DC No. 94: Glass

Boro beads by Emily Trespas Summer 2012 

Glass

At the mention of this word, I think of my first creative experience with glass . . . film. 

For many childhood birthday parties my father checked out a special film from our local library and played it on a projector for our guests. It was Bert Haanstra's, 1958 Dutch short documentary, Glas.

Please enjoy this timeless film documentary here: Bert Haanstra's Glas (on YouTube).

Since then my love of glass certainly continued into the 1990's from exploring a slumping and fusing class at Serviente Glass Studios (Ithaca, NY) to a weekend workshop at the North Bennet Street School (Boston, MA). Meeting artist Dale Chihuly years ago at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA, also contributed to my love of the medium.

This past summer (2012) I returned to the glass studio for a wonderful class at the Sharon Art Center in Sharon, NH with artist Janet Duchesneau.  

Some more of my boro beads: I love frit!

Over many hours and several weeks I made handfuls of glass beads from boroscilicate glass rods. Needless to say....earrings are on the way!

 More of my beads— little cosmos to behold

Many many thanks to Susan Christensen for hosting this week's drawing challenge. Her blog Flying Dog Studio Design Wall offers many interpretations of the theme, Glass, by her and other talented artists. 

My favorite glass painting jar:

A Limited Four-Color Earth Palette

As I start to think about various assignments for my advanced painting students this spring, I remember the four-color palette with which I experimented eight years ago. This small study was painted in oils using only four colors: Yellow Ochre, Indian Red, Lamp Black and Titanium White. 

To Go, oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches, 2004

The nature of this palette is color temperature and color relativity. Place a cool gray against a warm red and the cool gray appears blue.  I will post more example of my paintings using this limited palette if I come across them.

Other variations of four-color earth tone palettes are out there. Experiment, substitute and see what color and spatial relationships you create in your paintings.

EARTH TONE PALETTE:

Titanium White

Yellow Ochre

Indian Red

Lamp Black

Thoughts/Notes:

Venetian Red (more orange/warmer; makes a better orange); Terra Rosa (better pinkish red); English Red is more brown. Lamp is a cooler black, which is good for "blue;" while Ivory Black is warmer. Yellow Ochre substitutions might be explores with Pale Yellow or Naples Yellow for Ochre?

DC No. 93: Lighthouse

What a stormy week it’s been. I will leave it at that. 

Thank goodness for Renilde’s  theme this week—LIGHTHOUSE—a beacon for hope and stability.

Sifting through some of my “scrap” monoprints, I found one with a towering silhouette shape amidst a turbulent, violent, ocean.  With conté pastels I added a ship and the radiating light.

 Hoping for calmer waters this week.

Two Broadsides in "Black Ink" at the Nave Gallery Annex

Two recent broadsides to be exhibited in "Black Ink: Works on Paper" at the Nave Gallery Annex in Davis Square, Somerville, Mass.

Show Dates:

Thursday, February 21 - Friday, March 8, 2013

Closing: Friday, March 8 (time: tba)

With the title BLACK INK, how could I not submit prints for consideration? I stumbled on this call-to artists four days before the submission deadline and promptly shifted into high gear. I refined my woodcut, printed the circular birch plywood plate, and scanned three finished prints for on-line submission.  

Juror, Carolyn Muskat, of Muskat Studios, selected two of my three pieces for the show. I am thrilled and looking forward to viewing her other choices and the meeting, Ted Ollier and company of The Nave Gallery.

"Shadow," recently exhibited in "All Pi-Ed Up: Experiments in Letterpress Broadsides" at The Sharon Arts Gallery (Peterborough, NH), now travels to the NAVE.

"Shadow," Linoleum Relief and Letterpress, 14 x 12 ins., 2012 

"Untitled," a woodcut & letterpress broadside (mash up of old and new) is also in Black Ink.

"Untitled," Woodcut and Letterpress, 10 x 10 ins.,  2013

Years ago, I set and printed the letterpress type for this quote and put it away—unfinished and incomplete. It hibernated in my flat files until I heard it calling with clarity and conviction. Sometimes it takes years to gain perspective on a visual idea; I believe the text and image dialogue is now complete.

The concept "Black Ink" evokes permanence, a pledge defying doubt, real and true. I see now how both of these prints challenge the premise.

  Next to Redbones BBQ in Davis Square!

DC No. 92: Postage Stamp

Postage Stamps are like miniature prints so it's no wonder I still collect them as an adult.  This messy, unarchived box from my childhood stamp collection was just the beginning:

What a surprise to open this handmade envelope containing "music stamps." Hello, 1980's. I think they were from a mail flyer (from BMG?) to buy 10 cassette tapes for $1.  

 This Canada stamp, from my "intended for collage" collection made its way into

an accordion palm book:

 For more postage stamp interpretations please

"pony express" your way to Helen's post.

Enjoy Some Wine

Ella, Fine Art and Craft Assistant at the Sharon Arts FineCraft Gallery, delightfully modeled one of my latest cowls. This wine color coordinated perfectly with her beautiful shawl; she just had to have it. 

Thank you Ella!

DC No. 91: Discovery

I was happy to host this week's drawing challenge with a theme of Discovery. Please enjoy the personal and beautiful discoveries by these creative researchers, explorers and makers: Ariane, Tania, Norma, Susan, Kristen, Renilde, Sabine, Stefanie, Helen, Roberto, and me (below). 

DISCOVERY

Holding up this theme up as a creative viewfinder, I became mindful of various moments when I was learning something new. 

"Taffy" mixed media painting, 10 x 8 inches, 2013 

This week I brought a box of salt water taffy to school to share with my painting students. We made short order of the box and I was left with a colorful pile of empty wrappers. Inspiration! I got out the gel medium, prepared a stretched canvas and began. I glopped gel medium, layered, cut, composed, adjusted the composition and re-/discovered these things in the process:

• act promptly when a visual idea hugs you;
• colors can deceive: yellow might be lemon or banana;
• art materials are everywhere, including the waste bin;
• wax wrappers saturated with gel medium are stained glass windows; 
• repositioning often keeps a composition plastic;
• reorienting  a canvas for display tests the composition's strength;
• edges matter;
• students are inspired by a teacher immersed in the creative process;
• students are entertained by glue covered hands;
• taffy is yummy. 

 Thank you to all for participating in this creative research.