Weather or Not

 

Nothing "candy ass" about the weather! Ay ca-rumba! One day it's 50 degrees and sunny, the next day it's 10 degrees with a wind chill of minus 5... then we get snow. Then we get weird rain and now we have three inches of soon-to-be frozen slop. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow when I try and venture out to feed the poor horses who have been struggling to remain upright on ice. Maggie went and cut her leg on something sharp (while eating her breakfast?) and her paddock looked like a crime scene. I was going to photograph it but even I demurred; too gruesome! I washed her leg off, and despite her protestations, treated her wound with Vetericyn and bandaged it. It seemed fine by this afternoon, no more bloody snow!

So at least the evil weather has proven to be fertile time for me to get into my studio and make art. Incidentally, it was so cold for three days that I didn't even attempt to make a fire in the wood stove in my studio. I worked- like old times!- in the living room. Today, I was back in the studio, cutting out letters for a new piece. Betcha wonder what this one is going to say?!?!?! You'll just have to wait until I decide to share my newest "words of the day". 

Here's a detail. Yes, all of those tiny dots are individual seed beads, hand sewn on. I was referencing that weird (to my mind anyway!) candy that came on strips of paper. It always had bits of paper stuck to the back of the individual dots and I can't for the life of me remember it tasting like anything at all. But some friends have confessed to LIKING that candy. Go figure!

And little did I know that there is a queer, Jewish, male artist named Cary Liebowitz who goes by the name "Candy Ass". And he and I have a lot in common when you look at his work: he uses text- often scrawled in a awkward, hand written sort of way, he uses profanity (who me?!?), references the art world ... and he's funny. Check it out! Anyway, I knew nothing about him until a friend mentioned him to me on Instagram. You learn something every day!
 

                                               

 I decided to do my Candy Ass piece because my good friend Wasil often used this phrase to refer to stupid, clumsy or weak things or people. (He doesn't recall using this phrase but where the hell would I come up with it??!?!) I am dedicating this piece to Wasil... he's not candy ass at all!!

 

New Work/ New-ish Year

 

 

I'm hard at work as usual! I did have a coupla slow weeks where I entered at sort of COVID torpor... but that seems to have departed and I've started several new pieces, as well as finishing up several that have been in process for a while. Above is the first section of a very wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide piece that says, "Reconcilition". It's one of those words that has more than one meaning. The one that most people will think of- patching things up or getting ideas (whatever) to agree- isn't the meaning I was considering though. I'm referencing the budgetary/governmental meaning involving a parliamentary procedure to pass budgetary legislation. Check it out: it's been in the news lately. And yes, I am hand sewing all those flower clusters on; they're "lifted" from another fabric.

Not for the faint of heart, here's a close up of my (poor) fingers after a hard day of sewing:

Look at those cracks! Bloody crevices! Who knew that sewing was a contact sport? And yes, I apply copious amounts of hand cream, Bag Balm, "Working Hands" and band-aids, but you can't work with any of that stuff actively on your hands as it stains the fabric. (I wait until bed time.) And it doesn't help that I jammed a needle into a couple of my fingers while sewing: Yow! Almost jumped out of my skin on that!!!

And I finally found a use for at least a bit of the three million miles of blue plastic hay bale twine. (Yes, feed two horses all winter long and you have a LOT of blue hay bale twine.) I am making natty pseudo-fringe for the edge of another piece, "So Tired Of Winning". This one was sitting unresolved in a corner for weeks. But fortunately, I found just the right backing material and the fringe idea just came to mind like magic. But I have like another two and half million miles left if anyone has a special macrame project in mind!

Fall is Coming

Boy, I hope that shows up- quite the awe-inspring spider web on a Japanese Maple in the garden! I'm not sure if the blog allows you to zoom in, but the detail was spectacular and it was one of those oh-so-elaborate and incredibly delicate works of perfection that only spiders can do. I can feel fall coming to the garden.
Things are getting squishy and damp and rotting and imploding. I'm not ready for that yet! I've been spending less time gardening and more time just enjoying the end of season mess. I actively like the garden when it starts to implode. I can't do anything to stop it and I might as well enjoy it.
That is, despite the fact that I feel like I just planted the containers and didn't I only finalize planting out those zinnias I started from seed like yesterday?!? While I appreciate the asters blooming, they too signal the approach of fall.
I am looking forward to planting bulbs (more white daffodils for the Lilac area) but I am NOT anticipating cold weather with anything even vaguely resembling glee. The summer never feels long enough.
On the other hand, the fall gets me double time back into my studio and that's a good thing. I'm hard at work on several new pieces and erupting into mass production of my WTF line of work. The annual "open studios" event happens a month from now, but I was offered the opportunity to present my "merch" at a pop-up marketplace. This means I need to do what I thought I had a month to do in a week and a half. Hahahaha! But I'll do it! I'll get it done. I guess it is fortuitous that the weather cooling and I'm in the mood to sew not dig.

Crabby Muses Dig Bigger Holes!

Look at the color of these portulaca! They've outdone themselves. I purchased them as a sort of impulse while shopping for doggie chew bones at a local discount store, thinking to have them supplant the expiring violas in the two containers by the front/side door. Holy cow; they've really repaid my investment. Here's one of the two containers:

There's also a hefty coleus and Japanese ornamental corn in the mix. I'm more than happy with the overall planting, which is a good thing as I'm not happy with much recently and that's made my muses crabby.
Gardening has been a healing force or energy in my life so many times previously. Whenever the world seems out of control or just amazingly fucked up, gardening has been there for me. I guess it's as simple as urging pretty things to grow; color, texture, smell... all of that reward for coaxing seeds and cramming annuals into tight spaces! It's also a way fro me to be creative without the expectations and demands of art making.
Don't get me wrong- they are very different impulses. But sometimes while in my studio, I can be overwhelmed with the "weight of the world" and feel awash in cosmic junk. Mass shootings, a government run amuck, child sex predators (good riddance Jeffery Epstein!)... good grief! People can really suck! And that's just the external stuff. I have the internal voices yodeling along, complaining about the perfidy of the "art world". The "why am I not rich and famous?" Or even, "why am I not famous?" (fuck the rich part!!) It can feel very dispiriting to keep making the best work that you can, really pour your heart/mind/soul into producing rigorous art and still feel like you're screaming into a giant vacuum. And creeps like Jeffery Epstein and The Orange Menace are rich and powerful... (until they're not, I guess!)

Anyway, that's part of the reason I spend a lot of time gardening. It quiets all the noise that raves and rages inside and out. I spend a good deal of time, now that it's a bit cooler, digging up a new-ish area and moving some things around and planting birthday gifts. It's felt so good and I find myself humming tunelessly to myself as my muses and I trench out big holes.

Spring/Break Art Show Further Reflections on Art and Life

Did I want to wake up and see this? Did any of us want to see this? It's supposed to be spring... And where have I been, you may (or may not) wonder?!!? I'm a bit behind in the blog posting business.
I'm still recovering from Famous Artists Syndrome. (Hahahaha) Believe me, I was so "talked out" after Spring/Break The Art Show that I had a hard time wanting to communicate on any level. I did jump right back in to studio work, but I subscribed to a near-monkish silence for days. I'm kidding, of course, as I had an artist's talk/ meet 'n' greet/closing festivity at the Community College where my show, "Wordy Dervish" was on display. It looked amazing! It was a fun talk- and delightfully well attended, including a nice mix of students, faculty, friends and family (hi Cathy!) and even a few long-ish lost-ish friends we hadn't seen in ages. I do like talking about my work, so had no problem jumping right in and orating about the hows and whys of what I do. I was asked questions and (hopefully) entertained the assembled art appreciators. Now I need a vacation!

I'm so sorry (NOT!) to be making you look at snow. And it's cold and windy to boot. Stay inside and make art or read my blog; just ignore what's happening outside and it will go away!
Anyway, the great art fair moment may have passed but left me with several bulleted points* of wisdom to share:

1. Gee that was fun! It's really nice to have thousands of people streaming through you space admiring your work. Trust me- I could get used to that!

      2. Some aspects of the art fair I won't miss. The women's bathroom (helpfully labeled as
         "Woman Identifying Bath Room") after four days of heavy use began to resemble an art
          installation. The floor was flooded and dotted with bits of paper products- some used-
          and the occasional cheerful splash of blood (!), probably evidence of a sacrifice performed to
          attract the attention of Jerry Saltz or other note worthy critics. Artist will go to great lengths...
     
       3. It is hard to maintain peak health at an art fair. If you didn't have the presence of mind to
           pack lunch in, you were out of luck. Beer and wine were available, as was coffee and a few
           cookies or pastries, but no where was there meat, fruit, salad or real provisions. I demanded
           that we stop on our drive in for me to obtain a sandwich. I need sustenance in order to properly
           address my adoring masses!You also become tired on a galactic level, as standing on your feet
           and reciting the pretty-much-the-same message 5000 times takes an odd toll. Example: "Hi!
           I'm one of the artists. If you have any questions..." and "So I'm channeling my "Inner Ivanka"
           with this piece..." You get the idea.

     4. (Repeat) Gee that was fun! I hope we do it again because I'd do it again in a "New York 
         Minute"!

And I do feel something like a molasses-like flow occurring where my art work is concerned. Maybe this is (finally) the year I get connected and sell some work and get some tangible much needed recognition. Maybe? Crossing fingers!

*And my formatting is all wonky! Can't see to fix that... it reads like bad concrete poetry!
*Now here's a nicer picture of happy plants- some blooming- enjoying the warmth inside:

      

Barring Natural Disasters...

So many projects, so little time! I've wanted to re-paint the upstairs for over a year now but last spring's tornado put the kibosh on getting much of anything done besides activities involving giant heaps of wood and brush. This year I vow will be different!
So the twisted stalk above suggests the illusive color I am seeking for the walls- a greenish/bluish/bit of purple... is this possible? Maybe I'll have to paint veils of color over color? Maybe I'll have to lose my mind trying to capture that subtle shade? Maybe I'll just paint the damned walls white again! (But what shade of white?!??!?) Anyway, I can't do that until warm weather and the possibility of open windows return. Hurry Spring! (And minus the tornadoes, please!)

These samples have been hanging out for quite a while...
What else? Yes, the wall will be built- not THAT wall but the mosaic one behind our Blue Garden. (Getting Mexico to pay for it!! Hahahaha.) I have tons of plates and dishes, all waiting to be smashed and cemented, but this, too requires warm weather. is there anything I can do besides endlessly vacuum the carpet in the meantime? Of course I will confess (and no doubt waggish friends and family will confirm) that I don't spend undo amounts of time cleaning and fussing. Just as well, too! Who wants to be an artist whose tomb stone reads, "Didn't Get Anywhere With Her Art But Boy Was Her House Clean". Not me!
I will admit that a reduced work schedule and the cold weather have driven me further inwards, both physically and psychically and has been good for my "studio practice".  Robin the Good drags me outside to chase her and her beloved soccer ball around but it's cold and I feel like hibernating.
But when I return to the warmth of my studio, ideas flow and pieces are coming together. I am finishing "Only the Oligarchs" and preparing to add the crystals to the edge that will really make that piece sing. I am preparing to sew the backing on "Your Words Have Consequences"; not the most exciting phase but that piece will be complete soon. (Sometimes, art requires a bit of tedium. The sexiest part is mostly the conception.) And "The Stock market is Not the Economy" is finally coming together. i think I have the font right... not sure about the scale of the letters. Some tweaking in process! So I guess I'm busy despite being chilly and awaiting warmer days!

Free Ideas

I couldn't help by remark that I received tons of page views when I chronicled the subject of "Crabby Muses", in which I addressed artist's blocks. This leads me to meander back to an idea that I originally had for a blog, before I started this one, and that was to offer up an idea a day for any aspiring artists to use.
I think (sometimes foolishly) that ideas are cheap. There's lots of them- and (obviously) not all of them lead to the Garden of Good Art. Some ideas are simply good for that momentary "Hey! That's a good one" flash that evaporates a few minutes later, and probably for the better.
On the other hand, it dawned on me years ago that I have so many ideas and inevitably will be unable (and disinclined!) to execute them all. There are only so many days and years in an artist's life! This is where the idea of a blog  which I generously make available fresh ideas for anyone to use.
I know that sometimes you can spend hours in your studio (or garret or where ever you go to make art) and nothing seems to "click" or come easily. Sometimes, you just have to slog through a few uncomfortable, prickly hours (or days or weeks!) before things flow again. But my first rule is: stick it out. Just be available for your muses to visit, should they decide to deliver inspiration. Bob and I were just remarking that sometimes you need to rearrange shelves or clean out cluttered corners or tear up old work in order to be ready for the new stuff. It can feel like some cruel celestial constipation when you try and try and nothing happens but I subscribe to persistence ultimately will triumph.
I also offer the useful (or not!) suggestion that having several pieces going at once is a good way to avoid stuck-ness.  If the impetus to work on one piece dries up, this means there's always another to turn to. I have three, four or five pieces being simultaneously being worked on (or ignored) at any given time. This allows me to quit an artwork temporarily and come back to it later- or never.
The above example illustrates that. I started to work on "NIMBY" thinking it was a great phrase for me to translate. Then it occurred to me that it would be a good challenge to make fabric read as graffiti, as I like to play around with inventing/corrupting fonts and typefaces. (Rarely are they "real" ones; mostly I mash up several ideas.) But I got to a point and was stuck- the word looked good and I liked the back ground- which is actually to distinct different shades of red in rays- but I couldn't get the transition between the yellow behind the blue/grey of NIMBY and the red just right. It looked too harsh and I kept trying out various shades of grey and blue to echo the lettering. Still no luck. I almost tried painting on the fabric in between (glad I didn't! What a mess!!) Then I hit on using this striped material I had left over. I chopped it up every which way and ta-DAAA! It sang!
But importantly, while all this hemming and hawing was erupting in my head and my studio, I was at work on another couple of pieces that required really mundane chores. (F'rinstance: I am painstakingly sewing a million dimes all around the edge of the piece that says "Monetize Me". Pretty repetitive but needs doing and it allows all the subconscious parts of me to do other things.) So, I guess the point of this blog is keep up the slog.
And the free idea for the day? Start on a project that I swear by: Face-A-Day. Everyday for an entire year, make a face collage. Seriously. Whatever you're doing- going to work, being sick... whatever!- make a collage of a face. Do not edit or over work it, just commit to doing it. You'll be surprised. At the end of a year (which passes remarkably fast!) you will have 365 new collages. Some will be good, some will be bad and some will be ugly (hear that music in the back ground?) but it will get even the crankiest of muses going.

Crabby Muses

Bob carved this Tiki mask from an over grown cucumber (maybe it's a squash?). I found it a charming emblem of the "crabby muse" phase that both Bob and I are experiencing.
For those of you who are not artists, crabby muse is when you sort of (but not really) feel like working in your studio but there's always something else to do. Or somewhere more distracting to go. And when you do plop yourself down in your studio, nothing seems to "click" or fall into place. That project that seemed so compelling just the other day now seems trite or complicated or just unnecessary. This stage passes (thankfully) but it can seen to drag on interminably. (I think a few really unlucky artists exist in this funk land for months or years! Then it has progressed to a true artist's block!)
I think my muses are simply a bit tired. I was in a bunch of shows this year, not to mention finishing a whole pile of sophisticated and engaging art work to populate those shows with! The artist's book, "Rita Valley's Guide to Collecting Art" alone would have been a good years production, but I also made a slew of fabric pieces- some finished under deadline for all those shows I mentioned! So possibly my muses are just taking a breather.
Don't worry: I have loads of ides and phrases jotted down on scraps of paper in my studio. They lie in wait for just the right time when I enter my studio and find myself re-immersed in art projects and I complete some of the many half-done masterpieces that hang near totality on my studio walls.
For the present, though, I'm happy to play with Lil' Robin the Good and enjoy the lovely fall weather.

AntiSnow Dance

This is what it has come down to- me against the snow! I know in California they are praying for rain and snow to alleviate their serious drought conditions. But here? I'm dancing my hooves off in an effort to appease the SnoGods (if there are any) and make it stop already. I've heard up to 18 inches in Litchfield County! Nothing to do but bake cookies, vacuum the stairs, work in my studio, take antibiotics and watch the old bump drain. (It is diminished.) The only thing that has improved is the temperature, hovering around the balmy mid-twenties,
Bob has secured the biggest pile of wood ever, indoors.

I share his desire to not have to go out later when there is another foot of snow to bring in the evening's wood. Especially as this white disaster is going to turn to freezing rain and rain later, and then back to snow. Nothing is made better by a coating of ice, especially not my mood. So that's it for now; I'm off to perform round three of my snow cessation dance.