New Work: 'o Danny Boy

There's something about titles that can tend to be difficult. Sometimes the name came be so elusive. You don't want the title to give away too much, but you don't want to waste the meaning either.

This piece might have spawned out of one too many nights in the studio watching Outlander. Although not Scottish,the tune has been stuck in my head for weeks now. I even tried watching old 27th Lancers videos to get passed it. As the work began to come together on the table there was no second guessing it. 'o Danny Boy it would be.

Whatever the influence, this box assemblage come together rather quickly.There's something different and new about the work that have been coming out of my studio the past few weeks. I'm excited about how things are coming together. More photos (and more work) to come- I promise.

New Work
'o Danny Boy
Assemblage from found objects
Game board, old Victorian scrap, chess piece, gilded picture frame, transparency, rusty metal.
$175

Contact me for purchase or more information- glimmeringprize@gmail.com

The Two Donnas

There's a tiny little town just west of Dodgeville. Last census has the total inhabitants at 173. There's really not much to it- sort of the place if you blink, you might drive past it. Lucky for me, I didn't blink as I was driving through on my way to Prairie du Chien. I stumbled upon the most wonderful junk shop- called the Two Donnas. I'm actually not sure if that is really still the name. The wonderland of thrift is now owned by two men from Madison. who periodically open their doors to peddle their curiosities and vintage items.

This shop has a flea market, yard sale vibe. We some super cheap prices to boot. The kind of shop that might be featured in Mary Randolph Carter's book American Junk. Carter's book, is an fantastic survey of year's of collecting. She's been doing the "shabby chic" and "flea market decorating" long before it was mainstream and cool. This is one of my favorite books about collecting.

The Two Donnas are only open every third week of the month. Or on the off occasion, the "guys" feel like trekking 50 minute out of the capital.


No matter, I'll be there next time they open their doors, I had great fun digging through it all, spent $13 and came home with a bounty of "stuff" to make more art with.

Heaven.

Something left behind

Over a year ago- I put this old chair in the back woods of our house in Williston. I wanted to see what time and nature would do. The elements slowly took the color down from vibrant red to this dusty rose. The grass that grew up high around it, pulled down by the snow.  Temporality.  Nothing lasts forever. Alas, this installation went the way of the dumpster when we rented our house in March. 

Settling in

I can't believe the weather here in Wisconsin this week. The temperatures have gone from 17 degrees 10 days ago, to a balmy 65 degrees today. I've swept the front porch, opened the windows and have been basking in the warm sunlight drinking my morning coffee. 

As I still here, dog at my feet, listening to the birds, the wind and the occasional passerby.  I am thinking about what it means to be here. As in here in Wisconsin. Little by little the boxes have been unpacked. Our home in Vermont rented, our new lives in the Midwest starting to take root.  

Getting back into the studio after the whirlwind of graduating from VCFA and moving has been challenging, to say the least. There are still plenty of boxes that need to be unpacked. Lots of materials that need to be purged. Things that need to find their right space. My new studio is up on the 3rd floor of this old 4-square we've made home. I'm not crazy about the old paneling, but the finished attic looks out on the neighborhood and offers a quiet place to be by myself and work on my art. 

Opening boxes and shifting through all "the Stuff" has definitely been inspiring. I've finished a few new pieces and mended a few that were damaged in the move. There's new work on the table. My old style mixed with a new sensibility informed by 2 1/2 years of grad school. This is something I just cannot escape-the resonance of crits and reviews by my peers and faculty. The endless defense of the work you make and the "why's" associate with it. It took a long time for me to open a jar of gel medium and start working on assemblage again.  

Finally, I feel like I am getting my mojo back. It's not as if it really left me. More like it was taking a long nap. Winter finally breaking into Spring, has opened a mental door for me. I am excited about the months to come. 

So, readers, if you will allow me, I am back to provide you further musings on Art, Life and Making. I hope you have been well. It feels like it has been an eternity.  I know it sounds cliche, but a new chapter has started. 2015 is going to be a fantastic year! 

Local Art: Mark Lorah at SPACE Gallery

SPACE Gallery on Pine Street has a great new exhibition. I was able to see out Mark Lorah's work during First Friday Art Walk. I really loved Mark's use of color and layering. If you get a chance, definitely check out his work. It's lovely. 

"Mark Lorah creates vivid, abstract paintings in oil in his new series of work ‘Alternate Energy’ this May at The Space Gallery. Lorah explores the fraught relationship between structure and material with his bright and graphic work on panels and aluminum. Lorah also incorporates unconventional materials such as tar, wax, and velvet flock to express the necessity of the irrational act, and the nature of existence."

266 Pine Street, Suite 105

Burlington, VT 05401

http://www.spacegalleryvt.com

Gallery Hours: Wed – Sat from 12 – 5pm

Inspiration: Judith Scott

Judith Scott
(1943-2005)

Judith Scott was a internationally recognized "outsider" artist. ( I have a love hate relationship with that word- but that is blog post for another day.) She was born deaf, mute and with Down Syndrome. She was the fraternal twin of Joyce Scott.  When Judith was about 7 years old Judith was separated from her twin and her family and sent to live in a state institution for the mentally retard. This separation had a profound effect on this girls. Judith lived in the state system until 1985 when Joyce found her, became her legal guardian and moved her to California where the laws concerning the education and welfare of mentally retarded citizens are more compassionate and inclusive. Judith, then started going to the Creative Growth Center in Oakland, California. 

Judith worked with the materials she had around her, fabric, found objects, yarn, thread, etc. Her wrapped pieces show an obsessive, almost complusive need to encaspulate or obscure the objects inside. She was know in the center for stealing other members materials and belongs and then burying them deep into the sculptures with layers and layers of wrapping. 

I find her work so compelling and her story inspiring. I hope to have an opportunity to see some of her pieces in person some day- but for now I will have to be satisfied with what I can view on the web and through Creative Growth's website. 

I hope you find her work as intriguing and enjoyable to look at as I do.


You can find out more about Judith at the Judith and Joyce Scott website. 

Pinterest.

Pinterest.

Mmmmm....pinning.

It's become a little addictive to me. I have incorporated this digital collection of images into my studio practice. I probably spend about 15 minutes a day, researching artists or art movements and then pinning images to inspiration boards. I collect and then go back and review them, thinking about why they move me and how the image influences the work. It's an interesting tool and I really enjoy the ease and organization it creates.

You can follow me on Pinterest and see some of the things that move me. (CLICK here for the link) These are my virtual "Mood" boards, so to speak. The most active board right now is "Canticle". I am in the early planning phase of a new project. These images speak to some of the elements, moods, colors, and themes that I am thinking about. You will see older boards, from my 1st three semesters in Grad School. 4th semester officially starts on Friday. The new board for all the artists I am bound to encounter in the next six months is sitting there anxiously awaiting to be filled.

Oh, yes... there is the obligatory food board. Everyone seems to have one, this one I use to collect new and interesting recipes. Many of which are vegetarian, with hopes that I can feed my newly turned veggie son.

I'll be starting a new board later today...  for my Etsy shop...Glimmering Prize. Yes, don't pass out. I'm in the process of reviving my Esty shop. Check back soon. (Really, I promise. Cross-my-heart-hope-to-die-stick-a needle-in-my-eye promise) That there will be all sorts of goodies listed on Etsy within the next month. Yes, it is a new year and I have to clean out my studio to make room for this huge new project I am doing. (Did i say it was huge? It's going to be huge.)

So, if you are looking for assemblage salvage, old books, little bits of this and that, or you just want a good deal on some artwork, stay tuned.  It's going to be an EPIC sale. Plus, for you insiders and faithful readers, there will be a very special discount. You don't want to miss it.

Alright...I have to get back to work. The studio is calling me.

Hope you are doing well. Keep the faith and stay creative!

Lorraine

Can I Carry the Weight of the Story?

Back from a very long hiatus.... 

(my apologies... life has gotten in the way of my blog, I'm sorry....)

this is what's new in the studio.........

I have been busy with this new project. Yes... I have been cementing books. Literarily, taking old, discarded books from the dump and dipping them in cement. (Ok, and other stuff. I can't tell you all my secrets. Right?) This project was prompted by a call for work by the curator at Artistree Gallery in Woodstock, VT. There are about 25 of these books are on display in the Books Unbound III show.  I think I may have totally blown Adrian's mind at this point.  I Have the feeling that he really didn't know what to make of them when I dropped them off a few weeks ago.

These books are definitely "unbound" and completely outside of what people consider as "book arts." At this point, I have plunged head first into sculpture, without really thinking about it.

So, after a great response to these books in the gallery and at my 3rd semester residency at VCFA, where I showed an additional 50 piled directly on the floor, I am preparing to continue the cementing process. It is a process that is meditative and restorative, completely pared down and simplified compared to anything that I have done in the past. There will be more of this to come... I promise you. 

So, now that I am home, back from my 10 day intensive at VCFA. Completely critiqued and ready to move forward.  

Another semester has officially started and the text books and reading assignments have started to pile in.  Wait to you hear all about what I am writing about this semester.

Hopefully, readers you are still there and willing to hear all about the research I will be doing this term. And, of course I will keep you updated on all the art... as it is being made. Successes and failures.

I leave you with a link to video, that I just finished edited last week. It's called, Dreamwalking.  This is the result of my husband gifting me a new computer and a FLIP camera. Hmmm... and to come completely transparent, most of the editing happened while I was sick in bed with a 101 degree temperature. 

Keep creating and stay true to yourself.
Yours in art!
Lorraine

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here's some great news to start off 2013!

I hope everyone had the most blessed of holidays. Things here at Casa Reynolds have been a little hectic lately. Extra time seems to be elusive these days. I'm trying to snag up as much time as I can with the kiddos while they are on vacation and catch up with some household chores. My final paper of the semester has magically made it's way off my computer and onto my professor's cyber desktop. 

So, in this brief moment of calm, I wanted to reach out to everyone and thank them for all their love and support in the past year. I could not have made it to 2013 without you.

The hot topic for 2013 is where am I teaching. I had to scale back a ton of things in my life to make room for graduate school. Unfortunately, traveling to far-off destinations to teach workshops was one of those activities. Don't worry, it's only a hiatus, but this year's class schedule is very limited. 

Right now, as it stands, I am only teaching in two locations:
This winter here in VT and in July in New Jersey.
Both locations have very limited space, so if you are really dying to take a class with me, don't delay. Sign up early. 


Here's the scoop:
I am teaching 2 of my most requested classes: BOOKS UNBOUND and SOUL HOUSES.

BOOKS UNBOUND

This workshop will have you gluing, cutting, painting and tearing up old books to create 3 dimensional works of art. We will break all rules set into place by librarians and school teachers who told you books were meant to be kept on shelves. This class will offer you a space freely develop your own personal narrative with found objects; transforming ordinary pages of text into something mythical and profound, using something as simple as an old book as your base.  We will bravely enter into creative new territories in this process oriented class.

If you are into ALTERED BOOKS, this class is for you!

Saturday
FEBRUARY 16th
10AM-5PM
VINTAGE INSPIRED LIFESTYLE MARKETPLACE 
180 Flynn Avenue, Burlington VT
$95 

Please contact Mary @ Vintage Inspired to sign up for this class
802-488-5766

SOUL HOUSES

The symbolism linked to birds goes back to the ancient world, where birds were considered to be a supernatural connection between the gods and men. In many Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, birds can represent immortality. In East Indian and Christian mythologies birds represent the soul. These soul houses are a safe haven for your hopes and dreams. This class will introduce you to the art of assemblage as you learn to construct basic house forms that have relevance and meaning in your own world. By tapping into your true creative spirit we will transform ordinary bird houses into vessels that whisper of remembrance. You will explore your own imagination to find the ghost in old things and tell their tales in a 3 dimensional form, without fear or self-doubt. Learn to be creatively brave in this process orientated approach to creating altered art. You will learn the basics of assemblage construction as well as plot a creative journey through storytelling, personal myth and metaphor. You will take away power new ideas about process and art making.

Saturday and Sunday 
July 13 & 14th
Lemoncholy Studio click the PAYPAL link at the bottom of the page to register
Jersey Shore, NJ
$220 (for 2 days)
Email Kecia Deveney for more info 

Hopefully, that catches us up a little. I know it's been a while. Check back soon for other new interesting happenings in 2013. I'm working on a book and some new art projects and there's a little giveaway coming up soon... and a big sale... yes, a sale on all current assemblages coming for in a few weeks to celebrate my birthday!

Vanishing Vermont: Granville Revisted

Alright, these photos are from Granville, NY NOT Granville, VT. Which, as discussed in a previous post is a town just on the other side of the river from VT, so  I am going to include these pictures in the Vanishing Vermont, but yes, for all intensive purposes this IS NOT technically Vermont. 

 

 I know I said I would post more photos of the quarry first, but to tell the truth, I started sorting those files and skimmed across the shots I took of this location, not far from the Rose Inn. I have been playing with the idea of building a miniature house out of reclaimed wood, I wanted to look at internal building structures so I came back to this series of photos. And I sort of, got absorbed in this place. 

After about an hour, I was half way through all the shots, so I went for broke and edited them all. There's no color playing here or black and white. I am leaving you with what strikes me the most. The fact that this house is in partial demolition. And, according to a local, my friend I was driving around the area with, it has been in this state for QUITE a while. I took these photos in early September, right before the leaves started to turn color. The day was absolutely perfect, blue skies and warm. Which is such a striking contrast to the state of the building.

I am left thinking about, what the owner is planning on doing with the site. Why they pulled all the siding off the face, why the took out an entire wall? The post and beam construction is so lovely, especially with the slat   and plaster walls showing through. The house across the street was built in 1812, so it makes me wonder when this house was erected. Could it be able the same time? Maybe a little earlier? Who knows. On the bright and blue sky day that we visited this location, not a single ghost passed by to tell us their story or for that matter did any one in town stop to ask why I was taking photographs of this crumbling structure.


With out a history told to us, what do we know about the place? Are there clues that fill us in. Maybe. Can we ever really know what secrets lay sleeping behind this walls. Even as the skeleton of the place is exposed as severely as this? Probably not... Ours, perhaps, is only to ponder, why. What would you think if you drove by this everyday on your way to work or school. Would it make you stop and wonder why? Or would you ignore it and think, what an eye sore.  Part of me thinks that it is so incredibly tragic that all the labor, time, energy and resources, that went into building this home is being nullified. But even on top of that, this sanctuary of domestic life that has probably seen 200 years of families live and die here is been torn apart. Where is the history of those people? What is left of their stories? Certainly, at some point, not their old home. Their story will lay wasting in a pile of rubble and broken bits, to be scooped up and added to a landfill. 

 

The Chicken Coop

On our property we have an old chicken coop that is falling down. In fact there is no roof and only three walls.  It's been this way for as long as we have own it. here and there I have been salvaging wood from it for a while. Some of those pieces have been transformed into barn board people. 

I'm trying to find a way to incorporate this structure into my studio work.... not sure how that is going to happen.

Working on this in my brain... 

Wondering what will come out of it.