Facets

Facets. A new series.

Inspired by...

the heat of the summer sun

drops of rain

fireworks

the masks we all wear

the setting sun

the sounds of silence

the many sides of the self

transformation

In the spirit of Native American face painting, which has been used as a means of artistic expression since ancient times, the pieces in this series have been given Native American names.

Catori 

Spirit

Hiyana

Falling Rain

Available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

With One Palette

Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know my love for the color blue -- in all it's endless hues: sky blue, cerulean, navy, cobalt and all the rest. Every shade of blue is welcome on my paint brush. So when I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be featured in the With One Palette section of the July/August issue of Somerset Studio...

...I knew exactly what range of colors I would choose: Blue, White, Black and Silver Metallic.

Exquisite

Welcome to the Exquisite Corpse

The Exquisite Corpse Festival officially kicks off with an opening night party on Saturday, July 9th at 7:30 at Space on White in NYC. The collaborative visual creations of over 30 artists, from print to sculpture to fashion design, will be on display. The exquisite corpse is not the work of art itself, but a game played by three artists, who may or may not know each other or even see each other. Each artist secretly creates a piece of the same whole. One takes the head, another the torso, and a third the legs. They collaborate not through negotiation but through trust. Originally executed via a drawing folded in thirds, Exquisite Corpse Festival expands this idea to a vast aray of artistic mediums- from music, to plays to taxidermy.  My partners in exquisite crime were John Borrero and Stephanie Rubiano. Together we created a mixed media sculpture, although we worked on our assigned parts separately. John made the base and legs, Stephanie made the torso and wings, and I made the head.

Without further ado, I introduce you to our very own exquisite corpse...

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She is approximately 2 feet tall. Her head is made from heavy gage wire and vintage book pages with greek text from 1820. Her torso and wings are made from soldered wire, gampi paper, and encaustic medium (beeswax and damar resin). Her base is made from a wooden found object and her skirt was created from several different vintage silks.

The Exquisite Corpse Festival will run from July 9th to August 2nd. Space on White is located on 81 White Street (off Broadway) in Tribeca. The gallery is open 7 days a week from 10:30am to 10:00pm.

An Even Dozen

Issue number 12 of PASTICCIO QUARTZ has arrived. Sarah Fishburn and Angela Cartwright are the writers, artists, and masterminds behind this QUality ART Zine. I have always said that this publication is more than a zine and the current issue is no exception. Between the covers you will find 60-pages packed with artistic inspiration.

This issue features an interview with artist Amanda Marie Ploegsma, an article featuring ceramic artist Laurie Beth Zuckerman, and a workshop project by Suzi Blu. There are book recommendations and reviews, website recommendations, apps for artists, quotes, wordplay, recipes, and of course the Palais d'Art section which highlights the original artwork of more than 15 artists. And there seems to be endless tidbits of cool information sprinkled throughout, including info about eco-friendly products, chalkboard paint, Japanese cloth wrapping, and so much more.

And a big thank you is due to Sarah and Angela for also including a feature about Winds of Change, a collaborative project and self-published book that I completed with Roxanne Evans Stout from River Garden Studio.

You can purchase all 12 issues of Pasticcio here.

Exquisite Corpse Festival

I have always been intrigued by the concept of the Exquisite Corpse. The name itself fascinates me but the actual process of creating one is even more exciting. It began in the early 20th century as a writing game but was later popularized as a drawing game. Three people were given one sheet of paper. The first person drew the head of a figure and folded the paper so that only the very bottom portion of the neck was visible. Using this as a starting point, the second person drew the figure's torso. The paper was again folded so that only the very bottom of the waist was visible and the third person drew the legs and feet of the figure. The artists were all blind to the work of the others. The drawing is then unfolded. What is revealed is a discordant figure, with the individual parts often surprisingly connected by the collective unconscious of the participants.

This year, the Exquisite Corpse Festival is taking this basic premise and applying it to a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, film, theater, dance, music, fashion, tattoo, cocktails, munny, clocks, and taxidermy.

I am thrilled to be a participant in the event, which will take place in NYC later this year.

I am one third of a team creating a sculptural Exquisite Corpse. As luck would have it, I am partnered with two gifted mixed media artists, John Borrero and Stephanie Rubiano. John created the base, Stephanie made the torso, and I made the head. The three pieces are in the process of being attached but I wanted to share a preview to whet your appetite...

The Festival opens July 9th with a presentation of the visual works and a musical performance. The event begins at 7:30 at Space on White in Tribeca. I would love to see you there! More information about the event can be found on their website here and will be posted on my blog soon.

Let it Shine

Earlier this month I posted an update regarding my collaboration with Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Wordon. Our project began in early 2009 and is in the process of winding down. We each created a book structure that we would all work in, with the main idea of the collaboration being to challenge ourselves creatively. 

My recent post showed the pages I made for Book of Trees, Bridgette's book of plaster pages. I continue to work on the last sets of pages in Contexture, my own book of paper pages, and I will highlight these on my blog in the near future. Today's post is all about Shine, Jen's metal pages. The three pages, back and front, that I contributed to her project follow...

All three projects from the collaboration will be exhibited at the end of July as part of the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival in Chicago. Specific details about the exhibition will be posted soon.

The Zine Scene

Alicia Caudle from Altered Bits has just unveiled her first print zine. Called Altered Bits Mixed Media Art Zine, it is now available for purchase on Lulu, both as a book and (if you cannot wait) a digital download. You can also get it through Amazon. With 46 pages packed with mixed media art from 21 artists, this is sure to be a great addition to your art library. If you have seen Alicia's previous eZines, available here free of charge, then you know just how unique and special this book is.

I am happy to say that one of my artworks is included in her zine. Thanks so much Alicia!!

'The Path' is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

An Object Found

I am happy to announce that my handmade artist book, An Object Found, will be featured as part of the 36th Annual Printmaking Center of NJ Member Exhibition. The exhibition runs from June 11 to August 20. This book will also be exhibited at the New Jersey City University Gallery from September 15 to October 26. 

An Object Found was created for and featured in Pam Carriker's book Art at the Speed of Life. An image of the cover was included in her book but the inside pages are being shown for the first time.

a sudden shower

raining down

a surge of power

an object found

 painter's palette

splattered stains

filled with rhythm

endless chains

An Object Found is also being featured on Top Artists' Directory, where I am Artist of the Week as of June 6th. Thanks Kim!

Available for purchase. Please send email to shap97@gmail.com for additional information.