I’m not much for public speaking or “displaying” myself. I prefer to let the art speak. However, the Art Guild had an opportunity for some promotional video to be taken in advance of our upcoming show at Mossman Hall in Melrose. No one else was available for the interview, so yours truly went. As nervous as I was, it didn’t turn out too bad.
| “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” |
| – Pablo Picasso |
I’m excited about several new shows. This one is an Art Guild of Orange Park show that will feature our members work at Mossman Hall in Melrose. Mossman is a great place to show work, with it’s beautiful gallery inside an old church and it’s avid art lovers. The Art Guild has so many extraordinarily talented artists. https://artguildoforangepark.org/members/
These are the pieces I’ve entered:
My Sumi-e group did something different this month. We often explore other types of oriental arts. I’m not sure this is exactly one, but they are call “Bonsai Gem Trees” so it must be close. I didn’t follow the directions well, but I’m still happy with my exuberant tree. It hold many treasures from my stay and visits to Guantanamo Bay Cuba. This is my “soul place”. It is the place that I would most like to spend my entire life – if only all my loved ones could/would spend it there with me. http://sumiesociety.org
What’s that button from Cheap Joe’s? “My Super Power is Painting”. My friend and exceptionally talented artist Wendy Sullivan gave me one after her last trip to “Art in the Carolina’s. Like most folks with Super Powers, I enjoy using mine for good. (Though sometimes I use it to get “evil” thoughts out of me). My latest volunteer effort is below. These butterflies are created for the “Pink Ribbon Soiree” here in Jacksonville in October. These are Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter (counter clockwise). I’m working on a black and white that will be tuxedo like.
A few years ago a number coincidences came together to spur me to work in series. I don’t do it all the time, of course. The gist of the idea was that working in series can be beneficial in working out kinks related to a technique or and idea. The series below came about because I decided I wanted to make better use of my treasured natural objects. Why just let them sit in baskets around the house. I mean, I hardly even looked at them in there. And why not SHARE them.
Nocturnal Nature $100 10 x 10
Delicacies $75 8 x8
Mars Beach Nocturne $60 8 x 9
Her Elegant Designs $80 12 x12
Reap the Whirlwind $100 12 x 12
“Forest Pleasures” $75 8 x 8
“Orient Vacation” $50 6 x 6
The Art Guild of Orange Park’s Bella Notte event went quite well. I’m happy to say that not only did I add to my art collection, I also sold a piece. A long time ago, I decided that I was never going to become a famous artist, not even locally reknown. When that epiphany came so did another one.
I decided that my purpose in life would be to support artists in what ever way I can. Sometimes that has meant volunteering for arts organizations. Sometimes it means purchasing their art. Some times it means being a friend. All of which is easy to do with the wonderful and talented artists in my community
After inadvertently losing my .com site, I’ve finally gotten it back. Sadly, I lost all my data from my temporary .net site, so I’m starting from scratch. That’s probably a good thing. I desperately needed to spruce the site up anyway. I’m excited to shared with you some of my latest work. These are all mono prints, made from printing found objects. That’s everything from bubble wrap, to shoe soles and beyond. I had literally HUNDREDS of objects I had collected over the years. This summer I invited several artist friends into my studio to experiment. They helped me whittle my collection down, by determining which bits worked and which didn’t.
Fabric of Life I $150 15.5 x 11 3/8
Waves of Memories II $200 17.75 x 13
Wheels of Time $200 18.25 x 14