To NaNoWriMo or not?

Organizing October is almost over, and I feel much better since the "purge". I was starting to question the wisdom of making assemblage art, with the huge selection of spare parts we artists insist on having around. It's always a conflict, because I'm a minimalist at heart, or I just want to be.

Sometimes it seems like organizing is its very own art form. In any case it's satisfying. Is that the Virgo in me?

I'm toying with the idea of signing up for NaNoWriMo. Have any of you done it before? You have to write a 50,000 word novel start to finish in the month of November. That would be great, but I have gotten about 20,000 words into my first novel --!!!--started in late summer and I'm afraid of diverting my word flow, haha. Sort of like how I decided not to worry about learning Spanish when I was in Costa Rica a long time ago because I hadn't yet acquired  a solid base in French, which I was actively speaking at the time (still am). But it sure would come in handy to be fluent in Spanish, although now I'd prefer Italian and the Spanish would make that a cinch. All I'm trying to say is that there aren't enough hours in the day! So do I go for NNWM?

The photos are from our trip to Chicago in September. My first time there and I was astonished at the design and architectural beauty--love, love, love.

What I'm Doing

What am I doing? Anyone still reading might be wondering, since you haven't heard a sound from this blog in quite a while. 

©Deborah Jaouen 2012

I've been working on finishing a few pieces for my upcoming show, "Nothing is Wasted" that opens at the beginning of October. This fiber collage feels like a departure from the two I made right before it. I dug deep to come up with lots of recycled materials. (here it is when I first started it) What do you think?

 

I'm not sure if I'll make any more right away since I've started on an assemblage series--here's the first one.

©Deborah Jaouen 2012

I have boards prepared for 3 more. I got the idea for this format because these are for 50 Small Works and they have to be under 12" x 12" x 4". I had gotten a little burned out on making extremely small pieces for miniature shows in the past three years, so 12 x 12 sounded good. And it made me think of something I might not have done normally. 

What creative plans do you have for the coming fall (or spring, depending where you live)?

Garden Goodness

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

Decorative gourds that came up from seeds in our compost. Happy accident!

A brown mantis

This area can be tricky for gardening, so it really feels like a miracle when you've successfully grown something. 

Veggies are one of life's miracles. They're a gift to be freely consumed, all while feeling great about eating them and reaping cumulative benefits from all that goodness. 

This summer in our garden, certain members of the nightshade family grew better than others. Nightshades are pretty much all we can grow here--tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant. Did you know that this plant family has evolved to keep from being eaten by insects (which is why we can grow it here) by producing toxins? Hmm, apparently if you're sensitive to these alkaloids, they can cause various problems such as arthritis flare ups.  

One of our resident garden frogs

Don't worry, sweet potatoes don't count as potatoes and they're better for you anyway. I'm not going to stop eating tomatoes any time soon either.

Working

I'm listening very hard these days for the voice, my authentic voice that is. It wants me to make something by combining these two elements.

 
 So even though I can imagine how I'll do it, I can't really picture exactly how it will turn out. But isn't that why we make art? For the surprise and satisfaction of creating something we never even imagined?

On a more down to earth note, I changed my blog's appearance a little--hope it makes for a more pleasant visit. And since I probably haven't lately, I want to thank everyone who reads this. I love your supportive and thought provoking comments!

Hanging Collages

Avoid methodology. If what you're doing is about technique, that's not art. 

(Kay WalkingStick)

canvas on fabric with mixed media, D. Jaouen

 This quote caught my attention--I think you need to know technique so you can forget about it. My temperamental sewing machine is actually giving me what I need these days. I'm wanting a tentative, random feel for the decorative stitching on these two pieces and my difficult machine is perfect for that. It is also managing the construction seams that need to be sturdy and provide strength.

©D. Jaouen

Did I mention I feel like I can sew however I want now, since I've been sewing for many years? Kind of like drawing however I please, scribbling if I want (so there). I'm sure you agree.

Next up, I'm going to start a new painting series soon. I'm excited! What are you up to these days?

Buried and Scrawled Treasure

Welcome to everybody who arrived by way of Seth's blog! I'm reposting a post about an arcane subject--

 Antique Graffiti

Here in our Virginia hotbed of Revolutionary and Civil War vestiges we often read about new archaeological finds. One restoration that caught my eye in view of my fascination with graffiti turns out to be called "Graffiti House" near Culpeper Virginia.

Someone's home was used as a field hospital for the Confederacy, later becoming a headquarters for Federal forces. Soldiers from both sides wrote and drew on the walls, creating a collection of over 200 individual pieces that covers the upstairs rooms from floor to ceiling.

Restorers are attempting to remove the paint and whitewash that subsequent owners used to try to cover up the markings. They also need to stabilize fragile plaster on the walls to preserve the installation of caricatures, messages, autographs and inside jokes.

More antique graffiti: did you know that 18th and 19th century boors messed up the Temple of Dendur?  You can visit it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. photo via Thiago Santos

Gladiator graffiti from the Colosseum in Rome. Sorry about the photo quality, it was very difficult to capture these images due to the low light in this area. Taken by my husband, as I was most probably overwhelmed with the energy lingering within the Colosseum walls, where so many humans and exotic animals lost their lives, all in the name of entertainment. At least the masses were fed with the spoils--rhinoceros, elephant and giraffe steaks were the order of the day.

To see more Roman graffiti, go here

 photo Marine Jaouen

Seal petroglyph near Sooke on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Daily Collage

Well, not quite a daily collage--my second in three days--because the air conditioning in my studio has decided to not get any cooler than 94 degrees every afternoon. So, I'm working on something else in the coolness downstairs. I hope I'll let you know about my new project in the coming months.

I'm having fun with my new inks, nibs and sumi brushes! And using the paper from this old book we got at an estate sale last year.