glimpses of times past

Lynn Kathleen, b. 1946, written on the back

Many years ago, I began collecting old photographs. They have always fascinated me. As a kid, I loved to spend time looking through the many photo albums that my mom had put together. These albums are time capsules. Filled with collections of pictures from holidays, special events, vacations and bits of every day life, they have catalogued our lives. Looking through them takes me back to that moment, the time around that moment, and what I was doing, feeling, thinking and dreaming.

There were also albums (and boxes!) of pictures from my mom's family and my dad's family. These truly fascinated me because they gave me a glimpse into my parents' lives that I had never seen before. Not only did I see them as children, but I also saw my aunts and uncles as children and my grandparents, as parents. As a kid, having this realization and glimpse into the past was huge. It is what planted the seed for me and I think it's the reason I still love looking through - and collecting - old photographs today.

1933, grandmother and grandson

These glimpses open the possibility of creating a story. Who are these people? Where do they come from? What happened before and after the picture was taken? How do they live? Where do they live? What do they like or dislike? What do they dream? These are some of the questions that often roll through my head as I look at these pictures. Using them within my work, I add my story to it, reinterpreting the person or scenario into the piece I am creating.

As I collect these pictures, I cannot help but think of the pictures I've taken. Having owned a digital camera for years now, I have lost count of all the images that take up space on the hard drive of my computer. Although I look at them regularly, they are not prints. These intangible bits of imagery still act as a time capsule, but it's not the same.

two siblings, year unknown

Often, when I go to the antique mall or an antique shop, and I find a stack of these old pictures, I can't help but feel a little sad. These belonged to someone and at some point, they meant something to someone. What do my pictures mean to me? What do I want to happen to them? What do your pictures mean to you?

Being the collector that I am, I've decided to add this photo collection as a set to my flickr page. Entitled "Glimpses of the Past", I'll be adding photos from my photo collection to this set periodically, as I acquire them. If you have an old photo you'd like to share/send to me (and/or possibly add to the set), send it my way/contact me at fragmented (at) earthlink dot net. I'd love to see it!

Thanks - enjoy.

HYPERDOODLE DREAM at Mail Me Art 2

Hyperdoodle Dream

acrylic & marker on board, 12x12 inches, 2010

I'm thrilled to have a piece in the upcoming show, Mail Me Art 2. Mail Me Art is a British-based project organized by Darren Di Lieto, founder and co-editor of Hire An Illustrator and the Little Chimp Society. Mail Me Art 1, held in April 2009, "brought together a vast collection of artistic work sent in the form of mail by both professional and amateur artists of all ages from across the world. A wide variety of media was used in an equally wide variety of styles." (1)

I have always enjoyed creating (and receiving!) mail art. I really like the addition of scuffs, marks, bumps and bruises it tends to receive while traveling through the postal system. Since I was sending this piece to England, I thought it would be fun to create something more durable to see how it would fare passing though so many hands.

Hyperdoodle Dream (detail 1)

Since I wanted to create something durable, I decide to try to send a piece of wood through the mail. Measuring 12x12 inches, the board is solid birch plywood. It was interesting trying to send this piece. I ended up going to 3 different post offices here in Kansas City before someone would give me the OK to send it as-is without any packaging. As for the image itself, this hyperdoodle is unique in that I mixed enamel based markers and water based markers together on one piece.

Darren has taken the time to set up a gallery that includes images from the last exhibit as well as a preview of the new one. Here are a few of my faves from Mail Me Art 1:

by Sauerkids

by Zeptonn

I couldn't make out the name on this piece, but I love it! (If anyone knows who did any of these 3 pieces, please let me know. Thanks.)

unknown artist

unknown artist

Take a look at all the pieces from both exhibits, here. BIG thanks to Darren for coordinating this show and for the fun opportunity! Mail Me Art 2 opens this Friday, July 30, 2010 at Red Gate Gallery, London.

(1) taken from Project Details, on the Mail Me Art website.

Here We Are

Here We Are / cover art • July 2010

As some of you may know, my youngest brother, Matt, is a musician.

To say that Matt chose music as a path in life wouldn't really be accurate. Rather, I believe it chose him. Although all of my siblings and I have always enjoyed music, it affected him in a different way. As far back as I can remember, my dad's music collection always filled the house. So much so, in fact, that as kids we couldn't get to sleep unless something was blaring through the stereo or on the record player. Oh, to fall asleep to Beethoven!

After a year-and-a-half of hard work and collaboration my brother, Matt, and his friend, Chris Lee, have released their first album on iTunes and CDBaby.com. Entitled Here We Are, the album is a great mix of blues, indie, rock and folk. Right now it's only available as a digital download. In September, the physical CD will be available on CDBaby.com. I was honored to do the artwork & design for the album.

It's roughly 700 miles from Waco, Texas to Columbia, Missouri. Over the last year there has been a tidal wave of music, energy and communication flowing in the space between these two cities. “Here We Are” is a unique collaboration between two musicians who have never met.

Check it out. And, if you're so inclined, give it a listen. My favorite song is Here We Are.

40 years ago today...

my parents at their wedding, March 17, 1970

...my parents were married. It was a snowy night in Red Bank, New Jersey, around 8:00 pm. Friends and family gathered at The Molly Pitcher, to join my mom and dad as they exchanged their vows. I've heard so many great stories that led up to that night and how they met, as well as the night itself.

It's been almost 6 years since my dad passed away so this day, though happy, is always somewhat bittersweet for me. I'm sure it is for my mom as well. When my dad passed away, my mom gave me this picture from their wedding day. I love it. It's probably one of my favorite pictures of them.

No marriage is perfect, and I'm sure my parents had their share of ups & downs. However imperfect, they built a life together and taught me a lot about what it means to live and love. They also gave me 3 amazing siblings, whom I am very grateful for.

Our loved ones who have passed before us are never that far away. We might not be able to see them, but I am convinced that they continue to walk with us throughout our days.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom & Dad.

Show The Love!

Back in December, my friend Tad asked me if I'd like to be a part of a group print show at Vahalla Studios, a wonderful print shop that he and his friend Dan run here in KC. Entitled Show The Love, each artist was asked to give their interpretation of LOVE - love it or hate it, what does it mean to you? In addition, each artist was asked to create an image that is 8x8 inches in size, using 3 colors: Black, Magenta and Pantone 318 (light blue). Needless to say, I LOVE projects like these. I love the challenge of creating something within certain boundaries. When restrictions are set, it forces you to think a little differently. It's a fun puzzle to solve.

a sampling from various artists

Needless to say, I'm honored to be in the show and very excited to see what all these amazing artists have done! It's sure to be a fun show! If you're in KC, stop by and join us for the opening Friday, February 5, 2010. Check out the wonderful artwork of all the participating artists: Kate Bingaman, Will Bryant, Tad Carpenter, Frank Chimero, Jennifer Daniel, Chris Eliopoulos, Matt Hawkins, Hydro 74, David Huyck, Blake E. Marquis, Andy Miller, Dan Padavic, Richard Perez, A. Micah Smith, Mark Todd, Nate Williams, and John Vogl.

Here's a little preview of a part of my print. (Visit my flickr page to see the full image!) The colors will be more vibrant like the ones above, but you get the gist. Big thanks to Tad and Dan for including me in this fun show! Hope to see you there!

* Top 2 images taken from Vahalla Studios.

My Ruby World

Hyperdoodle 06 • My Ruby World

18x24 inches, mixed media on board, 2009

Hi, friends. Sorry for the lapses in my posts. Been busy having fun & makin' art!

I am so excited to be posting about this piece. Every two years, the Johnson County Community College has an art auction that serves as a fundraiser for the Gallery of Art, now known as The Nerman Museum. I love participating in JCCC's art auctions because of the way executive director Bruce Hartman themes the auctions. Every time the college has an auction, Bruce themes the auction by giving each artist the same object to work with. Past auctions have included hand-crafted wooden boxes, colored records, and a gold leaf set, among other things. It's always so cool to see how every one interprets the object they're given.

This year's auction, entitled GLOW, is themed in celebration of JCCC's 40th Ruby anniversary. To carry the ruby theme, they sent every participating artist an exquisite box of ruby colored art materials. Set in dense foam within a ruby box, the materials included a tube of Gamblin oil paint, a couple of Sennelier chalk pastels, some Caran D'Ache pencils, a bottle of Dr. Ph Martin's ink (my favorite item in the box) and several other ruby goodies. By the ned of the night, 120 original works of art were auctioned off, making it the most successful of the eight auctions that JCCC has held over the years.

Needless to say, it feels great to be able to help support the Nerman Museum and their programming. Their auctions have always pushed me in a direction that I might not have otherwise ventured into. I love that. Ruby is not really a color I use as a primary color within my work so I really wanted to explore that. At first, I was only going to use shades of ruby, both dark and light. But as the piece started to take shape, I added oranges & yellows to balance it out and I'm pretty happy with the result. I'm not sure who has the piece now, but hopefully it's providing someone with some happiness.

Rich Nut & Chickpea Chili

About a month or so ago, my husband and I had some friends over for dinner. We were looking for something warm, vegetarian and dairy-free. Browsing in the October 2008 issue of Hallmark Magazine, I happened upon this super yummy chili recipe. Wow - it's one of the tastiest vegetarian chili recipes I think I've ever had. I told several people that I'd post the recipe, so here it is (finally!). Sorry it took me so long! Enjoy!

Rich Nut & Chickpea Chili

Makes 6 servings. Total time 40 minutes.

6 ounces (1 cup) raw cashews

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups small broccoli florets (9 ounces)

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups water

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, rinsed & drained

12 ounces soy or vegetable protein crumbles (about 2 cups)

Garnishes

1 cup low-fat dairy or soy yogurt

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup minced cilantro

1. In a food processor, combine the cashews, chili powder and cocoa. Pulse the mix until it's the texture of coarse meal. Be careful not to turn it into paste.

2. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Sprinkle with sugar and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and begin to turn gold, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add the broccoli, salt and 1/4 cup of the water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cashew mixture, remaining 2 cups water and the crushed tomatoes.

4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and soy crumbles, and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add more chili powder and salt, if needed.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend the yogurt, lemon zest and pepper. In another bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and cilantro. Serve the chili with the garnishes.

Each serving has 448 calories, 18 g fat, 49 g carbohydrates, 13 g fiber, 29 g protein, 895 mg sodium.

crazy for ROBOTS: robot #50

Junkbot, by Goobeesta

For robot feature #50, I thought I'd show these two very different, very cool gems by Goobeesta, aka Brian Gubicza. I love them! Junkbot was made out of tea tins, pipes, pez dispensers soda caps and plastic spoons. He then painted him and added the decals, which he created digitally. I really love how he did this. The layer of paint really unifies the whole piece and disguises the "junk" that makes up his body.

Robot, by Goobeesta

I also love the graphic simplicity of this bot. You can order prints and buttons of this bot on Brian's etsy site, where he has tons of other fun stuff as well. Check it out!

*Images taken from Goobeesta's flickr page.

crazy for ROBOTS: robot #49

Robot 1 by Flix

I just love the pixelly, graphic goodness of these fun, colorful, simple bots by Flix. I came across these cool bots on flickr a while ago, but have forgotten to post them 'til now. Seeing these 3D paper bots makes me want to stack 'em like Jenga pieces. How tall can you make your robot totem before it falls down?

paper robots by Flix

The Old Robots

just a sampling of the robots you can find on The Old Robots

About a month ago, my husband sent me a link to this amazing robot site called The Old Robots. It is one of the best catalogued robot sites that I've seen. It's very cool! Not only do I love to be able to look at all the robots, but there's a ton of great info on them, too. I love the way they've been organized into grids, with their names placed clearly underneath each one of them.

a section of one of the many pages on the site

zeroing in on Starroid's Radio Robot

The kind keeper of this site has not only provided plenty of pics, but has also provided lots of other info on each bot including PDFs of the original manuals and packaging. They are always accepting submissions and photos, too, so if you see something you had/have, be sure to write to The Old Robot so the info on the robot can be updated, added to, or corrected.

Starroid's Radio Robot model #i-M-1

Needless to say, I'll be visiting this site again and again. Seeing so many different kinds of robots really makes me want to draw and make some more of my own. Lots of great bots on here, a whole ton of which I hadn't seen before now. Enjoy!

*All images taken from The Old Robot.

Portrait Invitational at Blue Gallery

Family Portrait

mixed media on canvas, 30x30 inches, 2009

(click on the image for a larger view)

I am honored to have a few pieces in the Portrait Invitational show that's currently at Blue Gallery here in Kansas City. I had so much fun creating the recent piece I did for the Kansas City Art Institute auction, that I decided to try something similar with this piece. It's fun trying to figure out what's going to go where and how the pieces are going to fit together, especially considering that I have no idea what the final outcome will be. Unlike the piece for KCAI, this piece has several family photos in it. While not all of the photos are personal, a handful of them are pictures of relatives mostly from my mom's side of the family. When I use personal photos, I never use the originals. I always have new prints made. The other photos in the piece, however, are actual prints that I've found in various antique malls and shops over the years. It's interesting what you find out there. For me, these little fragments of peoples' lives captured on pieces of paper create new stories as I try to figure out in what context they were taken when they were taken and what they mean to me, now, so many years later. For some detailed pics, please check out my flickr page.

I just need 20 more minutes

Eric Zener, oil on panel, 16x20 inches, 2009

Needless to say, I have several favorites from the show, a few of which I had to post. This first piece is by Eric Zener. I love it. Wow. It just blows me away. The subtlety of light captured within this piece is beautiful to me. It feels like the early morning, eyes slightly pained with the knowledge of having to wake up. I am not a morning person. I can relate.

Alison (shift)

Brad Williams, oil on canvas, 35x38 inches, 2009

This beautifully executed piece, by Brad Williams, is another favorite of mine. I love the calm tension in this piece. It feels and looks like water is rising, yet the calmness on her face makes you wonder if that's what's happening or not. I also love the lack of color in this piece. The color in her face and eyes as well as her jet-black hair and sweater really makes you focus on her, and not the rising water.

I Remember Her

Sola Sawyerr, oil on canvas, 60x48 inches, 2009

The last piece I'll share from the show, and perhaps my favorite of them all, is this wonderful piece by Sola Sawyerr. These ghostlike images capture the feeling of so many of the old photographs I find. Worn and weathered, held and treasured, they once meant something very dear to the person who carried the image of their loved one with them. They are both beautiful and sad to me. I love the mark-making in this piece. The textures seem to indicate the time that's passed.

These pieces illustrate part of why I am so honored to be a part of this show: I cannot paint like this. I think in my life I have done one actual portrait in oil on canvas. It was a painting of my brother when he was about 10 years old. (His wife now owns the piece.) I am not saying I would necessarily want to paint this way. I'm happy and thankful every day to be able to do what I do, the way I do it. But, I have always been - and continue to be - blown away by artists who can draw or paint someone and capture their likeness so exquisitely.

The Portrait Invitational Exhibition at Blue Gallery is open now and runs through October 2009. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5:30 pm, or by appointment.

Photos taken from Blue Gallery's website.

the summer sun is setting

Lake Michigan • summer 2009

I think I might be in denial that summer is over. I mean, officially, fall doesn't start 'til September 21, right? *Sigh* See? Denial! It's always hard spending time in the studio in the spring and summer, but this summer was particularly hard...partly because my hubby and I were too busy having fun! It was a great summer filled with cave exploring with friends, an extended weekend getaway on Table Rock Lake with family, and a relaxing week-long trip to Lake Michigan with my good friend Julie and her family.

me, not too sure of being inside Fisher Cave

Meremac Park • summer 2009

That's not to say that I'm not excited for fall - it's probably my favorite season! I love the cooler temps, the changing leaves ( especially the orange ones!), a warm cup of coffee or tea to keep my hands warm, and the thought of upcoming snow. There's something about the crispness in the air that gets me excited to hunker down in the warmth of my studio and spend hours drawing and painting. I have several projects set up for this fall that I'm excited to start. More on that later!

crazy for ROBOTS: robot #48

MECHANICAL BOY • Greg Abbott, 2009

I have been a fan of Greg Abbott's work for some time now. Since I first discovered his work on flickr last year, I've been hooked. Greg's brain is filled with an unending amount of monsters, aliens, robots, animals and other beings of all different shapes, sizes and levels of goofiness.

Record Player • Greg Abbott, 2009

Whether this Record Player was intended to be a robot or not, I think he's pretty cool! Although I couldn't find a website for greg, he loves making tee shirts. You can check out his cool designs, here.

a turning point (part 2)

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

4x4 feet, mixed media on canvas, May 2009

(click on the image to get a better view)

Although I wasn't quite sure whether I could make this collage work, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Since I do most of my collage pieces in acrylic, figuring out the collage process in oil was a complete a mystery ...and a challenge! Ask me anything about collaging in acrylic. Chances are I can give you an answer. Oil? Forget it. I have no clue, but I'm learning and having a blast.

To start, knowing that my water-based markers wouldn't work on oil, I purchased some enamel-based markers from Durable Supply, my favorite place to get quality markers. You'd think that finding lightfast, permanent markers would be easy but it isn't (at least in Kansas City). Just about all the linework & lettering you see in the above piece was done using these enamel-based markers. I also bought some Testors paint which I also used on some of this stuff.

Next, and possibly the biggest challenge, was figuring out how to collage photos and other printed matter onto the canvas. Polyeurethane works ok, but aging varnish works way better. Unfortunately, the label on my aging varnish has worn off. I'll have to do a bit more research so I can tell you exactly what it is & who makes it because for oil collage, it's dreamy. In any case, I brushed the aging varnish onto the photo AND the painting. The key is to allow the varnish to get slightly tacky so that the photo and/or other printed matter adheres easily. If you wait until it's tacky, the piece won't slip. If you don't, it will. Then, I let it sit overnight. Once it's dry, I either coat it with polyeurethane, more aging varnish or another kind of varnish to seal it to the painting.

me with my painting at the 2009 Kansas City Art Institute Art & Design Auction

So, here I am with my piece on the night of the auction. This feel kinda strange to say, but I'm not sure if I've ever been so reluctant to let go of a piece before. This was a pretty personal piece. At the same time, it feels really good to support KCAI, especially since all the proceeds of the auction go towards student scholarships. Thanks to my friend Julie, I was able to meet the couple who bought my piece that night. It was their anniversary and they got it as a gift to each other. Kinda cool.

More pics of the piece and its progress can be found on my flickr page.

a turning point

work in progress (1) / May 2009

After several months of re-working this piece, originally done in 2003, I have reached a turning point. My documentation of the original piece is so shoddy that I've decide not to post it. I wish now that I had recorded all my steps a bit more diligently. Maybe this earlier pic will give you somewhat of an idea of what the original piece looked like. (But even this is not accurate. This picture already indicates a bit of reworking. The original piece had no oranges, yellows or dark browns. It was mostly a blue piece.)

work in progress (1) / March 2009

So what makes this point a "turning point?" Well, the hard thing for me is that I actually kinda like this piece (top pic) at this stage. In some ways it's hard to decide how to proceed. Despite how much I like it at this point, it's not how I see it in my head; it's incomplete. When working on a piece, I really try to follow what I see in my head. It doesn't always turn out exactly how I see it, but the journey it takes along the way is part of what makes it fun. Hopefully, in that process, the puzzle comes together. Two of the pieces I recently did for the XX Chromosome show were done this way.

ROBOTHUMAN (left) / It's All About the Numbers 02 (right)

after collage • March 2009

before collage • March 2009

When working on these smaller pieces, I faced this same kind of turning point. I really enjoyed these pieces the way they were before the collage, yet at the same time they felt incomplete. Obviously whenever you set out to do something or create something, it's never a straight path...at least it's never been that way for me. It twists and turns and sometimes - if you're lucky - you learn something along the way that furthers your understanding of the medium you're using, the story you're trying to communicate and/or your self.

The nice thing about working small is that I tend to feel a bit more open to experiment. With the two smaller pieces, I hadn't really invested too much into them so pushing the medium around and trying new things didn't really feel too risky. They were small: 12x12 inches. The piece I am about to work on is a large piece: 4x4 feet. Gulp. While I am excited to work on it, I'm also a bit intimidated by the size of the piece. Truth be told, I'm also a wee bit intimidated by the medium: OIL. I am way more comfortable using acrylics and have a lot more knowledge of how to collage with acrylic-based mediums. Collaging with oil will be interesting. Stay tuned...!

Fragmented Fave: Tracy McGuinness-Kelly

robots

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly

My friend Tracy recently emailed me and sent me this wonderful robot collage. I love it! After seeing this fun piece I had to revisit her website.

sparkle

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly

There's LOTS of great stuff to explore on Tracy's site, but my favorite sections are the gallery work section and the weird and wonderful section. I just love the way Tracy collages things together. "Sparkle", above, is one of my favorite pieces. I could look at it for hours. I love all the different shapes, colors and fun characters. She also has a great sense of pattern, which is something I've always admired about her work. The energy in this piece makes me want to dance. Doesn't it kinda look like they're at some kinda funky party? It would be fun to see this animated!

in the city

Tracy McGuinness-Kelly

Check out this great, simple collage. I love the balance of cool & warm colors, and the crisp, quirky lines and shapes that the cut paper creates. Be sure to check out Tracy's site for more wonderful, silly, fun work.

*All images taken from Tracy's site*