Making Art & Sheltering in Place

Making art while sheltering in place has grown into an opportunity to push boundaries, coerce a pragmatic approach to making art by "making it work" accepting that creatively solving design problems with the readily available tool rather than the perfect tool.

A sewing needle is a great alternative if you do not have an awl. Rulers or ID cards are an alternative to a bone folder.

The isolation has ignited a freedom to make changes that otherwise would not have presented themselves. My summer goal is to create a prolific studio space and to document the process of what making art entails. The documentation will also serve as digital resources for other art teachers. 

Now more that ever art is a catalyst to promoting change. These last two weeks have illuminated, actually ignited a desperate need for change. Artists that fuel their craft with activism are often the mirror reflecting our times.

The research will begin with reading On Tyranny an hors d'ourve to my inquiry.The nation is preparing for an election in November and voting will be more important than ever. Mail in ballots have been a source of discussion as a result of the pandemic. The US Postal Service finds itself in a precarious spot, and I want to learn more about absentee voting and the mail in ballot system, so that is where I will launch my probe. 

The cover is paper that I marbled and has been just waiting for the right book to cover. 

Back from the desert inspired and ready to rumble!

Neon Boneyard 2019

Where do you go when you need to refill your creative well? Is it a good book, a weekend in your own studio, a walk in the woods or perhaps you take time to get away...

Seven Magic Mountains                                   Ugo Rondinone

In the summertime, I go to the desert. It is my special place. The heat is dry and welcoming, it envelopes me and redirects my energy . The skies are simultaneously pink, blue and proud. The desert holds secret nuggets of brilliant curiosity and creativity. It whispers to my psyche and encourages, actually pushes me to get outside the box.

                                                                                                                                                                   Recycled Propaganda

Recycled Propaganda has a gallery downtown on Charleston and Main Street. He adorns the surrounding walls with his visual thoughts, often calling out social issues that are not easy to reconcile. His artwork is provocative and smart. Recycled Propaganda makes you stop and think. 

Indigenous Extinction                                                                                                                               Recycled Propaganda

Perceptual Consumption                                                                                                                                     Clayton Baker

Spirit Sisters

Just outside of the city, over the border into California sleeps a tiny little town called Nipton. Nipton is the proud keeper of stunning artwork. For example, Clayton Baker's Perceptual Consumption that was a center piece at Burning Man the year before. It is quite the statement piece resting near the train tracks...it is not alone there are other large scale artworks that define the once ghostly space. You can also sleep in a solar powered teepee !

These are just a few of my favorite finds from this years exploration of the vast space that is the desert. The visit never seems long enough, but I carefully craft the time to leave me inspired and ready to rumble as the new school year knocks! This year is destined to be different, it will be amazing. I hope to be a source of sun to the teachers I meet! To read more on my thoughts about beginning the school year please visit NAEA Monthly Mentor Blog! I am so tickled to be blogging for them the month of August. 

Getting to know Gordon...

I recently took my students to the National Gallery of Art to get a close up understanding of the tremendous history that Gordon Parks captured with his camera. We followed up with hearty discussion in the studio classroom about how photography can impact the story and the public perception of what is being viewed. How the photograph is presented, and what part of the image is essential to the story... it was a day spent viewing challenging photographs and having critical conversations.