Art...: June 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

new artwork posted on website

underwater scene greeting cards

Here are 4 greeting cards I made to sell through a local giftshop. Making cards of this kind was a relaxing break -- they're quick, easy and fun. You can click on any image to enlarge it.

Cecilia

monoprinting underwater backgrounds

This photo sequence shows how I made the monoprints that I used in creating the underwater-scene greeting cards. I also used a monoprint of this kind in creating a large piece of art for Crafters Cafe, which can be seen at http://crafterscafe.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=29&chapter=50

My first step was to smear paint blobs onto a matrix, which in this case was a sheet of glass. Second, I placed my substrate (the glossy cardstock to be printed) face-down onto the matrix and gave it a slight twist. Then I pulled it up; the third photo shows the matrix and substrate side-by-side. The last photo shows a close-up of one of my prints.

This technique is lots of fun; every pull yields a surprise. And it's a perfect activity to share with young children out of school for the summer!

Cecilia

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Art Show Opening -- the Afterglow

Yesterday my good friend Mary Ann and I had our opening for a joint art show we titled Texture Mania -- because we both celebrate texture in our art-making.

Mary Ann's display covers two walls, and my art takes the other two. It was a huge job preparing all the artwork, as well as a lot of portfolio pieces; but we felt it well worthwhile yesterday, when the large display room (at a local cultural center) filled with family, friends and strangers-to-become friends who came in response to the PR I had spread around for weeks in advance.

The refreshments were fantastic -- I think I've attended weddings that offered less food and drink! The refreshments were supplied by Mary Ann and the wife of the Pennsylvania photographer who shared our opening since his photos were newly hung in the cultural center's smaller display room.

That's our division of labor -- refreshments are always handled by Mary Ann (former Earth Mother and current competition for Martha Stewart as Queen of All Things Homey); and PR is always handled by moi; since, before Artist Cecilia was born, Writer Cecilia spent years writing for one of the two major Detroit-area newspapers, when I was still a Michigander. Before and after those years, my short stories, articles and poetry were published in a wide range of magazines and other periodicals. With that background -- and considering the fact that I step into my own kitchen as seldom as legally possible -- naturally the job of PR is mine.

The photos I took of our show aren't the best, but I've posted them at the top of this entry, to add some imagery to my words. You can click on each photo to enlarge the image.

The first three photos of artwork are my art, and the following five are Mary Ann's. Her African-themed art-quilts were made to honor the beaders of Bead for Life, a non-profit organization that helps impoverished Ugandan women and children. Mary Ann incorporated some of the Bead for Life beads on her quilts; I incorporated them in some of my mixed-media pieces.

Cecilia