Artistic "Borrowing"

I was reading the Summer 2010 issue of Somerset Studio Gallery and was just jaw-dropping stunned when I read the tip offered by author Shannon Sawyer.  In reference to using another artist's work, "even from a nationwide magazine," she advises, "It is best to either manipulate their work until it is unrecognizable or at the very least be sure to give credit where credit is due.  List their name as the artist for whatever it is you're including in your piece."  She does not suggest you get the permission of the artist, just try to disguise it and pass it of as your own or make a note of the real artist's name somewhere.

Is she kidding?  What was the editor thinking?!?  So it's OK for me to take an image of Charlie Brown, give him a Hitler mustache, a pair of butterfly wings, a crown and draw some hair on him, submit it for publication, mention Charles Schultz name as the original artist and suggest this is appropriate?   Maybe just hope that no one recognizes the Charlie Brown under the disguise?  I bet Mr. Schultz's family would be just thrilled with that, eh?  The author appears to justify using the work of another artist's (copyrighted) work to create ATC's and publish them because she's seen other people do the same thing.  Wow.  I've seen a lot of people run red lights...


Is it just me?  Something seems terribly wrong with this advice.  Boy, I'm really cranky about this today!

Taking the Big Step

I did it.  I mailed the canvases to the Art House.  It's the first time in my life that I've done something like this and I have such an overwhelming sense of it being OK and not getting an ulcer.  This is very exciting!

Contributors to this project were informed that if the pieces were going to be made available for purchase, the artist must include a price on the back of each canvas.  I was just going to include the postage required to have them sent back, but my son insisted that I try to sell them.  He reprimanded me when I suggested no one would actually BUY one.  In order to take that one additional step out of the comfort zone, I went ahead and put a price on each painting.  We'll see, eh?

This wasn't so bad, this business of pushing myself to do something new and different.  I had to give myself quite the wedgie with my big girl pants to get up the courage, but I survived. 

Next, it's time to work on the figurative pieces for the Boys & Girls Club auction.  Of course, after I do a load of laundry and make sure the weasel's back pack doesn't have some disgusting remnant of lunch from the last school year buried in its nooks or crannies as we start the new school year.  Yuck. 

Finished!

Self-criticism is probably not the healthiest thing, so I'm going to try to limit myself.  I finished my three canvases.  The 3rd is my least favourite, but it's finished!  Painting on canvas is just not my forte.  I really like doing it, but not for display beyond my living room.  Because these will be in public, I'm a little nervous.  Because they'll be on display on the opposite coast, I'm a little less nervous :-)

The first one, "Pinky" was hard in terms of coming up with the plan.  Once I had the epiphany and started rolling, it was really fun to finish.

The second one, "Atmosphere," was more of a challenge.  I knew what I wanted to do, but struggled with the execution.  I wanted to include a photographic image in a transparent envelope and attach that to the canvas.  I ended up removing all of the staples and taking the painted canvas off of its frame, creating an envelope with paper that was designed for scrap booking and stitched it on the canvas using my sewing machine.  Putting the canvas back on the frame was easier than I'd expected.

The third canvas, "Contain," was tough.  I immediately thought of how I feel so stuck in the solitude of the house now that I'm in a studio versus a hospital-based office.  What a different and lonely world (which I'm working on).  I do chores and see activity going on outside - the neighbors with their little girls on one side, people walking their dogs out the front, neighbors across the gully who frequently throw large parties and have GREAT bands - and I feel so confined.  I wanted to create an image that reflected that emotion - feeling contained indoors while seeing the world outdoors going on without me.

While the artist was encouraged to use any medium, my lack of skill in other areas that could be applied to a canvas are lacking even more, so paint was going to be it for me.  I like it OK.  I'm not Picasso, but I still feel pretty good about it.

The last decision I have to make before these hit the mailbox Tuesday is whether I've got the courage to put a price on them or just include the post-paid envelope to have them returned after the show.

How brave do I feel today????  Hmmmmm.

Fighting with Art Supplies & Deadlines

The lid to one of my glass bottles of liquid acrylic is sealed shut.  Seriously sealed.  I used it only one time and thought I was really good about keeping the mouth of the bottle clean.  This stuff sticks!  Sigh.

I've nearly finished the second of the three canvases for my project.  I like this one.  There are some challenges like figuring out how I'm going to attach an envelope (vellum or transparent plastic) to a canvas this is almost entirely backed by wood.  This is one of those 3x3 gallery wrapped canvases provided by the art house, so I had no choice in the matter.  I'll figure it out.  It's nice to have that mental challenge as opposed to the usual sitting in the studio with a blank mind.

Tonight, I start on canvas #3.  They have to be postmarked September 1.  The closer I get to the deadline, the sharper I feel my thinking is when it comes to the project ideas.  Years ago I had a boss, the wonderful MaryJane, that teased me about the fact that my work was never closer to flawless than when we were under incredible stress to meet a deadline.  Every now and then when things were slow, she'd stand by my desk and holler, "Hurry!  Hurry!  Hurry!" while whacking on my desk with rolled up paper or something else to make noise.  She'd burst out laughing and chuckle her way back to her office.  Some things never change.  My house never looks better in the blink of an eye than when someone calls and says that they're in the neighborhood and want to stop by...in ten minutes.  I should have more deadlines.  That, or turn off the phone and disconnect the doorbell.  ;-)

Back in the game

I've recovered from my fit of yesterday.  I worked out, the endorphins kicked in (I had great music blaring, which always helps), and feel good.  My artists' round table group is all home and I have some good advice to get moving in the studio, so I'm looking forward to putting something together more than I have for a few weeks now.

I promised myself that I would stop referring to books and magazines for help getting motivated or confirmation that my own ideas were OK.  Last week I went back and looked at the web site for the Art House Co-Op and checked out previous entries for the project in which I'm participating.  Shame on me.  For the first time, I didn't feel like beating myself up and chucking my work.  I reflected on the words of my cyber-mentor Debbie and was really OK with what I'm doing.  This is a nice change for me.  Better yet, I went out and purchased three copies of the magazine in which my swap pendant was published which really made me feel good.  My teen son even asked if he could have a copy.  It was a simple project, but a great confidence booster.

Yeah me!

Two Days on Weight Watchers, a million more to go...

The cats better not slow down.  Even the finches on the bird bath are fair game at this point.  I worked out this morning, cursing for most of that time.  I watched a television program about getting fit that I thought would inspire me.  One of the hosts was grunting, groaning and complaining more than me which amused me greatly and reminded me that I'm not alone.  I will never understand people that run long distances or for a long time that aren't being chased by an axe murderer or bribed to do so.  Who really loves this stuff, honestly?  I kept waiting for that endorphine-induced delirously happy mood that I've heard about to kick in.   Someone is a big fat liar.  I zipped along for 2.2 miles on the elliptical and I never felt like a party on the Precor.  Thank goodness for microwave packing material (aka popcorn) and that sprinkly try-to-tell-yourself-it-tastes-like-butter dust I doused it with this afternoon.  Otherwise, I think I'd have resorted to biting my nails and calling it a snack.

Do I sound like a mad woman or what?

OK.  That's it.  That's all the fussing I'm allowing myself.  I am just having a hard time with so many changes at once that I'm distracted from art.  Oooh, and I just saw TWO sticks from lollipops that my son left by the computer.  Ack!!!!

OK, really.  I'm finished.

I have just 15 days to complete my canvas projects and get those bad boys in the mail.  I'm still working on #2 of 3 and am determined to have it finished by Friday at which point I'll post photos.  I was also reminded that I agreed to contribute art to a fundraiser in October, but I'm not terribly worried about meeting that deadline.

Apropos of nothing (but that I mentioned art), I stumbled on this alley in Vancouver, BC on our recent holiday there.  Initially I thought there was just a small mural at the end of the alley, but as I approached to photograph the work, I was startled to see the entire dumpster-filled alley covered with work of various artists.  What a fabulous accidental find!

Today is a fine "Mom" day

You'd think I'd be in the studio, delirious about having the house completely to myself and cranking on the art, but instead I was plowing through a box of photographs I'd forgotten I'd stashed under the office desk.  The box is filled primarily with photos of Kevin, with Erica's being in more manageable boxes and better organized (always the case with the first baby).  I got a lot of laughs at all of the bottomless photos (he was bottomless, not a bottomless stash), sure to pop up in a wedding slide show down the road ;-)  There are a lot of photos of Kevin laying on the kitchen counters, trying to get up close and personally involved in whatever food prep was happening.  Sometimes he wore clothes, sometimes he just couldn't be bothered.  Then there were the multitude of photos of Kevin and dogs.  Anyone's dog.  When we went on vacation to outdoorsy locations like Mammoth Lakes, the greatest joy for Kevin was finding someone with a dog and asking if he could pet the pooch while sporting the most adorable ear-to-ear grin.  What a cutie.

For as much as Erica didn't seem thrilled about a new baby in the house after being an only child for so long, there are so many photos of her holding Kevin with the sweetest smile on her face, reading to him, playing the violin for him, or baking his birthday cake that show how much she loves him.  I never tire of hearing them tell each other that they love the other.

I grew silly weepy looking at the photos of my beautiful daughter and marvel that so many years have passed.  Way back then, our furniture was cheap and falling apart, our decor was made up of the mismatched stuff we could find and immature decorating experience, but in front of the ugly walls, tile and mismatched furniture are a lot of smiles, friends, celebrations and a visual recording of these good times.

This was a good mom day.