A couple of weeks ago, I published both the original and the final ofGluttony: The World’s Fattest Womanfrom thePsychomachiaseries. And I appreciate the feedback I received. Several people have asked if there were MORE gluttony images. There are. In fact, I finished the Gluttony piece last in the series because I just kept trying and then changing my mind.
The image at left was the second attempt–just after the circus tent piece. If you look closely, you’ll note an apple tattoo on the right hip. I thought it would be a subtle Adam & Eve reference providing the religious tie-in to the seven deadly sins. But, the longer I looked at it, the more subtle it seem to become.
So, I went back to the proverbial,read ubiquitous, drawing board–enter the ACTUAL apple. In a humorous nod to stock photography, I added a heart-shaped bite mark in the apple. I liked this piece for about 5 minutes. I trudged through other versions that were never edited, or even saved.
Sometimes I remind myself that while taking pretty pictures would be easier, I would never be at peace with a pretty picture.
I would never sleep with all the ugly images tumbling around in my head.
As much as I love the physical process of transferring images to canvas, the guts of my work happen as a part of DIGITAL collage. Since the actual quality of the photograph isn’t my first concern, the photo shoots are all about capturing the content. So, once again, the REAL STUFF happens in the collage process. When I tripped across the Call below, I thought maybe I should mix it up occasionally and do a little hands-on collage work. I wonder if it would alter the way I approach digital collage. Hmmm…
This piece (above left), dubbed My Fair Lady, is one of a collection of found-object assemblage/collage pieces completed years ago at the request of a retail store in Gatlinburg. This show (below) is a free entry and an all-hung exhibit. Sounds like a no-risk opportunity. Check it out, maybe this one will work for you too…
My intent is to offer my point of view with a nod to the humorous. I can’t help my Southern passive-aggressive upbringing. I was taught that lessons are easier learned if you wrap them in fluff that makes them easier to swallow. And…
It would seem that I will never be able to shake the notion.
But, I HAVE noticed a change. The first image is Gluttony: World’s Fattest Woman, as it hung when Psychomachia opened. The image below, was my first attempt (that has since been destroyed).
This circus tent version that I started with certainly had a great sense of humor, but I didn’t love it. This piece was a turning point for me. it was missing a religious reference, and THAT is what forced me to make a second attempt. But as I began trying to re-conceive this piece, I realized that the real problem was that it was simply too obvious.
I’m not good at subtle, (except by Southern standards) but I’m getting better…
I get a surprising number of requests for prints even each of my pieces is a monoprint. I understand that not everyone has several feet of wall space for surrealist, pop-art portrait with a less than subtle political message. So, for my next show (Do I Know You? opening in July of 2014), I intend to sell a handful of paper prints for a charitable cause.
In the meantime, you might not realize it, but a small number of 4″ x 4″ prints on gallery-wrapped canvas DO exist of the Psychomachia Show. You can own one today by going to the the Facebook store of The Haggus Society.
It HAS been a very productive day for me both creatively and organizationally. I had a dear friend make the casual suggestion to me that maybe I should start spending a mere 15 minutes a day organizing for my big solo show in July. I have been completely stressed out about how far behind I am. And my reaction to panic is often paralysis. But the 15 minute method was a perfect way to jump start action without getting overwhelmed…and I am on my way.
But during my productive day of art and the business of art, I must have forgotten to turn off the bullseye button on my back. As most of you know, I am generally patient, tolerant and optimistic. Today, tested my ability to remain bullet proof. So…
In an effort to be pro-active, I am publishing this short PSA warning
of what you should NEVER SAY to an ARTIST… for your safety.
So I have to admit that I’m a little in love withfotoblur. While I try to remind people that I am no more a photographer than a weekend golf player is a golfer, I do TAKE photographs. Luckily, fotoblur has a category for fine art. (continues below)
My profile is growing by baby steps, and I appreciate the kind words from other photographers. But more than anything, I truly enjoy the inspiration of browsing through the work of others. I can get a little absorbed, and before I know it…hours have passed by.
I am not one to be drawn to traditional art supplies. I don’t tend to go gaga over watercolor papers or a specific brand of oil pastels. I usually just love the bizarre, non-traditional objects that I believe are destined to end up as art–like abandoned lunch trays, old silkscreen frames and Cracker Jack boxes.
My primary focus has been Xerography, and I’ve had little use for pens and pencils over the years. However, as I begin exploring new techniques for an upcoming series, I have to admit that I have fallen in love with the Sakura Pigma Micron pens.
They are a fairly inexpensive alternative to the technical pen. I am particularly in love with the Micron 05. You have to use a very light touch, which isn’t really my norm, but the delicate results are just unbelievable. They are pigment based, don’t bleed or feather, and they are archival.
At the end of 2012 when I am normally planning for the coming year with anticipation, something broke. My Dad died unexpectedly, and my creativity came to a screeching halt. I seemed unable to find a voice. I haven’t been able to find something to say for over 8 months now.
Today, while sitting in the doctor’s office hearing that I will need yet another surgery, I found my voice. While sitting there listening to the doctor explain that my body has turned against me once again, I realized how pissed off I am to be sick…again.
Not all art comes from anger, but it can be a fantastic catalyst. As I sat and marinated in my newest health debacle, I immediately began to feel guilty for being angry. Everyone’s body turns on them eventually…that’s how we die. I’m not alone.
I have generations of family whose bodies have abandoned them in the end. And I also have the pictures of them before they knew what was coming. My grandmother, pictured here at 36, had no idea that 63 years later her most common phrase would be, “Do I know you?”
Art is found in contrast. I found my voice again, and it really isn’t pretty.
I haven’t picked the winners of Knox Photo 2013 yet, and the show opens in approximately 16 hours. I’ll do my part, I promise. But, I need you to do yours and come see the show. Here are all the details from the original press release…
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present the first annual Knoxville Photo 2013, a new exhibition featuring selected works from 36 artists throughout the Southeast region. Knoxville Photo was developed to provide a forum for artists to compete on a national scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition encompasses photographs depicting all subjects and genres, including streetscapes, cityscapes, landscapes, environmental portraiture, abstracts, and more, and will be displayed in the Emporium Center from July 5-26, 2013. A public reception will take place on Friday, July 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM with an awards ceremony at 6:00 PM in which $750 in cash awards will be announced.
R.L. Gibson served as juror for the exhibition and viewed images from about 100 artists in twelve states to select the exhibition. “With a camera in almost every cell phone, photography has become the universal medium of artistic and creative expression,” she said. “The nearly 500 entries presented a jury challenge… so I chose to search for the soul of the image. I want the show to suspend disbelief for the viewer just long enough for them to be transported to a time, a place or an emotion.”
R.L. Gibson is a nationally-shown artist working and “living on vacation” in Gatlinburg with work in galleries from New York to Los Angeles. Gibson opened her newest Xerography series Psychomachia with Arizona artist Jerry Portelli. She is now working on a text series for show in 2013/2014. Gibson works almost exclusively as a Xerographist, producing complicated layered photographic compositions and then hand-transferring these images to a variety of substrates resulting in a unique monotype. In addition to producing her own work and work in collaboration with other artists, Gibson also runs ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, a fun and quirky, food-themed art blog that offers reviews of emerging artists, shows from great galleries, and FREE Art Deadlines and Calls for Entry as an artist’s resource. For more information on R.L. Gibson, visit www.rlgibson.com.
The following artists’ works will be shown:
+ Sheila Chesanow of Athens, TN
+ Megan Pinch and Dan Robinson of Bristol, TN
+ Mike Gannon of Fairview, TN
+ Jeffrey Stoner and Billie Wheeler of Kingsport, TN
+ Trissa Gurney of Kingston, TN
+ Melinda Adams, Kayla Anderson, Luis Caicedo, Joel Fairstein, Jacques Gautreau, Becky Huckaby, Adam PD Hutsell, Mary Gretchen Kaplan, Marga Hayes McBride, Julie L. Rabun, Denise Stewart-Sanabria, Trecia Todd, Kurt K. Weiss, and Amy Williams of Knoxville, TN
+ Karen Jones of Lenoir City, TN
+ Michael Murphy of Morristown, TN
+ Sue Henry of Nolensville, TN
+ Eric Buechel of Pleasant Hill, TN
+ AngelaDawn of Powell, TN
+ Julie Oglesby of Seymour, TN
+ Spears McAllester of Signal Mountain, TN
+ Antuco Chicaiza of Sweetwater, TN
+ Nicole Harper of Toney, AL
+ Rebecca Griggs of Chicago, IL
+ Wesley Duffee-Braun and Gary Peeples of Asheville, NC
+ Alicia Leeke of Columbia, SC
+ Trent Frazor of Pickens, SC
+ Paige Barbush of Meadowview, VA
+ Richard Phelps of Midlothian, VA
The reception on Friday, July 5, is free and open to the public, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served. Knoxville Photo 2013 is on display July 5-26, 2013 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, July 6, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
For more information, contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.knoxalliance.com.
My husband calls me “nauseatingly optimistic.” So when I read this show description, I thought, “What could be more fitting for this nauseating optimist? I decided I had to enter:
“To dance on the plain of pure pleasure. To share extreme happiness with the world. Enjoyment in it’s purest form. A dance between the happiest of realities and the imagination.
“What gives you, the artist, great pleasure? What delights you the most? Share it here and share it with the world!” –from MelissaWolfFineArts.com
Virtual Delight is the latest online showcase for Melissa Wolf Fine Arts and was juried by Roxie Munro, Artist, Author, Lecturer. And much to my surprise and virtual delight, I was juried into the show and found one of my two images on the front page representing the show. I’m thrilled, just thrilled.
For those of you hesitating about entering online competitions, I encourage you to think of them as the art publication opportunities of yesterday. Art Magazines are rarer and rarer, and online publication opportunities are slowly taking their place. Give it a try; maybe you’ll be delighted as well.
Take a look as this unique offering from Melissa Wolf Fine Arts… Virtual Delight!
…AD NAUSEUM
So, I went back to the proverbial, read ubiquitous, drawing board–enter the ACTUAL apple. In a humorous nod to stock photography, I added a heart-shaped bite mark in the apple. I liked this piece for about 5 minutes. I trudged through other versions that were never edited, or even saved.
decisions
WARNING…
Here we go
