On exhibit

Supermoon, 20x24, oil/canvas, 2011

I'm dropping off this painting tonight for its first foray out into the big, big world as part of the exhibition
VICINITY: RISD Rhode Island Alumni Group exhibition
November 10 to December 15, 2011
The opening reception is Thursday, Nov. 10^th, 7pm at 42 Rice Street Providence (directions)

I'm looking forward to seeing the venue,  Keeseh Studios, when I drop the painting off. From what I can gather on their website it seems to be like a Steelyard for the woodworking set. Here's their mission statement:

Keeseh Studio is a woodworking facility that serves as a resource for Rhode Island’s creative community. The communal woodshop provides machinery, tools and workspace for local artists and designers to rent using a membership system. As such, they have access to a wealth of capabilities and resources as well as the company of artists with whom to share ideas and gain critique. Keeseh also offers woodworking classes and services. The Studio welcomes a wide range of people — from those who have no experience and are looking to learn, to professionals wishing to engage with like-minded individuals.

Our mission is to:
-encourage the growth of woodworking as a design and craft.
-make woodworking accessible to everyone.
-educate and develop skills that will allow creative individuals to express themselves and their ideas through woodworking.
-connect local artists and designers in order to promote the exchange of information and knowledge.
-support the growth of Providence’s creative community.

Alas, I won't be able to attend the opening, since I'll be in my glass casting class at the aforementioned Steelyard (a Keeseh Studios for metal heads). Rats.

Growing up by looking back

I know it's been a long time since I posted to this blog, but since my last post my whole perspective on life has shifted. My dad's good heart finally gave out and he passed on to the next level last week. I am very thankful to have known and learned from him for 81 years, and to have spent so much time with him in the last few months. I'm also thankful that he went peacefully without pain, in his sleep, with my sister sleeping on the couch in his room, and more family in the house. He did not die alone, and his spirit did not entirely leave this earth, because it lives on in us. Safe travels Dad.

Now I have to make the transition from being reabsorbed into family and memories, to looking forward. I have managed to do some art work in the last few months, but not much. One more painting from my creature series completed (below)...

 

...and some experiments in glass-casting from my glass-casting class at the Steelyard. I've had the idea to layer transparency/glass onto some of my paintings for a long time, but never knew how to get or make the glass I envisioned, so I made do with using polyester casting resin, embedding natural objects into resin to frame this series and casting slabs of resin to layer over this series. But plastic is plastic, and I worried about yellowing, so I was happy to find the class at the Steelyard, which opened in 2001 as a way for artists to work with heavy duty industrial materials, like steel, glass and iron.

I have an idea about casting some iceberg/glacier like slabs to use with my Alaska paintings. How? I'm not sure yet, which is sort of why I took the class, just to see what I can do with the idea.

These are some of my first experiments in casting a 3 dimensional object. I chose some shells, used clay to fill in any undercuts and covered them with plaster to make a mold. After the plaster dried I carefully pried out the shell and filled it with little pillow shaped nuggets of glass and put the mold in the kiln, for a days' long firing and cooling. They came out even better than I had hoped!

I've missed this blog, so have some pent-up posting in my system...I'll be back soon!