Work In Progress: My Third Tyvek Scroll

In paper cutting news, I started working on my third 7 foot long tyvek scroll in mid-July and it is going very well. I needed a big project to focus on for awhile and this one came to mind. I’ve been saving one last roll of tyvek to create the third in a series of these pieces and I realized the time to do it was now (or rather the now of a few weeks ago).

I chose to create a composition using the flowerburst motif I use often in my work. I almost got caught up in the need to do something new, but with these scrolls it is important to me to use the shapes and designs that have become personal symbols within my work.

Tyvek scroll in progress

Tyvek scroll in progress

I’ve been struggling with a lack of focus and motivation over the past few months, as well as a desire to set my art aside completely. Making art is the easy part of being an artist, but finding an audience, viable opportunities, and making a living feel impossible sometimes. I’ve wanted to give up, but I’m trying to make my way through this period of struggle and frustration. It’s not easy though.

Tyvek scroll in progress

Tyvek scroll in progress

This meditative and meaningful work has been guiding my way back to why I make work, so clearly it has been the right thing to work on.

Public Art Murals on The Streets of Seattle

Over the last few years Seattle has been developing their local mural scene just like Vancouver has with our Mural Festival. I came across two new (to me) murals in Belltown and I really like the use of pattern, colour, layers, and the use of stencils.

Seattle street art

Seattle street art

Seattle street art

There’s also a brand new section thats been added to the water side of Pike Place Market, which includes a series of public art pieces made by Clare Dohna. These are elaborate murals made with colourful ceramic tiles using imagery of local flora and fauna. This one features birds, but there were others with insects, and one with fish. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like these in North America because ceramic tile installation is not very common.

Seattle public art

Seattle public art

Seattle public art

These three murals have got me thinking about what I would do if I had the opportunity to do one of my own. I’m not a painter, but it could happen.

Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum

I’m back from a short trip to Seattle to visit friends and see art. A highlight of gallery hopping from the past few days was to see an incredible show of cut paper art at the Bellevue Art Museum, titled Cut Up Cut Out. All of the best known artists working with cut paper are in this traveling show put together by Bedford Gallery in California. I’d been dying to see it since I first learned it would be showing in Bellevue.

It is a fantastic show featuring a wide variety of artists, and beautifully showcases the art of paper cutting. I really wish my own work had been included in this exhibition, but I am not well know enough. I’ve included photos here of sixteen of the many pieces from the show.

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Sara Burgess, The Numbers Book

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Yuken Teruya, Notice-Forest (Tiffany)

Untitled

Lauren Kussro, Tart Crispy Greens


Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Barbara Wildenboer, Dark Paradise 1

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Maude White, Sonja

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Meg Hitchcock, The Most Secret Supreme Truth

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Donna Ruff

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Cal Lane

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Wim Delvoye, Untitled (Car Tyre)

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Rogan Brown, Small Kernal

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum

Claire Brewster, A Parliament

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Jenn Stark, Holographic Circle

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Andy Singleton, Nebula Form II

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum

Lyndi Sales

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Simone Lourenço, My Universe, Blue

Photos of Cut Up Cut Out at Bellevue Art Museum
Charles Clary

Cut Up Cut Out continues at the Bellevue Art Museum until October 27th 2017. Read more about it here.

Making a Beaded Tassel Necklace

Look at this lovely beaded tassel necklace I made over the weekend with my friend Amanda. We’d both been thinking about tassels recently so she decided to host an afternoon of making over the weekend. I think it took about an hour or so from start to finish, and the beading was the most time consuming part. I love small projects like this, with quick results.

Making a tassel necklace

Making a tassel necklace

I bought myself the tool pictured above, called Loome, which is a multi-purpose tool for making tassels, pom poms, and other small textile projects. Check out more information about it on their website. I’m about to embark on a tassel making kick, because you can never have too many, right?

Creating A Paper Cut Sample for a Workshop

I’ve been invited to teach a two day workshop on paper cutting at an arts festival happening out of town in mid-August. This will be the longest class I’ve taught in years, so I needed to do some planning and prototyping in preparation. The overall project is going to be a multi-layered paper cut shadow box scene, which I’m hoping will be an inspiring challenge for participants.

I’ve made two samples for the workshop. The leafy scene with the grey rabbit pictured here is the one I think will grab people’s attention, but I’ve also made one that is abstract with simple repeating shapes.

Workshop prototype

Workshop prototype

It was lovely to create this little scene entirely from paper. I had to pull it together before I went on holiday at the beginning of July because they needed an image to promote the workshop, and I needed to be clear with myself about how to teach the participants. I can only seem to do that through making a physical thing.

This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve made work with a rabbit. I’m starting to think I should make more work like this…

Whirls Revised with Colour

I originally shared this piece on the blog a couple months ago, and at the time I wasn’t convinced it was finished. It needed something but I wasn’t sure what that was. I’d originally intended to add colour to the piece but was hesitant to do so because I was afraid I would ruin it in the painting process. I recently convinced myself to go for it, and painted it using blue acrylic ink.

Whirls revised

Whirls revised

This is exactly what the piece needed. The colour has brought the design and idea behind it, of whirls and eddies in water, to life.

Tierney Milne’s Happy Cuts

I went to the opening of Tierney Milne’s solo show at Kafka’s Coffee last week, and had a fun time. These are a small selection of two of her paper assemblages, along with two of her laser cut wood pieces. I love how her recognizable style translates so well between materials. Her work makes me long for more colour and layers incorporated into my own.

Tierney Milne at Kafkas

Tierney Milne at Kafkas

Tierney Milne at Kafkas

Tierney Milne at Kafkas

Visit the show at Kafka’s Coffee and Tea located at 2525 Main Street.

Scenic Summerland

Boris and I went away to Summerland with friends over the Canada Day long weekend. It has been many years since I last visited the Okanagan, and I’ve never previously explored this tiny town where our friend grew up. The weather was super hot, and Lake Okanagan was the perfect place to cool off in the afternoon.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

We wandered, explored, snacked, napped, read books, and went swimming. The perfect way to spend a summer long weekend.

Thirty Days of Drawing Project – The Conclusion

The Thirty Days of Drawing Project came to a conclusion on June 24, 2017 at Day fifty-five. This video includes work from June 13th through to the 24th. The final page ended up in colour because I had previously used it for a marker test and decided to incorporate this into the drawing. I did a few variations of previous drawings because I love to iterate.

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And now I have been taking a break for the summer and thinking about what to do next. There are many drawings I have plans to turn into paper cut work.

Watch the previous sketchbook videos here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.