Associates Board Meeting

Last night was the September Meeting for the Associates Board for Art & History Museums - Maitland. We have three big events coming up in the next couple of months so I'll be kept very busy with volunteering. Richard Colvin, the curator for A&H, gave a very interesting presentation on the evolution of his own artwork. He explained that he wasn't sure if the way he jumped around between styles, subjects, and mediums made him schizophrenic or just multi-faceted.

Etching Press Woes

I've finally hit the brick wall where if I want to continue doing anything I need to buy my own press. Not only do I need it for myself, but this way the students who sign up for Not Your Mama's Print Class won't have to spend half their time burnishing the back of their prints with spoons. (Or a baren, but the idea of spoons is more reminiscent of cruel and unusual labor)

In the end I purchased this "school" etching press from Jerry's Artarama for $186.99. A steal in the press world, which probably means I bought a very expensive paperweight seeing as anything of real quality costs at least $1,000. But this was the only thing in my price range, and if I have to send it back so be it. Here's to hoping I found a gem, and while were toasting, here's to my new series of art within 9"x15"!

Not Your Mama's Print Class - SALE!

The Printmaking Class I am teaching with Molly Chism at the Maitland Art Center is all set and good to go! To top it off, it's on sale right now:

Daily Deal for Wednesday, Sept. 7: BRING A FRIEND! Sign up for a class with a Friend, and you BOTH receive a 15% discount on your class! This Deal runs from 12 PM Wednesday, Sept 7 to 12 PM Thursday, Sept 8. FB code: FRIENDSHIP. To register, phone 407-539-2181

It is a 12 week class starting Sept. 17 through Dec. 10 meeting every Saturday from 1:30pm to 4:30pm (skipping the Thanksgiving weekend). The cost is $220 for non-members and $200 for members.

We will be exploring Relief Printmaking specifically Linocut and Woodcut. You will be carving and printing four different assignments and participating in formal critiques as well as receiving a healthy dose of Printmaking history.

If you don't take advantage of the deal today and tomorrow, you can show up for the first day of class free and see how you like it. However, I strongly suggest taking advantage of the 15% off since another deal will most likely not be offered before classes start.

I am so excited about this class and bringing Printmaking back to the Maitland Art Center. I love to teach and I can't wait to see what the students produce out of this class.

Check out the Facebook Event and don't forget to call 407-539-2181 to register!

Swinging Partner

My sketch for an angsty swinging bunny has been sitting in Molly's studio for a couple months until this weekend when we had to move everything out. I finally drew the second part of the diptych tonight. It turned out to be a rat. It started out as a squirrel, went through ferret, and settled on rat. And as much as I hate feeding stereotypes, he did start looking a little mean so I went with it. What started out as eye droopies (a very sophisticated art term, I'll understand if you have to look it up) in the bunny that make him look tired and almost given up to his swinging fate, have turned into a hard maniacal edge to a soulless eye socket on the rat. I couldn't have planned it better. I wonder if the rat dared the bunny to a swinging match secretly knowing that he is to swinging as the Dread Pirate Roberts is to iocaine powder.

Faculty Meeting at the Maitland Art Center

Last night was the faculty meeting at the Maitland Art Center. Molly Chism and I will once again be offering our Not Your Mama's Print Class. It should be a blast! We are very excited about it. The class should start on Sept. 17 and meet on Saturdays from 1pm-4pm for 12 weeks. Stay tuned for sign up information! 

Itty Bitty Batty Committy In Process Photos

 I'm starting to work on the PowerPoint I'll be presenting for the artist talk portion of the Coming Home: SFCC Alumni Exhibit reception and I've decided to feature in-process shots. Looking through the few photos I thought to take during the carving process I'm afraid I may look a little immature presenting them as a part of a gallery talk. Apparently I thought it would be funny to fill the furry body of the bat with my wood shavings. I'm not sure that will hold up in a professional setting, but if I don't use them then Itty Bitty Batty Committy gets no process photos because they're all I've got.

Preparing for MOFAC

Here's a picture I forgot to share. This was the day before I took all my art down to Avon Park. I laid everything out on the floor to make sure nothing made me want to sing "One of these things is not like the other,/ one of these things just doesn't belong..." You may be able to notice that I only had to reframe four prints; that's not too much craziness for the day before. Luckily I don't have a picture of the hurricane state that I left the rest of the apartment in as I tore everything out of their portfolios to decide if anything else needed to be framed and included. I didn't find anything else suitable, unfortunately. I had been looking forward to including at least some state of my Big Kitty print, but it is so big that it will continue looking too naked until I get it completely fleshed out.

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"....Can you find what thing is not like the other/ before I can finish this song?"

Artwork Drop Off at SFCC MOFAC

This past Friday I dropped off my artwork for the Coming Home: SFCC Alumni Exhibit. It was great to see my old professors. I just barely caught Cathy Futral as she was heading out and it was such a treat to work with Mollie Doctrow again. The new lobby for the SFCC Auditorium was amazing. It was the first time I've been able to see it since the renovations and it looks so prestigious that I can hardly believe my High School graduation was there.

I was also able to meet several of the Alumni artists and see their work. Max Gooding is a phenomenal draftsman and my husband made the comment that he would have to invite his dad, who is an architect, to the show to see his work. Suggesting that he wasn't going to invite him to see my art. I also met Caroline Colby and Laura Wolfe whose added talents will make this a must see show.

The show will be open from September 21st - October 27th. There will also be a Third Thursdays Program on October 20th where several of the artists (including me) will be giving a presentation on their art in the gallery. It also includes a reception which I'm pretty sure will have food and drink as is the custom of receptions.