Sunday, November 27, 2011

Some new work, under construction and one completed warthog?

 Above:  under construction, showerboard, metal leaf, glass.  22x22, depth variable.


 Above:  St. Anthony preached and the fish danced, icon in progress.
mixed media with egg tempera.

 Above:  fish or warthog?  mixed media with packing tape, digital photo transfer, kodak holographic mylar.

 Above:  fish scape, under construction.  mixed media with leaf, photo transfer, marker, tape laminate


Above, under construction.  face.  mixed media with silver leaf, gold dust, egg yolk


Above:  ibid, with glass.  
question of this state:  go back, go forward and use the glass to establish a 2nd work based on the first. 
 new work is intimated. the portrait redacted, again.


Monday, November 21, 2011

Hey Picasso!

When I went to the last Picasso show at the MFA, it covered his early years, posters, rose period, blue period.  I went in the company of my students.  one student was in awe.  I forgot I was sizing my self up.  very simply I told Fred:  this is art student work.  exemplary, but student work.  the counter posture pose, the underpainting.  the classical tradition.  the breakthrough in the rose work:  he simply left  the awkward out-of-relationship drawing of the red chalk cartoon, a first stage on the canvas and moved on.  he didn't correct the size of the head...something that would get covered up in subsequent layers; if he had continued to develop the painting.

student Fred strongly disagreed with me.  very good.

I had to knock all of the greats off of their pedestals in order to be free of their ghosts and to make way for this Debbie Clarke way of 'ahht'.

best,
and onward. i'm painting.
deb.

St Anthony Preached and the Fish Danced




2 works, 3 pics.  the first is the icon that announced itself yesterday with these words:  St. Anthony preached and the fish danced.  

The way of the icon is that one listens with an inner voice and writes or translates the prayer through image and color under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  I thought I was working on a collage of transferred digital prints.  as i was so busy doing what i thought i was doing, the spirit had something else in mind.  stepping back from the work, i saw that the icon was completely drawn.  the next step was to separate first light, as all is light, there is no darkness.  this morning i cleared the work area and asked that the work be blessed, that these hands follow, that this heart listen to the promptings of the spirit.

the following 2 images are of the same painting:  merluccius bilinearis (again) first under flash, second under natural life.  the glass panel is worked with egg yolk and gold metal pigment.  the image that is poking through is my reference material, which may or may not be part of the whole.

best,
and onward.

deb.

ps:  today i make egg glue aka 'glair' for adhering leaf to the glass and other panels.  will also make gilder's slurry (gelatin) for a few mirrored surface.


Friday, November 11, 2011

2 Plates



two images constructed from the same visual information.  same exposure, different orientation.  i'm inclined towards the lower image...Babu The armless, legless, headless goddes is present.  another fish scape.  I need to find foils to print these images on.   any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

best,
deb

Fish Scape!


approx 6x7".  m/m collage:  packing tape, transferred digital print, sharpie, copper leaf, silver leaf.
copyright 2011 debbie clarke gloucester ma.

it is a collage, it is a printing plate created for digital scanning.  next:  printing options?

best,
deb

Monday, November 7, 2011

collage: drawings (wip)



Today's slideshow is of 2 new works in progress: the first are copper and aluminum leaf on backing board with glass. each panel is 19x20". They are a diptych from my 'night work' series. I painted in the dark of night last summer, outside on the deck. I loaded a 2" chip brush with gilder's slow set oil, guided by the weight of the brush. When the slow set was almost hard the copper and aluminum leaf was applied. this is a self portrait: You, Me and the Fish.

The second part of the slideshow is a mixed media drawing: digital print transfer onto packing tape, gilded, then applied to plastic waffle board. When the drawing is complete, the tape is removed, then adhered to another laminate. This drawing interests me as is. I will leave it alone and start another.

best,
deb

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Fresh Fish November 2011



My Good Workspace aka my kitchen studio with all of the work-in-progress for the fish show and one rainy day verre eglomise (that i have been working on for 2 years).  some of the images are blurry.  why?  because my reading glasses are buried on the work table.  the fish images are all fodder for transfer/transformation, and the slideshow pics will be thrown into the printed fodder.  

note to self:  need epsom ink!

enjoy.
deb.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

are you a naked painter?

I laugh everytime this search term shows up with a landing on my blog:  nude painters in gloucester ma.
Do you paint in the nude?  I haven't gotten naked to paint in years; however, everytime I place my work before the public I feel naked.  exposed.  there's an inner cringe of. ohno, here we go again.  then wait for the tomatoes and eggs to get thrown.

a runic comment is the most hateful i have ever received:  Rubbish from Hell, and other Feminist Bullshit!  damn right!  made me laugh.

the offer stands:  if you desire a painting of a nude figure, I can do this!  just let me know what you want.

best,
deb.

ps:  Great Name for a Show or an Artist's Group:  The Naked Painters.

check out the google query for The Naked Painters (there is a nudist group!)

Google Search 11/5/11 for The Naked Painters

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Work-in-progress

"Spanish Mac"  mixed media with glass/foil/packing tape
detail size approx 7x15"

making fish for the 'Fish Show' at The Common Street Gallery in the New Year. 
here's the gallery link: The Common Street Gallery, Waterville Maine 

other doings:  just ordered my sketchbook for the 2012 Sketchbook Project
my theme this year is:  Villains and Heroes.  last year my theme was 'down your street'.  it turned into an 'adhere to me' folio by the time i had fully deassembled/reconstructed the sketchbook.  this year's sketchbook should have sturdier paper.

and, i am sending my application for the "Strange Glue, Collage at 100" show at The Cambridge School of Weston.  the info follows here.  online application only, no entry fee!

these doings will keep me busy for a while.  still waiting for art folk to share their marketing experiences with me and my readers.  yesterday's post has the questions (with my answers).

best,
deb