Subconscious Art Practice

In the privacy of a studio, it’s easy to do work for fun, for the id of it, for the beauty or color of it. These three expressive abstract paintings were inspired by the color contrast, and the song “Low Tide” by XY&O, from Shimmer & Shade. They will show for the first time at TAG’s first Small Works Holiday Show, opening Dec. 1 (TBA). They are available then for $200, or $75 each.

Silk Lines, Acrylic on Canvas, 6in x 6in, 2018

Silk Lines, Acrylic on Canvas, 6in x 6in, 2018

Silk Lines II

Silk Lines II

Silk Lines III

Silk Lines III

Facebook is a nostalgic medium. It reminds us of what we found important years ago. Today Facebook produced an outlier for my art practice, an abstract watercolor I held on to for many years, never wanting to finish it. In 2016 I did a lot of marker work, and decided it was done. I gave it to my husband, because he loved it, and it reminds him of my life. Today I called it “Like a River” because so many of the themes in this piece have reoccurred in my art practice. Inside Imagi.Life Shop is a four-wall mural of water; An ocean, a dam, a river, and a reservoir. The second aspect I took from this work today, is that much of it was motivated by subconscious desires. Most of my paintings are a result of research and evidence, but for work like this I let myself make any shape, any form, that I enjoy.

Like a River, 6in x 9in, Private Collection, 2016

Like a River, 6in x 9in, Private Collection, 2016

The Harmon Brothers, who I had the pleasure of meeting at VidSummit this year, made a great video about the importance of tapping into our subconscious creativity:

Your Subconscious is your Super Power https://www.facebook.com/sellnotsellout/videos/2135479813336176/

Mother Art Show, Sayville, NY

If you are in the Sayville, NY Friday night, please stop in and see the Mother Art Show opening!   I can't wait to see all the work at Mother Art Show in pictures, or later this month.  The following paintings were accepted:

Blue Earth, Acrylic, Oil, and Ink on Linen, 40 x 40 in, 2016

Blue Earth, Acrylic, Oil, and Ink on Linen, 40 x 40 in, 2016

Blue Earth was inspired by the song “Ship to Wreck” by Florence + Machine. In the part where she says she can’t help but wrap the earth around her, I pictured children doing just that.  I had done a project with my son illustrating the earth, and found it both simple and profound.

This was in a show at TAG Gallery, L.A. in January 2017, Blue Earth, which addressed resistance to the newly elected federal administration on fossil fuel expansion, and social justice.  I didn't have many people talk to me about the details of this painting, but one man assumed that the children represented here were African, so I added the silver swoosh to show that these two black children represent American children affected by climate change, and bad policies surrounding public water in neighborhoods. 

In L.A., local politicians have suppressed medical data showing the toxicity of gasoline fumes around oil refineries.  We need more people and businesses and banks to demand the shut down of polluting refineries in low income neighborhoods, and pipelines on Indian lands, or under Midwestern rivers, and to stop bomb trains transporting lethal fuels for other countries.

Many of the people affected by the pollution of oil and gas do not have enough political or economic power to change our policies, and we need to elect those who speak up and pressure our peers to turn on renewables, remake our cities and towns for affordable, clean energy, and turn off poisonous fossil fuels.  Even some Republicans have observed that there are no other options for humankind, and know climate change is real, and understand that the consensus among the majority of scientists on this, and the rest of the world, is meaningful.  Lancaster, CA elected a Republican Mayor that is leading on solar power independence.  Germany has invested in solar and successfully changed it's energy profile with the help of government direction.

The moss covered blanket was inspired by materials in my studio, and is painted with oils over acrylic.  The gold book is purposefully tilted to show the unstable and threatening way some people, motivated by fossil fuel profits, attack science and evidence about climate change.  

Recent News: Fracking co moves to low income neighborhood

Protector II, Acrylic and Ink on Board, 2016

Protector II, Acrylic and Ink on Board, 2016

Protector II is a self-portrait of me with my son, who loves reusing and recycling, and stated that he was a conservationist when he was 11.  The W stands for the amazing photographer Denise Winters, who captured this portrait of us.  Protector II is part of my Twogether series that emphasizes the importance of intimate relationships, and how people protect each other.  "Protectionism" has negative associations in gender and international relationships, but we live in an increasingly challenging world of disappearing resources and wealth inequality, in addition to the historic, systemic injustices people endure, that began before the added stress of climate change, Globalization, and 9-11. 

More and more we need to protect ourselves and our communities, our children, and vulnerable people from dehumanizing forces, we need to protect Democracy.   Loneliness, hate and violence are affecting our youth like never before, as a society we need to provide them with education, skills, and empathy, to build a an increasingly sustainable and more compassionate world. 

 

motherartshow.jpg

Mother Art Show

May 4 - 24, 2018

Diary Improv tonight!

Nicole Schubert, producer, freelance writer and published author of YA novel Blue Harps Green generously invited me to read my 15-year old diary for the collaborative improv she and so many talented comedians produce each month!  It is the Westside Comedy Theater's Diary Improv. I was also inspired to illustrate that girl (below) who catalogued so many stories about small town life. The entrepreneur and talented Samantha Heilig is also reading tonight.  We don't know who will read first until tonight!

ARTISTS' TALK & #COURAGERESISTANCE

Please join us as TAG hosts our Artists' Panel followed by a #courageresistance meeting this Saturday (1/14) at 3pm. 

My show Blue Earth is up now, along with Tom Wheeler’s Light Lab 2017 and TAG’s New Artists for this year.

Blue Earth and Light Lab 2017 is on display until January 21, with a Closing Reception from 5-8.

For directions visit: taggallery.com

ARTISTS' TALK & #COURAGERESISTANCE SAT 1/14 3PM

January 11, 2017 I joined TAG Gallery this year, and it is a non-profit artists’ collective that runs just like a privately owned gallery. It is such a wonderful fit for my work, and I enjoy that the sales that happen there benefit artists and the local community.

Most of the galleries at Bergamot are privately owned and also include high quality work. The community has an opening happening almost every night!  Bergamot has a full-menu cafe. Many galleries have closed because a Metro-Rail stop went in there.  A whole set of buildings was eliminated for it.  TAG Gallery is in the planning stages to move soon, because the rents have increased.

TwoGether 2016 Postponed to 2017

I, recommend biting off more than you can chew to anyone, I certainly do.

Alanis Morisette, You Learn

The exhibition we were planning for early June has been postponed indefinitely.  We got off to a good start, but we did not get enough commitments to justify the amount of work it would take to pull off a significant exhibition.  Hopefully, we can build on the work we've started and create an exhibition that will benefit humanistic art, in L.A. or NYC.  2017.

 

 

Publishing

New Jersey's SCORE professional education series class "The 6 Steps Plan to e-Publishing," by children's author Ally Nathaniel lit a fire under me this week.  Nathanial has published many beautiful and thoughtful children's books through Amazon, at least one of which fulfills the recent critical opining that children's literature is sorely lacking images of people of color.  I enjoyed a copy of My Spring Day last night. http://amzn.to/1nZUY5S

Another author and accomplished illustrator who includes diversity in her work is Elizabeth Sayles.  I really enjoyed and recommend her recent illustrated book Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree by Jane Kohuth. http://amzn.to/1uCzBrP  And I've preordered What Mary Jo Shared.

I've been inspired to publish old artists books I made and create new books for fun and to market my own work. 

 

Max Beckmann and CSUN

The past few weeks I've been feverishly working to finish Lynn Lampert's order for a study of Max Beckmann's Synagogue.  Lynn is CSUN Oviat Library's Interim Assoc. Dean, historian, and voracious reader.  It was thrilling for me to deliver a crated painting to her Friday and we were both excited to see it hanging in her office by lunchtime.  She has admired Beckmann's work since the 1990s, especially the St. Louis' Museums collection of this prolific German Expressionist.  I was awed by the physicality of his technique and curious about the symbolism and realism I found copying his work. I'll write more about this in the week. 

I also need to say how shocked and sad I am about the hazing victim at CSUN last week--I hope the fraternity is held deeply accountable in order to prevent more of these deaths..