Cay Denise

Having just arrived today, this book of Beatriz Milhazes' works is one of the heaviest books I've ever owned!   Beatriz is a Brazilian artist who does amazing and colorful paintings that are considered modern abstraction with a touch of cultural elements from her life.  Her work actually reminds me of Rex Ray's graphic design/collage pieces.  It's interesting that I was introduced to both artists by Helen Wells, a British artist, whom I follow.   The Milhazes' book is beautiful and contains very nice reprints of selections from her portfolios over the years.  The book is a bit pricey, as Helen puts it, but high quality.  

In a recent email from Wendy MacNaughton, she talked about visiting and shopping at La Maison du Pastel in Paris.  This is a great video about how their pastels are made...from centuries-old, handed-down equipment and processes!

Helen Wells does a very nice job with her online course:  Bold + Fold.  Her instruction focuses on painting botanical impressions and putting them together into a concertina booklet form that she shows how to construct. That said, I'm not a painter of botanicals.  But I gave it a try by doing a fair number of 'floral' impressions in watercolor.  None of them were stand-alone pieces.  But there were bits among a few of them that I liked.  So, rather than creating a concertina, I chose to cut out the bits I liked and created this piece on a blank piece of multi-media paper.   Except for the black of the vase outline and the petal work around the pink circles, the rest were the bits glued on in a floral-like arrangement.  All the elements in the vase were created using different kinds of brushes and brushwork than is my norm.   What the course did for me - was to get me to paint that I haven't done in what seems like a very long time.  Some...

Petroglyphs is a pretty cool place to work on and complete creative projects.  From plates, mugs, piggy banks, tiles to knick-knacks, etc., there are endless ways to express oneself in paint and pick-up one's colorful and functional or fun piece once fired!  The store makes bisque available for customer purchase.  With a purchase, customers get to sit and paint to their heart's delight with Petroglyph's special paints.  All tools, instruction, and the firing are also provided.  Whether for a party, a Dad and daughter or son outing, a date, or even solo work, there is something for everyone.   Over the holidays, I made a plate doing free-hand painting as well as used my own created stencils to draw certain shapes and then paint them in.   To see how this works, below are progress pictures of my recent project.  The top left is a journal sketch of what I was originally thinking, and the top right is the finished piece.  In the second row (l to ...

What are the top 100 things that were good, great, terrific, or awesome in your life in 2024?  It's that time of year to write them down!  I have finished my trek down memory lane for the year and am amazed with all the things I listed.  Here are my top 5 as ideas to get you started. The choice of the word 'joy' as my word to journal about in 2024 like how it infused my perception and experience throughout the year.  The effort was totally worthwhile!     I met up with friends and fellow travelers overseas...a spontaneously-planned trip for me and a great time! I loved the five seasons of 'Fringe' a kind of sci-fi, time travel, mystery TV series that originated on the FOX network some years ago.  What I loved about it was the character development over the seasons as well as the sometimes-nuanced and other times easily detectable differences between the same character from one time to another time.  You have to suspend belief of course, and the so...

I was thrilled today to visit a new-to-me museum that had two extraordinary exhibits!   The New Museum Los Gatos is showing 'Made of Memory', a curated exhibition of five female artists exploring memory from generational and cultural perspectives.  The photo is a piece by Priyanka Rana.  She used sustainably-obtained wood (not felled wood for the project) that she charred with a blowtorch.  In the charred areas, she added what she calls 'memory pods' -- the ones in this made from wound remnants of her mother's saris dipped in polyurethane.  Priyanka's pieces are such a lovely and symbolic representation of her accompanying life and cultural story.   The other exhibition was of the works of Holly Lane in 'Not Enough Time to Love the World and In the Artist's Studio'.  It contains an extraordinary body of work and craft!  The pieces on display have been created over the last 10+ years.  Holly is a painter and a woodworker, and her woodworking i...

The Scarf Studio in Denver, CO is unfortunately closed to business as of November 17th.  But I was able to get one final order in before the close.  First, a big shout out to Jennifer who took such pains to help me with the digital file of my art so that it could be printed in their last batch.  Thank you, Jennifer! I'm delighted with how the range of colors, outlining and detail work came out, and I'm going to wear this scarf with glee!   The source for the art work were multiple continuous pages from one of my concertina sketchbooks and was done using Sharpies and Posca pens.     

The top image is a blind contour drawing done earlier this year.  Yes, the facial elements are totally askew and as a result the -- image is quite distorted. Tonight, I worked in Photoshop Elements to move the facial elements to their proper locations.  Had that been done originally, this is what the drawing could have looked like. For comparison, this is the source photo.   In the original drawing, I think I lost my bearings in terms of where I thought I was.  This can easily happen when the pen is lifted off the paper - even for a moment - and ends up being lowered into a totally different place.  Doing that kind of thing can have a very obvious effect, as you see above.  If you look closely at the first drawing, it is curious how the eye and mind still manage to convey the information/form even if it results in distortion.  That is pretty amazing!  

From the photo of a small stained glass window to an edited 4-patch of that window to an inverted, extruded, and color- and filter-manipulated image...using Photoshop Elements.  It was playtime today!   The images are in reverse chronological order from the description above. 

A neighbor recently left a curbside pile of Magnolia Tree trimmings in the street -- that will be hauled away as yard waste when the next garbage truck makes its stop. What stood out to me in that pile were the bright red seeds nested artfully in the pods they were beginning to awake and emerge from.  I'm aware of appreciating Magnolia blossoms in full flower, but I haven't noticed this activity in the trees life cycle -- of fruiting and then going to seed.  These red seeds contrasted with the glossy green finish of the Magnolia's leaves seem the perfect herald of seasonal change accompanied by a different kind of beauty.   

From a recent 'Colossal' article, I was just reminded of Gretchen Scherer's art.  She does paintings of older historic buildings being reused as museums, heritage sites, visitor destinations, etc.  In some cases, she reimagines some of what their interiors look like and adds period painting imitations to the walls.  I love this piece especially the ceiling pattern, chandeliers, the wood flooring pattern and how she has dealt with perspective (you can tell the table is long).  It is so well done!    To see more of Gretchen's work, visit her website at:   www.gretchenscherer.com Note:  Colossal is an online art magazine that celebrates contemporary art and visual culture across a wide range of creative disciplines.  I find assorted interesting stories, and it's free.  For more information, visit  www.thisiscolossal.com

Today, I'm celebrating three years of work filling this 6"x9" Moleskine journal!  Yes, it is thick.  That is from the assorted zines in it.  (I love doing zines and it was natural for me to include them, but that's not for everyone.) This word journal was started in 2022 when I chose a word for the year as a theme to focus on.  Similarly for 2023 and 2024, I chose a different word for each of them.  As you know 2024 hasn't ended yet, but I've run out of pages in this first word journal.  So, I'll be starting another Moleskine to finish up the year and begin other years down-the road.   Focusing on a word for a full year is an intriguing experience.  It is a journey of thinking about your experiences, thoughts, emotions, etc. from the perspective of the word and in a sense -- drawing more of the energy of the word to you.  In my first year of doing this, I took a class with a very supportive and fun group of people, and through it, I've been a...

As a novice poet, I recently received a recommendation from a writer friend about a valuable writing program.  It is Jack Grapes' 'Method Writing'.  His first book is very readable, and his approach is based on Stanislavski's Method Acting that he learned as part of his graduate work in theater (his undergraduate work was in History and English).   (Book Cover) The first assignment is a practice of writing at least two pages in one's journal daily.  The primary goal is to write like you speak - nothing fancy - and your writing is to be about self not other-focused.  Putting your pen to paper, you start writing about you -- not having thought about what you were going to write in advance.  This is not writing to create a product.  It is writing to find your voice. Today, I finished Week #1 of doing the work.  First, I noticed that I use a couple of words as fillers when talking - that I never use when I write, and I don't want to.  So, I'm als...

Susan Lenz is a fiber artist who creates imaginative and novel works, especially those in which she upcycles found objects over problematic vintage quilts into fashionable and fun mandalas.   This latest piece is not a mandala but, to me, it echoes the landfall of Hurricane Milton that spun off several tornadoes while crossing Florida last week.  In it, she has used a portion of a hand-stitched, stained quilt -- topped with a piece of blue netting to define the tornado area.  Then, found objects (surplus doodads that can't be used in a mandala) were added by hand-stitching each one down on to the fabric base. Ultimately, she's been so successful in conveying the sense of motion and fury (as well as a suggested 'eye') through the piece.  Bravo, Susan!    Found Object Tornado II You can find out more about the artist and her work at  http://www.susanlenz.com/default.shtml#  

I'm reading Mary Oliver's 'A Poetry Handbook'.  As part of doing so, marginalia (making notes in the margin) is a practice by some readers that I'm finding very helpful.  There are many new-to-me words that definitions on the same page are very useful to have (e.g. prosody, enjambment).  Then there is her chapter about metrical lines that is a whole new world to me, although master poets and/or writers may view it as common knowledge.  Using marginalia is also providing me the opportunity to make related observations based on my experience as a former musician.   In music, a learner is taught that there is a specific number of beats in each measure based on a time signature.  That is what I find resonating for me as I read about the metrical line of prose that Ms. Oliver writes about.  She presents a very nice legend of metrical lines in poetry (five-foot, four-foot, three-foot, etc.), their names (pentameter, tetrameter, trimeter, respectively and etc...

Have you ever been asked or asked yourself a question that you answered through the creation of a piece of art, sculpture, poem, story, song or other creative form? In a recent post, Nick Cave wrote this about Joy (Post #299) and closed with a question: "I have a full life.  A privileged life.  An unendangered life.  But sometimes the simple joys escape me.  Joy is not always a feeling that is freely bestowed upon us, often it is something we must actively seek.  In a way, joy is a decision, an action, even a practised method of being.  It is an earned thing brought into focus by what we have lost -- at least, it can seem that way.   My question is, where or how do you find your joy?" His question is one I found powerful and important to answer for myself.  However, even before I started my exploration, Nick had received over 2,000 replies with a range of answers.      In reading through many of those (that he posted on his site), t...

Creating zines is one of my ways of 'stealing' a great idea...from Austin Kleon, author of the book titled 'Steal Like an Artist'.  As he would say, imitation is flattery, and I certainly got the zine bug from him (that he, in turn, got from someone else)! Those pictured below are examples of the zines I've made from white copy paper...yes, the kind you buy in reams at the office supply store.  Some are theme-related (e.g. 5 Senses, Reconnection), others are book notes (e.g. about Jo Van-Gogh Bonger and her role in Vincent's rise to art fame), still others are inward-looking (The Wintering of Seeds, Goals, etc.).  The sky's the limit.  They can be anything you can imagine!   I really enjoy making zines including the internet research I may do about particular subjects.  But zines don't have to take long to make, and absolutely no research is needed to create one.  Plus they make clever gifts for holidays or as thoughtful messages of 'I'm thinking...

A dear couple to me recently held a weekend filled with fun events and great food for their friends -- to celebrate a combined birthday and anniversary with them.  I was privileged to be among those who attended the delightful weekend! To reminisce after returning home, I cut out letters and phrases from two magazines (Tate etc. and Oprah Daily) to create this word collage as a memento of our wonderful and joyful times.  

A recent article from a Tate Etc. publication introduced me to an artist that I really like -- unknonwn to me before.  She is Beatriz Milhazes from Brazil.  Currently, there is a retrospective of her work on display at the Tate St. Ives  museum located in Porthmeor Beach, St. Ives, Cornwall, Great Britain -- through September 29th.   The Exhibition Guide (at the link below) has some other wonderful examples of Ms. Milhazes' portfolio.  It reminds me of the work of American graphic designer/collage artist Rex Ray.  Both have approached their art using geometric forms, bright colors, and have included collage elements as part of their creations. https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-st-ives/beatriz-milhazes-maresias Ms. Milhazes is also on Instagram where you can see many more works including this modern/abstract stained glass window done for Turner Contemporary's Sunley Gallery window. Here is her Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs3g32iOxN8/

It's that time of year for the Studio Art Quilt Associates' (SAQA) benefit auction!  This is an auction of art quilts made by SAQA members that are 12" x 12" in size.   As part of the auction, viewers of the quilts can create their own Dream Collection (favorites or selections based on a theme of interest).  If you would like to create one, go to the website below, look through the art quilts while recording the titles of those you like best along with the artist.  There is a form to complete, and you'll need the title to search for your selections.  In a few cases, the artist name may be helpful, since multiple pieces can have the same or similar name. Bidding for the quilts begins September 13th and runs through October 6th, and there will be more than 440 art quilts to choose from.  More information is available at the link below. Studio Art Quilt Associates - 2024 Benefit Auction Here is my Dream Collection (4 design-related and 4 texture-related favori...

This is a photo of six, two-page spreads in a Concertina sketchbook that I just finished.  The actual size is about 6.5" high by 36" wide.  The lovely Concertina sketchbook is a product of Seawhite, a U.K. company.  It can easily be worked on both sides.  The two-page spreads were colored in with Sharpie markers plus Posca, Sakura PenTouch and Micron pens.  My only intention was to have continuity from one spread to the next.  Overall, it definitely changes in 'feel' when looking from left to right.  That includes the shapes (from sharp to rounded), the design (more free further right), color palette (from warmer to cooler colors) and busyness.   Each spread took me about 4 hours.  The next step is to finish the other side - which will take some time especially if the work is as detailed.  Question:  Do you use your visual art as a prompt for writing?   I'm thinking of looking at this as if it were a scroll and for the story it...

This book is about the flourishing of an artist who started the art oeuvre she is known for -- at age 72 -- and continued this work for nearly a decade.  She lived in the 1700s, was born into a fairly well-to-do family, was raised/trained in propriety and the social graces (for a potential court position), had a friend in Handel (yes, the composer) and in a Duchess, and would eventually befriend a King and Queen in her elder years.   The writing is well done.  That said, the author includes personal reflections at the end of each chapter about how the botanical image chosen to start each chapter and/or the narrative -- triggers certain recall of her life experiences that she believes are similar or relate in some way.  That part of each chapter could have been eliminated, in my estimation, without affecting the overall biographical portrait of her subject. That said, of the 14 chapters in this book -- I loved #1, #12, #13 and #14.  You may notice that this means...

If you don't know what a Concertina Sketchbook is, it is folded paper (back and forth) that looks like the bellows of an accordion when done.  Concertinas can be home-made or purchased, and they are fun to work in.     The photos above are of three continuous two-page spreads from my own Concertina (the one on the right - the latest). The mark-making was done with Sharpie markers, Posca pens, Micron pens and Sakura PenTouch markers.   All the shapes and color choices in the images above were spontaneous as well as the details.  There was no plan.  What I like about these is that each two-page spread collaborates with the next one and so on (as the designs spill over from one spread to the next). As new ones are created, they  add to the wonderful visual feast. One of the things I love doing with these also -- is to crop sections and digitally mirror them to form symmetrical designs. The results are occasionally delightful.  In fact, this one was m...

In a recent weekly message from Austin Kleon, he mentioned doing 100 days of blind contours in a zine format.  This week I've finished a second sketchbook of blind contours - for a total of 182 images between them.  Riffing on Austin's idea, I created a zine with eight (8) selected blind contours labeling each with a term that, to me, conveys the expression captured.  As you look at the images in the zine below, would you describe any of them differently?   

When you make lines with a pen...you're committed, as they say.  Pen is the medium I chose for a recent drawing from a reference photo.   In the first version of the photo of a sculpture (below), the image was outlined with pen, the features/details were done with pen, and the shading was done with pencil (using 120 lb. Sketchbook paper).  Overall, I'm very happy with the body.  That said, the drawing of the face/hair is underwhelming.  The actual sculpture's face is looking upward with the viewer seemingly looking up to it.  It also has a slight tilt and the eyes look upward toward the baton.  This first face definitely doesn't convey any of those things in its expression.   Taking a sheet of copy paper, I traced the outline of the face and hair above, and then did another version (see below).  You can see there is some improvement -- in that the eyes are looking upward though the tilt and general sense of the face shape are skewed. Meriting...

This is such a charming book -- from the set-up introductory page to the three steps at the end! It is meant for young readers, but I think there is a lot to be said in recommending it for creatives young and older alike.  It is inventive, upbeat, clever and has a good message about rising above one's fears.

In this day and age -- of social media, AI, boundaries (that seem to be indiscriminately pushed), people who don't seem to know right from wrong/respect from disrespect, people who don't regard others' authorship/ownership (of material, products, services, and information, etc. posted online) -- understanding privacy settings and using them appropriately in the digital environment are vital.  I just learned quite a lesson. Earlier in the year, I had a consultation with an artist I respect for his/her retail and design talents.   Our dialogue was captured on video by the consultant to share with me privately via YouTube.  The uploaded video had a privacy setting of 'Private'.  This setting prevents accessing a video through the platform except for those the owner invites/designates.  Unfortunately, I couldn't access it at the 'Private' setting, so the setting was changed to 'Unlisted'.  This setting did allow me to access the video, but little di...

Using plastic shape stencils, the top image is my interpretation of a stained glass window panel photographed while recently traveling.   To begin, the design had to be adjusted because of the paper size used (5.5" x 8.5").  You can see this in comparing the two photos (bottom is the actual panel photograph).  In terms of 'essence', they ailgn very well in color, shape and elements.   This is a Sharpie painting and took hours to complete.  It has touches of Posca Pen and Sakura PenTouch for decoration.  The paper used was white cardstock that has been fully covered with color.

Update :  I've finished reading the book now as well.  It was a lengthy and interesting read.  There were times when I felt like a ping pong ball due to section topics where events included those that were in earlier, and sometimes unrelated, sections.  It made envisioning the timeline challenging.  The bibliography is excellent and takes more than 100 pages of the book.  That said, I learned a lot!  It makes my recent visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam all the richer knowing more of the family's background and understanding just how vital a force Jo van Gogh-Bonger was in creating the level of appreciation for Vincent's work that is renown today -- across the globe.  Original Post : The zine is done, but not the book.  I'm halfway through it and expect to have many more notes. So I've started writing on the back of this single sheet of paper used to create the zine.  It's already a treasure trove of key points about her life thro...