sketches: march 2009

sermon notes from today, march 29, 2009


hot dog man originating january 2009


fruit basket randomness


"can I have some" sketch


random other sketch

process: creation

the next layer...

process: creation

Another piece (in the under-painting stages) for the AWARE-Canvas collaborative exhibit.

process: exhibition

A random photo of me with my latest finished piece "local anesthetic" on display at The Canvas as a part of the PULSE exhibit for the month of March 2009.

process: creation

The AWARE shelter in Juneau is sponsoring an art exhibit for the month of April 2009 at the Silverbow in observation of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I have been asked to facilitate some classes this month to help artists in creating work for this show and in the process of preparing for these classes have been preparing a piece of my own. As soon as I finish the mixed media piece, I will post a picture; in the meantime, here is the work in progress:

inspiration: figurines

I’ve been collecting little figurines ever since my grandmother started giving me the little glass animals that came with her red rose teas when I was a young child. For some reason, these little trinkets have captured my affections up through the present and I now have a whole shelf full of them and more scattered throughout my home. For as much as I love collecting them, I love to give them away, too. Ever see those little buddhas in some eastern shops? I get such pleasure at their fat round bellies poking out from the drapery. Just today I purchased a little buddha who looks like he is on a journey for a little care package I’m putting together for some friends who are moving. The shopkeeper at our Nepal store said he was a symbol of good luck; I’ve been rubbing his little belly (and having others rub his belly) all day...

So back to the broader subject at hand, I wonder what place these figurines have in art? I have tried incorporating them into assemblage art, but with little success (I have never made an assemblage art piece I’ve ever been happy with, though). I have tried creating little figurines of people and animated creatures on my own, but they seem to lack the context needed to qualify as art (in my opinion). But surely they have a place! Is it just me that finds these things so distractingly attractive? And now, some pictures...

inspiration: sculpture

Chewing Gum Sculptures
Fashioning sculptures out of everyday objects has been a fascination of mine, despite the fact that I have never successfully created one (not that I've tried all that hard at it).

Book Autopsies
When it comes to creating sculpture, though, I would much prefer to work with books over chewing gum. I also like the idea of subtraction or "taking away" as a form of creation as opposed to the more typical conglomeration of elements to make a whole.

art: local anesthetic

an asseveration of art

I’ve been creating sketches and works of art ever since I was a child. The sketchbooks I worked in have lived with me since their conception and are laden with images from my childhood. The art reflects images from my daily life, dreams I had, and struggles I was working through.

The reflective intrapersonal nature of my art continues to this day. Art is a way for me to synthesize complex experiences and feelings into visual forms. The works I create are meditation tools for me, often expressing irony by incorporating bright colors and contradictory images into (what is often) darker subject material. As a lover of words, I also tend to integrate writing into or alongside my work.

Over time, my depiction of the human being (my favorite subject) has become distorted and cartoon like, a reflection of the idea that we are ever changing and ever imperfect. I tend to personify inanimate objects and abstracted animals in my art as well; everything I see or touch has vitality to it and I try to convey that.

Art for me is not precious in and of itself; it is the process that is most important to me. Whenever I exhibit my art, it is my intention for the viewer to do more than just see... I want for people to be able to touch, write, and otherwise interact with my art and express their own responses. I love dialogue, especially on topics that matter to me and that I have been working through.

Recently, I have been working through the departure of my husband and my own response to it. How relationships change. What it is like to be in love again. I’ve been exploring what I really want to leave with the world with via my short life (I am at the biggest decision making point in my life). I’ve also been working through recent discoveries about the American penal system and some of its major failings.

As I create more art and work through these themes, I would like to also be thinking (in advance) about how I could most effectively produce an exhibition that will cause people to re-evaluate something I feel is ineffective about the way(s) in which we live. This includes new mediums, words to incorporate, ways to have an audience participate, location, etc. I would like for my next exhibit to be one that I can show at a couple different locations (Juneau AK, Bellingham WA, and Park City UT).

I will post some recent art as soon as I can get it scanned in. -Donna