a local affair

I meant to write about this a few weeks ago but the time somehow got away from me. Anyway last month I received an invitation for a backyard art fair…. several artists/craftspersons got together and hosted their own show. It was wonderful. What a great idea for selling your work. All that’s needed are a few tables, umbrellas and of course a customer emailing list. It also helps if your backyard is as large and as beautiful as this one.

side project

As an artist and designer, being creative does not begin and end in my studio. It seems natural to want to impart my aesthetic on everything around me, especially my home. My front door is something that I've wanted to change for a while now but I've never seemed to find the time. But it's Spring and that usually means home improvement projects.

The door is steel clad but it's painted and as a metal artist why wouldn't I want a natural steel door? So we removed it from it's hinges, set it on the work table and began grinding the paint off to see what it looked like. Here's the exterior side of the door with brown paint.

Once we started there was no going back.

Here's the interior of the door with white paint.

Truthfully it was a lot of work...nearly 6 hours of grinding....but the results....

The outside....(I'll eventually replace the hardware)

and the inside....both sides were sprayed with a clear sealer.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out...with just enough of the original paint remaining to make it feel old and familiar.

are we having fun yet?

I had someone ask me recently if making art was fun. The question stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t know how to answer and had really never thought about it before. Well several weeks have passed and I can’t stop thinking about it. “Do I have fun when I’m making art?” I guess it depends on what it means to have fun so I looked up the definition and it said “enjoyment or lighthearted pleasure”.

I love the process and the problem solving of what I do. I love the final product when it all comes together. It’s an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. I make art because it’s something I HAVE to do. It’s who I am.

But it’s taken a lot to get to this point…5 years of design school, a 25 year career as a design professional ( I believe all of life’s experiences informs what you do) and the last 10 years of taking additional classes and workshops. I regret none of it. It’s all exactly as it needed to be and I’m extremely happy to be here.

I’m also one of those people who thinks those 10,000 hours of practice are worth it. I’ve never considered it boring and it has nothing to do with being perfect. I remember the frustration of wanting to make something but not having the skill. It was so discouraging and no fun at all. It’s hard to be creative when you have a vision of what you want something to look like but don’t know how to make it happen.

I feel I can be so much more creative when I know I can go into my studio and I don’t have to struggle with a technique because I’ve practiced it a 100 times and it now seems second nature to me. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle. Whether you did it with or without training wheels, you learned to balance first and be comfortable with that before you attempted any fancy moves. It may not have been fun but you did it anyway.

If you talk to people who are really good at what they do…an artist who makes his or her living from making art vs someone who creates art for “fun”… you will hear stories of dedication, sacrifice and lots of practice. I know this path isn’t for everyone. It’s a choice we all have to make as artists and decide to what level we want to take our art.

And you know what? I can now say I’m having fun. But it wasn’t always this way. I see the total enjoyment of what I do now as the reward for a lot of hard work. And isn’t that true of anything in life that’s worthwhile.

seems like yesterday

Well the opening has come and gone and I couldn't be more pleased. There was a nice turn out, several sales and most important a really good response to my new work. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

It's funny how once a big event happens it always seems so long ago. My plan now is to take a little break, clean my studio and shop, and enjoy the wonderful spring weather here in Phoenix.

the home stretch

Well, the photos have all been taken, the invitations are out (see below) and all that's left to do is hang the work. It's been a wild ride getting ready for this show. It's taken almost a year to get to this point. But it was so worth it. It allowed me the time to create a body of work that really represents who I am as an artist. And it's given me lots of ideas for where I want to take the art in the future.

opening reception

Xanadu Gallery

7039 E. Main Street

Scottsdale, AZ

Thursday March 21st   7-9pm

All the new work is up on the Xanadu Gallery website.

Check it out and hope to see you at the show.

opening night

A little rain didn’t dampen the spirits on Friday night for the opening of the show at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. There was a great crowd to see some great art.

Pardon my back…that’s me talking to Jen Cushman, Tonia Jenny and her husband David. It was great to see them.

The juror’s statement pretty much left me speechless (you may have to enlarge to read). I floated all the way home.

The show is up until March 31st. If you're local it's well worth the trip.

so much to learn…

It seems like forever ago that I answered Seth’s question, “What is the one thing that you know now that you would have liked to have known when you first started to create art?” Well my answer, “that one life time would not be long enough to learn all the things I would need to know” is as true now as it was then.

During the past year I’ve been experimenting with different materials thinking that one might work well as a compliment to the steel which is my primary medium. I took to clay immediately loving the contrasting color and texture against the steel. Unfortunately the feelings haven’t been mutual. What a struggle. I’ve been working with metal for so long (most of the learning curve is behind me) that I had forgotten how hard it is to understand and master a new material. I’m okay with shaping the clay but the glazing part seems to have a mind of its own. But I’ve stuck with it, sometimes making the same forms over and over again to get the glaze results I want. These pieces will be part of a gallery show I’ll be doing in March here in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s a completely new direction for my work and so I’m very excited.

At this point I’m not even sure two lifetimes would be long enough to learn everything I need to know. That saying, “the older I get the less I know” is what I’ve been feeling lately.

“Ledge #6”, 12”x12”, steel plate, steel beam sections, clay.

cloud nine

I am honored and thrilled that my art has been chosen to be exhibited in the Mesa Arts Center Museum's 34th Annual Contemporary Crafts show. The opening is Friday January 25th from 6-9pm. If you're local please come by. For more information visit their web site   http://www.mesaartscenter.com/art-exhibitions-contemporary-art-gallery.html.

art is work

I just finished reading Jen Cushman’s post at Create Mixed Media on the process she went through to write her “Making Metal Jewelry” book. I know Jen personally. She’s a talented jewelry artist and journalist and I know the book will be wonderful. The parts of Jen’s post I was especially interested in were all the deadlines she had to meet to ensure the success of her project.

I too live in a world of deadlines. I split my time between being an artist four days a week and a designer and project manager for a small design firm the other three days. Our focus at the firm is hospitality venues and our specialty is restaurant design. I’m fortunate that my job involves a lot of creativity but the deadlines come fast and furious and it’s crucial that they be met on time. I can’t imagine telling my boss or a client that I wasn’t feeling especially inspired today so the design for their project isn’t finished. In addition, I’m getting ready for a exhibition of my art work at a local gallery and yes I’m creating with a fast approaching deadline…the reason I haven’t posted in a while. This is not a complaint; I’m thrilled for the opportunity to have a show.

But this post really isn’t about deadlines. It’s about something else and to tie it all together I need to switch topics and talk about inspiration. There are so many articles and books written about where to find inspiration. Some of it I get. I think every creative person has moments when the well of ideas is empty or they feel burned out by the constant need to churn out work. And there’s nothing wrong with taking a break, getting some rest and letting the creative juices flow again. But the idea that there’s a magic or quick and easy fix, for instance, turning on your favorite music, taking a walk, etc. mystifies me (although I also do those things to clear my head). Being an artist is work just like any other profession. Think about what you do for a living, you know, the thing that pays your mortgage or rent and puts food on the table. To keep that job you act responsibly; you show up everyday, on time, meet your commitments and do work. Being an artist, writer or holding a position in any creative field is really no different. Saying that “art is work” may seem dreadful to some and while it may bring incredible enjoyment and satisfaction it still takes time and consistent effort to achieve meaningful results.

So if you’re waiting for inspiration to strike, the heavens to part and the scrolls of creativity to be laid at your feet, well, you’re probably in for a long wait. My opinion may not be terribly popular but I have to agree with the painter Chuck Close who said, “Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Now my interpretation of what Chuck is saying is that you have to “work at” being creative everyday. It’s the “act of doing” that sparks inspiration and sometimes it doesn’t come easy.

The idea many have that being an artist means we have a leisurely cup of morning coffee, see a movie in the afternoon and meet friends for dinner and a glass of wine is not reality. What's real for most of us is that we have to suck it up and get back in the ring (even when we think we have run out of ideas) and I think it’s that attitude that allows inspiration to truly manifests itself.

night shots

I often read on other artist’s blogs how their husband or wife or significant other is not interested in their art. Artists are a strange lot and not everyone can have the same passion for creativity. For some that may be a good thing. Many of us like to be alone in the studio however we all want to be understood by our partners. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. My husband Gary totally enjoys my artistic lifestyle and is very supportive. To help me have more time to do what I love, make art, he began taking the photos of my work for my website and for the galleries that represent me. What started out as a task has turned into a real interest for him. And as time goes on I see that interest turning into a passion. A week ago he took a class in night photography at the local arts center and here are a few of what I thought were some very cool pictures.

the art museum

the canopies above

cactus shadows

a fountain with a long exposure looks like smoke

illuminated panels

canopy tie rods

and my favorite...window in a concrete wall

all photos by Gary Smith

and the winner is....

A couple of weeks ago Ricë Freeman Zachery had a give away on her blog.

And guess who won? ME! Was I ever surprised.

Anyway this is what arrived in the mail today....

Kelly Moore's book "Absurdity is My Friend" and is it ever fabulous...the art, the photos, the poetry.

All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!

playing favorites

My art is featured on The Altered Page today. It's always so much fun to see your work along side other talented artists. And every week that Seth posts a chapter of the Pulse I'm always amazed at his wonderful insight on how he groups the art. I think his next venture should be to curate an art show at a New York gallery.