Process for the brain, eye, and hand: new collages and garden drawings

I am so excited about my work of late! I have been hard at work preparing for my show on November 21st at Imagebox.

My work is going in 2 different but related directions. I've been making brightly colored, abstract, linear collages that morph into organic shapes while also working on a set of colored pencil drawings of lush gardens that grow outside of a mysterious door or gate. These pieces are built up into 3-dimensional layers of paper separated by foam core.

I wonder, what's behind that door? Where is this lush, exotic place? It seems an extension of my interest in Utopian spaces but still relates to the abstract work in terms of color and pattern. It's all very exciting!

I love the multiple step process of creating the intricate drawings and then figuring out how to construct the pop-up parts by cutting into and propping up specific areas. I never know what the finished piece is going to look like; It's a very engaging process for the brain, the eye and the hand.

There is so much that goes into planning an art exhibit- from making the work (the most important part), to marketing it, to finding an exhibit space, to planning the opening celebration details and on and on. My head is spinning.

Spinning in a good way.

Indian Summer

Dear Blog,
I have been neglecting you. I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with my day jobs and getting new art ready for my art show on November 21st. Suddenly, I'm so busy! I haven't even had time lately to stop in for a lazy cup of coffee at any of my favorite haunts. My days are filled with meetings and task lists and calendars while my nights are filled with art-making and planning --not a bad balance. Unfortunately though, I just don't have a lot of energy left over for thinking up interesting ideas to post or even seeking out artists to interview.

For now dear blog, you might have to go on the back burner. Luckily though, the weather is still lovely as we greet November. I have plenty of wildflowers still growing in the yard with which to decorate the house in pretty bouquets. The leaves are at their crimsony, gold, orange and rich brown peak. Yesterday, D and I went to the pumpkin patch and picked out 2 winners!




This picture just says fall to me: it's a loaf of Challah that I baked myself -- In what little spare time I have-- I like to experiment with recipes!


Here's hoping to a bit more free time to talk to you, blog.
xx, Lauren

a rose by any other name

Now that the excitement of the new year and the opening of our show is waning as the days of January slide by....my thoughts are turning towards bright colors, sunlight, and a break from the 10 degree chill outside. It's been such a great start to 2009, despite the shitty economy and my boring day job. D and I rang in the new year at Dish, the lovely little authentic Italian restaurant on the Southside. Our meal started with a pomegranate martini at the bar. We watched as the bartender, a young woman in an adorable cocktail dress with ribbon straps, black bodice and patterned slightly poufy skirt-- concocted our cocktail and then made a twist of lemon rind to decorate the glass. I am a total lightweight where drinking is concerned-- and because neither of us had eaten in awhile in preparation for our glorious meal-- we both had a bit of a buzz after just a few minutes

We were seated at our table and started the feast with a delicious chilled carpaccio appeteazer atop a bed of arugula and fresh shavings of parmigiana. Delish. Next came braised sea scallops with pesto risotto circled by golden and red beets, very good. But the true star of the meal-- was the Osso Buco and luckily, I was the one who ordered it! It was Fantastic, succulent, tendah! It fell off the bone with the lightest touch....it was served with broccolini and risotto and a tomato-y sauce. It was absolutely divine. After dessert, we went home to watch the ball drop on the tube-- but we were both so pleasantly stuffed that we drifted off to a satiated slumber.

2 days later was the opening night reception for the show at Garfield Artworks. It was a super terrific evening and just made me want to make art and show it all the time! I was so happy that so many friends came out and said hello and that my Mom and Jim drove to the Burgh for the weekend. I was truly on high. And I got some interesting and much needed feedback about the pieces I showed.
I went to the studio to do work but it is so freezing there-- the kind of cold that gets into your bones and stays-- that I had to bring a huge bag full of materials home. I am becoming a nomadic artist-- shifting from the dining room table, to the spare bedroom and back again and every where I go, I leave a trail of books, kneaded eraser, exacto knife, paper and little shards of cut papers. Which is ironic because I feel like I'm always cleaning up and straightening up- and it's always my stuff that's all over the house and not my partner in crime whose main mess is in his office.

I am lately thinking into the future and hoping, wishing, wanting to focus more on the art part of my life-- I keep saying that and yet-- the art part seems to be the difficult part because it requires a lot of brain power and dedication and focus, and self-confidence. As in, I am right now making something- but I have to suspend judgement about it because it may be just a little nothing that leads me to the thing that leads me to the really cool thing that becomes something. It requires a certain type of unique patience that must be cultivated and that I'm not sure I have quite yet. But, I'm working on it.

an afternoon at Phipps

An afternoon spent at Phipps Botanical Gardens sparked my green thumb to life. I love these flowering trees of spring. This one was so gorgeous.

Orchids are such cool flowers. They have such personality. Each one looks like a miniature and intricate work of art.

This is a living wreath. I would love to make one of these to hang on the front door. It uses another of my favorite kind of plants-- sedums or hens and chicks.

As for me, I have been getting into watching The Wire -- we just finished watching Season 1 and now are eagerly awaiting the next netflick shipment. This show is so smart and gritty. I love it!
Working at the theatre 3 days a week for the summer so that I can be in my studio while the weather is warm.
Making new work and revisiting some old things which might morph into new things.
Thinking about photography and sculpture and bright colors and 3 dimensionality.
Trying to read Jumpa Lahiri's new novel but I keep getting interrupted.
Voted in the PA primary today.
Thought about Earth Day and how screwed up the world is right now.
Trying not to eat bread or baked goods in observance of Passover (boy is this hard!!)
Making plans for this year's garden, I have a list about 10 items long.....
Happy Earth Day

There's Nothing Better Than......

I often find myself saying this phrase when I really like something. Here are some examples:

there's nothing better than getting into a bed freshly made with crispy clean sheets.
there's nothing better than a hot latte in a fancy big cup at a cozy cafe.
etc etc

weekend wonders

All weekend I worked on putting a press kit together so that I can start sending my work out to galleries. I ordered new business cards and they are due in around Feb.21. I polished up my artist c.v. and artist statement. Best of all I was looking online to gather ideas for business cards and letterhead and came across this flickr collection.

yummy stuff

I have been loving this tea lately! It smells divine and no matter how long you leave the tea bag in- the flavor just keeps getting better. They have a really cute website too!

I feel very professional and accomplished today! I ordered brand spankin new business cards and put all my finances in order and even made some calls I've been putting off for awhile. It is so nice to have a day off and catch up on stuff. I had a good night's sleep last night which is always helpful too. I decided I need to update all my art related business stuff-- new press kit, new postcards, etc etc. New year- new stuff.

Tonight, I'm exciting to see and hear D perform at this event

I have been knitting this really cute jumper from the Holiday 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting, forever. Everyone at work is asking when I'm going to finish it so they can see it on me-- and I'm so close to finishing. I have the top and bottom hems and sewing all the pieces together. Almost, almost.

Here's to a happy and productive weekend y'all!

a series of little tiny epiphanies

I wish I could take credit for the cupcakes above but the image is from Martha Stewart-- click on the pic for the recipe and original site.

It's a cold snowy morning this morning. I am bundled up in my chunky knit scarf with a hottie mug o' coffee. Today is a very special day, D's birthday!!!!
Aside from birthday festivities and having to work this afternoon, my mind is hard at work!
I've been thinking about professional accomplishments I have made and would like to make in the coming year. I'm making a list and checking it twice. One of those is creating a class proposal to take to some of the local art establishments around town. Something having to do with collage-making and non-traditional books. Something clicked into place in the last couple of days-- a need to push myself in a certain direction and become very focused. I feel excited about it. Tomorrow- I signed up for a creativity symposium with some guest speakers. I have no idea what to expect but will let you know how it goes!

would you like soup with those two whole garlics?

or more adventures in the kitchen with lauren. So, I made a roasted acorn squash and garlic soup. I cut the recipe in half and used 1.5 squash and 2 heads of garlic. I roasted everything in the wrong kind of pan (heavy cast iron-- got too hot) so many of the cloves burned, then I blended all ingredients in the blender and it came out a roasted orange garlicy pulpy concoction. So, tonight's mission was to doctor the soup and make it yummy fall fare. I added a a few things including some stock to thin it and then I added maple syrup and put it back in the blender. It is much improved!

I totally exhausted myself today running errands and then re-potting some plants that had outgrown their original housing. Don't ask me why I felt the need when fall is around the corner. The beautification process never ceases! Also, I really wanted to get some yellow mums for the front porch- which I accomplished today. Yesterday I planted some bulbs in the garden.

Things I love about fall:
sweaters
leaves changing color
pumpkins
cool evenings
hot drinks
the halloween edition of Martha Stewart's holiday magazine

Other things I am loving right now:
3 tiered cake plates
ice water with a twist of lemon
cupcakes
gourmet cooking
fresh flowers
cooking with fresh herbs
a slice of pear with blue cheese
a cool refreshing shower after a hot sweaty day

Today, I took D for a treat. A mid afternoon chocolate crepe and cafe au lait at our favorite creperie- Crepes Parisienne.
I love it! It's so decadent.

ah time for bed

ps: last week I volunteered at a party for work. Mostly, I ate the hors d' ouerves and wandered around the unbelievable 2.5 million dollar private home where the party took place. It was UNreal. It's called the Smart House and is a U or V shaped home perched on top of Mt. Washington with an amazing view of the city. One leg of the inside of the V is entirely made of glass. When you're on the patio on the 4th floor you look out to see the backyard complete with infinity pool, koi pond, fire pits, garden, the cityscape beyond, and all the incredible views into the house. It's a voyeur's delight. Every bathroom had a designer bowl sink. There was a dance floor, dj booth, workout room, sauna, gigundous walk in closet along the lines of Oprah's and a laundry room to die for-- not to mention all of the fancy furnishings and lighting fixtures.
Remind me to describe more of this later!!

Inspiration

This lettering by Me Up a Tree was the illustration for William Saffire's On Language Column in the Magazine section of the NY Times. I clipped it out and took it to my studio to study over for awhile. There were a couple of things in the paper this week that I clipped out and added to my inspiration collection.



I love this painting by Karl Benjamin, "Black Pillars," 1957. from another article in the NYtimes, "California Flaunts its Designs with Cool." I would love to see these exhibits at LACMA and the Orange County Museum of Art which focus on California's art scene in the 60's-70's and 50's.



Last but not least, I would love love love to see these collages by Mark Bradford up close and personal. They look so textured and layered even through my flat computer screen...I feel an art trip to NY coming soon! the picture came from here.

the starving artist budget

Yesterday as I was strolling around Target with two of my pals who are theatre people, we were all lamenting the fact that we wanted a lot of things and didn't have the cash flow to get them. On one hand, it made me feel better that my friends and I are in a similar boat- that we are all aspiring artists in different fields and that means sacrifices in some areas to allow room for surplus in others. Still though, it's very frustrating when I think about all the different ways I could spend a hundred dollars and then realize we have no food in the house. As an artist, I have to remind myself that the most fulfilling thing I can do is to create and bring something of myself out into the world-- and follow my dream instead of consume. But damn, is it hard! I just keep telling myself that it will not always be this way. At some point, I will be doing what I envision in my mind and getting paid for it.