Species #330: Work in Progress 2

How did this mess happen?

I am not a clean printmaker.  I left my blank papers in a stack on the table where I was also printing (MISTAKE).  My spatula fell onto a piece of paper, making a huge indelible brown splotch.  I decided to go with it, made lots of brown splotches and smears, and then printed over it.  It was impossible to see the print over the splotches since the ink was exactly the same, so I painted into the print to make it stand out from the mess.

I think it looks pretty neat.  I am kind of stuck at this point, however.

Altered Book Project

In the Materials and Media in Art Therapy class, we have split up into groups.  Each group has to do a workshop and presentation on a type of medium ... well, medium isn't the right work, I guess.  This group's "medium" was books, so for our workshop we altered books.

I dug out of my book and re-glued the pages I cut out onto the cover (which I also cut).  I kind of made a poem out of the words but I won't post that here because it doesn't make much sense.

Hooray for in-class workshops!  I will post more as we go on.  The workshop my group is leading is about puppetry, so that will be interesting...

Species #330: Work in Progress 1

This is Species #330.  I have sewn onto it and then painted it so far.  The close up shows the detail of the negative brush strokes I'm making in this one, as well as the thread that I've sewn on and glued down.

I really like the way paper looks when it's been sewn.  Something about it is so raw and awesome.

Species #1039: Work in Progress 2

I started sewing onto my images.  This was not the first one I sewed onto, but I discovered in this image that gel medium can reactivate watercolor (it seems only if there is a thick coating of water color, because I have tried this out in other species and it hasn't worked).  You can see this in the lips.

I don't know where to go from here.

Shabbat Feelings

Today was the first day I've ever had a negative feeling about Shabbat.  After all of the holidays, I am basically "holiday-ed out," I just want to be "normal," and I feel frustrated (a little).  Today is also a friend's birthday, and after class everyone was going to the bar.  But I hadn't pre-cleaned for Shabbat in anticipation of going to the bar after class, and I felt bad about leaving that to JewishGuy without warning, and I had promised JewishGuy that I would pick things up from Walgreens on the way home (which he doesn't have time to do), so I went home.

I usually read text books on the train ride home, but I didn't feel like it.  Instead, I took out my sketchbook, the one I keep with me at all times.  I first drew the chain as a response to the activity we did in class where I learned how to make an embroidery chain stitch.  Then I drew the candles.  At first I saw it as an expression of feeling trapped by the holidays, keeping me from being a normal classmate, keeping me from doing things with my friends.

But then I realized it also looks like a special place surrounded by flames, flames from the candles which symbolize divine light.  Shabbat is a special place.  "An Island in Time," as they say.  And this is kind of like that.

So I wrote above it, "entering, not trapped by," because this little sketch is really about my transitioning into Shabbat and into the observant lifestyle.  At first, it feels like I'm trapped.  But if I change my perspective, I am in a holy place.

There's a little bit of art therapy right there.

"I Hate This."

My teacher took one look at Species #1039 with the purple and green swirls and said, "I hate this."  He then went on to elaborate, how he hates crafty things, how the tissue paper reminds him of 5th grade crafts and things his mom might make.  He pointed at the print in the middle and said, This is Fine Art, but then pointed at the tissue paper and said, This is not Fine Art.

Yikes!

Afterwards, in my attempt to console myself, I pretended to be his art therapist instead of his student and asked, "Why does the association with your mother make it not Fine Art?"

I mean, of course I didn't say that.  But it made me feel better to think about saying it.

He gave me suggestions on how to use my crafty influences in a way that is Fine Art.  He did this while we were standing back-to-back in the screen washing room and he happened to look at my screen.  It turns out he likes the species, just not what I've done to them.  I was glad he gave me suggestions because when he just flat out said he hated it, without any suggestions on fixing it, I was pretty much flabbergasted.

Also, I tried to explain that #1039 with the purple and green swirls was like an experimenting ground for other works on #1039, for example, the one with the brown spots.  He liked the one with the brown spots.  

Also, also, what IS Fine Art?  Why is something made with expensive materials Fine Art, but something made out of magazines not?  And who says I want to make that, anyway?

I don't know.

I'm all about the art as a human behavior movement in art therapy.  And having to think about materials to use with potential clients influences my choices in materials for class.  And having the experience of leaving art school, realizing almost 100% of what I've learned is irrelevant to real life due to lack of funding (ie: no fun huge printing presses or things like that) and having to adapt my art making to what is available, I am not so excited about spending too much time and effort learning how to do things that I won't do outside the scope of the class.  I want to use the class to enhance my own art making skills in a realistic way.

Anyway ... I am trying to integrate his suggestions into my own ways of working.  Let's see how it goes.  Hopefully I will pass the class.

Oh yeah, and I'm going to slap some tissue paper on some of them, too!

Species #1039: Work in progress 1

Today I went to the studio to print another species.  I printed four copies of Species #1039.  While I was waiting for the screen to dry, I started painting on it.  The hot pink is nail polish!  How fun!  I think I am going to buy more neon nail polish because it's way cheaper than buying neon paint or ink, the only problem is the fumes.  The colors are brighter in person, it was hard to adjust the image in iPhoto to show the real colors and I took a bad picture.  Maybe a better picture to come later.

Species #845: Work in progress 4

Yet another work on a print of Species #845.  I don't know what to do, so I started by collaging magazine pieces.  Maybe I will do some painting on it later.  The species was printed over a monotype ghost print I made.

Species #845: Work in progress 3

Here is another print/painting of Species #845.  I am using the negative brushstroke thing I discovered.  The paper was pre-printed on with the corn cob that I used for one of my 10-day projects, and then I printed the species over it, and then painted with water color and gel medium.  I don't know if I'm finished.

Corn Cob Pipe!!!

UMMMMM

How awesome is this???

Three of my friends in my program happened to be out to dinner at a restaurant that for some reason sells folky stuff, like corn cob pipes!  So they bought one for me!  Because of my corn project!!! And how sad I was because I didn't get to make a pipe!!!!

A huge THANK YOU to them of course!!