Happy Go Lucky

Day 30 of the 30-in-30 challenge ...

... which means, this piece is the last one for now, and as you can see, I am ending on a happy note.

It was quite funny how most of the ingredients for this piece were already sitting on my worktable but I didn't see their connections before. The girl (which originally is a doll) with those bandaids on her cheeks - why didn't I see that she was trying to hide her dimples.

So, this all came together as a little story about superstition and how everyone is the architect of her or his own fortune.

Mixed media: acrylics, book clippings, yellowed edges from book pages, ink, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 10"

This Is Not Goodbye

Day 29 of the 30-in-30 challenge

The image of the little Mork figure came from a collector's guide which I like to use for this and that. The book had been published way before Robin Williams died from suicide. I hardly remember watching the Mork and Mindy show, I think, I didn't like it, to be honest. 

Until I was a young adult, suicide was a subject that didn't seem to effect me at all. I heard about it, read about it, it was a strange thought, and people only whispered about it.

And then I found out about the suicide of my friend's boyfriend. He had been missing for a week and then was found in the woods.

Another friend shared with me that her father took his life when she was a child still. She found him hours later after he had shot himself.

A former neighbor decided to end his life, he left a letter that didn't explain anything.

I was shocked when Anthony Bourdain left. He seemed so fulfilled - why did I think that? Today I was listening to some 80s charts and learned that Robert Palmer took his life 15 years ago. I didn't know.

Suicide, it seems to be the answer for the ones who are leaving, but only raises questions for the ones who are staying. I don't know what to say or think or feel about this other than sadness.

Mixed media: acrylics, inside of the front soft cover of a 70s space collector's album, book clippings, fly leaf scrap, 45rpm record sleeve, on cradled wood panel, 9" x 12"

Last Call

Day 28 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

What can I say about this piece. Two fish are having their last conversation with each other before ending up to be a feast. A chance to talk one more time about the weather, or to finally make up and sing a duet. 

Mixed media: acrylics, fly leaf, storybook clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 8"

Ghost City

Day 27 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I have quite a few sets of old playing cards because I like them and because they appear to be so versatile. Yet I haven't used any - until today.

My concept for this piece was to create the unearthly atmosphere of an abandoned city. The buildings are represented by playing cards, in this case old NFL merchandising cards with a simple back design. I chose yellow for the sky to suggest pollution or even a nuclear fallout that made this town uninhabitable.

I used a portion of the gray backside of an old album cover to make a street, and added gum - the Wrigley's - as relics of the people who used to live and work there and who had spit out the gum on the sidewalks.

The arrow on the gum package underlines the exodus.
 

Mixed media: acrylics, old playing cards, album cover, clipping from an antique collector's guide, on cradled wood panel, 12" x 12"

Casual Friday

Day 26 of the 30-in-30

Happy Friday, everyone!

Technically, this is yesterday's piece because I have been one day behind for a while.

Anyways - last night, I made wee little t-shirts for these well-deserving workers so that they would be all set for Casual Friday. Seems that they are feeling quite happy in them.

I assembled the colony on the hardcover front of "Colonial Living." I came across a 1964 edition at an estate sale recently and liked its very dingy and mouse-eaten look. It's one of those books which I truly enjoy taking apart, and this was a perfect opportunity, don't you think?

Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, fly leaf scraps, ink; on vintage book hardcover front on cradled wood panel, 11" x 14"

You Are My Home

Day 25 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I made this for my husband because he is.

Mixed media: acrylics, torn edges from aged book pages, clippings from storybooks and a used adult coloring book, ink, on cradled wood panel, 11" x 14"

Diversion

Day 24 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I titled this little piece "Diversion" even though it would have been more accurate if I had added "... from the Facts." I didn't do it because that would have sounded over-the-top yet very boring.

Anyways, who would have thought that the entire controversy about creationism versus evolution theory would fit just fine into the small center hole of a 45rpm record sleeve?

I am very pleased with how this piece turned out. It is such a simple composition but it works very well in terms of shapes and colors, I think. You may also have noticed that the center makes a googly eye. Well, would you look at that!

Mixed media: acrylics, EPIC record sleeve, storybook clipping, cut-out from a science teaching book, on cradled wood panel, 10" x 10"

Darns and Hoots

Day 23 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I always feel that the end of the summer break immediately marks the beginning of the holiday season. So, no wonder that I felt I had to do something in this spirit.

The spirit of giving, to be more precise. There is a lot left to do and to wish for in our societies. For example, what's up with the white Santa image and everything that it stands for. Let's not give the change more time, instead let's give it some essential thought and meaning and power, for crying out loud.

Mixed media: acrylics, ink, edges from bookpages (which actually came from a book about the Poles, isn't that something), clippings from various book sources, including storybooks, craft books, dictionaries, and a special "Time" volume about the history of gambling; on cradled wood panel, 12" x 12"

Trick or Treat

Day 22 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

There is something very eerie about things or people that come in look-alike twos.

I find this especially true for this particular cat with those creepy balloons. It's a template for a "delightful" applique to go on a child's apron, according to an 70s crafts and sewing book. The smaller version was printed a few pages further in a recap chapter.

I cut out the mouse a few years ago. Now I finally know what has been frightening this little fellow.

Mixed media: fly leaves, storybook clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 10"

The Words to My Unwritten Song

Day 21 of the 30-in-30 challenge

A piece about wanting to open up but then not being able to.

Mixed media: Watercolor, torn paper and clipping from novels and storybooks, on cold-pressed watercolor paper on cradled wood panel, 9" x 12"

The Thrill Is Gone

Day 20 of the 30-in-30 challenge

This is a sad piece indeed. But nonetheless, it makes me happy that it worked out at least in a technical way. Because the poor little fly came from a very brittle storybook and fell apart, so I had to puzzle her hairy body back together, leg by leg, antenna by antenna.

Mixed media: watercolor, ink, storybook clippings, on cold-pressed watercolor paper on cradled wood panel, 8" x 8"

Don't You Worry

Day 19 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

What can I say about this piece other than this:
Even if everything is going downhill, don't you worry, we still have Mars.

Well, then.
 
For the universe, I used an Epic record sleeve. A scrap from a beautiful old fly leaf makes Mars.

I found this little saluting elf figurine in an antique collector's guide and, of course, declared him to be the Martian. He's perfect, isn't he.

For the background I sacrificed one page from "The Last Whole Earth Catalog." Please notice the "Funky Future" at the bottom right.

Mixed media: record sleeve, fly leaf, clippings and page from various book sources, embroidery floss, on cradled wood panel, 10" x 10"

My Cup of Tea

Day 18 of the 30-in-30 challenge

Well, NCLAC, our regional Arts Council, wants to have a beer-themed art show and has called for artists. So here you go.

Of course, I made a reference to Alice's tea party, what else.

The beer mugs are from an old book about "Colonial Living" and the pocket watch from an old antique guide. Both books I found just recently at an estate sale, and they are wonderful resources indeed.

"My Cup of Tea"
Mixed media: fly leaves, clippings from a history book, antique guide, and storybooks, ink, on cradled wood panel, 9" x 12"

Laundry Day

Day 17 of the 30-in-30 challenge

You'll probably recognize the dresses, yes, they are from the movie "Gone with the Wind." Especially Scarlett's gown made out of the plantation curtains is legendary. The dresses are part of a vintage paper doll set (probably from the 40s) that I came across years ago, and I had to buy it, because those things are hard to find and usually too costly for me. However, I've been wondering ever since how I will use those pieces.

Well, "Laundry Day" is a reference to the South. This is where I live with my family and friends, I love this little town and the community here. Unfortunately, this is also the area, where some jolly fellows like to display there mindsets through hate flags and sentimental statements about the "good old days" and "heritage" and "Southern pride."

This piece refers to all this. The cat is washing a dress which seem to be a tiny little piece of cloth now. But after laundering it will miraculously unfold into one of those huge overpowering garments.

"Laundry Day"
Mixed media: Acrylics, vintage sheet music with red edging, storybook clippings, ink, sewing thread, on masonite board, 14" x 18"

Roundup

Day 16 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

Another chair piece.
I wanted to do a piece about raids, deportation, about the systematic gathering together of certain people to get rid of them. My focus was on the horror of displacement, to imagine the experiences people make when they are being pulled out of their communities, their homes, their lives, and being sent somewhere unknown and dark.

Yes, the bundle of chairs looks so happy and fun, at the same time - someone or something is holding them up like puppets on strings. Or it's a hanging. 

I started working on this piece three days ago, thinking this would be a fairly easy undertaking. Initially I wanted to call it "Raid."

I gathered and cut out all the chairs that I wanted to represent the different people, and made a background. Without pasting them on, I assembled the chairs in a way that they would stand crammed together, with a few personal items scattered around.

But it didn't look right at all, because it didn't appear that people had been forcefully pulled out. It looked more like the aftermath of a family reunion.

So, no. Redo.

"Roundup"
Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, sewing thread,
on cradled wood panel, 11" x 14"

All Rise

Day 15 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

Again, I used a vinyl sleeve as the core element of this collage. I love how this beautiful nature spirit is emerging from the water and how perfectly the design of the sleeve goes with the theme.

I like the overall vibe of the image - but it also is borderline cheesy, I have to admit. However, nature is grand and mighty, and why not go overboard with the representation of it. Right?

Mixed media: acrylics, 45rpm vinyl sleeve, storybook clippings, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 10"

Don't Lose Your Heart

Day 14 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

It's the 16th, I know. I've had a lot on my mind and just couldn't get going. However, I finished two small pieces this morning. For both I used those lovely old record sleeves. I do that sometimes because I like the idea of turning an image into a song.


"Don't Lose Your Heart" is what I keep telling myself.

Mixed media: acrylics, 45rpm record sleeve, book clippings, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 8"

Open Arms

Day 13 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

A piece about longing, pain, and not having closure.

The two women are the same person but at different points of her life.

She is remembering herself as a young woman waiting for her love to come home. This person has just left, but a presence is still perceptible: While she is cleaning around the armchair, she seems to be communicating with someone sitting in it.

I thought the relationship between the woman and the armchair was quite interesting, so I made the armchair the main element of the scenery. The chair looks inviting and comfortable, and it has arms. Though I felt that this woman would never sit down in this chair because it was already taken.

By the way, in the original image, the old woman was weaving a basket; so I gave her some letters to hold instead. Window and view are from different sources.

 "Open Arms"
Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 8" x 10"

Censored

Day 12 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I started out completely differently with this piece, but then saw the potential of the general concept and reconsidered. So, instead of another funny image, I did something more reflective.

It's about censorship, one of the things I am worried about. I used a page from an old dictionary - from noddle to nourish - and cut out all the no's,  as in: no "no" allowed. At the same time the no's are expressing resistance to this ridiculous nonsense: They seem to be breaking out of the cutting holes, using the threads as emergency ladders, or maybe the threads are umbilical cords. 

I chose reds and orange tones for the background to incorporate the notion of a book burning. The threads can be seen as smoke.

"Censored"
Mixed media: acrylics, page from an old dictionary, sewing thread, on cradled wood panel, 12" x 12"

Turn Me on

Day 11 of the 30-in-30 challenge

And, yes, I have caught up! That's a very nice feeling, especially because tomorrow is going to be a full day for me, and I won't have much time to work in my studio.

Anyways, I made another romantic piece: An ostrich and a gramophone bird - that means, love is in the air. 

For the back wall, I harvested some pages from my French romance novel that I like to use in such situations. Please notice, how it repeatedly says "L'Amour" at the top. This novel is so perfect in terms of size and texture and yellowing; a friend got it for me from one of the bouquinistes (outdoor book sellers at the Seine river) in Paris several years ago.

The quote is from Cat in the Hat.

Mixed media: book pages, random grayish paper scraps, book clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 11" x 14"

Pas de Deux

Day 10 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I am catching up! I have finished two pieces today, which means that I am back on track.

This is yesterday's piece, if you will: "Pas de Deux." That's French and ballet lingo for "dance for two." You probably knew that.

I can't get over it how perfect these two are together. They wear matching colors and headpieces, and the squid is really working his natural tutu.

Mixed media: acrylics, clippings and pages from storybooks, ink, on cradled wood panel, 12" x 12"

Drum Up

Day 9 of the 30-in30 challenge.

You may know that I have a love affair with anything record-related, and this very groovy UNI vinyl sleeve was seriously calling me. I added a nice group of  drummers who seem to have their own beats going and not care about the others' beats. At the same time they are playing in unison to proclaim diversity. 

One of my dreamy utopian phantasies.

Mixed media: acrylics, record sleeve, clippings from storybooks and an old world atlas (center), ink, on cradled wood panel, 10" x 10"

Partial Eclipse

Day 8 of the 30-in-30 challenge

The cow is making its move over the moon, and this spectacle guy is it taking it all in with excitement. At the same time a father is showing his daughter the beautiful land of their ancestors.

I placed these two scenes like layers on top of each other: The characters are standing next to each other, but they don't interact, they don't even notice each other. Two different moments are happening at the same time, at two different places at the same spot.

"Partial Eclipse" is about seeing things and not seeing things. About things that matter, and things that are ignored or forgotten or too uncomfortable to deal with or think about.

Mixed media: watercolors on cold-pressed watercolor paper, storybook clippings, book pages, ink, on cradled wood panel, 11"x14"

Our Turn!

Day 7 of the 30-in-30 challenge

I've been working like crazy today to get two pieces finished. "Up and Up" was a large one, so this one had to be smaller in size. It has a big, demanding message though, "Our Turn!"

Well, yeah. If those dinosaurs had been able to stick around they wouldn't have missed out on the joy of lawn-mowing, for example.

An important piece about what makes the humans human. And what the perfect body is for lawn-mowing.

The lawn mowers are from two different editions of the same children's book ("My Favorite Book"). The dinosaurs are cut from a very brittle children's science book. I arranged everything on two fly leaves and added some small illustrations from a vintage youth dictionary to give the image a little bit of that typical science literature look.

Mixed media: fly leaves, book clippings, ink, on cradled wood panel, 9"x12"

Up and Up

Day 6 of the 30-in-30 challenge

The calendar is telling me it's September the 8th. Well - not for me!

I had lots of things to do the past two days, and I also attended my dear friend's wedding. Therefore I got a little behind but I can catch up, oh yes, I can. Working hard now.

I loved gathering the elements for this piece: lots of umbrellas and lots of people from different stories, newly matched.

"Up and Up"
Mixed media: watercolors on cold-pressed watercolor paper, ink, pages and clippings from various book sources, on masonite board, 14"x18"

Live Better Electrically

Day 5 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I picked up a LIFE magazine from the 1950s a while ago, and I was intrigued by the sweet slogan of General Electrics: "Live Better Electrically." Well yeah! Sounds ridiculous first but then - everybody is going insane when a power outage is happening. 

So, I thought it would be interesting to make the slogan the theme of this piece. I used a page from "Audels' Wiring Diagrams" to tell the story of a single mother. The page is titled "Methods of Overload Protection," how fitting. I have aligned the mom, the baby, and the taking-off dad with the lines of the diagrams to establish connections between them, even though or because they seem to be detached and disengaged with each other.

Notice that the lines of the purse strap and of the car continue. The baby is holding on to a horizontal line where it says "current transformers," while the other hand is grabbing the edge of the page. Next to the single mother are the words "Single Phase Circuit." Meanwhile, the father is exiting the page leaving behind the words "Two Phase." An arrow-like symbol is pointing towards "Love."

I didn't add any shadows because these people are not really grounded. Stability can be seen in the globe that is orderly placed into a universe; the three small circles may be moons or planets.

"Live Better Electrically"
Mixed media: acrylics, page from vintage Wiring Diagrams book, clippings from storybooks, old dictionary, and 50's LIFE magazine, on cradled wood panel, 10"x10"

Music Box

Day 4 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I love music boxes, but I always had mixed feelings about that particular kind where a tiny ballerina is kept in a jewelry box and has to come out and dance whenever someone is in the mood to open it.

There is no such passiveness in this fiery flamenco dancer. Yes, she has power and will, she will not be put away. She seems in control, even of the time.

I used empty music manuscript sheets for the background. The notes haven't been written yet. There is no sound, even the rooster is speechless. A vaccuum.

I guess, the time for castanets hasn't come after all.

"Music Box"
Mixed media collage: book clippings, music manuscript sheets, book pages, ink, on masonite board, 14"x18"

Pain

Day 3 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

I was a lot more focused today than yesterday and the day before. Which doesn't make any sense really because I had only four hours of sleep last night. But I didn't feel tired during the day, just not very friendly or social. I had lots of coffee and many kind bars. They are kind, so that's okay.

I am quite pleased with this piece. I think, the colors are good and the composition is right, and I delivered my message.

The figure is from an 80's book about body fitness, I don't quite remember what it was supposed to demonstrate in particular. But to me this person looked like she/he was ready to face pain, to deal with it, and wear it like a gown.

So I cut out a few hundred O's, and each one of them may stand for a certain kind of pain, from a surprising little discomfort to that severe emotional pain that most people will know, sooner or later.

I used one O to make a mouth. There is so much pain everywhere, it has to come out and be shared and be heard.

"Pain"
Mixed media: acrylics, clippings from books and magazines, on cradled wood panel, 11"x14"

Femme Fatale

Day 2 of the 30-in-30 challenge.

What can I say about this one that isn't obvious already. Poor guy, I think he's got a headache.

Mixed media: acrylics, ink, book clippings, on cradled wood panel, 10"x10"

Science Fair

Things happen.
For example, I did my annual ART ON 45 fundraiser in March, had a show at FW Gallery in Baton Rouge soon after, then went to see my family in Germany, came back to teach five weeks of summer art camps and workshops in my studio, and now it's September, the month when I do thirty paintings in thirty days.

So this is Day 1.
Inspired by the fact that school is back on, I made a piece about science fairs, where kids get prizes for the fancy projects that their parents made for them, in the name of love.

In "Science Fair" a white male torso in a strait jacket is mounted to a little table. Yes, this man stays put. No more uninvited exploration, no more meddling in other people's businesses, no more overstepping boundaries. A nifty little invention, yet long awaited. Clear winner, hands down.

Mixed media: acrylics, ink, book clippings, fly leaves, edges of book pages, thread, on cradled wood panel, 11"x14".