Making Art

Fine Art Accessories

2012-01-24T16:48:00.001-05:00

I've been busy working on accessories I'll be debuting at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE. An opening is scheduled for Friday, February 3rd in the DCCA's Alternatives Shop, 5-9 pm.

Silk pieces like below will be on display along with silk and glass, soldered pendants, matching earrings, silk and wool bracelets, felted rocks and some brand new canvas and silk pendants. Stop by the DCCA to see this work through the month of March. I'll post more pictures soon.

Black Bubble Silk Neckpiece

Ocean Wave Silk Scarf

Photos by Beth Trepper

Inspiring Artist

2012-01-13T14:04:00.001-05:00

This video of artist Christine Sun Kim's work amplifies my own take on creativity. I don't want to tell you too much because there's a little surprise.

Todd Selby x Christine Sun Kim on Nowness.com.

I really love the way she thinks, trying all these different approaches to give sound form and color. She uses sound as a tool to make art, like artists use a camera or a brush. It makes me think about how often we take our senses for granted.

Creativity Workshop

2012-01-01T19:44:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be a great year. I've picked a date for the next Creativity Workshop, Sat. February 11, 2012, 11-5pm, at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden.. The time is 11-5 so that everyone can take Kerry Orr's yoga class first. I highly recommend Kerry's class on Saturday's normally 10-11:30, but on Feb. 11th it will be 9-10:30 so as not to conflict with my workshop. Thanks Kerry.

Here's the details about the workshop and a video that describes the musician Goyte's creative process.

Through guided exercises in creative writing, movement, painting and mixed media collage open up to fearlessly enter new territory and discover your authentic self-expression. Walk away reenergized and inspired to tackle your projects and life more creatively.
No experience required.
$65.00 All supplies provided.

The Buzz Ware Village Center
2119 The Highway Arden, DE
Feb. 11, 2012, 11-5 pm

www.lindacelestian.com to read testimonials
Register at 302-478-1329
or email linda@lindacelestian.com
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

This is a cool video I stumbled upon. The musician Gotye talks about the making of his recent album and his process sounds like what I teach in my workshop. An artist doesn't arrive at a finished masterpiece just one day after their morning coffee. It's a process of collecting bits and pieces, playing around with them, discovering new things about them and arranging them anew. To do this you need to welcome this process into your everyday life. The results will amaze and surprise you.

Making Making Mirrors - a short documentary from Gotye on Vimeo.

Here's a very cool music video of his using stop motion animation.

Inspiring Artist

2011-12-21T17:52:00.001-05:00

I caught a show of Pat Steir's paintings in November at the Locks Gallery. I've been aware of work for years but it was a pleasure to see it in person. Her paintings are similar to mine because they are made with thinned down oil paint that is poured.

The scale of some of them alone was impressive.

This one titled Forest in Snow is 127 x 109 inches.

Interestingly her approach is very different from mine in that she sets a course for the painting in the beginning deciding what order the colors will be added and how many layers and then executes it. She says it's removing herself from the role as the grand creator and leaving some things up to chance.

Double White on Black, 84 x 84 inches

I on the other hand try to strike a balance between allowing and controlling in the making of my work. I really struggle with this, wondering how much to force my ideas onto a piece and how much to leave up to chance. It leads me to question how this applies to life. Is it an illusion that we are in control of our destiny? When we are fighting for control is it beneficial to loosen the reigns a little and see where things fall?

FiberPhiladelphia 2012

2011-12-07T18:47:00.001-05:00

My new silk piece titled Sea Foam will be included in Fiber Philadelphia 2012 Juried exhibition.

The show titled Outside/Inside the Box will be at the
Gray Area, in the Crane Arts Building, 1400 N American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
March 2 - April 15, 2012 with 2 openings, March and April.

The exhibition showcases innovative fiber/textile art that transcends disciplines and combines historic concepts with contemporary perspectives. This juried exhibition represents 68 artists working in media with fiber/textile reference. 516 artists from 15 countries applied with 1,316 pieces of work. Countries represented are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.(excerpted from the website)

I've been checking out the accepted artist's websites and I'm so excited to see their work and hopefully meet some of them.

Nature Photography

2011-11-14T07:58:00.001-05:00

Some photos taken recently on my walks through Arden.

Drawing Classes in North Wilmington, DE

2011-10-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

I've started a new blog that gives all the details about my Saturday Art Classes that I teach in Arden, DE. I'll be updating this as we go along. There is still room for new students to join or drop in. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Check out the blog and please pass this information to anyone you know that might be interested.

New Work

2011-10-24T16:36:00.001-04:00

Grounded, 48 x 46 inches

I've finished three of the large paintings. One still alludes me.
Oh and I might still work on the green one. One area is still bothering
ing me, ugh. I should have listened to Drew and left it alone when he told me to. I wish there was a back button in painting.

In the Beginning, 48 x 46 inches

Somewhere Only We Know, 36 x 60 inches

Creativity Workshop Update

2011-10-17T14:31:00.001-04:00

The word Creativity might take on different meanings for different people. Here are some meanings that we came up with on Saturday and I few others I pulled from a previous workshop, passion, fun, joy, intangible, unknown, our true nature, movement, new, expression of self, ability to stand alone, open, growth, flow, journey, ever present, recognizing that we are collaborators, part of creation, transcendence, release, surprise, discovery, inspiration, freedom, risk taking, and insight.

In the workshop we wrote, we laughed, we moved to music, we painted, we shared, we collaged and exchanged ideas. Then we were exhausted!

These are the only photos I remembered to take. I didn't get any of the final collages which is fine since I actually think it's more about process than finished product. It's so important to enjoy the process and understand that you're not going to love everything that you make. You are always learning something new that helps you the next time around. The creative process is a lot like life, you can't be worried about making mistakes. If you were you'd never leave the house and what fun would that be?

Thanks Keri, Kevin, Suzanne, Toby, Nicole and Liz for allowing me to bring you on a creative journey to the land of possibility.

If you are interested in participating in this workshop the next time I teach it please drop me an email and I'll add you to my email notification list.

Creativity Workshop

2011-10-10T12:29:00.001-04:00

I'm teaching my Creativity Workshop, Sat. October 15th, 2011, 10-4 pm at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden, DE.

I'm thrilled to be preparing to teach this again. It's a really fun day. Please jump in if you feel you're being called to try something new or just approach life in a fresh way. There is a post with testimonials here and another post here. I teach this because sometimes people tell me that artists are born with special talents, you've heard this right? It's a myth. Creative people are born with a tenacious drive to express the feelings and passions that are universally understood by all mankind. Actually everyone is born with this drive, some successful bury it while others answer it's calling.

Drop me an email to register, linda@lindacelestian.com

New Work

2011-09-26T19:40:00.001-04:00

I'm excited to have finally started new paintings in my new space.

New Studio

2011-09-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

When I left my studio in June to start my summer job I never imagined I wouldn't be returning. An exciting opportunity arose, is the best way I can think of to describe this major change of venue. I've moved the contents of my studio to what is at the moment a raw space, kind of like a diamond in the rough. The space is at 2003 West 17th St, off Union St. in Wilmington, DE, home of the Silver Hammer Workshop. Rich Pierce will still be holding woodworking workshops there in the summer and in the near future we plan to be on the Art on the Town, Art Loop. Until then I actually have the whole place to myself until my studio mates Delainey Barclay and Kyle Ripp move in. I'm stretching and priming large canvases for my upcoming show at Trust Venue in Philadelphia for the month of November.

Change is inevitable, everyone knows that. I felt really sad when I found out that during one of this summer's storms the wall to the old swimming hole in Arden gave way.

I used to sit on it to experience Naaman's Creek flowing under me. It was my favorite place, close to home to go and be one with nature. I always felt a little nervous walking across it, wondering if it would hold. The forces of nature can be very powerful as seen by the huge trees that fell in this area during hurricane Irene. I used to paint tree roots to symbolize permanence and stability. Everything is impermanent, apparently.

Corning Museum of Glass

2011-08-22T08:13:00.001-04:00

One of the stops on my recent trip to New York state was the Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, NY. There's so much to see there it's really hard to take it all in. This is a photo of a live demonstration.

You can sign up for workshops for a hands on experience as well. I took a workshop in flameworking and made a pendant. Flameworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It is also known as lampworking or torchworking.
It was really fun and my kids said "Oh no, now we know what Mom will be doing in the kitchen instead of making dinner!" Well I probably would if I didn't have too much on my plate already. Delaney made a pendant, Savannah and Larry made flowers.

Delaney's is the one on the left, I like hers better than mine.

Larry's is on the left and Savannah's on the right.

The contemporary glass exhibition was my favorite part of the museum. Here's a few pictures of works that caught my eye. I regret not jotting down the artists names.

This piece had a motor making a piece of paper move behind the glass that animated it's surfaces and the shadows on the wall.

This installation by Katherine Gray consists of three “trees” made of everyday drinking glasses stacked on Plexiglas shelves with steel supports. The glasses are arranged on the shelves by color to form the outline of a simplified tree with green leaves and a brown trunk.

Although Gray is a skilled glassblower who could have made the components of Forest Glass herself, she chose to use only found or “pre-existing” glasses that she bought at thrift stores and on eBay. Some of the glasses are decorated with images of leaves. Others, which have birds or small animals, have been placed on the lower shelves, or at the “bases” of the trees.

Forest Glass is meant to make us think about the destruction that is inherent in the process of creation. The history of glassmaking in America, for example, is linked with widespread deforestation. Trees—in fact, forests of them—have been obliterated over the centuries so that their wood could be used as fuel for glass furnaces. (excerpted from Corning Museum of Glass website)

Mezzanine Show, 1 week to go

2011-07-22T20:36:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone that came out to my opening on July 8th. The show is up for one more week, through the 29th, at the Delaware Division of the Arts, Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington, DE.

This show was a challenge to hang. The Mezzanine Gallery has a hanging system and you are not permitted to put a hook or nail in the walls. For any kind of installation work this poses a huge problem. Even for paintings it's less than ideal because they lurch out from the walls. I used 2 kinds of bumpers stacked on top of each other behind the paintings. One with a sticky backing was stuck to the canvas and then a rubber furniture leg was placed over it and braced against the wall. It bumped the paintings out and looked good but even minor adjustments were impossible without the bumpers falling out and rolling across the floor. I ended up super gluing everything to the back of the paintings. The Bubbles sculpture, made out of silk and dye looked great on a custom light box made by my friend Steve Ruszkowski. The large sculpture was a whole other challenge to hang.

Prior to this installation I had worked out some of the hanging issues in my studio. I strung lines of crocheted fishing line between two metal bars that I then nailed into the walls of my studio in the corner. Crocheting the fishing line made it strong but also provided loops that I could hook small S hooks into, to make adjustments on the lines easier.

In the gallery I was able to nail these bars into the hanging system down behind the rail that is visible so no damage was done to the system. Since the hanging system is 10 feet from the floor and I had it hung 7 feet from the floor in my studio I thought I could repeat what I had in the studio by adding 3 feet to my existing lines. I started out this way but half way through I realized I needed to abandon the mathematical approach. I needed to just react to what I had and move the individual pieces up, down, back and forth until it came together as a whole. This process takes quite a few trips up and down a ladder and stepping back and looking at it from all angles. This is where this piece is more installation than sculpture. Installing it in a corner luckily I was only dealing with 90 degrees of viewing angles not 360.

I'm rested up now and ready to take on the challenge of hanging the sculpture in Philadelphia, out from the wall with access to view it from 360 degrees. Stay tuned for more information.

LGTripp Gallery

2011-07-04T20:00:00.001-04:00

I'll be showing 2 paintings in a group show at the LGTripp Gallery in Philadelphia.

July 15 – August 20, 2011

Artists Reception, July 16, 4 – 6:30 pm

First Friday, August 5, 6 – 8:30 pm

The gallery director Luella Tripp, has put a lot of time and effort into the curation of her upcoming show, traveling to each artist's studio and hand picking the pieces to be included.

"The work is diverse (all within the parameters of abstraction) as well as the demographics of this group of artists as it relates to age, race, gender, education and experience. My goal is to make art the unifying factor. Often art by the more experienced artist does reveal a level of maturity and sophistication, and rightly so. However, there are times when the merging of all these factors creates an extraordinary and memorable experience. I believe this will be true of our summer show." Luella Tripp

I'll be attending the Artist's Reception on July 16th. If you are in need of a break from the heat, please stop in, LGTripp Gallery 47 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Upcoming Show

2011-06-15T19:46:00.001-04:00

I'm busy preparing for my show. Here's a preview of 2 new paintings that will be on display in July at the Delaware Division of the Arts, Mezzanine Gallery, in Wilmington, DE. The opening is July 8th 5-8pm.

Underwater, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Deluge, oil on canvas, 48 x 46 inches

I've titled the show Outpouring which means, an exaggerated expression of emotion. I can't think of any better way to describe my work.

Peek Inside My Studio

2011-05-15T20:58:00.001-04:00

This awesome panoramic shot was taken by my husband in February after I hung my show.

This shot was taken last week showing new paintings in progress and the sculpture hung in a new configuration. I'm busy working on the logistics
of hanging the sculpture from the hanging system in the Mezzanine Gallery where I'm planning to show sculptures and paintings in July.

Raindrops

2011-04-19T21:21:00.001-04:00

It's Spring which means rain, rain, rain. I've been working on my silk raindrops and have 8 finished.

I hope I can at least double the number of raindrops in time for my July show in the Mezzanine Gallery, Wilmington, DE. I still have to figure out the logistics of hanging them but I have some ideas.

Rain is good for the trees and this beautiful magnolia tree provided gorgeous spring color to brighten the past few days.

This tree is right in my front yard and smells good too.

Happy Spring!

Inspiring Artist

2011-04-10T14:41:00.001-04:00

I found this amazing artist that I'd like to share, her name is Kei Ito.

Metal Coat 02

Here's an excerpt from her website "My practice links together costume design for dance and theatre productions, fashion design for individual clients, accessories under the label ‘Always Sky Above’ and textile and costume exhibitions for Galleries.
My work is distinguished by an interest in exploring new possibilities of pattern cutting and explorations of geometry. In this respect I am linking ideas of pattern with thoughts about the movement of the body.
Another feature of my working process is in its relationship to different costume and textiles traditions. In some respects I relationship to tradition might be likened to travelling through space, in effect the past affords to us the luxury of moving through times in ways that might enable us to sense its nuances. Design is not just the economy of outcome but the potentiality of an unrealised future in the process of occurring."

White Crin dress

Wave Cut Dress

Wave Bag

Paper Wall Project 2000

I love the way her work annihilates the boundary between fine art and commercial design.

My Opening in Arden

2011-04-05T18:54:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone that made it out to my opening at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden this past Friday evening. It was nice to see so many neighbors and friends and meet some new people as well. It was a great turnout and I received really nice comments about the work. Here's how it looked minus one corner I didn't get a picture of.

I know it's not quite the same as seeing it in person.

My next show is in Wilmington at the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street in the Delaware Division of the Arts, Mezzanine Gallery for the month of July. The opening is July 8th, 5-8 p m. This is the second Friday due to the 4th of July weekend.

Art on the Town Opening

2011-03-15T20:46:00.001-04:00

I will be at the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden, DE for the April 1st, Art on the Town opening. If you're a local friend, you are invited to stop by. I am planning to show a sampling of works in different mediums. Here's what I wrote for the brochure, so now I must deliver.

"Linda Celestian’s work although abstract is unmistakably inspired by nature. She explores many mediums and has chosen to show works in colored inks, oil paint, encaustic and fiber next to each other the way you might find them in her studio. Come out to meet her and learn how working in more than one medium aids in her to ability to express her feelings about the beauty of nature."

The work I posted paired together for the Duets show application inspired the idea for this show. I might even get some of my photos printed to have on hand. The idea is to present some work together that I'll probably never show together in a gallery setting but will highlight how I work. A photograph taken on vacation might inspire a painting which in turn inspires a sculpture, which inspires me to photograph something I find in nature that reminds me of the painting and so on. In the end it's hard to tell what came first and doesn't even matter. It's easy to see that it all came from me or so I think.

Here's a video interview done by my friend David Nordheimer at the installation of my February show, I'm talking about my inspiration and my technique in oil paint. It's preceded by an infomercial about Wilmington's Art on the Town:

Silk Organza Soft Sculpture

2011-02-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

Linda Hutchins is an artist that makes beautiful hand sewn organza sculptures.

Memory of the Dance

Cord

Egg, Cup, Hammer

Jade Plant

Here's an excerpt from her website: Over time, I have distilled my materials and methods to a spare, minimal aesthetic. I use hand-sewn organza to explore the effects of cumulative process in three dimensions. I use hand-drawn line as a basic element to reveal the nature of repetition itself. Dualities between full and empty, convex and concave, right and left, and sensual and cerebral have surfaced as a result. Line is the device that recurs throughout. It is a connector, a separator, a marker of boundaries, a spiraling circularity, and a thread that prevails.

Although her thought process is different from mine I admire the patience that goes into her work. This is a piece I made over a year ago that I'm in the process of trying to duplicate. Every step in the making of it has to be approached slowly and methodically. The process is very meditative, which is nice.

Rain Drop

There's one week left to catch my show Waterways at the DCCA in Wilmington.

Duets Dilemma

2011-02-12T18:38:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to choose a duet for my application for the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Annual Members' Juried Exhibition: Duets

The call for entry reads:
Artists are invited to submit paired works of art in order to create duets. The two works by each artist may be in any media. One work may be a video, and the other a painting—or a photo and an etching—or both may be sculptures, or textiles, or drawings, or whatever else is appropriate. The two works may be serial (think Monet’s haystacks) or completely unrelated. Here, the artist acts as a curator of his or her own work. By pairing works in duets, the artist has the opportunity to call greater attention to an aspect of his or her practice, or an element of the work, such as color, scale, subject, medium, and so on. The exhibition that will result from the submissions will be an exhibition of duets. Some works may harmonize, others may offer a radical or unexpected juxtaposition. In all instances, the hope is that the presentation of works in pairs by individual artists will offer the viewer a focused and dynamic engagement with the work. Please do not title the duet. Each work should have its own title and the viewer will make the connection between the two works visually.

I have a lot of options but found out I can only submit one. Here's a few I'm considering.

Duet #1

Bottom of the Ocean, oil on canvas, 48 x 46 inches, and Bubbles, 12 x 12 x 5 inches, silk, dye and nylon thread

Duet #2

Golden, Oil on canvas, 48 x 46 inches, and Sickening, Ink on Paper, 5 x 5 inches

Duet #3

Surf, Encaustic on Board, 9 x 12 inches, and Froth, Silk and dye, 7 x 12 inches

Duet #4

Feeling Blue, Ink on paper, 7 x 11 inches, and Go With the Flow, Silk, dye, wool and nylon thread, 15 x 17 inches

Duet #5.

Ocean View, Silk, wool, dye and nylon thread, 5 x 7 inches and Ocean, Ink on paper, 7 x 11 inches

These are only some of my choices, so you can see my dilemma. How am I suppose to chose just one? Comments welcome.

Looking Through the Dew

2011-02-01T20:07:00.001-05:00

Here's some photos I took one morning through my car windshield.

Waterways Exhibition

2011-01-30T15:55:00.001-05:00

This week I'll be installing my solo show Waterways at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE. I'm so excited to see this group of paintings together in the white cube. Here's an excerpt from my press release and one of the pieces included in the show.

Spilling Over, 24 x 24 inches

The title of the show Waterways refers to the intrinsic qualities of water that are the subject matter for Celestian’s oil paintings.

She depicts the movement and energy observed in nature with layered spills, pours and splatters of thinned oil paint. The paint in its liquid form is allowed to run and puddle and form similar patterns to waterways. Linda is interested in portraying the energy and life force of water to elicit an emotional response. She is inspired as much by aerial photography, as by personal observations of the ocean, lakes of her childhood, and the creek in her neighborhood.

There is a correlation between these imaginary waterways and our own circulatory system illustrating the connection between earth and mankind.

If you are in the area stop by the opening on Friday the 4th, from 5:30-9pm. I'm also showing ink paintings on the featured artist wall on the 2nd floor of the studio building and fiber work in process in my studio. I hope to see you there.

Inspiration

2011-01-17T09:19:00.001-05:00

Inspiration can come from unexpected places. I think my senses are heightened because I spend a lot of time working in the visual realm. My acting teacher called it looking with soft eyes, like a baby. This is something we actually practiced in acting class. I think it's the way I've always seen things. I've been known for seeing things others miss and in turn not seeing things that others think are blatant, like street signs.

Salt stains on asphalt.

New Year, New Work

2011-01-10T20:11:00.001-05:00

I have a solo show going up in 3 weeks. So, today I did what any sane, rational person would do, I started a new large painting. My show at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts will be in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery for the month of February. I'm hoping that crazy winter weather doesn't keep people away for the opening Friday evening February 4th.

Beili Liu

2011-01-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

Beili Liu is an amazing artist working in installation and 2D art. I'm struggling right now to find the balance between these two areas of my own work so I find her to be an inspiration. I found her featured on Christine Mauersberger's blog.

Here's a few of her impressive works and excerpts from her website.

Ailment

In Chinese tradition, spirit money is burnt for ancestors and spirits in the after world as an offering. Aliment is made from approximately 5000 sheets of Chinese spirit money, each folded in half, and tightly spiraled into a solid wheel. On one side, the rich and warm texture shimmers of silver and gold, on the other side, dense layers of paper edges are charred black. The partial burning, transforms the piece into a symbolic gateway, one side facing the present, the other side bridging to the afterworld.

Yun Yan

“Yun Yan” stands for “cloud and smoke” in Chinese, and refers to things temporal and fleeting in life. Each mark is drawn using a stick of burning incense lightly brushing onto the surface of the rice paper.

Void

Each of the 49 layers of silk organza holds a delicate ring drawn with a burning incense. Each ring reduces in size until it recedes to a small circle. Through the void of the layering black silk, the spectator is drawn to a subtle hint of light at the end of the portal.

Lure/Rise

"The ancient Chinese legend of the red thread tells that when children are born, invisible red threads connect them to the ones whom they are fated to be with. Over the years of their lives they come closer and eventurally find each other, overcoming the distance between, and cultural and social divides.

Red Thread Legend Series is a group of installations inspired by this tale. Lure/Forest is the first project of the series.

The installation makes use of thousands of hand spiraled coils of red thread suspended from the ceiling of the gallery. Each disk is connected to another, as a “couple”, and each pair is made from a single thread. Every coil is pierced in the center by a sewing needle, which enables the suspension of the disks a few inches from the ground. Subtle air currents set the red disks swaying and turning slowly as the loose strands of thread on the floor drift and become entangled.

Here's a video interview with her that I enjoyed and wanted to share. Happy New Year.

Soft Sculpture

2010-12-15T20:12:00.001-05:00

Recently I've been researching soft sculpture. Searching the internet I found the work of Yuko Takada Keller a Japanese artist working in tracing paper. You can see more on her website.

I can't imagine how she hangs these sculptures, but they're beautiful. I love how light and airy they are.

She writes "Prismatic"is the second work that I installed 3-dimensionally. It is one of my favorite works. It is composed of 7,500 pyramids. The theme of "Prismatic" is a shower of light that I felt in nature. "Prismatic" was traveling in U.K. in 1991 and in Canada from 1993 to 1995."

"Reflection" 1990

I recently stumbled upon the work of Joan Livingstone. Here are some of her pieces in industrial felt and epoxy resin. I love her forms because they relate to nature, even though they're abstract. You can see more on her website.

Sometimes I'm scared to venture into new territory in my own work but then I say what's life like if you're not a little scared? Boring!

New Events

2010-11-27T20:29:00.001-05:00

Travel Log, encaustic on board, 6 x 6 inches

I have the above encaustic painting included in the 2010 National Small Works Painting exhibition at The Main Street Gallery in Groton, NY from December 3, through January 2, 2011. I'm happy to say I'm actually going to be able to see this show because it's not far from where I spend Christmas with my family. This show didn't have a theme other than size so I find it ironic that this piece was chosen since it seems to resemble a map of the Finger Lake area in upstate New York where we wander every summer.

I've been working hard in the studio and will be open next Friday evening if you're in the area stop in. Here's more information about what's going on at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. There's a craft show happening from 5-11 pm so you can get some of your gift buying done while checking out contemporary art. I'll be selling lots of fun things in my studio, new bracelets, painting pendants, a few painted purses and small paintings. I hope to see you there.

Free Flow, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T21:19:00.001-05:00

I spent all day making pies and cleaning. I'm tired but happy.

This is a photo of a sunset I took in October in Ocean City, NJ. I will enjoy being with family tomorrow and missing a lot of family members that I won't be with. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Felise Luchansky

2010-11-04T22:20:00.001-04:00

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing my studio artist friend Felise Luchansky. I asked Felise what led her to become an artist. She said as a child she loved collage and ripped into her parents magazines as soon as they’d allow her to, cutting out images and pasting them into new arrangements for her own entertainment. She was always making things out of whatever materials she could find including leaves raked into floor plans in the yard. She went to college at Rutger’s University where while she was studying art history she discovered photography. She continued her education years later taking courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, specifically Leslie Mitchell’s classes Work on Paper dealing with printmaking, collage and other investigations having to do with paper.

The Letter R

This led right into my second question of how she came to be working in her current materials? She starts by collecting imagery; most recently this has been scanned images of nature, sea glass and melted wax. These images are often altered digitally then printed and physically collaged to form new compositions. Her current body of work is dealing with Morse code a form of communication originally created in the early 1840’s and used for early radio communication before it was possible to transmit voice. She became interested in Morse code when she watched how her son was communicating in invented shorthand when he was text messaging. The images are in the format of rectangles and circles to correlate with the dots and dashes of Morse code literally spelling out her message across the gallery walls. She’s incorporated a sound track of drumbeats spelling out the words D-E-S-I-R-E and R-E-L-E-A-S-E in Morse code. She is using altered and collaged images of melted wax for its connotation to the phrase “burning with desire” and the luscious visual qualities as well. Her work is like an invented language that resonates on many levels.

Felise is the recipient of a Delaware Division of the Arts fellowship grant for emerging artist, visual art: Work on Paper and her show titled Context at the Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery runs November 5th through the 25th. The reception on Friday the 5th from Friday from 5-8:00 pm. She hopes that the viewer walks away with the understanding of the concept behind the work but she likes to leave room for one’s own take on it. She is working with a good knowledge of art history and the understanding of art’s role to comment on and decipher the current social trends and that she does in a language all her own.

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D-E-S-I-R-E

She cites her influences as photographers that use photography as a jumping off point such as Olivia Parker, Maggie Taylor and Leslie Dill. Other influences include Jasper Johns for his use of appropriation of images from popular culture and Felise has used things such as s and h green stamps and bingo chips in her work. Robert Rauchenberg has also influenced her with his use of silkscreen which allowed him to use his images over and over. Felise has collected images for years and with digital technology she can pull them into her work and manipulate them to suit her needs time and time again.

If you miss her show at the Mezzanine Gallery you can catch this body of work in December where she will be showing with Renee Benson at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in the Elisabeth Denison Hatch Gallery. If you're interested in seeing more of her work here's a link to her website.

In the Studio

2010-10-31T13:18:00.001-04:00

I've been working on new wool and silk nuno felted bracelets. Here's the process step by step.

Hand dyed silk ironed to heat set and placed on top of bubble wrap.

Pulling tufts of wool and placing it in designs on the silk

I place wool close to the edges if I want the edges finished or place the wool in from the edges if I want ruffled edges.

I use a hand soap that smells like vanilla, mixed with room temperature water. Not hot because then the wool felts to it's self before it has a chance to work it's way through the silk.

After they bracelets are soaked lay bubble wrap over the top and roll it up over a swim noodle, rolling pin or rolled up bubble wrap.

Roll it up in a towel to soak up the water and roll it back and forth for about 5 minutes

At this stage I unroll it and trim off wool that is coming over the edges

If you don't want to trim just push it back onto the silk

Roll it back up and roll it back and forth some more then unroll it and check to see if when tugged on it feel attached. You can also check the back to see if the wool fibers have worked there way through the silk.
If not you can run your fingers back and forth over the back with it face down on the bubble wrap.

Okay now that the wool is laminated to the silk you rinse it in warm water and then throw it down hard on the table or in the sink 200 times at least. I break it up by rinsing it with warm or hot water a few times thinking this probably aids in the wool's shrinking process.

When the silk starts to ripple and get wrinkly then throw it on the table some more. You heard me, it always shrinks a little bit more with the last 50 times it's thrown down hard. This is called fulling.

Here are my bracelets after a final rinse, let them dry then they can be trimmed and snaps or other closures sewn on for finishing them.

New photographs of finished bracelets.

I listed the black and white one in my etsy shop last night and plan to list more soon and send the images to a gallery in Philadelphia.

Nature Photograpy

2010-09-20T20:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I brought my camera along on my walk through the woods. I rock hopped down the middle of Naaman's creek stopping here and there to take pictures of the water.

I didn't bring a tripod so I steadied the camera against my face or knee as best as I could.

I love how you can see bits of blue sky reflected in the water.

Since art imitates nature, this is what I worked on when I got home.

This is painted fabric that I then spray painted with rocks as resists.

The top half of this shot is a painting on plexiglass, I'm holding it up so the light from the window is coming through. This is something I'd love to work on scaling up for the gallery.

Another piece of fabric I worked on. And now I have some really cool spray painted rocks.

My Kids Are Artists Too

2010-09-12T17:56:00.001-04:00

People often ask me if my kids aged 12 and 15 are artists too. My answer is “hell yeah!”. I’m really proud of their work but sometimes I wish they weren’t so busy all the time and would learn to clean up a little once in a while. They wrote, directed, acted, filmed and edited their own movie this summer. I love how my kids can make their own entertainment out of the dress up bin. I hope they never outgrow this. Will the finished piece be a masterpiece? I think probably not, but what a great experience. I bite my tongue when I see the incredible messes that are left in the wake of their creative flurry.

Here are a few pictures of what they’ve been up to this summer.

Delaney's abstract paintings

Delaney's art portfolio from summer camp

Savannah's watercolors from summer camp

This was actually Delaney's lunch one day, that's Larry Cat checking it out

Delaney helped me make wrapping paper with some left over paint and newsprint

Delaney has to wear collared shirts to school and she's not going to wear boring solids every day so she splatter painted her shirt

Here's a shirt I made for her with fabric she chose

Fabric she painted to make a pillow for her room

I painted the wall purple in her bedroom to surprise her for her birthday and together with a friend we painted the spiral. Here she's gluing pompoms to her lamp shades.

Delaney also made cute animals out of plastic eggs, paper flowers from a tracing of her hand and cool jewelry out of buttons. Today they were off to their friend's house dressed as cats.

When I was a kid, the neighborhood kids were always at my house where my sister’s and I were allowed to make costumes out of old clothes and odds and ends and we wrote scripts and put on plays all the time. Our Christmas gifts were always craft kits like a pottery wheel or glass cutting kit. My mother sewed and my father had a wood shop in the basement. I was always making things, and still am. My craft room is a mess! I cleaned my studio this week though and can't wait to get in there and start making messes!

Vacation

2010-08-20T20:44:00.001-04:00

10 Things I love about vacation, in no particular order:

1. Staying up late and sleeping in

2. Taking the time to cook breakfast

Cinnamon Swirl Baked French Toast

3. Reading (especially other artist's blogs)

4. Hiking, biking, swimming and kayaking in nature

5. Photographing nature

6. Hanging out with friends and family

7. Shopping

8. Daydreaming

9. Painting

10. Crafting

My new painting pendants

Oh yeah, make that 11 things that I love about vacation with number 11 being watching the sun set.

Naomi Lake, Poconos

New Painting

2010-08-03T17:19:00.001-04:00

I'm motivated by deadlines. While teaching the kids in Arden 3 hours a day with another hour of prep, I usually just collapse in the afternoons. This year with one of my kids away at camp and the other one spending most of her free time at the pool I was able to get to my studio once or twice a week. I was working on a new large diptych. I didn't know if I could finish it before the Delaware Division of the Arts grant application deadline but that was my goal. I photographed it on Sunday and the deadline was Mon. Here it is.

Running Forth, 48 x 92 inches

It's quite different from my last large diptych done 5 months ago but I think I like it. I'm suspending judgement until I return to the studio full time in a month. It's much more complex than Crash, Hush.. but it feels more expansive. You can really see the aerial photography influence. Here's a close up.

Marbleized Paper

2010-07-28T10:53:00.001-04:00

I love marbleized paper but never really had much luck when I tried to make it in the past. I recently stumbled across the directions in a book for children's crafts so I thought I'd give it another try. The directions said to thin oil paint down with paint thinner and drip a few drops of a couple colors in the water, drag a toothpick though it to make designs and carefully lay the paper down to pick up the paint. Sounded easy so I played with it a bit in my studio. At first I had the paint too thin the directions said the consistency of cream so eventually I got it right. I wore gloves to lift the paper up after it touched the paint floating on the water. The results were beautiful. I let them dry and then brought them home but noticed they smelled strongly of oil paint and thinner even though I used Turpenoid instead of regular paint thinner.

Then my assistant Jeanne gave me a kit with supplies that were non toxic and water based. That prompted me to do an internet search and I learned about a method that uses liquid starch and watered down acrylic paint. Beautiful! I couldn't wait to try it. It worked really well once I got the paint to the right consistency. Now the kids could pull the paper up by themselves without having to worry if they got it on their hands and it smelled great, like fresh laundry.

Here's Shannon showing us the beautiful results. The kids loved it. I read that you should wash the starch off so we passed the prints though a tray of water after letting them dry a bit. I also just read that a 1/2 teaspoon alum mixed into 2 cups of starch helps the paint to adhere to the paper. I'll try that next time.

Sidney's using some tools from the kit to make patterns in the paint.

I started with a color story for each tray like red, yellow, orange in one tray and blue, green and purple in another tray.

This is April experimenting with all the colors.
I was worried that the starch would become too saturated with paint to be used but some of the paint sunk to the bottom and I freshened up the top with a bit more starch as needed. We were able to keep the same trays going for 3 hours.

ACRA

2010-07-11T09:13:00.001-04:00

ACRA stands for Arden Community Recreation Association. This association was founded in 1948, and provides recreational, educational and social activities throughout the year to residents of the three Ardens. The summer program is free to children 3 years old though entering 8th grade. The summer program, which runs Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 12:30, provides sports activities, a game room, outdoor free play, art and music, field trips and many visiting artists from the community as well. Freedom of choice reigns at ACRA and children are allowed to go from activity to activity as their free spirits move them.

In the art room we provide fun art experiences daily. One experience I wasn't expecting this week was when I went to the shed to get supplies I was stung not once but twice by a very angry wasp. I apparently disturbed a nest above the door of the shed and the irate insect stung my finger and then on second pass dove right into my face and stung my eyelid. Ouch, is not all I yelled, believe me. So everyone on staff helped me set up the art room for junk art day as I barked orders while holding an ice pack on my eye. The kids didn’t seem to notice that anything was amiss as they plowed past me to get first dibs on the best junk and be first in line to use the hot glue guns. I was stung on Thursday but my finger and eye didn’t really swell until 2 days later. I’m having trouble typing this with one explosively fat finger and one eye swollen almost shut!

I love these junk people the kids made.

They make me smile and remind me why I like being the art director at ACRA. My job is to put out supplies, make suggestions, be ready to assist as needed and know when to step back as their creativity revs up to warp speed and takes off. I often forget to take pictures as I mentioned last post but here are some of the kids working on their papier mache projects last week.

Shannon and April

Phoenix, Madi, and Shane

Maddie and Riley

Remember the Ice

2010-06-29T08:44:00.001-04:00

I'm in my second week working as the art director at Arden Community Recreation Association, Summer Program here in Arden. Last week we made spin art, dot art, our own art journals and printed leaves on fabric to make into pillows. Wow, and today we started papier mache. I will post pictures soon. I guess after I take some. I usually don't have a break in the art making frenzy to take any photos. At one point today I had to count how many kids were in the room and it was close to twenty. They're hard to count because they move, kind of like the fish in my pond. I came home exhausted today and took a long nap. It's only Monday, God help me!

Since it's been brutally hot lately I thought I'd take a moment to remember the cold winter storm, which I personally loved and thought was beautiful. While I was busy preparing the diptych and sculpture that comprised my June show I also painted 3 smaller canvases. These are 24 x 24 inches and were started on a black acrylic ground. The inspiration was icicles on shale walls that I always see along the highway to Syracuse, NY and some ice I photographed during our winter storm.

Rocky Shore, oil on canvas

Shale and Ice, oil on canvas

Layers, oil on canvas

Meagan Mika, an intern at the DCCA this summer has started a blog about the DCCA. She interviewed me a few weeks back. She wrote a really thoughtful post about my show and other work she saw in my studio, thanks Meagan. She happened to mention these canvases, in particular the one with rust in the composition that I titled, Shale and Ice. She stated that it was quite possibly her favorite piece.

Crash, Hush... Exhibition

2010-06-17T12:59:00.001-04:00

There's still time to see my new work in person at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. The show continues through June 27th in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery. Here's an installation shot taken by my talented friend Carson Zullinger, an amazing photographer.

There's a favorable review of the show on The Hunt Magazine website.

I experienced the post show blues for a few days after the opening. This is a completely normal let down after the final push of installing a show and everything that goes into promoting it. Even though I should expect this mood swing, it was difficult especially with everything else I had going on with my kids. I cleaned my studio for the opening so I took a few photos before it inevitable returns to it's normal chaotic, working state. "Where did I put the hammer I was just using?"

Inspiration, fiber work and encaustic paintings.

Fiber pieces, encaustic paintings and silk remnants.

I've accomplished quite a bit since September and should feel proud of it but I'm never comfortable to sit back and relax. On Sunday I experienced some severe nerve pain in my neck that sent me to the urgent care medical center. I guess that was my body saying "slow down". I'm busy ordering supplies and planning projects for my summer job as an art director at a camp that starts on Saturday. Meanwhile I'm still plotting how to get one more painting finished before my summer deadlines. I guess "slow down" just isn't in my vocabulary.

Upcoming Show

2010-06-01T18:09:00.001-04:00

It's June and I'm installing my show with Kyle Ripp tomorrow in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery, at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts. Here's a teaser.

I went back and forth on whether I should paint the wall blue behind it.

I have decided to install it and then decide but I think I'm NOT going to paint the wall. I want it to be viewed from as many angles as the space allows and not just from head on.

I will know when I get it installed whether I've made the right choice. Since this is my first time showing sculpture in a gallery it's been really hard to visualize it. I'm also working on a sound component which will be available for listening on a personal player with headphones, another first for me.

Here is a detail from the painting also included in the show.

Title: "Crash, Hush..." 48 x 92 inches (diptych).

The opening is this Friday, June 4th, 5:30 - 9 pm. I'll be giving an artist's talk starting with the piece I have included in the member's show NEW juried by Roberta Fallon and ending in the Hatch Gallery. The talk will be sometime between 6:30 and 7:00.

Bahdeebahdu

2010-05-25T06:54:00.001-04:00

Bahdeebahdu, is a working studio for design and the development of art, sculpture and furnishings at 1522 N. American St. in Philadelphia, PA. I don't know the story behind the name but I know I like it. The website makes it look like an interesting place so I put it on my list when my sister and I set out to gallery hop in Philly. I didn't just like the space, I loved it. We were there on a rainy day in April and it was the highlight of our trip. One of the owners RJ, was very welcoming and let me take pictures.

The reception desk is covered with toys mostly painted white.

Here's a close up. Wow!

Beautiful art, beautiful furnishings, and amazing trash to treasure light fixtures and sculptures. This is excerpted from their website "Warren Muller’s sculptures radiate more than just light when displayed in the context of a home, office, restaurant or retail space. Infused with meaning, they convey a sense of excitement and delight to both our clients and their guests alike. With his partner, Interior Designer RJ Thornburg, Warren has collaborated on projects that include the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History, Digitas Healthcare and the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia."

Here's a picture of the shop in the back with shelves of cool stuff. This place is truly a hoarder's delight.

This hangs outside above the door.

The doors themselves are super cool, obviously salvaged. I had to photograph them from both sides.

I hope to make one of their openings which are held on second Thursdays of the month.

I think they inspired this little installation which my sister helped me hang in my dining room window the same week. I was also inspired by my friend Delainey Barclay, whose installation I wrote about here.

Silk Sculpture Progress

2010-05-03T20:00:00.001-04:00

I've been working on a silk sculpture for my June show in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE. It's coming along. I'm planning to show this with a new large diptych oil painting.

I thought I'd show you what goes into making this piece. I start with silk organza and nuno felt it with off white wool. Here I'm laying out the wool.

Here I'm drizzling warm soaping water over it until it's soaked.

It's a little hard to see white on white so I also photographed the same process with turquoise wool.

Next I cover it with another layer of bubble wrap and roll it up.

I wrap it in a towel and roll it back and forth.

Then I unroll it and rub my hands over the back of the silk further working the wool fibers through the silk. In this part of the process I can actually see the wool fibers coming through to the back of the silk.

After that comes the fun part, I rinse the soap out and throw it on the table with force at least 200 times. It's called felling and it shrinks and compacts the wool which in turn makes the silk crinkle.

It's time to dye it in a puddle of dye and let it dry untouched for a few days. Here it is dry.

I have to steam it before I cut out the pieces.

Here's a stack of the pieces ready to be sewn together.

I've sewn them together, put wire in the seams and hung them up in my studio.

I'm working on color and composition issues but in 3 dimensions, instead of 2 which is a whole different ballgame. I'm trying to find the balance between too much, and too little. Then, there's the whole logistical issue of how to hang it.

Here I played around with adding the bubble silk to it. I'm going to make some pieces with smaller bubbles in a lighter color. I have a lot of work left to do! If you're in the Wilmington area I'll have my studio open this Friday from 5-9 pm at the DCCA.

Delainey Barclay

2010-04-18T21:36:00.001-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down with my friend and fellow studio artist Delainey Barclay, to talk about her art. Her solo show in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts continues through April 25th.

I asked Delainey how she chose to became an artist. She said her Mom is an artist and as a kid she was always encouraged to be creative and make things. When her Mom was making something she gave Delainey and her siblings their own supplies and they would be building right alongside her. She said birthday and Christmas gifts were usually art supplies. Secondly she credits her high school art teacher for knowing she was going to be an artist before she knew. Upon first meeting her he proclaimed her future was destined because of her awesome name. He encouraged her to apply to Art College and helped with every phase of the application process.

I asked her how she came to be using the materials she’s using in her artwork. She said the aforementioned art teacher introduced her to oil painting and using a palette knife. That early experience of painting with a palette knife is the reason she still likes to create texture in her painting with the application of thick paint. She also enjoys taking ordinary supplies that can be readily purchased at a hardware store and transforming them into something beautiful. A spool of string she bought 10 years ago at a garage sale has turned up in many different pieces.

In her show titled 100% Humidity, Delainey says she wanted to consider not just the paintings but the space around the paintings as well. The oil paintings in soft soothing colors include silhouettes of animals seemingly unaware of the viewer’s presence. She says she was striving for simplicity and beauty, like a really deep breath.

Her inspiration for the work is the Brandywine Valley on a hot and humid summer day. A day when the air is so thick you can see and feel it. The string spheres represent that air, hanging above your head and floating in front of the canvases.

Delainey talked about a painting by Tom Friedman with a full size shovel attached to it, that she saw years ago leaving a strong impression on her, and also Robert Rauschenburg.

You can see more of her work here.

Inspiring Artist

2010-03-26T20:16:00.002-04:00

I stumbled across this artist when I searched for silk organza sculpture, Lisa Kellner.

Tunnel Vision

Silk organza, thread, pigment, monofilament. Installed at the UICA, Dec 2009. 73"H x 30"W

Almost Perfect

silk, pigment, thread, surgical pins 42” x 31” x 6”

Slab

Silk, pigment, thread, monofilament 58” x 36” x 43”

These are so beautiful and really inspire me to continue pursuing my own silk sculpture installation ideas.

Here's a couple shots of a wave sculpture prototype, I've been working on in my studio. This is nuno felted and dyed silk organza, wire and plastic boning hung with filament.

Inspiration

2010-03-19T11:52:00.001-04:00

I've been known to say that nature never ceases to amaze me. These photos were taken on Providenciales, in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The waters surrounding the island are gorgeous turquoises that change depending on the depth of the water. I really couldn't dream of a better place to go while working on my current body of work.

The last 2 photos are of a silk sculpture I worked on before the trip, it's crazy how it looks like the colors and forms I photographed. I know there will be more work coming out of this trip. We stayed right on the beach and the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore lulled me to sleep every night.

Creativity Workshop

2010-02-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun this past weekend teaching my Creativity Workshop in Arden DE. My two sisters and my niece came from upstate NY to take the workshop. I was thrilled to have them here and they got to see what I do and experience it first hand. I also appreciate their honest feedback. I refer to the workshop as a journey inward. Like in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin man, the Lion and the Scarecrow, have to go on the journey to discover that they actually already possess what they are seeking. Together we demystify creativity and I provide the necessary experiences to assist in the uncovering of the participants creativity and their desire to make time and space for it in their lives. It's like going back to kindergarten without the rules. I forgot to take pictures again; it's not really something you can capture in pictures anyway. The group really enjoyed the collaborative painting and the freedom to play and explore together, encouraging each other along the way.

Here are some of our painted papers

Here is my collage, I'm planning to sew on it. It needs something.

It's really fun to play without worrying about the results. I was totally focused on process and tried to stress that throughout the workshop by saying "don't think, just paint". Some interesting things usually happen when you approach work this way. Things come out because you're not standing in the way. I have to remember to make more time to do this in the studio.

Snow and Ice

2010-02-15T20:43:00.001-05:00

How Beautiful.

I mean seriously, why do I even bother to paint? Speaking of which I haven't been to my studio in 7 days. I've been home with my kids because of snow days and holidays, not that I'm complaining. This guy looks happy about it.

This guy does not.

I'm dreaming of tropical islands and sewing up watery sculptures for my June show in the Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE.

The show in the Hatch Gallery this month are 2 friends of mine, Marilyn Mitchell and Renee Benson. The show titled Natural Rythms showcases Marilyn's fabric creations and Renee's paintings.

In the Beckler Family Member's Gallery, Andrew Wapinski's show Wasteland continues until April 18, 2010. His artist talk was postponed until the March opening on first Friday, March 5, 2010.

Andrew V. Wapinski

2010-02-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

Andrew Wapinski's solo show opens this Friday night at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE. I sat down with Andrew this week to discuss a few topics, artist to artist. First I asked Andrew how and why he chose to become an artist? He told me it sort of happened, that he didn't seek it out. He has artists in his family on his mother's side and his uncle was an art teacher. He went to college for Art Education but after his first painting class he just wanted to be in the studio more. His junior year he changed majors to Fine Arts and then continued on that path. His last comment on the subject was he doesn't know what he'd be doing if he wasn't painting; this was clearly demonstrated after his show was hung and he was seen roaming the halls day after day.

The body of work on display at the DCCA is paintings on acrylic primed panels, layered with gold leaf and colored resin. I asked him how he came about to work in these materials. He explained how it was an evolution that began with his study of traditional painting materials while obtaining his Master's degree. He explained that the gold symbolizes progression, power, wealth and spirituality. He is interested in portraying the struggle between man's need for progression and nature. There are also references to the history of painting in particular, Byzantine and Renaissance painting. He elaborated that the gold leaf is a traditional painting material that he enjoys because of the grid that is inherent in it's application but also it's malleable qualities. He uses additive and subtractive techniques to arrive at the distinct surface textures that are ultimately illuminated by layers of resin. He uses resin like the old masters glazing techniques building up layers of color to obtain visual richness and physical heft. He told me that his unique combination of traditional painting materials and contemporary industrial materials also speaks about the progression of man.

Some of Andrew's influences are Byzantine and Renaissance painters, early Renaissance painter Masaccio, Vermeer for the way he painted light, on the contemporary side Matthew Ritchie and Roxy Paine.

Andrew's show titled Wasteland is on display in the
Beckler Family Members' Gallery through April 18, 2010. See more of his work here.

Don't Forget to Wear Clean Underwear

2010-01-27T13:22:00.002-05:00

I don't mean to make light of this, but my Uncle Jack had a stroke while driving this past week and flipped his car. It was what you might call a double whammy. He didn't survive.

There's nothing like losing a family member to make you feel really alive...... or just plain lost in a senseless world. I'm feeling a mixture of both that could be best described as a roller coaster ride. Hey, that's life in a nutshell. Crazy, snake loving, dog loving, God loving, Uncle Jack will be missed. I know he's in a better place now and smiling.

Other news; I'll be running my Creativity Workshop in Arden on Sat. February 20th. You can reserve your space by dropping me an email at linda@lindacelestian.com You can read some testimonials on my website.

Come out and have some fun to lift your spirits in the duldrums of winter. Write, move, paint, laugh and let loose! You won't regret it in the morning, I promise.

Here's a new fiber piece I finished last week. It's a painting on broadcloth, layered with dyed and nuno felted silk organza. It's 15 x 17 inches and titled "Living"

New Fiber Work

2010-01-17T19:56:00.002-05:00

I've been playing in the studio. Well sort of, play means to take part in an enjoyable activity simply for the sake of amusement. Since usually I'm working towards some goal, an exhibition or juried show submission there seems very little time for play. Intellectually I know play and experimentation are important ingredients to innovative work, it's just hard to make the time and space for what sometimes feels frivolous. I mean no one wants to look like a fool or waste time or supplies. Even though I'm working to have some finished pieces to enter in a juried show I'm trying to remain open to new ideas and to play. I feel like I'm on the verge of something wonderful but I continue to fall a little short and sometimes I really hate what I have at the end of the day. This is something I have on the wall right now but it's still a work in progress. My friends come in every day and encourage me with kind comments. I tell myself "Keep going, it's too late to turn back now."

This is a painting on broadcloth stretched on stretcher bars, covered with dyed silk that I ironed and then a crinkly piece of dyed silk pinned on top of that. It's interesting and getting closer to something I might call finished.

I listed 5 hand painted wristlets on my Etsy site.

If you're new to Etsy you can check out my favorites to see some really cool things.

Artist's Inspiration

2010-01-11T08:57:00.001-05:00

If you asked 10 different artists where they get their inspiration from you'd probably get 10 different answers. I believe that artists are always being inspired by their surroundings either consciously or unconsciously. People usually choose to live in a surrounding that they find interesting or exciting in some capacity. City people like the vibrant social and cultural stimulation that is readily available in a city. Country folk like natural landscape, animals and the sky for instance.
I didn't paint nature until I moved to Arden, DE. When I moved here from center city Philadelphia it was like coming home. I grew up in a rural area and spent hours walking or just daydreaming in and around fields, lakes and rivers. Summers were spent literally living on our family boat. What a great way to grow up. My inspiration is nature and it never ceases to amaze me and stop me in my tracks. I'm really inspired by seasons in nature, the way a familiar landscape is always changing. I like the way you can see more of the sky in the winter and the way the bare branches look against the sky. Just in the past few weeks I took these photos of the sky through my skylights.

Here's my kitty named Winter, looking out at the snow. She showed up at our door 2 years ago in the winter and once she got a taste of the warm indoors she wasn't going anywhere.

This is a painting of a winter landscape inspired by how the sky looks through the trees when the sun is lowering on a hazy winter day. If you click on the title you'll see the progression of this painting, and how it evolved layer by layer. It took 14 layers before I called it done.
The link takes you to my progression page to see Winter Sky you have to click on it, it's the last one on the list.

Winter Sky

It is hard to know when to stop and sometimes I want to take it off the wall and add more trees or something. Hmm, I feel a winter series coming on.

New Year

2010-01-03T19:23:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I had a great artist's reception today at Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine. Thank you to everyone who came out, and a special thank you to Griselda and Paul. If you missed it my paintings are up for a few months so you have plenty of time to see them and have a meal, I can't say enough about the food.

Almost as soon as I got home from New York state where I spent Christmas with my family I started nuno felting. I had a few parties on my calender and I'd always prefer to make something than to go shopping. Here's some of my new bracelets. I even managed to get a few on my Etsy site.

I'm excited about the color scheme and the new techniques I tried. I'm leaving a lot of the organza showing in more defined shapes and I really like the look. The colors look like the winter landscape that I love so much. I even photographed some on a bit of snow left in my back yard.

There is something about the limited color palette of winter that I find very beautiful and peaceful. On the trip to upstate NY, I stared at hours of black shale with icicles frozen in mid motion and acres of white birch trees. Ahh...

Fabric of Peace

2009-12-23T14:30:00.001-05:00

In the midst of all the Christmas craziness I had one last deadline to meet. I finished a quilt square for the Regional Center for Women in the Arts , Fabric of Peace project.

It's a painting on fabric with dyed silk organza sewn over it. I titled it Peaceful Water.

The finished quilt will be displayed across the country and abroad to communicate women's shared interest in world peace. With my nephew being deployed to Iraq 3 days after Christmas this is a project I can get behind. I can't wait to see the finished quilt and hear where it will travel.

Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine restaurant in Chadds Ford is hosting an artist's reception for my work on Sunday, January 3rd, 1-3:30 pm. Appetizers and soft drinks will be served, but you're welcome to bring a bottle. Please rsvp to linda@lindacelestian.com if you're planning to attend. If you've never been to Sweet Basil you're in for a treat and will want to stay for dinner, trust me. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday.

Painting Exhibition at Sweet Basil

2009-12-10T21:18:00.001-05:00

I survived the Craft Show at the DCCA, even with bronchitis and major sleep deprivation. The big hit of the evening was my felted rocks

and collage kits. It was a fun night and I made a lot of new connections. Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table to chat. Also, I just want to say that I'm very grateful for my studio artist friends that support me weekly in my artistic endeavors.

I have bracelets and wristlet purses available for gift giving, just drop me an email. I haven't had time to get more in my etsy shop yet. Check back soon.

I hung my paintings this week at Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine in Chadds Ford, PA on 202. Thank you Griselda and Paul, especially Griselda for putting up with me putting so many holes in her walls. The paintings look great there, Griselda thinks I must have painted them for the space. I think we've decided on Sunday, January 3rd for an artist reception. I'll post an update when I have a time. Here's a sneak peek of how it looks. Oh, by the way the restaurant is BYOB and the food is really good!

In the studio I worked a little bit on 2 fiber pieces for a juried show submission.

"Cerulean Water" 91 x 45 inches

"Red and Gold" 15 x 9 inches

Craft Show at DCCA

2009-12-01T09:14:00.001-05:00

I think that sale I made 2 weeks ago went to my head. Last week I signed up to do the Craft Show at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts on the evening of Dec. 4th. That gave me 10 days to make product which is now 5 days, yikes. Yes I'm counting Friday, I might even be hand finishing things at my table that night. Nothing like a deadline to get yourself moving. On Wed. I took one of my purse panels cut it in half and made my first wristlet.

Here's my second one, 4 to go.

Putting in zippers isn't exactly fun but I'm crossing my fingers they'll go smoothly because I don't have a lot of time for mistakes. I'm also hoping to whip up a few more bracelets.

In the midst of this craft explosion(and I do mean explosion, you should see my house) we took a family trip to check out Eastern State Petitionary in Philadelphia. This prison was built in 1829 based on the idea that solitary confinement and labor would lead criminals to become pentinent. Each prisoner had a private cell with plumbing and heat and a private exercise yard. After 147 years of consecutive use it was abandoned and left to decay in 1971.

The minute I walked in the door I was snapping pictures. If you live close by you really should go. If you do, make sure you take your allergy meds and be ready for the funkalicious smells. The property has been left to deteriorate naturally and that's what makes it so cool. The history of how and why it was built is fascinating but I was in love with the textures and the crumbling layers of days gone by. How is it that disgusting, disintegrating plaster walls, wooden doors and metal structures can be so beautiful, or at least to me. On top of all that they have invited artists to create installations to compliment the wonder of this place. The installations fit in beautifully and are shown in some of my photos.

Matthew and Jonathan Stemlar : Juxtaposition

Judith Taylor : My Glass House

Linda Brenner : Ghost Cats

Nuno Felted Bracelets

2009-11-21T13:40:00.001-05:00

Ya gotta love the internet! Last week I sold 6 wool and silk organza bracelets because of this blog. Just when I was sure no one was reading this. The email came late at night from someone in Atlanta, Georgia saying she saw my wool bracelets somewhere, maybe on my website, their not on my website but are in this blog and that she would love to buy some! She used lots of exclamation points so I thought maybe it was a scam. I answered and told her I'd send her some photos of what I had. I photographed just about everything I had and sent it off in an email. She responded with the 6 that she would like to purchase. Sceptic that I am, I still thought maybe it was a scam. She paid my paypal account right after I sent the request so, yeah for me. I created some beautiful packaging and sent them with love to Atlanta, Georgia. Wow! Needless to say since then I've been working on my etsy site.
It's almost impossible to photograph your own wrist but I do it anyway and then sweetly ask my daughter to help me out. Our patience for each other usually lasts just long enough to get one bracelet photographed.
Here's one I just listed.

In the studio I was stretching canvases and other boring work this week. I was glum about it and my friend Dennis reminded me that's why they call it artwork. So yesterday I rebelled and sewed some of this green silk I dyed last week onto circles made of boning. I said I was going to play around with the fiber installation so I did just that. This isn't finished and I don't even know if it will ever be anything. It's is a sketch, a study done in silk organza, boning and fishing line.

Another shot of fabric draped over a painting.

Encaustic Painting, Fiber Installation

2009-11-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

I worked again on encaustic paintings this week. This is one that I finished, it's 6 x 6 inches. I worked on another one forever, laying on color and then scraping it down only to not like what I scraped down to, and then painting it over again, ugh. I just don't know if I should throw in the towel altogether or just give it more time. With my students I never let them be hard on themselves. I tell them you didn't learn to walk overnight, you fell down a lot but you didn't give up. I don't know what to do. My very wise daughter of 11 years, said to go on to something else and then come back to it. She says whenever she does that she learns something from the new thing that she can use in the old thing she was frustrated with. So I think I'll take her advice. I did work on 2 others I kind of like that I'll post next week, then I think I'll give it a rest and come back to it. Hopefully my daughter's advice will play itself out.
All the fabric from my window display was in a huge box in the middle of my studio last week. Since I was opening the studio I had to deal with it in one way or another so I hung it and then I played around with it. Now that it's hung I'm forced to deal with it. This is a close up shot of part of it.

I'm going to continue to work on it and figure out what it wants to be and how it can evolve into sculpture. Sculpture? I did some soft sculpture in college but it was stuffed and heavy, I want to make this light and airy. I'm going to be adding some greens to the turquoises and creating forms with wool felting and sewing.

Remember this?

I had my friends Drew and Steve look at it and found out with their help that it actually works much better when they're hung closer together. I had them about 6 inches apart now they're 3 inches apart, or it might be even closer than that.

I just had no idea that the measurement between a two pieces of a diptych could vary so much and what a huge difference it makes. Wow, thanks guys, now I think it's done.

Open Studio

2009-11-02T09:43:00.001-05:00

Here's what I worked on last week.

This is 2 canvases that are 36 x 26 inches each.
I just don't know if it's finished, Im probably going to do one more subtle pour this week. It's almost there.
My studio will be open along with other studios and openings in the galleries this Friday evening 5:30 to 9:00 at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, 200 S. Madison St. Check the website for details www.thedcca.org

Working in the Studio

2009-10-26T07:30:00.001-04:00

This is an ink painting I worked on this summer. For me it sums up our summer trip and I think it's title should be "Looking for the Waterfall". It looks like the global positioning unit we used in my car whenever we set out on one of our sightseeing trips. So does that keep this piece from being abstract because it so closely resembles a map?

I seem to be struggling with this concept of abstract versus abstraction in my work. Labels, genres, categories and such seem to be for art historians so I shouldn't concern myself with this while I'm working. That said, it's always good to ask questions, and know where you are heading like looking at a map once in a while. I feel the work should have something to say, whether everyone gets it is another question entirely. I always say that images were used to communicate before written language and have the potential to communicate more directly than words. My work comes from my heart and usually communicates what I'm going through so maybe that's exactly why the work is a struggle right now. It's caught between representation and non representation as I struggle with whether to paint for an audience or paint purely for myself with no regard as to whether it will make it into a prestigious gallery or sell for a nice price. Is validation from an outside source as important as I perceive it to be?
Then on top of that I add working with a new medium just for kicks.
Here are some encaustic paintings I worked on this week.

These were 2 that I kind of liked. Another one I fought with for days wasn't even worth photographing. I was ready to just throw in the towel even though I'm not a quitter. I was thinking to myself maybe I should just be concentrating on oil painting and give up on the encaustic while I'm ahead and then I eek out one or two little things that keep me intrigued. This week it was gouging out lines, then filling them with a color and then scraping the whole surface smooth so that the fill color only shows in the gouged areas. That is called learning and then comes applying that knowledge appropriately and with finesse. Stay tuned.

Picking Up Where I Left Off

2009-10-15T21:56:00.001-04:00

September was a crazy month of painting fabric and nuno felting for my window display. When it was done I was exhausted and so anxious to get back to painting. Last week I cleaned and tried to return my studio to some kind of working state. I had these two canvases 26 x 36 inches that I decided to make a diptych and primed them a midnight blue. Boy, they looked dark. Today I took the plunge and did my first pour of oil paint on canvas since last May. There's some glare because the paint is wet.

It's a start and feels more successful than the messes I made in encaustic. I haven't worked in encaustic in a long while and I'm still struggling to get what I want. I feel like a foreigner or a child, or both. I feel like a child in a foreign land. When I first started working with it, that is what I liked about it. It was exciting, like traveling to a new place where you don't know the language and you don't know what you'll encounter. Now I'm finding I can work for hours without bringing a piece to completion. I layer, melt, scrape, and still no satisfaction. Frustrating. I guess it's like learning a foreign language. So I was thinking about how a child communicates. They have limited vocabulary but usually find a way to communicate their needs. Sometimes it's with a cry that communicates loud and clear. So I tell myself I need to simplify, resort to a limited vocabulary. I guess that can be scary sometimes, to drop the pretenses and just say what you mean. Another advantage children have, they don't mince words they just say what they mean without the superfluous adjectives. I'm trying too hard, I guess. I keep hoping the results will be worth all the struggle. Here's a few pieces I'm still working on.

Then I grabbed a small panel that had some colors smeared on it from when I needed to clean my brushes from time to time. I painted some dark brown circles, when in doubt paint circles, right? Then I layered and carved, drew with oil pastel, ran out of time and called it a day. I kind of like it, I mean I really think I like it. It's simple and to the point. What do you think?

Windows Throughout Old City

2009-10-05T13:49:00.000-04:00

I completed my window display and installation at J. Karma Boutique at 62 N. 3rd St. in Old City Philadelphia! I worked myself to exhaustion and beyond. I'm happy with most of it, but there were I few things I wish I could have worked on but there just wasn't any time left. I installed on Thursday for 8 hours, up and down a ladder, every change I made I had to go outside to see how it looked from the street. Despite my inexperience in these things it went pretty well. I finished my sketch and a few small changes in the window on Friday. Now it's done and all I can do is take away the knowledge of what I'll do different the next time I do an installation.You can check photos of the other windows and vote for your favorite at http://www.discoveroldcity.com/ (you know what I mean, vote for me.)Studio shots..

You are invited to join me at the opening in Old City.
Dane Decor is hosting an opening reception for the DesignPhiladelphia Old City Window Reception on Friday, October 9th, 5:30-9:00:
Hors D'oeuvres by Tastebuds Market
Wine Service by Pinot: They will serve Pinotini's! Pinotini's are Pinot's Specialty Drink of Raspberry Vodka blended with Pinot's own Cabernet Chocolate Sauce.
Everyone is invited to attend: Window Designers, Old City businesses, residents and their friends. Dane Decor will also have digital photos of windows around Old City in their showroom so everyone can see what is going on in the
district!
Don't forget to vote for your favorite window at http://www.discoveroldcity.org/

Windows Throughout Old City

2009-09-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

When I got back from vacation I'd been away from my studio for 10 weeks. It might seem like a long time but when I'm away from the studio that doesn't mean I'm not working. Coming up with all those projects for the kids keeps my creative mind running full speed and then finding ways to display it all is a creative endeavor also. When I'm with my sisters we're into one creative project after another. We bead together and scour every shop in Skaneatles, some of our best finds were in the church thrift store. Even if we're not buying we're discussing how something is made and what colors we would make it in. I saw some really nice nuno felted scarves and garments in the Artisan Gallery. The silk was really soft and hand dyed in beautiful colors.

Sue and I felted some rocks. I've seen them on Etsy and couldn't wait to try it. These are some we made.

I also made Sue a couple nuno felted bracelets to match some of her outfits for work.

When I got home I posted a few bracelets and purses to my Etsy shop before I got too busy in the studio. I want to post more soon but I have a very tight deadline on this project I jumped in on. I'm participating in Windows Throughout Old City, a window design exhibition and competition as part of Design Philadelphia! Well I've been talking about making one of my paintings into a 3 dimensional experience like an installation for some time now. I bought white organza to paint on and even did a small painting with fabric dyes before I left the studio. As soon as I signed up for this competition I started painting fabric, yards of it that will be felted. I made lots more felted rocks and constructed a small mock up and photographed it. Every night when I close my eyes I try to imagine how these painted fabrics and rocks will become an installation that surpasses mere window dressing. Well, I'm still working on many ideas and trying to bring them together into one brilliant idea. The waterfalls I visited this summer and white water rafting on the Moose River in the Adirondacks are my inspiration. I met with my business owner Jeanne of J. Karma Boutique on 3rd St, last Friday. I brought sketches, photos of my paintings, painted silk organza, felted rocks, papier mache rocks and hoped and prayed that she would love my idea. She did! Now here's the catch, I was preparing to design one window and she has 3 windows. So instead of doing one installation I'm doing 3 and the deadline is Oct. 2nd. That's 2 weeks away and includes photographs and a sketch of the final work. So much to do, so little time.

Buttermilk Falls, Ithaca, NY

2009-09-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

The last week of our vacation we drove an hour and a half in spitting rain and ate our lunch in the car just to see Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca, NY. Luckily it wasn't a perfect day because we could enjoy the place without sharing it with a lot of people. It stopped raining long enough for us to walk up and for the girls to swim. What is it about rushing water? The sound alone was worth the car ride. It was a steep hike, a lot of stairs to traverse but the view kept improving as we went up. I'm back in the studio working on a big project, I'll post details soon. I can say my summer water adventures will be the inspiration for this new project and for more new paintings too. Water seems to be consuming my creative brain. I am a Scorpio after all.

Montreal

2009-08-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

This ferris wheel at LaRonde Montreal, Quebec was HUGE!

I think Alex's pants were brown afterwards. My stomach did flip flops just watching Delaney lean forward and look down.

Cute penguins I photographed at the Biosphere.

These weather worn, old, paint flaking murals in Old Montreal were great abstract compositions when cropped. Found art.

Skaneatles Lake

2009-08-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

I'm missing putting my feet in the chilly water of Skaneatles Lake. If you have the guts to jump in, it feels sooo good.

Savannah had the guts.

I swam a couple times, the water is crystal clear.

I love the sound of water lapping over the shore. That sound used to lull me to sleep many nights of my childhood spent on the boat.

More Art at ACRA

2009-07-29T10:46:00.001-04:00

Last night I got frustrated with the blog software so I’m using something different now, let’s see how I do. Another project the kids love is Junk Art. I’m not sure when it started but it’s one of those projects that God help the person who ever tried to not include it on the calendar. I cover 2 large tables with all kinds of junk and then stand back. Here’s some of their work.Sidney and Bridget with their creation “Joe”. Kali’s Junk Art, I wish I would have taken the time to get a better picture. There was much more that I didn’t photograph, I was usually too tired at the end of the day.

The last week we did needlepoint on plastic canvas, jute bracelets, beaded lizards and sun prints. I was too busy to get any photos. Here’s some shots of the kids and the final display of art for the open house. Autumn and Molly working on papier mache. Serena and her God’s Eye.Phoenix, Delaney and Gryphon.Alex working on her cow. Spin Art display.Handkerchief display.

Project Runway with Betty O’Regan. The kids were sent home with a box and a shopping bag full of their art on the last day.

More Art at ACRA

2009-07-28T20:11:00.000-04:00

The art supplies are packed away until next year and most of the work returned to it's owner. I've had a few days to rest and reflect. Let's see if I can back up and show everything we did the last three weeks. First I promised a picture of the little girl who did the most work on her sewing kit, here's April, she's 6 years old and a bundle of energy. Love her! The kids love papier mache. I can't really explain it other than when else do you get to make whatever you want and make a huge mess while you're doing it? Here are some of the finished projects. That's a pie, a mouse, a crab and a cow. There were other animals, an ice cream cone and a couple cool rocket ships. These are called God's Eyes, a craft made with 2 sticks and yarn. I do these every year because the art director before me did them every year for 13 years and who knows how many years someone did them before her. It just wouldn't be ACRA without doing God's Eyes. Next we made some awesome stationery with printed leaves. I was really into this and made a bunch to use as Thank You notes. Oh yeah the kids liked it too. I figured out a way to make a 2 color print by laying the inked leaves face up on a large stamp pad and then laying the paper over that and pressing.
Ruth Bean and Lisa Riblett came in to do Weed Creatures. This is very popular year after year, here's just a small sampling of their work.

Arden Community Recreation Association

2009-07-11T09:02:00.000-04:00

I'm working as the art director at the ACRA camp in Arden, with Jeanne Orr as my wonderful assistant. It's fun some days and down right grueling others. The rewards are obvious when the kids repeatedly say "This is so fun!" and the parents comment that their kids can't wait to get there in the morning to go to the art room. Here are some of the projects we have done so far. Spin art, do you remember this from when you were a kid? My twist is using colored cards. They don't seem to tire of this because of the surprise of seeing what it looks like when it stops spinning.

Watercolor with India Ink. The ink was done first, then wax candle drawings, then watercolor. The ink and the wax give the work dimension and the kids like playing with the different techniques.

Here are some felt sewing kits they made. The idea is to stock the book with sewing supplies and also use the pages to practice embroidery stitches. One little girl has put a lot of work into hers since this photo so I'll have to post an update.

Ken Mabrey, an amazing artist in the neighborhood came in as a visiting artist in the art room. He brought some of his original stencils and the kids stencilled on handkerchiefs with fabric paint dabbers . 38 handkerchiefs were stencilled that day! Some of them were made into vests the following day, I'll have to photograph someone wearing one, they were super cute with the stencilled handkerchief as the back. Painted Paper Collage is a 2 day project. First the kids paint with acrylic paint papers that will be used to collage with the following day. The painting day draws more of a crowd than the collage day. For painting I put out all kind of tools to paint with and make marks with like combs, sponges and large brushes. Here's some of their papers.

Here's some of their collages made from their painted papers.
Here the kids made their own stamps and printed with them.

This was just the projects for the first two weeks. Two other visiting artists volunteered their time to work with the kids and I apologize I don't have photos at the moment. I'm usually too involved to pick up a camera while I'm working.

Creativity Workshop

2009-06-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

I did it! I taught my first Creativity Workshop. Thank you Laura, Sam, Linda and Keri, my brave participants that trusted me to take them on a journey. We wrote, shared, laughed, danced, painted, wrote some more, made beautiful collages with our hand painted papers, and imagined our perfect creative spaces. Wow, and all in 6 hours. I brought my camera and totally forgot to take pictures. Because of our small number I was the 5th participant and I really enjoyed creating alongside my friends. These are some of our painted papers, my collage and some of their feedback.

Sam wrote:

"I really enjoyed it. One part that was interesting was to be able to write freely about something and then go right into making something that tied the two together.Working on pieces together then creating some pieces on your own was also very freeing and I got a lot of inspiration from that exercise.I felt very inspired to just want to paint, when I left. I wanted to explore things that I played with in the workshop and the pieces that I'm currently working on. It was very positive energy."

Linda wrote:

"I definitely enjoyed the day....despite my crying! It was very intimate and the group worked together well in our joint projects. I loved the whole thing....perhaps just a couple more hours of time would be nice so that we would have more time as a group to get to know one another."

Laura wrote: "I enjoyed it very much. To me, it was an amazing success. I am so restrained when trying to create. Like when you mentioned in the a.m. that we'd be using our papers to collage with, I couldn't imagine at all how I would design a collage. In fact, I was a bit concerned. The writing exercise was so helpful to me; it gave me ideas to collage about. It was so fun to have a topic or message to play with in my collage versus wondering, what it ever could say, and the most inhibiting, how it should look? "

Thanks guys for your thoughtful feedback. I'm planning on leading another workshop probably in the Fall. On Monday I start my job as the art director at ACRA, in Arden, DE. It's the hardest job you'll ever love, if it doesn't kill you.

New Work, Open Studio

2009-06-02T18:48:00.000-04:00

I've been working on 3 new 46 x 48 inch oil paintings. This time I toned the canvases with acrylic before I started pouring oil washes which really jump started the work. Starting with a colored ground is an entirely different process. The goal was to break away from the phthalo blue based work, so I painted one canvas a golden yellow ochre color, one dark green and one ended up cerelean blue so I painted over it with orange letting some blue show through. So 2 of them have blue in them and then the third is the golden red one which I don't evn know if it fits in with the others. I'll let the work speak for it's self.

If you're in the area please stop by I'll have my studio open from 5-8:30 pm at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, DE on Friday June 5th, check the website for directions http://www.thedcca.org/ There will be gallery openings, music and food. Somehow I'm going to arrange my studio so most of my new work will be visible including about 12 new encaustic paintings.

Creativity Workshop

2009-05-30T17:50:00.000-04:00

I've been working hard on putting together my Creativity Workshop. The hard part is cramming all my ideas into one day.

Creativity is: making, creating, seeing, feeling, moving, breathing, laughing, sharing, paint spilling, loving, colors flying, having fun, crying, sounds soft and loud, slowing down, filling up and giving.

I've been in my studio a couple days and think I have finished 3 new large paintings that I'll photograph this week.

Creativity Workshop

2009-05-17T09:29:00.000-04:00

cre·a·tiv·i·ty (noun)

originality, imaginative ability

Synonyms: imagination, inspiration, ingenuity, resourcefulness, vision

In my own words creativity means coming up with something new and original, out of the box thinking and problem solving.

Creating does not just mean making art. We create our lives every day. I'm talking about creating drama, or creating an atmosphere of calm, these are things you can create anytime, anywhere.

If you want to make art it's a simple as describing your day in your journal with colorful details, moving your body to your favorite song or deciding to wear a color that makes you smile. These are a few examples of creativity and once you get the hang of these you just give yourself permission to go a little deeper and risk a little more. Talent is the ability to reveal. My most wise acting teacher told me this and when I put my expression of thoughts and feelings on a canvas for all to see I reveal who I am and what I'm all about.

I'm teaching my first Creativity Workshop on Sunday June 7th 10-4 p.m.

Play – Explore – Discover – Experiment
with artist Linda Celestian

Through guided exercises in creative writing, movement, painting and mixed media collage open up to fearlessly enter new territory and discover your authentic self expression. Walk away reenergized and inspired to tackle your projects and life more creatively.

No experience required.
Supplies provided. $65.00

The Buzz Ware Village Center
2119 The Highway Arden, DE
Sun. June 7th 10-4 pm., 2009

to register call 302-478-1329
or email linda@lindacelestian.com

Finished Work, New Work

2009-05-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

I photographed the work I call "The Bottom of the Ocean". This piece is 48 x 46 inches. Before and After. Not much of a change but I worked in the center of the dark hole giving it some subtle color changes that draw you in even more than just the darkness. It's intense and maybe a bit too predictable but I needed to paint it. I think it serves it's purpose and now I can move away from the central bulls eye imagery. Also like I said last post I'm trying to move away from the turquoise blue depiction of water to explore other color schemes and see where they lead me. Here are the beginnings of 3 large oil paintings. I started first with painting the whole canvas a color in acrylic because it dries so fast and then I poured a color in oil paint.

The shiny parts are just glare, they were still wet when I photographed them as I was running out the door. I'm really excited about these and hope to be able to finish them in the next 3 weeks. Working in oil the drying time is a huge factor but I enjoy all the variety of surface texture I'm getting by layering pours. Well in the meantime I'm working up some new encaustic paintings also and just bought a few more colors today. Here's what I have going right now.

Encaustic Painting

2009-05-03T15:49:00.001-04:00

I did work on the painting from my last post, but I haven't photographed it yet. I'll post it soon. These are a few encaustic paintings from last week.First I had this.

I felt the colors were a bit tame and controlled so I said " let me see where I can let it go." Not where I can take it but where it can take me. We often stand in the way of our own development, so I repeat to myself while working, "step aside". I ended up here.

Quite a different painting. I kind of wished I kept the old one too but it's not good to be too sentimental about your own work. Like I've said before you have to be willing to let go sometimes to arrive where you need to be.
I'm always asking people to look at my work and give me their thoughts. I need to know, does it appeal to someone other than myself? I'm still learning how to manipulate encaustic paint and in the process making some work. The medium can be thrilling and exasperating all in the span of 2 minutes. I like it because it dries so fast. You can work up many layers especially if you're working small and melt or scrape it down when you decide you hate it.

Here's 2 more. These are 9 x 12 inches. I guess you could call this my phthalo blue phase. I'm in the process of priming new large canvases and my challenge is going to be to work up some oil paintings that aren't all blue to fit into this new body of work. I'll keep you posted.

Back in the Studio

2009-04-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

The week before vacation and the week after vacation always seem to be so busy! I was able to pick up where I left off in the studio and get some work done. I have to, because I'm feeling the rush of only having 5 weeks left in my studio before summer. I worked on this large oil, but I'm not sure if it's done?

People always ask me "How do you know when it's done?" It's a gut reaction, you feel settled. If you feel restless when you look at it then it's not done. It seems to be calling to get your attention while you work on other things. I think this is what is happening here, but I don't know what it wants. I think the center needs some color variation but I'm a little scared to work on that area. I know you should never let fear hold you back from moving the work forward.

I also worked on a few encaustic paintings this week. This one I declared done a while back, but I knew I could make it better if I was willing to lose what I had to get to something better. Here is it after I worked on it. Is it better? I don't know, maybe I should have left it alone. This is the risk you take.

This seems to be a metaphor for life. You can get to a better place if you're willing to let go of where you are and what you have, to get there. A concept that is so hard to accept and actually put into practice, don't you agree?

Bubbles and Abstract Photos

2009-04-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

Here's something you don't see every day. This is my niece Kim in a bubble, blown and held in place by her brother, Ryan. The kids had alot of fun with bubbles in the pool.

I had a lot of fun taking these abstract shots. Inspiration for new paintings as soon as I can get back in the studio.

Living in the Moment

2009-04-09T21:29:00.000-04:00

I'm off to Florida for a week! Here is my favorite encaustic painting , for the moment at least.

The title is Bubbling Up and it's 6 x 6 inches. I just sent some images to a gallery in Philly and this was one of them along with a new artist's statement. The statement took days to write, and feels good, for the moment anyway.

Artist Statement 2009

My artwork acknowledges my love of nature and my childhood spent immersed in it. I view nature as a metaphor for human experiences and emotional states of being.
Recently I’ve been working on a series of works that explore the many properties and characteristics of water. Water can be either still, tranquil and peaceful or stormy, rough, and raging. Water supports life and yet can be responsible for the loss of many lives as in the case of a natural disaster.
I’m interested in depicting the energy and life force of this natural element to elicit an emotional response. This desire has led me to explore and invent many techniques to apply and manipulate the mediums I use. I’m pouring and splattering, in the case of oil paints and inks or melting layer upon layer of wax then heating it to let the under layer bubble up in the case of encaustics. I feel akin to nature by making art in the same way the earth came to be, and continues to evolve. Volcanoes erupt and pour molten lava down the mountains to form new land masses and glaciers melt to feed bodies of water. Everything in nature is constantly changing and I try to depict this in my work.

Open Studio

2009-04-02T09:58:00.000-04:00

April 3rd, at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, 5-9 pm.

Art on the Town Opening

I hope you can make it because I'm heading out today to finish cleaning. Cleaning is so painful but feels so good when you get it done. Check out a few things in the side bar, a new link to a video of my Dec. 2008 Exhibition as promised and a link to photo stories of 4 paintings (thanks Larry)and the stages they went through from start to finish.

These are new large oil paintings. I think they're done. Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

Large Oil Paintings

2009-03-27T08:02:00.000-04:00

Art on the Town Openings are next Friday, April 3rd. http://www.thedcca.org/eventsartonthetown.html

That means I have one week to clean up this mess. I'm working on 3 large canvases in poured oil paint. I thin the paint down with turpenoid and then pour it either from a cup or a squirt bottle. Sometimes I pour the turpenoid first and then pour the paint into it like wet on wet watercolor. After I pour the paint then I direct it by lifting the canvas and, or using rags. I put a fan on it and might redirect it again after some of the thinner evaporates. I let each pour dry before I pour over it. This is a time consuming process with only 2 to 3 pours on a canvas per week. After I finish my pours, I fire up my encaustic paints. This fills the room with more noxious fumes. Yes, I use fans and open the window, only one window opens. I'm lucky when my neighbors aren't in the building to be bothered by all the smells coming out of my studio. So, your thinking I might die early because of my working habits, but I'll die happy because I'll be making art!

Winter Photography

2009-03-13T17:41:00.000-04:00

I know spring is almost here, so I thought I'd better share these now. I photograph my skylights when it snows. There are 4 big skylights in my kitchen. They leak of course, but I really don't want to lose them, I love the light and being able to see the sky.

Here's a few more snow shots, some of them I actually ventured outside to take.

Studio Work

2009-03-12T20:03:00.000-04:00

I've been photographing some work this week, so I can add a 2008 gallery to my website. I know it's 2009. I don't know how I let this go for so long but I hope to get it done soon. It's been a year of I don't know what. Sometimes I just don't slow down enough to take photos or work on documentation. Here are some ink paintings I'll be adding to my website soon.

This one is titled Sunburst and is 4 x 5 inches approximately.

This one is titled Follow the Orange Dots and is 1.5 x 1.5 inches

This one is titled Orange Dots and is 2 x 2 inches.

I'm just having fun playing with color and composition. You can take big risks when you're working small.

This on is also 1.5 x1.5 inches, titled In Between.

Here is a photo I took today of a 46 x48 inch canvas I'm working on. I'm diluting oil paint and working it up in layers just like the ink paintings.

Creativity Workshop

2009-03-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

I've finally set a date for my first 2 day Creativity Workshop. Here are the details:

Dive in and Make a Splash

The Buzz Ware Village Center
2119 The Highway Arden, DE
Sat. June 6th 2-5 pm and Sun. June 7th 10-4 pm., 2009

Play – Explore – Discover – Experiment

Through guided exercises in creative writing, painting and mixed media collage
open up to fearlessly enter new territory and discover your authentic self expression. Walk away re energized and inspired to tackle your projects and life more creatively.

No experience required.
Supplies provided. $125.00

I'm really excited about actually doing this. This will be a fun and cathartic experience, I gaurantee! I've had the opportunity as an actress, artist and teacher in be involved in the creative process at many levels. A creative way of looking at things is fun but also a very practical way to approach life. What I'm saying is that yes this is about play and having fun but also about problem solving and approaching situacions with an open mind.
Check back, I'll continue to write about this subject.

Fire

2009-02-23T19:31:00.000-05:00

Fire and water are 2 themes I'm working on in my studio at the moment. We had a Superbowl party here and someone who will remain nameless, came up with the idea of after we lit off some fireworks that we'd light our bush, actually a perennial grass on fire for kicks. Children and adults enjoyed quite a show which made our fireworks seem pale and wimpy in comparison.

The photos I took helped immensely with the completion of this encaustic painting. Thanks, Eric!

Nuno Felted Bracelets

2009-02-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been nuno felting. Here are some new pieces. Next I need to make them into bracelets,

I'm still working on different closure ideas.

Wed. was a snow day. The kids had fun doing this.

I took these photos of the sky lights in my kitchen. Sometimes nature does all the work and all you need to do is be present.

Encaustic Painting

2009-01-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

This week in my studio I tried encaustic painting, for the second time ever. These paintings are 6 x 6 inches on board. This one is titled Ocean

Fired Up

Ancient Symbols

I can't wait to buy more supplies and go crazy.

Nuno Felting Weekend

2009-01-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I nuno felted, surprise, surprise. Here is the layout.

And a close up of the layout.

Fused stage.

Final wet felting stage.

After I wet felted it to death I wasn't exactly happy with it so I needle felted some white on it. I learned a lot, and feel there's so much more to learn. The final piece measures 20 inches by 22 inches. I did it to enter in a show in Philly, along with the other wall hanging.

DCCA Hatch Gallery Show

2009-01-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

Marilyn and I took our show down yesterday. Here are some photos. Sorry, I didn't take close ups of Marilyn's pieces but in the video I took I zoom in. I have to edit it and then I'll post it.

Still Nuno Felting

2009-01-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

I made another bracelet yesterday. I pressed the edges under before I started so the ruffle has finished edges. Here's the layout.

Here's the finished piece.

It's a bit long so I'll have to cut it down. I made a wool felt button to use as a closure but I need to get some strechy cord elastic so the bracelet has give to allow for different wrist sizes. Thanks Mom for that idea. I can't wait to make another one today.

More Nuno Felting

2009-01-02T10:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made my first big piece. I made a few mistakes but learned a lot. Here is the layout.

Fused together stage.

It started out 26 x 28 inches and when it was finished it measured 17 x 22 inches. I layed the roving out kind of sparsly and got holes in some places. Also some of the cut out organza shapes layed on top didn't get completly fused. So if I learn to control these things I can choose where and how to use them. When learning a new medium it takes a while to completely understand it so you can control it.

Close up view.

I think I'm ready to buy some more supplies today. I need more colors of organza and wool roving. I'll continue to play with making bracelets with the scraps I have. I can't stop!

Fiber and Fabric

2009-01-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

I had an excuse to make a new nuno felting piece(like I would need an excuse), I needed something to wear to my friend's party. So, I started with a purple sweater and a color story.

I layed out a strip of blueish turquise organza, purple wool roving, cut out shapes of organza in purple, olive green, blue turquoise and bright green, then little wisps of black wool roving.

I wet it with soapy water and rolled it up in bubble wrap and rolled it back and forth. Here's how it looked with the fibers and fabric fused.

Then I picked it up and threw it down on the table about 80 times, more than last time and it makes it really compact. The fabric gets really puckered on the back and makes the edges into a ruffle which I like.

Here it is finished.

I cut a bit off on the ends, sewed a couple snaps on and wore it with my purple sweater. Sweet!

Crafting - Nuno felting

2008-12-29T16:24:00.000-05:00

The day after Christmas my sister Sue and I spent the day crafting, a perfect day for us. I attempted nuno felting for the first time and here's a photo of my product. This is a turquoise organza strip layered with bits and pieces of other colors of organza, olive green wool roving more cut pieces of turquoise organza and then turquoise wool roving. After wetting it with soapy water, rolling it up in bubble wrap and rolling it back and forth , rubbing it a hundred times with my fingers and then throwing it on the table about 50 times it looked like this. Savannah says the color reminds her of cat barf so I'll consider that the next time I pick colors for a project. I'm going to make this into a bracelet. I'll post it when it's done. I also made some wet felted beads that I might use for buttons. I'll get Sue to send me a photo of her needle felting on felted recycled sweaters.

Anyway, I can't wait to try another piece! Think of all the possibilities.

Show Extension

2008-12-28T09:45:00.002-05:00

My show at the DCCA has been extended until Jan. 4th. Check the website for hours.

http://www.thedcca.org/

I hope to document it before it comes down.This photo of myself and my daughters Savannah and Delaney, was taken at the opening. It shows my latest painting finished just in time for the show.