July 2, 2009
birthday card: todd lisonbee
by sven at 7:00 am
Today is Todd's birthday...
From Sven & Gretchin: happy birthday Todd!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (0) | categories: painting
June 28, 2009
july 2009 events
by gl. at 10:08 pm
July Events
I'll be traveling for a big chunk of July. Eastward ho! I promise to bring you back cheese and moon rocks.
Even though I won't be in some of these performances, I highly recommend attending Original Practice Shakespeare at a park near you. OPSFest is an unusual, fun & authentic return to the Shakespeare of yore -- which is to say, without rehearsals, sets or direction. It sounds daft but true! Actors study several roles but never read the full script and don't know which role they'll perform until the day of the performance, only meeting beforehand to choreograph fight scenes and songs. This is a "play" in one of the truest senses of the word, a process that embraces both spontaneity & mistakes. Indeed, part of the joy as an audience member is following along with the actors as they discover what to do next. No performance is ever the same! There will also be one more performance in August. Bring a picnic!
OPSFest presents A Midsommer Nights Dreame:
* July 11: 6 p.m. - Somerset West Park (Beaverton)
* July 12: 2 p.m. - Pacific Park (Vancouver, WA)
* July 18: 2 p.m. - Gabriel Park
* July 19: 2 p.m. - Esther Short Park (Vancouver, WA)
I'll get back just in time to teach a class at SCRAP on behalf of Trillium Artisans. I'm really looking forward to this! Trillium and SCRAP are natural allies.
July 29: Creative Business Identity
at SCRAP from 6-8 p.m., $10 donation recommended
Customers don't buy an object from you: they buy the story you present about how it was made, who made it and how they'll feel when they use it. So the time you spend working on your identity will affect every aspect of your creative business. Explore what you really love about your business and what makes you different from similar creative businesses. Then learn how to create a "basic message" about your business that is clear and engaging to your customers and peers.
In the meantime, if you're looking to teach a class or host an event this summer, we're now renting the studio for a variety of art activities. At just $25/hour, you won't find a more welcoming or inspiring environment with abundant supplies and creature comforts. Whether it's an art class, party, celebration or retreat, please contact us if you'd like to arrange for your special event in our space!
Last but not least, please support Trillium Artisans! Trillium's artisans care deeply about values like quality, durability, honesty in marketing, and authenticity. Trillium is a 3-year program designed to educate, encourage and support small crafty businesses using recycled materials. Buy yourself or a friend something nice at their online store. I'm on the Board of Trillium, so if you donate $10 or more I'll match your donation!
warmest wishes for a savoury summer,
gl.
posted by gl. | permalink | comments (0) | categories: newsletter
June 27, 2009
birthday card: mike brent
by sven at 7:00 am
Today is Mike's birthday...
From Sven & Gretchin: happy birthday Mike!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (0) | categories: painting
June 26, 2009
wiping the slate clean
by gl. at 6:15 pm
it's been a very long time since i've posted, and it looks to me like if i wait for the perfect time to give each item the post it deserves, i will never post again.
during the holidays, at the masarie curry party, marta said i changed her life: she attended a collage night once and makes one every day now. it's not often you get to hear something so dramatic or sincere!
but it's been hard because a bunch of awkward things happened at once. my focus has shifted to include arts organizations. i've been spending a surprising amount of time & energy supporting medical causes. my own art has re-embraced theatre. a lot of people have died (including lane, my mom & sven's grandfather). my primary art support group collapsed. my photo routine is broken. the economy shook us. in short, things are in flux.
since sven & i are about to go on a long summer trip, i'd like to tie up some loose ends so when i return, i can start with a clean slate: i'm still searching for the next surge of momentum but i can't move forward if i'm still looking back. so here are some things that have happened over the last year i'm not going to write much about but that are worth mentioning & recording:
events: shu-ju in the rare books room, gems of small press show, red bat & loaded hips show at iprc, white bird dance series, open studios (cirocco moody's raven), shawn demarest's shows, trillium holiday show, handmade nw, little things show, coraline premiere, a puppetlove show, apollo, how to disappear completely, hidden portland book launch, crazy enough, inviting desire w/ bridget, an afternoon on dayna's boat "rapture." plus, dayna went to italy & brought back treats: a fish placemat from volterra in in the cinque terre, yellow italian paper (used to wrap purchaes, in art, as placemats, etc.), a menu with cool image, favorite yogurt jar, a sugar packet, a piece of broken window from abandoned house in tuscany(!) wrapped in italian newspaper, red & white rocks from cinque terre, beach glass from the amalfi coast, a bookmark from assisi, and a metal botanical tag from flea market. then ann gave me a subscription to “where women create” magazine, which is like a “lifestyles of the rich & creative."
teaching: i had a great time teaching gocco at the iprc until the iprc could no longer offer them due to the shortage of supplies. (however, i still provide private gocco lessons, like the one i did with dot.) so i've been teaching creative business classes at the iprc, the library & trillium/scrap. that may come to an end soon, too. i've been re-offering workshops at the studio without being responsible for promotion & registration.
classes: when i first decided i wanted to dip my toe back into the theatre waters, i took a theatre/coaching class: it was a really rocky way to start because she did not believe in encouraging students. so i was both relieved & sad to leave. i had better luck at the 100th monkey's "ninja sewing" series (where i learned about threading, knotting, warp/weft, running stitch, gathering stitch, back stitch, buttons, hem stitch, blanket stitch, cross stitch, whipstitch, chain stitch, split stitch, french knots) and have been happy to be able to make and repair very simple things.
art: "where the sidewalk ends" photo series, "5 reasons" book, comparing down to earth "smoke rings" a year later, "writing our bellies full" reading, fidelio, last big gocco supply order, cast as an extra in TNT's "leverage" (so was trixie!), opsfest, dayna's art buddy invitational (my buddy, sven's buddy).
at the little things show, i picked up a prayer flag by jennifer mercedes because of its title: "a prayer for an inspiring future." yes, please. see you soon.
[gl. as The Lyon in A Midsommer Nights Dreame]
posted by gl. | permalink | comments (4) | categories: administrivia, classes & workshops, exhibits & events, miscellany, other art, printing, trixie, writing
June 2, 2009
birthday card: aiyana bonnichsen
by sven at 7:00 am
Today is Aiyana's birthday...
From Sven & Gretchin: happy birthday Aiyana!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (2) | categories: painting
May 30, 2009
june 2009 events
by gl. at 9:38 pm
I realized, rather belatedly, I suppose, that not everyone who reads the blog gets our newsletter. Doh! So it looks like I haven't posted here in a long time, but things are still happening. So I've decided to post the newsletters here on the site for those who are interested and to keep a better archive, so I'll be going back over time and inserting the old newsletters in their appropriate places. Starting with...
June events
It's like we suddenly leapt into summer -- and I'm so glad my garden was ready for it! A lot of preparation during the spring is finally starting to bloom, both in the vegetable and metaphorical gardens. For instance, one of the creative expressions I have really missed in the last several years is theatre, so I was happy to be cast as an extra on TNT's TV series "Leverage" this week -- but I am even more delighted to tell you about what I'll be doing this summer...
Original Practice Shakespeare is an unusual, fun & authentic return to the Shakespeare of yore -- which is to say, without rehearsals, sets or direction. It sounds daft but true! Actors study several roles but never read the full script and don't know which role they'll perform until the day of the performance, only meeting beforehand to choreograph fight scenes and songs. This is a "play" in one of the truest senses of the word, a process that embraces both spontaneity & mistakes. Indeed, part of the joy as an audience member is following along with the actors as they discover what to do next. No performance is ever the same! I really hope you take the opportunity to see one of these shows, even if it turns out I'm not in the one you attend. There will also be performances in July & August. Bring a picnic!
OPSFest presents A Midsommer Nights Dreame:
* June 13, 2 p.m. - Cathedral Park
* June 14, 2 p.m. - Peninsula Park
* June 20, 2 p.m. - Laurelhurst Park
* June 21, 2 p.m. - Washington Park
In the meantime, if you're looking to teach a class or host an event this summer, we're now renting the studio for a variety of art activities. At just $25/hour, you won't find a more welcoming or inspiring environment with abundant supplies and creature comforts. Whether it's an art class, party, celebration or retreat, please contact us if you'd like to arrange for your special event in our space!
For those of you making art and trying to communicate what it is and why you do it, Jill Kelly will be facilitating a "Writing a Better Artist's Statement" workshop on June 18 from 6-9 p.m. in inner SE Portland for $50. Jill is a professional editor nominated for an Oregon Book Award last year! She says, "Need a better artist’s statement, one that really reflects you and your work? During this workshop, you’ll answer a variety of provocative questions that will take you deeper into ways of speaking and writing about your work. There will be a lot of sharing (borrowing others' ideas is encouraged) and you will end up with a rough draft of a new statement and ways to improve your bio and resume. After the workshop, you may email me your drafted materials and I will edit, polish, and give input for no extra charge." Group is limited to 6. To register call 503-235-2019 or editor@aracnet.com.
Last but not least, please join me in congratulating this year's graduating members of Trillium Artisans! I'm on the Board of Trillium, which is a 3-year program designed to educate, encourage and support small crafty businesses. Trillium is supported by The City of Portland's Equal Opportunity Initiative and by people like you who want to support local artisans. Celebrate their success by buying yourself or a friend something nice at their online store. Or, if you donate $10 or more I'll match your donation!
warmest wishes for a joyous June,
gl.
posted by gl. | permalink | comments (0) | categories: newsletter
May 25, 2009
new ceramic sculptures
by sven at 7:00 am
A while back I shared photos of some unfinished sculptures I'd made at Sara Swink's studio… Well, they're finally done! Some are painted, some are glazed. We'll start with the painted ones.
The mad scientist was the first piece I made at Sara's, and the first I tried painting with acrylics. It's based off of a photo of a man at a steel foundry, who was wearing a heavy silver suit to protect him from molten metal.
A lesson I learned here: clay loves watery washes of paint. Using the paint at full-strength kills detail and just looks wrong.
When I took Sara's class, this dancing duo seemed to be everyone's favorite. I mixed yellow with tar gel medium and glopped it on heavily to see if I could get some of the same textures as with the glazed pieces. …Nope.
Maybe encaustics could achieve the effect I was going for?
The whale critter was the last piece I made at Sara's. I was playing with wall-mountable characters… Unfortunately, it's weighted badly and doesn't hang right at all.
Next up, pieces that were glazed:
I really like the moon babi -- it feels like he has strong potential for being turned into a stopmo character.
The bat was the first piece I tried glazing, so I chose a simple black/brown. In general, I much prefer matte surface treatments to gloss. Too bad this turned out so shiny.
A little shout out to bat-fan Shu-Ju Wang… I can't look at this sculpture without thinking of you!
I'm really enamored with these three demon babis, which unexpectedly wound up being a set.
The little one feels fantastic in the hand. It sort of reminds me of the Venus of Willendorf.
In my mind, the series shows the evolution of a single being. The baby passes through this next phase on the way to its final form.
The glaze on the "molting" babi does this incredible crackle thang. I wish I knew how to simulate it using acrylics… I'm vaguely familiar with crackle paint -- but this stuff actually peels up into little platelets!
Whereas the baby has skin that feels like orange peel, and the adolescent is peeling, the adult demon's skin is creamy smooth. In all three cases, I painted on iron oxide, wiped it off, then put an essentially white glaze on top (3 varieties of white).
Exploring conceptart.org, it seems like a lot of sculptors fetishize wrinkles and skin textures… It's not hard to understand why. It's a lot of fun etching crevasses into clay!
Last night I created a wall mount for the adult demon… A perfectly rough and weathered scrap of wood with brass pins to hold the top-heavy beast in place.
I love the inherently gritty texture of clay, and the weight of it in my hand. It feels so real. Yet, even though clay is extremely cheap, the time spent waiting for it to get fired makes it more "expensive" than I initially figured. When I find the time, I'm planning on doing more experiments with home-bake polymer clay.
I really want to replicate the colors and textures of ceramic glazes, though. I've got some faux stone and "orange peel" spray cans to experiment with. I also need to explore a more neutral color palette. My natural tendency is toward vibrant colors… I think ceramics, as a species, gravitates toward earth tones.
posted by sven | permalink | comments (5) | categories: sculpture
