This week has been the big push to finalize my artist statement/bio and entries for the 14th Annual Maritime Exhibition at the Harbor Museum in Gig Harbor. I have no idea if my work will meet their needs/desires, but ready or not I am about to hit "send". We will see what comes of this effort. I did have three of my books accepted it into the Puget Sound Book Artist Exhibition at the University of Puget Sound but EGADS - tomorrow there will be a meet the artist & conversation night. Sheez...
Honestly, entering these shows has really pushed me - made me ask myself hard questions about my motivations, materials, meaning and brand. Not a bad thing to do once in a while. The good news is I have been working consistently on my art in spite of my added caregiving duties. In fact, just the other day, I had an ah ha moment. I realized that I was no longer making excuses why I wasn't making any art, I was making excuses why the house wasn't picked up or the laundry done! While slightly embarrassed over the mess, I was ecstatic that I had finally climbed over this gigantic 'mental' hurdle. I am ready now to call quietly call myself an artist.
Title: Land and Water Meet Air - An Intertidal Assemblage
3 sea shell books with images of eel grass calligraphy, lugworm castings,
and heart rocks.
Sea urchin and kelp made out of phonebook pages.
Paper clam with barnacles,
kelp fronds and eel grass
on a suminagashi base.
Title: They Came By Ship
Boat covered with tea bag papers, 2 lines of ancestors names,
handmade paper sail with grandmother's thrums
Title: Sailing Away
Photos of Commencement Bay printed on rice paper,
2 driftwood skiffs,
and a rock ship amid beach litter.
Using my photos, printing on different papers, waxing the surfaces, recycling phonebook pages or other waste stream materials, adding natural elements,
makes for what I call ADVENTURE!
