a top hat. I didn't like where that was going (I have tried to insert him before, he is a perfect voyeur for my subjects, yet he never seems works out).


I have this piece hanging next to the area where I am painting in my apartment (look below). Mary Cassatt was a huge influence on my life growing up. My parents did a wonderful job of throwing me into the art world when I was very young. My family has a special love for Cassatt, not only because of her beautiful artwork, but also because she pioneered the path that my mother and I are now (and have been) walking.



I had to share how physically overwhelmed my living space is with ART. I will be hanging most of it a week from tomorrow at Flourish Studios. Wish me luck!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Zoollpaper (Working Title)


Zoollpaper
, aprox. 5 x 5', mixed media



I have another process video! This time I decided to post on viddler and youtube. The viddler is much better quality. Click here to see the process video.

So you might recognise the image. This is a painting done from You Name it No. 1. This image is one of my favorite I have done this year so I decided to make it very big. When i began working on this piece I had a completely different image in mind. I did not plan it very well so i ended up gessoing over the painting I was working on and doing this painting. You will witness the under-painting in the video.





This flower is a collaged wall paper I composed for the first painting. It was perfect because all of the roses left a wonderful texture underneath the gesso. The white gesso enabled you to see the different planes of paper. I got the rose wallpaper idea when Marty and I visited the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.




I never realized how much I paint elephants--an unintentional theme. I love mixed media. I feel so much better when my painting table is covered with oil sticks, oil pastels, my graphite stick, sting gel and glue. As a very tactile artist, being able to touch all of these textures is important to my process. In this piece I used all of the media I listed above.




I love this little square with the bird. I loved it in You Name It No. 1 and I still love it. This part of the painting is so hidden yet so potent. The bid is the only piece of collage from the original collage source, I created the rest of it in this painting. Also, I love being able to see the layers the artist went through to get to the final product. Part of my sketch is prominently displayed here.




The oil sticks made this painting. With my chunks of skin/stone I used tons of different flesh tones. As I was placing these patches of color on the surface of the paining i ws worried, it was a haphazard endeavour. True to my love for oil paint, this brown, gooey stick smudged exactly how I needed it to, unifying the multitude of flesh tone.

While I was painting this piece I had the privlege to help my friend Jason create his first painting (which is amazing, you can see that later). It was wonderful to have another person around while I was painting and it was great hearing both conceptual and visual input as I was painting.

Some points to ponder while viewing this piece" Where the arrow is pointing. Where the bird if flying? From where if the bird flying. Stone/brick or skin? Escaped? Trapped? What is a pet? Sides of society. Grass vs. stone = ? Skin tone. Ethnicity.

That is just an abstract of our discussion. I would love to get your input. My favorite thing about painting these pieces with lots going on beyond the pretty picture is to here what everyone sees. Please tell me what you see! Your comments will spark more wonderful ideas!

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My first opening in Chicago will be at Flourish Studios Saturday May, 10, 2008 from 6-9. There will be wine and wonderful art by Casey Searles, Andrew Heber and Kate Korroch (thats me!). Mark your calendar and look forward to lots of wonderful artwork!

Monday, April 7, 2008

You Name It V

Before I launch into my art I would like to share that my Momma has started a blog. Katiedidstudio.blogspot.com. Go check it out! You can see what she is working on and some of things things that are artistically inspirational to Katiedid.

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You Name It V, 24x24, acrylic on board

This piece was inspired by my idea to start working big again. As you saw in the last piece, this piece borrows imagery from my other work from this year. The most obviously repeated images are from You Name It I. I like the water color look, I ended up using lost of washed on the acrylic paint.




The sign is a funny little part. I didn't intend the double meaning, it just happened because of my aesthetic choices. Actually, the sign was thrown in at the last minute. Just the figure with the background was not enough.




This picture shows the washes of paint and it also gives you a nice view of the wood. One of the biggest things I have learned from working in various media is to work with the material, don't fight it. I guess this mindset goes back to when masons were carving in the middle ages. A lesson we all have to learn for ourselves. Respond to the material, don't fight it.

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Point of news:

I donated Whole Earth Woman to a silent auction at LillStreet for Art Reach. It was fun to have something donated but I was a little disappointed because they misspelled my last name, did not put out my cards that I sent and called it Untitled instead of Whole Earth Woman (written on the back of the piece). Despite that, I am thrilled that I got to donate art to raise money to bring art to the community. The event was fantastic--great art, good food, wonderful people. They did a wonderful job.

One last thing, I am in the middle of another painting that I am making a process video of! Wooot, look forward to it!

Thanks.