The Lovely Pipes

Black aluminum vase from recycled pipe, 2010, Paula McCullough

If you're never been to PaulaArt's etsy shop, you are in for a treat! Besides a whole variety of vases made from reclaimed pipe, this talented artist has created candle holders and clocks from found materials like railroad fish tie plates and rusted railroad nuts.

I love these industrial and rustic materials used in sophisticated ways to showcase their wabi-sabi qualities. If you're into wood, you will not be disappointed, as Paula is offering a series of collectible assemblages from reclaimed pieces of redwood.

Check out Paula's blog too. She's inspiring!

p.s. That vase in the photo is MINE now! the precioussssss

New Work--at last!

Scarification, 2010, 18x24"

Golden State, 2010, 18x24"

I finished these two a couple weeks ago. They're 3D collages on stretched canvas using paint, fabric and paper. Both are 18x24" even though they seem larger. And I really do wish they were larger...

I stopped working large when the economy went south, although that's where my real preference lies. Actually, I stopped making anything to hang on the wall and began working with assemblage, a choice which had nothing to do with sales/non-sales. It's just the direction I'm being pulled in right now.

Are any of your current formats or media choices linked to the soft art sales of our current times? Or do you not let it bother you, instead building up inventory for better times?

Buried Treasure

It's time for Buried Treasure! Seth over at The Altered Page is doing a project that encourages bloggers to dig through their archives for lost nuggets that can then be reaccessed by readers looking through Seth's blog list post today.

Although my archives are easily perused as I've only been blogging since March, I've rooted around and come up with this post: Texturaphilia, if you want to see the original post.

I didn't do any cropping or fixing the lighting or color afterward, so these photos make me happy!

Camaieu

Freshly picked!

Old farmhouse shutter

Heat loving baby birds

In the paintings from my not so distant past, I had a heavy hand with color--lots of it, and all at once. You really should now be marveling (yeah right) at my newly restrained notion of using color. Picking just a few colors actually makes sense to me now.

My new favorite color is blueberry--Payne's gray is another, so there could be some interesting things happening there, probably in painting my house interior. Not my favorite chore, but it's another of the delights of a hot, humid summer.

I found a shutter from a mid 1800's farmhouse today when we went blueberry picking. It has some really cool color layers and I hope I can turn it into something!

camaieu- image using shades of a single color

West Indian Market

A comment on my texture post reminded me how fascinating markets can be as a source of inspiration. Thanks Cynthia! Back in the days when I was painting plein air watercolors, I did a series based on our local market. The Marigot market sold fish, fruit and vegetables, spices and handicrafts. The crafts were some cool stuff--among the usual tourist trappish merchandise you could find original jewelry, papier mache birds and animals and painted tin items.

"Farmer's market" conjures up such refined and safe images to me. I can tell you that this was not that kind of market! The vendors and shoppers were as fascinating and diverse as the wares. In order to take any pictures that could possibly include a West Indian person, you first had to cajole and charm to obtain permission . That usually failed and I was known to "sneak a shot and run", not that I recommend that heart stopping method. The residents of St. Martin, the island where we lived (as well as every other Caribbean island) are fiercely protective of their identity and do not take their self image lightly.

I was thinking about the ubiquitous Caribbean straw hats and totes painstakingly lined with rice bags as I worked on one of my 3D collages. I'm using sewn rice bags in my new work as a nod to my sewing roots and to Caribbean women (and men) and their craft work. They were elevating the materials long before it was popular in Chelsea galleries!

These images aren't that great (reference photos taken on the sly and scanned by non-expert scanner me) but they do give you the idea.

Shameless

Yes, I am shameless. I'm going to ask you all to "like" me, if you don't already. Yes, you heard right--don't be shy, go right over to Facebook please and Like My Page!

Thanks ever so much!

Here's the link.

Orientation Poll

Scarification, 18x24", mixed media collage on canvas, 2010

Scarification, 24x18", mixed media collage on canvas, 2010

Please let me know your opinion on which way you think this piece should be oriented. Horizontal (top version) or vertical (bottom version).

Now to finish its companion piece, which may or may not "go" with it.