27 march 2014

paper cut out in snow + aspen branches

Today I went out to a familiar aspen stand with my snow shoes.  Though, I was excited to make some art with the new paper cut-outs I had brought along, I was feeling a little melancholy.  It's been a strained few weeks of turbulence in my personal life- including someone close to me entering hospice.  All of these little connections and moments were floating around in my mind as I maneuvered around the aspen with clunky snowshoes. 

My latest cut-outs are based on "rorschach test" ink blots that I've been making the studio.  I love the process of making ink blots because I am not really in control of what is going to happen.  The dark shapes are funky and unexpected.  They often remind me of the pelvis or vertebrae.  Other times, they reference vessels, insects or stones.  I decided these were the perfect, organic shapes to try for some cut-outs. 

paper cut out + snow, on aspen trunk

As I placed these new, small cut-outs in the snow and breeze, it felt vulnerable.  I feel this often when putting the fragile cut-outs in the out of doors.  Tuning into fragility is purposeful and part of why I take the cut-outs into landscape. However, there was something more poignant for me today as a maker.  I can't exactly see where some of this new work is 'going' just yet.  It's not filled out or quite as strong as some other images I've made.  I can't make out where much of the internal turbulence will smooth out.  And hospice, I know where that ends, but I certainly do not know the 'when'.  So, I was having one of those moments where the overlapping of metaphors were clear but the end results  would have to be waited on and worked out over time. 

paper cut out in aspen with sky

 

blue yarn squiggles + aspen in snow

 

 

 yarn+aspen tops+ sky, storm moving in

 

when I go out to make art in the landscape, I refer to it as 'play in the landscape'.  I am showing up with an open attitude to walk in land, breathe, relax and play with whatever materials and elements of an area catches my attention. 

 

as crazy as it might sound, this activity absolutely thrills me.  i am completely in the moment, just paying attention to what is happening.  it is a happy feeling.

 

it occurred to me on my way to today's play session that it seems to go against everything defined as logic, or common sense, that this activity is what is most important to me.  how can playing with a little bit of yarn in the forest have any relevance in this complicated world? and yet it does.  i am making connections with land and sharing them with others.  capturing imaginations and sometimes connecting hearts; most often connecting my heart to the land and to others who 'get' my work. 

 

so- this activity of creative play in the landscape, may or may not thrill you.  but i beg you, whatever it is that is rapping at your own heart's door, have courage and partake in this important activity; even if it seems unimportant or as simple as taking some yarn into the forest for a brief afternoon.  sometimes we cannot fully understand why we are compelled to do something creative, but we must return to it again and again; to investigate our vision and create connections along the way.

yarn calligraphy tangle in aspen forest, winter
 



autumn, 2013

yarn, bone and autumn color

 

 

 

summer pool, 2013

 summer pool, 22x30, pastel and acrylic on paper

 

summer 2013, paper cut outs

paper cut out with bleached tree root in river

 

paper cut out with bleached tree root in river

 

chrome coated paper cut out in lupine

clouds and rivers- watercolors en plein air

plein air watercolor studies

 

clouds- watercolor en plein air

plein air cloud studies in watercolor

 

summer, plein air drawing

this summer, I took some time to just enjoy the outdoors and create some pastel drawings en plein air. there was something very calming and intriguing about this observational drawing. 

 

 

cloud drawings in studio, may 2013

An exploration of cloud forms on mulberry paper.  These drawings were made as mock ups for an upcoming installation.  I use a projector to trace the cloud forms onto the paper using

charcoal pencil.  The folds in the paper were created to add a sense of sequencing, pages and even maps.  For the installation I envision using much larger strips and filling the walls. A fun experiment.

cloud project, spring 2013

cloud drawing-charcoal pencil on vellum in juniper stump

 

cloud drawing- charcoal pencil on vellum with sandstone, lichen

Spring 2013- Canyonlands National Park

yarn in Mormon tea shrub

yarn circle in Mormon tea shrub





18 march 2013

 

For about a year, I've had this large charcoal drawing of clouds on one of my studio walls-and I mean that- it is drawn directly on the wall.

it's taking up a lot of space, but I can't seem to let the conversation go just yet- there is more to learn and something that is definitely keeping my attention. I'm also just enjoying the elegance of the thin, fragile lines overlapping one another. Recently, I've added a few smaller, cloud drawings on mylar next to the larger drawing- to start a conversation between the two.  I'm enjoying this experiment. more to develop here..... 

As a side note, I've been reading a lot about water policy and issues in the West and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.  The two, environmental writings and a children's series,` would not seem to be related, however in the eleventh book Snicket keeps repeating definitions of the water cycle for precipitation, evaporation/condensation and collection/storage.  He does so in a humorous, though monotonous, way. The water cycle has definitely settled into mind as I explore clouds and water issues and the ephemeral nature of all.

25 february 2013

paper cut-out with hoar frost, willow and sky

paper cut-out with hoar frost and aspen branches

paper cut-out blends into snow and shadows

Cloud Project: 25 february 2013

Cloud Project:  This morning it was -15F and there was a beautiful, early morning fog.  Everything was covered in frost.  Here are few of the cloud project drawings interacting with frosted aspen and a chain link fence.

28-29 September, 2012: ever/present/flow

ever/present/flow- September 29th and 30th, 2012
A collaboration with Coal Creek WatershedCoalition (CCWC).

Last autumn, I collaborated with a local non-profit, CCWC, to create temporary artworks in the landscape along a route that highlighted their recent reclamation and restoration works in the Upper Slate River Watershed.  The artworks were an homage to water that gently noted how water is a great connector of all life.  

A bike tour,  including water and mining reclamation experts, would stop at key positions to talk about progress on cleaning up old mine sites and the state of water in that particular valley.

I had two pieces on site.  The first consisted of 100 blue flags meandering down a hillside in an area where water obviously travels to the Slate River below during the spring run-off.  The second was a group of  three paper cut-outs placed close to the Slate River.  These cut-outs alluded to patterns of water.

This collaboration was significant for me as it was the first time I had a present audience and the artworks were 'happening' for a set time where many people, hiking and biking, could come across my work in the landscape.  Up until this piece, the work occurred in a very private manner and was shared only through photographs.

I approached the CCWC to collaborate because I believe art can add so much to the conversation environmentally-engaged nonprofits are having with their communities.

Soon, we will be meeting again to talk about the possibilities of another artistic collaboration.  I'll keep you posted.

Thanks to Great Big Color of Denver for donating a wonderful chrome coated paper for the cut-outs.

16 Feb 2013

Last autumn, I conceived a new drawing project.  I am inserting small drawings of cloud patterns on vellum or rice paper into the landscape and photo documenting the moment.  I envision doing many of these little interventions in a variety of landscapes or settings. The working title for this series is "The Cloud Project". I will continue to post more of these images here and share the trajectory of the project.

 

 cloud drawing on vellum, charcoal pencil, 

in snowplow track with ice/snow, 2013.

 cloud drawing on vellum, charcoal pencil, with ice/snow, 2013.

cloud drawing on vellum, charcoal pencil, roadside gravel, 2012.

11 February 2013

here are few photos of a new cut-out in the studio.  a faint blue piece of rice paper.  i am excited to see what happens when i put it in the land.  today i was inspired by an interpretation of one of rainer maria rilke's lines:

the knowledge of impermanence
that haunts our days
is their very fragrance.

 the scrap pieces are just as interesting as larger cut-out and will be put into the land, too.

here i've hung the cut-out in progress on the wall with a darker paper behind it to best share the effect.  the pattern is taken from a photo i took of small, spring flowers.   i like how the shapes might be clouds or some other organic, changing form.  

in other news........i am in the process of revamping my blog and the below posts record artworks and inspirations from 2012.  more entries to come.......

Summertime 2012

Even though these nature pics are serene....they both reveal some of the underlying issue of the summer- drought.   The water levels were at historic lows and wildfires were giving the sky a beautiful though peculiar glow, especially at dawn and dusk.  Over the summer, I started to work with the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition, a nonprofit that works to ensure the health of the Coal Creek and Upper Slate Watersheds, to envision site specific artworks to include in a tour of their mining reclamation work in the Slate River Watershed.

Summertime 2012

the patterns and textures of plants.... more inspiration.