Making an appearance in the "Front Room"
I had such a great time at Juan Alonso Studio last week...
Juan Alonso-Rodriguez pauses for a moment at his birthday fundraiser. ©Lisa Myers Bulmash
... I'm coming back to his space this week too!
I've been invited to show some of my work in the Front Room Gallery at Juan Alonso Studio. On First Thursday art walk in Pioneer Square, I'll debut a new collage as well as some others you might have missed. Details:
Oh, and in case you were wondering, last week's fundraiser was a smash! Juan presented small works by 120 artists, including me, and raised a pretty penny for Lambda Legal, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.
I'm just amazed I've gotten to double-dip, so to speak, and spend more time with such a wonderful artist. Will you join us?
Alki Arts reception: so much love in the room
Can I just tell you how much looooove there was at Alki Arts Gallery last night? Maybe it was because there were so many PEOPLE at the opening reception.
I talked myself hoarse about my work with interested visitors, which is a lovely problem to have.
Talking the ear off of O. David Jackson, co-creator of the annual show. Credit: Alki Arts
Like most art walks, it's a little more "walk (and see gorgeous work)" than "(buying) art (on the spot)." But My Wall, as I like to call it, will be up for another 23 days. So we'll see if someone comes back to collect a piece they've fallen in love with.
My fellow EDGE program grad Mary Lamery and me.
Special thanks to the following:
- my artist peeps who came out to show support, including Jennifer Chin, Mary Lamery, Mary Freiburger, Esther Ervin, Al Doggett and Earnest Thomas
- my new friends, including O. David Jackson and fellow artists Robin Weiss and Carol Braden
- and the enthusiastic people who've Liked my art Page.
These are the connections that support artists emotionally. And don't forget financial support: Rembrandt doesn't have bills to pay, but living artists like me do!
New work: a look within
Last night I finished the second of two new collage portraits, which I'll take to Alki Arts soon for our February exhibit. It's all over but the framing. I can't even tell you how excited I am to get these pieces ready for the show !
My inspiration for these two: something called a "truth window," a deliberate exposure of what's inside a wall, such as hay bale insulation.
Credit: Peter Halasz, via Wikipedia
So I used a pair of knickknack-y picture frames from Goodwill, plus a hay-like art paper, to create a similar effect.
But why mermaids? I got the idea from faux aged sculptures I saw while on vacation a couple years ago.
To me, mermaids and mermen suggest the lure of the ocean's wildness, its unpredictability, its insistence on being what it is.
Maybe that wildness is tamped down in people by rules and responsibilities, by expectations others have of you. For some people of color, there's often an added pressure to Be Responsible and "a credit to your race," as the old phrase went. If you're a girl, you may be discouraged from taking risks and hoping everything comes up lucky number seven...
... and if you're a guy, you may not get much leeway to just be goofy and playful like a kid.
Even with these constraints, I think there's always a scrap of unpredictability that still remains inside. With these collage portraits, I hope I've made some of it visible. I'd love for you to see them in person! The opening reception is Thursday, February 5th from 5pm to 8pm. Looking forward to it!