Exhibition Highlights

Hello again! Reporting in after the reception for my exhibition at Briar Cliff University last evening. Nan Wilson and I installed the show in a day and a half earlier in the week, with the help of a couple of students and a trusty glue gun! None of the work was framed, but was attached to the wall with the hot glue...who knew!?! I managed to make it through the gallery talk, which is not an easy thing for me to do. But the group that gathered was supportive and engaged with the work, so that made it much easier and enjoyable. Below are a few shots of the walls and then some individual pieces, so you can get a better feel of the work.

The longest wall to the left of the entrance was hung with daily drawings from the last 5 months, September through January. Although it took a bit more thought, I wanted them hung according to the calendar and days of the week, rather than as a straightforward grid. So, the set above, for instance, is from January, which began on a Friday. 

Moving clockwise around the room, the next wall contained 27 mixed media pieces that were made as individual works, but hung in 3 sets of 9 pieces each. Because my work is small in scale and intimate, I thought the pieces would be lost if hung in a straightforward line, so I envisioned them as hanging together in a grid. The color palette of each grid is related so they hold together. Collectively, this group, for me, formed the heart of the exhibition. I called the show The Art of Wonder and these pieces comprise The Art of Wonder, Suites 1, 2 & 3. Below are a couple of individual pieces from each suite.

To the right of the entrance was a series of freestanding paper shrines-like objects that contained found text poems. One of them is featured below....sorry, I can't transcribe the poem, because I didn't write them down!! There were made with pages from discarded books on handmade paper dipped in beeswax. Nearly everything in that gallery is dipped in beeswax....except the last wall.

The last wall was a series of randomly hung drawings, made with tiny marks that resemble stitches. I loved making these....so meditative. The paper size varied, as did the pen color, but when finished they each resembled small textiles in a way.

Often after such an intense period of engagement, there is a bit of letdown when it's all over. But my intense month of creating all that work (except the dailies, which are an ongoing project), has left me energized and ready to keep going with new work. 

The Energizer battery hasn't worn down yet! I'm now refocusing energy on my Etsy shop and creating new works to share with my friends here on the blog and across the world. I haven't made any teabag scrolls in quite some time, so that's the next group. I just finished the first one this morning and listed it in my shop, The Scroll for Tiny Drawings. There are a couple of additional detail views in the shop. Oh, what fun to make!

Thank you all so much for following my efforts, for your comments and support. I am amazed how bonds across the world can be made through the blog network....what a wonderful thing. And now, I must get back to it....there is work to be done!

See you soon and hope you enjoy your weekend!

The Daily Practice Unfolding

The year is starting off well and I attribute my more upbeat outlook to the effect of my daily practice. I am someone who thrives on little rituals...they ground me, providing a kind of rhythm to my day. I've maintained a daily drawing practice for a few years, although not always super consistently. In fact, my Missouri Bend Musings Etsy shop was created as a place to share and make available those daily drawings. I fell away from the selling component of the practice and shifted the daily drawing practice to something more private. At its core, I find much of my art making is really a spiritual practice and the efforts required to market the pieces really take away from what the making of them provides me. Although the little drawings I make now on 6x4" Japanese paper do not require a significant amount of time, there is something about letting a simple drawing flow onto the paper from the movement of my hand and a drawing tool, that provides a release. The act of making them acknowledges the creative spirit and leaves a trace, the marks on the page a quiet form of thanks for the day at hand. Below are the drawings from this past week...on 6"x4" Japanese paper, each of which have now been dipped in beeswax. The little row of dots at the top is my way of marking the date: left to right the number of dots corresponds to the month, day and year.

January 7, 2014

January 8, 2014

January 9, 2014

January 10 ,2014

January 11, 2014

January 12, 2014

January 13, 2014

I've also made little found text poems over the years and my first blog MissouriBendPaperWorks was dedicated to that daily practice. Again, it was the effort of photographing and posting that bogged me down. So...I'm back to making those again as well....another daily practice. There is something quite delightful about taking random words and phrases cut from books and arranging them in a new way....somehow the "poem" that comes from each day's exercise is a little revelation. I've posted a few over on my Facebook page and I'll do the same here on occasion. These are the two from yesterday and today. The words of just glued to a sheet of 6"x 4" drawing paper.

January 12th found text poem

In case you can't read it:

live a long journey

slip into the universe

leave a trace

in the sand

January 13th found text poem

Today's was rather humorous....

So, I just wanted to share with you that I'm back to incorporating these daily practices into my life and more fully realizing how much grounding they do provide. Periodically, I will share a few of the things that I make as a part of each day's unfolding and encourage you to find a way to slow down, mark time and leave a trace of another day spent in the dance of life. I'd love to hear from any other artists who include a daily artistic practice....what do you do and how does it enhance your life and the way you move through your days?

Oh, I nearly forgot! Suddenly today I decided that there is a mountain of work sitting on my back table, which comprises the contents of my two Etsy shops, MissouriBendStudio and MissouriBendMusings. Many of those pieces are now older and would love to travel to a good home....it's a BIG 40% off sale in both shops! Use the coupon code: FINDINGAHOME to receive the discount and I'll thank you in advance for giving my pieces a loving home.