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!

The month of gratitude: day 16

Day 16

I'm grateful for the chance to see Act Two of the fall Best of the Northwest art fair. Not only did I get to see more art and purchase a thing or two, I ran into one of my own collectors!

Say hi to Mary, who took home one of my prints during the October Best of the Northwest.

P.S. Mary says she's grateful for having come to both halves of the fall show too. Share with the class! Email me at yolisalisa at gmail and tell me what's making you feel grateful at the moment.

The month of gratitude: day 14

Day 14

I'm grateful for the chance to see the Best of the Northwest fall show this weekend, this time from the patron side of the booth.

Patrons at an earlier Best of the Northwest show. Credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash

Wishing the artists in Act II all the sales they can handle!