Tools of the Trade

The Court of Common Pleas

I am continuing to create new mixed media work for Artexpo New York. This art fair, which has been taking place in NYC for 35 consecutive years, will take place from April 4-6 on Pier 94. Over 400 artists and galleries will be exhibiting and more than 17,000 people have already preregistered online to attend.

I will be filling my booth with several different series of artwork with the common element being the inclusion of found objects, often blended with altered hardware and commercial embellishments.

The inspiration behind my most recently completed piece, The Court of Common Pleas, was two identical, antique gold Regal Wreath pendants from A Gilded Life, one of the new line of products from Spellbinders.

Also included are vintage book covers, vintage tintypes, found and altered metal, vintage paper, and fabric fragments -- all mounted on a hand-painted, cradled wood panel.

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Please contact me if you are able to attend so that I can provide you with complementary tickets. I will be in booth S210 all three days and hope to see some of you there!

It is Crystal Clear

Artist Crystal Neubauer has recently started a series of guest artist projects on her blog Other People's Flowers that focus on different aspects of being an artist today.

Every Monday for 10 weeks, Crystal is sharing the Redemption Stories from a series of 10 different artists: Jan Avellana, Grace Carol Bomer, Beth Morey, Amanda Jolley, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, Kelly Williams, Trish Baldwin, Sue Simpson, Robin Norgren, and Tessa Emie (Moore).

Over the course of 10 Wednesdays, Crystal is highlighting the Studio Spaces of the following 10 artists: Tonia Jenny, Sue Stover, Michel Fletcher, Jason Twiggy Lott, Patrica Oblack, Laura Lein Svencner, Tye Johnson, Anca Bonner, Leslie Avon Miller, and Kristina Honn-Trudell.

On Fridays for 10 weeks, Crystal is shining the light on Found Object collections. Today is my day to be featured. The other 9 artists sharing their finds are K Wayne Thornley, Rick Farrell, Mary Beth Shaw, Kariann Blank, Wen Redmond, Shary Bartlett, Deryn Mentock, Donna Zarbin-Byrne, and Barbara Buckles.

I for one love these types of posts that open a window into the workings of an artist. Thanks for all the work you did to put this together Crystal and thank you for including me.

Time After Time

I have the privilege of being one of the ten artists participating in the Great Grafix Challenge, hosted by Interweave and Cloth Paper Scissors. I was provided with a series of products from Grafix, a company that manufactures some truly unique products such as Frisket Film, Drafting Film, Shrink Film, and Rub-onz Transfer Film, the product that I chose to use.

I like to take commercial products and apply a twist to make them my own. So when I saw the Rub-onz Transfer Film, I knew that this was the item I would build my artwork around. Rather than altering a commercial rub-on, I could create my own.

The basis for this piece was a photograph I took of a vintage clock face...

that I turned into a rub-on using the product. I also creating a rub-on for the text on the piece, which is also the title: Time After Time. I thought this was the perfect name as the piece is not only made up of the clock, but also of stacks of rusty, found metal objects -- themselves naturally impacted by time.

You can see all the creations from all the participants in the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, which will be available for purchase soon. If you cannot wait for your print copy, you can download the digital version right now here.

Lifecycle...

One of my most favorite ingredients to use in my artwork are found objects. In fact, sometimes I think the process of hunting for and finding discarded and forgotten items is more fun than actually using them. And once I start sharing stories about the hunt, I could go on forever. 

In the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors I get to do all that and more!  

July/August issue

Turn to page 68 and you will find my feature The Lifecycle of a Found Object. Maybe it should have been titled All You Wanted to Know About Found Objects* But Were Afraid to Ask.

In this article you will see photos of the hunt and of some of my favorite finds, a list of my favorite haunts in NYC to hunt for the goods, my thoughts as to why found objects are so popular, and 3 artworks created primarily with found objects.  

Pacifist

Sold. Thank you!

In View

Available in my Etsy shop.

You will also find a list of 3 of my favorite commercial products to use to alter the surface patina of found metal objects -- with before and after photos included. Now that is my kind of reveal!

Outerspace

First Shot

Four Score

Use Your Words

Sold. Thank you!

Orbit

Sold. Thank you!

Last Chance

Iris - Sold. Thank you!

Minerva - Sold. Thank you!

All items available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy

One of Each

New additions to my ongoing series...

Airhead - Sold. Thank you!

Silly & Daft

Concordia - Sold. Thank you!

Goddess of Harmony & Understanding

Phoenix - Sold. Thank you!

The Constellation of the Mythical Bird

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Editional Additions

New Additions

Cepheus

Lyra

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New Editions

Coelus

(Sold. Thank you!)

Themis

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

It's Elemental, my dear Watson

Over the last few months,  I have completed a new series of mixed media originals. Called Elemental, this collection brings me back to the basics: starkly simple, spare, fundamental.

Texture: rough and distressed. What lies underneath.

Color: pale blues, greys, and whites. Sky and sea.

Shape: lines, circles, and crosses. My favorites.

Image: photographic elements. Abstract fields.

Detail: metal and rubber. Found and unfound.

Each piece of the series is one-of-a-kind and has been created on cold press watercolor paper, handmade in Montreal at the Papeterie Saint Armand. The background is highly textured and layered with hand-mixed, acrylic paint and every color field in the series is a unique shade. Making use of the horizon line as an anchor, the artwork also includes original photographic images as well as metal and/or rubber elements. Each piece measures approximately It 10" x 7 1/2".

Elemental I

Elemental II
(Sold. Thank you)

Elemental III

Elemental IV

Elemental V
(Sold. Thank you)

Elemental VI

Elemental VII
(Sold. Thank you)

Elemental VIII
(Sold. Thank you)

Elemental IX

Elemental is highlighted as the November exhibition on the Virtual TART site, an art website organized by artist Dale Copeland and based in New Zealand. You can see the exhibition only during the month of November by clicking here.

All pieces are available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy