"Newbie Not Novice" Show

I've been invited to participate in the "Newbie not Novice" Show at Spudnik Press at located at 1821 W. Hubbard Street, Suite 302 in Chicago, Illinois. Opening Reception is October 14, 6-10 pm and the show is up through November 4, 2011.

I will be showing the print "Cave Point Park" that I created in their Moku Hanga Class as well as the print "ImaBridge Africa."

Rejection, Acceptance, and Equilibrium

Common Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly, originally uploaded by pejnolan.

Bad news first: I did not receive the Fall 2011 artist residency at Spudnik Press in Chicago.

The good news: the Spudnik board graciously critiqued my application. They gave three points to work on and three points that were strengths.

They suggested that I work on the originality of my concept and wanted to see completed work which shows the proposed concept. This was an eye opener because I naively thought that the proposed idea was supposed to be a new series. Apparently it should be a continuation of previous themed work. The originality of concept was a bit of a surprise. Perhaps I needed to communicate the idea more fully. The final point was that they were not sure how I would be able to form a professional relationship at Spudnik since I live so far away. They want someone who lives in Chicago and who can spend a great deal of time in the Spudnik Studios. Fair enough. I don't have the same opportunities because I live in a rural Midwestern town. I'll just have to work harder to form these relationships despite the distance. I consider it a challenge, not a negative.

Abandoned nest at Afton Forest Preserve.

The praise went to quality of technique, strength of images, and quality of documentation. Those attributes make me feel better!

Black block for Crow's Foot print

In the meantime, I've started printing all 100 of the 2.5" x 3.5" prints for the 50th Barenforum exchange. It isn't due for awhile, but since I have the time now I didn't want to wait. It is of a crow's claw.

I was walking Gracie and came across just the one foot of a crow. My guess is that an owl had a tasty meal the night before in Mr. Mustari's old pine tree and dropped the foot. It was kind of creepy. Images of voodoo and hexes came to mind. It created an interesting, dark composition.

I'm also working on a new benefit project. A fellow artist and parishioner emailed me asking if I could donate work to ImaBridge Africa for their September 11 fundraiser. They will be trying to raise monies to build a well. The communities they assist will have fresh drinking water for the first time. If you would like to donate please visit ImaBridge Africa.

"ImaBridge Africa is a faith-based charity dedicated to building transformational relationships between people from dissimilar communities, the privileged and the underprivileged. We are called to aid the rural poor in developing skills, knowledge, attitudes and experience for self-reliance and the capacity to work together to solve their problems. Guided by the worldwide 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals, our mission is to provide financial and human resources to empower the poor to eradicate extreme poverty, promote gender equity, reduce child and maternal mortality, and ensure environmental sustainability."

I am very honored to be a small part of both this and the Barenforum's Inspired by Japan project to help those affected by the tsunami and earthquake.

What type of butterfly is this?

Art for social change! Helping others through art is my "little thing."

"It is not the magnitude of our actions that matters, but the love that we put into them, and that our successes do not depend on doing great things, but in doing little things with great love"
- Mother Teresa

Cicada newly emerged from it's shell.

My car is still broken, so I haven't been able to get out and walk the forest preserves. This weekend was an exception. I had so much untapped anxious energy that I asked my husband to drive me out to Afton. We walked and walked. Gradually that stress lessened and I was able to see the world around me with new eyes… just like the newly emerged cicada. I need to take these breathers more often to maintain my equilibrium.

"Koi Climbing The Waterfall"

Koi Climbing Up The Waterfall, originally uploaded by pejnolan.
So much has happened. It is hard to keep up! First, this is the finished product for the "Inspired by Japan" Reliefs for Relief project. This project has been set up by the printmakers of the Baren Forum. The prints will travel to galleries all around the globe and their portfolios will be sold to raise funds for Peace Winds to the people of Japan affected by the tsunami and earthquake.

Original sketch and color idea.

key block

I read a Chinese legend known in Japan as Koi-no-Takinobori. In this story carp swim, against all odds, up a waterfall known as the "Dragon Gate" at the headwaters of China's Yellow River. The gods are very impressed by the feat, and rewarded the carp by turning them into powerful dragons.

The story symbolizes the virtues of courage, effort and perseverance. These herculean virtues are being found today in the hearts of the affected people of Japan in the face of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster of 2011.

I am very proud of this piece since it is my very first true moku hanga print using watercolor as ink.

At Spudnik Press, I learned this technique from Matthew Messer. Although I am still working on the Cave Point Park print from the class, I went ahead and used the technique on my own.

Moku Hanga class in progress at Spudnik Press, Chicago, IL.

Speaking of Spudnik, I just applied for their fall residency program. I'm excited about this opportunity and really hope that I am chosen. The resident will be announced sometime in July and it begins august 1st. I'm so excited because this feels like a good next step to push myself and explore my artwork for fully. There is a stipend for materials, studio space at their facilities and a gallery show with reception upon completion of the residency. So, keep your fingers crossed for me!

This past weekend was the Ellwood House Art Show. There were far fewer booths this year. One reason for this is because of the economy - no one has extra cash for the nice-ities of life. Another reason was that many people were juried out of the show. There is a new director and he wants it to be a fine art and fine craft show. Thank goodness!! Someone with the balls to say no to flea market items. He is going to keep a high standard.

These are my tools on the table with Al Stark's prints in the background. We shared a booth.

Because of the fewer booths, Al and I had more people with time to stop by and talk about the process of printmaking. I loved it! My brother and I shared a booth this year to cut down on costs.  It was a wonderful show with perfect weather! The following day, the Fourth of July, I was so exhausted that I went to bed before dark and missed the fireworks. 

For everyone who read the previous post about my mom, her arms are healing nicely and she no longer needs a brace. She is driving and living at her own place now. Thank you for all your well-wishes for her speedy recovery!

A "naked" frog ready to paint!

I'm painting a fiberglass frog for the "Frogs for a Cause" to benefit the Kishwaukee Community Hospital Wellness Program. You might remember from 2008 when I took part in the "Huskies on Parade" project. The frog is for the same client and they want the look and feel of the frog to be similar to the existing huskie. It is kind of a craftsman / steam punk look.

Lavendar from my garden. Umm... what a relaxing scent!
PS: I think this is my favorite photo all year. 

I haven't had much time outdoors, I've been so busy! I'm wasting my summer months working! I am looking forward to going up to Door County next week for Plum Bottom Pottery's Open House on Thursday, July 14th. I have some new work to show Chad and am thrilled to be demonstrating my printmaking techniques. When I'm not helping to set up for the party, I'll be ambling through the backwoods and preserves of Door County taking some awesome reference photos.

Spudnik Press and the Moku Hanga Adventures

I've already taken two classes. The first time, my husband came with to make sure we knew the directions and to find out what kinds of neighborhoods I would be walking around in. The train ride is nice, then it's just a few blocks of walking to reach the L's Green Line. I get off at the first stop and walk about 10 blocks.

Spudnik Press is located in an old factory building that is orange brick. I have to buzz to enter the building. The hallways are stark white: modern, crisp, and clean; but once you enter the press room and work area, it is like walking back in time. There are vintage presses, old wood floors and heavy wooden beams from the floor to the tall, open ceilings. There are small containers everywhere filled with wonderful things such as wood type, inks, glass bottles. It is small, but neatly organized. There are books and a computer to access for ideas and freshly printed artwork hangs on the walls.

The first class was an eye-opener. Having been primarily self-taught with the help of my brother who is also self-taught woodblock printmakers, I neglected to know some of the very basics like what is the best type of paper to use or how to angle the cuts just right when carving. That is exactly why I took the class and I am so very glad I worked up my courage to go. Apparently the papers I have been using are way too thin to work for moku hanga. The instructor, Matthew Messer, was surprised I could even print with kitakata and sekishu.  The heavy kozo paper he showed us was excellent and will make much better prints!

The second class, I took the trip into the city by myself. I was a bit nervous because of some of the things I had seen on the street the previous week. Things like an empty bottle of vodka with underwear next to it or buildings with bars over the entrances. The neighborhood is really old. Look at the red doors in the photos above. They are tall and thin. They must have been built in the late 1800's. The building they are fit into have weathered every one of those years they look it.  The textures of peeling paint and rust, the smell of the traffic, the smog from the city, hearing people yell in the distance… I know I don't belong there. I wasn't made for city life.

But then I go into another world inside Spudnik Press. For four hours I am amongst others who enjoy art and learning. 

Matt brought roasted barely tea last week. It was sweet, cool, and refreshing. It reminded me of Honey Smacks cereal. In Japan it is called, mugicha (麦茶^?). I'll have to make some myself or purchase some at Mitsua, the Japanese market in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.

Lastly, I should mention that by the end of the class we will each have a four-color moku-hanga print. Mine will be an 8" h x 6" w  Cave Point Park in Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin - one of my favorite places to be.