September Sketches

When we returned from our trip to America I brought back my favorite kind of sketch book. When it comes to drawing I am not a Moleskin fanatic. My best quick sketches come from square sketch books - they can be rectangular or square. Last month I set a goal to do at least two quick sketches every week. I have actually stuck to it. My sketch book has tagged along on every weekend adventure and it has gotten some attention.

I am doing this for many reasons. First of all, when I lived in Cortona I was graded on the sketch book I kept. The result of that exercise was countless memories from my time there. Despite the fact that I express myself visually, I am oblivious to the visual world. Unless I sit down and spend time with it it is lost on me. The other main reason I am doing this is to regain my drawing skills. I used to be good at drawing at I've lost that. Painting is an easy way to ignore drawing. Drawing is a fundamental. Without that structure any piece of art, realistic or abstract, is weak.

To hold myself accountable I will be sharing a few of these sketches on my blog. I hope you enjoy them!

Sept 28, 2009, Samcheok-si, South Korea

As you can see, this image is of two sketch merged together. Chad and I climbed the big hill in Samcheok one night to have a picnic. As he snapped pictures I drew the ship yard on the East Sea/Sea of Japan. I did a couple of quick sketches of the shipyard then settled into the one on the left. For better context I did the other sketch - I wanted to remember the contrast of the shipyard and the rolling coast. If you let your eyes wander to the left you can get a little bit of the vast feeling from the ocean.

While I was drawing there was a Korean man with me in the pagoda. He sat for a long time then got up and did a bunch of exercises for a good ten minutes. As he was preparing to go he came up to me and told me that he liked my camera case. My camera case is an old gift card bag from Anthropologie. He was pretty sweet, didn't speak a word of English. We said good-bye and then Chad arrived for the picnic.

September 5, 2009, Samcheok-si. South Korea, Beach

This is the view south up the coast towards Donghae. We go to Donghae for sandwich sized wheat bread. More than once we have seen huge ships going in and out of that port - once we even saw a submarine! This particular day was one of relaxing in the sand. We were surrounded by Koreans playing in the water. There was a group of Koreans there from a tour bus. They were very enamored with us and one even asked for a picture together. A a little while after he came back because he wasn't happy with the first picture. I held out my hand and said, "Mon won!" which means "Ten dollars!" Luckily, he laughed.

The next two sketches are from a bit further down the beach in the little cove you can see in the sketch above.

September 29, 2009, Samcheok-si, South Korea, Beach

I drew this on the day of our last cookout on the beach. Every other weekend or so we all go to the beach to grill. In this little grilling cove we are surrounded by rocks, the ocean, a bit of sand, barbed wire, and a military lookout point complete with a gun rest. These lookouts are scattered every kilometer or so along the coast.

September 29, 2009, Samcheok-si, South Korea, Beach

I didn't finish this sketch but I like it. Gareth and Chad were waiting for the grill to heat up while I sketched. As I started this drawing everyone else arrived. I love drawing figures. I have a long way to go to get back into shape but I still enjoy it.

Well, that is all you get to see from September. I have started using some graphite in October so next month will be very exciting!

Congratulations Edward!

Ed, you are the winner!  Congratulations!  Ed is a friend of mine from Indiana University, he just relocated to Chicago.  What a great way to shake hands with the community!  Just show up and your two tickets will be at the door under my name.  I'll let my contact know that you are the winner!  Have a blast!

Ramsey and Marilyn, thank you so much for signing up.  I hope you still try to make it out to the show.  Let me know if you do, friends of artists get $5 off.  If not you can still check the artwork out here.  

FREE TICKET RAFFLE - Inspired Art Chicago

As promised, here is a way for you to go to Inspired Art Chicago for FREE!

I am raffling 2 tickets for the event. I can't go - it's a long flight from Korea - so, I want to send someone. Take pictures!

Please make a comment bellow before the end of the day on Sunday, September 27th, 2009, EST. Please make sure to include your name and last initial in the comment. On Monday I will use random.org - an idea I got from Anne Leuk Feldhaus's blog - to randomly select the winner! If you re-post this blog post I will enter your name twice.

I will announce the winner on Monday, September 28th.

DETAILS:

1. Make a comment on this blog post with your first name and last initial.
2. Enter before Sunday, September 27th, 2009, EST
3. If you re-post this offer let me know and your name will be entered twice.
4. Thursday, October 1st - South Halsted Gallery (1825 S Halsted) - 6-9PM

Pass it on!

Thanks!

Inspired Art Chicago - Cover Art & Tickets

The tickets are available for Inspired Art Chicago! Click here to buy your tickets for the event on Thursday, October 1, 2009!

Do you recognize the featured artwork? To read about that piece click here.

Check out my friend Maria Doering's piece that she is donating - "Colette".

You can view some of the other 40 artist's work on the Inspired Art Chicago website - http://inspiredartchicago.wordpress.com/the-art/

Check back here tomorrow for a way you can attend the event for free!

Happy Sunday!

Where's Waldo?

Image from The Canvas Project at the Atlanta Airport, Art House Co-op

If you feel like being patient that me, the pictures from The Canvas Project in the Atlanta Airport are up! You can view them in the Art House Co-op's Flickr Account here. I was actually in the Atlanta Airport while this was up but I was buried deep within the international departure gates. If we had had more time it would have been fun to go and see.

If you happen to be in Atlanta you can go see!

If you'd like to search for one of my canvases but you can't remember them you can go back to my post about them.

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On another note, my friend from UGA's Art School in Cortona, Italy, Maria Doering is participating in Inspired Art Chicago! She is incredibly talented, I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Check out her website, blog and etsy sites!

You Name It III - NAMED by Vanesa A. - Inspired Art Chicago

I selected my piece for Inspired Art Chicago! My original plan was foiled by my parents' intimidating storage space where many of my paintings have been residing. I think the alternate worked out even better! You Name It III finally has a name - Sometimes Feelings. The poem Sometimes Feelings was written by Vanesa A. who is 10 years old, Corkey School, Chicago. Please read this amazing poem below. I can't believe how eloquent it is.

Sometimes Feelings

Isn’t it strange when people tell you things that aren’t true?
You feel so sad and disappointed.
So your thoughts go around and around.
Your head moves like an airplane flying around in circles
and tastes like chocolate with spices of meanness and sourness.
Smells like a world with meanness.

But when you’re with a real friend you feel sure.
It’s strange when you’re happy and suddenly
you feel so depressed and nervous that your thoughts just disappear
and don’t remember what you were going to say.
They move like a magic book flipping over and over the pages.
So it tastes like candy you don’t remember what it was called.
But sometimes you just say I don’t know what I was thinking of.

So your thoughts just disappear like a magic cape that is invisible
that you can’t see.

Vanesa A., age 10
Corkey School, Chicago

Isn't it fantastic? The words and images go together beautifully. That's why I love art. In my original blog post about You Name It III, I think that details 1 and 3 really are really highlighted in the poem. I love how the two creations are now hand in hand.

Detail 1, You Name It III

Detail 3, You Name It III

If you would like to view some of the other artwork that has been selected visit the Inspired Art Website - http://inspiredartchicago.wordpress.com/.

It's not too late to participate. The website is easy to follow. Or you can refer to my previous post about the project.

Thanks for reading and send those kids a high-five!

Inspired Art - Chicago

My friend, Brian, contacted me a few weeks ago about this amazing project he is putting together for the youth of Chicago. The basic concept of the project is to bring together the students and artists. The students all wrote poems (an amazing range of subject matter, at the very least you should read the poems - http://inspiredartchicago.wordpress.com/the-poetry/) and then artists have the opportunity to browse the poems and then select one to pair with a current piece of work or to create a piece based on the poem.

I can't get over how amazing this program is. It benefits everyone. America SCORES (the organization hosting this) get publicity and donations and most importantly, these kids get to feel really good about their writing in a very special circumstance. The artists get publicity, (a 20% cut if they so choose), a tax deduction for the donation AND they get to do something with these awesome kids!

If you are interested visit their blog - http://inspiredartchicago.wordpress.com/.

The For Artists section highlights what you can do to participate. The general time line is as follows:

July 1^st: Participant recruitment opens; SCORES begins accepting applications and pieces.

September 1^st: Submission Deadline for Cover Art Contest

September 10^th: Final deadline for interested artists to register and select a poem.

September 20^th: Final Deadline for submission of pieces to the Inspired Art Project.

October 1st: America SCORES Chicago’s first annual Inspired Art Show and Auction.

If you do not choose to participate please at least spread the word. This is an amazing cause and a lot more than just a charity auction, it's giving these kids a way to creatively express themselves and get rewarded for it.

I'll let you know which poem and piece I choose. After reading some of the poems I have a You Name It piece or two that I think will work well.

At the very least re-blog this on your blog or copy this information and send an email! Thanks!

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On another note - WE ARE FLYING HOME TODAY!!!!!! We leave our apartment in 30 minutes! Wow, I'm so excited!

Happy Weekend!

Kate

The Canvas Project - Finished!

4 of the 5 Canvases

I finally finished my 5 canvases for the Art House Co-op Canvas Project. You may remember that I received thees canvases in April. They are due June 30th. I am a true procrastinator. To create some kind of theme and inspiration I decided to associate a body part with each word I was assigned. This project took em back to my favorite form of printing making - body prints.

Bellow are the 5 canvases in no particular order. Let me know what you think of the associations. Which body part would you have picked to represent these words?

Trusting –adj. inclined to trust; confiding; trustful: a trusting child.

Thelemic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelemic_mysticism - I reduced this word to "spiritual" for the sake of avoiding a headache

Prosper - To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.

Nelipot - Someone who is walking without shoes

Deceit - an act or device intended to deceive; trick; stratagem.

Some of my interpretations were slightly jaded but I like them and I think that they are very appropriate in many circumstances.

Bellow are some process pictures. Sharing process photos is one of my favorite parts of having a blog.

Partially done canvases and a loaded brush not sitting in water! Bad, Kate!


Process picture for nelipot. Acrylic and glue.


Process picture for trusting. Acrylic and glue.



Some of my tests. I tried mixing different media - ink, acrylic, flour, glue, tempera, water, etc. When I am stuck in a world with out string gel I am stuck trying to create alternative. Man, I miss that stuff. We saw some while we were in Japan but it was way to expensive, not to mention the liquids issue in the airport.


Part of deceit. I almost save this paper but I would just throw it away later.

If you would like more information on the Art House Co-op and the Canvas project visit http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/canvasproject.

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A little note: I have actually been drawing a little bit more lately. Chad and I have decided to design and print our wedding stationary. We are in the midst of finalizing our STD's (save the dates;). We are hoping to print them via gocco. Originally I was thinking silk screen but I think gocco is the way to go!

I hope you are well! Happy summer!

New Blog - Zoo Parts

You may not have noticed that for some reason living in Korea has left me completely unmotivated to paint. I think I just run out of creative fuel after using it up on teaching and living in such a different culture. I still want to put something out into the art field so I have started a new blog - www.zooparts.blogspot.com. The name is slightly based on You Name It No. 1., my favorite piece from 2008.

Zoo Parts will focus more on art theory and criticism - hopefully I will also tackle some of the bigger ideas in regard to contemporary art & artists that have been wandering around in my head.

I will still be posting here. Hopefully I will get working again soon but as I am wading through this strange stunt in artistic growth I will leave you with my more academic analysis of other artists' work.

If you are interested in a slightly less "Kate-centric" blog I think you will really enjoy this one. Thank for all of your constant support!

Kate

Most recent post on Zoo Parts - New Age Mondrian - Klas Ernflo's "Color Pad"

Canvas Project - Ready, GO!

My canvases for the Canvas Project

About a month ago I signed up to participate in the Canvas Project Volume 2 which is hosted by Art House Coop, an incredibly inspiring art entity. From my crude scanning of their website I have learned that they have a gallery in Georgia where they have exhibits and host art residencies. They also create projects like the one in which I am participating. The projects are basically a way to bring art to everyone and a way to enable any artist, the curious doodler to DaVinci, to exhibit and be published.

Man, I wish I had thought of that first!



Art House Coop Links:

main website: http://www.arthousecoop.com/
canvas project vol. 2: http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/canvasproject
blog: http://arthousecoop.blogspot.com/
twitter: http://twitter.com/arthouse

The project involves 5 small canvases and 5 randomly selected words from a user generated collection. Each canvas must be about one of the 5 words. When the project is finished they select at least one canvas from each artist's complete collection to be displayed in a final exhibit in the Atlanta International Airport. There will also be a book published of the show. Each artist that sends back all five canvases will be published and exhibited for only $18. Let me tell you, that is WAY less than buying all of the supplies yourself.

It is basically a worldwide community art project.

To participate by adding words (free) or by painting 5 canvases click HERE!

So, here are my words. I didn't know the meaning of one so that was fun!

I haven't done any sketches yet, it has bee a busy week (school dinners and Korean classes).

This is what was in the package I received at school.

Here are my little canvases. They are each 3 x 3 inches.


Let me know if you have any gut reactions to the words. I haven't thought of anything yet but I will start sketching soon. If the small canvases go well I may create bigger versions. We'll see.

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One another note, I am thinking about broadening the posts on my blog to a more general art site and not just my work. I really enjoy spreading information and I am not really painting very much. I basically just have to decide if I want to start a whole new blog or shoot off of this one. A large part of me wants ot start a new blog that is slightly more anonymous and not connected to my art. Let me know if you have an opinion! Thanks!

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ALSO, Chad started a new website - Brevity 5. He posts a different image/subject everyday and then writes only 5 words about the topic. I have really been enjoying it - great thing to add to your morning coffee.

Skewered - Sketch

Skewered - Sketch, Improv Video

I knew I needed to paint last weekend and I was not in the mood. Initially I attempted to make some new You Name It's but I wasn't getting inspired by them. Finally I decided to do what I love about making art - something spontaneous. Last spring the improv videos got my creative juices flowing and the same thing definitely happened over the weekend. I did not come out with a final piece but I brought some old imagery that I really care about back to life.

Here is the video bellow. You can also view it on viddler and youtube.

The music in the video is by Paleo - Woman Like Me - 20060508.

I think the reason why I love creating the improv videos is the accountability. That little blinking green light every 5 seconds doesn't let me wander over to my email or stop to think about another project I should be working on. It forces me to think on my feet and react quickly. I never love the images I get out of these paintings but the versatility of the materials comes out and the imagery seems to mature (if not on paper at least in my mind).

If you are a regular follower of this blog the image above may be familiar. Last winter I made a very quick sketch called Scrambled Egg Head and this reminds me of it which is very appropriate reference after I realized why this painting was coming out of me.

What am I talking about in this painting? What little frustrations oozed out of me? Living in South Korea has been one of the biggest challenges of my life and not for the reasons I expected. I knew I would get homesick, I knew I'd get sick of the food, I knew I wouldn't love teaching. These are all things that I expected to bother me - none of them do compared to what is shown in this sketch. South Korea is one of the last Confucius cultures that means that women are second class citizens. I think that my reaction to this has been more severe than some because I a here with my fiance - they always go to him first. One of the main things that has kept me going in this country is knowing that I am living not as an English teacher but a diplomat of Western values and social progress. By the way, did you know that they don't have gay people in Korea?!

All of that being said, yes, this sketch is definitely a rosy picture of something not so rosy but Korea has many other amazing points. I am very proud to be living in a county that has come so far in such a short time. Think about the 1950's. It has also made me appreciate even more my background and opportunities.

Back to the art.


The figure in this remind me of my favorite print I ever made - one of the very first prints, of course. It was a quick line drawing of a nude torso slightly twisted. I printed them on old text from Tom Sawyer written in Italian.

Mannequins have been in my artwork since I was about 16. Something about the fashion and aesthetic coupled with the critique on the female body and the world's perception of how a women should look has always fascinated me.


Some how I got stuck on this oil and water reaction as an affect last year when I first started making improv paintings. Similar flowers can be seen in Zoollpaper and Solo Duet.

Well, that will be it for a little while. We are going to Seoroksan this weekend to see the Cherry Blossoms. Happy April!

www.katekorroch.com

Just a head up that I finally gave my website a minor face lift. Using Weebly I was able to create a website without getting too much technical help. The big hole is the gallery section. I haven't found a gallery that I like. More to come but I feel good about having something fresh up.

Visit - www.katekorroch.com

Francine's Sister

Francine's Sister, 60 x 72 cm., mixed media on board

As promised, more fruit. May I present Francine the Asia Pear's companion, Francine's sister. I wanted to pump out some more fruit pieces in the hope that etsy will serve me as well as it did last spring. Bellow are a few nice close ups were you can see the text contour lines. I actually dyed all of the paper in tea and coffee on our stove.


Unlike most fruit paintings, this one too me quite a while to finish. After I put down the text layer I completed the majority of the painting in a few hours. Something wasn't quite right but I added a few subtle details with pastels that really made the contours stand out.



I am still not completely settled on the back ground. In the spirit of Francine the Asian Pear I left it the natural wood color but in all honesty I may change it. We'll see.


Here is a little glance into the process. I did a quick sketch with a sharpie and then began to lay down the text contour lines. I used a mixture of flour and water. As I typed that I realized that might be why I had to make an emergency trip to the grocery the other day for flour. . . . oops.



I think this book is the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It was a wonderful book but I finished it and it was the only book available.

Francine's Niece, 24 x 33 cm., mixed media on canvas

Finally, I made a baby one. Both are now listed on etsy for purchase!

Stay tuned for a new improv video in the next few days! I finished one over the weekend and I am just finishing up the video editing now!

Happy April!

You Name It VII

You Name It VII, 14 x 21 cm., mixed media on cardboard

Here is a quick collage sketch I did the other day. I miss doing fast little collages, I gathered a lot of imagery from them when I did them in Chicago last year. Finding interesting old books is a challenge in Korea.

The color scheme and emptiness of this sketch remind me of You Name It III. Maybe I will combine the two compositions at some point.

Despite the fact that this doesn't count towards my 16 paintings I have been working and sketching is just as important as coming up with a final product. As vital as sketching is, I tend to be an expert at overlooking it.

Well, enjoy my doodle,

K

Kiwi I

Kiwi Fruit (or Torpedo Fruit Bowl), 60 x 85 cm., mixed media on board

I have made a goal to have 16 paintings done by the end of May - 8 fruit paintings and 8 creative paintings. Despite the fact that I am not feeling incredibly artistically inspired I feel like I need to take the spare time I have and create something. Living in Korea is incredibly distracting (visually the creative juices just aren't at their usual flow) but I want to take advantage of the situation as an artist. I have had two exhibits in Italy, why not add Korea to my international list. If do well here I may be able to get some residencies in China of Japan next year which will be a great way to travel when we are done in Korea!

So, this was a fruit attempt thought I must say it was almost thrown into the "creative" category.

So, this piece went through a lot of unintended layers. I did a few quick sketches before I went to the actual surface. The sketches were done in ink on butcher paper. On the second sketch I did some work with pastels and them painted over the pastels with a mixture of water and flour (mostly to adhere the color). Once I was comfortable with the layout I took a loaded brush (ink) and quickly sketched out the painting. My plan was to use brown paper and collage the shapes of the kiwi in. Sometimes I draw much better with tearing paper than with a pencil or inked brush. Instead I just went right for the pastels. Before I knew it the "painting" was a drawing on board. The final touches were some shadows I drew in with watered down ink and a very small amount of acrylic paint that I used to paint the bottom of the bowl. At the very end I took a small brush and applied some flour/water to some spots on the kiwi. I then beat the lines out to give them a more unified feel (while still being able to see the lines). I need to find some varnish.



The bowl has a funky wood grain that is like pond ripples. I took the pattern up one notch on the exaggeration scale which I ended up really liking.

I think that this image is a nice view of the different techniques used. You can see the ink, pastel, acrylic and the effect of the flour and water.

I haven't quite finished. The bowl is almost to subtle for me. I have thought about making it red. Opinions? I also need to finish the edges, then it will be ready to sell. As soon as I have a few paintings done I'll be re-posting on etsy and I will start looking for galleries.

Happy March!

Marz & Me

Hello,

My sister, Molly, recently graduated high school. As she waits to enter college in the fall she has created a curriculum for herself to learn about different art fields. I am guiding her in learning about art history. While I am desperately trying to find supplies in Korea this is what I have been doing to keep my mind exercised. If you would like to see what Molly and I are doing visit Marz & Me!

Thanks,

Kate

Tea Bag Sketches I

I have no new work to share online. I have been working but I am in the process of resharpening my drawing skills (I hate drawing, I hold pencils like paint brushes). My dear friend Casey gave me a few ideas and one of them was to draw myself. So I have been sketching my face. I decided that by the time I die I want to be able to draw my own face without a mirror. That could be tricky because as much as I don't want to admit it, I may get some wrinkles on the way. Oh, well more of a challenge.


So, tea bags. These sketches are from December 15, 2008. I was sitting at my desk at school and digesting the fact that the teachers were drinking mushroom tea. It smelled horrible. The taste is just earthy. This whole tea thing sent my mind on a tea bag craze.

The first picture above is an idea to design tea bags that describe characteristics that I think are Korean. I then started thinking about North Korea and the differences and similarities, how little time has gone since they became separate. The sketch bellow is what I came up with for that. You can guess which is which.


Other words for South Korea: homogeneous, backwards, naive, beautiful, untouched, unaffected, tradition, whole, value, calm, secret, ritual

I kind of stopped with this project because the last idea is what interests me the most (SK vs. NK) and i feel that I am in no position to make art about the situation. I can't make judgments because I just don't know. What happened here is deeply seeded and silent. I have occasionally tried to ask questions but most people have family who are in North Korea, it is a sensitive subject.

So, this is where the tea bag from the last post got it origin. Maybe I will continue with this idea but in a less blatant way. I loved the cropped photos of the improv tea bag, maybe I'll use those methods to communicate these ideas.

Well, time to stare at myself with a pencil in hand.

One more thing, two good friends of mine have just started new blogs. Zane Davis, a photographer in Chicago is now writing Plane of Focus. Another good friend, Marty Sorge , a wino/foodie, just started a catch-all blog with a food and wine twist, Blue Bottle. Zane and Marty are both very close friends and incredibly talented in their respective fields.

Tea Bag I - Mixed Media Study

I have set a goal for the new year to paint and post more. The last few months all of my creative energy was suddenly consumed by communication and digesting a new culture. Now, after living here almost 6 months I am ready to treat Korea as though it is my home and not let it keep me from doing the things I do at home.

Last weekend I tried to do some drawings from a leg of our trip in Malaysia, Penang has beautiful buildings. On a side note, Penang, was incredible, you can learn more about our trip there when we post about it on Spicy Fishy. If you don't get a chance to check it out on our website, in a nut shell Penang is the melting pot of Asia. It was full of different religions and cultures that live in harmony. Wow. Refreshing. I got the same architectural inspiration I had wandering the streets of Cortona. Anyways, just like myself, I got very frustrated by trying to keep my movement limited to a piece of sketch paper. I promptly decided that an improv painting was in order so I could at least feel creative.

Tea is a very Asian thing (so is instant coffee). I have done some sketches about tea and different kinds of tea bags. I grabbed my sketch as visual reference and went to town.





Music, Kings of Convenience, "Live Long" from Riot on an Empty Street



I enjoy blogging for three main reasons. One, I like to see my progress, its a nice feeling. Two, I think sharing art is more important than making it. Three, it is good to see artwork you create from another prospective. If I am frustrated with a piece I usually look at it with a mirror or upside down or through my digital camera. This third reason helped me feel better about the study I am sharing with you today.

I do not care for the piece as a whole. It looks transparent and incomplete. I really like the cropped in images, maybe I will go somewhere with that in the future.

Chunky Drips! I love them!

I no longer have the humus-looking acrylic medium so I used coffee grounds mixed with tempera!

A final note, this study reminds me of a "Tweaked" Tea Bag.

Alright, I am off to the gym with my fiance! WHOA, yes, we got engaged about two weeks ago! Again, I direct you to SpicyFishy!