Category: Animal Art

Here’s the finished piece – and now the next several collages I post won’t include any progress pictures (like I mentioned before). Perhaps I should start taking my camera with me to the studio…

Things have been going pretty well lately. Getting ready to install my solo show “Stories in Paper” tomorrow and then I’ll work on prepping for my artist talk, etc. on Thursday. Then the following week I’m doing a demonstration/talk for a collage group and giving a lecture on blogging. So lots to do – all very exciting, yet it will still be nice once everything is done.

Work in the studio has been interesting. I really enjoy a lot of the visitors that pop in and have met quite a few lovely people. From emerging artists to art enthusiasts, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the conversation I’ve had with others. However, you still get an oddball in the studio every once in a while – I suppose that’s the charm of having the art center studios open to the public.

The other day, I was working away on my latest scapes collage for an upcoming show at NIH. An older woman came in and gradually made her way over to where I was working. She hovered for a while, watching me work. Then she piped in, “You must have done real good in kindergarten.”

I glanced up at her, kind of shocked and mumbled something like, “Yeah, sure.” After the English major within me cringed from her grammar, I was a little surprised by her comment. I do look pretty young but sorry lady, my kindergarten days are long, long gone. I initially felt insulted by this. Once I got over that initial response, I thought her comment was pretty hilarious. I suppose some people consider cutting and pasting paper to be pretty elementary. All I can do is smile and laugh about that. There’s so much more to collage than just that.

There’s already a Toucan Sam, so why not introduce people to his female counterpart, Toucan Samantha? I had fun working on this one – especially with the fragments of images I used for the background.

Anyway, where have I been? It’s been a while since my last post! Well, the past few days I’ve been spending a lot of time moving out of my apartment. I’m going to move to a new place fairly soon, and the move has really consumed the majority of my free time. I’ve still put in a few hours here and there in the studio, and I have a few pieces I’ve completed there that I need to take home to photograph.

I’m also beginning to prep for the opening reception of my solo show “Stories in Paper,” which opens next week, July 8th. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

I was going to stick with the title “Flamingos” but then I thought I should start changing these titles up a bit. Flamingos always remind me of ballerinas for some reason. I think it’s their pink feathers and how they perch on one leg like the flamingo in the center.

Anyway, things are still pretty busy. I just finished putting together a bunch of handmade magnets to sell at the studio (they’ve been pretty popular – especially with tourists). And I’m continuing to work on a series of animal collages. I recently took pictures of several finished collages, which I’ll later post. In July I’m planning on working on landscape pieces for another upcoming exhibition. And hopefully, sometime soon, I can begin work on a short animation. I have so many ideas at the moment, and there are so many possibilities of projects I can work on – sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge the fact I’m not wonder woman and can’t do everything all at once.

This weekend was a lot of fun at the studio. I’ve gotten quite a bit of work done thus far – and I have yet to take those finished collages home to photograph and post. My goal is to complete about a dozen animal collages before moving on to creating about eight landscape pieces for my NIH solo show in September.

Tomorrow I’m uninstalling the Fisher Gallery exhibition. It had a good run – and I can’t believe it’s already over! A lot of planning and work went into that show, and I’m proud that I was able to pull it off. Next up: my solo show at the Art League Gallery. I still have quite a bit of planning to do for that exhibition although it won’t be as intensive as the Fisher show.

Anyway, I hope everyone’s week has gotten off to a good start!

Here’s the completed version of “King of the Jungle.” I’m realizing that as opportunities present themselves, I’m working away trying to make sure I can meet all the deadlines. Looks like I might have a couple more exhibitions to start preparing for. Goodness, apparently I don’t have enough on my plate already.

I’m really enjoying my time as a Visiting Artist and I’ve only just begun. I enjoy interacting with the public and seeing which pieces visitors respond to more. When I’m busy working away in my apartment, I don’t have a live audience and I rely entirely on what I think of a piece. It’s nice getting a feel for what others think.

Every time Ben has walked into my studio, he’s given me more great ideas on what I can do to make it more intriguing for visitors to come inside. I’m in the middle of working on a few adjustments for my set-up. Soon I plan to take a few pictures of the new layout so I can post them for you all to see.

I hope you’re having a great week – time sure does fly when you’re busy and having fun!

Here’s my latest animal piece. The weekend has been a little hectic for me – I was busy getting prepared for a last minute exhibition I’m installing tomorrow morning/afternoon. Not to mention trying to get organized for my larger exhibitions that are coming up in the next few months. Lots of work on mailing lists and mapping out what needs to get done in the next few days.I’m also beginning to make some plans with heading in a different direction with the way I use my blog. I want to continue to use it to post about my projects, recently finished artwork, and exhibitions, but I’d like to turn it into something that is more interactive for readers. I’m thinking of interviewing other artists and posting the interviews here, writing reviews of other exhibitions/museums, and creating a weekly project. It will be a while until I get everything organized, but I’m looking forward to changing gears.

Another zoo-inspired piece. These animal pieces are making me want to start working on a children’s book. Once my hectic schedule of exhibitions passes by after the summer, I’ll have a bit more time to tackle a plot and start thinking up characters. But we’ll see, perhaps I’ll have some time to work on this before then.

Here’s my latest animal collage which is actually quite fitting for me right now – I’m feeling a lot like this guy. D.C. was hit with a snow blizzard, so I’ve been snowed in the past few days just lounging around.