Building the Empire Show: sneak peek 6, The Last of the Stretchers

'have you done anything?'  'why, yes.  i have drunk all of the rum.'

and i have used all of my stretchers.  now, to take the work off the wall.  a few views of one possibility.  flat, on the wall, and off, free form.  

i have a little over 14,000 inches of packing tape.  50 feet or so of wire.  75 running feet of 5x5" aluminum leaf, a 1/2 pint of gesso.  a pint of matt medium.  10 sticks of chalk.  5 sheets of 30/40 stonehenge.  several hundred feet of rice paper.  a few gallons of wax.  several hundred yards of kodak laminate. 2 square feet of fine genuine silver.  

off the wall.  off the wall.  i have to let go.  sometimes i am a control freak.  

best, 

deb

packing tape art and a word on inspiration.

 reverse, adhesive surface. foil transfer.  2,3" 

 on black background. front, non-adhesive.  'the window'

 on white background. window face. non-adhesive

 detail.  leaf transfer in process.  window side, leaf on reverse.

my rather tidy workspace with work in progress.  expecting studio visits soon.

best,

deb

ps:  where did this packing tape art idea come from?  i use tape for grids.  the tape became more interesting once i started using it to clean up stray leaf droppings.  then i started to transfer the leaf from the tape.  and i had a lot of leaf, and i had broken one too many glass paintings, and i wanted to be tidier, and i wanted to just work with light.  

then, just now, i see the CSI using transfer tape to lift grit, fingerprints, evidence.  love those CSI shows, Criminal Minds disturbs me, so I don't watch.

Easter doings, and Building the Empire Show sneek peek 5

 white eggs dyed orange by putting onion skins and vinegar in the water bath

 this face emerged in the palette knife scraping

 packing tape with paper transfer

 epson print transfer with palette knife scraping 

 palimpsest with aluminum leaf, chalk transfer and kodak laminate

the palimpsest described above with brighter light

highlights from the work last week.  the palimpsest completed yesterday morning.  boiled the eggs yesterday, recipe courtesy of my good friend June, with a nod to her childhood memories. started cooking yesterday am, didn't stop until 6 or so.  hightlights of the efforts:  2 quiche lorraine, 2 sweet potato pies, one roast beef, scalloped potatoes, asparagus and...

Hey EB!  I have your D&G Sunglasses! 

best,

deb.

Building the Empire Show: sneak peek 4

putting in my time.  have lost count of work.  wanted to share the work with you under the moment-to-moment light changes.  very plastic.  very bright.  panels to live with and dream into.  the work table is manageable, still can't find the new deck of charcoal.  running out of aluminum leaf.  running out of stretchers.  2 books of genuine silver leaf.  lots of combination leaf, but want to stay away from gold for a bit.  palmisest in process on the shelf.

what do you see when you peek into these works?

best,

deb

ps:  just found 2 fresh rolls of packing tape: 3,871.8".  maybe i'll build some work without stretchers.

seagull squall

Building the Empire Show: sneak peek 3 (work in progress)

there's a lot of light in the kitchen studio.  walked into the room early last evening and was struck by the light of the windows and the taped panels. the panels give the essence of the ever changing light around here.  it bounces off of everything.    there's a new palimpsest on the shelf.  dragged my bathrobe sleeve through the wet grumbacher white this morning.  didn't notice until the damage was done.  also surprised by how tidy the workspace feels, but when i look at this picture, i wonder at the chaos i can tolerate.  

best, deb

Building the Empire Show: sneak peek 2

 newest work:  palimsest.  oil with m/m on panel

 the work wall with drawing

close-up.  the packing tape work has a see through panel.

best,

deb.

gifts for a personal puja

Lakshmi, a gift from Richard.  dotted with red, is heavy with use.  the stone heart has many vistas and faces; from my sister Jeri.  she was here briefly for a funeral.  she crashed on our couch.  it was sweet sleeping on the other couch with her near me and my brother mike and my david asleep  in the upstairs' bedrooms.  for a bit we dreamed together. remembrances of childhood when jeri shared a bed with linda and me.  jeri in the middle. 

 then, on Sunday, we got to shop in Cambridge at Shalimar, after eb's 'josh' made us waffles for breakfast (yes, we were early!) at their place in Allston.

found this puja pack for a very reasonable $3.99

 the contents.  seeds, nuts, spice, wicking, rock cand, lakshmi string, tumeric, candy, honey. this is 'non-edible' and for ritual use only.  "The Family"  Siva, Parvati and Krsna has a sacred holiday calendar on the reverse. 

one last view because i think it so pretty.  is it okay to use these in art?  i'm particularly interested in using the dye and the tumeric.  have been told that grinding the tumeric and applying it to my face is what i should do.  the lakshmi string?  can i take it apart?  do i have friends tie it to my wrist in a mala? or do i put it in the art?

Oh, if you are in Central Square, here the link to Shalimar.  

Shalimar, Indian food & spice, great takeout! or eat-in.

best,

deb.

From the Archives: "Alberta Hay"

"Alberta Hay" 

rice paper, alberta hay, ink, glass, sealed environment 2007 

Magnolia/Rocky Neck, Gloucester MA

the Alberta Hay bales in front of the Randomarts Magnolia Studio were about to thaw.  i sliced a 4x6x10" leaf from the bale.  sliced the leaf into 8 sections, watered each leaf, added wildflower seed, sealed the environment.  the Alberta Hay produced several generations of midgies, seed sprouted, tiny flowers formed.  two of these works 'lived' in our kitchen, right above our sunny kitchen table.  two sprouted on my friend Karen's wall.  four lived on the installation walls/trees of the 'then' neighborhood art installation.

this is the only evidence left of the event.  the other leaves were opened and used to enrich other gardens.

best,

deb.

Beginning: marble dust monoprint

the things i do for art.  can you see the print on the tape?  starting a new work 10x10".

best,

deb.

Building the Empire Show: sneak peek

#24 in progress.  idea for palimpsest in wax on shelf.

Debbie Clarke

The Empire Show

June 2011

Gloucester MA

artists, followers, friends:  do you share your works in progress on-line?  or do you only share completed work?  pros/cons.   

Debbie Clarke June 2011

Building an Empire Show!

Debbie Clarke

June 2011

Gloucester MA

location:  Public 

The box contains 18 completed packing tape and leaf works.  There are enough stretchers to complete 12 more (2down/1 in process).  This is the work that represents my 'winter' work cycle; which is, usually, spent working with paper, wax, gild.  This year packing tape is the newest material to enter the mix.  

This work is rarely shown as it is experimental, the place of dreams, usually on the studio wall until packed away.  This will be a rare light in Gloucester with a glimpse into my winter world where I demand more and more of my materials.  It is challenging to not work with a figurative intent.   When a figure appears, it comes out of the process, as oppossed to imposed upon the surface.

When this cycle is completed I will set up the outside oil studio and continue the black foil series with a focus on the palimpsest.

best,

deb

now, a word from this sponser

Anne. R. Allen's Blog has several recent posts about blogging.  She has several useful tips; such as, PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR BLOG TITLE!  Duh, I forgot the difference between blogging and journaling.  So, I promptly incorporated my name into the title.  Did you notice the difference?

lots of commonsense stuff.  not rules, just the lay of the land for those of you that are just starting out in the blogging world.

and my new friend Anne is not a facebooker.  i am.  her post about blogging came to my attention through a link to her blog by my good, longtime 'virtual' and real friend Kathleen Valentine.  She is a writer, designer, fabric/thread/yarn wiz.  get to know her too!

Kathleen Valentine's Blog

best,
deb.

and now, i will try to upload a clunky video of my butt planted in a chair, drawing the view this morning.

New works on blue backdrop

some new work with multiple exposures.  some of these really show off the beauty of the material:  kodak laminate, packing tape, egg tempera, sharpie, dry pigment, china marker, aluminum leaf, etc.

really liking the blue backdrop.  it shines through the transclucent mylar. these constructed drawings are 8x8". 

click the image for detail.

best,

deb

Flashmobs?

flashmob weddings, flashmob messiahs, flashmob dancing, flashmob?

so much potential.  flashmob art demos?  flashmob greetings?  flashmob protests?

bollywood flashmobs?

flash:  the flash of the camera?

mob:  a gang?

can 2 be a flashmob?

flashmob fishing?

what are your ideas?

mine?  flashmob=arthappening redefined

looking forward to your thoughts.  have you ever designed a flashmob event?  what was it?  how many peeps?  how long did it last?  would you do it again?

this curious mind wants to know.
best,
deb.

I’m into adhesives.

5x5inch mixed media constructed drawing.  

packing tape, gold powder, aluminum leaf, kodak holographic laminate, egg tempera, charcoal.

copyright clarke 2011, gloucester ma

the detail is awesome.  very difficult work to photo, this is a scan.

best,

deb.

AHHT! or not.

This seen in Glosta!  AHHT or not?  Seen on Short Street.

 right around the corner, this pizza shrine.

the restaurant is available to rent.

 that's the scene last Saturday in downtown Glosta!

best,

deb.

Equinox Egg Balance!

    The rumor is you can only balance an egg on the equinox.  not quite the equinox, almost. this egg balanced until  the dishwasher changed cycles to rock'n roll.

can you balance an egg?  no salt.  this is not a bar trick.

best,

deb.

Art Supply Run

helping a painter get together an art set up. i sold my father's table top paintbox to a young cook/painter, without wheels. i will make an art supply run to Art Supply w/s next mon or tuesday.

gloucester artists? need anything from the art supply?

from a facebook conversation:

our local art supply could not compete with the wholesalers and his suppliers had high re-order fees. peeps started buying on line. we don't need all the do dads around here. we just need things like tubes of the basic oils, white, black, gesso. basic bristle brush assortment, drawing supplies, supports, economy sizes/prices would work, cuz this is the stuff artists run out of most. btw: our former art supplier Darryl is great at stretching canvas, he might still do this?

another source tells me that the owners of Tootle Loo(?) (the toy store) are asking for input from artists on what they would like to see supplied.

give them a toot.

tell them debbie sent you.

Temporary Space

I will be teaching in the large common area of CABI (Cape Ann Business Initiative). 15 people can work comfortably in the room There are large walls to work on. There is a long hallway with big walls.

Days available for classes/critiques/independant work space: Sunday, all day and evening. tues/thursday nights.

evening drawing classes: 6:30 - 9pm. $35

beginner-advanced. This is drawing 101

sunday: $100 independant study, critiques, directed 5 hour focus, drawing marathon. 10am-3pm

enrollment by portfolio only.

portfolio review: $25 non-refundable. $15 towards material fee of $25.

hmmm...complicated. okay, this is my first draft.

first edit: learn to draw, learn to 'see'. what does the eye really see? how does the eye perceive space? how do we train the hand to follow the eye? learn to see as an artist by learning the common language of visual art: drawing. our journey will be guided by a simple question: what is drawing? informed by an earlier Drawing Center of New York definition circa 1978 "a drawing is anything made on or out of paper".

how am i doing?

deb.

This Artist's Journey

Capt Joey of www.goodmorninggloucester.com recently sent me a questionnaire to fill out to be posted on his blog. I gladly obliged. One of the questions was: who is your favorite local artist. My immediate response was 'me'. The more that I thought about my response I realized that there are local painters that I have admired, that have informed and guided my journey as an artist. This post is about my first art teacher Ken Gore. His studio is where I began my long apprenticeship (17 years) to becoming a 'master' artist.

The first Cape Ann artist that I have always admired is landscape painter Ken Gore (1911-1990). Ken was a member of the Northshore Art Association and The Rockport Art Association. He had a studio and gallery on East Main Street across from the The Beacon Marine where he taught painting on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. My father, a student of Ken's, arranged for me to have lessons with Ken. My paintings were not very good, but Ken saw ability in my drawings and encouraged me to seriously pursue art. I was 13.

The photo is Ken's painting "The Willow" that was auctioned through Blackwood March Auctioneers of Essex, MA a few years ago. I chose this painting to accompany this post because of the sheep, as well as his trademark use of the palette knife. Ken told me that when he was first learning to paint he was given a 2" brush to paint and 3 colors: red, yellow, blue and white. The subject? sheep. He could paint them in his sleep. Ken said that anything one could do with a small brush, could be done with a big brush; but, a small brush cannot do the work of a big brush. This advice has guided me through 40 odd years of painting, My preferred brushes are 1-2" bristle chip brushes that can hold alot of paint.

btw: my first lesson was to draw a portrait of another student's husband, then to paint his portrait. the drawing was true to the man's age. the painting made him look so much younger that his wife bought it. i didn't get the money, it was paid to Ken for my very first lesson. In exchange for future lessons, I posed for Ken's classes.

best,

deb.

Wall of Figure and Effect 3.wmv

I gave my drummer boy David a camera. A few nights ago he had to calibrate one of his lights for a performance and used the large "Four Stand" painting. He liked what the lights did to the painting, so he composed some music and synced it to the shots of "Four Stand", throwing in some other paintings to vary the visual image.

Maybe we will have a black room show someday with spots hitting the paintings under his direction.

I like the music and his unique way of seeing of my work.

best,
deb.

Paul Frontiero Buttons from Zazzle.com

I wish I could post a pic of Paulie's button. Oh, well. clickie, clickie on the linkie and paulie will appear.

best of glosta!
deb.

clarkeAHHT flash panel

See more personalized gifts from Zazzle.

grr...i'm wanting this in the sidebar...and don't know how.

clarkeAHHT product!

Beacon Marine by clarkeAHHT
Shop for a different button design

Finally! set up the clarkeAHHT shop on zazzle.com. It's an image licensing site with tons of product. still playing around with the options for my images. so far i like the idea of pin badges and refrigerator magnets. not so sure about the posters, image size, etc.

stay tuned. this badge is made from a detail of an oil painting of the beacon marine that i found in the archives.

best,

deb.

Perfect Strangers - The Dance of Joy

I am so over-the-top full of happiness...

dancing the dance of joy!

deb clarke's drawing space.

how am i going to stay in this skin? must dance with my cherubs!
AWESOME!

Deb Clarke's Drawing Space!

YES! Just secured teaching space in downtown Gloucester. I met with Erika of the Cape Ann Business Incubator (CABI). They are going to build a room that can be used for drawing classes! Just one big room with 4 walls, no windows, privacy. Figure Drawing! Drawing Marathons!

I will be renting the space on an as needed basis until I get back on my feet. Maximum class size is 10 and I can work on the walls. I'm so excited!

Classes will be offered on Monday and Tuesday nights 6:30-9:00 pm. other nights or Sundays as needed. This is just so awesome. So much potential.

will need to find models, put up fliers, start enrolling folk...omg...just dancing on air.

Drawing, Drawing, Drawing.

best,
deb.

answers to a few blogging questions

A young friend recently asked me about starting a blog:

1: wordpress? blogger? why?

i use blogger and wordpress. this nest is my blogspot. my wordpress is somethingsketchy.wordpress.com.

i find wordpress a bit clunky and i have been having issues getting my photos to post from my flickr site, as well as from my computer. sometimes blogger is cranky...so i went back to the basic uploader. my suggestion: use the site with the editor that is the easiest for you to use.

i continue this debbieclarke blog, because it is a commitment i made to myself when i started it. a public blog to post art, art thought, engage folk's imagination, share my journey and keep customers up-to-date with any commissions that i may be working on. maybe make a bit of money along the way (NOT) through ads on my site. the monetary benefit dreams have been left long behind. now the only focus is art: what i'm working on, what i'm thinking about, work i am looking at, art materials/process and answering questions along the way. i am surprised by the growing audience of like minded folk that continue this journey with me. thank you for your company! your presence inspires me to put my best foot forward.

2: How do you get people to read/look at your blog?

good question...i'm still trying to figure this one out.

my suggestion is to first figure out your personal objective.

fame? fortune?

set your blog up first. get used to working with it. develop your focus. then let's talk about seo (search engine optimization).

i am not a professional blogger. i am a professional artist using blogger to enrich my art experience...in fact, i think of my blog as an art-in-progress, as varied and colorful as my experience.

following is a site to a pro blogger that has lots of great information. i refer to it frequently as i redesign this nest of mine. have you noticed the judicious use of orange?

the link doesn't allow a share here. it is onecoolsite.com. put onecoolsite in a google search and you will find it. it is a wordpress site.

best,
deb.

ps: if you view this blog regularly and would like to share your thoughts about why and other observations, let me know. and any thoughts about the design of this blog is greatly appreciated.