Open Studio Tour

This weekend there was an open studio tour in Lodi. The teen grandsons, their best friend, and I went first to Sam and Pepe's place. The property there was once a nursery so there is a lot of open space, perfect for showing their outdoor garden sculptures. They also invited some of the other artists to show their works there as well. Scattered under the trees, bamboos, around the garden paths, and some inside a big room (formerly a show room I think). The weather was perfect, sunny wit a light breeze. It was a magical place. We watched a wood turner, who had created amazing things like a cowboy hat of one piece of wood, and a print maker who patiently explained her processes. I knew everyone there and the boys had met many of them working at the Spring Art Show. Painters, clay construction, lots of good things. Then we went to a remodeled house/studio i downtown Lodi. Wow! what a great house. the artist there explained some of his techniques using colored pencils which we found really interesting as one grandson likes to use them, and occasionally I do too. after that we drove to a Subway as boys were starving, and I went to the Art Center Gallery while they were chowing down. Rich was demonstrating his oil painting techniqiues with a pallette knife. When we left there we drove to Caroline's house/garden where she was showing her paintings and Jarrod was showing his metal sculptures. It was the perfect way to end our art day.

I'd been operating all day with a horrid toothache and felt really worn down from it. But even with that - it was a very special day.

Bay Area Book Arts Jam and mail art

I decided not to show my work at the Bay Area Book Arts Jam this year in October. It is THE best place to show them, and the most exciting. But, that's what tires me out too much. I can't run on adrenalin and high spirits any more. What I'll miss the most is the meeting one on one with book art enthusiasts.

Soon I"ll be back to posting more here and showing my newest things and talking about techniques again. I'll be showing more work locally as well. Recently I've been working a lot on mail art. Maybe it's the Nick Bantock show coming up that has kicked off my interest again. I am finding post card size gives an artist a large enough canvas to work on and there are so many things one can do one them. I've been altering vintage post cards and creating other mail art. I have been enjoying this book from Amazon.

Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art

If you'd like to be on my snail mail list, please email me with your address and you might just go to your mail box one day and find a piece of art from me. Janene

More about the art show

I have not put much about the show here because I"m still using the laptop and it's not handy to add photos and such. But, an art pal, Roberta has been to the gallery, took pics and posted on her blog. So, to see more of the exhibit - and read her delightful blog - go HERE.

Featured Artist

Much to my surprise, I got a call yesterday morning to see if I would substitute for the featured artist of the month at the Lodi art Gallery. Not much time to get it together, but in four hours I put a show together. It helped to have my favorite things at hand, so it was more a matter of cleaning glass, dusting frames, typing labels, and setting prices. My work generally is cohesive and the pieces work well together. No sore thumbs sticking out in the batch. I put in some three dimensional things which always makes the gallery happy, and some altered books as well. Candis and a friend of hers helped cart it all into the gallery and we left it in their hands to hang it. I can't wait to go back and see how it looks.

I was expecting to be the featured artist probably in October or November of 2011. I'm way ahead of my goals again. Guess we'll paint the house and put in new front fence. I've got to have goals to work towards.

While I was there, I picked up a painting I bought from Rich Allen - a woodsy scene that reminds me so much of the scene outside my back window in the country. Now, I can see it everyday from home as well. I hung it this a.m. and already it makes me feel so peaceful. I'll post pics later when I get the other computer fixed. Right now, I'm still using the laptop so I"m hampered in what I can share.

Another goal was met last week when the insulation was installed in my studio. Wow! What a difference. If your studio is too hot in summer and too cold in winter, don't put this off like I did for several miserable years. It will be so much more useful now - not just mornings and late evenings in summer and only mid day in winter. I'll need to insulate the floor before winter, but for now, the ceilings were the most important part. I'm so thankful to have a helpful son and grandsons who make impossible things look so easy. They are my heroes.

Horns blowing in the Valley

Well, I reached a goal this year that I planned to put on my to do list for next year. I entered four pieces in the Lodi Community Center Membership Art Show. Each piece won something. My reworked Daily Bread won best of show! The steampunk style Slave Scientist won first place in mixed media. The Alice piece won first place in 3 dimensional art, and a piece with a bird and cage took an honorary mention in mixed media. Four for four. After the shock, I have to admit I'm tickled pink.

The Alice piece I finally finished and figured a good way to show it. I had Tap plastics construct a box/book form to protect it, after mounting it on a black piece of wood. It looks like "real" art with those additions.

Last Friday evening there was an Art Walk reception and lots of people milling around checking things out. I noticed two men standing there really engrossed in looking at this piece so walked over to see if I could answer any questions. The first question was "what came in this packing?" That's kind of an odd question, as it really doesn't pertain to the art or concept. But, I'm always happy to converse so told them a portable DVD player came packaged in it. "I knew it!" said the one guy to the other. Both seemed so happy with my answer, I had to ask why? Did they get a DVD player too and they recognized it? Nope. Even better. The one guy designed the mold for the pressed paper form. That's his profession. So, we posed for some pictures together with "our" creation. What a small world.

Tonite the show judge returns to critique the artwork in the show, piece by piece. This is a wonderful way to learn what she looks for and why certain pieces were chosen. Another learning experience I'm not about to miss.

Time in a Frame - again

Here are two very different pages. On one I use the new rubber stamp I cut of the eye. I liked the chapter heading so made the page to play off that starting point. The old man portrait is very slightly altered. He looked like and eagle to me - I just needed to add the nose/beak. isn't he a handsome fellow?

Time in a Frame - even more

This picture of the girl inspired me to get out my sewing machine and threads. Also a little purple tulle. The photo of the hanging of Lincoln's assassins is one I did awhile back. By painting out a lot of the background, the central images stand out all the better. I used thread for the nooses and added the ravens. The portrait of the man is only slightly altered with white gesso and black paint. Here is the link to earlier pages.