Chickencitas

stitch work on Lupe piece for OPAL's Dec. show

 I painted some 6" x 6"canvases for the December 6th show at the ArtBar at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora. The requirement for the show is that the pieces be 6" x 6".  I was listening to a podcast about raising chickens in your backyard and was inspired to paint some.  I was working on the first one when my Honduran house guest referred to them as "chickencitas", and so, was named this series. 

Cicada Pi

I'm really excited to be showing work in a new gallery which is opening in Oak Park called Cicada Pi.  The space is really exciting and inspiring.  Veronica Fremont, the owner, is a metal artist with a penchant for collecting interesting things.  You can glimpse a bit of the laboratory aesthetic below.  Here is a picture of a quick display of my paintings.

I'll keep you posted as to the specifics of the opening.  Until then, I encourage you to "like" Cicada Pi on Facebook.

Pilgrim Enrichment Week 4 (Final Week)

Finished owl

 I very much enjoyed my experience teaching pre-schoolers.  I had a really great group of kids and learned a lot from them.  Their approach to art is so absent of anxiety and full of bravery and experimentation.  They are fluid, fun, and work without hesitation.   I love that they savor the various processes--such as pushing paint around on paper, running their hands through a bowl of uncooked pasta, and marveling at color of all kinds.  I can totally relate. 

Today, I was trying to survey what projects they liked best and which they didn't favor.  Each student named a different preferred project, but nobody said they disliked anything except Penelope who said she didn't like getting glue on her hands.  At any rate, I came away with a renewed interest in teaching and very much inspired to be more experimental, flexible, and playful in my own work.  I definitely need to splatter some paint or get glue on my hands and see what happens.  

finished owl (glue not dried yet)

Finished owl

colored pasta and pipe cleaners

sculpture with styrofoam base, pipe cleaners, and pasta

Home for peg person.  This one is for a tiger, actually

Peek A Boo

Ornaments made of cardboard discs with slots cut into them and yarn tucked into slots.  A couple of these are jelly fish

Another Domicile.  Note: tape is colored/patterned masking tape

Pinwheel Enters Brick and Morter

It's consumer season, and I decided to try selling my merchandise in an actual store in addition to  the virtual Etsy one and gypsy-likev art/craft fairs.  This week I took my burgeoning bins of goods and unloaded them at American Artworks Gallery in Forest Park.  This is a co-op type business where the artist members contribute towards rent and the owner takes a percentage of the sales.  If ever there was a time to try this method out, it is now.  If you are in the neighborhood and want to do some shopping or just want to check out the work of 74 artisans/artists than do take a look.  The Gallery is on Madison St. in Forest Park which is great scene for restaurants and boutiques.   You won't be bored.  That is all. 

Packaged Garland (I don't have a picture of the shop, check out the website!)

Pilgrim Friday Enrichment: Pillows and Acrons

 Here are the pillows all stuffed and stitched.  I love these and am sure the kids will too when they get them back on Friday.  Penelope has been cuddling hers all day and even took it to bed.  I included some individual photos of them and of some of the acorns.  I didn't get a group acorn shot because I was afraid I'd mix them up and forget whose was whose.  They are tricky to identify-no place to scribble a name. 

Birds and Garlands

snowflake garlands

nesting dolls and gnomes awaiting their string

bird eyes

Garlandia

Batch of Birds with printed eyes and wings

Pilgrim Friday Enrichment: week 3 (in the classroom)

Jenna painting her pillow

Penelope's painted pillow

6 owls drying and awaiting feathers and eyes for next week

painting peg person

painting peg person

alternative painting utensils--palette knives, sponges, popsicle sticks, toothbrush

I don't have pictures of wet felting acorns, but the kids did a great job of that too.  I'll post pictures of the finished nut, though.

Painted Fabric and Guadalupe

 A product of last Friday's all-nighter was learning this technique that my sister invented for her kid art classes.  She has her students draw an image.  Then, they trace the drawing with sharpie marker and then again onto fabric.  Finally, they paint the fabric with watered down acrylics.  My sister turns the painted fabric into pillows which are cuter than you can imagine. 

I'm super inspired by this process and am going to create an art quilt with these Lupes along with some other painted fabrics and block printed fabric.  More on this later. . .

PS  All-nighters with sisters whilst making art is fun and highly recommended!

Pilgrim Friday Enrichment Week 2

Pen's drawing for her pillow.  It's a dancing potato head.

Another great week!!!!!!

Sofia's dragon drawing for her pillow

tree collage

students working on abstract collage by cutting up paint samples

gluing seeds, rice, and pasta to silly faces

spray paint

Ian's batman

Jenna's tree collage with leaves prints cut out from previous week

Penelope's tree collage, okra print

Ian's abstract collage

spray paintings

Levi's funny face

Sofia's  funny face