3rd Annual Artist Retreat - Tuesday part 2

While pondering what to do with the triple circle piece yesterday, before the tearing began, I walked around the studio a bit to clear my mind.

Intrigued by the swirls on the copper, those reflected in the mirror and the rusted ones on the paper hanging next to the mirror, I took this shot. As I turned to go back to my rusty bohemoth, circles began catching my eye. They were everywhere I looked!

Pam got a good chuckle when showed the photos and even pointed out a few that I'd missed.

In case you're wondering what Pam was doing while I was engrossed in circles and going on a tear, well...she was creating the most amazing water.  Part of her photos are edited and I want to get them all ready before posting. Believe me, it will be worth the wait.

3rd Annual Artist Retreat - Tuesday part 1

One could say that I was on a tear Tuesday. And one would be right. However...yes, there is a twist...my definition of the idiom varies a bit.

With 3 pieces collaged and set aside, I decided to go really big and work on the triple circles.

So...it was hung this way. No whispering from the muses.

Then it was hung this way. Still no whispering from the muses, yet a giggle or two did escape and I could swear the phrase looks like boobs in the middle was uttered. After sitting, staring, sighing and only being able to see boobs in the middle, I decided to go on a tear and

voila! 1 became 2. The muses were happy. Esmerelda and Cecil were starting to dance. I pondered, viewed the pieces from varying angles, pondered some more and decided to go on another tear.

1 had become 2 had become 9. By now Esmerelda was fairly twirling in place and demanding more.

So, I gave her more. The triple circle piece went from being one huge, boob filled, overwhelming yet not very exciting piece to 16 squares full of energy, interest, focus and movement. And this is much closer to my vision of how the rusty fabrics should be displayed.

Imagine a set of 9 or 16 or 25...or even a simple row...of fragments of circles. That's my vision. Focus on the marks rather than the rust. Cotton is my palette, rust is my medium.

Phew! How's that for a Tuesday's worth of work?

3rd Annual Artist Retreat - Monday part 2

What to say about our Monday? It was a blast! As mentioned in part 1, the previous first day of our retreats have been total disasters. Truly. Whatever Pam and I tried just didn't work and didn't work on a huge scale. At some point late in each day, we'd stop, think, discuss and light upon a plan that, in the end, was the right one.

This year, my plan was to figure out what to do with my rusty fabrics and to go home, not just with ideas, but with the bones of pieces that can be completed later. 

 After a show and tell

 of the rusty sort

we each set to work. Pam in the annex and me at the display board.

Inspired by the way two of the fabrics were laid on the floor [see second photo], I started with the rectangular grid piece. It went through several iterations before arriving at this one. Pieces are pinned and a bit of hand stitching may be needed, but the bones are there. So...here's #1.

#2 went through two or three versions before keep it simple starting playing in my mind. So, I did.

Meanwhile, in the annex, Pam was painting on a lovely translucent cloth that is scrumptious...

and has me wondering how it would rust, truth be told.

In between, in those moments of rest or just times when it was necessary to step away, we played with...what else?...rusty bits. And paper. And tea.

And talked of Fiona and Susan, wondering what they would think of our experiments.

At the end of the day, we were tired yet thrilled with the progress we'd each made.

#3 was pinned and hanging, waiting for a final decision to be made while

water and words danced in the annex.

3rd Annual Artist Retreat - Monday part 1

Greetings from Kansas!

The 3rd annual artist retreat got underway yesterday by bucking tradition a bit. The first day of the previous retreats have been disastrous days...plans were made of what to do, we did it, it turned out awful, we'd regroup, rethink and that's when the magic would begin. Yesterday, thankfully, the magic was already in the air and simply waiting for us. More on that soon.

First a glimpse of what Pam has been up to lately.

What a week

You know how usually once spring and summer hit Mother Nature likes to play with us and have the weekdays be gorgeous and the weekends be rainy? Well, the cycle is mixed up here - we've rain during the week with bright, warm, sunny weekends. And that is good. 

However, all the rain has left me feeling a bit moldy...

until the other day when I began to feel a bit rusty too.

So did Ellie, now that I think about it.

Even the stripeys were feeling soggy and rusty, dreaming of sunny days to come.

The paper seemed to thrive in our tropical climate and soaked it all up without complaint.

Nice and dry inside, I began to pack

 

my rusty bag for Sunday's trip to Oz

 

which left the studio walls empty and waiting for new work.

The proposal for a 2013 solo show at Silvermine Arts Center was completed and delivered.

Ellie and Grace got to see mommy's art hanging somewhere other than in her studio.

The best part was attempting to blow the metal pinwheel gracing Silvermine's entrance into movement. 

The wind came to their aid and helped set it to moving.

I decided to pack my green and black tea and rain rusted paper. 

They'll ride in suitcase tomorrow

while these bundled beauties get to relax all week.

Next post will be from Pam's. Have a great week!

5 days

The countdown is on. The clock is ticking. 5 more days until I board the first of two airplanes that will take me to Kansas. Can I tell you just how much I'm looking forward to this? To our 3rd annual artist retreat...to a week with a very dear friend...to a week of being able to think and speak coherently [little urchins are staying home with Dad]...to a week of art...to a week of breathing.

Yes. The countdown is on. I'm sitting here in the studio listening to rain falling, to birds chattering, to cars driving by and for the sound of little urchins' stumbling footsteps as they come down the hall to the studio where they know mommy will be.

I should be writing the proposal for Silvermine. It's due on Friday, after all. Yikes! Then again, there's velcro to be pinned to the 5 large rust beauties. There's green tea #3 to be peaked at to see if the time is right for unbundling. There's....well, there's a lot.

Yet here I sit, remembering last year's artist retreat. How we'd planned to do one thing, tried it and failed miserably. Regrouped the next day and ended up giving ourselves over to the studio muses, Esmerelda and Cecil are their names, but that's a story for another day.

I ended up taking over Pam's printing tables [that's her in the doorway]

 and printing yards

 and yards [there are 6 of these 4 ft x 12 ft pieces behind me in the closet...patiently wait]

 of cotton 

and organza.

I even got the most delicious lines of from monoprinting all of the paint off of the holey fabric that produced the multitude of circles.

That was last year's artist retreat. While most of those pieces are resting comfortably, biding their time, knowing that one day their bin will be opened and I'll reach in, a few have been rusted.

 So now there are layers

 

 and layers

 of circles.

Hmmm...wonder what would happen if I printed over the already rusted prints to add a 3rd layer of circles? Just a thought...

Green tea vs red tea

Friday morning began as my usual garden variety Friday morning. Get up, fix tea, head to the studio to blog surf and answer emails, hit the shower, get the girls ready for preschool, go to Starbucks for a chai, come back home to Skype with Pam.

Along the way...just minutes before our Skype session was due to begin...I had my usual springtime sobbing breakdown to my husband about the changing light, the closed in feeling in the house and yard, the girls driving me batty, being homesick for the Washington, DC area, not being able to go outside with the girls without the resulting skull splitting headaches from whatever is still blooming, blah, blah, blah... It all came out in a torrent that was unstoppable and, unfortunately, totally predictable. All the gloomy feelings had finally built up inside and were demanding to be set free.

Now in our 6th year living here, my husband is accustomed to my springtime behavior. He handled it admirably. Even had a few suggestions - like go to the doctor about what's blooming and the headaches. Well...duh...why hadn't I thought of that? Seriously. Why hadn't I thought of it?

Anyway...that's how my morning began and then it was time to Skype with Pam. So there I sat, all splotchy from crying and still sort of leaking from my eyes, admitting the whole episode to my dear friend. We discussed moving next year's artist retreat to April in hopes that it will help alleviate my ennui, et al. I showed her the boxes of my rusty fabrics packed and ready to go.

As we talked about what we'd each like to do next week when we're together, Pam inquired about the red tea and how it was doing. I reached to the table behind me for the bundle and unwrapped it.

 red tea #1, 30" x 72"

It turned out nice. The white cotton dyed a bit more amber-ish than those where black tea was used. Still, it looks a lot like the black tea pieces.

Pam showed what she'd experimented with during the week. Oh! Just wait til I get there. Hopefully, she'll let me take photos and post them. She has been having the most exquisite fun!

As we continued chatting, the sound of Pam's doorbell ringing could be heard via cyberspace. She stepped away to answer the door and I reached behind me again. This time to heft green tea #2 onto the work table. 

 My curiosity was just too strong

so I began to unwrap it while waiting for Pam's return.

She soon rejoined me and the sounds of her oohs and aahs were music to my ears.

No one else has ever been present during the unwrapping and unbundling process.

In fact, it usually takes place in the early morning while everyone else is sleeping.

green tea #2, 60" x 72"

And is case you're wondering how green tea compares with red tea...

red tea #1    -     green tea #2    -    green tea #1

Green tea #2 was still damp in the photo, but even dry it is still a good bit darker than green tea #1. More tea bags were used and it rusted longer. 

Somewhere toward the end of our Skype session, Pam commented that we really need to get our husbands to move so we can be closer to each other or we need to find studio space that we can share. Somewhere that we can travel to easily, that can be padlocked when neither of us are there, by water preferably, with high ceilings and huge open space so we can work large. I suggested a loft space with a kitchen and bedroom area so we can live in it also when there rather than having to stay in a hotel. 

We need an affordable time share studio space. Yes. That's it. Somewhere between Kansas and Connecticut [Sorry Fiona. Australia is just a tad too far.] where we can meet to work together and explore new ideas. So...it's out there now...in the universe and cyberspace. If you know of anything, please, please, please let me know.

Speaking of Fiona of Paper Ponderings...Barry, her husband and author of Rustnstuff, was in the hospital for a few days. If you have time, send some healing thoughts in his direction.

Oh! Almost forgot...my post on Searching for Roy G Biv - Red turned into a bit of contest to see who could identify the objects in my photos. Three were pretty obvious, but 2 weren't. Julie got a 4th right - the metal tags - while Fiona got the last one - the Picasso quote stamped on wrapping paper. Each will be sent a rusty fabric...once I'm reunited with them next week at Pam's.

Lots to do before this week before boarding the airplane that will whisk me off to Oz bright and early next Sunday morning. Stay tuned!