Monday, July 26, 2010

New Works and Thoughts

I'ts about time I return to blogging.  I'm surprised I've waited this long.  I've been privileged to spend a lot of time in my studio the last couple months and have completed several new works except for final presentation.  I've been working on some calls for entries to three FL Museums and have one more submission to complete.  They all were listed about the same time so I've tried to make decisions about what goes where.  I'll be sharing where these are later, if I've found favor to be accepted in any of them.

I also visited the Florida Museum for Women Artists in Deland, FL where I have several friends exhibiting in a special Witness to Creativity show which allowed visitors to observe the art-making in progress for a week.  Go to  http://www.floridamuseumforwomenartists.org/ to check it out and if you're in Florida, be sure to see it.

I took a one-day Letterpress and Bookbinding workshop at Rollins College under Prof. Rachel Simmons a couple weeks ago.  It was tedious and time consuming but I'm happy to have printed four copies of the small four-page book and now I'm finishing it by adding color and illustrations and vellum.  When the pages are completed, I'll bind them and will have four limited-edition books!  I'll try to post a couple images when completed.

I've mentioned before I've been inspired to do a series of paintings based on the 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls by a shepherd boy in the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea in Israel.  I'm so caught up in this work and have been consumed by studying the archaeological implications of this unearthed evidence that the Scriptures existed, were hand-lettered and preserved in clay pots down in these caves for years!  God's hand at preserving them is evident.  I've posted one image of QumranEleven: unearthed evidence I. It's been a new experience to incorporate "automatic drawing" that I learned in my Feb. workshop which gives a sense of "language" even though there are no recognizable words on the page.   I have so many notes to accompany the works--presently seven and potentially eleven to complete the series.  I'm contemplating the manner in which they will be presented and how I will compile all I have learned.  Writing about my work and inspiration is defintely closure for me in the process of art-making. 

QumranEleven: unearthed evidence I
acrylic with gold leaf on paper
14.75" x 9.5"
I'm also heavily in the middle of another series inspired by the Medieval Books of Hours, mentioned in a former post.  These are small, 6" x 6" images and I'm contemplating how they will be presented along with the writing of all I've learned. Then there's the 2010 Christmas card I've begun to make.  So much, so few hours in a day. . . .sometimes I'd like to have energy to work into the night.  But, I'm still trying to establish balance and quiet/meditative time so I don't miss out on what comes across my life on a daily, hour by hour basis. Challenging.