I wanted to re-post this link with all of my collage photos (so far)...I noticed the last few times I've posted new work, it's just been of the new images (rather than the link to where all the images are). I am still new to this blogging thing...
http://picasaweb.google.com/brushstrokesbymaria/BrushstrokesByMaria?authkey=Gv1sRgCPupwMaqi6y-0QE&feat=directlink
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
oops! i forgot one!
Okay, the last post technically had only 4 collages..."Your Secrets Are Safe With Me" is photographed twice, once with the box closed and once with the box open. The spot where you can upload photos only allows you to choose five images at a time and I mistakenly left out "Discover The Divine Goddess In You," so without further ado, here it is!
five new collages
I have five new collages to share! I finished two of them in December ("Humble Beauty" and "Namaste") but just didn't post them until now; the other three ("Words of Wisdom", "Your Secrets Are Safe With Me" and "Discover The Divine Goddess In You") were started and finished this month. I'm having a lot of fun with collage and I think it shows.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
thank you agnes
I want to take a moment to say thank you to a woman I never knew but who has had a significant impact on my life. Her name is Agnes Peterson. Agnes was the little old lady who used to live in my house. She owned this house for a long time and when she went into a nursing home in the summer of '99, it went up for rent and we moved in; three years later, Agnes passed away and we bought the place.
I was never crazy about Agnes' taste or sense of style: the pale pink and robin's egg blue paint on the walls, the hideous floral wallpaper, the bathroom with the plastic pink "tile" paired with the pink wallpaper with little white hearts, the dark wood paneling in the kitchen. Thankfully, this past summer we finally made the house our own and all of those things are either gone or have been transformed.
At any rate, there are still little bits and pieces of Agnes and her legacy left behind in this little house, and I am finding myself increasingly grateful for them. Now that I have started working with collage, I have found a virtual treasure trove of goodies in the garage and the basement, courtesy of Agnes Peterson: rusty hinges, big old shingle nails, screws and hardware of all shapes and sizes, and perhaps the best of all, a giant Sanka jar filled with beautiful sea glass. I use these ingredients in my collages all the time and every time I do, I think of the woman I never knew. I wonder what she must have been like. Was she artsy? Did she make things? Every year a postcard comes addressed to her advertising a Maine craft festival, so she must have had at least an appreciation for art.
Several years ago, I found a Post-it note attached to a bird identification poster in the garage. It was faded and worn, with "old lady" handwriting in blue ballpoint ink. I read it and immediately saved it; now it's hanging in my studio. It says, "Note: use what talents you possess, for the woods would be silent if no birds sang but the best." I look at this note all the time and it inspires me. It's a nice reminder to keep trying, to keep creating, to keep finding and using my own artistic voice, to express myself in a genuine way and to be true to myself. Thank you, Agnes. Thank you for the supplies, thank you for the inspiration, and thank you for the pep talk...and by the way, thank you for the house.
I was never crazy about Agnes' taste or sense of style: the pale pink and robin's egg blue paint on the walls, the hideous floral wallpaper, the bathroom with the plastic pink "tile" paired with the pink wallpaper with little white hearts, the dark wood paneling in the kitchen. Thankfully, this past summer we finally made the house our own and all of those things are either gone or have been transformed.
At any rate, there are still little bits and pieces of Agnes and her legacy left behind in this little house, and I am finding myself increasingly grateful for them. Now that I have started working with collage, I have found a virtual treasure trove of goodies in the garage and the basement, courtesy of Agnes Peterson: rusty hinges, big old shingle nails, screws and hardware of all shapes and sizes, and perhaps the best of all, a giant Sanka jar filled with beautiful sea glass. I use these ingredients in my collages all the time and every time I do, I think of the woman I never knew. I wonder what she must have been like. Was she artsy? Did she make things? Every year a postcard comes addressed to her advertising a Maine craft festival, so she must have had at least an appreciation for art.
Several years ago, I found a Post-it note attached to a bird identification poster in the garage. It was faded and worn, with "old lady" handwriting in blue ballpoint ink. I read it and immediately saved it; now it's hanging in my studio. It says, "Note: use what talents you possess, for the woods would be silent if no birds sang but the best." I look at this note all the time and it inspires me. It's a nice reminder to keep trying, to keep creating, to keep finding and using my own artistic voice, to express myself in a genuine way and to be true to myself. Thank you, Agnes. Thank you for the supplies, thank you for the inspiration, and thank you for the pep talk...and by the way, thank you for the house.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
sixty minute expressions
Today was the "Sixty Minute Expressions" event/group show at Thornton Oaks and it was a lot of fun. Many of the artists who participated in last year's event came back (myself included) and it was good to see everyone again. Once again, the artwork was eclectic and the crowd was receptive. Everyone seemed to enjoy watching the artists creating in a "beat the clock" fashion...I wanted to look around myself but I was so engrossed in my own work I didn't move from my spot until I was nearly finished. I overheard a lot of positive comments about my painting of a bright pink cow ("Have you seen the cow?" "Look at the cow!"). I think my favorite compliment was the phrase "wonderfully whimsical". Throughout the afternoon, several people asked me if I was familiar with the poem entitled "Purple Cow" and I had to admit I had never heard of it...I guess I'll have to look that up.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
new year, new art
Well, so far 2010 has gotten off to a productive start. I have finished one new collage already and I am almost done with another one (which I just started yesterday). I have also been working on a new painting, and I just got an idea for another one while I was in the shower this morning. It feels good to have so many ideas swirling around in my head.
This coming Thursday (January 14th) I will be participating in "Sixty Minute Expressions" at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick (which reminds me: I will need to add the listing to my "shows" page early this week. I'd post the announcement itself but unfortunately my name was misspelled...hard to believe, right? Ha!). Anyway, I did it last year and had such a blast that I wanted to be a part of it again. "Sixty Minute Expressions" is an event where a group of artists get together and paint for a set amount of time (it's actually longer than 60 minutes, but that's okay). People wander around and watch the artists while they are working. Everyone chats and has fun, but there is also a sense of urgency involved because of the time limit. When that time is reached, the brushes get put down, the opening reception starts, and so does the bidding. All paintings are auctioned off to benefit the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, so not only is this a fun experience, but it's for a good cause as well. Last year the turnout was good so I'm hoping it's even better this time. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to paint!
This coming Thursday (January 14th) I will be participating in "Sixty Minute Expressions" at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick (which reminds me: I will need to add the listing to my "shows" page early this week. I'd post the announcement itself but unfortunately my name was misspelled...hard to believe, right? Ha!). Anyway, I did it last year and had such a blast that I wanted to be a part of it again. "Sixty Minute Expressions" is an event where a group of artists get together and paint for a set amount of time (it's actually longer than 60 minutes, but that's okay). People wander around and watch the artists while they are working. Everyone chats and has fun, but there is also a sense of urgency involved because of the time limit. When that time is reached, the brushes get put down, the opening reception starts, and so does the bidding. All paintings are auctioned off to benefit the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, so not only is this a fun experience, but it's for a good cause as well. Last year the turnout was good so I'm hoping it's even better this time. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to paint!
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